What a day!

My day started off waking up in a tornado of blankets and a spinning head. The blinding light from outside forced me out of bed and down to my fridge for some water to nurse the pain brought on by the night before. I looked at my desk and found several Ultimate plays on a pad of paper, none of them made sense. I moseyed around my apartment eating what I could scrounge, had a shower, then watched an episode of the Wire.

I went outside to be greeted by a beautiful day and grabbed a coffee for the road. Still slightly hungover, I drank my coffee and listened to Jack Johnson's latest album and it made me want to just lay out on Gwangan for the rest of the day. But I had a doctor's appointment to deal with first.  I'm completely used to the routine now. Visit my doctor's office, get a ticket for an x-ray, take two x-rays, go back and have a consultation with my doctor. That last part was different today. The foreigner aid of the hospital was waiting for me when I came back to my doctor's office. Apparently my doctor had quit so I have a new doctor.

He was a younger, leaner guy with a semi-perm going on. There was something weird about his glasses that gave me the impression he wasn't a genuinely nice person. One of those strict, genius kind of doctors. He showed me the x-rays and explained to our go-between that everything was good. He didn't seem to address me at all but poked around my clavicle pretty thoroughly. Then he pitched a curveball: he thinks I should consider removing the plate in my collarbone. Obviously a million red flags went up in my head. He didn't say to do it immediately, it should be done after a year. Based off this elaborate diagram he drew me my bone can become weaker due to the plate on top of it. I asked to have all my medical files emailed (first attempt failed) to me so I can consult with my Canadian doctor about what's in best interest. I paid my bill and left the hospital, that was the last appointment apparently too.

It was such a nice day I decided to swing by my school and do a little bit of work. I found out I have two new co-teachers, not just one, so that's exciting. I still have my space cadet but I'm quite fine with that. I did some remodeling in my library and made a list of things I need to do before my first class.

I hadn't been in the library for a long time because it isn't heated and my computer is from the stone age. I tidied up and found wads of students' work from my after school class. It got me thinking how my Grade 3s are going into Grade 5 in March! Man, time flies.

I decided to continue enjoying the nice weather and had a lovely two hour walk home and grabbed some kimchi dumplings from the market for my dinner. It's beginning to feel like spring. Now it feels like my dad's going to touch down in Seoul in no time at all.

After my dinner I watched the Season 6 Finale of SOA because on that long walk I decided to challenge myself and wrap up the series a la Fan Fiction. So I've made my lists, drafted up a couple new characters, made some question and will continue to thread everything together.

Today was a great day and is leading into what's looking like a whirlwind of fun for the next week and a bit.

Farewell, Young Shik. You were hilarious.

Friday concluded the end of the school year.

With that came the traditional end of semester buffet dinner for the entire staff and a special goodbye to those retiring and transferring to different schools.

There was only one person retiring, Young Shik, and some teachers I didn't know were transferring. Young Shik was the guest of honour. After teaching for 43 years he's earned it. At every social event he was always one of the last people to leave. Tonight was no different, in fact I think he went balls deep with everything. I didn't stay long enough to see.

The ceremony was much livelier then the past two retirement ceremonies. The principal and Young Shik were really close and the principle took a famous Korean song and plugged in Young Shik's name and, I assume, teaching related things. Everyone, including me got up and sang the song for him as he danced up at the front with the secretary who was laughing to the point her eyes were watering. He was quite the dancer too.

THEN, out of the blue, one of his old co-workers came into the banquet hall dressed in traditional Korean garb. My co-teacher explained that she is a professional woodwind instrumentalist and wanted to play a song for Young Shik. In the beginning I was about to ask if the instrument was broken but eventually it warmed up and produced a sound that was borderline tolerable. Still, it was a very authentic experience. Before we ate food we sand the song one more time and I almost sang the whole thing.

Food was eaten. 6 or 7 plates worth of food, not just deep-fried junk and soooo much salmon sashimi you wouldn't even believe me if I told you. It tasted just like smoked salmon. In the end of it all I felt full but secretly saved room from all the delicious Noraebang (direct translation: Singing Room) snacks.

Slowly the teachers began to file out as the water bottles emptied and the remaining teachers rallied up a convoy to travel to the Noraebang we always frequent after the lovely Marina Buffet.

