Lovin Life in Korea

So I am now finishing up my second week of Judo class which I'm taking 4 days a week; Mon, Tues, Thurs, & Fri. from 5:20 - 6:30pm. On Wednesday I give myself a break and go for acupuncture (basically I get to lie down on a heated table for 1 hour) while cute lil Asian woman attends to me, puts a warm heating pad on my legs for 20 minutes, then the doctor comes over and sticks approx 12 needles in me for 25 minutes. I usually get to enjoy nice 20 minutes of REM (Rapid Eye Movement) sleep. Then I head to the MCC (Miryang Culture Club) meeting from 6 - 7:30pm. This schedule it's really awesome as gives me a nice, structured routine to follow each week. Today I got my brand new Judo uniform!!! It look so friggin cool!!!! It's a dark royal blue, with yellow Korean letters on front and my name "DARREN" in yellow on the back, with a nice, brand new white belt. It looks bad ass!!! Can't wait to take pictures of me and post them!!

Wednesday's & Thursday's are definitely my two biggest days of teaching at my school. I teach 4 classes back-to-back both days (6th grade on Wed & 5th grade on Thurs.) Then on Thursday's I have an additional 3pm English lesson followed by a 40 minutes class for the Korean teachers. A few Thursday's ago was even more intense b/c I added 1 extra 6th grade class that day!!! Seven classes in total that day. I was feeling good and ready for the challenge and excitement of giving my all for these classes. I can clearly remember the feeling coming out of the teacher's lounge after "Tea Time" 10:40-11:00am (which takes place after 2nd period everyday). I can clearly remember the feeling I had coming out of that room. It was as if I was Eric Mangini (head coach of the NY Jets) coming out of the locker room at halftime with my team (my co-teacher) walking behind me gearing up for the second half of the game (my day). I had 2 classes down with 5 more to go!!! It was a rather surreal, serene, exciting feeling of being alive, fulfilled, and that of being totally present, in the moment. There is nothing quite like teaching Korean children English, especially little elementary children!!!! Totally, precious, sweet, innocent, and SO SO EXCITED to see me and learn English each day. I was telling Flo how exciting it is for me to see my 4th grade students (def my most favorite grade by far!) b/c EVERY SINGLE one of them is 100% engaged, attentive, participating in the lesson from start to finish. It's amazing I tell you to scan the room & see all 30 mouths moving at once in unison (like the good lil robots that they are hehe)!!! That def does not happen in 3rd, 5th, and certainly not in 6th grade. In fact, I have copied a few emails from my one 4th grade student, named Mirae who has been emailing me; check this out and tell me how precious this is???
Below are 3 emails she has sent me:

hi!!

yes, i love english class
nise to meet yoo to.
gilr friend good!!
do yo like banana?
see yoo naxt time..

-mirae-

thank you for your kindness.

I like banana.

Did you have a good night's sleep?

darren teacher speak english well and be good-looking.

good bye~

hi!

i'm mirae.
english class happy

engilsh sing very good.!

expecting a responos to this letter

see yoo next time..

have a nice day..

-mirae-

Simply adorable huh???

More Proof on the Korean Intense, Extreme Work Ethic

During a discussion I had this past Monday afternoon with a few Korean teachers that come each week for English conversation class, we discussed an article from the NY Times that my dad sent me. The article was about all the new trendy western style brunch restaurants that are becoming quite popular among many of the Koreans in Seoul (now that they recently have the luxury of enjoying 5-day work weeks). The article suggests that a big reason for this was the shift from 6-day work weeks to 5-day work weeks. This has only recently come into existence in Korea over the past 3 years. In 2004, the Korean government passed a law saying that was illegal for companies of over 50 employees to require their workers to work 6-day work weeks. This is a very new concept for Koreans who are used to working their buns off to get ahead, succeed and achieve (for the good of themselves, their country, and the companies they work for). They work relentlessly, day & night at whatever costs necessary to finish a project on time (or usually in record time). I was impressed that the pole my c0-teacher hit, bent, and smashed into was repaired & fixed in less than a week!! Right now any company under 50 employees are not required to give their employees off on Sat, but this law will be changed to mandate 5-day work weeks for ALL companies starting in 2011. It simply AMAZED me to find out how common it is for Koreans to work on Saturdays. Can you imagine the US government requiring companies to force 6-day work weeks?? Whaddya think that would do to the productivity and profitability of US corporations?? Would that go over well? Do you think it would do more to boost & increase profits, productivity & morale?? or do you think it would have an adverse effect on the overall productivity of the company? While talking with my teachers, they informed me that they are required to come in to school on alternate Saturdays. So every 2 weeks they have a full 2-day weekend. This again, absolutely shocked me!! I couldn't believe that they would even fathom coming into school on a Saturday. (they NEVER require/allow any of the English teachers to work on Saturdays). So I took a vote on what they thought about making 5-day work weeks mandatory. While most of the teachers (all but one) were in favor of 5-day work weeks, one woman said she doesn't mind working on Saturday's twice a month because that way she doesn't/can't spend money on others things she may do if she had the day off. I was so shocked and rather intrigued by her response & her rationale. It made me wonder if other Koreans had this same philosophy? I could totally see her point and thought it was an interesting answer she gave me. I wonder if any Americans (or other Westerners) have to same philosophy as this Korean woman. Maybe she is not the norm, and is was just expressing her personal viewpoint with no correlation to how the majority of Koreans feel. I will have to ask other teachers opinions on this debate btw. the 5 & 6 day work week and will get back to you soon. Until Next time
Have a Great Night & always remember to:

