The Internet Ramblings of the QiRanger

Bosingak

One of the great things about being in Korea is that there’s always something new to see. Even if you’ve been somewhere before, there’s always a new angle on to be taken. Today was such the case. Most of the time when I go into Seoul, I take the bus into the main downtown area and then migrate to where I need to be. When I was reading the Lonely Planet guide one day, I saw an interesting walk that took you through some of the more historic areas of the city. I thought this would be a fantastic way to spend an afternoon and test some things out with my video camera.

The trip started about at Jonggak Station. Thankfully bus 5500 drops you off there, or else it would have been a 2 hour train ride. Just outside the station is an old temple. It’s in great shape and open to the public. Outside on the street surrounding the temple was a stage and about 50 people preparing for a protest. I’m not sure what was being said since everything was in Korean and there was no English printed on the signs except “STOP!” Whatever was preparing to take place, the police were out in full force to ensure a peaceful event.

Cheonggye Stream

The walk then had me switch gears and head down the street to Cheonggye Stream. This was bloody awesome. It’s something that I’ve never seen in Seoul and was quite pleased to stumble upon. It’s the result of a $313 million urban development effort and is stunning. The stream cuts through busy city and offers a tranquil escape. Furthermore, several historical markers are placed along the path that explain the history of Korea. I found it an amazing stroll. Many Koreans do as well, since very few foreigners were sighted. Stationed throughout the stream are waterfalls and fountains. In fact, under one of the overpasses was an art gallery. The prints there encompassed a wide variety of styles ranging from abstract to black and white to color pieces.

Shinsegae Fountain and Bank of Korea

The trip then took me into Seoul Plaza and ultimately to Namdaemun Gate. Once reaching the gate, I backtracked on the opposite side of the street. Since I have shopped in Namdaemun Market before and have seen the gate up and close, I opted to breeze by those locations and focus on some new icons of Seoul. To the left are possibly two of my favorite things from the trip: The Bank of Korea and a bronze statue and fountain in front of Shinsegae Department Store. The Bank building was designed during the Japanese occupation in 1911 and has been used since as the headquarters for Korea’s financial district. The fountain and statue was equally impressive. The level of detail amazed me, since I have seen bronze work like that since I’ve been to Korea. The top of the fountain is fitted with lights rather than cascading water, so at night, it must look majestic.

The rest of the trek took me through various marks and to the base of Namsan Mountain. A very nice way to spend the day. Pictures can be found here of the trek.

So we had some drama at work… and I knew it was coming. to be honest, I’ve been thinking of walking away from this job for a while. Each day I’d pray to God and ask for guidance. I always got the answer that it wasn’t the time and that I was needed to there for something. I now understand why.

The teacher that left last week came back today for one extra, unpaid day of work. The owners told him that they weren’t going to give him the full fare value of his ticket and that he probably wouldn’t be paid what he was owed a week ago today, his last day in Korea and that they would pay him next week… after he was back in Canada.

I brought it up in a staff meeting that it was unacceptable and that if he didn’t get paid today, I’d quit. The other teachers had my back. So they were looking at losing their entire teaching staff over this.

In the process, he got his money (well, what they told him he’d get), but they also lied their asses off saying that they always pay their bills on time and that they’ve never paid a teacher late. A bold face lie. This weekend I will be deciding if December 26th will be my last day working at this so-called institution.

Burn baby... Burn.

Things are really bad. Seriously bad. I’ve only been involved with one organization that was as shady as this one and I’m happy to say that my tenure with that group was short lived. As much as I enjoy working in Korea and interacting with the kids and culture, I’m not sure I can continue working for an organization that has no ethics or plan. I am very proud of what I have achieved in the past due to my education and really detest that my name is associated with this school.

It really bothers me that they promote me as a Masters Graduate when promoting the school to get students, only to not care about the educational process once they collect the parents’ money. Here’s the latest fiasco…

First, we have no new textbooks for students advancing levels or coming into the school. The reason? The school hasn’t paid their past bills to the distributor. The result is that we have no idea when we’ll get new textbooks, but the school is still promising to have everything ready for the children.