At the Noraebang we sang, danced and drank. Young Shik stole the show: dancing around like a sexy wisp of smoke, he was much more fluid and limber than I've ever been.  Probably from all that hiking, Hula-hooping, and binge drinking. A new rule was added to the Noraebang Experience: every time you scored 100 on a song you had to put a 10,000 won bill on the TV screen. I never found out what it was for, but I'd assume to cover the cost of all the beer we ordered. Somehow I managed to join the 100 club, I wasn't really excited about that. Whatever, that's the only time I neede to pull out my wallet. I still had a great time.

I took a  taxi home with a teacher who lives close to me and me talked about her students and how I wanted to be a homeroom teacher like her eventually. She understood the gist of it and paid for the cab, so now I owe her a coffee.

It was a really nice time. It's sad to think it will potentially be my last time in the Marina Buffet with all those lovely people who I'll do my best to remember. I'm happy I've had these experiences, memories, drinking traditions to carry with me for the rest of my life.                

A Korean Wedding

The Korean Wedding

Last Saturday I went to a Korean wedding. My friend's former co-teacher was tying the knot and myself and another mutual friend were invited to come. It was being held in the morning about an hour away from where I live in a conference center. I found out about a week before and told my co-teachers. They were excited and I asked them what to bring. They said money. That's easy. They asked what I'd bring to a wedding at home. I said home appliances... and then they just started listing all the housewares they knew in English. It was probably the most involved I've been in a conversation at lunch since my first day back from the hospital.

I really wanted to go to a wedding just to watch it unfold and hopefully see standard Korean groomsman etiquette but there were no groomsman or bridesmaids at this wedding. PS I'll be in a wedding on May 18 2014. So jacked! But yes, coming here to see a wedding was important to watch the process to avoid messing up the wedding I'm in. Stand still and don't talk, that's all I need to do from the looks of it.

When we got there we got in a line to pass on our wedding gift, a card and money. The people before us just handed over fistfuls of cash and the guy at the desk asked for their names, wrote it in the guest book, and stuffed the money into a standard envelope. There were middle-aged men standing against a wall and kids running around with action toys in their hands and ladies talking to laaaaadies. It felt the same as any other wedding except this time I wasn't some tag-along, I was personally invited. In typical Korean fashion there was no place to put your coat and I was stuck wearing a black overcoat over a navy blue suit. Being the only non-Koreans in sight we decided to stand and watch the wedding from afar. After the ceremony the photographers took over and had pictures with the bride's family, husband's family, extended family, and finally the friends. Since there were no other white people in the photo my friend and I decided to stay in the audience. The bride waved us up urgently I thought she would have popped a button on her dress. It was a really special experience to be in a wedding photo especially when you're 50% of the caucasian population.

I feel like this was different from other K-weddings I've heard about but maybe not:

- The groom sang a very loving song.
- Then the groom and MC did a goofy song and dance in front of the bride.
- They walk down the aisle and then kissed.
-  There was a row of seats that couldn't see the altar because of a pillar so they had mounted a screen off to the side filming the wedding. It was cool because you could see the bride and groom impatiently smiling at the minister. It really captured the excitement on their faces.

Some of the things I've heard from other Korean weddings that held true to my experience 

- Everyone can talk or walk around the entire process.
- From that first bullet you'd think it's a long service but they're usually half an hour or less.
- A smorgasbord of lights and effects.
- A friend is chosen by the bride and she's the one who gets the brides bouquet. There is no chaotic fight for it. I could imagine that being either very aggressive or an enormous debate while the flowers dirty themselves on the floor.

Food

Once the pictures were done, the bride, our friend's old co-teacher, asked us if we had our meal tickets. Obviously we didn't because we don't know any customs and the groom ended up getting them for us. I felt so guilty, it being his wedding day and all, but by the time we made it up stairs to the buffet seats were few and far between so we did some rearranging and got to sit with another set of foreigners. We gabbed about the bride and groom and how we've known them, then ate and ate and ate. Like most buffets in Korea there would delicious things, things I wouldn't touch with a ten-foot pole, pleasant surprises and unpleasant surprises. Korea has this urge to deep-fry things and when you don't know what the menu cards says, or its in Konglish there's a big risk-reward gap. The best personal discovery was Persimmon Punch which was basically liquid cinnamon. Yum. Full from salads, soups, meat, and an assortment of deep-fried studs, spuds, and duds I filled up just in time to see the bride and groom come in with their hanboks and wish them a happy healthy marriage.

