(32) Left Behind and Common Courtesy

Ask any Korean how hard it is to speak English. It's not an easy language for them to learn.Many of the rules and mechanics of the language are confounding to them,only making sense after years of study and practice.

I can't help but feel sorry for them sometimes. Since English is a major business language, it means that pretty much any major job requires you have some form of mastery of English to go anywhere in life and succeed at your job.

However, I am under the firm belief that courtesy and consideration transcends any language barrier and allows us to display our humanity and show our compassion and understanding of each others needs. This, to me, is the beauty of the human race.

However, we can not always be receptive to each others needs and wants. Sometimes we are too focused, too intent on fulfilling our own agendas and needs to notice the other person in the room. Sometimes, our lives become so involving, we develop these life blinders. blocking out everything and keeping us focused on our goals with laser accuracy. We are, after all, only human.

I'm probably not the first person to experience this while working in Korea and just based on some of the stories I have heard, I'm sure some people have it much worse than I do. We all have our bad work days and work experiences. I usually let them roll of my shoulder and just go on with my life. I realize that people at work our focused so its a understandable when a lapse of judgement or lack of time to help others occurs.

Today was the last day of the 2013 school year before the winter break. It was a day to wrap up classes and finish up what we needed to do before the new year began. This however would be my last year working at the school as only a few months before I found out that I wouldn't be able to renew my contract at my school, as the Korean government had recently made new changes which would end up eliminating foreign teachers from high schools. It was a little upsetting that this would happen and during the last part of the school year, but, that is a story for another day.

Apparently, this morning was a breakfast to celebrate the last days of teaching and close the old year to begin the new one fresh. I don't know what the breakfast was like, what there was to eat, or even where it took place because unlike the other teacher's I wasn't invited.

To clarify, every single staff in the school was invited to attend. This includes teachers, secretaries, office staff, grounds keepers  even some parents who were at the school, except me. I was the only one left out.

Why? I have no idea. I've been invited to school meals and gatherings before. It was common assumption for teachers to tell one another about an event and ask them to come along. even if they didn't intend on sitting next to them or talking to them.

I'm not to complain and whine when I'm not invited to parties. I don't throw a fit when I'm not invited to group outings. It's ok. I'm an adult. the world doesn't revolve around and me and no one owes me anything. I get that. Adult stuff. It's cool.

However, when every single person in the school minus the students is invited and you're not, it makes you think. It makes you wonder. Why would this happen?

Was it something I did? Is my personality? Did they just forget? Am I difficult to talk to? No one said anything about and of these before, why the sudden change of tone at the end of the year? Stuff like this makes your mind wander, makes you think what could have possibly gone wrong, all over a stupid breakfast.

As I said in the beginning, I understand and respect the difficulty of learning English. I understand and respect the cultural differences and have given the strongest effort to represent the best of my culture as well as understanding and participating in Korean culture.

However, simply asking someone to come has nothing to do with culture. Taking five seconds out of your day to simply ask someone to come with you or go with you has nothing to do with culture, nor your quality as a teacher, or even a person. It's just common courtesy. I've been her long enough to know that it exists in Korea just we much as it does in the states.

I'm not going to sit here and complain about how life in Korea sucks and how life is unfair. I will say that I hope anyone who reads this remembers their manners and courtesy. It only takes a second of your time and in many cases, can make a huge difference in someone's day and in many cases, prove to them that there is humanity left in the world.

Be good to one another. Represent your culture, represent your society and represent yourself well. That is all.

(31) What has happened to youtube? Part 2

In my previous post I talked about just how broken the youtube comments system has become and my frustrations with it. Despite being only one part of youtube, it was something that involved everyone who uses youtube, whether you were a big content channel or just someone who likes to watch videos like myself.

The latest changes that began sweeping over youtube do not have an immediate effect on me as I have stated before that I do not collect any kind of payment from my videos on youtube, but rather the people that do collect payment. The people that create content for us to watch. The people that give us content to enjoy.

With Google's and youtube's new method for detecting copyrighted material, it sent out a massive amount of copyright notices from a slew of third parties. A majority of the people that were affected were the ones who had game-related channels which included let plays and music.

A majority of the reason I watch youtube channels is because of gaming related content. I enjoy watching reviews of upcoming games, watching some of my favorite personalities play through games and discuss them while the game related video and audio is on screen. I can credit some of my favorite channels with guiding me to making purchases and also providing me with hours upon hours of entertainment and useful information that I simply cannot get from any other source. The very best thing about youtube this generation was allowing these people to create content tailored to the interest of different people.

This is now all at risk with the new automated copyright system. Not only do footage of games and music catch the attention of the system, it means that these videos cannot exist, also meaning what these people can create will also be crippled, not through creativity, but through laws and copyright. It also means that these channels will not be able to receive payment through youtube,meaning the creators will no longer be able to make youtube videos as a full time job.

I realize there has been a lot said about the people no longer making money from youtube. You have some people believing that making videos and p[laying for fun shouldn't be a job, and suggest that these people get "a real job". You have another group of people who believe that the copyright laws of the US are now painfully outdated, and not able to accurately take into account the changing landscape of digital content, ownership and fair use.

As it stands right now, my favorite gaming related channel on youtube, Classic Game Room has left youtube behind over what was most likely a slew of copyright claims. Mark Bussler, the creator has moved onto his own website and will most likely continue to post future videos on dailymotion. Other channels like have also recently released statements saying that if this new rule sticks around, most of the channels will most likely either severely cut the amount of content they make or quit making new content entirely as their focus will have to shift to new jobs in order to survive.

As I said before, personally, this has no personal effect on me at all. I can still continue about my daily life and I can still watch videos without worrying about having a source of income coming in to support myself. However, I still can't help but feel sad by what has happened and by what will continue to happen to some of my favorite youtubers.

I'll be the first to admit that my knowledge of copyright laws and fair use is not completely extensive, and that my legal understanding of the matter is not an expert opinion, but I will say that this comes across as sad, as a majority of the youtubers I religiously watched and even some that I only occasionally watched never seemed to be in it to milk dollars from their channels, nor did they ever seem to want to take more than what was given to them. They were just ordinary people that wanted to make videos, wanted to entertain people and sometimes even wanted to educate people. These were people who were doing no wrong to anyone and were just having fun.

