Golden Bell [update]

WOO GOLDEN BELL! WOO! It was exciting and simple and short, and I got out of work in order to do it, so WOO! Both days were smooth sailing and I really enjoyed being a part of a quiz show. There is a video link here, but i'm not sure that it works if you're using a mac, and i'm even getting reports that it won't load on PC's... good luck.
News Story about the Nowon District Office English Golden Bell Quiz Show:

http://www.nbs.go.kr/brand/brand03_view.aspx?pubseq=2506&gotopage=1

There is a significantly hilarious part of the video that goes to a clip of me with the microphone saying... "And the answer is... DUODENUM!"
I will remember that moment for the rest of my life.

Here's two other links to a write-up of the event, and a page of pictures (a few of which, i'm in ^_^)

http://nowon.newsk.com/bbs/bbs.asp?group_name=109&section=9&idx_num=5471&exe=view

http://www.yonhap21.com/detail.php?number=1245&thread=22

Hope everyone is enjoying the cool weather as much as I am! Can't wait for October to roll in, my coworker is getting married on Halloween and she did not say that i COULDN'T dress up in costume for the ceremony...

Golden Bell

I suppose I'll prepare my nerves a bit as well as inform the small mass of ya'll reading about the student quiz show i'll be co-hosting next week.

GOLDEN BELL

About a dozen schools will be sending their smartest students to compete in this academic competition. There will be roughly 120 students competing for the grand prize (a very large gift certificate to a department store, perhaps) and bragging rights to say that YOU rang the golden bell(only the winner gets to ring it, heh). The questions will be presented in English, but the answers will be accepted in both English and Korean.

There will be a Korean MC who will do a majority of the hosting duties, while I will be the native English speaker reading the questions. The questions are, of course, supposed to be difficult enough to weed out a few kids each round, but not so difficult to eliminate half the field in one question. Therefore, my secondary job will be to 'pump up' or 'deflate' the difficulty for each question in order to maintain an appropriate level of competition throughout the program.

There is a time limit to the competition, because this will be televised on the Nowon District's private TV station. So it won't be programmed into every TV in Seoul, just localized in my neighborhood on a select channel... come to think of it, i'm not even sure how one would go about watching this even if you did want to watch kids sweat through test questions read by a crazy foreigner. Regardless, it's my job to make sure we stay on schedule and weed out enough kids or keep enough kids alive to keep it interesting. I really just hope that somebody is keeping a sharp eye on which questions are too hard/easy so they can tell me what to say.

Lastly, the only other real concern is the Korean words that i'm expected to pronounce when reading these questions. I'll have some phonetic shorthand notes, but that won't save me from getting laughed at for my slaughtering of the word "cheomseongdae" or "daejanggyeong".

Wish me luck ^_^

bringing sexy back

Great night out in Kwangwhamun tonight.

There is a statue of a Korean Admiral who overturned the Japanese invasion with 1/10th of the ships. Japan had landed troops and steamrolled the mainland, but this admiral took on the japanese navy and dominated through guerrilla tactics and "home court advantage." Much like Thermopylae, he lured the Japanese troops into a choke point where the tides mixed, and if you didn't know how to navigate the pass, you'd be dead in the water. This Korean admiral regained power on the mainland from the sea with 30 ships vs. the Japanese 300 ships. BUT HE WAS A BAD STUDENT.
[all information comes from co-worker, Billy]

The area we were in had statues and theaters and art galleries and sky scrapers and huge intersections, and was only 1 stop away from City Hall and the the snazziest hotel i've seen in the whole country. It was so exciting to even walk around, amidst thousands of people getting off work and hanging out, going to bars, getting chicken like us, drinking beer like us, catching cabs like us, and enjoying the end of the week like we were.

I guess i should mention who i was with. Billy is an ex-marine who seems as cynical as i am about Korea, except he has been here for over a year and has several Korean friends, and can speak practically fluent Korean (among the 8 other languages he knows). Varrick is a black guy from Chicago, and the only reason i mention his skin color is because he gets a lot of attention from Koreans at bars, on the subway, street, in McDonalds, 7-Eleven... you get the point. He's really fun and went to see G.I. Joe with me. We applauded when the line "Yo Joe!" occurred, really nice guy. And Chloe was with us, she is a Korean teacher at our school who is not only funny and helpful at work, but dances with us and shows us around town after work. My new job is awesome.

So we missed seeing a movie, but instead went to "Table Bar" for a couple hours dancing and drinking REAL BEER. (Picture the bar as 3 big bar-height tables with piles of ice and beer in the middle) They had a live DJ too, which makes the night so much more enjoyable.

As Omar and Rodort put it:
"I'm really happy to hear you're enjoying yourself over there."

Couldn't have put it better myself :D

coffee shop sittin

Coffee shops are everywhere. Coffee is sold at a disgusting rate all over the world and millions of people down cup after cup during the day to bust their humps at their thousand-dollar an hour jobs as well as their dollar an hour jobs. It's a substance that is sold in thousands of combinations and sizes and it's no different ordering it here than at home. Except how it tastes. I'm not a big coffee drinker, and i rarely order anything when i come to a Starbucks or (at this moment) Angel-in-us Coffee. The thing that i can't get around is how foreign it feels to sit here.