(Insert Picture here)

*Also every Korean honeymoon is in Cancun and I always give the same advice my uncle gave me: "Dos cervesas por favor."      

Ullllltimmmate!!

AAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHH!!!

In case you can't tell I'm really excited, a little scared, but excited ROK-U is beginning yet another season. I will be playing for one of the four Busan teams!! The season is comprised of 16 games, most of ours are in Busan. Hopefully a team blog will be passed on to me since the current writer is leaving the team I am joining. EXCITEMENT, possibly!! Hopefully I can cap my anticipated swan song in this Korean Pro-Am ultimate league with a bang of some kind.

This season the teams have been divided into three divisions, we call them kingdoms, (with seven teams a piece). Unlike the NFL, and a lot like Game of Thrones, we protect our kingdoms and play all the other teams outside the kingdom until the Civil War Weekend teams play two games within their kingdoms. I hope these are loud, well-fought, spirited games. On paper all these Busan teams look very good and I hope someone in the Bu can take the tiger this year, as always.

After having received my signs from above that playing to win with unneeded grit ends with with a broken collarbone I will be a support-player. I don't intend on calling on myself to make the big play, just catch everything that I knowingly can, and make the smart play, not the one waving and hollering down-field against the wind. My other goal is to keep my cool and not to leave any games upset or angry. It shouldn't be a problem there are lots of calm and collected people to reach for on this roster. Parts of me loves how the league tabulates stats for honoring milestones and determining awards. Although there should be some other way to record stuff, like a beginning to end report card! That sounds like waaaay too much work though.

All in all, I'm excited for the new season which will more than likely be my last here in Korea. We won't discount that I can return another day but for now I'm leaning towards leaving come August. I plan to make the best of this experience as a whole on and off the field surrounded by teammates of new and old, and all the other friendly ulti-enthusiasts of Korea. I happily look forward to all the drinking, ultimate, drinking games, drinking ultimate games, and all the craziness that comes with the league and it's members.

Travelling by Train and Bus

01/23/2014

I misread the train map. I thought I would need to change trains at Daajeon to get to Osong to go down the west coast. There was no need to transfer. Instead of making a train to Mokpo at 11:40 which was ten minutes after my train arrived got to Osong. So I got to stay in the Osong station on the outskirts of Cheongju. The station reminded me a lot of the Thunder Bay Airport. Lots of glass, lustrous grey beams and built in the middle of nowhere. The station wasn't like most stations; there wasn't a subway line or bus terminal nearby, just a line of four taxis at the main entrance.

I stayed inside had some mediocre Korean food from the only restaurant in the station. When I wasn't eating I was reading GoT and have started pondering how applying a war-lens will affect the work. This could be an essay worth, dare I say, drafting. I spent the 3 hours reading in the empty solarium until I realized I'd be on the train for dinner. So I went back up to the restaurant and bought a some kimchi "stew." On the way to Mokpo I saw giant insects made of hay in the middle of a dirt farm.

I made it to Mokpo without a hitch and took a taxi to the bus station where I simply hopped on a bus to Haenam. In the black of night I couldn't see anything super amazing like giant bugs but there was a light over head so I just kept reading and double checking I hadn't lost any pertinent forms for my guarantor. I made it to the bus station where I met my buddy. We went to eat with some of the other foreigners in this small town. I must say, it was some of the best barbecue I've ever had! The meat was great and on the outside of the grill were little canals filled with melted cheese and scrambled egg. This has flipped K-BBQ on its head for me. Thanks Haenam's BBQ place! I don't know what it's called but I know how to find it; the town is pint-sized.

After dinner my buddy signed the forms and the back of the my photos, then turned on some great episodes of The Trailer Park Boys and we chilled out til the late hours of the night drinking soju and OJ.