I do agree to an extent that the laws that exist for fair use and copyright are dated, and do not accurately take into account the new way products and goods are shared and sold through a digital medium. The times have changed and it only seems appropriate that the laws do as well to reflect the times. With the way they exist now, the seem to only hold back and stifle the creativity and forward progress of technology.

I also suppose one could tell them to get a real job, as just sitting around playing games and making videos about it isn't exactly the most backbreaking of labor, but in this day and age with a constantly changing and dynamic job market, who is to say what is a real job and what is not? Does sitting at a desk punching numbers in a computer make it less of a job than heavy construction. Should I look down at the barista at Starbucks and admire the brain surgeon? It's silly to compare and contrast jobs. If you work hard, if you're good at what you do and you do it on a regular basis, its a job like everything else, and like all work that takes time and effort, deserves compensation.

Its clear that youtube is not going to ease up on their rules and its clear that the new rules and regulations are going to keep being added on through the next year. I don't know what this means for the future of some of my favorite channels and their respective entertainers, but I do know that is will severely affect just how much time I put into youtube. If some of my favorite youtube people jump ship and go somewhere else, what is the point of me staying on the site and using their service?

I know that this will make little difference, and I know that even with a massive amount of backlash and protest, youtube will not loose a single night of sleep over this because of the still massive amount of people who continue and will continue to use youtube in the future. However, this only proves the point of what happens when a cool little service gets swallowed up by a huge corporation. Money and bottom lines replace the community and ingenuity of what makes services like these so great to begin with, and if the people. the community, the very heart and soul are the ones to be punished, its no longer what it used to be.

If anything, these videos, these reviews were the best thing going for each of the publishers behind the titles. It gave indie games a platform to be heard and to be noticed allowing them to grow and capture the massive audience they have today. They offered unbiased looks at big name titles, letting the consumer have a no corporate look at whether that next big game that's been hyped up for months is really worth your hard earned cash.

Youtube is no longer the youtube I loved. Youtube is just that, a name, a shell of its former self and its sad to think that that its gone too far past the point of return and the possibility of it returning to its former self is pretty much non existent.  

(30) 90 in 90: What has happened to youtube? Part 1

Lots of people have already spoken their opinion about the latest actions from youtube and Google. Lot's of people have made videos, blog posts and other rants and in-depth looks at the new rules behind making money from videos and copyright infringement. News on the internet travels fast and by now, this is all old news.

I do not make money off youtube. I do not create content or belong to an affiliate group that allows me to make money. I do not have a large subscriber base nor do I plan on creating new content anytime soon. I teach. I write articles and I try to blog on here when I have free time.*

I do however, enjoy youtube, or rather I do enjoy the content that some of the people on youtube have created. For a video service that started out as a way to simply upload videos and put them for the world to see has evolved into this huge service of new content that caters to my, and thousands of others tastes. As grand as it sounds, youtube and the people on it have created content that has not only broadened my horizons in both my hobbies and work field, but has also given me a place and community to belong to, that no matter where I currently am, gives me a sense of ease and comfort when the real world can be a harsh and alienating place.

That being said, the recent changes brought to youtube through Google's new policies and rule changes, simply, suck. They are awful and outdated practices with an incredibly narrow minded point of view on how the internet and how ownership in this day and age works. This is coming from the little guy, a person who just watches for fun and logs onto youtube on a daily basis. My opinion, much like many others means nothing to the people in charge. I can rant and scream and yell as much as I want and nothing will change, things will stay the same and if the rumors from the major content creators is true, will become even worse in the upcoming year.

The first changes came with the new comments system in which everyone is required to have a Google + account to make a comment. The intention meant well, as a way to keep spam and inappropriate comments down and more meaningful and insightful comments towards the top. Anyone who has spent time looking through the comments knows that they can sometimes contain some of the most vile and inappropriate things uttered by human mouths. If one thing has not changed over the years, its that when given the option to remain anonymous, anything goes in the realm of the internet.

However, the trouble that comes with this new system not only comes from making people sign up for a completely separate service most people did not use, and most likely at this point, do not want to use. The trouble comes from Google's absolute refusal to fix any of the new problems that have developed as a result.

I've seen entire movie scripts posted to videos. I've seen ASCII art of everything from male genitalia to every meme under the sun. I've seen links that would lead to viruses, screamers or even pornographic content that youtube has been so adamant on banning all these years. While the comments were designed to put only the most relevant comments towards the top of the page, but instead often puts some of the most hateful and vile comments near the top, since the comments that have the most responses are deemed the most important, you'll often see troll comments with dozens of troll baiters responding, giving into their trap.

The comments system for all its intents and purposes of doing good has backfired spectacularly in its clunkiness and new ability to showcase its most hateful side of youtube, the one that they tried so hard to bury front and center. Even the action of Google + trying to get you use your real name has backfired as anyone can create a fake account with a fake name and go to town. As of the time of writing this, I have come across dozens of Jesus Christs, Barack Obamas and Kim Jong Ills who have said anything from sarcastic quips to sexually explicit remarks.

Google and youtube wanted to create a more sanitized version of youtube and I can respect that. However at its current state, its a convoluted mess, and despite signs of slowly getting better, it still does not excuse the mess of a system to read personal messages and  the large amount of inappropriate comments and content that still exists that in many ways, is worse than before the Google takeover.

In an incredibly cynical fashion, I will admit that people are the worst. They have the potential to do good but when given an anonymous face, the worst of humanity comes out and you have a legion of people wanting to cause chaos in a entirely dangerous and most often consequence free world. Perhaps its defeatist of me to say this, but I feel that no one could ever stop these kinds of people from doing what they do best, causing havok. When you upset them, their actions become ten times worse and end up causing more harm than good. You can never stop everyone, control everyone, the best you can do is police them the best you can and step in when they cause significant damage. It reminds me of a line from The Dark Knight where Alfred, butler of Bruce Wayne remarks that by Batman trying to crack down on criminals that he has "spat in their faces" of the worst criminals and that things were going to get worse before they got better.

I feel that is what is happening here. I know comments may seem like something completely insignificant to some people and you may be right, but I, and many others can see what is happening underneath and the slippery slope this is becoming. We see that one of our favorite video services is quickly becoming a shell of its former self and like many other people, this makes us incredibly sad.

