Well the clock struck midnight here in Korea just over 1 hour and 42 minutes ago. It's still about 12 hours away from 2008 in NY & 15 hours away in CA where my girlfriend Flo is right now. I spent a wonderful evening hanging out locally in Miryang. I went to the Sauna/Bath House, and enjoyed lying down in the Steam Room & Sauna as well as dipping myself in the hot and cold bath tubs. Then I went to yoga class from 7:30-8:30pm (no Judo tonight b/c of New Year's). Then I rode my bike to the DVD Bang (room) where I met Orion and his girlfriend Theresa from Minnesota. He bought a pizza, I bought french fries & apple pie from McDonald's along with some beer & Korean plum wine. YUM YUM!!!! We "rented" watched DejaVu with Denzel Washington & Val Kilmer. It was a fairly intense, mind-boggling action thriller which we enjoyed. It's fun to be able to bring in food & drinks into a semi-professional movie room to enjoy while watching the movie. After that, there was still 35 minutes left until midnight & we decided to go to the local pub for a pitcher of beer. At the bar were many Koreans there with their families (wives, children, etc) A few (of the brave) Korean said "hello" to us and "happy new year" I proceeded to grab 3 tambourines from the karaoke section of the bar and shake them vigorously to make some noise, since it was only 10 minutes till New Year's. But evidently the owner didn't appreciate that gesture & took the tambourines out of my hands. I don't know why he did that. Maybe it wasn't appropriate thing to do. I don't really know. But we did end of making friends with these very nice Korean people who came over & introduced themselves to us. Gave us some of their beer, and welcomed us to Miryang & to Korea. It was great!!! These young couples were their with their precious lil, adorable children, who were visibly tired & cranky at well past midnight. It was really fun
Then I rode my bike home to my apartment & proceeded to stare in awe at all the beautiful twinkling stars in the sky. They really do twinkle, have you noticed that?" I was standing there in the cold, dark night, in awe at the beauty of the night sky. Since Miryang is a small city, without many lights, the stars are much more visible then they are back home. It was nice to stand there and reflect on the huge vastness & magnitude of this great universe (one song) of ours. Uni = 0ne and Verse = song. And just think that the same moon I see here now is the same moon that my mom & dad will see 12 hours from now in New York & is the SAME moon that Flo will see 15 hours from now in California!!!! That is just so cool to me!!!
So the holidays have come and gone. Did everyone get what they wanted? Here in Korea the favorite items on all the children's wish list seemed to be:
Nintendo DS
MP3/mp4 Player
Play Station 3
Money
Soccer Ball/Soccer Shoes
Puppy
Cell Phone (hendapone (hand phone) in Korean
Computer
Books
toy doll
WWE (wrestling) tickets - the kids (boys) LOVE WWE wrestling out here. They always talk about John Cina, Batista, Triple H'ee', Undertaker, etc. It's actually quite amusing to talk about wrestling with them & they just love when I mention Hulk Hogan and some other names with them!!
Some kids joking asked for a car, a house, airplane, etc. BIG Thinkers, I'll give them that much.
It's simply amazing to see how curious and wonderfully fascinated the elementary school kids are by me doing, what I would consider the most simplest things. For example, it's precious to see the way they all clamor around my desk in the morning, or before class begins to peek over at my computer screen to see what I'm doing. Most times it's just writing an email or chatting with a friend in Korea or back home via IM. They just stand there for several minutes looking with wide-eyed wonderment at what I am doing. It's really quite flattering but I must admit, it can be quite annoying and bothersome as well. It gives me the chance to practice LOVE, PATIENCE, COMPASSION and UNDERSTANDING rather than anger, upset, violation, etc. Instead of looking at them as being "nosy, rude, or inconsiderate," I remind myself that they are 8, 9, 10, 11, & 12 year old Korean students who have never had this much interaction with a real, live Westerner before. They are fascinated & intrigued by me & that is exciting to them. I must also admit that it can get a bit annoying and quite old after a long while of the same old repetitious/admirable/adoring behaviour. As much as my ego LOVE the attention, after all day of constantly being bombarded with waving, hugging, bowing, saying "hello" it can get pretty old very quickly. Now I know a little bit of what celebrities go through everyday of their lives being constantly bombarded with raving fans who want to touch them, grab them, say "hi" to them, be introduced to them, etc. I really can see & feel what John Travolta, Billy Joel, Micheal Jordan, and Madonna must go through everyday of their lives. No wonder why Princess Diana's car sped away from the paparatzi the night of her fatal death. They just want to live normal, simple, quiet and peaceful lives away from all the craziness that their stardom creates. I'm not saying I'm anywhere near thew status of these people, but on a very small, microscopic scale, perhaps I am.