A related topic to this is that the school refuses to purchase Teacher’s Editions of the texts. They instead insist on illegally copying the manuals. They haven’t paid the print house for this either. The result is that we don’t have enough Teacher’s Editions to teach classes and the printer is withholding the original manuals they’ve been using for printing until they get paid. Therefore, teachers can’t make lesson plans or use them to teach.

In another bone-head move, the school pulled a student out of one of my 1.3 classes because she was 10 years old and the other students in the class were 8 and 9. This is due to the age-related cultural issues here in Korea. A 10 year-old student would normally be at level 2.1. This student was also the slowest in the class, not even being able to speak in a complete sentence. Their solution was to put her in a class by herself. While this in and of itself isn’t a problem, what is that they have her coming at off times. Meaning that the school will never be able to add other students to that time slot. So rather than losing 1 student and gaining 8 more, they’ve sacrificed everything for 1 student. All they had to do is shift her new class back 45 minutes, and the problem would have been avoided. The new classes would fit within the establish course blocks… but they don’t see the issue.

Then there’s the issue of telling a teacher last night that the lease is up on her apartment and she has to move into a new place this weekend.

Thankful

It’s odd to think that today it is Thanksgiving. Well, at least here in Korea, it is the fourth Thursday in November. Since this is an American holiday, there is really nothing special going on here today to celebrate the event. I’ll discuss it briefly with my children, but for the most part the day will go by much the same as the others.

That being said, I am thankful for a great many things… the life and experiences I’ve had, the people in my life, and the places were I will get to go in the future. Over the years, I’ve focused more on these aspects of life and have found that they make all the difference. I am truly thankful for them.

But on a more materialistic note, I am also thankful for a new feature on YouTube. I know it sounds geekly, but one of my greatest pet peeves about the site has that it always limited your features to a 640×480 box. If you shot a video in widescreen, it was letter box and shrunk to fit the allotted space. Well, YT finally arrived with times and altered their player to support video that is 960×540. This now means that when a video is shot in a 16:9 ratio, it appears full-sized. I ran a few tests and can’t wait to shoot a travel video with weekend in HD and post it.

Really now???

Are you gay?

Do you have cancer?

Can I have your babies?

Believe it or not, these are all questions that I have received in my inbox at one time or another. They are usually framed in some sort of larger context, but for the most part they stick out like a sore thumb when I read the message. I’m not sure why I get them, but they come with a fair amount of regularity. While I certainly do not owe any answers, I thought I’d address them here in an attempt to reduce the burden on mailbox.

Are you gay?

Does it really matter? Why does anyone’s sexuality truly matter in passing conversation. That’s something that is usually reserved for closer friends. But to put a direct answer to the question, I am not gay.

I do have many gay friends and I want to be more involved in the Gay Community. This is because of my religious background and the feeling that the Church has done much in the past to ostracize the Community and I’d like to attempt to rebuild some bridges and open dialog in a loving way. I am a fervent supporter of civil rights, but at the same time I really don’t take myself too seriously… maybe that’s why people think I’m gay. Or maybe it’s the ABBA.

Do you have cancer?

This is another question I really don’t understand. I know I’m bald and that I’ve shed some weight recently, but if I did have cancer, why would I disclose it on the Internet? For the record, I do not have cancer or any other illnesses. I’ve been shaving my head consistently since 2002 and off and on since 1996. It’s nothing new. The reason I lost so much weight recently is do to the fact that in Korea, meals are proportioned smaller and I walk a lot. It’s a good 20 minutes to school, not to mention up and down the stairs, trips to the market, and the running I try to get in week days. Then there’s the sight seeing I try to get done on the weekend. Eating three smaller meals a day and walking/running close to 6 miles (10km) a day tends to make one lose weight. When I left the states I was coming off of 6 months of being immobile from an injury and I weighed about 210 pounds (95kg). Since coming to Korea I weigh about 190 pounds (86kg).