Probably due to the fact that i can't understand a single word anyone is saying at the moment, but sitting in a coffee shop in Korea isn't as nostalgic as i assume it should be. Maybe i'm just determinedly homesick :/

July = omitted

I have had a lot of requests to continue writing about my experience here in Korea, so here is the first step back in the pool. A lot of stuff happened in July, mostly boring vacation time away from work sitting in my apartment waiting for my next paycheck (which comes TOMORROW, WOO!). But starting my new job at Nowon English Village also occurred in July. As well as a long-overdue recap of my trip to Thailand.

But we'll skip that for the most part, because July was not a happy month. I missed 4th of July at Grandma's more than ever, have seen friend's birthdays come and go on facebook, shocked and overjoyed at the news of a cousin's wedding that again, i missed, monsoon rains off and on soaking me skin deep even with an umbrella, and not having any money (at all) here prohibited me from getting out of my room to go see other friends or to even buy a decent meal. I'm happy to move into August, even with the spike in humidity and increased work hours with summer camp.

I'll be breif about Thailand: don't get robbed, and don't leave your camera at a bar next to your hostel. :(

Changing jobs was the best idea i've made in my entire stay in this country. Working for a very strict private academy was not a good fit for me, and i don't think it's a good fit for anyone working there. Moving out to Nowon (outside of the downtown, quieter, fresh(er) air, mountains, and more friendly faces) has been a huge relief to my homesickness. Fun note: when a Korean is homesick, they say you are "kimchi sick." As in, you miss eating your kimchi at home. I'm positive that i'm catsick, as well as Leesick. But my apartment complex/school has a pool, which i can jump into at night, which is so relaxing. Showering in my bathroom/toilet/closet does not compare to being submerged in water surrounded by trees and stars. Nice.

The work itself is incomparable. This week i've been rushed (more like harrassed on how to complete paperwork correctly ("learning process")) to finish report cards for all of my classes. This workload that is required of me once a month per class is equivalent to my workload for every class once a week at my old job. Picture me typing on a computer and printing out teacher comment forms with a smile while sipping on a cup of coffee and whistling to myself.... yep.

That's all I have time for right now, I'll be sure to continue writing and keeping it updated more often now that I've busted through NOT writing on here.

The Prodigal Son Returns

KIWON IS BACK HOME.

I'm currently overwhelmed with the emotional response of seeing a familiar face here in Korea. It might also be the absolutely divine meal we just ate (galbi... marinated pork sliced moderately thin and cooked on the table in front of you... kind of like brisket but with completely alien spices). I ate a lot, maybe that accounts for the surge of endorphins. But having Kiwon back here makes this place feel like a home more than I ever thought it could. He just got home from his SECOND year abroad... i'm feeling homesick after 6 months. He has been through the culture shock at not only a younger age, but in High School when practically everything comes as a shock. I'm happy to see him mostly because he's grown up a bit and enjoys talking to me and asking me questions (his English has indeed improved) but also because he is someone that I knew before I left for Korea. We both know where he hid his cig butts in the backyard, we both know how good a cook my mom is, and we both know how crazy living in Seoul can be. He's a point of reference. He's like an anchor back to a place and a family and way of life that i miss. Sure, i want to come home, but being abroad just got a whole lot more exciting. I feel great. I'm leaving for Thailand tomorrow and paying for a vacation for the first time in my whole life. I miss you all back home and i will hopefully fill in the past few weeks after i finish packing here in the next few hours.

Korean culture

We were told today at work that it was not ok for any of the male foreign teachers to hang out with any of the female Korean teachers at our school. It "would not look ok", whatever that means. I couldn't help myself and asked if it would be ok for a male Korean teacher to hang out with a female foreign teacher. "Yeah, of course."

Double standard slam dunk.

Us guy foreign teachers were also told it doesn't look good when any of us bring a girl back to our room at night. I fail to see how this is unacceptable when we are A.) consenting adults, and B.) NOT CHILDREN.

I'm ready to leave Korea at least for a little bit.

last 3 weeks

I'm coming across my last 3 weeks of work here at Avalon. There are several jobs i'm applying to, but several of them begin hiring in May, which I am being told is not a possibility. Specifically, i'm told that if i leave before the end of the semester, I will not get a "letter" which will allow me to stay in Korea.
Without this "letter," I will have to leave the country and come back with a new visa. I'm assuming this "letter" is bullshit, because they don't want me to leave before the new semester is up. At best, this letter could be a sumbission to change my visa from one hogwan (private English school) to another. Without this letter, I would have to do it myself (a process taking ONE DAY). So i'm not entirely sure what's keeping me from leaving my job after payday on the 10th.
Like I said, the better jobs with better hours, shorter classes, higher pay, etc. are OUT THERE. I'm seeing several and I'll let everyone know when that time comes. But as it stands, i'm going to have to suffer through 3 weeks here. We came in on Monday and they literally doubled our weekly workload. We have to comment on every student and re-check every assignment in their workbooks, and THEN we have to call the students at home to give them phone interviews. These kids are miserable enough in my class, why call them at home? BECAUSE THEIR PARENTS PAY ME TO. It's not just lame, it's Korean.

Rain, rain, and changing schools

I'm quitting my position at Avalon. My last day of teaching is May 29th.