Well it's good to be able to update everyone back home as to what my most recent thoughts and feelings are. It's been a long while since I've consistently had the chance to update my Blog. That's mainly due to this long and arduous manuscript that I had to write and hand in on December 8th. My paper ended up being 58 pages long and took an enormous amount of time for me to complete. I wrote this manuscript b/c I have been assigned (along with 7 other English teachers) to train approx. 50 Korean Middle School English teachers. The main purpose of the 5 week Winter Camp is to help enable these teachers to gain confidence and practical skills with their English speaking ability. We will be training with them from 9am-8/9pm Mon-Fri in Changwon (the capitol of my Province). They put all of us up in a dormitory, feed us, and pay us an extremely nice salary above & beyond what we are currently getting paid to teach English regularly. So all the is work and preparation is definitely worth it.
Stay tuned for more updates from Winter Camp in Changwon which starts on Wednesday January 2nd and runs until January 31st.
Good Night & God Bless one & all with the BEST & BRIGHTEST year ever!!!
With Purpose & Passion,
Darren
Monday, December 31, 2007
Wednesday, December 12, 2007
Today it Rained in Miryang - Thank Goodness!!
I don't think I've ever been so happy to see rain as I was today when I walked outside my apartment. It's been so extremely dry here that I had to go out and buy a humidifier. During the past two plus months, it's rained all of two days. I get so happy now when it's cloudy, overcast, and rainy. It's a much welcomed change from the bright sun, clear blue skies and puffy white clouds. Like Bijan (another mentor of mine) says: "I like the rain on rainy days and I like the sun on sunny days." That way you are ensured to have an enjoyable, great day everyday regardless of what the weather is like; pretty cool huh?
I had a great evening tonight. I left school early (3:15pm) because we did not have our weekly volleyball game. We had a very fun volleyball competition between 4 different elementary schools last Wednesday. Our school held "emergency" practice on Monday & Tuesday in preparation for the big tournament!! Our school did not do so well, both our women's and men's team lost the Best 2 out of 3 match. I went to accunpuncturist from 3:30-4:30, went to Judo class (which is actually starting to get fun now). After the first 4-6 weeks of getting my ass kicked all over the place by these really big & strong Korean men, trying to learn "how to fall safely" and trying to learn how to do this one particular flip/throw that, if landed properly would automatically win the match in one shot. I'm just now finally starting to enjoy practice only because I'm engaging in "live" action with these younger, smaller middle school students (who are a lot easier to throw than these 220+lbs. men). I was actually able to land some effective takedowns/throwdowns; I was excited to be able to successful land a few headlock throws, armbar flips, etc. Then my Judo teacher asked to spar with me. He is a Black Belt Judo Master who is a very quick, powerful, middleweight guy. It was my first time in live action with him. I am very pleased to report that he was not able to easily throw me around like a rag doll (like my previous partners have). I was able to get some throws and takedowns in against him. I put up a good fight and was very pleased with the results I produced against him. It kinda feels like it did when I used to wrestle in high school and college. I was a very good workout!
After Judo, I rode my bike to another elementary school where I had the absolute pleasure of enjoying an amazing performance of Yerim Elementary school wind orchestra. I must tell you that ever since they played the first note, I was blown away with how AMAZING they sounded!! I must tell you how brilliant, how robust, how moving and how professional they were!!! I mean these kids consisted of 3rd, 4th, 5th & 6th grades. They all came out with white shirts with red vests & bow ties, and just dazzled the audience with their song selections. they played somewhere over..... you were very good "i know"
I had a great evening tonight. I left school early (3:15pm) because we did not have our weekly volleyball game. We had a very fun volleyball competition between 4 different elementary schools last Wednesday. Our school held "emergency" practice on Monday & Tuesday in preparation for the big tournament!! Our school did not do so well, both our women's and men's team lost the Best 2 out of 3 match. I went to accunpuncturist from 3:30-4:30, went to Judo class (which is actually starting to get fun now). After the first 4-6 weeks of getting my ass kicked all over the place by these really big & strong Korean men, trying to learn "how to fall safely" and trying to learn how to do this one particular flip/throw that, if landed properly would automatically win the match in one shot. I'm just now finally starting to enjoy practice only because I'm engaging in "live" action with these younger, smaller middle school students (who are a lot easier to throw than these 220+lbs. men). I was actually able to land some effective takedowns/throwdowns; I was excited to be able to successful land a few headlock throws, armbar flips, etc. Then my Judo teacher asked to spar with me. He is a Black Belt Judo Master who is a very quick, powerful, middleweight guy. It was my first time in live action with him. I am very pleased to report that he was not able to easily throw me around like a rag doll (like my previous partners have). I was able to get some throws and takedowns in against him. I put up a good fight and was very pleased with the results I produced against him. It kinda feels like it did when I used to wrestle in high school and college. I was a very good workout!