01/24/2014

I left Haenam with everything I needed and got to the bus terminal several minutes after the Mokpo bus had left. I needed to hang around for another hour. This scared the shit out of me. Doing the math I would have an hour and fifteen minutes to get from the Haenam station to the Mokpo Train station in order to get my train. The bus driver drove like Schumacher of the early 2000's and the cab driver drove like a cab driver. When I was in the cab looking for the nooks and crannies in the morning traffic and eyeing the clock sweat was just pouring down my forehead. The road around the station was gridlocked. I hopped out of the cab and walked to the nearest set of lights. Standing there for thirty second felt like thirty minutes, looking at my watch every second didn't help the feeling. I had less than ten minutes before the train was off. I didn't want to couldn't miss this train. I got into the station. four people in line: this is manageable. Once again seconds turn into minutes. I'm tapping my fought a mile a minute for every urge to yell and scream "Hurry up you waste of space." Surely enough I'm at the front of the line. I show her my happy pass.
"One to Yongsan Station"
"Yongsan Seoul?"
"Nae"
"Pirstuh class"
"Whatever, bali juseyo [hurry please]"
She inserts the happy pass into the standard machine just like every other transaction on this trip. The ticket prints off. She looks at it and puts it under the table. The attendant starts typing again. What?? 3 minutes.Another ticket prints off she hands it to me I grab it before she has time to circle the time, location, and car number. I bolt up the stairs to the platform and hop into the first car I see and walk all the way to my seat as the train begins to roll.

I found my seat and contemplated for the longest time about getting a beer. I ended up not getting one and just closed my eyes smiling. Something I thought would be impossible less than 48 hours ago has been completed. The train ride went off without a hitch yet again and then I took the subway 4 stops up to city hall and walked into the embassy.
"Hi, I'd like to submit my passport application."
"Do you have an appointment?"

ARE YOU FUCKING KIDDING ME!!!???? I'VE BEEN HERE 2 OF THE PAST 4 DAYS INQUIRING ABOUT A PASSPORT RENEWAL AND YOU NEVER THOUGHT TO ASK ME WHY I HAVEN'T BOOKED AN APPOINTMENT ESPECIALLY SINCE I'M TRAVELING OUT OF THE COUNTRY IN 4 WEEKS.

 I guess a majority of things are impossible when you have service from some sort of slow-witted turd of a "concierge." I asked if I could book one today. Nope. What about Monday? Nope. Tuesday? I'll try. It managed to work out. Still I was incredibly upset. I was so angry I thought I was going to have an aneurysm, or jump through the glass and go Richard Harrow on everybody, but then I'd have to do even more paperwork -- and jail time. But I took the high road, I politely asked for a customer satisfaction form to illustrate the lack of service I had received and wiping all the nice things they did under the rug. Urge to kill fading, fading, gone. Still stewing in my own juices of rage I walked to the train home not looking forward to commuting 8 hours Tuesday for something that could have been entirely avoided if that  imbecile could put two and two together. I still don't feel better. Now, after my appointment, I'm nervously waiting for news to be delivered that my passport is on the way. I've called several times. Once the turd, mentioned above, disconnected my call, the next day I left a message sparking a painful game of phone-tag and because I don't have voice mail, it's super annoying.

Hopefully all works out. I want to see some beautiful isles, animals, and genuine people that aren't affiliated with any government body. Please cosmos let me have this. I've been a bucket of nerves these past three weeks, I could use a plane ride outta here.    

Down in Daegu + Review of Daegu Danim Backpackers

Down in Daegu

I went back down to Daegu after my stop at the embassy. Prior to this trip Daegu was just a run of the mill town with rain, DERP, and an adequate bar circuit. I planned on meeting someone later in the evening and had no idea how long it might last. My journal listed two hostels near the center of Daegu's subway system, Banwoldang. The first one I found was the Daegu Danim Backpackers. Since it was the middle of the week a wandering western boy was a sight for Suki and her co-workers' sore eyes. In the end I had a 6-person room all to myself.

The employees were really friendly and so were the other two guests in the other room. They invited me out for chicken spleen, a Daegu specialty, and I turned it down because of my other plans. But now I have a random trivia fact.

I had a nap and a shower before I went into the heart of the city to explore. First I went down into the maze-like underground mall above the subway system. The weirdest thing about this subway system was how there were over 20 exits but they'd be on the same side of the road just further down from the last one. I continued window shopping and wandered around the nearby department store. It wasn't as ritzy as the one in Gangnam but there were so many places to sit. I simply plopped down and continued my journey through Westeros while I waited for my fellow Canuck to get off of work.