*The blogger service is also owned by Google. Funny how that works out huh?

(29) 90 in 90: Thanksgiving x2

Thanksgiving. A holiday that is as synonymous with America as Christmas and the Fourth of July. Its that time of year we think about the past and the future. We appreciate the people we have and the people we have been lucky to have known while eating copious amounts of food and drinking more than our fair share of wine.

Thanksgiving has always been one of my favorite holidays. It was always the time I looked forward to, seeing some family who I rarely ever saw, eating the delicious food that we only saved for once a year and playing games with my family long into the night. Its the one holiday that makes me nostalgic every time I think of it and the one holiday that makes me miss home the most when thinking about it.

Being in a foreign country that does not celebrate the holiday can be difficult times.At one end, you're enjoying your new life and freedom to escape from the confines and restrictions of your own country, its your adventure to the new and exciting and you're living it everyday.

On the other hand, it makes you long for the comfort and familiarity of home. The foods and the people and the places that no mater how hard you try, are impossible to recreate on the other side of the world. It's easy to get caught in this sort of mini depression, missing the things from back home that used to be such a big part of your life.

However, what people do is create their own celebrations, start new traditions. Share the company with people you've met on the other side of the world and enjoy this day together. You're all in this together, away from home and loved ones so its the perfect time to be together. Lonely people becoming un-lonely togehter.

I was lucky enough to participate in two Thanksgiving celebrations. One of them a large church gathering in Daegu and a smaller more intimate on with friends in my town of Gimcheon. Both gave me time to spend with the people I cared about the most in Korea and also gave me an opportunity to have a little taste of home with generous amounts of turkey, stuffing, cranberry sauce and mashed potatoes.

I always look forward to gatherings like these. I don't often have as much time as I would like with people due to my schedule and the randomness of other people's schedules. However, its nice to have holidays together, its a time to appreciate the unique situation were in, living across the world and lets us starve off our homesickness for a little bit.

This is post is really short, I wish I had more to say but, my mind is kind of blank today. I had a great Thanksgiving in Korea. I could not have asked for anything better.

Oh, if there was one thing I was thankful for this year, and every year since working overseas, its not having to wake up at the crack of dawn to go work a part time retail job selling cheap electronics to people who are more than willing to kill one another just to get that TV. One thing I do not miss is working Black Friday. It is my sincere wish to never work or never go out on that day ever again. Crazy is what it is. Just crazy

(28) 90 in 90: Stepping outside the box and creating something great

If there has been one thing that I have experienced as my time as a teacher in Korea, its that fact that if given the opportunity, your students will continue to amaze you in different ways. Sometimes its  a funny remark. Other times its a insightful comment or thought that you never expected. Sometimes its sometime so far beyond a simple comment or excellent example of knowledge, its something that combines knowledge and dedication to make something so incredible and so beyond the years of these students in terms of age, it makes the accomplishments, or rather what you considered accomplishments as a child, pale in comparison.

A group of students along with their science teacher took on a project of working with algae, and seeing the different effects the algae can produce in different conditions. For months this small and dedicated group of students set up a makeshift laboratory complete with testing and measuring equipment where students would make observations and test the algae under different lighting conditions.

What the students discovered was that the algae was able to reduce CO2 in the air as well as refresh the oxygen and create a more hospitable environment. Further research and study revealed the potential of using algae as a potential bio diesel fuel, and only by comparing their data to other scholarly articles and research, did they find that their research and hypothesis was correct.

Their hard work has gotten the attention of the Korean government and the the Ministry of Education as our school, or rather these students in particular have won a national award for having the best project idea as well as having the best results.

The students still have a long road ahead of them. They have a few more contests, one of which requires them to present in English. While their project isn't quite over yet, their effort and hard work is still miles beyond anything kind of project I participated in during high school.

Hearing about them talk about their project, hearing the enthusiasm and excitement behind their voices as they shared their data was a reminder of just how exciting and inspiring new alternatives to learning can be to students. These students were left to their own plans and devices with minimal guidance and not only ended up creating a interesting experiment, but also found some interesting new evidence in a field that is almost certainly going to become more popular and more necessary as our need for alternative fuels increases.

I am incredibly proud of these students and have assisted them with the English portion of their project as much as I could within my ability. When you have a daily routine of enforcing strict study habits and memorization, seeing students work outside the established system and discovering something fantastic in the process is such a great thing to see.

I expect this project to go far. I expect these students to go far. I cannot wait to see where they all end up. 

The finished result

The students (scientists) hard at work

(27) 90 in 90: Talent Show for Humanity

Last Friday, my school held their annual school festival, a day when both teachers and students take a break from test preparation and thinking about universities to spend a day showing off their talents and having some breathing room to laugh and have some fun.

I really enjoyed attending my school's festival last year. It was fun to watch the same students who I had spent day after day teaching and lecturing to, cut loose and show of their talents and abilities that they would never have the opportunity to demonstrate otherwise in school. Some students sang, some danced, some played an instrument and some put on funny skits.

It was one day to see students for more than their grade level or ability to speak English. It was a chance to see beyond the social constructs we place on them everyday and see their inner self come out for all to see.As much as our school promotes the festival a a time of teachers and students coming together, to me, it was more for the students than anything. It was a day for them to retain and enjoy the naive and carefree time of youth before like many things, becomes lost to responsibility and time.

This year was no different, as students from all three grade levels in our school put on an entertaining and well thought out show. Once again, I saw students who I had only know through strictly academic means show off skills I never knew they had. Again I was treated to some entertaining and sometimes surprising displays of talent. Despite the similar premise, the talent show showcased some very different acts from last year, all of which to be very popular with both the students and the teachers.

This year a majority of the performances were music performances. Some students decided to do a dance to the song "What Does the Fox Say?" complete with costume and dance moves. I'm not sure it went over as well with the older teachers there as it did with the younger crowd, but I found it entertaining and was able to witness firsthand just how far some pop culture can spread.

A few students did musical performances with beat boxing/free style rap and musical performances. Two students caught my attention, one of which did an entire solo cover of the Guns n' Roses song "Sweet Child O' Mine". Another group did a cover of the Muse song "Time is Running Out."