Live With Passion!!!

Fun, Funny & Unique Korean Experiences

One thing that cracks me up (or amazes me) about Korea is that so many people seem to be so obsessed with talking on their cell phones. OK, no different from back home right? Wrong!!! Koreans will go to ANY length to grab their cell phones, pick it up, and answer it whenever or wherever it rings. I was fist taken back by this at school when all the teachers were in a big board room, sitting around the table with the Principal, the Vice-Principal & all faculty members. If a teacher's phone would ring, they will pick it up, say hello, and talk right there in the meeting!!!! They would put their hand over there mouth when then talk (has most Koreans do this normally). I found it so shocking and kinda disrespectful & rude that they would give the phone call more precedence over a school meeting. Apparently nobody says anything, and it's an accepted practice here. This behavior doesn't end at school however...I've seen it happen while hiking; here we are descending down a very steep & narrow mountain path, I'm holding on to rocks, trees, and other people for dear life, and this Korean guy behind is answering his cell phone while climbing down the mountain. In the temple, a holy, sacred, quiet place of rest, reflection, meditation, etc. and you have people reaching into their purses to pick up & answer their phone. Is nothing sacred for crying out loud?? Even my Judo teacher will run off the mat in the middle of class to grab his ringing cell phone and answer it. Does anybody find anything wrong with this picture? Is there ever a time when a Korean WILL NOT answer their phone?? I think I may know of one last remaining sacred place, and that is.........???? Can anyone guess??? Yup, you guessed it...the Popularly Famous Korean Saunas/Bath House. I have yet to see a naked Korean guy carrying his cell phone around with him while lying in the steam room and relaxing in the Hot Tub. Thank God there is at least one sacred cell-phone free zone in Korea. Hopefully they won't make waterproof cell phones so we can keep this one last remaining place cell phone free.

And what's up with Korean people putting their hands in front of their mouths all the time? They do this mainly when talking with food in their mouths, but also often do it when they are engaged in normal conversations as well. That's a nice, fine, respectful thing to do. Even my friend Tina from NJ has picked up this habit of covering her mouth with her hand while she talks. I have no problem with it. It's their tradition, cool. What I don't get though is some of the elementary kids at school who sneeze or cough & don't cover their mouths. You cover your mouth when you talk, but not when you sneeze? What's wrong with this picture? Speaking of sneezing, apparently, they don't have the custom of saying "Bless You" when someone sneezes. It's very very odd for me not to hear "God Bless" when I, or anyone else sneezes. I tried teaching this concept to one of my classes, but it did not register with many of them, or I didn't repeat the lesson properly again. I think I will bribe them to say "Bless You" with candy this week. I've created many lil monsters who come up to me everyday & say, "Teacha, teacha, how are things? Candy candy please!!" So I had to reneg on that agreement and just give them a sticker b/c I'm going through way too much candy.

