The BEST Day Ever!!!! (Friday)

Well I must say that my day at school on Friday was one of the best days EVER!!!! First of all, Fridays are a very easy for b/c I only have 2 classes in the mornings, then I'm free until 3pm when I teach my final class before I go home. I love hanging out a the couches in the teacher's lounge, reading my books, listening to music or Korean language programs on my iPod, or sometimes I just meditate or sleep. I'm usually in there all alone b/c the other teachers all have class to teach. I teach the 4th grade on Tuesdays & Fridays. I was in rare form to say the least.... first off I grabbed a BIG, BRIGHT, CURLY, YELLOW Wig from the teacher's lounge and wore it for a skit in front of my first class. They all laughed hysterically. Then the second class (after tea time) was a riot!!! We sang songs, danced, played, laughed, etc. The teacher had picked a few boys to do a dance routine to the song & I joined in at the front of the room. I was jumping, twisting, turning, kicking my legs, etc. The girls were so embarrassed for me that they had to cover the faces with their hands b/c they were laughing so much. I was really enjoying myself immensely. Then the best thing happened; they were playing this game where they had to write down their friend's name is the book when all of a sudden, one student says to me: "Teacha teacha, sign sign!!" So I signed his book; then EVERYONE (all 25 kids) proceeded to run over to me & shove pieces of paper, their books, notepads, etc in my face for me to sign. They literally MOBBED me. They were out of control excited for me to sign (autograph) their books for them; You would think that I was Madonna, Micheal Jordon, or some other famous celebrity!!! I wish I could have taken a picture to show you what it was like. I've been carrying my camera around with me a lot lately and I have many pictures I need to upload on my flickr site. Please stay tuned for the updates. I have pictures of the teachers and students in the bathrooms brushing their teeth, kids playing soccer, cute kids walking in the hallways, the funniest was seeing an ENTIRE class of 30 kids all sitting on their knees on top of their desks, way up in the air. There was no teacher in the room (apparently he told them to sit/kneel in that position until he came back) It's so funny to see the punishments/requests that the teachers gives their children. You never quite know when you are going to have that perfect Kodak moment. I have pics of me eating in the cafeteria and many other interesting shots.
Friday night we went to "Mix Bar" the ONLY bar in Miryang that serves cocktails. (how sad is that?) I had a few Jack & Cokes, some beer and tasted many other drinks from my English Teach friends. It is Kim's 23rd birthday this Sunday so we went out celebrating with her.
Before going to the bar, I went to a furniture store & bought myself a beautiful, comfortable computer chair. The store owner was so nice ( a lil buzzed off of Soju, the Korean vodka) he invited me to sit down, meet his sister and one of his employees; He offered me a glass of tomato juice; I sat down and chatted with him for 10 minutes; He welcomed me with open arms and said that I am welcome there anytime. Then I went in the truck with the other guy to deliver the chair to my apt. But before we went to my apt, I asked them where I could find a decent "Kim Bap" (a delicious sushi-like rice & seaweed roll with egg, radish, ham, etc) He drove me to a restaurant downtown where I order some food to go & then jumped back in the truck to drive me & my new computer chair home. It was so great & I'm having such a blast meeting & making friends with so many Koreans. Hope you are all enjoying the beautiful weather back home in NY. Bye for now.

Week 5 Coming to a Close

Good Evening,
I'm comfortably sitting on my a pillow on my kitchen floor, I have my laptop on top of another pillow resting on my thighs and I'm watching Tom Selleck being interviewed by Jay Leno on the Tonight Show. Ahhh, all the amenities of home; He also has an an actor named Carlos Mencia starring in a movie called The Heartbreak Kid; Is that a current movie that is out now? By the way, I want to let people know & encourage everyone reading my blog to write a comment based on anything you read here. I want to thank Jerry & Dave N. for posting the first two comments on my Sept. 28th Blog entry. My parents have been telling me how much people enjoy reading my blog back home and I would love to hear people's comments, feedback, questions, insights, etc. Please feel free to post a comment at any time. I really enjoy watching this Armed Forces Network TV channel, which comes in live from Osan Air Force base, Camp Casey, Seoul & Daegu. It has all kinds of news for American service men, and their families living here; I found out of some bowling competition they have going on in Daegu that I might want to check out. I enjoyed watching ER, CSI Miami & Everyone Loves Raymond tonight. Shows that I never watched at home, but I'm watching now.

I forgot to tell everyone that two weeks ago, when I received my first paycheck, I went out and purchased a brand new 21 speed mountain bike with dual suspension; It cost me a whopping 80,000 WON approx $80; I love it and have enjoyed riding it all around town, around the river, thorough town, into the mountains, etc.