After Judo, I rode my bike to another elementary school where I had the absolute pleasure of enjoying an amazing performance of Yerim Elementary school wind orchestra. I must tell you that ever since they played the first note, I was blown away with how AMAZING they sounded!! I must tell you how brilliant, how robust, how moving and how professional they were!!! I mean these kids consisted of 3rd, 4th, 5th & 6th grades. They all came out with white shirts with red vests & bow ties, and just dazzled the audience with their song selections. they played somewhere over..... you were very good "i know"
I am TRULY BLESSED!!!!
I feel as if I am so so lucky, fortunate, & truly blessed with so many of the things that I have going on for me here in Korea. First of all I teach at a really great elementary school which is only a 10 minute bus ride (15-20 min by bike). I teach at the SAME school 5 days a week, I have 1 main co-teacher who is the greatest!!! She is so nice; very warm, sweet, helpful, supportive, and is very active (hands-on) with me in the classroom. We have so much fun teaching together in the classroom. I've learned to become comfortable with the basic, simple, monotonous, (in my mind boring) routine of the English text book lessons and have decided to "go with the flow" and add my own little bits of creativity in the beginning of each class for warm up. I have the kids put the hands in the air, clap 5 times, touch their head, shoulders, knees and toes, etc. My co-teacher usually pulls up this song and other cute kids songs from the Internet & will play this song, all with "If you're Happy and you Know it, Clap Your Hands!" on the TV screen. I have 4 other co-teachers that I teach 4th grade with and they are all so fun and great as well. I have a great relationship with many of the other faculty members here as well as with the Vice-Principal (we are on the same volleyball team) "B TEAM, B TEAM Pieting!!!" (fighting). He is the most enthusiastic, supportive & encouraging guy you will ever meet. It's so much fun to see many of these teachers playing FULL OUT on the volleyball court. We usually have food & drinks in the gym afterwards!!!!
I love Miryang, the town I'm living in, it's small, quiet, quaint and centrally located in btw. 2 major cities. I am especially thankful & most grateful for the 15 other English teachers that live here as well. We all keep in touch weekly to plan activities together. Whether it be bowling, dinner, hiking, traveling, rugby, or going to the bar for drinks, etc. everyone treats each other like one big family. There is a great sense of community here and is no wonder that many of these teachers here are re-newing their contracts and will be staying an extra year. I have a nice, new, clean apt. with 2 great neighbors who live next door to me. I feel as if I have been truly blessed by the grace of God, and I know that He has been looking over me, and taking care of me ever since I left NY on August 28th. I knew it was a good omen when we left on the day of the Full Moon of Virgo.
Unfortunately I can not say that about many of my other teacher friends. Many teachers teach at 3, 4 or 5 different schools, having to drive 30 min to each school. Some of them have co-teachers that do not even stay in the room, and who leave them alone with the students in class. Some of my other friends teach in schools where the children are wild, loud, and very disrespectful. They scream, curse, and say all kinds of rude, nasty things to these teachers; and they are challenged with how to elicit help from the teachers or from people at the school. One guy teaches in most rural town where he has to walk 2 miles just to get to the nearest store & their are no taxis available either. It baffles me has to the crazy and absurd conditions some of them have to go through. I feel as if I'm living in a dream world compared to them!!!
I am especially excited that I've booked my ticket for Bangkok, Thailand and will be spend 6 nights down there enjoying the beautiful warm weather and gorgeous beaches at the end of Feb. for my winter break. Then from Bangkok, I fly directly to Seoul where I will be picking Flo up at the airport that evening as she will be flying in from NJ!!!!! She will be in Korea with me for 14 days and will travel all around the country during that time. I am so so excited!!!! My first visitor!!! Yipeee!!!!!! My mom wants to visit here as well, but my dad doesn't seem to have any interest. Anyone else wanna come visit me? I picked up a used sofa from Dan & Kim that you can use to sleep if you choose. Just a thought.