Once I met up with her, we went to Dos Taco for dinner. It was good, but they wrap their tortilla around everything like its a bouquet. It was awkward to eat. We walked down to Thursday Party, I learned so things, walked her home, fell into a vortex leading to Awktropolis, then went back to DDB for a good night's sleep with a game plan for tomorrow.

Review: DDB 

I liked the open space and the general atmosphere of the place. It's off the main road but still really easy to find. If we only have 12 people going there for an Ultimate tourney I'd like to try and go there again. I can imagine the stairs might be a little difficult to climb after a few too many brewskis but the bed was better than the Kimchi Guesthouse. 

The staff was great and super helpful. They have a great stand of pamphlets for things in Daegu and Korea. One thing that looked really helpful is a book listing hostels in other major cities in Korea. Suki also gave me a number of a hostel in Gwangju that I never ended up using but she did have me set-up if I ever end up there. Suki and the other girl, whose name I didn't catch before she left to eat spleen, took really good care of the lounge area (much more Korean with floor pillows and low tables) and always seemed to be doing laundry. They made me welcome even when I strolled home at an unexpected hour. 

I don't think I have any complains apart from the water pressure in the shower but the water was still nice and hot. The bedding was crisp and clean too. I had a nice time there and the price was more than reasonable for the opportunity to shower, charge a phone, nap, have breakfast and midnight Singapore snacks.  

   

Homeward Bound... Early

01/21/2014

I have a confession.

Due to my negligence, indiscretions and impatience I have a damaged passport. This is as specific as I'll get: Shit just happens and it's not entirely my fault.

Anyways, I had read that there's a cool new E-Passport for us Canadians on the market that lasts ten years. This can potentially be the time clock for when I have to go back home and become an adult, because I'm not going through this ordeal ever again. I decided after visiting Sorae Village to stop off at the embassy which happened to be right by the Seoul Train Station. I walked up to the main desk and showed her my passport and asked if I needed a new one. Without batting an eye she said, "Yes" in that blunt as a shovel civil servant voice.

Now I need to fill out forms, find a fellow country (wo)men to be my guarantor and then return to Seoul ASAP. Thus, I'm going home on the first train to Busan and here I am.

This alters my route but the list of cities to visit remains the same (it didn't for long).

 Photos 01/22/2014

I went to E-Mart the night before to get my passport photos done. From the beginning I didn't feel I was doing the right thing. I got the right size at least and then I asked her to stamp the date and company info on the back. The photographer gave me those big popping eyes I had seen in Cafe O'Fete. Fuck. I rolled mine as she bee-lined it to the phone. Time to speak to the English Associate of E-Mart.

She was passable at best. My eyes got a serious workout. She didn't know what a stamp was either nor the action of stamping. WHAT WAS YOUR REWARD AS A STUDENT IN PUBLIC SCHOOL!!! Turns out there are no stamps for this kind of procedure. Wait, hold on, you're telling me the Wal-Mart of Korea doesn't have a certifiable passport photo process? The EA told me the photographer can just write the information down. Her writing took up the entire back of the photo. Why should I be surprised the nimrod told me to smile for my passport photo.

Once I returned to the embassy I presented the woman I talked to yesterday with the photos taken the night before. She took them to the backroom and claimed the photographer used an odd lighting making the photographs invalid. I hope people will happily accept straight-faced, wallet-size, autographed photos of your's truly for the next 10 birthdays/ Bar Mitzvahs on my calendar. Just kidding, I threw them out in a cyclone of rage. The woman behind the glass told me there was a studio across the road that'll know exactly what to do. They did, I walked out, but not before the man behind the lens gave me two of the sweetest tangerines I've ever eaten. The entire hour of good things made me feel so much better, I treated myself and bought A Clash of Kings to occupy myself on my way to Daegu for the night and the long road ahead to Haenam to my guarantor.  

Searching for Sorae Village

The guide book said to head straight out of exit 6 of the Express Bus Terminal Station. I walked straight out of the exit for ten minutes until I ran into this beautiful French paysage:

Walking back disappointed I saw a sign for Sorae Village. I needed to turn right out of the station. It was a sad "D'oh" kind of moment. As I was writing in Cafe O'Fete admiring some nice prints and drawings on their wall of art, I waited for my burnch: ordered at 10:22 was served at 10:40.