After I got back from Busan during Chusok vacation, we (about 15 of us) gathered along the river on an absolutely gorgeous day to relax, play cards, drink beer, and cook an amazing samyeopsal (Korean BBQ) with two grills that other English teachers brought with them. We stayed there from 2pm until 8pm when I left to go home, and they continued on the a Norebang (singing/Karaoke room). Very popular here in Korea. We only taught 2 days that week.

This week has been decent; I've been feeling kinda tired, drained and a bit stressed out this week. Mainly due to the fact that I haven't been sleeping well at all this entire week; I've been staying up way too late & have had trouble falling asleep mainly due to these annoying mosquitoes that fly around my room constantly. I constantly have the fly swatter in my hands looking to kill several mosquitoes per night; but they keep on coming in again from somewhere else. I will have to go buy myself a mosquito net which a lot of other teachers use here. I bought a nice new, pink pillow this week for $5.00 and I enjoy have a second pillow to prop my computer on and to use as a mock couch. I have no really comfortable piece of furniture to lounge out on in my apt. I'm probably going to buy a nice new computer chair tomorrow b/c the kitchen chair I'm using starts to hurt after a while. I've been going back & forth up & down all week long amongst a wide range of feelings and emotions; Being a lil scared, lonely, tired, achy, etc. I went to receive acupuncture 3x this week which relaxed me and calmed me down a bit. I'm missing a lot of my friends back home and especially miss my girlfriend Flo. Then I have days when I just absolutely love being all the way out here in Korea. This kids are all so wonderful, cute, and still very excited to see me every time I walk down the hall (and walk down the street for that matter). I would say that 70% of the kids who see me on the street wave to me, smile, and say hi. They even wave & shout to me from moving buses & vans. It's really quite exciting and makes me feel very loved & appreciated. You really do get a small sense of what is like to be a mini-celebrity. The biggest thing that I learned about myself this week is that I'm always so worried with keeping busy, having things to do, instead of just staying home once in a while & relaxing. Slowing down, relaxing, breathing, meditating, reading the bible, etc These are ALL things I did here on Wednesday during my day off from school. It was so so great, relaxing and peaceful. I was so excited b/c I got to speak with Flo on Wednesday via Skype and actually got to see her sitting at home in her apt. via webcam and she got to see me on my webcam; it was so so great great to see her live after a long 5 weeks of not seeing her at all. That day I started re-reading a book called "The Power of NOW", I read a book on Korean culture and history, worked out with this new exercise/pilates ball a friend here gave me; Finally at 8pm that night I left the house for the first time & went for a bike ride in along in the dark back windy roads along side the mountains. During my ride back, I stopped off and dropped $.50 in to the machine by the batting cages and took about 10 hits with a bat they had there; it was very cool; I think they might actually be open 24 hours there b/c the machine takes coins just like an arcade machine; So I might have a new fun activity available to me to relieve stress, let off some stream, while at the same time improving my batting swing; All for the low price of $.50, what a deal!!!! On the way back I stopped off to buy a beer & I ran across and new flavored Ice Cream I've never seen before. It said, "Cheese & Raspberry" To my amazement, I turned out to be the most delicious, creamiest, cheesecake flavored ice cream with raspberry swirls!!! yum yum!!!!!
That basically highlights week 4 & week 5. Until next time, I look forward to hearing & reading some comments from people reading my blog. Have a Great Friday everyone (Thurs for those of you in back in the US).

Today I ate Pig's Feet!!!!