No, I don't have a new job yet.
Yes, i'm getting in touch with recruiters/schools.
Yes, there are several positions available.
Yes, I plan on staying in Seoul (or at least in the surrounding area).
Yes, this means I will likely be in Korea longer.
No, this does not mean I am staying forever.

On the plus side, I can shop around for something that pays higher and also somewhere with an apartment bigger than a janitors closet! YES!

Kiwon's parents have offered to help me figure out any problems with changing my visa or moving or anything, they are very kind.

More updates as they come, i feel like it is already happening very fast.

Grocery List 2

Pull up bar
xbox 360
controller
Street Fighter 4
Fallout 3
Alarm Clock (phone alarm was getting to easy to ingore, now i've got one across the room)
Power strip for my multiple chargers (phone, headphones, camera, laptop) and electronics (tv + xbox)
5-pack of stainless steel sporks. That's right, SPORKS.

I'm considering looking into an HD tv for the facts of my current tv: mono sound and i can't read the font on either of my games without approaching cancerous proximity. I will more than likely make do, but if it turns out shipping a TV home does NOT cost me an arm and a leg, then it would definitely be cheaper to grab one here.

I'm entirely sick of work after tolerating it for a while. There are no Middle School classes this week, which means that my number of classes has dropped to 2 a day on Tues/Thurs. This leaves me 3 hours to do.....nothing. But of course they are paying me for the day and must give me busy work to do. The phone conversations were ridiculous enough, but now that i've filled out counseling report cards for each one of them, they tell me that i need to "write more". One of the other teachers here simple wrote what the phone conversation was about (baseball, animals) another teacher wrote about the student's progress in class. I wrote breif comments on the student's conversation skills as observed via phone call. This is unacceptable to my school and i have to "write more."

Really sick of it.

Adventure, ju say yo

Last weekend, Bobby and I went hiking in the foothills North of the city. It was the most activity I have done in far too long a time (this is indicated by the amount of sweat accumulated on my entire body while hiking). I'm sure that there is more I can do around the city, but unfortunately, that would need to be done during the daylight hours. This is a problem because i've graded my sleep schedule to waking up at 12 or 1 and going to bed at 3-4 am. This may be considered unhealthy by many, but it's only really troubling because i don't get to do most of the stuff i want to do because i'm not AWAKE when things are available, and the subway closes 2 hours after we get off of work.

Hiking was incredibly fun, i could do it every weekend.

the excess

i'm slowly finding the the learning that i'm supposed to be doing each and every day, passively, is the "growing up" that everyone keeps talking about. I've learned several lessons about soju, taxis, shop owners, varieties of menus, and of course, the language of Korea. But I have no idea why the school is run with such an obsession to redundant and idiotic rules. There are 5 different kinds of assignments these kids do:
2 of them are questions about their story book
2 others are summaries of their story book
the last is literally a copy of a page in their workbook.
they do 3 different assignments twice each. And this is called "practice."

It's not practice if you don't have to think

On top of that, I need to start practicing something. I'm thinking either a musical instrument or martial arts. Both would be rather strange to pick up because i'm always working when the general populace is "recreating". If i played anything in my room, i'd likely bother my neighbors, and if i wanted to take martial arts lessons, it could only be on the weekend. Regardless, i'm going to start looking for something productive to do with my time away from work... because my time AT work feels utterly wasted dishing endless peices of paper to asian kids who make fun of my face.

cleanup

Got some severe encouragement to perform better at work yesterday.

Yeah.

CAMERA!

I bought a camera this week - Olympus 850SW

It's small, easy, quick, and was only 220,000won ($148). And from what i have seen on the internet, i might have saved a few bucks. It's got lots of settings for taking pictures quickly (why i bought it, NO BLURRIES) and it has a really high video quality for a digital camera (at least in my opinion).

I've been taking pictures all weekend and will try my best to take many more. I'm thrilled to be able to show you all what it's like over here and the weather is coming around as well, so it'll be even more exciting (for you AND me!)

Lex Howard is now in Korea teaching like me. He and his girlfriend (both MU alums) are really fun people and it will be nice to see a familiar face.

St Patrick's day was a blast and i don't think it will ever be like Rolla, which is great because I love st pats in Rolla. I'm very weak from drinking and walking around all day so i'll keep this breif. Til the future.

grocery list

Spaghetti noodles
Korean brand spaghetti sauce (Fresco: Garlic and Onion)
Extra virgin (i assume olive oil)
canned corn (x2)
"light standard" canned tuna (x6)
E-Mart brand black pepper powder
ginger powder (accident: thought it was garlic powder... i misread the label in english *sigh*)
bag of pistachios (reasonably priced!)
E-Mart Green Tea
tea kettle
spaghetti strainer
bag of rice chips (delicious, just plowed through 'em)
double box of "no sugar" saltine crackers
banana (x5)
loaf of white bread
candy for work (dark chocolate, plum candy, and melon candy... samplers)
bottle of tonic water
fifth of dry gin
1.5 liter of stout beer
24-pack of Cass (light beer)
12 cheese singles
margarine
dozen eggs
ground beef
2 bell peppers
large carton of pickled radish (yellow saucer things that i am addicted to)
and the beer came with a free 5-pack of ramen

123,080 won

it took Bobby and I an hour and a half to get out of there, we could have bought more, but stopped once we realized that the two of us could not carry anymore than what was already in the cart (that, and we had to take a cab back home)

I'm going to go back later this week or sometime soon for
milk
cereal
handy snacks (granola bars or something like that)
soup
dish scrubber
juice
...maybe rice? not sure on that because i eat rice every time i eat out so...

really getting sick of it

It's entirely possible that it's my personality that is clashing with the utter disarray that has consumed my office, but the new teachers seem to be picking it up a lot quicker than I am and I can't help myself but feel like an outdated model.