Can I have your babies?

I didn’t realize I had any to give. That being said, I am in a relationship with a wonderful woman that, while we are separated by distance at the moment, we have managed to solidify our relationship and grow closer.

Look where I went Saturday!!!!!

While it may look a lot like Disneyland, I am sorry to say that I did manage to stay in Korea. This is the outdoor adventure arena portion of Lotte World. According to Wikipedia, “Lotte Group consists of over 50 business units employing 38,000 people engaged in such diverse industries as candy manufacturing, beverages, hotels, fast food, retail, financial services, heavy chemicals, electronics, IT, construction, publishing, and entertainment. Lotte has major operations in Japan where its head office is located, South Korea, China, the Philippines, Thailand, Indonesia, Vietnam, India, USA, and Russia and continues to expand. Today, Lotte is the largest candy / chewing gum manufacturer in both Japan and South Korea, and is South Korea’s 5th largest conglomerate.”

Indoors

I really don’t have a hard believing the entry, as you see Lotte everywhere. But as fun and enticing as the outdoor area is, our rag-tag group of teachers were not there to ride the rides. Nor were we there to go ice skating or eat at many of the fun restaurants locate beneath the main floor. But before I disclose what we were there for, let me just say, that I was quite impressed with the way everything came together. After going to Disneyland/world for so many years, I’ve grown accustomed to the way that they do things. While Lotte World does make an effort to match Disney in many ways, there are many welcomed changes to the way they decorate and offerings they have for patrons.

These additional items of things to do include a full-scale multiplex, bowling alley, full-sized ice rink (including areas for artistic skating and speed skating), and the unique addition of a shooting range.

Let me say that again… shooting range.

This is what brought us to Lotte World today. The opportunity to shoot some firearms. Only one of the teachers had been there before and it was his last weekend in Korea, so we decided to take him out for one last party. This was stop number one.

Lotte World Shooting Range

The range is located deep below the entrance to Lotte World and is quite cheap. Shooting on the range is W20,000 to W30,000 for 10 rounds of ammunition. While the other teachers opted for the cheaper .38 and 9mm handguns, I immediately saw something that caught my eye… the .45.

It has probably been a good 20 years since I last shot a fire arm, but I will confess, that I was quite good with a .22 rifle. Shooting a hand gun is a bit different and I wasn’t sure what to expect, but I was definitely game. The first thing I noticed was how light the weapon fealt. It surprised me. The range marshal gave me some quick instructions and had me squeeze off a practice shot without any ammunition loaded. Then it was time for the real thing.

Being used to shooting rifles, I put the pistol sights where I would if I was shooting the .22 and found that I greatly over compensated. I was high and to the right, but still managing to keep it in the 7 point scoring range. The kick from the gun was also more than I expected and was so violent that it threw off the safety chains attached to the gun (to ensure that someone doesn’t do anything crazy). Ready to go again, I took aim… I was a little bit low and to the left… but in the 9 point range. I dialed it in and blew away the bull’s eye. Overall I had a good grouping and walked away with a score of 87, the best of our shooting group.

We then proceeded to the arcade for a round of driving games and a battle on Dance Dance Revolution, or as it is called here in Korea, Pump. It was not pretty.

Hit the Tables Baby!

Then it was time for stop number two… the Coex Mall. Not to go shopping, but for more gaming! That’s right, it was Casino time! This is a casino like non other I have been in. Meaning that you must show ID to enter the premises, because Koreans are no allowed to gamble in their own country. There were a wide variety of table games… well that’s a lie. Half the tables were black jack and the other half were baccarat. A few of the tables were set aside for variations of 3 card poker, but that was it. Oh, and they had two roulette tables. The cheapest black jack table was W5,000, which is what most people wanted to play, but there were only 6 seats. Some of the players were also playing two hands. In Vegas, if there’s waiting, they usually don’t let you play two hands. I guess that act of kindness hasn’t made its way to Korea yet.

