(35) Another New Year and thanks to those who believed in me

This weekend was many different things to different people. In Korea, families were celebrating the new Lunar New Year and welcoming the year of the horse with hope and optimism for a new and insightful year. Back home, many of my friends and family were tuning in to watch the Super Bowl, something that I was not willing to wake up early for on a Monday to watch in Korea (but was more than willing to watch the movie previews and see the snarky tweets).

Along with this, many of my foreign friends have just returned to Korea from their trips overseas, returning back home to start their new school semesters again.

For many people this was a time of new starts and fresh slates, and I was also one of those people. After spending the last few months searching and worrying about my future in Korea, I can finally say that I have secured a new teaching job at an international academy in the city of Songdo.

Songdo, is a newer city located in Incheon and is known for being a clean and modern city designed to be welcoming to the international community visiting and living in Korea. Many of Incheon's elite and influential people live and work in Songdo, making it an interesting change from my little city of Gimcheon.

The school itself, separates itself from similar schools due to its ciriculum based more on creativity and artistic expression rather than normal textbook based lessons. Classes at this school include the normal English, math and science classes, but also includes several other classes not normally found at schools including ballet and horse back riding. Needless to say, English is where I will be applying my schools to these children as my horse back riding and ballet skills are not quite up to snuff.

Songdo has also recently gotten the attention of the media due to the announcement that Avengers 2 will be filming in the area. As a huge fan of Marvel and the recent cinematic universe, I take this as a sign from some benevolent deity that this was meant to be in some way and will allow me a possible peak at the filming of this movie or at the very least, bragging rights to tell people that Avengers 2 was filmed in my neighborhood. Maybe I'll see Scarlet Johansson on set/ Heck, I'd even settle for some random SHIELD agent.

I also begin my winter vacation today as I'll be spending the next few days in Tokyo, three of which will be spent with the company of my girlfriend, allowing me the opportunity to show her some of the places and things that made me fall in love with this city so many years ago.

The last time I was in Tokyo, I was still a student in university getting ready to go out into the world on my own. This was before the massive typhoon and Fukushima disaster that drastically changed the country. Now, as a slightly older and wiser adult, it will be interesting to see if the city I fell in love with still measures up.

All of the good things in my life right now, didn't come just through myself. I worked hard and searched for opportunities and chances to continue working in Korea, but finally landing the job came from dozens of people whose kindness, recommendations cooperation and understanding allowed me to be where I am now. I could not have done it without all of you and even now, I am thankful for all you have done.

So before I start a new chapter in my Korean life, I want to say thank you. To everyone. I don't know if I'll ever be able to return the favor but I will always try to be my best to you and myself. You efforts will not go to waste through me.

So thank you, all of you.

(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

(16) 90 in 90: Birthdays Abroad

This past weekend I celebrated my birthday with friends. This is something that I normally do not do. In fact this is only the second year that I've had any kind of official celebration concerning my day of birth.

My birthday in previous years has always been a bit low key. Never any big parties or fancy gatherings but rather simple small dinners with my family. My birthday always feel during the late August, so for a\ most of my early school life, my birthday was forgotten by other students as the school year started and the summer began its slow transition into the fall.

There was a small part of me that always felt that celebrating my birthday was a bit narcissistic. To me, it almost seemed like forcing others to acknowledge the day of your birth and the declaration of just how important of a person you are. While this comes off as sounding like a self esteem issue, its really not, my confidence is just fine, as is my level of self importance. I just felt like it was a bit selfish to make others celebrate with me.

However this year was truly fantastic, much of it being due to my wonderful girlfriend working very hard and planning a little surprise for me, which came completely unexpected.

While I was away at school during the day, she came to Gimcheon from Incheon (a three hour train ride) and decorated my house while I was gone. When I cam home I was greeted to streamers, balloons and a smiling girlfriend ready to greet me. She even went as far as to bring some small gifts that I had wanted since the beginning of the year.

It was truly a touching moment and the emotion that swept over me was held in check my my constant smiling. I've never had a surprise party in my life, so to see all the time and effort my girlfriend put into making it great meant a lot to me. A simple and kind gesture that showed a lot of caring, and something that still warms my heart thinking back on it.

The rest of the evening was spent with some friends who lived in Gimcheon as we went out to dinner and ice cream afterwards. Some of the people I had not seen since the summer began, so it was nice to have a relaxing dinner and enjoy each other's company. The one thing I cannot deny about the people I know in Gimcheon is the chemistry everyone has with each other. Even if we're just acquaintances, the conversations we usually have are warm and inviting. I suppose it comes from the "we're all neighbors in Gimcehon" mentality that we can all share. I can't really complain though, its better to be included and part some something good rather than being isolated, especially in a foreign country.

At the end of the night, my girlfriend remarked at just how nice the night was. No stress or pressure from trying to please everyone. No excess of partying and drinking . Just good conversations and good times with everyone.

"Its amazing how much fun we had without getting drunk," my girlfriend said. "Usually in Korea, friends get drunk together and call it a bonding experience. They really don't get to talk like we did though, it was nice."

I don't think I could have asked for a better day. I had a great time spending time with the people I care about the most and didn't wake up with a hangover the next morning.

Thank you to everyone who made it great, if all of my birthdays could be like this, I would probably feel less guilty about celebrating them.

(2) 90 in 90 days: My vacation in Osaka and the feeling of returning home

Working with the EPIK program usually means having a short period of time for vacation. Typically, there are eight vacation days in the summer and ten in the winter. While most of my summer vacation was spent last year exploring the southern coast of South Korea, my time this year was spent in Osaka, Japan.

I had visited Japan previously, once in the summer of 2009 and another during the summer of 2011. Both times had been spent in the Tokyo area looking for jobs and visiting friends who were already living there. Both times also served as my first and second times out of the country and in many ways, set me on the current course I currently am following currently.