I'm learning to speak Korean a lil more each day, and I can pretty much read everything I see in Korean. The alphabet is really cool and easy in the sense that each vowel (letter) only has ONE sound. Not like in English where a letter like "o" "e" "a" "g" can have a different sound based on the word. Like George & gum. Or like all the difficult and different sounds vowels make in English.Vowels like "a" and "u" can sound several different ways such as "uniform" "umbrella" "put" etc. But in Hangeul, the Korean alphabet, each vowel only has ONE distinct sound and it never changes. So once you memorize the sound of each letter, (vowel or consonant) you can easily start to read signs, menus, cities, etc in Korean. It took me a while to actually get the 'correct' pronunciation of some of the unique Korean sounds, but after listening to them over and over, I finally got it correct. I was pleased to get a nice compliment from a few of the native Korean teachers here. When they asked me where I lived and told them the name of my apt in Korean (Haeng bok Villa) they, replied: "Darren, this is not your first time in Korea, right? You have been here before haven't you?" I was proud to say, "No actually, this is my first time, I've nearly been here 3 months now." They just assumed that b/c my pronunciation was so good, that I had been here before. I was very flattered to receive such a nice compliment from them because it made me feel good and helped boost my confidence that I'm actually learning more than I think. It has been several weeks since I've actually listened to one of my Korean Language lessons I have on my iPod and this compliment, has actually encouraged me to continue listening to more lessons this past week.
I'm also starting to realize how much I doubt myself and "beat myself up" for "not being good enough" not preparing lessons well enough, not doing enough (as much as I know I can do), etc. But what I'm also getting, is that I am a pretty darn great guy, person, teacher, friend, etc. And I'm also finally starting to realize that I can very easily use my good looks, charming personality, and my GREAT attitude and outlook on life to take me pretty far in life, and especially far here in Korea. This could be looked at as both a good and a bad thing. I guess it is good for now because I don't have to try so hard to do well here, and I can just relax, take it easy and enjoy the "easy" life here. This can be looked at as a bad thing if I allow myself to get lazy, complacent, and just rest on my laurels instead of challenging myself to STEP UP and demand more of myself. For now I look at it as a good thing. It's nice knowing that I'm liked, respected and well-received just because of my great attitude, my humble & grateful personality, and my thirst, passion and curiosity to learn about the Korean language and Korean culture.
If you come to Korea with the right attitude, you will no doubt find yourself having the time of your life here. If you come to Korea expecting things (the way they run/handle business) to be exactly the same as it is back home, you are undoubtedly setting yourself up for failure. I just can't understand understand some of the ridiculous and petty little things some of the English teachers here complain about. YOU are the one who voluntarily chose to come to Korea... don't expect them(Koreans) to change the way they do business just because you come from a country with different standards and a different set of values. So what I think I'm trying to say is that maybe the reason that I've been BLESSED with the fortunate situation in which I've been placed is because of my open, humble, grateful attitude in which I've approached this whole trip. Even when I was first told that we were being assigned to a 'rural town' in a 'rural province' in southern Korea, I was like, "OK, I guess that is where I'm "supposed to" be teaching English." By totally being open & trusting God, I have created lots of good karma that has been coming back to me ever since. Maybe that's why I get these most beautiful, adorable, and precious children running up to me at school with their arms wide open, wrapping around my leg saying, "Darren, teacha, Darren teacha, I love you!" My heart just melts when I see this beautiful expression of love and gratitude towards me. As Tony Robbins, one of my first mentors always reminds us:
"Live everyday with an ATTITUDE of GRATITUDE!"
I love Miryang, the town I'm living in, it's small, quiet, quaint and centrally located in btw. 2 major cities. I am especially thankful & most grateful for the 15 other English teachers that live here as well. We all keep in touch weekly to plan activities together. Whether it be bowling, dinner, hiking, traveling, rugby, or going to the bar for drinks, etc. everyone treats each other like one big family. There is a great sense of community here and is no wonder that many of these teachers here are re-newing their contracts and will be staying an extra year. I have a nice, new, clean apt. with 2 great neighbors who live next door to me. I feel as if I have been truly blessed by the grace of God, and I know that He has been looking over me, and taking care of me ever since I left NY on August 28th. I knew it was a good omen when we left on the day of the Full Moon of Virgo.
Unfortunately I can not say that about many of my other teacher friends. Many teachers teach at 3, 4 or 5 different schools, having to drive 30 min to each school. Some of them have co-teachers that do not even stay in the room, and who leave them alone with the students in class. Some of my other friends teach in schools where the children are wild, loud, and very disrespectful. They scream, curse, and say all kinds of rude, nasty things to these teachers; and they are challenged with how to elicit help from the teachers or from people at the school. One guy teaches in most rural town where he has to walk 2 miles just to get to the nearest store & their are no taxis available either. It baffles me has to the crazy and absurd conditions some of them have to go through. I feel as if I'm living in a dream world compared to them!!!
