A New Leaf

An imminent element of life is change. Afterall, change is in some respect simply a measure, or perhaps rather a mode, of time. However, there exist moments when the change faced manifests into something much more than the sun rising and setting, and entropy running its course. And those prime moments in life, variant in magnitude and frequency, demonstrate an existence transcendent of simply documenting time. Due to the dynamic nature of those moments, they often prove to shift pre-existent reality into something new.

How one deals with those occurrences, though independent in nature due to the isolation of each incident, often establishes a social interpretation of that process. From the classification of 'mid-life crisis' to 'right place at the right time,' the moments in life when time seems to come alive and offer great (though quite often unavoidable) opportunity with no promise of the result slice through society universally, without respect to creed or disposition.

I am experiencing such a time now. Change is imminent.

End of a chapter

-- The following posts relate to events that took place between November 2006 and October 2008. They pertain to my experience in Asia, predominantly my life in South Korea. Please read and enjoy. --

10.) trilogy of humor...

Ok, so today marks the third day in a row that I have witnessed something so funny that I couldn't help laughing out loud and looking for someone to share it with... So I figured that called for a post. I hope anyone who reads this enjoys these accounts as much I enjoyed living them.

Ok, the commencement of my three days of humor began on Sunday night as I was walking home from church. It's a long walk, probably 30 minutes of so, but the Fall weather here has been pretty accommodating as of late; the breezes are cool, but the skies are clear and a simple jacket or sweater fends off the chill quite well, which affords the opportunity for some crisp and brisk walks throughout the streets.

On the way to my place I was passing a gas station, when I was startled by a dog barking what seemed close by. I looked, and fancied upon the source, which was, in fact, by no means a dog, but a man! He was the gas station attendant, and from the looks and sounds of it, a very bored one. (And what's more, from the fantastic impersonation - or rather, im-dog-anation - I can only assume that he has passed many a night in a similar fashion. His barking continued from the time I first was next to the station, until I had passed out of sight, probably about a full minute, or so. For a few moments I pondered the meaning of such an encounter, but then remembered, afterall, where I am, and that those types of experiences just seem to rain down around here like an Indian monsoon.

My second encounter was as I was walking, again, yesterday down what is probably the single most busy street in the country, which, of course, provides for much entertainment, especially as I heavily frequent the street and see many opportunities for people to interact, with each other and many of the other stimuli presented by such an environment. As I was walking, past the multitude of people and stores, many of which is important to note blast music out their front doors to presumably draw one in (is it strange how the 'blast' in order to 'beckon??'), I saw a young boy, around the age of six or seven, walking towards me on the street. And though he was about 30 yards away on the busy street, I had no problem picking him out of the crowd. He was just in front of a particular cell-phone store that is well-known for blasting pretty strong music not just in their store, but on the street as well.

The boy was just in front of one of the outdoor speakers, and he was head-banging a storm out of the song... well, perhaps the more descriptive term would be body-banging(?), for he was convulsing to and fro, forward and back to the heavy beat of the music. It was quite a sight, one that he did not in the least mind making. He was being followed, however, but a man, presumably his father, who did not seem to share such a cavalier mentality and who definitely added to the overall humor of the situation, for he was walking just about an arms-length away, but definitely with enough distance so as to say 'I've got no control of this situation, so don't even think of blaming me for his behavior!' The boy continued rocking, and I continued walking right on by, not pausing my steps, but definitely pausing my mind to reflect on the scene.

And now on to the third day of my 'trilogy of Asian humor.' Three times a week I have to leave the comfort of my home and head out into the streets, and battle my way through the streaming, screaming and steaming masses of people all heading to their respective workplaces (or, perhaps, some of them have the delightful and enviable position of being able to enjoy the havoc of the morning just for the sheer pleasure of witnesses such sights in the morning as I am about to describe). What is more is that I have to do such 'battling' in what often seems to be a perpetual state of rush, as I seem to leave the house at the same time everyday, regardless of whether I get up early or late, and that time is about three minutes too late (which, in this city, can make or break you, or in my particular circumstance can cause me to miss my express bus to work which affords me a few extra minutes of calm meditation before my classes (the irony is as silly to me as it must appear, but that is the reality of life, mine at least)). The second part of my morning journey, after a short walk to the subway station from my house, is the subway ride itself.

The subway in the morning is probably the best analogy to a cow's stomach as I've ever thought up. The trains graze on people all day, at some times more intense than others, and while consuming new people, they also are bringing out others in the act of 'chewing the cud,' which results in the mashing and churning of people in and out of its jaws (the subway stations). The early mornings seem to add a slight variation, and that is the aggression that commonly comes from the experience of indigestion. If you've ever seen footage of the trains in Tokyo, where there are subway attendants that literally herd and pack people into the subways (yet another analogy to cattle surfaces...), you might have some idea of the subways here... except we have neither the assistance nor the authority that is presented by the uniformed and stick (cattle-prod) wielding attendants in Japan. So what ends up happening, as is often the case in situations that lack a symbol of authority, people take the law into their own hands. In this particular case, that is expressed in who does or does not get permitted into the packed cars of the subway. Many times people weed themselves out, and opt for the three-minute wait for the next train, for which the can most likely have a better opportunity to enter unencumbered, or they may just have more time to plan their particular approach. However, as noted above, those three minutes can make or break one's day, so many are goaded into a more aggressive approach by their own self-interest. The subsequent clash, or perhaps mixture, of individual self-interest provides the fodder for my tale of this morning's humorous encounter.