Previously, I had only dreamed of visiting places outside the US, thinking it should be something better reserved for people with ample amounts of free time and money. While the trip wasn't cheap, it was well worth the effort and willingness to travel around the world as both times served plenty of happy memories and experiences that still remained to this day. I never thought I could fall in love with a culture or city, but two years in Tokyo taught me how attached one could become to a place. In its hectic and sometimes chaotic neon drenched atmosphere, beat a soul and a pulse that gave the city its life and atmosphere. Once I witnessed that pulse for myself, it became a seductive lure that always called back to me.

Oknomiyaki, an Osaka specialty 

Years later, I found myself in the position to visit some of the same friends I had previously met in Tokyo, this time in Osaka. Having never been to Osaka before, and being offered a full week to stay with friends during my vacation, I jumped at the opportunity to go and visit.

 At first, I thought it would be silly to have expectations of having the same exciting and fun experience that I previously had in Japan. I was a different person back then, less educated on the world outside my own country and naive to cultures different from my own. I knew that such a wildly eye opening experience would more likely than not be possible due to having a stronger sense and grasp on worlds and cultures outside my own.

However, I was very happily proven wrong as once again, my trip to Japan proved to be another incredible experience of meeting new people, seeing new places and falling in love with Japan all over again.

Osaka Castle

Osaka is a very different place from Tokyo. Gone is the crowded streets packed with people rushing to get from place and to place, replaced with a city a little more relaxed and laid back. Osaka, while still a large city, never felt like I was being rushed or pressured to make my way around there. The general atmosphere was one of calm which made visiting different places very fun and without massive amounts of pressure.

One thing I was able to do that I did not have time to do before, was visiting more historical sites. This time I was able to visit Osaka Castle and the riverside area of Osaka City. It was an incredible site to witness the sheer size of Osaka Castle, the despite being heavily modernized on the inside, still proved to be incredibly large on the outside. Even the park area that housed the palace was large and took a great deal of time to walk through. This was a great experience for me, as someone who was used to the cramped spaces of walking through Tokyo, being able to stretch my legs and have a wide open area was almost liberating in a sense.

Lanterns in Osaka

Exploring Osaka was also a joy and new experience for me to enjoy. Having a river running through the center made for a very festive experience. Lanterns lined the river area, and at night emitted a white glow which reflect off the water along with the other neon signs. Osaka also had more open area markets and arcade areas which hosted a variety of smaller random shops and restaurants. In many ways, it reminded me of Cheonggyecheon in Seoul, with is river running through the city and smaller places and shops to explore.

The week passed much faster than I would have liked, with every day filled with exploring during the day and eating delicious food with friends during the night. We never really had a set plan or criteria of what we wanted to do just doing what we felt like at a moment's whim. It made for a less structured time but at the same time, a more enjoyable and less limiting time.

It was nice to see old friends again. Despite being apart for several years and only talking through mediums like facebook, it was both a relief and reassurance that for the most part, my friends were still the same. Spending the nights drinking Japanese beer and eating delicious Japanese food with friends brought out lots of stories and experiences being accounted from the past, along with new jokes and stories from our time together.

Old and new friends

It was a great time in Osaka, the pictures and short bits and descriptions are not enough to show just how much fun I had there. For a time, I felt like I was back in college again, joking around, acting more immature than I should for my age and enjoying my time for a brief period without worry of student loans, lessons plans and monthly experiences, the things that had come to be a form of stress in my life.


Just me, my friends and happy memories set in the city of Osaka. Once again, I am assured that my friends are still the great people that I knew from years ago and that Japan is still the same country I fell in love with years ago, and even as I write this, I know in my heart that one day I will return again.

Trip to Everland and being a kid again

Last weekend me and a group of friends went on a day trip to Everland, an amusement park in Korea, and arguably the largest one Korea has to offer.

I rarely go to amusement parks. I have never visited Disney World or Land, nor have I ever spent a day at Universal Studios. I went to Six Flags several times along with my local water park, but as for a large full on amusement park, Everland was my first experience.

That being said, if you're looking for advice or critical perspective on whether Everland is worth going to, you won't find it from me.

What I can say though is that if you go with a group of friends and don't mind waiting in line, it's an absolute blast to go to.

The park is large, much larger than I originally thought it would be, with each area of the park carrying a different theme and attractions. We spent the entire day there and couldn't make it to two of the major sections of the park, although one of my friends who had been here previously said not to go to Zootopia, claiming that the animals there are kept in a depressing state with cages much too small for each animal to live and roam.

I haven't been here myself, but based on what several other people have said, I can only assume there is a shred of truth to this. So to err on the side of caution and prevention of depression, we stayed away from Zootopia.

The rest of the park was standard amusement park fare. Cheerful music, long lines for rides and unhealthy food everywhere. It had that happy sugary atmosphere that amusement parks carry with them and when combined with the warm and breezy weather, it was impossible not to get caught up in the atmosphere. Despite the long wait in some lines, the end result was almost always worth it.

If I had to pick a favorite ride there, the T Express wooden roller-coaster was one of the most memorable. Touted as one of the fastest and steepest in the world, it was two minutes of steep drops, sudden turns and hills that jostled the riders around and made for the refreshing cold rush of adrenaline that only coasters can provide. It's been nearly three years since I last rode a coaster, and the feeling of giddiness and the tightening of your stomach in anticipation came back as the car began its plummet down the track. It was a good laugh between my friends and I, and a reminder that no matter how old I get, that world weary cynicism can instantly be diminished for a few minutes on a fast roller-coaster.

Despite the crowds, I can see myself returning. The entry fee was only 32,000 won ( a discount if you bring your ARC card) and the park was big enough to spend an entire day making your way around it. Even the crowd issue can be fixed if you can go on a weekday.