I wanted to briefly share a wonderful experience I had a few weekends ago on a Sunday afternoon. I got picked up by one of the teachers from school & drove with her, her 7 year old son, to drive to her mother's farm to pick sweet potatoes. Has anyone had the joy and pleasure of ever picking sweet potatoes? I haven't, and let me tell how much fun it is!!! First of all we were there with her son, her daughter, her brother & his wife (their 2 children), and her mother. Talk about family bonding!!! We all headed out to a small lil patch of land where they had planted seeds just a few months ago. We had buckets, shovels (digging tools) etc. We started at one end by pushing aside the dirt with our hand (mine was bare) or using the little shovel-like tool she gave until I felt something in the ground. Once I identified it, I dug away the surrounding dirt with my hand or shovel and slowly started to grab, pull, and loosen the potato that was lodged underneath the dirt in the ground. Let me tell you how much fun this was!!!!! It was so great being outside, so close to mother nature, pulling out all different sized potatoes that were growing straight down into the ground!!! To me it was like digging for buried treasure. Sorting and sifting through the dirt, searching & waiting to "hit" something, and come across a real, live potato lodged in the ground~!~! Her lil 7 yr old (really 6 yr old) son was so cute in helping us push away the dirt. We had to be gentle & take the pulling of the potatoes with caution b/c if we pulled up too hard, too quickly, we'd break the potato in half leaving one end still stuck in the ground. It took me a little while to get a feel for this technique. You had to gently move the potato back & forth till it was loose enough to come out easily. This was especially great for me to do on a Sunday, because that is the day that correlates to Deepak Chopra's First Law of Pure Potentiality where he suggests you do 3 things on that day 1.Practice silence, sit in meditation twice a day for 30 min each 2. Spent time each day in nature, watch a sunset, listen to ocean or stream, smell a flower, etc. (I felt as if picking sweet potatoes was a GREAT way to spend time with nature; there was no better feeling than picking up a living, organic piece of matter that had been quietly growing for several weeks in the ground). This was a real treat to and and experience that I will not forget for a long time!! 3. To practice non-judgement. I can't for for sweet potato season again next year!!!!

Oh, and by the way, the reason why I said her son was either 7 or 8 years old is because in Korean, you are either 1 or 2 years older than our regular ages we go by in the US. This is because they count the 9 month gestation period as your "first" year of life. So when you are born you are either 1 or 2 years old already, depending on what month you were born in. So on the baby's first birthday (a HUGE celebration) in the Korean tradition, the baby is either 2 or 3 years old instead of 1 years old.

Great new Pictures of Korea recently uploaded!!!

YES, YES, That's right!!!! Please feel free to go to my Flickr site at:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/skorea2007

To see recently uploaded pictures that I haven't updated since the end of September. To view these pictures in the correct chronological order, please scroll down to the bottom and view the pictures on the previous page first & work your way back up to the beginning. The pictures at the top are the most recently taken; so to view them in order you have to scroll back a few pages. Either way, I'm excited to finally have them updated so you can see my beautiful city of Miryang, views of my apartment and neighborhood, my school, the cute & adorable Korean children, a few of the fun trips I've been on, etc.