I had just securely embarked in my respective corral (train car) - the art of which I have come to a close mastery of in my tri-weekly or more experiences - when the final and desperate rush came for people coming down the stairs, seeing the train there, waiting, nay baiting, them to try to jam themselves into the already full cars. And on this particular morning, one man, with the aid of momentum from his down the stairs trot and his runway boost from the end of the stairs to the car, thrust himself into the car... only to be met by a 'public defender,' in this case, a 6-foot+ young Korean guy who was not about to be trampled on, nor let anyone else in his car receive similar treatment. So he promptly met the man in full stride with, according to Newton's law can be described as an equal and opposite reaction to the man's efforts, which landed the man halfway in and halfway out of the car, with precious seconds to spare for the doors to close, doors that carry no predisposition of equity and yet yield to none. The following seconds, to which I was eye-witness and front row spectator (it all happened about 4 inches from my face), resulted in a flurry of elbows, under-one's-breath responses, acceptance of the momentum man into our car, and a continuation of smaller and yet not less-heartened jabs back and forth for the remained of my passage: 2 stations.

The final addition to my trilogy occurred in the comfort of my office, and while was not the up close and personal experience of the previous three accounts, was nonetheless humorous, and proved to be the proverbial straw to break the camel's back of my desire to relay this story. I was on a break from class, and I came across this video on the internet. I have seen something like it before, but it became particularly funny in light of the events of the past three days. I will say no more, but simply add that the following video strongly reflects the silliness I have encountered in my time in Korea. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did, and by it can understand some more of my life and experience here.

7.) Traveling with LG

It is an often occurance in life for something good to fall through, just in time for something really coll to take its place. I have gotten used to this rather frustrating while rewarding phenomenon, and try to 'carpe diem' as often as I can.
Many of those I had talked to early in the summer knew that I was hoping to, and even planning on working at a university starting this fall semester. And the prospects were looking pretty good; I had applications submitted at three universities, had been offered one position already, and had a rather promising feeling about one of the others. Well, within a few hours all of that came crashing down.
I finally decided to get to the bottom of the position I most desired. I had e-mailed the week or so before and had been told that there was not yet an interview schedule. So I decided to call and figure out what I could. Through the process of about four calls, taking to at least three people, and being transfered several times back and forth between departments, I discoved that the position I had been hoping for, waiting for, and banking on was not even being offered anymore.
That news set me into a bit of a tizzy, as I had turned down a previous job offer because I thought the job was 'in the bag,' so to speak. So I quickly called the other university to see if I could still slip into the position that had offered the month before. I was promtly, and forthrightly told that I "should have called much sooner" for they had already hired another guy for the position and he was already teaching classes.
So thus began my frantic search... for anything. There are many oppotunities in Korea for foreigners, especially those who fit the profile of a very 'American' American. These opportunities are often listed on several websites. Thus, after my fatefull phone calls of the morning, I spent the afternoon probing each site I could think of or find online, until I had exhausted any and all of the information on potential positions for me. And, in fact, I found wuite a lot. (Which is pretty much proof to me that if you're ever in a tight enough pinch, you'll always be able to find not just one way out, but several.)
I found offers for voice recording, teaching, and one of particular interest offering '5 DAYS IN BUSAN FULLY PAID.' I e-mailed regarding that job, and heard back almost immediately. The offer, from what I was told, was a promotion for LG (an original Korean brand offering electronic appliances in every category). The job would take place in Busan, the Southern costal city known for its beautiful beaches. So I jumped on the opportunity to travel, and make quite a bit of money for the 2 hours of work a day that was promised.
One topical note, which if importantly mentioned here, is that in Korea institutions are not well known for their open and accurate communication. I already understood that, so I didn't think much of it when I was told to get on an express train to Busan, pay whatever I needed to, show up in Busan and call a number of someone who was to meet me there, and then I would start my work.
I arrived in Busan, and withing 20 minutes realized my error in trusting a Korean job offer and description, even to the extent of the low expectation I already had. I showed up, called the number I had been given, and was met by a girl whose level of English could be graciously categorized as 'intermediate beginner.' Then it was communicated that we would be traveling more than an hour from Busan, and would continue to journey Northward, until we again reached Seoul. Or, basically, that I would not be able to even see Busan, much less spend 10 hours a day on the beach as I had formerly envisioned. But that's Korea, and adventures always lead somewhere, right? At least, that was my perspective, so I wasn't too disgruntled.

^This is a picture from one of the rest stops along the way

Oh, and the job turned out not to be the English promotion that I expected, but was for a division of LG, OTIS, and more particularly, their electric ovens.
I arrived at the presentation hall, and was handed a set of clothes that were to be my uniform for the week, which consisted of a pair of black slacks, a white tuxedo shirt, an orange bow-tie and matching apron, a pair of Kangaroo ears, and a bright green monkey... the entire of which I was expected to wear each day.

^My uniform.