I'm really enjoying these outings with friends that I have been going on lately. I was usually content with traveling by myself, but I'm starting to see the appeal of traveling and doing things with a group. More people to laugh with, make jokes with. More people to do stupid stuff with and more people to remember the stupid stuff afterwards.

We were all middle to late 20 year olds and we ended up running around like we were children again. That youthfulness we try so hard to hang on to but only see occasionally as we become older.

Everland made me a kid again for a day. I only had fun on my mind. Good friends, fun rides and a great place to do them in. Take my advice, go visit Everland.

Everland information: http://www.everland.com/web/multi/english/everland/main.html

The entrance of Everland during their Tulip Festival 

Happy Chuseok!: Life Gets Busy, I Get Happy

As my mentor once told me, life gets busy. It's an fact that will happen sooner or later and will become a continuing process for any normal adult life.

Life in Korea, and life as an ESL teacher is no different. My high school is in the process of testing, testing and more testing. The most important being the upcoming College Entrance Exam, a test that students often spend their entire high school career preparing for.

Along with that, the end of September and beginning of October contained one of the most important holidays for my school and for Korea. September 26th my school celebrated its Fonder's Day, celebrating the construction of my high school. From September 29th through October 1st was Chuseok, the Korean equal to Thanksgiving coinciding with the lunar calender. The following Wednesday was also another celebration celebration the independence and formation of Korea.

I spent this time taking a road trip with friends to Incheon, spending time driving around the city and eating a traditional Chuseok dinner. driving was the only option considering that train tickets quickly sold out in a matter of hours after going on sale. It took six hours to drive up when combined with traffic and only two and a half hours to drive back. While the holiday was simple, it was a great break and bonding experience with some fellow teachers in Korea.

That Monday I had a friend come and visit me in my hometown. Her schedule is constantly busy and living and working in Incheon rarely allowed her time to come and visit my town in the middle of Korea. For two days we spent time together, exploring Gimcheon and giving her a taste of the rural life that was missing form her busy city living. The two days passed by in a flash and I found myself yearning for a few more days of holiday, if only to enjoy the company for a little longer.

I have now been thrust back into school life, working to prepare and evaluate tests while also preparing students for a speaking and writing contest. I have also just been accepted as a writer for a travel website back in Chicago, making the number of publications that I currently write for at number four.

I have never been busier than I have ever been all all year, but I am also currently the happiest I have been in awhile. Things seem to be falling into place nicely and despite some setbacks, I seem to be back on my feet and ready to take on any challenges that I come across.

I am happy with my jobs, the people in my life and life in general. Happiness may not last forever but for now, its more than enough to make me stand in awe at some of the awesome things life can toss your way.

Things are great, and may be getting better soon.

I've never been busier, never been happier.

A view of Jikjisa Park, near my hometown and one of the many places I visited during Chuseok. 

Being Socially Lazy: Why I can't live large on the weekdays

It’s easy to make friends in Korea. No really, it is. Living in Korea has this wonderful ability to meet many other people young and old, foreigner and Korean all over the country. I’ve only been here six months and in that short amount of time, I feel like I’ve been able to meet a large variety of people from all walks of life and all different backgrounds. Whether I talked to them for only a few moments or a few months, being able to meet new people has been an incredible experience.

As much as I enjoy meeting new people, and new faces I don’t always like social interaction. Sound strange? In many ways it is. Enjoying the company of people and then again… not, it’s quite the hedgehog’s dilemma of having people become close to you, only to push them away.

It’s a problem that I have always been aware of but always secretly figured would leave or die out as I grew older, that I would one day have a greater appreciation of people and their presence and be willing to spend more time around them. This has become true to some extent, as mentioned above I do love meeting up and spending time with people, but one thing I do enjoy even more is my private time.

After a day work, the one thing I enjoy the most is being alone. As weird and as brooding as that sounds believe me when I say it’s most certainly not. It’s not an attempt to be a longer or separate from society, but rather a time for reflection and a way to recharge after the day.

In a typical day there is a lot that goes through my mind that I either want to sort out or try and forget about before having to repeat the process the next day. Sometimes I have extra work to do after my normal job, requiring me to spend the time and energy usually reserved for resting and reflecting on another task. As lazy as it sounds, sometimes a day teaching in an all boy high school can leave you physically and mentally exhausted. There are usually two things that sound appealing to me at the end of a work day. Those things are dinner and sleep.

I have gone out on the weekdays before whether it was for a planned gathering or meeting. I had no problems doing this, I enjoyed it greatly, remember the liking people thing I mentioned before? Still the same here.  However the times that I would actually do this were sparingly, each time being an event and not a daily occurrence. It’s like eating candy. If you eat that candy bar every once in awhile it’s a sweet and delicious treat. If you eat it every day, it’s probably still sweet and probably still delicious but much less so than before.  It’s no longer a little present to yourself, it’s now just a candy bar.

I have no problem against people who go out on the weekdays and have an extravagant and party-filled time. If they can manage to muster that much energy and still be in tip-top condition for the next day workload, they have my respect. I’ve come to discover that I am not one of those people and have finally come to accept it. I love being with people, I love being social, I just can’t do it every day. The weekend is a different story, free of weekly pressures and deadlines, I feel truly free and willing to do all kinds of interacting within a two day period. The weekdays for me however are best spent recharging and doing the best I can at what I get paid to do.

Maybe one day this will leave me and I’ll turn into the budding socialite that I always aspired to be* but for now I’ll leave the good times for an occasional taste during the week and a huge meal during the weekend. I may be socially lazy compared to some, but I really don’t mind. As long as the ones who matter most don’t mind either, it seems like I’ll be ok.

Which reminds me, I think I have to meet someone tonight…

Or I'll end up like this guy. YOLO!

*I secretly hope this doesn’t happen otherwise I’ll be that 40 year old dude dancing in the club and creeping out all happening youngsters. 