I’m a Pai Gow Poker or Craps man, so my game wasn’t present, so I opted to play some video poker. In an instant my W10,000 was gone. I switched machines and popped in another W10,000 bill… and hit a full house. The payout was W50,000. I decided to take it as an omen and walk away at that point since I really didn’t want to gamble. I opted to head to the bar and enjoy my free drink.

After a couple of hours there, it was time to head out to our dinner reservation at Carne Station.

Carne Station

I’ve mentioned Korean Barbecue before… and this is the ultimate Korean Barbecue experience. For W25,000 you arrive at your reserved time and can eat all you want for 2 hours. But it doesn’t stop there. It’s also all-you-can drink. This includes beer, wine, soju, whiskey, tequila, rum, etc. For what you’d spend in an hour for mixed drinks at a bar, you can drink yourself stupid (and many do), but at the same time have available to you a wide selection of meats, pastas, breads, and seafood. There’s even soft serve ice cream. The meat was fantastic and we certainly ate our fill.

All in all, it was a great evening!

I hope you’re having a great day as well.

Cheers!

Your presenter

For years I’ve always enjoyed the news and reporting on it. But as media has taken away from the hard hitting facts and replaced it sound bites, I have drifted away. One of the things that I have really enjoyed these past few months is teaching the Newspaper Class here at school. It allows me to search the news for interesting stories and discuss them with the students.

Unlike the other Honors students, mine are bright and have a firm grasp at what is really taking place in the world and are really intrigued by what I present them. They are not, however, intrigued at the enormous amounts of vocabulary I present to them each day.

But probably the most fun I have is working with them to produce their own news casts. Three times we’ve recorded episodes and each time they get more and more used to speaking in front of the camera. On the last occasion, I introduced them to a new concept – travel and lifestyle reporting. I did this because I have an idea.

One of the video projects I’ve been wanting to do for a while is report on the street side food vendors. But holding a camera, talking to the vendor, describing the food, and making it look good just didn’t seem to work. So I’m going to kill two birds with one stone. The next Honors video project will be that report. We’ll spend a week researching the food we’re going to describe, write the copy, and then film it on a Friday. I’ll splice things together over the weekend and present this project to the world (as well as their parents).

I already know two of the three foods we’ll be using… I’m getting hungry just thinking about it.

Also known as -8C

After spending so much time in the Phoenix area (aka the Valley of the Sun), I got used to the heat. In fact, this past summer, I recall an afternoon where I sat under the porch of my house in the full shade and saw the temperature crest at 109F [43C] (and that was in the shade!). I promptly took my digital thermometer out side and placed it in direct sunlight. I pulled it out after 15 minutes when it hit 135F [57C].

Now that I’m back in a place that actually has all four seasons, I’m obsessed with watching the temperature drop.

Five Months Later

It seems like yesterday that I walked off the gantry and was processed through the Republic of Korea’s (ROK) Immigration line. A lot has changed, but more has remained the same. I came here looking for a new adventure and the opportunity to explore a new culture. I found both. While the challenges at work are enough to make you want to pull your hair out, I genuinely enjoy the teaching experience and have received answers as to what I want to do next in life. But before I get to some of my comments, let’s get to some questions I’ve received about my tenure over here.

JeffSon proposes the following question: Is it true that every part of the world you go to would be improved by 500% if you removed all of the people from it? I don’t know if that’s an accurate statement. I certainly think that some areas can be improved greatly by removing a large population. With the ROK being so condensed, you’re always bumping into people. Some fail to realize that nearly 50% of the country’s population live in the two major city areas.