It was actually the second time that I ate pig's feet. Both times were at school, after our weekly volleyball game. I wondered if they do it after the first game of each month, because we had a similar feast after the very first volleyball of the new semester; but one teacher said they usually do for special occasions, i.e. after holidays or vacations. They have the entire faculty gather in the main meeting room which is also the vice-principal's office. They serve beer, juice, soda, pig's feet (sliced of course) that you wrap in these little lettuce leaves, add a slice of raw garlic clove, hot sauce, onion, radish, etc. wrap it up in a ball and pop the whole leaf in your mouth. YUM YUM good. The entire table is loaded with tons of food & drink; we sit at a long table with approx. 25-30 chairs lined up on both sides of the table. The vice-principal served me a few glasses of beer, (in a very small lil dixie cup sized glass) and I returned the favor to him. In Korea, you never pour your own drink, traditionally someone else pours it for you. It was spicy, garlicy and good. I stayed away from the HOT green peppers b/c they burn like crazy. We actually switched the volleyball game to Monday this week, because this Wednesday is another Korean holiday & they evidently can't let all these holidays cut into our volleyball playing time!! Heavens forbid, right?? Priorities right? I'm glad the Koreans place their priorities in the right areas!!! On my way home from school, I stopped by the Acupuncture Clinic for my second visit (I went on Saturday afternoon with Lisa, another English teacher from the States). They put me in this room with many other beds covered by a wrap around curtain; I laid down, rolled up my pants and sleeves and they stuck several needles in my arms, scalp, forehead, hands, legs, and feet. I am going there to help relieve the slight numbness (pins & needly tingling) that I get from leaning the wrong way for too long or sitting cross legged. They place this bright red heat lamp & heating pad on my legs and added this herbal medicine called Moxa or Mugwort on my body. It's this incense-like herb that they burn and put on top of your skin. It has this really funky marijuana-like smell to it that is supposed to relieve the pain. It's a very very relaxing procedure that I enjoyed immensely both on Sat & today. After they removed the needles that were stuck in me & took of the Mugwort, they put me on this massage table where I slid my legs into the long sock-like device with all these tubes attached to it; then it fills up with air, squeezing & pressurizing (constricting) my legs, feet, and ankles. It reminded my of those blood pressure bands that wrap around your arm. That lasted 10 minutes, then I was free to leave. I had to pay a "copay" of 4,500WON ($4.50) Which is such a bargain. It cost more on Saturday. Lisa paid a copay of $5.00 and I had to pay b/c it was my initial visit & the doctor met with me to diagnose my condition. He said that he would concentrate on my heart, lungs, stomach and kidneys to treat my symptoms of poor circulation in my extremities. He is a very nice doctor, with a decent grasp of English. Everyone at the clinic is very polite, warm, friendly and very accommodating. You get the feeling that they really enjoy the work they are doing there. So, b/c the doctor met with me for 15 min, my copay was a WHOPPING $5.50 on Saturday. I don't even have my Health Insurance card yet that I get provided by the school. I pay $53 and the school matches $53 per month to pay for this plan. I was shocked the first time I bought aspirin here. He gave me a box and asked for 500 WON ($.50). I hardly could believe it was that cheap... I thought maybe there was only one tablet in the box, but I found out there were 10 tablets of 500mg each. I heard about how cheap medicine & medical procedures are in other countries from watching Michael Moore's documentary "Sicko" and now I'm actually experiencing what he was talking about. I will go back again tomorrow (Tues) b/c Wednesday is another National Holiday in Korea. We (lots of English teachers) are planning to go bowling tomorrow night and then head out for drinks afterwards). Wednesday we are thinking of taking a drive out to a famous Buddhist Temple to hike in the mountains, by the river for the day. There is a lantern festival in Jinju some people are going to & the Pusan Intl Film Festival that we may go to as well.
Lots and lots of things to do these in the Southeast corner of the South Korean peninsula these days. Stayed tuned for more updates soon.