It turned out that the prmotional strategy was to capture the captive audience of middles-aged adults with young children by offering a parent-child cookie baking workshop. My job description was then explained. My role consisted of introducing the baking ingredients in English, and then to walk around and talk with the kids as they and their parents mixed their own ingredients together. Then, while the handmade cookies were baking in our lovely LG OTIS portable electronic ovens, I was to introduce the kids and parents to a form of entertainment I like to call 'Chip monkey.' I had to sing and dance to the lyrics and verbal melody (my own, by the way) of fiver different English songs. The was ok, however, because I was given a variety of song topics ranging in titles from 'Big, Big Ball,' to 'I am Happpy,' to the good old fashion 'B-I-N-G-O.' (Quick note, there should have definitely been a overly sarcastic tone read into the previous sentence, in case you missed the cue.) So that was my job, all week long.
Everyday we moved to a new city, set up the presentation area, organized the ingredients, and did the same routine... oh, and also load and unload the truck, an hour long process at the beginning and end of each presentation. But that was just the job related activities.
The week, however, was not bad. It was rather an experience that I'm glad to have had, albeit not at all what was expected nor what was conveyed when I agreed to it.
Since we moved to a new city every day, I got to see most of the country, although much of the view was through the glass of multiple tour buses. I also got to experience some Korean culture, as the girl I described earlier spoke the best English out of our team of four. The other two were guys in their early 30's, neither married, and both smokers and drinkers. They were also my roommates for the week. We stayed in motels, which usually meant that there were thin mattresses on the floor, or at least a few blankets. So in the time I did not spend in the room watching Korean television or eating and drinking with them, I spent in local PC-rooms.

^Some of the kids that made me smile all week

The experience was fun, though. We had a good time, and communicated pretty well through very limited language and mostly body language. And by the end of the trip they asked if I could continue with them on their tour. I, however, had to get back and start my new job, which will be told about in the next post.
So that is the story of how I toured all of Korea in 5 days, wearing Kangaroo ears, speaking body language, and eating cookies.

5.) What a ride...

So it has been a week since Kyle and I took a trip out to a small town called Gangcheon, and I figured it was about time that I come clean regarding the whole experience, especially the part where I flew off a scooter and down a short hillside, banging up my big toe pretty bad but not suffering too many other ailments, and although the scooter was not quite as fortunate, this is just the 'attention grabbing' part of the entry so you will have to read the whole story if you really wanna find out what happened.

So some friends of mine (whom Kyle so elegantly described in his entry, but whom i will choose to refer to as former coworkers) took a trip a few months ago to this town on the far outskirts of Seoul, about 3 hours from the city center, where they rented motor scooters for the day and rode around in the mountains and by the river. Ever since they told me about it, I've wanted to go. And since Kyle had a few days off last week for summer vacation, we finally made it happen.
[This is the area of the river directly under the train tracks, where many people camped, fished, grilled, swam, and jumped 4-wheelers off dirt ramps.]

We headed out on the subway, and had to transfer several times before arriving, including one above-ground train that was pretty packed, and on which you needed tickets to be able to sit in an actual seat. We had not known that, so we got there a bit late, and had to take whatever tickets were left over. The experience somewhat reminded me of what it must have been like when settlers would move into a new area; everyone just kind of marks their territory, but that territory cannot be either too large (for it will be invaded by other and you will, doubtless, end up with far less space than your greedy heart had so eagerly sought after in the beginning) or you will simply miss the opportunity to stake any sort of territory, and then just about be completely screwed, or, to be a little less crass and a wee bit proverbial, up a creek without a paddle (which, by the way, is the partial title of a very good movie that I would suggest to any guy who enjoys the great outdoors).

Needless to say, I tried to be careful and selective when I placed myself in position in the train. Perhaps I was a little greedy or wishfully thinking, or you could say I was optimistic or shooting for the top and ambitious. Nevertheless, I saw a prime target, and moved in to stand my ground; a set of seats facing each other with 5 kids sitting together, playing, and sharing the 4 seats. I figured that they were sure to be curious of a funny looking white guy standing nearby, and that could potentially open up into giving way to my snagging of prime real estate.

And I was right. Within a few minutes of leaving the station I was pulling some pretty good glances and not a few stares from these kids. Then came the real treat, the one thing that never gets old here in Korea, something that I hope I never have to go a day without hearing (if my enthusiasm seems a bit over-the-top, so to speak, or mildly sarcastic, then you are a perceptive reader and are the desired type of audience that I want reading this particular section). The kids started with a polite "Hi. Howareyou. Nicetomeetyou." that progressed, not slowly, into an impolite version, matched with an increased boldness from a few of them, due to the fact that I hadn't totally disregarded them and had been, in fact, relatively cordial (after all, they were the primary holders of something that I dearly desired: wonderful seats) to begin hitting me with each phrase that was uttered. That wasn't too welcomed, but since that particular behavior came from one specific little meat head, I handled it with a few quick words, and then the youngsters peers did the rest, and took the necessary steps to so socially ostracize the brute, infant though he was, and reduce him to a crying mass that proceeded to seek out the arms of his mother, thus freeing up one body of the 5 that had occupied the 4 seats; therefore making me one step close to my goal.

It was actually quite interesting to see how social justice was served among the five youths. It seemed as though there were some unofficial code of behavior that, if challenged or broken, led to the others slapping/kicking/pushing/yelling at the one guilty of the infraction. And even more intriguing than the behavior of the group itself was the passive and accepted manner by which such 'justice' was received. Whoever the perpetrator, which varied along the ride as the activities ranged from yelling at the foreigner, to playing rock/paper/scissors, to jumping around a little too rowdy for the others' liking, simply accepted that which was dealt him or her, and then life continued more or less as it had prior to the social infraction (very interesting series of events to observe from a control group with a median age of probably four).