Saying goodbye, Gimcheon style

Working in Korea under a yearly contract is one of the worst things you can do. I’m not talking about the job itself, but rather the people you meet and the unfortunate eventuality that they will, go their separate ways.

I suppose it’s not entirely uncommon to live a life or have a job in which friends come and go, however with overseas teaching jobs, this is a much more common occurrence and an all too common reminder of how easily people and places enter and exit our lives.

At least one person was happy.

Last night, I went to a farewell party for a fellow teacher living and working in Gimcheon. I had first met him only a few weeks after coming to Korea, a friendly guy that I eventually got to know better. He was always funny, always quick with a funny remark and was liked by everyone he met. He was “that” guy, the guy who was always the life of the party, the one who everyone naturally gravitated toward and wanted to be with.

The party itself was not far removed from a typical going away party. Dinner and a few drinks afterwards. Before the party began, I approached the event with slight apprehension, knowing that I would more than likely have a good time, but at the expense of having to say goodbye.

Whenever I was meeting up with people in Gimcehon, it was always a mini event I eagerly looked forward to. We had this amazing ability to take the ordinary and make it spectacular, to turn a small restaurant into a playground of colorful conversation, or a one room apartment into a socially engaging party zone. Our company was what we were after, and our presence was all we needed to have a good time.

This party was no different, despite the somewhat somber occasion; we never let it get to us. Since we were together, there was no excuse to feel sad, but rather celebrate the time that we were able to spend together and the memories we made in our short time here.

Like any outing that we participated in, there were a few ridiculous moments that took place. It wouldn’t be outing with the Gimcheon crew unless something random and in the end, nonsensical took place. This night was no exception.

For your reading pleasure, this is what happened…

1.      

       Met a crazy foreigner living in Gimcheon for over twelve years. He loves to talk about imperialism, is married to a wife who doesn't love him, wants to have children but is impotent and has a strong dislike of foreigners teaching and working in Korea. All this I learned about him the first time meeting him. Some people… some people.

The cake is not a lie. 

2.      Tried to get away from this crazy foreigner and try not to get spotted by him again. This required us sneak around the back of building, double back, travel down an alley and creep around corners making sure he didn't see us. We basically played Metal Gear Solid for about fifteen minutes.

After dinner we planned on relocating to a bar for drinks. One of our friends was nice enough to give her a ride in her car, but needed to stop at another friend’s apart. As we sat in the car, we suddenly came up with the idea to sneak up and scare her. As I finally gained the courage and composure to go through with the plan, I slowly approached her door, only to be greeted with her opening it and wondering why I looked like I was about to break into the place. On this night, I was Solid Snake.

3.     Once we arrived at the bar, the drinks piled up, the laughs became louder and the conversation became crazier. I don’t entirely remember everything we talked about, but I do remember being called a butler, then a maid, then a doorman. I also remember one of our friends deciding that she would be the new ruler and princess of Gimcheon. It’s amazing what we can become with a few drinks in us and how much fun we can have with company…

4.     Until one of guests decided to let loose a barrage of sexist and racists comments directed at one of our Korean guests. She broke down in tears and as he vainly tried to explain his position on how he was “right”, the rest of the people there valiantly came to her aid. As much as the situation was quickly decaying, it was almost inspiring to see our friends so quick to aid and help someone out. They made her feel better and let her know that one asshole wasn’t going to spoil her fun. What could have quickly turned bad ended up being the saving grace of the night.

It was a memorable night. As the night ended and we began to make our way back home, we all said our last goodbyes to our friend. This was possibly the final moment we would see him again. I gave him a hug and told him he would not be forgotten.

I can only hope that he leaves with good memories and years down the line long after the memories of the little town of Gimcheon and the crazy waygooks living there, he remembers the people. He remembers how much they appreciated the time spent, and just how much he would be missed.

So long good friend, we’ll see you when we see you. 

The Best Weekend Ever (or close to it) Part 2

After the show, we took an hour long bus ride back to Incheon, where I was staying for the night. It was late in the evening at this point, so we were all pretty exhausted. Our previous plan was to stay up late after the show and drink to our heart’s content. As mundane as this activity sounds, it was actually becoming a very rare occurrence with these current friends. One of them was actively looking for a full time job, while working on the weekend. Her free time was limited to the weekday, making the time to actually spend time with her short and rare. My other friend was a teacher for three years in Incheon. This year would be her last as she had recently been hired for a job back home.

As the bus lumbered along through the city streets and on the highways, I slowly drifted in and out of sleep. My friend had suggested that we try to sleep on the bus in order to give us energy for staying up all night. I wasn’t physically tired as much as I was mentally exhausted from the madness of the work week. I stared out the window, watching the neon lights flash by. It felt like the first rest I had been given all week.

When we finally came to our stop, we had not eaten since before the show. Being late and with few options, we made our way to that always reliable, but never good for you golden beacon in the night: McDonald’s.

Inside there were only a few people, not a surprise considering what time it was. We ordered our food and sat down to eat, only to be interrupted by a large group of drunken individuals. It’s normally human nature to do two things when under the influence of alcohol: turn into a quiet recluse and hide in the corner, letting the demon drink flow away from your body or turn into a loud obnoxious asshole whose sole purpose is to let everyone know that he’s like, totally drunk bro.

Guess who sat by us?*

As we sat and ate our meal in relative silence, the drunken group continued to get louder. The other diners, including their girlfriends, tried their best to ignore them. After a few minutes, I heard a loud shout and the sound of small objects falling on the floor. I turned around and was greeted to a scene of beads from a bracelet bouncing all over the floor. The drunken guy had apparently broken one of the other girl’s bracelets in his drunken stupor.

This by itself wouldn’t be too bad. Drunk people break shit, that’s a given. What happened next however was something that I didn’t anticipate and provided some excitement to an otherwise routine trip to McDonald’s.