My Chusok Holiday Vacation

Well, I just enjoyed having a 5 day vacation from school for the Chusok (Korean equivalent to Thanksgiving). The holiday was on Tues the 24th, but the get off the day prior & the day after the holiday for travel purposes. The entire country is in MASSIVE gridlock getting to & from their relatives house. They no joke, stay in the cars for 20 hours sitting in traffic trying to get to their grandparents homes. It's a good time to visit Seoul, or Busan (like we did) during this time b/c these cities are so dead. We enjoyed a nice, peaceful train ride directly to Hauendae Beach in Busan where they are currently setting up for the Pusan International Film Festival. Same city spelled either with a "p" or "B". We checked into the Koreana Motel and stayed in the EXACT same room that I stayed in 3 weeks prior with Kim & Dan. It was $40 per night ($20 each). The beach was nice, a little cloudy, and very very windy. I left my bag on my towel with my cell phone, money, passport, etc. on the beach while I played beach volleyball with a bunch a Western English teachers from Canada, UK, USA, etc. Met some really cool guys from Florida, got their numbers and made plans to meet up with them for dinner. Had a bit of a challenge deciding where to eat. One guy, Dave, was really drunk, cranky, irritable, etc. and was complaining about every suggestion that John made. We couldn't get into the first restaurant we tried b/c it was very crowded and had a long wait. So we decided to head to Outback Steakhouse for some nice Western food. It was great, there we got to eat the good ole fashioned way, with forks, knives, nice BIG linen napkins!!! (that was my fav part) Have I mentioned how tiny & small the napkins are here in Korea??? They are (well, I guess lots of things are very tiny in this country). It felt good to eat at a normal sized table with regular chairs & silverware. (ah the simple things with take for granted) I had a nice 20 oz. Prime Rib dinner & a Foster's beer. It was rather expensive ($30 for one person) compared to Korean dinners which cost $17.00 for 3 people. But it was worth it. That night we went to a popular Western hang-out bar called U2, had some drinks, played some cards, watched people dance, etc. Then we took a cab downtown to this new club that was giving out FREE draft beer to any foreigners who gave their phone # or email address. It was kinda dead bar, with very few people there. I stayed out until 3:30am then took a cab to the Paradise Hotel & Casino. I took out 100,000 WON to play Blackjack & left 20 min. later with 195,000 WON in my pocket. Then I went to McD's for a "victory/celebratory" burger & fries. The next day we took a one hour boat ride on the ocean touring all around the big port city of Busan. It was cloudy, overcast, and drizzling (what else is new in Korea). We've had rain here approx. 70% of the days I've been here I'd say. They say they are getting the "rainy season" rather late this year. We met up with our friend Jo from New Zealand (the woman who introduced herself to me the first day in my apt) who was there visiting with her parents. From what I heard from Lisa, Jo was SO SO EXCITED and eager to have her parents there visiting Korea with her. Lisa, being a mother of two boys, couldn't believe the amount of sheer joy & happiness that Jo had as she was "counting down" the days before they arrived. A little different perspective compared to the relationship most Americans have with their parents. After the boat ride, we went back to Outback for lunch ( I had the chicken finger salad). Good and a lot cheaper than the steak. Went back to the hotel for a lil nap, (I was exhausted from being out until 5am and getting up at 9:30am) I helped Lisa use my computer to check emails b/c her step-mom had passed away. I then walked her back towards the shops, where she was, believe it or not going BACK to Outback to enjoy the "Chocolate Thunder From Down Under". I walked around and with my backpack, & bathing suit looking for the Haeundae Spa (Sauna, steamroom, bathhouse) It was so so great!!! Similar to the Hot Springs in Bugok Hawaii. It cost me $6.00 for admission. I changed at a locker, got naked, showered up and went hopping in & out out many different pools ranging from freezing cold to piping HOT!!!! This place was so great, NEW, clean, and very crowded for 8pm on a Sunday night. There were TONS of Korean men there (I was the ONLY) foreigner Westerner in the whole place. I was kinda surprised that there weren't any other tourist there. I thought maybe I was at the 'wrong' spa; that maybe the foreigners go someplace else. I really enjoyed that many hot saunas and steam rooms there. I went in & out of them, dipped in the cold pool, had very strong jets massage my back, etc. It was great being there with all these other men, seeing the Korean men playing with their sons, running around naked, jumping in & out out these many pools. It was something you don't really get to experiences much back in the States. This type of free, open, self-expression, and nice innocence to men being themselves, free to run around and play with each other in these pools. I must admit that I thought it was a bit strange at first, to see them wrestling each other naked in these pools. But it was nice to see how the Koreans act & behave with one another. Total male bonding at it's best. After the spa, I shaved, showered and changed and proceeded to the Thai Massage place. There I enjoyed a wonderful 2 hour Thai massage while lying down on this heated pad; There were approx 4 other men in the room with me getting massaged at the same time. They turn you, twist you, stretch you all while massaging you at the same time. It was so so wonderful. I especially enjoyed the thorough foot massage that I received from her. After here I went over to meet John & Dave U2 for a little bit. Didn't have anything to drink b/c I was feeling so cleansed from the massage & the Spa. Around midnight I went over to the Paradise Hotel (my fav place to hang out & chill over there) I talked to the manager of lounge about getting internet access and finding a power outlet so I could watch the Jets play the Dolphins LIVE at 1pm EST which is 2am Monday morning in Korea. I paid $18 to access the internet from the hotel's portal, had a nice Chamomile Tea w/ some cookies. I watched ESPN's NFL Gameday and stayed up to watch the first half of the game on my laptop via SlingBox Media Player that is hooked up to my brother's cable box in Hoboken, NJ. I can watch any TV station that he gets at home in NJ. I usually record the Jets games & watch them on Monday afternoon after school. You can't be away from NY for a year w/o the necessary amenities needed for survival you know? NFL football & the Jets are definitely a necessity one cannot live without. They were winning 28 - 13 when I went to bed.

The next day we checked out of the hotel, I went back to theParadise Hotel to relax in the lobby and then I made the mistake of going back to the Casino again. I went to the Blackjack table & quickly proceeded to lose 90,000WON in less than 15 min. I wented out for a delicious Korean lucnch which cost $4.50 inc. tip (they don't at all in this country which is nice). Then I went to play more Blackjack and lost another 70,000WON. All in all, I lost $65, but it would have been nice to be up $95 like I was the first night. It's just so hard for me to walk away & not go back and play again. Oh well, that;s why they call it gambling right?