There are many things I want to update you on. Let's start with the most recent, this past weekend. Right now it's 8:38pm Sunday night in Korea, 6:38am Sunday morning in NY. I just got off the phone with my buddy Dave (one of my best friends from my Men's Team) He's doing well pursuing his passion of singing, & performing at bars and clubs a few times a week back in NJ & NY. We had a great conversation. He shared how awesome he thinks it is that I'm out here in Korea, actually following through with a dream of mine (at a relatively young age) instead of just talking about it as "someday/oneday" type of thing. As my friend Dr. Paul Turro (Landmark Wisdom Course Leader) says: (I'm paraphrasing here) "How come most people have to wait for "someday/oneday" to come before they have the courage enough to get their "stuff" together and go after their dreams? The problem with waiting for "someday" is that it never comes!!! I'm clear if I wake up and the calender says it's "Someday" (instead of Tuesday) a lot of great shit all over New York City (and the world) is going to get done!" It's so so true Paul..... So many of us are waiting for "someday/oneday"... Someday I'm gonna start taking piano lessons, oneday I'm take my son/daughter fishing in the mountains, oneday I'm really gonna volunteer at the homeless shelter, oneday I'm gonna start that diet, oneday I'll decide to move half way across the world to Korea to teach English. Let me tell you something folks, "Oneday never comes!!!!! It's time to STOP waiting for oneday to come; for the kids to get older, for the kids to start school, for the kids to finish school, for the weather to be better, for the economy to improve, for the troops to come home, blah, bla blah, bla BLAH!!!! It's NEVER going to happen. The time to do things is RIGHT NOW!!! My one friend who is a HS teacher from the Bronx, was really surprised to hear how great of a time I'm having here in Korea. He had his doubts about whether I would like it or not, and then he said the words of death: "I would really like to do something (teach in Asia) like that, but I just don't think I have the time." HELLO McFly!!! Anyone home McFly??? When is ANYONE going really ever have "the time" to pack up everything & go away to live & work in Asia for 1 year?? If everyone thought like my friend, the world would be a pretty boring place wouldn't it? Nobody would be doing anything extraordinary, they would just be at home, living in their "comfort zone" watching the time go by. I guess this works for some people, but not for me thank you. I've decided to live my life FULLY, in the MOMENT, NOW!!! There is no time to wait; Life is WAY to short!!!
Ok, let me get off my soapbox & get back to this weekend:
I went hiking again this weekend (Koreans are fanatical with their hiking) with teachers from all the schools in Miryang (6 of us from my school). I forgot to mention that a group of 10 English teachers went hiking at Pychungsa Temple which is only a 25 minute ride from our place. We spent 4 glorious hours hiking way up to nearly the top of the mountain and walked down a very very long road to get down the mountain. It got very chilly, cold, and dark by the time we got back to our car. It seems to get awfully COLD here at night & in the mornings, but is usually, sunny, warm & pleasant during the day. Really good weather for catching I cold. My nose has been running a lot the past week since hiking last week. Earlier that day, 16 of us gathered for a game of touch Rugby at the field y our apartments. It was my first time playing Rugby which was lots of fun!!! So this past Saturday, I went hiking with my Korean teachers; we took 2 buses to Gyeongju where we hiked up Nam San Mtn. It was an other gorgeous fall day perfect for a hike. We saw lots & lots of old ancient relics from the Silla Dynasty (650AD). Bascially it's just of bunch of really really old rocks, stones, statues, etc. In my opinion there really isn't anything spectacular about this National treasure which is so frequently visited. That night I came home, showered, changed and hopped on a train to Daegu (44 min ride) which cost $3.70 where I met up with 5 other friends at a bar. It was a pretty popular bar with a live band and many westerners. Lots of them were American GIs who are serving their duty at the Army base in Daegu. The Korean band members played several American rock songs in English and got many people up jumping, screaming & singing on the dance floor. Later that night we headed to a HUGE night club which was packed with people!!!! We had a blast dancing all night and the place was still packed when we left at 3:30AM. To sleep, we decided to find the nearest "Jim Jil Bang" (Korean bath house/sauna) to sleep at. This was the first time I did this, but it's fairly common among young Korean men (and some women). For $7.00 we got a checked in, got a locker for my shoes, and another locker for my clothes; for 20 cents extra I bought a toothbrush; you can buy a razor there as well, but I didn't bother. We showered, dipped in the hot tub, sauna, steam room, etc. and then I put on this shirt & shorts (uniform) that they gave us. Then we headed out to the main common area where many men & women were sleeping peacefully on a padded floor with a blanket and square foam block pad for a pillow. It wasn't the most comfortable place ever. But at 4:30am and for $7.00 it did the job!!!! The next day we woke by 10am, showered, checked out & headed for food. Had a delicious peppery steak soup with rice, kimchi, and other veggies. (It cost us $5.00 each). I went to the bookstore there (large English selection) Where I bought a book called "Korea Unmasked" which is a GREAT educational overview of the Korean people, their culture, history, economy, religion, etc. I already read it, but wanted my own copy b/c there are so many fascinating topics for discussion that I can as lesson plans for my classes with the Korean teachers. I also bought a copy of the novel, "Dead Poet's Society". That I want to read for enjoyment & inspiration. It was great getting a care package from my girlfriend because she sent me two of her favorite fictional children's books that she enjoyed as a little girl. I throughly enjoyed reading "Danny, the Champion of the World" by Roald Dahl and am currently reading a book called "The Giver". I was impressed how quickly & easily I was able to breeze through these books in a week. Because it has been taking me such a long time to get read a book called "The Power of NOW" It was such a nice, refreshing change of pace to read this easy, fun, light, leisurely, fiction books instead of all the non-fiction, spiritual, self-help books that I usually am wrapped up in. It's definitely a much welcomed break. I actually let Lisa borrow my Deepak Chopra book that I was reading over & over again, week to week for the past 10 weeks.

This past week I started taking Judo classes (or as the Koreans say "Yudo") at a school next to my apartment. I was looking around comparing Judo, to Hapkido, and Taekwondo. I decided on Judo because I like the studio, and the people there. Most of the teachers at these places don't speak any English, but this Judo teacher has a sister that is fluent and can translate for me which made me feel comfortable. It cost $60 to join for the month that includes classes Mon - Fri. from 5:20-6:30pm It is supposed to cost $50 for the uniform, but he said he would give me one for free. It was so so great being at practice 3 times this week. I absolutely love practicing many forward & backwards roles, flips, hops, jumps, etc. I got so so dizzy & light headed the first few times and still get light headed every time I go. I feel so good after class because I'm bringing some much needed Oxygen to my brain, which hasn't had a physical stimulation in a while since being in Korea. It's feels so so good to get "out of my head" and INTO my body for a change. I've been itching to do something physical out here and now I have a nice outlet in which to do something each week. I'm in a class with 8 other young elementary and middle school kids; one goes to the school I teach at, and other students are mentioning me to their native English teachers at school. It's a small town, so word gets around quickly!!