Behind the drunken group, sat a father, mother and baby. One of the beads flew back and hit the baby in the face and cased the baby to start crying. The father, understandably angry at the accident stood up and walked over to the table. He made his way over and put his hand on the shoulder of the drunk man and asked him to apologize for the incident.

If you have ever been around a drunk person and they fall into the loud asshole category, you more than likely know that asking them to do anything short of drinking some more will end badly with blind, unwarranted anger. Korea, I witnessed, is no different.

The drunk man threw the hand off his shoulder and stood up to go face to face with the father. Just like high school and the movies, harsh words were quickly exchanged between the two** before they started attacking each other, the drunk man flailing randomly at the father and the father going straight for the drunk guy’s throat.

Now the whole restaurant was at attention with the other drunken friends now trying to hold back the drunk guy and the mother trying to hold back her husband while holding the baby. Soon the girlfriend of the guy was going over to the wife trying to talk her down and make sure the baby was fine. The fight turned into a shouting match and soon, a police officer came in and began talking to both the fighters. It was interesting to note that this officer was

a.       Unarmed

b.      The friendliest police officer I have ever seen

c.       Made no attempt to arrest or even fine the drunk guy. Even though he yelled and screamed in his face.

After the officer had left, the drunk crowd still hung around outside the McDonald’s trying to play off the perhaps salve what dignity they had left, most likely lost among the beads and fallen French fries on the floor. 

The father went back to his meal like nothing had happened. He had a look of anger on his face but it slowly gave away for a look of accomplishment. He was proud, he fought off a drunk guy for his infant child. He probably felt like a boss, deservedly so.

We finished our meal and as we left the restaurant we were initially quiet but slowly began laughing and talking again. Sometime like this you couldn’t make up if you tried, and would probably never happen again. Seeing it together was something we would probably remember for long time and would eventually be happy we witnessed together.

We went to my friend’s apartment and ended up staying up to 5 AM laughing, talking and enjoying our company together. I was deliriously happy, partially assisted by the alcohol, but mainly because of being in the presence of good friends combined with the excitement and unpredictably of the night.

It was a fun weekend with friends I don’t see very often. I never ask for much from my weekends, just to relax and have a moderately good time. The past weekend delivered in spades, it was my ideal perfect weekend. Good company, fun times and enough memories to last for a long time.

I always appreciate the little moments, for one day, I know they no longer will be here and all I’ll have is just memories in the end.

“I was thinking how nothing lasts, and what a shame that is.”

* The loud, obnoxious asshole

** The choice words they used we’re Korean curse words one of which is:

씨발놈아! (Shi-bal-nom-a!) - "You motherfucker!"  

To me, Shi-bal sounds like “Shiba”, as in Shiba Inu, the little Japanese dog. Since I couldn’t find any other appropriate pictures, here’s a picture of a Shiba Inu. 

Almost makes you forget about that fight...

How "busy" is busy?

How busy is busy? Is there a test for measuring how busy we actually are? It’s a phrase we toss around all the time, use interchangeably in our daily lives whenever something from our personal agenda happens to come up into conversation, or as a statement to let others know that we don’t have time for your wants and needs, I’m busy damnit.

It’s a phrase I notice I toss around quite often, even more so since becoming both a teacher and journalist in Korea. While this may sound like I’m about to unveil a shocking truth about me never actually being busy, it’s not. When I say I am busy, I really do mean it. I have a fairly full schedule that I manage to complete fairly effectively every week, while at the same time maintaining a healthy social life. The question is not if I am busy or not, but rather just how busy I am.

I’m more than willing to admit that I am fully capable of wasting copious amounts of time if need be. On days where I deskwarm* close to 80% of the time is spent browsing the internet, searching desperately for a digital tidbit to starve off my boredom for a few minutes more. The remaining 20% is usually spent writing, reading, or preparing lesson plans. Before you say how this looks bad on my part for taking such a short amount of time planning lessons, rest assured that most of my lessons are planned in advance at home (hence the busy part). I know I waste time at school when I’m not teaching, so the “how busy am I?” question is all but moot here. I want to know how busy I am when I actually say and acknowledge I am busy.

A typical busy night will have me going home at around 5 PM. I usually end up going to bed around 1 AM or earlier depending on the events that the following day will hold or how fatigued I am feeling. What happens between those times?

5:30 PM: Sit and read the news, watch YouTube clips, read comics, sit and stare ahead processing the events of the day.

6:00 PM: Start thinking about what I have to do tonight. Do I have to clean house? Meet someone? Make dinner? Write an article? Plan a lesson? All of the above?  Wow, I guess I better get started…  after I finish watching this video.

6:15 PM: Ok, now it’s really time to get ready. I should get started…. This video is part of playlist? Well, I suppose it wouldn’t hurt if I went through all of them. It’s only about 12 minutes after all.

6:25 PM: Almost done…

6:27 PM: Finished, wow that was fun. It’s not even seven yet, I’m doing pretty well.

6:28 PM: Holy crap, it’s almost seven. I have to meet someone at eight.

6:30 PM: At this point, I’m frantically scrambling to get ready and change into new clothes, a necessity since the summers in Korea are so hot and humid that your clothes by the end of the day have soaked up more sodium and fluid than the Dead Sea.  How well do I know the person I am meeting? Am I friends? Are they judgmental?  Do they care how I dress? They don’t? Jeans and a crappy t shirt it is.

6:40 PM: Well I said I would meet them at seven and technically, I can make it if I walk, but since its hot as balls out, I’ll just end up looking like I slaved away in the salt mines so, taxi it is.

6:45 PM: I sure wish I had some cash in my wallet. This check card is super nifty with me never having to carry cash, but finding a cab driver that accepts a card in my town is like finding money on the street. Probable it will happen, but don’t count on it to pay the bills for you. That being said, time to stop at the bank.