I took the 4:30 train back to Miryang and got home within an hour. It's great to be so close to such a large city with so many fun things going on. More details as to how the rest of my Chusok Holiday was soon. Gotta get to bed here now; it's 1:25 am Saturday morning. G-Nite all

Some Cultural Differences I've Noticed

Other things that differentiate Korea from the US is the way the teachers discipline the students. The teacher make the children do really silly things (like leaning their heads against wall for 10 minutes straight, holding a ruler in their hand with their arm out in the air, bending over on all fours while holding their body up in the air like in downward dog) It's really quite funny and amusing to be walking through the hallway and see 3-5 kids lined up holding rulers with their arms lifted up in the air, or seeing them all with their heads leaning against the wall. It's a different form of punishment/strategy they use to discipline the students. I've ever heard that some teacher snap/flick their fingers really hard on the students heads. It's kinda funny b/c once they know that they've done something wrong, they lowered their heads and walk over to the teacher so they can receive their smack. (Just like being in Hoboken elementary school right? The other thing that's very noticeable is how extremely hygenic the Korean teacher are when it comes to their teeth. They are constantly running around brushing their teeth everywhere; during Tea Time, after lunch, during breaks, etc. I even saw an old man on the street today with his toothbrush in hand. I'm telling you, they must have the healthiest teeth of any country out their. And finally, the other major difference I need to share has to do with buying beer at the mini market. They sell these BIG 1.6 Liter sized plastic bottles of beer relatively cheap that usually includes a free "snack" with it. The first time I received a little bags a peanuts with my beer. (ok, nothing weird there) But the second time I was "lucky" enough to find a little bag of dried fish!!! They are these small, tiny, silver fish with the heads and tails still on them!!! They remind me of what we used for bait a long time ago when we went fishing as kids in Mantauck, NY. They're kinda gross, but really aren't too bad if you close your eyes and pop them in your mouth. A lil salty, fishy flavored snack. Great to enjoy with a cold beer and stupid Korean gameshows. I think I will post a pic of these dried fish so you can see what I'm talking about on my FLICK site. Stay tuned. That's all for now. Until next time.

Weeks Two and Three

Well it’s been over 11days since my last blog and needless to say, a lot has happened since then. I took a very nice trip to Busan (2^nd largest city of 4 mil) with my apt. mates Kim & Dan from England. It was Dan’s 24^th birthday on Sat. Sept. 8^th. It was a short and relaxing 45 minute train ride that only cost 3,800 WON ($4.15) to get there. We met up with 3 other English teachers at the Burger King (that’s a very authentic Korean burger joint that is quite popular there) in Busan Station. We checked into a hotel which cost 40,000 for two people ($22 each). We bought some beer and went out on the town. We were loud obnoxious Westerners who got yelled at by some old Korean guy around midnight (just as it was officially becoming Dan’s b-day) We had a great time eating, drinking, singing Karaoke, etc. The next day we headed out to Haendae Beach (one of the nicest and most popular beaches in Korea). The beach was wonderful, clean, and relatively quiet. We were able to enjoy swimming in the water which was surprisingly warm and pleasant to swim in. There were many people riding wave runners very close to the shore. That night we enjoyed a most delicious Korean BBQ (samgyeopsal) which is now quickly becoming my favorite Korean meal. We ate like kings while cooking pork over a live flame, sautéing garlic, and making a lil pita like pocket with a lettuce leaf, dipped in sesame oil. They bring out all sorts of wonderfully tasty side dishes like shrimp, veggies, kimchi, etc. Each restaurant is so unique & different in what they bring out to eat. The entire meal cost 17,000 ($6.20 each). Later that night, we were in a very Korean bar looking at an all Korean menu that didn’t even have one English letter on it & Dan turns to me and says the funniest thing in his thick Manchester UK accent and asks, “So Darren, what do you fancy” Huh?? Well let me see Dan, the entire menu is in KOREAN!!!!! How the heck am I supposed to know what I’m even ordering?? But evidently Dan & Kim have been doing this often when ordering in restaurants, they kinda have been just pointing to the menu and eagerly awaiting the surprise that comes to them. I was able to let go thinking how silly that was and actually see the fun & mystery in that & picked something from the menu. We wound getting two delicious cocktails (one was a mango-peach & the other was a cranberry drink). I really enjoyed visiting the Paradise Hotel & Casino. It was a very high-end, classy & sophisticated hotel with a beautiful ambiance & piano bar. The Blackjack tables were a whopping 10,000 Min WON bet ($10.70). I didn’t play b/c the stakes were too high.