I am especially excited that I've booked my ticket for Bangkok, Thailand and will be spend 6 nights down there enjoying the beautiful warm weather and gorgeous beaches at the end of Feb. for my winter break. Then from Bangkok, I fly directly to Seoul where I will be picking Flo up at the airport that evening as she will be flying in from NJ!!!!! She will be in Korea with me for 14 days and will travel all around the country during that time. I am so so excited!!!! My first visitor!!! Yipeee!!!!!! My mom wants to visit here as well, but my dad doesn't seem to have any interest. Anyone else wanna come visit me? I picked up a used sofa from Dan & Kim that you can use to sleep if you choose. Just a thought.
I'm learning to speak Korean a lil more each day, and I can pretty much read everything I see in Korean. The alphabet is really cool and easy in the sense that each vowel (letter) only has ONE sound. Not like in English where a letter like "o" "e" "a" "g" can have a different sound based on the word. Like George & gum. Or like all the difficult and different sounds vowels make in English.Vowels like "a" and "u" can sound several different ways such as "uniform" "umbrella" "put" etc. But in Hangeul, the Korean alphabet, each vowel only has ONE distinct sound and it never changes. So once you memorize the sound of each letter, (vowel or consonant) you can easily start to read signs, menus, cities, etc in Korean. It took me a while to actually get the 'correct' pronunciation of some of the unique Korean sounds, but after listening to them over and over, I finally got it correct. I was pleased to get a nice compliment from a few of the native Korean teachers here. When they asked me where I lived and told them the name of my apt in Korean (Haeng bok Villa) they, replied: "Darren, this is not your first time in Korea, right? You have been here before haven't you?" I was proud to say, "No actually, this is my first time, I've nearly been here 3 months now." They just assumed that b/c my pronunciation was so good, that I had been here before. I was very flattered to receive such a nice compliment from them because it made me feel good and helped boost my confidence that I'm actually learning more than I think. It has been several weeks since I've actually listened to one of my Korean Language lessons I have on my iPod and this compliment, has actually encouraged me to continue listening to more lessons this past week.
I'm also starting to realize how much I doubt myself and "beat myself up" for "not being good enough" not preparing lessons well enough, not doing enough (as much as I know I can do), etc. But what I'm also getting, is that I am a pretty darn great guy, person, teacher, friend, etc. And I'm also finally starting to realize that I can very easily use my good looks, charming personality, and my GREAT attitude and outlook on life to take me pretty far in life, and especially far here in Korea. This could be looked at as both a good and a bad thing. I guess it is good for now because I don't have to try so hard to do well here, and I can just relax, take it easy and enjoy the "easy" life here. This can be looked at as a bad thing if I allow myself to get lazy, complacent, and just rest on my laurels instead of challenging myself to STEP UP and demand more of myself. For now I look at it as a good thing. It's nice knowing that I'm liked, respected and well-received just because of my great attitude, my humble & grateful personality, and my thirst, passion and curiosity to learn about the Korean language and Korean culture.
If you come to Korea with the right attitude, you will no doubt find yourself having the time of your life here. If you come to Korea expecting things (the way they run/handle business) to be exactly the same as it is back home, you are undoubtedly setting yourself up for failure. I just can't understand understand some of the ridiculous and petty little things some of the English teachers here complain about. YOU are the one who voluntarily chose to come to Korea... don't expect them(Koreans) to change the way they do business just because you come from a country with different standards and a different set of values. So what I think I'm trying to say is that maybe the reason that I've been BLESSED with the fortunate situation in which I've been placed is because of my open, humble, grateful attitude in which I've approached this whole trip. Even when I was first told that we were being assigned to a 'rural town' in a 'rural province' in southern Korea, I was like, "OK, I guess that is where I'm "supposed to" be teaching English." By totally being open & trusting God, I have created lots of good karma that has been coming back to me ever since. Maybe that's why I get these most beautiful, adorable, and precious children running up to me at school with their arms wide open, wrapping around my leg saying, "Darren, teacha, Darren teacha, I love you!" My heart just melts when I see this beautiful expression of love and gratitude towards me. As Tony Robbins, one of my first mentors always reminds us:
"Live everyday with an ATTITUDE of GRATITUDE!"
Thursday, November 15, 2007
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:
Simply adorable huh???
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???
Tuesday, November 13, 2007
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!!!
Have a Great Night & always remember to:
Live With Passion!!!
Sunday, November 11, 2007
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.
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!!
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!!
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