6:50 PM: Well only ten minutes left until I have to meet up, thank God taxis are pretty fast around here. If one ever shows up… I swear I just saw an entire fleet of them a few seconds ago…

7:05 PM: I finally found a cab and am now on my way to the station. Sure I’ll be a little late but hey, it took a long time to find a cab, fate’s conspiring against me today. It’s not like leaving a little earlier would have made any difference right? Right?

7:10 PM: I finally show up at our meeting spot and apologize profusely for being late. It will never happen again you tell your guest, as long as I have no Youtube videos to watch**

8:13 PM: Wow, it sure was fun meeting up. I had a great time, we should do this more often. If you’ll excuse me though, I have to return home, I’m very busy you see (LOL).

8:15 PM: Since I have time to spare I’ll just walk home. I’m not in a rush (even though I’m busy) and who wants to spend 2,500 won anyway?

8:32 PM: Finally made it back. That was a nice walk, time to start writing and lesson planning.

8:33 PM: I sure am hungry though. I should probably eat first. I’m so tired though, I don’t really feel like cooking today.

8:35 PM: Why hello kimbap take out place only a few minutes from my apartment. Guess what I’ll be eating tonight?

8:45 PM: Glad I grabbed take out instead of taking time to cook, now time to eat this meal and get to work.

8:47 PM: I don’t really want to eat in silence though. I should have something to keep me entertained while I eat. Time to go to Youtube… again.

9:10 PM: Well that was pretty good, not great but considering I saved time cooking, it was worth it. I was finished eating about five minutes ago but, those videos are so…damn… addicting.

9: 34 PM: Ok, for real, all done now. I watched every single video this user has posted along with his favorites. I’ve watched so many videos about him I’m pretty sure I am now qualified to give a psychological evaluation about his life.  Maybe I will… but that’s for another day. Remember, I’m busy.

9:40 PM: Let’s start lesson planning. This should be easy. I know exactly what I have to teach my students and how I will do it..

9:47 PM: Hmmm, this lesson is a lot shorter than I expected. I should add some more.

9:55 PM: Holy crap, this is too long, this can last three classes. What was I thinking?

10:05 PM: This looks good, it’s a nice balance. I just hope it’s not too difficult but I guess I’ll test that as I go along. This is the first time I’m giving this lesson. Prototype baby!

10:15 PM: Now it’s time to finish my last task (not really) and write that article. I’ve taken so many notes I’m sure it’s a matter of just writing itself at this point.

10: 20 PM: I don’t like the way this sounds. I’m going to re-write.

10:30 PM: Still don’t like it.

10:40 PM: Still don’t like it.

10:50 PM: I like it a little better. It’s slightly above literature prose homicide and now just a steaming pile of vile words and awkward sentences. I’m getting somewhere.

11:00 PM: I still hate it. I give up. I’ll finish it tomorrow.

11: 10 PM: What’s that awful smell?

11:11 PM: (Make a wish!) Oh wow, that’s me. Looks like its shower time.

11:24 PM: I feel so much better. Refreshed, clean and ready to make it all for nothing tomorrow morning when I sweat my ass off on the way to school!

11:27 PM: It’s time for bed. I’m tired and tomorrow is another busy day. I feel good though, I finished everything I wished to accomplish. I’m pretty good at this. 

11:28 PM: I forgot to clean today. Damnit.

It looks like a busy schedule, in some ways it is. I notice though that in between the actual busy parts I tend to waste a lot of time doing meaningless stuff.  I have to wonder though, is this normal? Are we as humans programmed to always waste time in between? Is there anyone out there that has a 100% efficient work ethic?

I am busy. I do accomplish my work but I can’t help but feel the amount of time I waste, could be used for so much more. It something that I’ve struggled with and something that 

I hope to figure out. My goal is to have a perfect work ethic one day. It’s a goal that I will shoot for… tomorrow.

The desk of a busy man or a messy man? You decide.

*deskwarming is when teachers go to school and do not have any classes to teach so they spend the days sitting at their desk hence the term ‘deskwarming’

**As  long as the internet exists, this will never happen.

Chapter 11: Saying goodbye to the person who removed my fear

It’s funny writing that I’ve been in Korea for nearly 5 months and really don’t consider it some kind of milestone. In fact it took a moment of random thoughts and staring at a calendar to remind me of just how long I’ve been here and just how fast time really does pass when you aren’t actively counting it.

I haven’t been actively keeping track of my days here in Korea nor have I been counting down the days before heading back to the states. I have not experience homesickness yet, nor have I become so fond of Korea that I do not wish to return. It’s not a year away from home to me and it’s not a vacation away from the US. It’s a new part of my life, a new chapter that I am currently living out and for the most part, enjoying it very much.

The last few weeks have helped to illustrate this point with two major events: one of first friends made in Korea leaving to go overseas and a trip to the ocean, two unrelated events but ones that gave me a new perspective on life and where I want to go with mine.

My friend leaving was a sad day for me, The first I have experienced in Korea. Charlie was a substitute teacher at the school I taught at and was quick to start talking to me the first day he started teaching there. His English was excellent and his personality was lighthearted and fun. Charlie was always quick to crack a joke whether it was through observation or mistranslation. He was also always there to give me a helping hand in my school work, translation and just someone to talk to during the day. Being a native English speaker and knowing very little Korean makes for very short and unfulfilling conversations, but Charlie was always there to say something.

When the teachers would leave for a gathering or meeting more often than not I was left behind as coming to the meeting in their eyes would be pointless if I did not understand what anyone was saying. In truth this made sense, but it didn’t make the isolation any less hurtful nor did it do anything to starve off the feeling that I was not an esteemed colleague, but rather an accessory to teach English.

I sat in the office alone, possibly for the rest of the day for all I knew.  As I sat in my chair staring blankly off into the distance, Charlie came in from the side, put his hand on my shoulder and said:

“Hey, it’s not bad that they left you, now we can go get ice cream and talk.”