They were, in actuality, not the little monsters that may have been perceived from the aforewritten description, save for that one little Tasmanian devil, who, although he was the youngest of the group and probably only three, I could easily picture him as one of the 60-year-old ajushis (Korean old men) that roam the post-midnight streets, drunk, fighting their friends, and overall simply looking for mischief that they can claim in the morning was due to the blasted national alcohol of choice: soju (which is similar to vodka, packing quite a punch, and yet costing a mere $1.20 for a 12oz. bottle~ a drink that can probably be proven to represent a causal variable with a high correlation to many of the drunken disturbances that occur in Korea between the hours of 10pm and 5am, which are quite numerous).

Nevertheless, the kids were pretty cute, and some of they were really fun to play with, although they spoke no English, except for the three phrases that Korean children are born possessing knowledge of but no understanding as to how, when, and why to use them: Hi. How are you? Nice to meet you. What ended up happening, is I got a big tired and squatted down to the floor, a move that I should have thought of much earlier, for as soon as I did so, the kids jumped up, and in Korean said "No, come sit here!" They were pretty insistent, so I obliged, and spent the remainder of the trip playing fun Korean games, in which the consequence of losing is everyone else getting to inflict physical harm in some way, including, but not limited to, punching, slapping, pinching, spanking, elbowing in the back (not an overstatement, and one of my personal favorites), and the ever-so-popular banishment from the game.
[A few of the kids waving at me once they had disembarked]

Meanwhile, Kyle, who had fallen into the second category described above, perhaps in order to overcome the frustration of a couple practically sitting in his lap on the steps between cars, met some guys who helped us find our stop and made sure we got off ok.

When we got to the town, we didn't really know where to go, so we just started walking down the main, and pretty much only street in the town. We soon come across many little shops set up on the roadside with bicycles, scooters and ATVs for rent. We kept walking, and then stopped to have lunch. While eating, a guy came in and asked if we spoke Korean to order... so I looked at him with a look of half, curiosity, quarter disgust, and another quarter of actually interest. That was my response for two main reasons. First, anyone can point at a picture menu, especially since we had established that we were teachers. And second, people don't come out of nowhere and just try to help you, at least not in the way this guy approached us. Anyway, we soon found out that he worked at the rental shop next to the restaurant, and this was probably his routine whenever he saw foreigners eating. Anyway, it wasn't a big deal, just another form of special treatment/annoying/bigoted behavior that almost all white people experience in Korea, and we ended up renting scooters from him when we had finished eating.

The rental process still sounds absurd when I reflect on it a week later. We established a price, signed a piece of paper, gave one ID card, picked our scooters, and that was it. There were no questions as to our riding ability, or even our knowledge of two-wheeled, motorized vehicles. Kyle received some instruction about how to work his, but I was handed a helmet, some gas money and given a wave of farewell. Let's just say that particular move on the shop manager's part is not one that will go into his book of 'best decisions ever made.'
[Kyle, looking courageous.]

We started off ok, but as I had never ridden a scooter, it was a bit shaky. But they are pretty basic, so off we went. First to the gas station, where Kyle almost ran into a parked truck, but applied the brakes in time to turn that event into nothing more than a sly smile turned back in my direction, and then on down the road. We soon discovered that Kyle's scooter, while a bit faster than mine, liked to stall a lot. We kept going for a while until it became such a nuisance that we turned around to exchange it for another one. So I was just leisurely riding down the road when I looked back and saw Kyle nowhere in sight. So I pulled over and waited. After a bit I concluded that either his scooter had stalled again and he may or may not need help, or that he had crashed and definitely needed help, both of which were completely legitimate considering both the equipment and the operators of such equipment.

Where I had pulled over, which is worthy of note, was on the road alongside a river on the left and a mountain on the right, and was just past a cured in the road. So as I prepared to 'pull a U-ie,' I was aware of the need to be hasty, so as to miss any oncoming cars. So I found my gap, and hit it, figuratively and literally. One of the things that I had not yet become accustomed to about scooters is that turning has a lot more to do with leaning that actually turning the handlebars. And this particular event served as a 'crash-course' for learning that lesson.

At first it looked like I was headed straight over what looked like a small cliff, but was in actuality a relatively steep hill piled with boulders, long grass (hiding more boulders), and trash. But I righted myself and tried again. That time I cleared a head-on plunge, but still was cutting it too close, or not cutting enough, depending on how you look at it. So in an effort to adjust, I twisted the throttle and turned the wheel. However, that produced exactly the effect briefly addressed above: the scooter went in the direction I was leaning, which happened to be pretty much directly straight, thus hurtling me toward imminent doom, also know as the not so friendly embankment described earlier.
[This is the part of the river that I landed near when I was catapulted off the road above.]

There were, thankfully, thick, concrete guard posts along the edge, preventing my scooter from going over the edge, but not, however, preventing me from going over. So I was ejected from my seat when my fully throttled scooter smacked the guard post rather indirectly on the handlebars and speedometer/odometer. I landed several meters away, vertically and horizontally, and continued a quick decent down a very rocky hillside. When I came to a stop, I heard lots of people shouting to look, and I, as unashamedly as possible, climbed back up the hill, picked up the scooter and a few of the pieces I could find of it in the main vicinity in a short amount of time, and I headed back down the road, where I promptly met Kyle coming back in the opposite direction.