After spending nearly an entire year hearing k pop, hearing my students talk about k pop and feeling that most likely 99% of the population of Korea listens only to k pop, it was an incredibly refreshing experience to hear not only excellent covers of some popular songs that aren't k pop, but to also hear covers of songs that I actually like. I was very pleasantly surprised and found myself singing along and getting into the moment, forgetting my role as a responsible educator and role model and just letting the music get to me and rocking out.

Towards the end of the show, guest bands from Gimcheon Girl's High School performed a great band cover of 2NE1's "Ugly" as well as a performance from one of the mothers who helped out, singing a pop song that seemed to be lost to the students, but received a strong and enthusiastic reaction from the older teachers and staff. Even my vice principal joined in on the fun and took the stage to sing another pop song from his youth. My vice principal is fairly serious guy, who's responsibility to the school and its operation is top priority. Seeing him sing and enjoy himself was another enjoyable sight, showing that even your tough and demanding boss is still just an ordinary guy underneath who has likes, wants and needs just like everyone else.

The main event that most of the students were interested in was the last act of the show. A girl k pop dance group came in and performed several dance routines to the latest popular k pop songs. Even if you know a little bit about k pop, you most likely are aware of the hyper sexual dance moves and model-esque k pop performers that sing and dance to each song.  While this group only did the dancing, it was enough to get an enthusiastic response from the students. I'm certain being stuck at an all boys school and being forced to study all day and night will do this to a young man.

While there were other parts of the school festival*, the talent show was the main highlight and the one that stood out the most in my mind. As much as Korea pushes students to adopt a school regimen of studying and learning and teachers to sacrifice a vast majority of their day to working for the school and keeping busy, the talent show showed us the human side that was can so easily forget once we settle into a daily routine.

It may seem like just a school talent show, just a place for students to goof around and for teachers to have a few hours away from their normal duties, but I still think its much more than that. Its the chance to show us all that without the essence that allows us to live and enjoy our lives, without those little moments that remind us why we are living and the joy and creative freedom that life offers us, we're nothing more than empty husks trapped in a forever repeating cycle of monotony until the day we die.

While its easy to get trapped into this mind set, especially in Korea and especially for future students who seemingly have their futures already made for them, giving them the opportunity to escape from the daily grind, even for one day is a reminder that while you are sometimes just a student, sometimes just a worker and sometimes just another part of society, you are also an individual. You are unique. You stand out. You have talent.

You are human, and that is both a beautiful and wonderful thing.

*more about my school festival in the next post

(26) 90 in 90: Random Bits of Pepero, univeristies and getting married in Korea

Today is 배배로 or Pepero Day in Korea. Pepero is a cookie like stick dipped in chocolate, similar to Pocky from Japan. Pepero day was created as a commercial holiday and encourages couples and friends to purchase the treats for one another. It worked remarkably well and every year on November 11, you'll see store displays with a variety of different treats along with the post November 11 markdowns of anything Pepero related.

It's common for teachers to receive boxes of Pepero from their students or other teachers. For my second year the entire staff was given a box of Pepero as a gift for the staff. I also went out and purchased boxes of Pepero for all the female teachers teaching in the school. The holiday means nothing to me, its a commercial holiday after all, but like all festivities, its always fun to get into the spirit and share the happiness with others. So I'll happily eat my chocolate treats (and take advantage of the massive savings of left over Pepero tomorrow).

In other news, I'm still job hunting and looking for opportunities to leave my current job and relocate for another one. While I have had no success, I've have learned a few tricks and tips along the way to hopefully make for a more successful opportunity next year. I've finally begun to accept that the move to another city and career is much more involved and challenging than I originally thought. I'm a little disappointed by this, but again, there is still a little time left, so really anything can happen. Even after accepting that I may have to spend one more year at my school, its really not an entirely bad thing. I enjoy being at my school, its laid back, filled with good students and a great staff. I always want to move forward, but one more year being in the same place isn't really a bad thing.

Finally, I've looked at the process of marriage in Korea from the eyes of a foreigner and its a daunting looking experience. To be honest, I was fairly ignorant of the process that it takes to become a married couple for a non native Korean, but after reading this informative blog post, I now know that its a long and drawn out process filed with forms, paperwork, red tape and headaches. I'm not saying I'm looking to get married in Korea anytime soon, but just the thought of going through all of this makes my head spin. However, love conquers all in the end, and I'm sure even the most annoying and anal of paperwork can't compare to true love, or something like that.

This was a random post, but like the segmented and unstructured paragraphs you just read, my mind was a buzz with random little bits of information today. Its funny how these come to our minds at random.

Happy 배배로 Day to all. Keep on doing what you're doing and no matter what you're doing or where you're working, have fun in Korea while you can, for one day, we all must return home again.

Delicious 배배로 in a ultra classy box

(25) 90 in 90: Perspectives and Refocusing

I am currently a high school teacher in South Korea. Being a high school teacher is not a end game career for me. I enjoy teaching, in fact there are days when I love teaching, but in the end it is not what I want to do for the rest of of my life.

Knowing this does not alter the way that I teach and what I teach. While I have never been formally trained in education or teaching, I am constantly trying to make efforts to improve my ability and methods. I understand the importance of being an educator and despite the naysayers, I still feel that strong efforts on behalf of the teacher can rub off on the students in a positive way. Show students you care enough, and they'll care right back. Of course this is not always the case but even those who sleep in class will  know that you're a teacher who is trying. (they just choose not to pay attention)

There are days where being a teacher in Korea can be a frustrating experience unlike any other job I have held. The days where your lessons fall on deaf ears. The days where students would rather sleep and talk to their neighbors than pay attention. The days where your co teachers would rather read a book or not even attend the class rather than try to help you. There are days where you'll fight with your school over a contracts or miss communication. While the exact experiences may vary from teacher to teacher, school to school, I'm willing to bet that most teachers have experienced these things before.

However, despite the days where I want to pull my hair out in frustration and moments where I yearn for the comfort of home, I have never stopped caring about my job and the people who are part of my job. Some people have horrible teaching experiences here and leave with bitter feelings and unpleasant memories. I'm happy to report that I have more good memories than bad ones.

