Happy Birthday Dave!!!

Jung Kyung's eye-catching creation for Dave's big 3-0 (click to enlarge)

Today's Dave's 30th Birthday.

Hope you had a great one, Dave.

Enjoy the pictures!

Local business opening

Hmmm, what's that sound? The daily announcements broadcast to the village or apartment? Nope, a local business opening up.

Here in Korea, businesses open with a bang. They hire attractive girls to dance outside and use a loud speaker to announce their opening to the world. At least it seems that way since this pic was taken using the max zoom (12x) on my camera and I could hear them clearly - up 9 floors, through 2 panes of glass, in our living room.

They're dressed for the weather obviously, but the girls in the summer are usually scantily clad in short skirts and revealing tops. They can also be found in Wal-mart pushing food samples. (I'm not complaining, just observing.)

Businesses seem to come and go as frequently as I change my underwear, which is at least once a week. So these events are very frequent. They're also a fan of those freaky air-filled tubes which resemble Jack Skellington from The Nightmare Before Christmas.

P.S. Those arcade games on the right can be quite fun after a few bottles of soju.

Craig??

Don't you think he now looks like Morgan Spurlock, the guy from Supersize me?

Before and After

Sunday is Dave's 30th birthday! He mentioned that he'd like it (find it funny) if I shaved my beard like this...well I did - temporarily - as a gift. Happy Birthday Dave!

Note: he also got a bottle of Jameson Whiskey :)

It's Not Snowing

Within 2 hours, the sun came out melted all the snow and now we're back to fall-like weather, walking outside with an open jacket. Not that I'm complaining.

It's Snowing

Ilsan's first official snowfall since we've been here....

...good thing they have their umbrellas(?).... (click to enlarge)

Sexy Boy

Gabe's Brown kindergarten class is always an interesting bunch when I have them for science. Today we were making turtle bodies and heads. The science kits give these vocabulary cards with pictures so the kids can learn the new words. This is the picture they used to explain "body". A headless, legless, armless man, with a, uhh, well defined chest. Of course all the boys laughed and all the girls screamed and wouldn't touch the card when I first gave them out. But soon, the girls started looking at it more and starting yelling "Sexy Boy". I asked one of the girls where they learned the word 'sexy'. I should have known - it was Gabe. I can't wait to get complaints from the parents that I give the kids "sexy boy" cards.


"Sexy boy" (click to enlarge)

Puzzle

1000 pieces to go... (click to enlarge)

Ann sent me a puzzle for Christmas. Craig has no faith in me finishing it. I will prove him wrong. :)

January Birthdays

Ellie, Craig, and Princeton Class (click to enlarge)

Update

Up early on a Saturday morning since all the staff at Swaton has to go to a workshop this morning in Seoul. This workshop was kind of thrown on us last minute, so none of us are too pleased.

Blaine's been working at a school down the road from us for a few months now. He returned to Korea, but not to Swaton, after a short stay in Saskatchewan. He came to Swaton to visit yesterday and asked Dave, Craig and I if we wanted to go out after work. When we went out, Blaine told us that he was given his two week notice from his school; they were letting him go. I guess with the sudden drop in the number of students enrolled, they had to let someone go. They told Blaine that he never "fit in" and were going to terminate the contract. So we helped him forget about it, temporarily, with a little galbi and a lot of Soju; which leaves me with a Soju headache now, which is never good for a half-day workshop. I have a sneaking suspicion that someone will be let go at Swaton as well; if not, we'd have 7 teachers for only 17-19 kindergartens. I would love to say that we'd have pretty easy schedules in March, but I don't think we'll be that lucky.

Been going to the gym with Craig for the last couple of months. Started running again, been feeling a lot better, haven't been sick for (knock on wood) 2 months now. Signed up for a half-marathon in March. Would love to go into the marathon, but considering I haven't run more than a 10k in a race, I don't want to embarrass myself. :)

Toying with the idea of going with Craig on the Trans-Siberian Railway trip after we finish our contracts. At first, I never considered going, even when Craig mentioned he wanted to. I wanted to travel/work in Australia for a bit before coming home. But, Craig bought a book on it, and I've started reading it a lot lately. I've become very interested in seeing the Great Wall, Lake Baikal, and St Petersburg. Matt went on it when he finished his contract and the pictures are pretty amazing.