What has really amazed me so far is how “green” conscious of a country Korea is. They are fanatical of separating & recycling everything. Even to the point where people take out the plastic lids & straws at Burger King & place it in one area while throwing the cup into the paper bin to be recycled. It’s been quite noticeable how environmentally conscious they are. They also separate out the “food” waste from paper waste; I got in trouble for emptying a napkin with my plate at school. And apparently you aren’t supposed to flush any paper down the toilet here either. This is something I have not embraced as of yet, and thankfully there is no one in the stall watching me. Evidentially, you are supposed to throw your dirty papers in a lil plastic garbage bin that they have inside every stall. The bin isn’t lined with a garbage bag, so someone must dump in out somewhere. I think maybe they burn all this paper?? I don’t really know, but I think it’s quite gross. The one thing that I do like about the one (and only) westerner style toilet they have at my school is that is has this really cool, electronic toilet seat cover that when I went to sit down on it, it was surprising warm & heated!!!! I thought that was so cool & immediately thought how nice that must be in the winter time!!! Someone had evidently left the heat sensors on before they left and it gave me a nice surprise!!! This thing has something like 15 buttons on it (all in Korean though) so I was scared to touch anything else. I think it does all sorts of stuff like give you a beadeaut sp? the French thingy that shoots water up your butt. I think these would be really popular in the States and am thinking of importing them into the country. Anyone want in with me?? We can become millionaires!! Speaking of opportunities, I’ve also discovered that everywhere I’ve been so far, I have not seen one single postcard in this whole dang country. NOWHERE, not in the airport, at the beach, hotels, etc. The postcard business is virtually extinct, untapped, and very dormant here. I say we get it started and make a fortune. Who’s up for that??

Other things I find neat about Korea school system are the swipe (ID) cards that every student uses to “swipe in” when they get to school. This alerts their parents that their child has arrived at school and are in class. It’s also a built in attendance (role call) calculator as well. I was wondering how come we never took attendance in class. It’s all done electronically, how cool is that?? Another great thing about teaching in the Korean public school system is that we get to change our shoes everyday when we get to work & put our slippers on!!! This is another great cultural thing about Korea They have a custom of always taking off your shoes when you enter many public buildings, restaurants, schools, etc. It’s such a pleasure to be at my desk, on my computer with no shoes on… I feel like I’m in my living room!!! The other nice thing about teaching in the elementary school is that the stalls are all so low, that I have to remember to bend down otherwise I’ll hit my head. I’m telling you, I’ve never had this problem in the States. It makes me feel kinda special. I enjoyed a few of the students whom came into the classroom and brought the teacher an ice pop. I don’t know if they do that often or not but it’s pretty cool. Also I needed to get some papers copied for a lesson I was teaching & I asked my co-teacher if she could do it for me & she in turn, passed it onto the students (a student) who was in the classroom. It’s kinda like that here. The younger people get stuck with doing all the grunt work for the older folks. I’m glad I’m 33 an older than many of the other teachers here (haha). Men definitely have more respect and authority than women (who are much more subservient). The other funny that happened at school is the AMAZEMENT that the students and the faculty have with the amount of hair on my arms. The first day I was playing volleyball, one teacher (nicknamed Moonlight) pointed to my arms and said, “Darren Oh my God, so tick (thick). Referring to my hairy arms. And you should see the look of sheer AWE & AMAZEMENT of the students in class who stare at my arms in total wonderment!!! They point to it, look at it, giggle at it, rub it, touch it, pet it, pull on it, etc. It’s quite hysterical!!!! My co-teacher sees them pulling my arm hair & is so embarrassed for me I think. It’s all good though, I don’t mind it. The one thing that is/has gotten old quite quickly is the same old robotic sentences that the children say over & over to me each day. “Teacher, teacher, HI HI!!” “How you doing today?” And “Nice to meet you!” The other English teachers were right, it does get old rather quickly. Actually I had quite an epiphany late last week. I asked a student who’s pencil case was he grabbing and he looked at me like I THREE HEADS!!! I discovered that they evidently don’t really remember, retain, or understand anything that they learn in English class. But rather, they just robotically regurgitate the Dialog back to us like parrots. It was a BIG discovery for me & kinda made me a bit frustrated, jaded, and disheartened. As my friend Ray (who’s been working & training in Asia since 2002) said when I told him how surprised I was that many of the Koreans are so hesitant & shy to attempt to speak English to me when I ask them (in Korean) if they speak English & they say NO. He said, “That's predominantly due to the fact that there style of learning is incompatible with liberal arts. Most of Asian learners are parrot learners, which is why they excel in Math. It's all memorization, but very little intrinsic value.” When I heard that from I felt as if he hit the nail right on the head!!! It was actually kinda sad and disheartening to me when I heard (realized) this.

So now I have found myself resorting to the age old attempts at bribery and cohersion for these kids to say something other than, "I'm fine thank you. & How are you doing today." I've found that these lil caramel candy chews work really well to accomplish this. I've taught them to say other phrases like "How's it going? What's up? How are things? etc." And they say ANY of these NEW phrases they get a candy from me!!! I tell you I feel just like Pavlov with his dogs, or better yet, a dolphin trainer at Sea World; it's sad, pathetic, but it's working (I gave out lots of candy today & am excited to see that I'm making a difference in their dry, robotic dialog.

