Finished my year in Bundang, back in the States and spent a few weeks hanging out with a friend in England. Eagerly awaiting... what might happen next... hopefully it will involve Seoul. Apparently this blog still gets visited by people and comes up on a google search for Gangneung stuff so... read up! If something halfway good happens and/or I get back into blogging you'll see.
Big people. Myspace! People speaking Spanish everywhere! Stuff bigger and cleaner than I remember it being. Crazy amounts of stuff for sale everywhere. Wow, America.
Monday, November 27, 2006
Monday, May 15, 2006
I did it my way.
I enjoy avoiding the rat race by living here. I guess I will have to face up to it some day. I mean, I still do work Monday through Friday but you get the point. There's a more intense rat race here I think but I feel disconnected from it.
Got to check out a temple or castle or something soon, just because the Korean tourism agency doesn't pump out tons of advertisements in English to the few thousand native English speakers out here doesn't mean the stuff isn't out there...
Happy Teacher's Day!(Korea) Happy Mother's Day!(USA)
I got some rockin flowers and some hand made soap among other stuff from the kids today. Soap smelled like lime. The little girl that gave it to me thought I didn't open the package it came in. She came up to me a little while after she gave it to me, took it from my hand, put it on the ground and opened it, laying the soap and all the little shiny packing stuff all over the ground and running away. Hey! At least they've learned the phrase "When you drop it, please pick it up." pretty quick.
Kids are kids anywhere of course. Every once in a while I catch myself, can't really believe I'm in another country tryin to teach these tiny kids English 5 hours a day 5 days a week when they should be out playin with their legos or shooting squirtguns at each other or something. They sure learn quick though. We have this yoga class, there was one point we were supposed to be "rolling like a ball", one kid takes it to try to roll like a boulder and bumps off everyone around him... He was testin my patience just a bit by this point and I half-kidding said, "June, please stop acting your age." I only said this to him once. Then about a week later he repeats it to me. He doesn't really know his ABCs and he's not one of my more diligent kids, but this is what he remembers... ah well.
Got to check out a temple or castle or something soon, just because the Korean tourism agency doesn't pump out tons of advertisements in English to the few thousand native English speakers out here doesn't mean the stuff isn't out there...
Happy Teacher's Day!(Korea) Happy Mother's Day!(USA)
I got some rockin flowers and some hand made soap among other stuff from the kids today. Soap smelled like lime. The little girl that gave it to me thought I didn't open the package it came in. She came up to me a little while after she gave it to me, took it from my hand, put it on the ground and opened it, laying the soap and all the little shiny packing stuff all over the ground and running away. Hey! At least they've learned the phrase "When you drop it, please pick it up." pretty quick.
Kids are kids anywhere of course. Every once in a while I catch myself, can't really believe I'm in another country tryin to teach these tiny kids English 5 hours a day 5 days a week when they should be out playin with their legos or shooting squirtguns at each other or something. They sure learn quick though. We have this yoga class, there was one point we were supposed to be "rolling like a ball", one kid takes it to try to roll like a boulder and bumps off everyone around him... He was testin my patience just a bit by this point and I half-kidding said, "June, please stop acting your age." I only said this to him once. Then about a week later he repeats it to me. He doesn't really know his ABCs and he's not one of my more diligent kids, but this is what he remembers... ah well.
Thursday, May 11, 2006
On the train of thought.
Usually if I just start writing... 4 more months on my current contract left and I'm no closer to figuring out what I'm doing in general. But at least I'm satisfied. The best parts of this, the whole continuing to live in Korea for my 18th month thing, is I still work less than 30 hours a week and I still live in a foreign country. Neat enough for me.
And it feels as much like home as any other place, in it's own special way. I guess like most things, if you get accustomed to it it just feels like a good fit. Instead of thinking of it as trying to find my place on this planet, I simply try to think that where ever I do wander to, that's where my place is.
And it feels as much like home as any other place, in it's own special way. I guess like most things, if you get accustomed to it it just feels like a good fit. Instead of thinking of it as trying to find my place on this planet, I simply try to think that where ever I do wander to, that's where my place is.
Thursday, February 02, 2006
Welcome to Dongmakgol.
Getting the first post down, even if it's not much, should help to get back into this. After all it's as much for me as it is for you. I'm still working around Seoul at the same kindergarten. Awfully easy to get used to life here and not have bigger aspirations. Bills are low, jobs are plentiful and decent, considering. Just like home only different.
My first 8 months here were much more fascinating but it's been 14 months total here and it's what I'm used to now. I've mentioned before, I've never had any experience being part of the American workforce and am a bit frightened by that prospect. Along with the rent and car payments that would come with living back home. I shouldn't feel this way I think but, if I went back home I'd sense the competition and pressure to "make something" of myself and make decent money. Here, it's extremely simple to just try to enjoy your life.
No plans for the future... I just teach 30 hours a week and try to enjoy my hobbies and hang out. I busted my knee playin basketball back in October and I'm hopin rehab will get it back to the way it was pre-injury. The more I do the less I think it will ever be normal again. But if that and a 2 minute graduation speech to the parent's of my kids are my biggest worries then life can't be too shabby.
Also I think I'm becoming the Lamar Odom of a foreigner trying to speak Korean. Some guy on espn.com wrote Odom was either the best bad player or worst good player in the NBA. You get the idea. Maybe. The tendency of Koreans to tell me I speak really well if I spit out a few broken sentences might have to do with this perception.
What can I say about living in this place? It's just life no matter where you live it. If I'll think up anything else that sounds cliche I'll get to posting them.
My first 8 months here were much more fascinating but it's been 14 months total here and it's what I'm used to now. I've mentioned before, I've never had any experience being part of the American workforce and am a bit frightened by that prospect. Along with the rent and car payments that would come with living back home. I shouldn't feel this way I think but, if I went back home I'd sense the competition and pressure to "make something" of myself and make decent money. Here, it's extremely simple to just try to enjoy your life.
No plans for the future... I just teach 30 hours a week and try to enjoy my hobbies and hang out. I busted my knee playin basketball back in October and I'm hopin rehab will get it back to the way it was pre-injury. The more I do the less I think it will ever be normal again. But if that and a 2 minute graduation speech to the parent's of my kids are my biggest worries then life can't be too shabby.
Also I think I'm becoming the Lamar Odom of a foreigner trying to speak Korean. Some guy on espn.com wrote Odom was either the best bad player or worst good player in the NBA. You get the idea. Maybe. The tendency of Koreans to tell me I speak really well if I spit out a few broken sentences might have to do with this perception.
What can I say about living in this place? It's just life no matter where you live it. If I'll think up anything else that sounds cliche I'll get to posting them.
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