The damage was not anywhere near as much as one would typically imagine or as much as I feared, nor was it, as I later found out, the first time such a thing had happened to that particular scooter. It was, in fact, fairly mendable, at first by just tying it up with a piece of plastic strap that I found on the road, and later with an $.85 roll of electrical tape I bought when we stopped for some refreshment. Most of the damage it seemed, at least at the time, had been to my big toe, the only part of me that really felt pain directly, although it caused quite an extensive pain in my head, another of those wonderful messages possible to be sent thanks to the wonderful human nervous system. The pain has since subsided, although there are some mind twinges of pain every now and again, but the fear of a break is no longer an everyday occupation of my cognition.
[This is some of the scenery along the road, and also the place where I stopped to "right the wrong" done to my moped.]

But the experience did teach me a lesson, although it might not be the lesson one would expect me to learn, or the one I bet my mother would desire me to learn either. What I learned was that when renting some sort of motorized vehicle of which I have no former experience and only limited knowledge, act to the vendors as if you're an expert, give the most basic if not faulty information, and always change the subject when returning the machinery, and if possible, when explaining the events and the outcomes/damages (which is tempting to avoid completely, but has many reasons for rendering, both carnal and moral) try to play off the vendors weaknesses to distract him, such as talking in fast and complicated English, for if he feels uncomfortable he will most likely want to get out of that situation more than you do, or perhaps more than he thinks you do. Sound like sage advice? I think so, although it's slightly (if not heavily) amoral.

The rest of the day was filled with us riding around the rural area around the river. There were rice patties, old houses, and little roads alongside small streams that led into the river. There was also a university that was built on a hill, which provided some pretty fun entertainment as we rode our scooters around the campus. Overall, the scooter experience was quite enjoyable, and something I'd recommend and also be willing to do again.
[Since we were given only minor instructions of where we could and could not go, we wandered away from most of the developed town with shops and people and found ourselves in a slightly run-down residential area among the rice fields.]

As alluded to above, I told the guy at the shop about the problem with the speedometer, but he seemed like he already knew about it having problems (hence the electrical tape that I found already on it after my little incident, which gave me the initial idea for my own quick fix) and he acted like he wanted me to forget about it, presumably because I could have gotten upset that he lent me faulty equipment in the first place. So it worked out for everyone. And then Kyle and I returned to the train station, where we had already purchased tickets to ensure no more unwanted seating adventures.

4.) Field Trip

So last week was my first field trip with the school kids I started teaching at Kyle's English institute. As far as an itinerary or organization for the day, the owner of the school just said, "So you're going to Insa-dong, right? Try to be back around one o'clock." So I took my two students, and headed out.

First, we had to ride on the subway for 40 min, which was an interesting experience. I get a ton of strange looks when I'm walking around by myself, so just imagine the way people stop, gawk, stare, whisper, smile, and do various other things when they see me with two young Korean kids under my wing. Looks from people were further encouraged when Ace and Jessica, my two students, opted to stand instead of sit (an option that later in the day I vetoed). Ace, a 10-year-old who speaks to me mainly in Korean, causing no shortage of confusion on both our parts, is charismatic and full of energy, and yet very small, so he gets worn out quickly. That being said, on the subway he decided, since he could barely reach the handle-rings hanging from the ceiling while standing, 'why stand at all?'. So he proceeded to swing like a gymnast for the majority of the 40-minute trip. As for my prevention of a "scene," I had already deemed that impossible, and since the school seems to stress the point that 'as long as the kids have fun, they can do whatever they want,' I opted to simply sit back and enjoy the gymnastics show.

One more thing that the school's director failed to establish before we left was where exactly we were to go. And since I've only been to that area of Seoul three times, or so, we got a bit lost at first. Not lost as in we couldn't find our way, but I just couldn't remember how to get to the fun part of the city with lots of traditional shops and restaurants. So we walked around in front of car repair shops and back alleys for a little while before I finally righted my sense of direction and stumbled upon the area I was looking for.

At one point, when we had later stopped and took a break from walking because Ace was pretty worn out from the walking and his previous ring routine, an old woman stopped and talked to Ace and Jessica. Well "yelled" is probably a better choice word. When I asked what she said, although I had a pretty good idea based on my own experience and the stories of other teachers, Jessica shyly refrained from answering my question. Apparently, although practically everybody in Korea admires America for some reason or another, many seem to think that close contact will somehow taint one's culture, purity, or whatever. So the kids got a firm talking to about associating with a foreigner, to which I felt pretty bad for their sake, considering that even if they wanted to change it, they were stuck with me.


Based on the old woman's actions, gestures, and tone, I guess that she was telling the kids not to be close to me... little did she know that I was solely responsible for their survival that day (a pretty hefty responsibility, when you stop to think about it, and a albeit a little absurd, especially considering that I had just met the kids two days prior, and the school really had no real knowledge of my credentials before they shipped two students out the door with me.) Anyway, Jessica was visibly disturbed by her encounter with the old woman, but that wore off quickly, as I think is the case with most Korea children in relation to those people two generations before them.

To Ace, however, the trauma of the situation seemed completely ignored or unperceived, mainly because Ace was busy playing in puddles and splashing dirty water in his face to "wash" and cool down, which by itself garnered some, I suppose well deserved, looks from people passing by, looking for the guardian of this child, who was doing something extremely undignified. (Koreas have some sort of taboo about water... it's weird, but I haven't come to enough of an understanding about it to really expound in detail, so that will have to wait.)