I've been doing this 2 months and would have quit if it were in the states. Maybe that's less of a sign of how crappy a job can be and more of a sign of how i view all forms of authority to be deranged and maniacal. Let's hope for the best when it comes to my capacity for bull.

I'm asking the authorities (friends of friends) this week for internet access in my apartment. The paycheck coming in later today (Tuesday) will be spent on furnishings for the apartment, and the rest will be thrown in the old piggybank. I'm determined to save money, because i can honestly see myself enjoying it more back home more than enjoying it here. In this gigantic city that does not sleep or breathe or think like i do. More accurately, I don't like living in the city and I don't think i'll ever live downtown in a city like this again unless i'm entirely involved in a project nearby.

Speaking of project, I've downloaded a (...free?) copy of microsoft office for my computer and it works perfectly. This is good because we don't have computers at work and I can now work on things on my computer instead of having to jump on one of the Korean teachers'.

Besides work, I really have no updates. This month i had some pretty big expenditures:
ski trip
glasses, shirt, hoodie shopping trip
bottle of whiskey (a mistake i will never make again)
utility bill (300+)

Each was a pretty large chunk of the pie and I don't intend to go hog-wild for the rest of my year here. The conversion rate looks like CRAP right now, which is no good for me (100,000 won = $64.75). The amount i save keeps becoming less and less in dollars. What are ya gunna do, eh?

I live here?

Yeah, I live here.

I'm in the routine, i'm working, i'm waking up and doing stuff and now that i know i'll be living in the same apartment for the rest of the year here, i keep getting the sensation that i KNOW what i'm doing. I'll soon have internet in my ROOM, rather than having to use internet everywhere else. This is a huge deal for me because I use my computer for a majority of my communication.

Marco commented that my blog is too angsty, and I'd really like to keep that from happening because i genuinely want people to read this and (more or less) update themselves on how i'm doing. Or updated on WHAT i'm doing... though writing about that comes a little harder, because, well... i've already done it and seems boring to write about.

Let's assume i've done a few handfulls of nothing the past two weeks in anticipation of the old crew of teachers leaving. Let's now assume that after payday on Tuesday, i'll start documenting the ways in which i furnish my apartment with things like: shelves, internet, and MAYBE a microwave! It's an exciting adventure, and hopefully i'll find enough stuff on the cheap :D

By the way, the Mizzou Swimming and Diving team got 2nd place at the Big 12 Conference meet for the first time in school history last week! Current MU diver, Greg Destephen, is now the record holder for both 1 and 3 meter springboard, as well as platform. Therefore, he can easily claim my 'greatest diver in MU history' title for himself.

It's a brand new office

Everybody is out. The room i work in is now devoid of the 6 familiar american faces that welcomed me into it. They all left this morning, except Brian Dye, who is staying another year in Korea and has started a 2nd contract somewhere else in town. Their desks are all emptied, and another difference would be: THEY TOOK OUR COMPUTERS. So from one point having computers, then having old, cruddy, slow computers that couldn't print, and now NO computers... i'm confused.

It's like losing a group of seniors after graduation. Soon i will know what they knew. It's possible that i'll run into one or two of them later in life, but it's sad to know that i probably won't. They will be missed.

I am currently sitting at my desk, which has not changed, and am currently waiting for someone to tell me what to do. This is eerily similar to the first day of my first semester. Class starts in an hour and i have none of my books and don't even know the classroom number for some of my classes. I have no computer, so I cannot print off anything like class role, or a syllabus or ANYTHING. I'm lost again. It stinks, and i'm sick of it. Time to get what i need whether they like it or not.

last day for the old crew

I'm informed as of YESTERDAY, that I will no longer have to move out of my dinky apartment.

THERE IS NO REASONING BEHIND THIS.

Right this minute, everyone who is leaving: Steve, Greg, Zach, Brian, Bryan, and Rebecca are unwrapping their goodbye gifts from Avalon. Ceramic replicas of Korean vases, PRETTY!

We're all changing desks soon, which will make room for the new teachers, Whitney, Jovany, Jeremy, Corry, Adam, and Jason.

I'm going to call for internet this weekend and hook it up in my room, thank GOD i don't have to move that mattress.

I'm feeling a loss for the kids now that the semester is over: I don't really feel like i taught them anything :(

Evan Teacher, aka - Watters Teacher

"Call me either 'Mr. Watters' or 'Evan.'"

"Okay Evan Teacher Watters."

I'm beginning to realize how terrible the idea of teaching is. The kids have no respect for you and you are constantly criticized by the administrators and parents.

This week my partner teacher, Lindsey, told me that one of my students was pulled from school because of the low grade I gave him on his speaking test. I know this is a private school, and the parents are really kind of paying through the nose in order to have their kids taught English. They are considering this as their child's extra curricular activity instead of sports or other character-building activities. So their progress must be assured, therefore, this school is run like a business instead of a school. The customer (parents) are always right, and we have to meet their requirements for what is acceptable.

