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.                      

Kimbap Recipe: A College Try

For the record this was done a while ago, and poorly. I'm hoping to get my vacation blogs up by the middle of the week or possibly tomorrow on my billionth train ride to Seoul. 

Anyways, I really like wraps and the Korean version of a wrap is kimbab (김밥). At first glance it looks like sushi and justifiably so since it's rice (bab) and other things (NOT raw fish) wrapped in seaweed (kim). Typical fillers include spam, (artificial) crab, these brown stick things, thinly sliced vegetables, pickled things and egg. Not knowing what some of these lip-curling fillers are made me want to try and make my own. I started by making a 춤치 김밥 (Tuna Kimbab). If you live in Korea it's really easy to find all of these ingredients and pretty cost effective too. On the Western side of the world somethings might be a little tougher to find especially considering kimbab is "exclusive" to Korea. 

     

Behold my ingredients and supplies: (clockwise from the left) match stick carrots, yellow pickled stuff, stick things (not used), plastic wrap, all beef salami, tuna mix, and kim. Rice, pickles and lettuce not pictured. 

The all-beef salami comes in a loaf (it happened to be on sale) so I just cut it up length wise. The tuna mix has a little bit of mayo, pepper and Sriracha sauce in it for a little bit of a kick. Before putting the tuna into the kimbab I was advised to wrap in something so the rice doesn't get soggy. Here's how my first on looked before I rolled it up.  

*It's important not to cover the kim entirely with rice. You'll need so use an edible/tasty adhesive to hold the roll together. Sesame oil or water are both good choices. 

I made this after dinner and stored them in saran for my lunch the following day.  

This one has a pickle in the wrap too. Yes, a homemade pickle.

My desk-warming snack the following day accompanied by yet another narrow Leafs win.

Cooking has always been a really adventurous interest of mine ever since I started watching the food network. Travelling to another country with a completely different diet is really awesome and I hope to try more variations of kimbab and also other neat and original takes on Korean recipes.

Bon apetit!

Through the Eyes of the Waygook: Korean Pizza

I know. I've already written about pizza having some weird ingredients and cooking processes in certain Korean eateries. However, it has come to my attention that there is a food that my co-teachers refer to as "Korean Pizza." I give you cheesy pajeon! Also known as cheesy kimchi pajeon and the best drunk food on the peninsula (unless those Northerners have some well-kept secret).

Pajeon looks like an omelette and just as delicious maybe more if they added bacon. In the flat flour-based savory pancake you'll find green onions, other vegetables kicking around, and obviously cheese. It's fried in a skillet, the crispy outsides are the best. Also though there's the soft, warm, gooey, cheesy middle which is a close second. Some have enough of a kick that you have to let it sit on your tongue and embrace this gift from the heavens.

It goes best with Makgeolli (막걸리) and because this is Korea it's dirt cheap in a restaurant. With winter coming and comfort foods and oven-warmed kitchens in high demand I'm going to try my hand at some Korean dishes this being one of them. I've done this with Kimbab (김밥) and now I can only eat my kimbab because I hate certain veggies and roots(?) that I find inside something that I'm coining as the Korea's Burrito.

Blog to be made. Possibly weekend event. Roadhouse.

Anyways eat (or dream about eating) some glorious cheesy pajeon. Settling and eating regular cheese is also a very acceptable alternative.  

Korean Kids: Unlikely Duo

Still in the thick of camp and enjoying my time teaching children. Co-teaching is a different story but that goes without saying. Anyways there are two kids I've always liked as students and as individuals.

Mr. Tae Young is in Grade 5 and he's a really goofy and creative kid. He is the definition of a class clown. He's a gangly kid with thin black hair and thick-rimmed glasses. He's always willing to participate in camp and class. Like all Upper Elementary boys, he thinks girls are crazy. Throughout the year he always gets his class laughing by ridiculing the other boys in his class which warrants a couple shots in the arm for the comedian. Whenever we do an activity he always puts a clean and creative spin on it making marking his work a pleasure. He's very well-behaved but he's leaps and bounds above the curriculum so he has some fun with it and I'll endorse whatever keeps him interested. 

Im Young is in Grade 3 and he's very soft spoken. He always has a question to ask me, I always have to lean towards him to hear it, and they always intrigue me. My first encounter with him was on his class' trip to the library and one moron thought he could climb a bookshelf. The bookshelf slipped out from underneath this neanderthal with books tumbling all over he floor. I'll admit I yelled at him for climbing the bookshelf. Im Young told me to "Relax," It caught me off guard and I almost started laughing until I saw the pile of books on the floor. Im Young is built like a house with broad shoulders (for an 8 year-old) and has a very serious demeanor. With his fair skin and thick hair I couldn't imagine he's Tae Young's younger brother!

Im Young was reading the attendance list from last week on my desk and plainly stated that Tae Young was his brother. It does make sense. They have the same last name and Young in their name first name. But seriously, they look and act in two completely separate ways.  I want to meet their parents so badly. I'm wagering one is a monotone game show host and the other is some wacky philosopher or vice versa and each one has a parent to invent something hilarious or ponder the meaning of life in their study. Both are great kids I expect they have amazing parents. Need a roommate?   

House of Epic Sandwiches 2

I really like food and I like it when kids build the most obscene and hilarious sandwiches ever. So I implemented a lesson from summer camp that I posted about and here it is: a collection of sandwiches. See if you can tell which works are done by boys and which ones were drawn by girls. Or which students were hungry.

The Monster Sandwich: Daring to mix mustard and peanut butter with onions in between: hop on the flavour express.

The All Sandwich: The two main ingredients are meat and crap. Don't worry, I'm sure he meant crab. 

The All Sandwich: Another copy cat, with no cats inside.

This is the nice sandwich. It has a whale in it. The whale is the size of a steak. Enjoy pooping that out. 

Cheese & Mushroom: It's the Whopper of Grade 4 Winter camp restaurant.

The Love Sandwich: I'd be down to eat this if the cheese wasn't as blue it was a tenth of the price. Some people are in it just for the money.

Delicious Sandwich: Need I say more?

The Good Sandwich: Steak and Spam. Together at last.

The Show Sandwich: More olives than you know what to do with.

The Burger Sandwich: A big'ol burger with a tiny'ol umbrella.

Egg-Love-Bacon Sandwich: I've always dreamed about eggs and bacon getting it on. This excites me a lot.