A brief note about Old People: It seems like the old people in this country are treated quite well, and tolerated even when doing rather absurd things (which is very often the case, with examples ranging from loud grunts in crowded, otherwise quiet public places, to cutting you off in line, no matter where you are, to physically assaulting/handling someone, which will be discussed in greater detail later in this post), which is interesting, because that is not based on the older generation's contribution to the country's economic status, for that has been mainly developed by the middle-aged population. So I can only hypothesize, at the time being, that this extreme tolerance is simply due to the respect-based culture so prevalent here.

The day was a very interesting study of the personalities of the two students with whom I spent over five hours that day. Jessica, a cute, happy, and yet reserved young girl is slightly older than Ace (she's 11) and her English is quite good, so she takes it upon herself to translate for Ace when his mind is off in wonderland somewhere and he doesn't catch an instruction that I give him. Ace, of whom I'm pretty sure you have already constructed a pretty good mental picture based on his antics described above, is a very fun student, and I don't remember ever getting upset that he only responded to my questions and comments in Korean.

Another interesting note is that for these field trips the students receive all of their money for the day from their parents, so I have no idea how much they've been given or how they are expected to spend it. And from the instructions I received, mainly through what Kyle was told when he took some field trips, was to let the kids do what they want with their money. So I did. So when we stopped to look at some trinkets and Ace wanted to buy some, I didn't give much attention to it, after all, it was only a few bucks. Afterwards, I found out from my translator, Jessica, that Ace had spent all but $2 of his money, and we still hadn't eaten yet. Even so, he was not concerned, he just looked at me and said, "I'll just eat water."

Now if by now you are questioning my potential parenting skills, don't worry, I'm pretty much just taking advantage of the opportunity to see how a more liberalized form of guidance works. It's kind of like an experiment, with real people in the real world, something that most social scientists theorize about but can rarely put into personal practice. So it's kinda fun, and I still bought Ace some lunch, so he didn't collapse on the way home, even though that caused some irregular variables in my little experiment.

We walked around for a while and looked at cool little shops, and then we stopped for some traditional Korean food. Next we went out for ice cream, and then wandered our way back to the subway station to head home. Once we got to the subway station, both of the kids needed to use the bathroom, so I waited outside before I decided that I had better go too. As I walked into the men's room, I saw Ace coming out, not looking concerned but rather confused, with an old man's arm wrapped around his neck. I stepped in to see what was happening. It was pretty much just another case of what I guess I can call KOPGWA ("Korean old people gone wild, again"). Most old people seem to think that the country is their playground, and that all children are their toys. I've seen an old man, otherwise strange and a bit creepy, walk up to a mom with her two-year-old and start picking up the kid, playing with it like he was its grandparent, and finally ended up giving it several little swats on the butt. Personally, I wanted to say something like "hey, old man river, knock it off or I’ll do some swatting of my own," which looked along the lines of what the mother was thinking, although I'm pretty sure she was more concerned with her child's well-being to with thinking of any witty comment.

Anyway, the experience with Ace was not much different. They old man seemed to want Ace to leave the restroom with him - for what reason, I don't know, and since I'm pretty sure that either I wouldn't understand the Korean words Ace would use to explain or that Ace wouldn't really have even less of a clue as to what was going on. Anyway, I pulled him away from the old man, and took him back into the bathroom with me, and told him to wait where I could see him. I then proceeded to a urinal to take care of my own call of the wild. Whilst standing there, besides the obvious events that took place, two other things seemed to happen simultaneously. One, Ace abandoned his post for more interesting territory and began checking out the condom machine affixed to the wall, and two, an old man came up to use a urinal two places down from me, only to scoot one closer, and then lean over to make sure my mechanics were all working appropriately.

Subsequently, I had a response for each occurrence, as well as the auto-pilot employed in my personal endeavors in the 'little boys room.' Regarding Ace and his curiosity, 'how am I supposed to drag him away from there without striking more interest into his mind while also not opening him up for another encounter with a perverted old man in the Insa-dong public toilet?' And regarding the old man who was too busy scamming for a peek of Chip Jr. that I'm pretty sure he was missing his wall-mounted porcelain liquid receptacle, "do I slap him? and if so, with what?" Suffice it to say, we made it out of there alive, Ace and I both with a little less dignity than with which we entered, but alive nonetheless. And then we proceeded home, without any further encounters with KOPGWA's.

Overall, the field trip was great. I got to hang out with two really fun kids, walk around the city, see how people respond when they see a young, white guardian of two Korean kids, eat some good food, and get paid for it all at the same time. I seriously don't know if there is a much better job to have, at least in the short run.

3.) Church Photo hunt

One of the things that I'm really happy with here in Korea is my church. I found this church my second week in Korea, and I've been there every Sunday since. One of the things I was looking for when I first got here was a good outlet for some energy, the opportunity to grow, and a place to meet friends. So I sought out a church that had a college group, believing that if I found one, the other things mentioned above were sure to follow. And that held true.
I have become ever-more involved since I began attending back in December. I now lead a small group, am involved in the leadership process, and do various other things in the name of "SEC" (SaRang English-College). ["SaRang" is the English way to spell the Korean word for love, which is also the name of the church.]
Being summer, and being the college group, there are many people without a whole lot to do, since a lot of Korean students are on break from school and many Koreans who have been studying abroad have returned for the summer. So at SEC we have hosted various events to keep people involved and entertained in their free time. And since I am jobless, I have been able to not only participate in numerous activities, I have also been able to plan some. This past weekend is one example.
In my high-school youth group we used to have an annual event held downtown Chicago, where we would have to do a scavenger hunt and also try to find staff members throughout the city. So in planning this event, we combined that idea with the convenience of digital cameras and the official excuse to do silly things in public places, and called it "SEC Photo Scavenger hunt." Original, huh?