Last week I fell into a series of depressing days. I had just gotten over a huge argument with a loved one, was criticized by my school for making an error that was originally their fault to begin with and falling ill with a nasty stomach virus. It was enough to make me fed up with my job and living overseas and made me wish I could return home again. I felt that I was close to my limit, I didn't want to be here anymore and face the frustration.

It was only a few days later that I saw the error in my emotional state and realized that while things were bad, there was no reason to leave, no reason to turn my back on a country that had given me so much. The frustrations of daily life combined with job hunting and was slowly boiling under the surface and just like a volcano on the brink of exploding, the tiniest provocation could set me off.

Unlike my geological analogy, the damage I caused wasn't permanent and instead offered me some perspective. It offered me the time to think about what I wanted, where I was and where I wanted to go.

More than anything else, the time to cool down and reflect has left me thankful, to exam just what a great life and opportunity filled living I currently have. I thought about how everyday was a new adventure and a  new opportunity to learn something new. I thought about how I was making a decent living, paying off a debt that would enslave my life and time if I remained in my home country. I thought about the people I have met and the people I currently have. How they have changed and shaped me for the better and provided me with the opportunity to share my adventure with them.

I am currently a teacher. I will most likely remain a teacher for  a little while longer. I still want to be a journalist. This has not changed. This will most likely not change for awhile.

No matter where I am and what I'm doing, the end goal, no matter how vague and distant it may seem is always something to keep me on track, the let me know I still have somewhere to go.

It lets me know that one day I will have to settle down. It lets me know all of the opportunities I have waiting for me, and that time spent exploring the possibilities and enjoying the little moments is better than moping of the ones you can't have.

Reflection has put me back on track and put my mind in its place again.

There will be more rough days ahead. There will be more bad days, arguments, disagreements and disputes.

There will be rejections and failures. Self doubts and worry.

I will have them in Korea.

Then again, I will have them no matter where I go.

That much is certain, but so is the promise of good days.

Which one do you think is the better to focus on?

Like our good friends Jules and Vincent, sometimes a moment of clarity is what you need to put things back into perspective.

(24) 90 in 90: Friday Night Frights and Days of Future Past

Autumn is here in Korea. The crisp air is a refreshing change from the hot and humid summers.

It's a Friday night in the quiet town of Gimcheon and the first day of November. After spending a week of having plans fall through, job issues, communication issues and a good ole' helping of homesickness, the week and month of October is finally over and are now only two months away until the end of 2013.

Halloween is actually one of my favorite holidays, and the fact that I was unable to properly celebrate it this year left me a little sad. The last time I had a fun celebration with friends was nearly three years ago while I was still attending my university. The following three years were spent studying, working, being sick and being busy through the holiday. I did small celebrations by spending a few hours with friends, and while they were great fun with great people, something has always felt missing.

I tend to get that feeling from time to time. Wanting to celebrate something during a time of importance and always feeling that something is missing. It's not a sense of being disappointing or let down, but rather something tugging at your mind, that nagging sense that while everything seems right, there is something deep down that is off.

Perhaps its my sense of nostalgia, always subconsciously comparing the memories and days of yesterday, creating an expectation of scratching that nostalgic itch that we all yearn to find and hold on to, desperately struggling to hold on to that one time in our past that seemed without worry or regret, the reminder of what our lives once were and perhaps the hopes that the same feelings and memories can be repeated in the future.

Perhaps its homesickness? I do admit that after going home for a week to see friends and family, a small sense homesickness has been creeping up on me from time to time. It's never enough to make me yearn to return to my homeland, but its enough to put memories of good times from the past randomly inserting themselves in my mind. When things go bad or you have a bad week, we tend to think of home and all the good things about it.

Despite being an adult, my sense of security and relief still goes back to home, to my family and friends living their lives without me on the other side and the sometimes wishful feelings that they could be with you, to watch you take the punches life throws at you and be there to wipe away the blood and ice the bruises.

I rarely tend to get like this, I always appreciated the freedom and sense of adventure being away from home brought with it. Sometimes though, home is a comforting thought. Its that blanket of security that comes from knowing that no matter where you are and what you do, you can always go back home to security.

This feeling doesn't come often, but it still manages to creep in from time to time.  It doesn't happen as often as it used to, but the fact that it occasionally does happen proves that no matter where I go and who I'm with, no matter how successful or happy I become, home is always on my mind.

Home will always be on my mind, this is not a bad thing.

                                                 This song always reminds me of home.

(23) 90 in 90: Culture and Compromise

Its a commonly shared belief that being in another country means following the rules of another country. It means putting aside your own preconceived notions on how you should live and act in favor of having an open mind towards other cultures. The saying "When in Rome, do as the Romans do" applies here.

I have always been comfortable doing this. While there was always the first time awkwardness of changing a daily routine and way of living, soon I became comfortable in a new way of living and to some extent, a new way of thinking. My core beliefs and behavior would remain, but the willingness to think and act in another way would always be an option.

A few days ago, a question came to my attention that caused me to stop and think about my current situation. It required me to take a look at my own beliefs and morals and consider this question: how much do we compromise of our former actions and morals when in a new country?

I've been in Korea for almost two years and have experienced a large chunk of its culture and cultural standards. Some of which I have followed and agreed with, while other things have left me feeling a little out of place and feeling a little hesitant to embrace that part of the culture. I never really gave too much thought to the things that bothered me, I simply pushed them to the side or if I was left with no other option, just did that it in as minor of a role as possible.

The question that I talked about earlier comes into question specifically when we do something we wouldn't normally do, or rather something that goes against your own ethics or beliefs. Is it acceptable to go against them in order to fit in to another country and not cause problems?

For me, I'm honestly not sure, the issue never really bothered me until it was critically brought to my attention. A friend of mine expressed some difficulty fitting into certain aspects of Korea culture, specifically when it came to gender roles.

For those who are not aware, Korea follows strict gender roles and these roles are expected to be followed without conflict or deviation. For me, I was aware of this particular aspect of society, it never really bothered me enough to say or act against it in any way. Being that my friend is the opposite gender of myself, the issues affected her much more significantly. A critical look at some of the things people do and say to women could be interpreted as offensive to some people. This was something that was always on my mind but never really made me think about it critically until now.