Also, my kids are brats and curse at me in Korean.

This post took 3 days to write i've been so busy.

BREIF!

I've only got a few minutes before i have to get ready for class so i'll make this brief:

I'm changing schools
I'm changing apartments
I'm changing parts of towns

They are moving me to Wangsimni, which is on the other side of the river, and closer to Guui (where some other mizzou grads are working)

This week i've got to grade over 40 essays before friday (right now, it's thursday).
So i've gotta get going. Caio

almost payday

Not having money in a city is like not having cones at an ice cream stand.

T-minus 2 days til payday and i'm considering writing a list of things i'm going to buy when i get my paycheck. Sad thing is, I don't know how much i'll be getting in this next paycheck, how much i'll have to pay for utilities or whatever, and then how much i'm going to end up throwing towards unforseen finances. I'm certain, however, that the first thing i buy for myself is PIZZA.

I'm entertaining myself with the internet in the coffeshop again, and looking up various videogames i'd enjoy playing IF i had my xbox here. There is no way i'll be able to get it shipped in it's BROKEN condition, but i really need a videogame fix. There are tons of PC games that i haven't been able to play, because of system requirement holdbacks. But this puppy can handle just about anything that's out right now, so i'm eager to give it a whirl.
But that means getting my hands on a copy of windows.
Which means buying windows.
Which means like, $100. I don't know i've never bought windows before.

That's one of the things on this imaginary list of stuff i want to buy.
I can email pictures from my phone to myself, which i can then save, and post here as you can see. This is my JA class. They are very intermediate, ages 10-11. Their english names are
green - Jacob
blue - Chris
red - Sean
yellow - Andrew

They lined their desks up like that for a group activity and were all wearing different colored shirts. It instantly reminded me of Super Smash Bros. players 1, 2, 3, and 4.

Ideally, i'll have a small camera for snapshots soon, maybe soon enough to where Sara Roger won't plot my demise for not having captured everything i've seen already, haha. I really like the idea of a videocamera, though. Moving pictures of this traffic would be enough to scare off most graduates considering teaching here... then again maybe not because i hear layoffs back in the states are getting pretty numerous. Anyone you know? Email me, if you read this blog often, comment often! I love hearing from you guys :D I'm off, hope you all have a good weekend.

Wonderment around every... week or so

It's worn off, the brand newish feel. I'm getting used to walking to work every day at top speed (personal best time: 17 minutes), waiting for the elevator even though i hate it (sometimes i can save time by walking to the 7th floor and catching the 'odd floors only' elevator), and living in a itsy bitsy teenie weenie tiny polka dot apartment. I'm living in Korea, not just visiting. This week we're going back to the 'usual' schedule 3pm-10pm at school and I think it's a better fit for me. I can wake up when the sun rises, casually make my way to the coffeeshop downstairs for some online time before making myself lunch and trekkin' to work. It's nice, and the weather is finally getting nicer. I say that now, but there's likely to be swells of ice or locusts or whatever before spring.

But before spring, i have 2 other seasons to look forward to. I'm told to expect these 'weather conditions' before spring truly arrives, and I have to say i'm a bit excited :D

YELLOW DUST SEASON
Yellow dust flies in from China and coats cars, sidewalks, and the air we breathe. I'm going to need to invest in a surgery mask... i'm thinkin' either Keropi or One Peice.

RAINY SEASON
It rains every day.

As a newbie to this kind of weather, i'm not sure how i'll react to weeks of rain. Maybe i'll roll around in a depression of some kind. Maybe dust season will inflict terrible lung complications and instigate some more of that pneumonia I had last summer *shudder*.

That's the next level, i guess. Right now I'm grinding through stage one of "Broke Pit", where my character has 1 strength, 2 stamina, and NO MONEY. I predict that i'll lose these stats somewhere in the game and have to start at my save point (calling my Korean parents *shame*). But save point or not, I've got enough experience to pass this level... as long as there are no boss fights (e.g. PAY YOUR BILLS). I'm attributing my skills or items to the friends i've made here, and the connections we share, like how Dave fancies himself a smash bros. contender. I've never played against a Canadian, so i can only fathom a likeness to the Wionz's skills at Tekken. Scary.

Speaking of connections, I met a girl this weekend who is from Rolla, MO. I was in a bar with friends and my Violent Femmes song request came on and she yelped in glee. I let her know i picked the song and she told me she saw them live in Rolla for the first time. WOO! Rolla!... a happenin' place to be......if you're a nerd.

So, I live here. I'm pretending to believe that I can make plans for when I get back to Amurrica, but I have never been able to plan ahead, so let's just pretend together. I miss videogames so bad. I want to just watch demos and game videos download onto my xbox. I miss that.

homework sucks

I hate assigning homework. I'm only JUST NOW getting the hang of it because i realize that i'm not really assigning homework for the childrens sake, as much as i'm assigning homework so the parents have something to harangue their kids about. I've gotten complaints from the office about students not being assigned homework. And it's true, I fucking hate homework. I've hated it since I had to DO homework, and I still hate the idea that someone is supposed to be doing work at home for nobody's benefit but their own... and i am FORCED to punish them if they decide not to benefit themselves. But that's school.