It really is kind pathetic and sad in way b/c they (Korea) is spending so much time & money recruiting and hiring native English to "teach" to their kids, But often my "teaching part" of the lesson involves my Korean co-teacher saying, "OK, now let's hear the foreign teacher read the dialog." Then I get and say, "How was your vacation? Mine was great, I visited my grandparents in Busan" and "I went to the museum with my cousin." It's really quite brainless work & I can't believe they are paying me has much as they for doing this. I'm telling ya, this English teaching is a pretty good gig, no wonder people renew all the time for a 2nd & 3rd year. I can see this being a really cool thing to do if you are retired and want to travel around the world with your spouse. I guess I’m not gonna complain that much because they are paying me well (tax free) giving a beautiful apt to live in for free, and paying for my roundtrip airfare!!! So now that I’ve officially finished my first two weeks…I only have 50 more to go. Yippeee!!!!! Unless I extend for another year (which I will not do unless my girlfriend joins me out here to teach with me).

I went to Bugok Hot Springs this past Saturday with Dan, Kim & my friend Christina from NJ. It was pouring rain all day & was perfect day to get away to enjoy the natural, therapeutic hot springs of Bugok, which are the hottest and the largest Hot Springs in all of Korea!! We dipped ourselves in some scolding HOT Hot Tubs, saunas, baths, etc. I enjoyed my first Green Tea Hot Bath, Yellow Ochre Medicinal Sauna, and the MOST INTENSE, VIGOROUS Skin Brushing rubdown you will ever get!!! We enjoyed the outdoor swimming pool, the waterfall, the hot baths, etc. that were outside in the rain. It was so great because we practically got to enjoy the entire resort all to ourselves. We went to Bugok Hawaii which had a very tropical, island-like ambiance to it. It was coed and we all wore our bathing suits. Then I entered the “all male” sauna jungle where I received my skin brushing session from this Korean gentleman who was wearing shorts (thank god) b/c everyone else was totally naked. It cost me $13 for a 20 min. total scraping, brushing, rub-down session. It was AWESOME!!!! I never felt so cleansed, revived, rejuvenated, etc before. My skin felt so wonderful, so tight, so incredibly scrubbed & loaffaed sp? I bought a razor and shaved myself; we watched an entertaining dance/musical show, had another delicious Korean BBQ (samgyeopsal) and took the bus home. It was great being there in the rain b/c we essentially had the entire resort to ourselves!!! It was so nice, so close & I will definitely go back there again.

I’ve posted pictures I’ve taken of my apartment, my city, and other sites of Korea on my Flickr website; please go to:

www.flickr.com/photos/skorea2007

OK I think that just covers about everything since my last blog. Hope all is well back home. I miss you all.

Love, Darren

My First Week in Korea

My first week in Korea has been a most unique & exciting experience. Beginning with the 14 hour plane ride (we arrived 30 min ahead of schedule) everything went smoothly. The staff of Korean Airlines were very hospitable and most accommodating. They fed us and gave plenty to drink throughout the entire flight. I couldn’t believe how quickly the time flew by and felt as if I was in a time warp when we arrived in Korea. The first 2 days didn’t really feel like we were in Korea because we were housed at an extremely modern campus (even more impressive than many campuses back home) and we were surrounded by many English speaking people.

Upon arriving at Incheon International airport, we were greeted by a representative of our EPIK program and taken to dinner. Orientation was held at the University of Korea and was a great way to meet other native English teachers from around the world; mainly from Canada, USA, England, Australia, New Zealand, etc. The staff of the EPIK program was most hospitable, generous, and welcoming. They really treated us well and welcomed us to their country in style. On Friday, after the closing ceremony, 15 of us boarded a bus heading to Gyeongnam Province (south east corner of Korea) where we eagerly awaited the meeting of our co-teacher (the person we will be working/teaching side-by-side with during our one year contract).

My co-teacher is a wonderful, sweet, warm, soft spoken young woman who is married with two little boys (22 mo & 2 ½ mo) She picked me up in Changwon (the capitol of the Province) and drove me to the Miryang Board of Education Bldg. where I was able to pick up the keys to my apartment and get the address of where I would be living. She took me out to dinner at an authentic Korean restaurant where we had to take off our shoes and sit on little cushions on the floor. At the restaurant we ran into a few Directors from the Education District who were very excited and very pleased to meet me. I bowed and introduced myself to them as they warmly greeted me and welcomed me to their city. I’ve been simply amazed at how excited, enthusiastic, grateful and appreciative all the Korean people are to have us (native English speakers) here teaching in their countries. They seem to be so enthused, impressed, and grateful to have us here.