We ate ice cream and talked. We talked about our families and about our most embarrassing moments. We talked about where we were going to go in our lives and what we wanted to see in the world. We talked about our ideal soul mates, the people we wanted to spend the rest of our lives with.

“I really want to be with someone who understands me. In Korea sometimes people are only after you for your status. I don’t care if she’s a doctor or trash collector, if she’s a good person who cares what she does?” he once told me

I was having my first substantial conversation with someone since leaving my home behind. It felt refreshing to be able to say these things and not feel the stigma of saving face or cultural boundaries. I smiled as I listened to Charlie’s hopes and dreams and slowly let the ice cream melt in my mouth and leave a cold trail down my throat. I usually was one to finish my ice cream as fast as possible but here I slowly let it melt instead. The cold sweetness was a physical compliment to mellow and blissful state of my mind. I was shocked at just how good conversation could feel after being devoid of it for so long.

Charlie was also one of the keys to getting to know other people in my little town better. While I was originally used to meeting the friends I had originally met outside of my hometown I had very little contact with the people who lived near me. When Charlie requested meeting the other teachers in town we suddenly became a lot closer. Charlie had a magnetic personality that was able to make even the shiest person want to sit down and talk with him. Our get togethers were becoming more frequent and soon we were getting to know each other better. I previously dreaded staying behind in my town for the weekend, but now looked forward to it. Slowly these people were becoming my friends. My family I could talk to when I needed help and my source of good conversation and happiness at a moment’s notice.

While Charlie was getting closer to everyone and helping everyone become better friends, he was also preparing to move further away than any of us. Charlie was preparing to leave Gimcheon to pursue a job overseas. It would give him the chance to do what he always dreamed of: travel the world and get paid for it. He kept it quiet not telling anyone any details until a few weeks prior.

At first I was slightly disappointed, I wanted Charlie to follow his dream and I wanted him to be happy but it seemed too soon too sudden. Charlie had just gotten to know us and find his friends again in Gimcheon, to leave that behind seemed a cruel twist of fate.

Charlie was never one to keep a sad situation that way so in an attempt to say goodbye and leave on a high note, Charlie decided to have two days of celebration. One day a barbeque cookout and one day a night spent in one of his favorite places, the city park.

The barbeque started out horribly. It was raining all day and everywhere was thoroughly soaked. The wind picked up when it was time to start grilling and despite having a ton of food to eat, we lost most of it due to the rain water and the meet sitting out uncooked. Despite the miserable atmosphere the party was a blast.  Charlie was happier than ever and when combined with our good company we were able to take the ugly and cold day and turn it into an experience of drinking, laughing and playing games. We were freezing and soaked to the bone but still happy.

The final day was spent in the city park, drinking beer, eating chicken and talking. It was the small intimate events that were we’re most used to and in a way, liked it better that way. We didn’t have the pressure to meet expectations or satisfy the need to be over the top and extreme.  We were a simply able to talk. To share and listen. To learn more about each other.  It was a mellow end and a quiet way to send Charlie off on his way.

Before leaving that evening Charlie told me goodbye.

“You’re a good friend Kyle. I will miss you but don’t worry I will be back someday, you can never get rid of me forever,” he said, flashing that same stupid grin he always did when saying something serious and heartfelt.  “Also, don’t worry too much about things in life like your job and relationships. All these things just happen when ready. Sometimes it is just best to not worry about planning and just react.”

These were the last words Charlie spoke to me in person. They still stick in my mind days after he has left, they were simple but poignant words. Their meaning now embedded in me.

Up to this point in Korea, I had been banking on a master plan hoping that everything would work out in my favor. My whole life had been one master plan after another. Even when I told myself I was being open minded I was lying to myself. I always wanted a result, an end to what I started. Not having things finish or leaving things without a clear idea always made me nervous. Not nearly as much as previously in my life, but still enough to linger in my mind and cause me a growing sense of dread when the unknown popped up.

Charlie taught me to forget all that. He taught me the freedom of not having all the answers and not knowing how the story would end. I learned that sometimes it was good to just let things go as they did, that everything would happen good or bad and that no matter what the result, it was always a good thing to embrace the adventure in my life.

The last of my fear had finally disappeared. Thanks to Charlie, I had truly become free.  

Chapter 7: The Problem Process

When a problem or conflict erupts in Korea, the process to resolving the situation is done in a much more structured way than I am used to. We are taught in America to go through a chain of command, to take our complaints to the appropriate party and allow them to contact their appropriate party until the problem reaches the right channels. This practice is taken to new levels in Korea and it is a method that at first tried my patience.

I never realized how impatient I can be about certain issues until having to take an extended amount of time dealing with them. One of the most eye opening lessons here so far is that while problems are unavoidable, the process to fix them takes time. Sometimes days and in the case of large problems, weeks.

While this was a major thorn in my side at first, the time it took to deal with the issues actually helped me to appreciate the situation from a new perspective. It gave me time to think about how I looked at my problems and how I looked at the process I used to deal with different issues.

Being patient and going slow was more beneficial than I initially thought. By the time the issue had come to resolve itself, the outcome was well thought of and was something all parties could have agreed on in the end.

One of the biggest changes in Korea is being patient during times of need and times of stress. Getting mad over many issues in Korea seems like a logical and natural choice in times of stress, but when looked at from another view I came to this conclusion.

I am a visitor in their country. Whatever preconceived or familiar notions I had in the way tasks were completed would have to take a backseat to the way tasks were actually completed. This is Korea. This was their country. I am a visitor and in many ways, a guest being entrusted with the education of their children and their future. I need to think differently. I need to play by new rules.

Some people learn Korean while spending their year in Korea. Some experience new foods, travel to new places or meet new people. We fall in love and we fall out of love with places, people and things. We leave with a slew of photographs and memories of a year in a new country.