The list of assigned pictures included the one above, a human pyramid in front of City Hall. What you cannot see are the hundreds of people in one of the only grassy places in Seoul, the lawn in front of City Hall. There was some sort of event going on, and tons of people of all ages were running around, sitting on the grass, picnicking, playing in the water fountain, and giving away free hugs (of which I was the happy recipient... twice.). It was quite a fun atmosphere to be in as we walked about and checked the assigned photos off out list.

One part of 'city life' that I have come to enjoy is the presence of people everywhere, but not just business people and adults, but people of all ages and backgrounds. It also serves to provide fodder for interesting encounters, whether they be drunk old men trying to start fights on the subway, kids coming up and saying "hi!!" and then running away, high school girls giggling at you on the bus as they're on their way to Saturday-school, or tourists who are so lost that you can't help but laugh 'cause you've been in exactly the same situation at some time in your life. Regardless of when and where, there are always things in the city that make me smile. One of my favorites are the little kids that are just doing everyday things in the midst of such a fast-paced environment.

Besides having the excuse of an organized activity to spur on our energy and push the limits of appropriate social norms of behavior, we had another attribute which is quite unique and empowering, the FA, Foreigner's Advantage. I have yet to figure out exactly why it's the case, but almost everywhere I travel in Asia, and especially here since I've had so much time to experiment with it, I am treated more like a celebrity than an American who, according to the mentality and propaganda back home, the world is supposed to hate.
[--One quick side story is when Kyle and I, besides catching glimpses and hellos from countless people around us, we actually stopped people in the street, had them turn around, and say... "wow, you guys stand out!" That comment pretty much made our day, and has been the topic of conversation ever since. That particular instance could be attributed to the fact that we both have red hair (something very rare here), we were both wearing sunglasses (which for some reason over here transforms an average person into an instant celebrity... really weird, but nonetheless strangely true), we each were quite well dressed (including my tailored creme suit and Kyle's professionally styled hair which has been rumored to have caused an international frenzy, particularly in Japan, due to his appearance in BeautyLife magazine), or that we were strutting down the middle of the street... but whatever the case, I still would like to attribute it to a case of FA.--]
Anyway, back to the photo hunt... several of the things on the list required asking people to do favors for us, like posing with a Starbucks' barista, or wearing an official police hat. And when those situations arose, the cause for agreement with the FA theory was only strenthened...

Living in Korea is great. I have experienced things that I never could have back home. And those such experiences have had a dramatic influence on my life's perspective. Something that could not have happened had I not been here in a particular place at a particular time. My church has provided a great foundation for me here, and you can look forward to many more posts regarding the fun things we do and the awesome people there!

2.) From loafing to living

As you may or may not know, I lost my job about a month ago. It was a real shady situation, where the school "fired" me on no grounds, and then proceeded to force me to move out and pretty much left me stranded in Korea with homeless, jobless, and close to penniless (if not for the saving habits I learned as a child, I don't know where I'd be...). However, challenges are just another word for the opportunity to grow, learn, and ultimately become something better than you were before. So I'm ok with that.
As for the practical, Kyle, the friend who introduced me to the idea of teaching in Korea and my fellow club-fiend here on the weekends, offered to let me crash at his place. Whether or not he knew I would stay here as long as I have, I know not... but he has, regardless, continued to offer me a mattress on his floor, his nicely furnished bathroom, and endless entertainment opportunities... and more recently, a part-time job, but I'll get to that a bit later in the post. So I have been very blessed in that capacity. [If you are intrigued to know more about Kyle and his experiences here, check out his blog, which is linked at the side of this page.]
After working for seven months at a private institute, where even though I taught some really cool subjects to great students the management just drove me crazy and I had to work a full 40 hours a week (something that is not very typical here), I decided that I would like to try something a little new. A few of my friends teach at universities here, and those are really nice jobs. You have to teach about 20 hours a week, and then you prepare and grade from home, whenever you want. Also, they give between two to five months of paid vacation, which is kind of a huge plus.
So I began looking for some opportunities to teach at universities. It was pretty cool, 'cause I found one, and then I decided just to start looking up any schools in the area of Seoul where I want to work, and then I looked up their contact numbers on the Internet. A few days later, I found job postings for two of the schools that I had looked up, without even knowing that they would be looking for teachers. So God provides, right? Right. So I interviewed at one university during the second week of July, and was told that they would call me later that week, which I wasn't sure I wanted because the other schools told me that they wouldn't decide for several weeks. So I just kinda said to myself, "ok, we'll just see what happens." As it turned out, the school that I went to for the interview didn't call me back that week, or the next. So I have just been pretty much loafing around Seoul waiting to hear from these places. Which, like I said, isn't all bad, because I would rather hear from all of the schools around the same time so I can make one decision and not worry about foregone opportunities.


[This is one of the palaces in a part of the city called Insa-dong; the whole place has a very 'traditional' feel and decor.]