On Saturday morning while waiting for my co-teacher to pick me up so we could go buy household items to help me get settled in, Jo, a teacher from New Zealand stopped by my place to introduce herself to me. She welcomed me to the city and gave me some info on the other 14 or so other teachers who are living in town with us. She told me of extra soccer tickets she had for the game that night. We saw a great match btw. Seoul and Gyeongnam Province in the pouring rain. The stadium was packed & no one left at half time (even though I had enough and was ready to leave). Gyeongnam won 1 – 0. I really enjoyed seeing some of the young Korean children approach us by waving and saying: “Hello, How are you doing?” and “Nice to meet you” It’s basically the only English that they know, or at least that they are comfortable saying to us. The other teachers said that happens all the time and it gets old after a while. I really enjoyed it though. I thought it was quite charming and found the children very endearing. (plus I kinda like the attention) Later that night we went out for pizza and a drink. Pizza was great, they put sweet potato on their pie (a delicious topping). The town was surprisingly quiet for a Saturday night, it’s definitely not like Hoboken, more like Washington Township I’d say. (even though there are 130,000 ppl living here)

The first day of school was really great… as I got off the bus and was walking onto the school grounds, I saw all the young lil Korean students hurrying off to school, I all of a sudden got welt up with emotion and almost began to cry as thought of the amazing impact that I will have on these children teaching them English. The Korean students are all so cute, innocent, respectful, and very well behaved (more on this later). My co-teacher took me to meet the Principal & Vice-Principal. They are also very nice gentlemen whom seemed to be excited and very happy to have me there in their school. What really impressed me most was seeing a young lil girl, probably about 8 years walk into the principal’s office and hand deliver a newspaper to him placing it in from of him on his desk and then leaving. This type of respectful, service-oriented attitude and behavior continues to amaze and impress me more & more each day. The children seem to keep the entire school clean & tidy looking by themselves. They have tasks (it appears) and they all are responsible for the upkeep (cleanliness of the classrooms, hallways, bathrooms, etc. There are no custodians at all in Korea. That has been impressive to witness. But THE MOST IMPRESSIVE thing I’ve noticed so far (after the first 3 days) has been how the children can be/are trusted to be on their own in the morning during homeroom before class begins, during breaks, and during lunch recess. On Monday the entire faculty and staff of the school was in a meeting with the principal welcoming everyone back from summer break, introducing me as the new teacher, etc. And all the children were safely & freely waiting/playing in the classroom totally unsupervised. It’s like that all day here in Korea. The children are free to talk, play, go on the soccer field and playground, etc. all by themselves!!! This really impressed me a lot; especially since the children cannot even go the bathroom in Hoboken without having a teaching escort them. There is no fighting, no yelling, no name calling, etc. (all problems that we seem to rampantly have back in the States) It made me wonder… is it that the kids are so well behaved here, or that the teachers simply trust, respect and grant them the listening of being capable, responsible children. I’m sure it’s a combination of both. I know in NJ the vice-principal made it a point for me to “watch these kids like a hawk” b/c they (evidently) cannot be trusted. Totally different world, mentality, culture here.

On Wednesday it was great b/c I walked by a 2^nd grade class of 30 students that were in a room all alone, playing, occupying themselves, etc. as I stopped by in amazement, I peeked my head in and they all ran up to me saying “hi, how are you doing?” And being SO EXCITED to see/meet me. I kinda did love the attention (I must admit).

The first week as been great so far. Every day after 2^nd period we have “Tea Time” from 10:40 – 11:00am. The children get to play & we get to drink coffee, tea, and enjoy delicious snacks that the teachers bring to school each day. This is a really cool thing about Korea as well. (it was a little odd & a bit amusing to me at first, but I’m sure I can find a way to adjust & get used to it) Rough life huh?

OK the final great thing about teaching in Korea is that tradition of having the entire school staff of teachers, admin, cafeteria workers, Principals, etc. get together every Wednesday afternoon at 2:40pm to participate in a fairly competitive game of co-ed volleyball in the gym. This tradition/custom is just way to cool for me!!! It was 11 on 11 with others keeping score and watching from the sidelines. Can you imagine the lunch lady’s from your school playing volleyball with the gym teacher & the principal??? Simply amazing. I played on the 2^nd, 4^th, 6^th grade teacher’s team. We won the best out of 5 set. One teacher said that their team is: “powered-up because of me” I tell you being in Korea certainly does wonders for one’s self-esteem and would be a good getaway for anyone looking for love, respect, appreciation, and tons of admiration from others on a regular basis. All I have to do is go outside and someone will notice me and pay me attention right away.

Other than that though, Korea doesn’t really have that much more to offer. (I can’t even find a good dry cleaners and there doesn’t seem to be any good nail salons anywhere around here. I guess I have to go back to the US for those amenities. Until next time Anyeong hi- kay-seyo (Goodbye)