The people will not be here forever. The pictures can become lost overtime. Even our memories can become distorted and clouded as the years go on. The lessons learned here, the ones that change your perspective and change your views on living your life will always remain. They become a part of you, ingrained in your being. These are matter the most, and will follow you everywhere.

I am lucky to take these lessons and add to them everyday. I live in a country and with a job that requires one to learn from their mistakes and realize the importance of becoming a wiser person.

Even during times of stress and worry. When I am angry and not willing to do a task due to exhaustion or apathy, I stop and think about why I am here, how lucky I am to be in such a giving and dynamic country and wanting to not waste a moment on negativity.

In the end, you tend to remember good times and the lessons that came with them. The bad times tend to fade much easier and become much harder to remember.

So I don’t waste my time on them, I go and live. Learning something new everyday, becoming a little wiser and a little more like the person I aspire to become.

Chapter 6: In the City

The weekend trip to Seoul was a trip that I had long thought of during the week. While sitting at my desk watching the clock slowly tick away as I planned my lessons for the week or when I stood in the classroom lecturing classes of students who most likely had a stronger desire to be anywhere but the classroom more than me. It was an event that was weeks in the making. It would be the first time I would be meeting with the people I met during orientation in quite a while. We were going to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day in style. We were going to laugh, travel and drink together in the largest city in Korea. Seoul could do nothing to hold us back. Good times were ahead.

Friday finally came and together my Friday traveling ritual of leaving the school as soon as the bell rang, finding a taxi and getting to my town’s train station as fast as possible began. 15 minutes later I was on a train out of my little town and on my way to bigger city of Daegu.

The plan was to meet in Daegu a large city that had trains that went all the way to Seoul. We would end up traveling a little longer than taking the speedy KTX but would end up spending less money in the end. I didn’t mind along as I was in good company, the train ride would most likely pass quickly.

We passed the time by talking about our teaching experiences, sleeping, staring out the window and walking around the dining car to stretch our legs. The dining car was where I found myself spending most of the time during the trip. Plenty of room to walk around and even a bar to sit down and have a beer. It was a places that was strangely peaceful and relaxing, more so than the cramped passenger seats. I sat down at the bar stool and stared out the window watching the city lights and other trains pass us by. As another train passed next to us and I caught a glimpse of the other passengers going about their business. A felt a smile creep across my face. Seeing so many random people, zipping along on a speeding train towards Seoul reminded me just how big Korea really was, and at any moment, the sheer number of people going thousands of directions doing thousands of things.

I felt comfort by this. For I knew that whenever I reached this point, this realization in a new places that I had truly become comfortable with my new surroundings. It’s the realization, the moment of clarity in which you understand how big the world is, how you are just a speck on its otherwise grand scale that you know how your experiences and expectations mean little if anything to the world. Your life, your experiences and how you experience them are all your own expectations. Like the poem Invictus said: “I am the master of my fate, the captain of my soul.”

Our trip was about to come to an end. Soon we would be in Seoul and resting for the night, ready to face the day tomorrow.

I was incredibly lucky to have this opportunity to see a new part of the world and to see it with great people.  My life and experiences may mean nothing to others, but to me, they meant the world. They were opportunities that I did not want to go to waste. They were mine.

So I wasted no time. I traveled and I explored.

A Week in Review: Life so Far

This week in review will be in an older, yet still effective format. The good old fashioned printed word.

The previous week had been even more first for me. While it seems like I have been living in Korea for a long time, in reality I had only been here less than a month. Time seems to be one continual paradox here. The days go by fast, the weekends even faster, but the weeks seem to last longer than they should. Looking back, one week can seem like an entire month. Perhaps it’s the time zone change or the fact that my days are much busier than they used to be. Either way, time seems to travel differently in Korea, something that I still feel like I have not gotten completely used to.

One of the most enjoyable experiences for me has been getting to know my teachers inside and outside the classroom. They have all been very helpful and very kind as I learn how to function and properly teach around the classroom. Most go out of their way to be friendly, some have even been as kind as to treat out for dinner and to invite me along for workout routines. It was certainly a kind gesture, and an appreciated one as well. I was still not entirely used to my hometown and with most of my friends living at least two hours away from me, it was nice to have some additional company, even if the language barrier provided a challenge at first.

Living on my own as not been as disastrous and as traumatic as I had once envisioned. Despite some initial hiccups, it’s been a smooth and easy going experience. It’s actually funny that the location of most importance for some people is the location that I seem to spend the least amount of time in. Most of the day I am gone and on the weekend I am usually traveling around Korea, staying and temporary lodgings far away from my tiny town. I like it that way. Always staying busy and always traveling.

The most difficult part has been slowly getting adjusted to the daily schedule of teaching. It has been said that Korea is a last minute society to its core and nothing seems to demonstrate this more than my schedule changes.

My schedule has changed a total of eight times during the two weeks I have been teaching. Classes would become cancelled, switch without notice, change periods and move to another day all at a moment’s notice. Trying to keep track of all the initial changes has been very challenging and at times overwhelming.

The classes are also all at different levels of comprehension and understanding as well. While one grade may easily be able to read a paragraph and write a paragraph some students hardly have the comprehension to speak a simple sentence. Trying to find the right mix of engaging activities and keep them relevant for the students is always a great challenge that usually ends up with mixed results.

With all that being said, despite the initial hangups and daily schedule changes, Korea and the job have been great. There’s a certain satisfaction you get when the students pay attention to your lectures, become engaged by your activities and thank you for teaching them something new. There’s an incredible sense of freedom that is felt when your weekends are spent exploring on your own and meeting up with friends in locations all over the country. There’s exhilaration when riding a speeding train across the countryside, eagerly awaiting your next destination.

In only a short period of time, Korea has been a daily source of adventure and learning. I feel lucky to live in a country that can offer this to me, the call of adventure, for only a few hours of my time.