A Tale of Two Trips

These past two weekends I found myself going to Daegu (3rd largest city of 3.5 mil) on back to back weekends where there is a big US Army base, and hence a BIG Costco Wholesale Club. The first trip was on a Saturday with Sarah, Lisa, and Jo (3 women) and myself. This started out innocently enough at first, until we got off at the wrong exit and proceeded to get lost for about 1 hour. Up to this point their was already enough drama, whining, bitching, complaining about everything under the sun. I just sat in the back of the car, quietly, not saying a word because I felt that my optimistic, rosy, positive outlook on life in Korea would really be a damper on their "pity party" and I didn't want to spoil all the "evidently" fun time they were having complaining about everything. At one point, while we were hopelessly lost & confused driving around Daegu, trying to find our way to Costco, I put my iPod headphones and listened to my music. After 2 hours in the car we finally got there. It was a HUGE relief to be able to get out the car and do some shopping. I bought a HUGE container of Salsa, 2 fresh tubs of guacamole, a big bag of almonds, pasta, fresh tomato sauce, ravioli, frozen veggies, etc. I was able to satisfy my Italian food craving at Costco. I really like Korean food, but after having it everyday, you want a little variety, some cuisine from another culture. What I really miss about Hoboken is the VAST array of food selection available. Everything from Indian, Italian, Mexican, Thai, Japanese, Chinese, etc. And who can forget the BIGGEST & BEST pizza slices in all of NJ at Benny Tudino's!!!! There have been times here when I've dreamt of having a nice, warm, juicy, slice of Benny's pies. Unfortunately I will have to wait a long time before I can enjoy one of those slices again.
So needless to say, I was very glad to get home from Costco after spending nearly 5 hours in the car & shopping with 3 women. Now don't get me wrong, I LOVE women, I adore, respect, and admire women, and it's a fact that men can have an entirely different conversations when they are around other men then when they are in mixed company. There are certain ways we (men) have to be when we are amongst women, that we don't have to worry about when we are with only men. I guess what I'm realizing is how much I'm really missing being away from my Men's Team, and having an outlet where I can go be with other men for 3 hours once a week, and deal with all the "stuff" we need to get rid of & handle as men. Not having a group a powerful, masculine, men to reach out to, be in contact with on a regular basis, and to share my "stuff" (fears, anxieties, emotions, concerns, etc) with is a REAL MISSING for me in my life right now. I'm trying to be more involved, and in communication with my Men's Team (Team BITE) from back home. I even had the pleasure of listening into the team meeting for a full 2 1/2 hours last week. I was so great to listen in via speaker phone, to contribute, and to get a bit of the juice, energy & excitement I get from being around so many masculine men that are all committed to becoming better men (husbands, fathers, sons, teacher, professionals, etc) in their lives. It's truly an inspiring honor & privilege to be around these men.
So my second trip to Costco the following weekend was 100% times smoother. I went with Mick, Patrick, his wife, and myself. We got there NO PROBLEM in less than 1 hour!!! What a HUGE difference. I bought winter socks, gloves, dried cherries, fresh salmon, pasta Alfredo, canned tuna & salmon, etc. We ate lunch there and drove home smoothly. I thoroughly enjoyed the conversation in the car on the way up & on the way back. At the rest stop on the way there, I tried a hot herbal drink which is made from tree bark. It was Gosh awfully terrible tasting. I could hardly finish a lil dixie cup sized sample. I don't know how the Koreans could drink this stuff in bulk, especially 2 liters jugs of it that they were selling.
After we returned from Daegu that Sunday, I went to the Bath House/Sauna here in Miryang to soak my tired & achy body in the hot tubs, sauna & steam room. I was so sore & tired b/c the day before, on Saturday we (16 English teachers) played a fun game of touch Rugby for about 1 1/2 hours before going hiking at Pychungsa Temple later that day. We started the hike at 2:15pm and didn't return until 6pm. Nearly 4 hours of an intense, grueling hike up mountainous rocks and steep hills. It was great fun being out there with a group of 10 Westerners. I just continue to thoroughly enjoy myself every time I go to Bath House because of the fun and different experiences I have there. Since it was a weekend, it was rather crowded there with Korean men and lots a young Korean boys running around naked jumping in & out of pools. They have so many great facilities to shower, shave, sleep, swim, soak in tub, etc. I especially enjoyed watching one man taking a shower, while brushing his teeth & at the same time taking a piss in the lone urinal that is located within the the shower stalls. Talk about multi-tasking!!!! It was definitely a sight to see!!