The coffee was bold and unfiltered. The salad dressing was Caesar mixed with balsamic and I didn't mind because I got my black olive fix. The Egg and Ham Sandwich wasn't held together very well spilling out with every bite. It was all very tasty but not worth $13. I stepped out of the cafe feeling satisfied and started to explore a little more.

At first glance it was clear the roads were narrower. Despite that the traffic was regulated unlike my school's area. I turned off the main road and started looking at the town houses. The area didn't feel very Korean, I don't know what France feels like so it could have been that, but I don't know. The homes where built with red brick up to and either three or four floors. The contours of most blocks were cement walls roughly seven feet high. I saw a couple French people along the other side of the main road or hand-talking with one hand and a phone in the other, but it was mostly Koreans in plain sight. I had this magical idea I'd meet a French baker with a quaint little shop in the middle of the place, then realized that the owner would sensibly hire Koreans to take Korean orders, I tried speaking French at Cafe O'Fete and the girl across the counter gawked at me with the biggest eyes I've seen on the peninsula. I tried at least and saw an area with a different vibe compared to the rest of my trip. 

There was a Paris Croissant which is a change from the usual Paris Baguette but then I saw the former in a train station later on my trip.  

An Evening in Gangnam

I walked out of the guesthouse at around quarter to six and found a beef soup place on route to the hub of everything in the area. The soup was scrumptious and for the first time I stated, "I have eaten well" in Korean after rehearsing several times before leaving my table.

I continued walking carefully over the snow and slush that was slowly turning into ice. I found the COEX center and walked in. There's a Kimchi Museum there but it was closed. Other than that it's just a huge conference center. Bust.

Spur of the moment I decided to cross over Bongeunsa. The temple area was completely deserted at night, all I could hear was the crunching of the snow under my feet. The experience was eerie but at the same time so beautiful with the snow. I plan on seeing more temples this way if the opportunity presents itself.

 

 

Next I hauled my snowy boots into the Hyundai Department Store for a browse. It was, to no surprise, exactly like every other department store in terms of layout. There were some differences; this store had GQ staples like Brooks Brothers, D&G, and Diesel as opposed to those bizarre Konglish ones at the one in Haeundae. Along with those name brands came the seven-digit price (sometimes eight) due to their universal appeal and quality patterns and design. Koreans are very fashionable and that comes as a blessing and a curse. Some Korean fashionistas are prone to embellish and add too much stuff to everything and pass it off as cool when really it an make you carsick. Example: shoes with leather cap and vamp with a Fair Isle patterned quarter? Bleeeeh.  

The department store was too expensive for my blood, thus, I didn't buy anything. I walked back a different way, map in hand, to see if I could see the Joseon Tombs. Once again closed since its 8:30 and very dark. The grounds did look very nice from the outside. I thought about checking it out the following day but I didn't want to pass up the idea of seeing old French people handle themselves in Korea.      

Review: The Kimchi Guesthouse in Gangnam

The entrance and building as a whole are really fancy-looking apart from the canvas hamper by the elevator. The lounge and eating area are modern with some metal patio tables thrown into the mix.

Sam was the only employee I saw during my stay that offered his services. He knew the area really well and speaks English with the best of them. He'll be the guy smiling when you walk in, he even takes you up to your room too.

I had no qualms with the size of my room, I found it cozy and the water in the shower heated up instantly. My mattress was lumpy and you could feel a couple of the springs. The desk area was fine. I had no idea how to work the cable box/ TV set, so I squashed the idea of falling asleep to late night Korean TV. Thanks to that though I've fallen back into my Wilbur Smith book.

In a pinch this was a really nice place and the breakfast was standard for a hostel. There were certain things I liked about it and other things I didn't. In the end, after a long day, a bed is a bed.

What you see walking in.

Open concept bathroom. Equipped with panda-themed TP holder.

View standing on the bed. 

How's the view out the window you ask? Like every view from a cheap hotel, motel, or loveshack in Korea it's 3 feet of space then cement.  