Waiting, and being content with that, however, has been yet another challenge. I described to a friend the other day that I consider myself an action-man, wanting to just make things happen, to get up and go, and to take initiative when I think something needs to happen. So just waiting to hear back from these schools has really tested my personality. It has also tested the calling on my life. Like, is this really where I am supposed to be right now? Is it the best thing for me right now to basically hang out in Seoul for the summer? Could my time be spent better elsewhere?


All those questions, and more, have filled my mind this month. And the only conclusion I can come to is that I don't feel a strong urge or calling to go anywhere else, not even home, and I also feel somewhat at peace here, and I feel like I am doing some things that are realy useful in my down-time. For instance, I have been able to become much more involved in my church since I don't have the pre-occupation of an occupation. And the group has really been growing (it started last year with about 7 students, and now there are around 50-60 people there on Sundays). I have also been able to hang out with a lot of people, and really explore the city in the process. But though I have been having fun, I have this sense of restlessness that has been welling up inside me. So lately I've been feeling like I need to make something happen.
I have also thought about the possibility of teaching at another school or institute, like the place I worked before. I have even interviewed at about five or so places like that. I have had some really appealing offers presented, but I just don't feel called to do that again, at least not yet. So I have, like I said, been loafing. That is, until today...
....
It's strange how in life there seem to be no other outlets, nowhere to go except to keep plotting along, but then, almost all of a sudden, you notice that there is a way out, and not just one way, but there have been lots of things that have been building up for some time that have finally come to fruition and there are so many options you are still confused about what to do but for completely the opposite reasons. Well, today was one of those breakthrough days, a day where you know that God has to be alive and well, and working, too!
Last week, at the school Kyle works, one of the teachers just quit, without warning (if you haven't noticed, that's pretty much the business climate over here, at least as far as teaching goes). So Kyle had mentioned that I could possibly work some part-time hours there, which would pay nicely, give me some flexibility, and provide enough money to reasonably support myself as I wait on and continue looking for jobs. So today he (Kyle) asked if I could go to his work with him, so he could introduce me to the teachers and the kids. So I went. I attended three classes, and then talked to the head-teacher and started picking the activities to do for a class that I will start on Thursday. The class is cool. It meets twice a week, and on the first day we do activities in class, and then the second day we take a field trip somewhere. I had heard of other teachers that were able to take trips with their kids, but I was at a pretty rigorous school before and didn't have that option. So I'm pretty excited about that. It starts Thursday.


[This is one of the many artistically decorated restuarants in Insa-dong. It kinda reminds me that things look more beautiful when you can tell that they had to struggle to get to a certain point, just like the ivy had to dig its roots into the brick and stone in order to make the building look so cool.]

Furthermore, this morning when I was getting ready to head in to Kyle's school, I was making some phone calls to follow-up on a few of the university positions I'm interested in. One of them (the one that was supposed to call me back two weeks ago, and who every time I call ask if they can call me back the next day and then I never get a call) basically asked if I had my official transcripts yet, and then asked that, given my transcripts arrive soon, if I could start on Monday. So we'll see what works out with that.
Also, as I was making the aforementioned calls, a friend from church called to ask if I could tutor one of his friends for several hours a week, which would last for a while. So in just one day I have had two specific opportunities offered (both of which I accepted) and also had my anticipation reinstated concerning a fulltime position in the very near future.
It's always cool to see how opportunities seem to match the things we need at the time that we need them. For instance, last week I had a packed schedule, basically just hanging out with friends. I met with at least three different sets of people every day last week, which was awesome, but at the end of the week left me really wondering if I was effectively using my life over here. I viewed those fellowship opportunities as valuable, but didn't think that I wanted to keep that up for very long. So over the weekend I had decided that I would really put forth an effort to figure things out, both by my own initiative and also in my re-focusing on where God was leading. So, like I said, the floodgates opened right when I had personally come to the point of seeking that out. Nice timing, huh?
So my time out here in Korea has been challenging, for sure, but has also been a time that I have really enjoyed life, and learned about patience, faith, and contentment. Not bad for just a few months.


[This is the only Starbucks in the country that spells out the name using Hongul (Korean)... one of the cool places I've been able to see since I've had some time to prowl around the city.]

1.) Seasons

When fall begins to show its face in late summer, you recognize the signs by the color of the trees, the crisp bite in the air, and the lingering dampness that the sun used to evaporate away in the heat of the day. None of those things alone are enough to make you stop and say, "wow, the season has really changed," but, when combined, it's impossible to miss the imminent change ahead. A lot of the time, life is exactly the same.



I have been in Korea for exactly eight months (as of yesterday). I have worked a job, gotten involved in a church, met tons of friends, and lived a life worth envying... at least I'd like to think so. However, none of those things have been captured by my blog, which you may or may not have noticed. However, just as the aggregate signs around point to a changing of the seasons, the past month or so has seen its fair share of changes, which have added together to mark a pretty drastic change in my life. So, though I am still in Korea and have no strong intention of packing up and flying home in the near future, the things I have experienced have led me to start putting into words what life is like for me over here, and document some of the remarkable things that have happened and are still happening around me.
Just like the shape of the landscape, the size of the trees, and the scope of the surrounding civilization do not change terribly much when fall conquers summer but rather show a different perspective of the reality of the dynamics of a particular environment, so my life still resembles itself from a year ago, only it can now be seen from a different perspective.