While it didn't bother her so much that it made her want to pack her bags and run home, it was enough to get both of us thinking and wondering how to go about and deal with the situation. She finally decided that she would bring up the reasons why it was considered offensive and why it bothered her to people closer to her, but to older people and people she didn't have a close relationship with, she would just let it slide. It was a compromise between her morals and the societal norms of another culture.

I like to feel that when something bothers me in some way enough for me to think about it for days on end, I would speak up about it and tell them why I felt it was wrong. On the other hand, I have strong feelings about respecting other people's cultures and would rather not challenge someone on something that has most likely been a part of their life as long as they can remember.

I feel like an understanding and a middle ground can come between two reasonable people of any culture, but I would always feel that small feeling of guilt afterwards. I mean, who am I to tell people how to live their lives? Who am I to take a moral high ground and talk down to someone from a different culture?

On the other hand, there are some things that are not exactly morally right no matter which culture you come from and no matter how long it has been a part of your culture. I think we can all agree to varying degrees that sexism is wrong and to sit by and watch it continue without at least letting people know why its wrong feels a bit wrong as well. Sharing culture also means sharing beliefs and perspectives, this is an example.

In the end I don't have a solid answer and my approach could be completely different from another person's strategy. I try to maintain a balance, letting people know my point of view while respecting theirs and hopefully meeting in the middle. It's a not a perfect solution, but I think its a good middle ground for now.

It's funny how despite being here for almost two years, I still am not entirely sure how to go about dealing with certain issues. If anything, living abroad still presents puzzles and solutions two years later. The act of learning, is never ending and always changing.

The Fruits of Our Labor: Seoul, Our City Presents: A Memory

One of the recent projects I have been participating in is helping to write and act in a short film for an upcoming film contest called Seoul, Our Movie.

Seoul, Our Movie was created by the Park Brothers, Park Chan Wook and Park Chan Kyong. Both are well known directors in Korea, with Park Chan Wook being the director of famous films such as Oldboy and Joint Security Area. It was created to showcase a series of short films showing everyday life from different parts of Seoul.

Our short film is titled 'A Memory" and is a short film about a young man reminiscing about finding his first love in a coffee shop. We filmed the entire short film in Itaewon.

Please take the time to check out this and the other short films on the website. If you enjoyed it, please vote for it.

Sometimes, its good to participate in different creative outlets in Korea and gives me the opportunity to work some some really creative and awesome people.


Link to "A Memory"

Link to Seoul, Our Movie

Link to the youtube page

(22) 90 in 90: What is there to do in October anyway?

Footwash. Purify your feet and mind!

To answer the title, lots. There are lots of things to do and many goals to accomplish in the month of October.

October has always been a busy month for me. Since coming to Korea October has been the month that has fallen right after the summer break and the beginning of the fall semester, and the cram period for students to study and prepare for the college enterance and final exams.

October is also the time for school trips and events. Two weeks ago I went with my school on a trip to Yeonphoong Seongji, a site famous in Korea for being the location of the birthplace of the Catholic Church.

Statues at Yeongphoong Seongji

It was an interesting day to explore a site of such significance in Korea, as well as being able to participate and observe a Catholic ceremony. I had previously sat in and participated in a Catholic ceremony as a child, but to see the impact and power the ceremony had on my teachers and staff was a truly powerful thing to witness, and a reminder of just how significant the Catholic religion is in Korea.

October is also the time of Halloween, a holiday that I have always participated in but never really embraced the holiday until this year. For the first time, I'll be going to a Halloween party dressed in a real costume with the intent of having a good time and getting into the mood.

Chungcheongbuk-do has some of the most breath taking scenery in Korea

I went to a party last year for Halloween with some friends but I didn't pick a costume and just wore a suit and tie (after all I could be pretty much anyone in that get up) I had a great time, but didn't stay out for the night and didn't really go to celebrate the holiday, but rather to just be with friends.

There's nothing wrong with good company, but I always wanted to do more, to just once celebrate Halloween in full festive mood, costume and all.

So this year I decided to celebrate in my favorite crazy spot in Korea with my girlfriend and some other friends to have as much 21 and over fun that we can. I may be getting older and not really interested in partying, but Halloween has always been that special night to dress up as something you normally never would and be someone else for one night. Before I get to old to appreciate that sentence, I'm going to take advantage of it.

A preview of a Halloween costume to come

Along with school life and personal life, my job hunt continues. I've had no luck yet, but its still relatively early to toss in the towel, and while I have a decent job now, I have no room to worry or complain too much. If anything, its been a weekly reminder that not everything is easy and a reminder to appreciate the things that you have, because like all things in life, they shall not last forever.




All in all, I'm busy but still enjoying myself. Korea is an adventure everyday and it still doesn't cease to throw in some surprises, both good and bad every now and then.  

(21) 90 in 90: The New King of Soccer (not really)

It's almost been an entire week since returning from the US and getting my bearings again. After waking up much earlier than necessary and going to sleep much later than recommended on a school night, it finally seems that my body is beginning to get back to its normal routine. The 9 to 5 that became a daily part of my life seems to be coming back without the mid day falling asleep at my desk routine.

It feels great to be back and in the groove again. I always hate the feeling of being out of the loop and not actively involved in my day to day life beyond just going through the motions. I may turn into a wasted pile of energy after the work day is over sometimes, but I try my hardest during the day to be a somewhat productive member of my school or at least a productive member to accomplish what needs to be done on my personal list.

What I Saw

I'm not a scientist, nor am I a sleep expert, but I am almost certain that two events in the middle of the week helped me bounce back to my normal self.

This week was my school's Foundation Day, or a holiday in which the school celebrates the day it was founded and built. Like many other schools, my school celebrated by having a ceremony where the principal and other high ranking people in the school gave a speech to the students. The actual Foundation Day was spent with a day off, a day of rest for both teachers and students.

The day of the ceremony was ended with a soccer game between the different members of the staff. Young and old participated on the field, including myself as a participant.

Now before you go thinking that this turns into a sports movie miracle and the scrappy kid from America wins the game for to roars of applause and being carried on shoulders, stop, because what actually happened couldn't be further from the truth.

What I Expected

This was the first soccer game that I have ever participated in. Sure, I've seen soccer played before and I have a slight understanding of the rules, but beyond that my knowledge of soccer is next to zero.