The Trek to the Kimchi Guesthouse

Let's start at the very Beginning

01/20/2014

I woke up at 7:30. I had a list of things to do before I high-tailed it to Seoul:
- Take out recycling/ garbage
- Do the dishes.
- Pay bills.
- Mend Winter coat.
- Pick up blister pads.
- Pack toiletries after using them
Nothing opened until 9 so I had a nice breakfast and ginger tea before I did the dishes. I brushed my teeth and packed it all into the side pocket of my gym bag. I put a pen in my pocket along with a small notebook because you never know when a good idea will strike. I dropped my recycling off and tossed my garbage bag into the dumpster. It rained the night before and I was banking I would see some snow in Seoul. I walked past my usual tailor who wasn't there, paid my bills at the bank and he still wasn't there when I circled back.  Thankfully there was one open a 5 minute walk away. I handed my coat off to a lovely lady, grabbed my blister pads for my new boots, picked up my coat and grabbed my gym bag at my apartment door. As my foot propped open the door I decided to go to the bathroom before I left. While taking my pants off I discovered a huge blue splotch on my leg. That's the first time a pen has ever exploded on me. I cleaned it up dismissing the hold-up as a random occurrence.

After a trip to Starbucks I picked my Happy Pass up at the ticket booth and grabbed the next train to Seoul. I caught up on some podcasts (Geeks and Beats and The Monday Morning Podcast - both great in their own way) and buried my nose in travel books, jotting down locations as I skimmed through while consulting my weathered map. Looking out the window, the lakes were starting to freeze over. In the end I decided I would be off to Gangnam a year and a half too late to do the dance. I found a guesthouse (see title) and plotted my route there, I perked up once I knew I had a place to stay. Coming in the sky was grey due to either the millions of cars or the clouds, it's tough to tell in a city pushing ten million. Sure enough, at the Grand Station in Seoul there were mounds of snow shoveled into neat little piles in the middle of the courtyard on route to the spiderweb subway system.

   
I got off at the wrong station. I was only off by one but I ducked into a cafe and mooched some Wi-Fi to figure out where I was going. By the time I got out the sky proved to be cloudy; it started to snow! Not these tiny little bits you would get in Busan but those big clunky flakes. They clung to my coat and didn't melt away. It felt like coming home. Now settled in my Guesthouse (it didn't take long) I was ready for dinner. I was feeling some soup and sides followed by some window shopping and stopping at the business building for a peek. At that moment I just wanted food to get rid of the gut rot brought on by my second coffee.

Back to School

We're back at school after a nice winter vacation. What do I and my co-teachers have planned you ask? Well the textbook is finished, there are no more tests, what should we do? Check out? Probably.

My Grade 6 and Grade 5 CTs gave me the heads up before the break that I'd be in charge of lesson planning for February. After a couple days of watching Modern Family and mentally shooting crumpled paper into a waste basket I came up with topical and cultural lessons to close out the year. We're going to talk about the Olympics, World Foods and Pasta, Black History Month and Valentines Day. Even though I can skate by the next two weeks (8 days now) with 2 lesson plans the idea of teaching the same lesson 16 times makes me cringe. So I have some back-pocket ideas to stave off my boredom once I conquer one lesson or get tired of it.

I'm excited about this opportunity to actually craft my own lessons that don't work off of the textbook. Even though it's not my best work I think the kids will enjoy it and be interested enough not to wander out of class. My Grade 6 CT fell asleep the last time I was in charge during my third class in Korea, I'm excited to see if it happens again. The Over/Under is 2. Regardless, the important thing remains that they're learning.

Homeroom teachers are all probably doing all their report cards and evaluations to wrap up their year. As a specialist teacher with zero marking obligations so I have zip on my plate. It takes me back to the days of June when I was a lad and the cool kids would bring in Star Wars and MIB (one girl always brought in Grease, I never liked her) to watch as our homeroom teacher worked away to the blasting lasers. Hopefully that can be me in August. I've been having dreams in BitStrips sparking my craving for some excitement and stimuli in this job. I have to make a list of goals and challenges for myself this up coming school year to become a more tech-savvy teacher. If only Internet Explorer could handle Prezi, even that would be a break. All in all I've learned a lot about teaching here and I'm sure I can learn more if given the opportunity to go outside the box.      