I have a website where I can upload homework assignments online. That is purely for the parents to check, then rummage through their kids' backpack looking for results. It's INHUMANE.

[an essay, by Jenny]

Some people prefer traditional style of Korean restaurant and the other prefer fusion style of Western restaurant. There are good points and bad points for each restaurants. Compare those two different styles of restaurants and describe which style of restaurant you would like to invite your friends or family?

To. Dad
Hello dad. You're like traditional style food. and restaurant. But I don't like there. Because Korean restaurant toillet is dirty. Korean food tasty is so so.
Dad, I like Western restaurant . Because Western restaurant food delisous. Stake and spargaty, cheackn. Oh It's delishous.
Dad you don't like Western restaurant, But dad fusion style food is delisohs.
Dad bye bye.
From. Jenny

Pretty obnoxious to tear apart a little girl's letter to daddy with my red pen, but she's gotta learn somehow. Apparently all of the Koreans think Western food is fatty and bad for them. And that Korean food is healthy and filling. Eh, let them think whatever they want. I can tell them that I'm not fat like most Americans, but that's about it.

SPICY

Kiwon's dad (who will henceforth be referred to as "my Korean dad") took me to the grocery store last week and hooked me up with consumables. We got a variety of stuff, including SUPER SPICY RAMEN. I was worried about it being too spicy, so we got medium hot and MEGA HOT. Also picked up a sample of plum juice/tea (which is fantastic) and a Korean rice wine, which is supposed to be like Sake. More noodles, spaghetti sauce, green beans, tuna, and cereal. Also got milk and bread and soup.

Out of all of these groceries, I enjoy the green beans the most. As some of you may know, I enjoying popping open a can and immediately going to work with a fork. This is the taste of home that feels good to indulge mostly because it's healthier than the #2 tastiest item from the shopping cart, SPICY RAMEN. Here, it's spelled rameon, and the noodles are sometimes thicker, and sometimes there are two packets of flavorings (one dried veggies, one MSG powder). There is a simple, delicious spiciness to these noodles, and the faster you eat them, the spicier they are. Best to let 'em cool a bit, then bulldozing em into your mouth by putting your lips to the bowl. It's spicy that will linger on the corners of your mouth after you're done. Peanut butter crackers and milk get rid of that pretty quick, though. The soup i got comes in pouches - boil water, drop in the pouch for 4 minutes, take it out and snip it open for delicious 'baked potato' or 'cheese and broccoli'. I've also got quaker oats oatmeal variety pack which has been providing a consistent breakfast every morning.

Now that I look at this, i boil water for every meal, ha! Too bad it takes fr'ever on the dopey little pot i have. Should have brought my teakettle.
Speghetti
Oatmeal
Ramen
Soup
...PB&J
Ok, so not everything i eat is boiled first. At least it's not 100% bread like it was in Columbia, eh?

I'm down to my last 5,000 won. That's not a lot. I've now got enough food to get me to and from work every day of the week, and the only real problem with that is walking in the cold...which is literally up a hill...and therefore, inversely up a hill on the way back. That's for the best, seeing as I don't get outside to run around and there isn't a whole lot of room in my apartment for anything other than pushups (yessssssss). So walking to work has me burning a dozen calories or so everyday, which is good because i've gotten my appetite back. The problem with THAT, is that ramen is not filling, and green beans only do so much to provide genuine nourishment.

I'm more worried about cabin fever. I've already watched all of my DVD's and movie files on my computer, and there's no internet signal in my room strong enough to keep me entertained. I am constantly invited to go out to bars and such, but have constantly (and responsibly) told everyone that I HAVE NO MONEY AND CAN NOT AFFORD ANYTHING LET ALONE ENTERTAINMENT. Rough going, but payday is the 10th. We'll see how long i last without going totally bonkers :P

my room is only twice as big as the elevator I HAVE TO use

I think it's pretty safe to say that I don't really enjoy going out to clubs or bars. Itaewon is the "westerner" place in Seoul, there are lots of US military guys hanging out down there because that's where the base is. And bars exist to show you a good time... and then exploit every dollar from your pocket. I don't like it. I can buy my own beer for less, drink it as fast or as slow as i want with friends. BUT I HAVE A TINY ROOM. So it's not really convenient to hang out at home, because it's not at all enjoyable to sit in a small room 8 floors up with dirty laundry everywhere.

Also, my room is currently occupying a caged animal. A coworker, Steve, is in Egypt for his week-long vacation. He called me on hurriedly on Saturday to ask if I could watch his pet bunny while he was away. I wasn't keen on the idea because small caged animals don't really do it for me, in terms of owning a pet. Ha-sown had a couple ferrets, and the smell is all i needed to convince myself that it would not be a fun practice in animal keeping. But so far, the bunny is cute and fairly quiet (except for scratching around its cage every once and a while). The only shitty thing is that it's sick. The reason it couldn't stay at the veterinarians office was because it has a stomach parasite, which could get the other animals sick. Steve assured me that humans were immune to the parasite, but i still have to give the tiny little animal medication twice a day. It's a POWDER, which i mix with water, then inject into it's mouth with a plastic syringe (no needles). So yeah, I got to do that this morning and the little girl squirmed around like a... well, like a wild animal. It's ok, i can deal with it, but now Steve owes me.