Soccer is huge in Korea. Now just that sentence alone is most likely a vast understatement, giving that there are schools in Korea based entirely around the game of soccer. It is an arguable fact that soccer isn't as large or as popular in the US as it is in Korea, making this guy who grew up in the Midwest all the more ignorant.

I kept telling my teachers how playing with them was not a wise choice. I kept telling them that putting me on their team would only present a large handicap and severely hinder their chances of winning. Either through wanting to be as accommodating as possible or through miss communication, it was insisted that I join their team. Swallowing my pride and accepting my fate I slowly slide on my bright blue jersey, preparing for the worst.

The game lasted less than an hour, and by the time the game finished, I felt as if my whole body had been stretched to its limit and my lungs were deflated balloons gasping for any amount of air it could.

We had lost the game, 0-1 and while my team appeared in good spirits, I felt like I had not accomplished anything constructive during the game. I ran around a lot, made attempts to steal the ball on occasion and at one time, blocked an incoming shot. While it wasn't a horrible first effort to play, in terms of being dropped in the middle of a soccer game with experienced soccer players,  it could not have been more futile.

What I got

However, the ones who seemed to get the most out of the match were my students. The entire time they kept cheering me on and clapping at any attempt made by me to do anything. Now while I'm sure much of it was an attempt at saving face or an example of laughing at someone rather than laughing with someone, I still received some kinds messages later on evening telling me that I did a good job for my first time.

Overall, it was an experience that left me beyond tired, and with sore muscles where I didn't even think I had muscles, it left me with a another unique experience in Korea, a way to wake my body up in the middle of a jet lagged week and earned me a new nickname with the students*.

That's what I love about being a foreigner working and living here. Everything is new and exciting. Things happen at random and sometimes with seemingly no reason. It's a constant and dynamic life and I am enjoying every minute of it, even if it leaves my body and my ego sore and bruised from time to time.

*for those who are curious, my nickname is The Soccer King. I strongly disagree with this nickname and its implied meaning.

(20) 90 in 90: Time Zone Fatigue

It's been awhile.

After two weeks of close friends leaving Korea, going back to a wedding in America and getting rejected from the three jobs I applied for earlier this year, I'm finally back in Korea. I'm back in my normal Korean work/teach/write mode and ready to start everything over again.

The last three weeks seem more like three years. Events came and went at such a rapid pace that they seem further away from the present than they really are. Being someone who usually likes to dwell and reminiscence about the past, the fact that the past seems further away than t is makes my time here seem that much more important.

When you're busy, when you're involved with things on a daily basis, time is something you never seem to have enough of. It leaves us in an instant and suddenly we're left looking back at the past, yesterday has become years ago.

Crossing time zones to go back to America has also made time more relevant in my life. I've learned the hard way that time zone differences, or rather 13 hour differences can play havoc with you body and end up making the day time, the time where you need to be at your most attentive and active, a time flow limbo in which your body chugs along with aching eyes and groaning muscles struggling to stay awake and active while time time left at school versus the time in your bed at home seems completely out of reach.

You can always tell when the fatigue starts to set in, even while wide awake, you can feeling it. Its a pressure that starts behind your eyes and slowly creeps to the top of your eye lids, a heavy tingling feeling that finds relief only through closing your eyes.

Even with your eyes closed, the pressure is still there. A reminder of just how exhausted your body is and the desperate need for your body to sleep.

For me its an indicator to let me know that I have still unsuccessfully managed to battle jet lag and still spend the first week coming back home, getting used to a new time zone and letting my body readjust itself. I hope that one day, I'll get used to this duel time zone thing and nip it in the bud before it becomes a problem.

Until then, its awkward sleep schedules and waking up at 5 AM until I master my sleeping habits again. I am struggling to write this simple update as I fall asleep at my keyboard. Traveling is great, the changes you have to get used to, not so much.

 

Snapshots from Teaching: Student Comics

Sometimes, giving students full unlimited access to draw and create whatever they want can yield some wonderful results. Other times, the things students come up with would send any American student to psychiatric help faster than they could finish their comic.

Out of all the classes to work on their comic project this week, these were the ones that captured my attention the most. While some of the comics and writing may seem strange and possibly offensive, remember, these are high school boys whose view of the world is still limited. This is something that will hopefully mature and change with age and wisdom.... hopefully.

Even food deals with high school pressure

Moral of the story: If you're not gay you will die in an auto accident.

Suicide is easy as pie!

Sometimes military assistance comes from some of the most unlikely sources

In this story, a fish goes back in time to swallow the nuclear bombs that would destroy Japan.

Don't eat my home!

Prostitution is a piece of cake!

Our school principal is capable of jump kicking students

It's an arm and a leg bitch!

Snapshots from Teaching: What is Love?

Sometimes my students write about being tired. Sometimes my students write about their future plans.

And sometimes, my students write about crazy fucking love. I can't blame him though. Sometimes, love is fucking crazy.

(19) 90 in 90: You're Waiting for a Train Part 1

Everything in Korea is about efficiency and running on time. From trains to subways to buses, Korea is dependent on getting to places on time and on schedule. Sure trains are a little late every now and then, but its never anything to get worried about. Outliers aside, if you're traveling in Korea, you can expect to get there in a quick and timely manner.

Except for this weekend, when everything efficient and scheduled broke down and the main system used to travel around Korea came to a screeching halt. Delays and cancellations were now in places of reliable schedules. Chaos erupted in train train stations across Korea as time tables were rendered useless, passengers had no idea when their train would arrive and Korail employees were clueless on when the problem would resolve itself.

I was (un)lucky enough to be a part of the carnage and witness the chaos as it unfolded around me. While at the time it seemed like an incredibly unpleasant experience of confusion and uncertainty on where to go and what to do.

The situation began on Saturday when a KTX train collided with a Mungungwha train on the rails. Luckily, no one was seriously injured during the collision. However the accident ended up causing massive delays for the other trains running along the same tracks and caused delays and cancellations across the country.

I first heard about the train crash through mutual friends on facebook while I was with my girlfriend in Seoul. It was during the middle of the afternoon at this time so I really didn't think too much of it. Some people were saying that the delays were only temporary and that the trains would be running by the evening and the situation would be completely fixed by tomorrow morning. I kept this in mind as I continued to enjoy my day, still sticking with my original plan of leaving at a later time in the evening.