SloeBombFizz wants to know: Are the kangaroos there dangerous? There are kangaroos here?

nurse asks: How is it different from here?…..I don’t mean the scenery…..the people….their ways of living… For the most part things across the ocean are similar. People live and work together like anywhere else. I’ve commented before on the built-in class system that stems from the ROK’s Confucianism history. That takes a little getting used to. In addition, because the job market is so tight, Koreans are willing to do anything to keep a job. No matter the hours or the pay, they will be loyal to the company, because they need the job and another one may be very hard to come by. Also, many Koreans really have no intention of ever leaving their homeland. They simply do not have any desire to see the world. Many Koreans are very friendly, taking foreigners under their wings and showing them around, buying them dinner, etc. It’s a great way to meet people. However, some Koreans really do not like foreigners and we are tolerated at best. They see us being here for one purpose only: teaching English. They would like us to stick to the schools and not go out in public. This can be seen in many aspects of society such as clubs that do not allow foreigners in at all or in the grocery market by school that does not sell food to foreigners.

Raptor_Alpha wants to know: What is one thing that you miss from home? (besides the obvious family/friend answer) I really don’t know. There’s nothing really that different about being here. Probably the one thing that I do miss is being able to go to the doctor without an interpreter. Good pizza and Mexican food are a close second.

What is one thing that you are surprised that you DO NOT miss? Well, I wasn’t all that drawn or tied into too many things back in the States. So I guess I am surprised that I don’t miss anything from back home and quite relish the thought of never returning.

If you didn’t have to teach….would you want to come back to Korea? If so, would you revisit the areas you have been OR would you venture to places that you haven’t? I don’t know if I would want to come back to this area. There is a lot to see and do in Korea and while I’m based near Seoul, I’m trying to see as much as I can. So if I would ever come back, I’d want to see another area.

Is there anyone over there that you would want to remain in contact with? I have met some great people here. A couple of great Koreans and look forward to remaining friends with them via the interwebs.

RBuffordTJ asks, What is your favorite thing to eat there? Do they have any drinks you have come to love as much as your coffee? Somehow I you’d pick out the food question. I really do like Korean Barbecue. The way the meat is seasoned and that you get to cook it for yourself is fantastic. As for a beverage… While I do like soju, nothing will ever take the place of coffee!

Heather asks, What is one of the most significant life lessons you have learned in your time in Korea? Without a doubt that when I rely on faith, everything comes out well. When there is a stressful situation or I am in need of guidance, having that conversation with the Lord and listening to His wisdom makes all the difference. That being said, I can also attest that all one really needs is life is a suitcase or two packed with clothes, a camera, and a laptop to have a great adventure. Pick a destination and go.

241Deal asks How do you prepare for class? That’s a hard one to answer, as so many classes can be different. In short, I just take a look at the lesson and see what is needed to meet the objectives. Sometimes its quite easy and other times it isn’t. I will say that when I first started teaching here, it took me about an hour to prepare. Now I can get ready in about 10 minutes because I’m so familiar with the materials.

thizizliz asks quite a bit about the children… Do they resent the pressure that is put on them? Or is that just life as they know it? Are these kids of upper income parents? Or do even middle and lower classes find a way to teach their kids English? I’m not sure what the income level of the parents are. Tuition at my school is about $300 per month (12 90-minutes lessons). Some of the kids hate learning English, as they see no benefit of doing so. These are the children that are either from very wealthy families that will never have to work in their lives or from ones that are not driven to learn. Those that are driven to learn are exceptional. If they don’t want to learn, then they resent being in class and their work-ethic shows that feeling. No matter the reason, the children accept their schedule. It’s just how life is.

PhrostCope asks Would/will you do it again? If so, would you do it in Korea again or elsewhere? Without a doubt. I love teaching and my next career certainly falls within that spectrum. Whould I choose Korea if I wanted to teach EFL again? I don’t know. It’s nothing against Korea, but more along the lines that I would want to experience a new culture. If I were to teach in Korea again, I’d choose another part of the country. After being in the Seoul area for a year, I’d want to try somewhere else.