I still do not have internet in my apartment. I am punching in the letters you're reading at Holly's Coffee, which is where i'm a frequent visitor. They never make me buy anything and i've been coming in here for a solid 2 weeks now. I really just hate coming down here because it means getting into the elevator. I hate walking all the way down the hallway, and then standing there for up to 2 minutes just to get OUTSIDE. Kiwon's family lives on the first floor because Mike, the dad, is afraid of heights. I really wish i didn't have to wait on my floor for a stupid elevator. It tricks my mind into wandering when i wish it didn't... don't really know how to explain how it perturbs me.

I think I could enjoy the Soloville room more if i could get internet, but as it stands, i leave my room to do ANYTHING other than sleeping, bathing, and eating. Literally. So my room's a mess and i don't care because i'm only AWAKE in that room for a few hours a day. And now there's an animal up there. Maybe a cat would be nice, but i think it'd die of boredom.

rhythm instruments are dangerous

This weekend marked the 23rd birthday of fellow Mizzou graduate and Korean adventurer, Jennifer Agnew. We have discovered that even though we were never friends back home in Columbia, that we are pretty good friends here in Seoul. She lives in a smaller part of town, Guui, and I'm jealous if not only for the higher volume of SKY. I'm in a very big, tall, busy part of town, and skyscrapers cover up most of the horizon. Mountains show a conservative backdrop between towers, but catching an eyeful of sky when I was in Guui felt good.

Friday marked the beginning of the festivities for her birthday, with a round of charades after the all-you-can-eat-all-you-can-drink buffet. Our group (which dwindled from about 25 to about 14) headed to a bar called Beatles. They played vinyl and took NONE of our requests. After that we went to the karaoke room nearby, called Norebon (singing room). I have a bruise on my hand from smacking the tambourine all night.

The next day ended with me being so hungover, I could not surface from under my pillow until 6-7pm. The Soju here is absolutely evil. You don't realize how drunk you're getting, and then you're just hungover beyond reason. There is cheap beer everywhere, so from this point onward, I am swearing off the nasty rice-wine. It's never treated me well, and I am not ok with an abusive relationship. Especially since i'm leaving in ...countdown... 11 months.

i own 3 spoons, 4 forks, and 20 chopsticks

[Evan sez: 10 pair chopsticks]

Kiwon's parents live right across the street from my school. MJ,the mom, has a brother who is a vice president of a giant departmentstore (think Macy's + Sears + Food Court + Schnucks + NICE Restaurants all stacked on top of one another. HUGE.) and they have bought me a new mattress because my current one is giving me back pain every morning and keeping me up at night. I am deeply humbled by this because it is a really nice mattress. They said it was their way of thanking our family for putting up...err, i mean taking Kiwon into our family. They tell me he misses STL a bunch. God, they took me out for the best Japanese food i have ever had.

6 course lunch (salad > sashimi > sushi > soup > rice dish > fruit for desert). It was incredible. Besides the raw fish texture (i kept my gag reflex in check for the entire meal. a truly inspiring performance as i was constantly on the verge of dropping my jaw open and rolling my eyes into the back of my head while my tongue catapults the raw fish out of my throat) it was delicious.

My address is as follows:

Evan Watters

Room # 807, Solo Ville 1623-3,

Seocho1-dong, Seocho-gu

Seoul, Korea 137-878

Kiwon's dad wrote it down for me after verifying the zip code(there's no 'Z' in the Korean language, therefore "gip code"). This year will be their 20th wedding anniversary. I spent most of Saturday with them looking for a new mattress and having them show me a bit around town and also their home. There is a bitchin' picture of Kiwon in a taekwondo uniform. Also one of him horseback riding on Jeju Island, a pretty sweet vacation spot where they have a condo! I'm invited to all of the family activities if I have time; i'm already ready to get out of town. There are so many buildings it's like a maze instead of a city.

I'm still considering getting a pet cat, but costs for something like that will have to come after a few steady paychecks. I miss Sketch. I've nearly gotten over my cold and have been eating healthier than a pure ramen diet, which is what Kiwon's mom was afraid of, ha ha ha.

Actually, Kiwon is right(...!), the Korean ramen here is exceptional compared to our dirty bricks and dust we call ramen. It's still bricks and flavor packets, but it's

BETTER. Spicy is my fav. so far.

[Evan sez:The above is entirely taken from an email to my parents. Original text follows.]

There was a dead calico on the sidewalk this morning. It looked as cold as I felt.

The tuna with rice dish (cham chi dup bob("bop")) is easily my favorite meal here. Yesterday Zack, Bobby, John, John, and I walked around their gigantic COEX mall. There's a big movie theater, subway station, bus station, hotel, and aquarium located in this sprawling metropolitan hotspot. Stores seen list as follows: Evan Records (music and movies), Aniliving (anime and other cute stuff) paired with the Nintendo outlet (6 DS demos), Sanrio outlet (i almost vomited), and another really touristy store where everything i saw was pretty ...well... touristy. Got postcards. I also hit up their arcade. Most of the games were in english, and it was only 500 won (50 cents) to play anything. House of the Dead 4 was intense. And they had Tetris. TETRIS.