Philip Seymour Hoffman

Looking back at Philip Seymour Hoffman's portfolio of work on screen, he's probably one of my favorite actors all-time. I wish I watched more movies, that might start now. Since I haven't plunged into his entire filmography, every character he's portrayed has been on point. He should be getting life-time achievement awards now even it though should be decades from now.  Tragically, that's not the case and he'll be missed by many and treasured for his plethora of performances on the big screen.

I've always wanted to live in New York and now knowing that so many marquee names do Broadway and off-Broadway shows makes me want to get over there even more. Even if it's just a weekend/week/month/decade. Seeing Hoffman as Willy Lowman should have been on my bucket list.

The first film I think of when I hear Hoffman's name I always go back to Pirate Radio. I really just love the Count a devoted man, to music and everything their radio station stood for. The last man off the ship too. Personally it was first time I wrote in a beautiful green notebook that I brought over the Pacific. It started the pattern of reflecting on film and life, connecting it to other things, and having mini-revelations.

He's a standout actor and develops each of his characters's idiosyncrasies with great care. It's almost as if he's perfected the art based on his variety of villainous, apathetic, and eccentric characters. In Charlie Wilson's War he was great a very sloppy, laughable genius and he managed to steal some of the light off of Mr. Hanks. He's ties himself to great scripts in both film and theater which is, to me, a sign of a true actor.

He was a great actor, his work has inspired a lot of people. He was very low key and never seemed to be in the news outside of his premieres. From the outside looking in, he seemed to be very meticulous with his craft and his works. I wish I could say more but nothing seems right coming from me, the moderate fan. He was currently shooting the final two(!?) parts of Mockingjay and a LeCarre adaptation A Most Wanted Man. Hopefully everything is wrapped up there in his scenes because we've all seen what happens when someone leaves the set early. Let's be real here, he's one in seven billion. My deepest condolences to his family and friends.      

Adults vs Children in Soccer

Back-blogging like a boss today! Get ready for bazillions of blogs in the next 24-48 hours coming straight at you! The spur has finally kicked me in the side, that spur being zero classes on the first day of school and no planning what so ever for the next two weeks (thank you, five hours of productive desk-warming). It's great to be back in the grind!

So two Saturdays ago I went with a couple bros to throw around a disc and catch up on the excitement (or surplus of errands) of the past few weeks. We went to a school that apparently teaches "The Global Leaders of Tomorrow" and they've got some beautiful grounds to play on. The field is turf, that's expected in Korea, and one of the biggest I've seen with top-notch soccer nets. We played some horse and other games: great time, lots of laughs and daring bank shots. 

As the day progressed more kids started filling the field playing soccer. Restless from the hour or so of throwing we decided to play these tweeners in 3-v-3. No goalies. Full field. Needless to say, my lungs were heaving by the second goal (it might have even been the first). Two of the three had really good chip-shots and managed a majority of their goals in that fashion. However, we kept our composure and pulled out the first dubya of the day. A great thing about kids they are sticklers for knowing the score.  

One guy went off to see somebody or to his job, I don't remember, and then these two pint-sized children, I'd say they were six years old, invited us to play against them*. Full field. No goalies. This was much more of a wash. Two full strides and they were in the dust. Obviously, I didn't do this every time. They were both really good, one kid was decked out in his full uniform cleat to collar. The other spoke exceptional English. The pro-to-be even went for a slide tackle moving maybe half a foot in the process. Sewww adorable. The field started filling up and the English-speaking kid decided to go to penalty kicks. I didn't get a single one. 

Lastly, as the sun was setting, three kids, Grade 6 or 7, asked us to play with them as my buddy 'tended for them during their warm-up. They were smart; they made us the captains and we picked the teams through a couple rounds of rock-paper-scissors. I apparently picked the best player second round and he was a defensive and offensive phenom. It was convenient because I was tired from a long day. In the end the sun was gone and our stomachs were growling. Thankfully we had planned to dine at Infinite Chicken - yes INFINITE. It was a great way to recover from a glorious day of exercise.

*Korea is not like North America in a lot of ways. One of which is that looming threat of children being kidnapped when they go to play at the park. Here that isn't a big thing: kids above the age of 6 go to the park with their friends and nothing bad happens. In fact they happily invite strangers to play with them. This might change with the demographic as well, we were at the school designed for the leaders of tomorrow it might be sketchier in the rougher parts of town.