Mountain Temple

13thDimension wonders…
what is the strangest thing you’ve seen? I really haven’t seen anything all that odd here. Maybe it’s because I’m used to traveling around and have been in Asia before. I do think it’s odd here that when you purchase an item in bulk it doesn’t save you any money.

what is the most beautiful thing you have seen? The mountain temples are stunning.

what is the worst thing you have seen? I haven’t seen it, and I don’t plan to do so, but I imagine the beating of the dogs for meat is right up there.

WTF?

and what, if anything, has made you stop in your tracks (physically or mentally)? Nothing as of yet… although the boutique “Make Yourself Fucking Lovely” made me take a second look.

BrotherBearAZ asks So, How did you like the food? I love it!!!!!!!!

talismania wonders I’m curious if you’ve ever run into the Korean programming culture at all. For example, the game starcraft is rather big there, with two tv channels (OGN and MBC) having it on regularly. Just wondering what your thoughts were on this phenomenon. I have seen it and many of my students are obsessed with Starcraft. I don’t get it. I don’t get WoW either. But I really don’t get how playing Starcraft makes for great television. They way the commentators really get into things is amazing. But then again, this is a country that broadcasts games of Go.

PrincessDiana161 shares and asks I remember when I came to the US I found it extremely hard to figure out how 1 word could have to meaning. Like “she read a book” then the word “red”… i was so lost LOL… My students have similar problems too. Reading a passage and coming across read, wind, and lives will usually throw them for a loop until they get the context of the passage.

soulofbass says I really love teaching, i would like to know the worst experience and best experience you had teaching… Simply seeing the kids “get it” is amazing. I have this one pair of students and they were a bit slow on the uptake. We were discussing nouns and it was time for a test. The exam was to put the noun I mentioned into one of the four categories on their papers. To seem them get excited and shout out the answer while writing it down was fantastic. It really moved me. As far as the worst experience, I have to say that is dealing with management at the school They really have no clue what it means to learn. They are too busy chasing the all mighty Won and really aren’t thinking what makes the most sense from an educational perspective.

jacob7207 wonders Have you ever come across a student who was of mixed ethnicity in Korea? Yes I have. Chinese-Korean.

IAGuy06 asks Are there condom machines in the public bathrooms there? Nope. Not a one that I’ve seen.

Gimbap Roll

Sabrnig inquires What is “American food” like in Korea, what is your favorite Korean treat? American food tastes pretty much the same, but is three times more expensive (except for the fast food places). My favorite treat is a nice little gimbab triangle you can pick up in a corner store. Although for dinner, I’ll sometimes have one or two of the larger rolls (see right).

What is the weather like, and is there more cool technology/tech-y toys? Weather is very similar to states in the west. Summer temperatures will approach 100F (38C), while the dead of winter will dip to 14F (-10C) for overnight lows. In January, the wind kicks in… and I hear that’s pretty bad.

thepotter asks What part of Korean culture whether it be traditions, technology, or social structure, would you like to see applied in the United States? I’d like to see the telecommunication infrastructure that the ROK has applied to the US and other countries. They are light years ahead of the US in that area.

GrahamAndFriends wonders I want to know about Korean food! Without a doubt, Korean fried chicken is the best in the world. I mean it.

OhCurt asks the all important question… Do they love ABBA as much as they should? Oh yes they do…

The Video

November the 11th is Pepero Day here in Korea. It’s a fun little holiday that makes the kids crazy in search of these little sweets. The Wikipedia entry:

Pepero Day is an observance in South Korea similar to Valentine’s Day or Sweetest Day. It is named after the Korean snack Pepero and held on November 11, since the date “11/11″ resembles five sticks of Pepero. The holiday is observed mostly by young people and couples, who exchange Pepero sticks, other candies, and romantic gifts.

According to one story, Pepero Day was started in 1994 by students at a girls’ middle school in Busan, where they exchanged Pepero sticks as gifts to wish one another to grow “as tall and slender as a Pepero” (Pepero means “thin like a stick”). However, it is more likely it was initiated by Lotte, the company which produces Pepero.