When I arrived at the station, I saw something I had never seen before. Lines. Long lines. I wasn't new to the concept of lines at Seoul Station or any train station for that matter, however the lines that were forming when I arrived were beyond ridiculous.From the front of the ticket counter to the very back of the station stood people of all ages. As I continued to walk through the station I noticed that the schedule time table was looking different from what I was used to. Instead of a list of the various trains running in the next couple of hours, warning and cancellation lists quickly streamed across the board. At this time it finally hit me, something was still wrong.

Line at Seoul Station

I made my way to the massive line of the people waiting at the information counter. As the line slowly moved forward I could hear people's voices becoming more frantic and louder. A man in front of me was shouting loudly at the clerk behind the desk. His hands were raised and his voice became increasingly angrier as the clerk kept trying to calm him down.  Old ladies began pushing their way to the front of the line, only to quickly leave again, the look on their face telling me that they did not like the information they were told.

Once I finally got to the front, I handed my ticket to the clerk and asked if there were any delays on my train. She looked at me with a worried face and simply said that my train would come after a "very long time" and that no one at the station had any idea how long it would take for any of the trains to come.

I went next to the announcement board and waited. I wasn't exactly sure what to do or where to go. It didn't help that the messages were rapidly flashing by in Korea, making slow reading impossible. 

After waiting for nearly an hour, I noticed a large group of people running past me and towards the train tracks. I looked up at the board and saw that saw that a train was leaving in just a few minutes. It was a few minutes later than my original train but I figured that if it was going in the same direction, I could at least ask if it was the correct train.

I walked to the platform, still noticing that people were quickly running past and and getting on the train in front of me. I noticed an older man wearing a Korail uniform speaking quickly to people as they got on board. I asked him if my ticket was the matching one that I needed to get on board. He quickly looked at it and gently shoved me towards the train.

"Everyone go," he said to me. "Everyone go on now."

Taking it as a sign, I quickly boarded and noticed how crowded the train was. I have traveled during peak travel times before so a crowded train was usually no big deal to me. However on this train, it seemed much more congested and full than normal. I looked at my ticket, car 8 seat 30 and made my way towards the car.

Imagine my surprise when I found out that there was no car 8, with the train only going up to car 7. I stood dumbfounded that a train was missing an entire car that it needed and stood in place, frozen as the car got progressively more crowded. 

I began to make my way back to the door. I now had my self doubts that I was on the right train and thought about getting off before it left. Making my way through provided to be a challenge worthy of Olympic sport as the car was filled with people sitting or standing in nearly every free space the car had.

By the time I reached the exit, the doors had already closed. The train hadn't started moving yet but I knew at this point it was too late to get off. I was going to be stuck on this train for a very long time.

(18) 90 in 90: The Plan that Came Together

Confession time: I'm pretty bad at planning events. I've always been bad at planning them. I've been planning them or rather wanting to plan them since a young age but always faltered when it came time to step up and claim responsibility. Never wanting to give up, I continued to try and be the party planner, always trying to schedule big meet ups or events, having visions of events running without a hitch in my mind, yet in reality, the result was always far from the desired vision.

So you could imagine my nervousness when I began planning my girlfriend's birthday party. This wasn't something that belonged to me, it wasn't just my enjoyment that was at stake this time, it was hers as well.

That's not to say she would have complained or protested if something went wrong, she's not that type of person. She would have appreciated anything as long as my thought and sincerity was there, but for me, it was something I wanted to go well. In my mind she deserved it. She deserved it for all the long hours she worked everyday, working insane nighttime hours. She deserved it for the endless amount of time she spent studying and preparing for her future jobs. I knew her life was full of stress and I wanted her to have a relaxed and happy day, even if it was just for one day.

So I started to pay attention, started to listen and take note of the things she said, the things that she wanted. While this may sound like an obvious thing to do, it takes a good memory and power of recollection to remember every detail months away, something that I usually am pretty bad at.

Happily, everything went incredibly well and according to my plan. It was almost too scary how well things went and how well each activity lead into the other one. We started with dinner at Namsan Tower at a restaurant called The Place, a nice Italian restaurant with a spectacular view of the entire Seoul area below Namsan. When we first arrived, the look of surprise on her face said it all. I had done something that I had rarely done before, I had genuinely surprised her.

It didn't stop there, I had a whole list of things to do the next day, including brunch at a nice breakfast place in Itaewon called The Flying Pan and the main event, tickets to watch the musical Chicago, which at the time, was its last day of production for the remainder of the year at the National Theater of Korea.

At the end of the day, I ended up spending more time with her than expected (this is another story for another day) and was able to spend the night at her family's house and enjoy her birthday breakfast in the morning (consisting of galbi and seaweed soup), a tradition that she had told me about and I had finally had the chance to participate in.

My girlfriend is a very calm and rational person, showing extreme amounts of emotions of gushing with joy are two things that do not commonly happen with her. The few days spent celebrating her birthday were filled with smiles and laughter. With emotional gushing and squeals of delight. With "Oh My God" and "Ahh, so excited" heard throughout the day.

If it sounds like I'm writing this to show off how awesome of a boyfriend I am, its not. Rather, its more of a feeling of joy and relief that I had finally put together a great plan for someone who really mattered to me. There was no regrets or do it better next times, but rather a great plan that surprised and made someone close to me very happy.

To go back to a previous post, I'm much better at participating and having energy at someone else's party rather than my own, and this is no exception . Hannibal from the A-Team was right, I love it when a plan comes together.

Website for Namsan Tower
Website for The Flying Pan
Website The National Theater of Korea 
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Snapshots from Teaching in Korea: (Mis)Translations

It goes without saying that English and Korean are not a perfect match for one another. There are many times different words and phrases don't translate completely, much of the original message is lost or the new message is far and away from the original. Sometimes it causes a small inconvenience. Sometimes it takes more than a double take and passing knowledge of Korean to figure it out.

And sometimes, sometimes you get this and you really have no idea what it means. I can only have a vague understanding of the original message, but I'm almost certain that it had nothing to do with a "sexual system".

Translation: "Hello ... is songhuigyeong sexual system.

Reflects the percentage of scores that can raise room has two semesters mode has changed. * ^ ^ *

Now you can type per subject. * ^ ^ *"