One other thing. They had Sbarro. I got a slice of supreme and a slice of pepperoni. It was greasy fantastic delicious. I miss the nastiest foods in the states. Had a dunkelweisse at Beer Factory with Bobby, Zack, and Jennifer Agnew. We then went from Gagnam (pronounced kacknem) to hongdae for some more drinks and FREEZING OUR ASSES OFF. This place is going to be really nice after it warms up. I really despise going out into the cold unless it's a short walk and a fun time. Hitting up several bars ends up wearing me out and stringing out a lot of cash in the process. Maybe i'll find my own way to have fun around here, but right now i'm relying on other people for socially exciting endeavors.

a Whopper® is still a Whopper®

Burger King next door
Whopper®, french fries, orange soda.
Happy fat tummy


Burger King is the closest food place to our school.
The fast food kingdom of America has it's it's straws in several beverages.
Still, french fries are guilty pleasures at their greasiest. That meal felt good.


I met Kiwon's parents yesterday and set up a date with them on Saturday. They are going to come take a look at my office-tel and "see what I need" rather than trusting my judgement. There is no doubt that they will take care of me, they are very kind. We have plans to visit the furniture store (for a new mattress), check out the Taekwon Do academy (like, the arena where they compete in the martial art), maybe swing by one or two other tourist attractions, then after lunch maybe make it to their home so I can look at Kiwon's baby pictures (betcha $10 he was a chubby rugrat). I'm happy to have someone interested in my well being other than a coworker or employer.

Also on Saturday, i'm meeting up with Jen and a few other teachers to go check out a local brewery. Amount of time spent around kids (kids/hr) should equal an appropriate amount of beer. Today, i had 3 classes (14 + 13 + 8 = 35 kids)and was at school for 7 hours.

35 / 7 = 5 beers

Of course, a normal class day is determined for a minimum of 3 beers. I admit my formula may not work for everyone. The number of kids per class is almost arbitrary compared to some hours. But I have no doubt that a 3 beer minimum is something we can agree on. It's Korea. A beer(Korean quality) is like 75 cents any day of the week.

My bed sucks.
I don't sleep well.
Spicy ramen here is amazing delicious.

YOGIO!

yogio = here

So when i'm in a cab and want him to pull over, I just say "yogi" (smarter than the average bear) and point to the curb or crosswalk I want to get dropped off at. The fun part about taking a cab here is that it's totally cool to sit in the front seat. Instead of seeing a cab with one driver and one passenger in the back, the passenger sits up front. It's pretty cool because you get to see more of the street and can keep an easy eye on the meter to make sure they're not ripping you off. That, and more footroom (bonus!) I have been taking a cab since I got a cold. Also because it's a 20-30 minute walk to work which includes an underground subway station decked out with a store that sells suits as well as groceries, jewelry, and alcohol. Just think of a strip mall, underground, and they have the exact same goods as a store 1 subway stop away. Classy.

Today was tough at school. I haven't been sleeping well and it took its toll today on my manners. Kids lost interest, then I lost interest. Going directly out of the book is DIRECTLY the wrong approach for a student like me. Knowing that makes me loathe the camera in the room that recording my class onto a flat screen TV in the lobby. Parents want to get their moneys worth and i'm only teaching them ENOUGH when i'm going directly from the book and sticking to a strict schedule. Maybe if i knew the a little korean i could curse a bit better than my informal english: BULLSHIT. But if these stupid strict parents want to get their moneys worth, maybe they should suggest that the school ACTUALLY TRAIN THEIR TEACHERS.
Just sayin'
Kind of a load

i need sleep but am going out to dinner with Kiwon's parents tonight.
i live less than half a mile from their house. WTF

headcold!

Mandoo = dumpling
bop = rice
kim bop = korean sushi
kim chi = nasty

Slowly learning my way around the restaurant menu. Luckily, the dumpling place near me (which i love more than taco bell(even though i do miss grilled stufft burritos)) just got english menus with pictures and english wordings of their meals. There are spicy dumplings and kimchi dumplings and these other veggie dumplings which i can't get enough of. That place and another one nearby (both with orange logos) have cheap food that's delish. I can order 2 things from the 2nd restaurant: bulgogi dup bop (beef with rice dish) or cham chi dup bop (tuna with rice dish).

My bed is stiff as a board and i'm sick of it. It needs to be replaced sooner rather than AFTER i start waking up with back pain. Maybe i should just start breaking it in a little... KOREAN BEDROOM GYMNASTICS, GO! I did my first load of laundry last night. The dryer setting of the robot-like device merely wisks away the initial mass of liquid from the clothes. Only dry enough to NOT drip all over the floor. The drying rack can hold an entire load of laundry (considering a full load in my robot machine isn't exactly a full load in mom and dad's washer). The sink situation hasn't been too bad. I need dish soap and a scrubber, but hot water has been able to help me hand-wash the oatmeal and ramen residue out of most dishes with a washcloth.

I have a phone, but I consider it mostly harmless due to the fact that i can't simply text my friends about what they're up to or call someone to hang out and watch a movie. I've met people here, but it's not the same as having Wilson around to watch something screwball with me, or texting Steff about something lame that reminded me of her (<3).
I miss halo.
I miss RockBand more.

This first paycheck is going to be a huge relief.