Asbestos in Mackenzie Chown

I just received my weekly Brock Press email and lo-and-behold, the building I walked through daily for 3 years contains asbestos. Yeah for mesothelioma! I guess it's not a huge deal until they start ripping apart things which they just started doing.

Interestingly, "...Canada is the world's second leading producer of asbestos and has therefore paid for pro-asbestos propaganda by groups..." It seems Newfoundland is full of the stuff. Brock faculty are dragging their feet to come up with a policy; meanwhile some seminars are moving and at least one faculty member is handing out masks.

I find it unethical for Canada (and 30 other countries) to ban the substance, yet we can produce it and ship it off to less developed countries with no such protections in place.

GPS

So, I'm planning a trip on the Trans-Siberian railway for my eventual return to Canada and I was hoping to bring a GPS receiver along; it would let me track my position, tie my photos to those positions, help me get around, and maybe do some Geocaching. As it turns out, GPSs in Russia are kind of tricky. I discovered a post on a forum and when I did some searching, I found that "Foreigners have faced charges of espionage for possessing improperly certified GPS devices". The U.S. page cites penalties of 10-20 years in prison, yikes! Needless to say, I'm going to look more into what's required to legally carry a GPS on my trip.

Hey there

Mary has kindly invited me to her blog (beyond reading & commenting). So 안녕 (annyong - hello). I'll be posting now and then, about this, that, and the other thing. I might publish geeky things, but I'll try to keep them to a minimum, otherwise I'll be doing as Mary has been all along and post about korea, teaching, etc.

For those that weren't on my mass mailing list, I posted my initial Korean experience (Christmas email) at NetScene.org. There are some pics there too, but from now on all of my pics will be posted on flickr.

Grad Photos

Boston Graduating Class (click to enlarge)

Today we had our graduation photos taken with the kindergartens. There's 5 from Craig's Princeton, 10 from Gabe's Brown, and 7 from Dave's Boston classes graduating in February. We'll be getting the actual pictures in a month or so, but Craig brought his camera to take candids. (Side note: I'm not wearing heels, however, Gabe is. Seriously)

Found out today that there's going to be changes for the good (for us foreign teachers) with the kindergartens. There's 22 leaving in February and only 7 are replacing them in March. Which means we're going to have fewer classes with less people in them. Our hours will probably decrease, but since we're on a salary, the foreign teachers should be okay. It's due to the economic crisis going on in Korea now. And Swaton is one of the more expensive kindergarten programs. But it's not just Swaton suffering; all the other private schools in Ilsan are suffering. Should be interesting what will happen in the next couple of months.

A Famiry

Hey look! It's a Famiry! (click to enlarge)

Tsunami

Craig found an interesting article about the tsunami.

Saved By The Bell

Which "Saved By The Bell" Character Are You?

Completely unrelated to Korea, but Clara mentioned a Saved By the Bell quiz. I was A.C. Slater. I guess I 'love the chicks' and am a big fan of the acid-wash jeans. Take it; let me know if I'm not the only one who loves saying "Hey Preppy".

Sledding

(click to enlarge)

Today we took the kids sledding. There's no snow in Ilsan yet, but there's a place nearby where they make snow and set up a hill for kids to go sledding on. It was like we were kids again; finding the path with the most bumps, racing to the end. Dave, being from Arizona, had never been sledding before; by the end, I think I actually heard him say 'days like these makes me wish I was Canadian'.

Here's the pictures: mine / Craig.

Craig also took a mini video clip of the ride down. It's takes a minute or two to download, but you get to witness one of our races.

The Boys

(click to enlarge)

A First

Today I cleaned my first official throw up at Swaton. After lunch, Demi started jumping up and down, excited about science. Then suddenly - blah - all over the UPenn floor. I quickly got her and the floor cleaned up and had her sleeping on the sofa for the rest of the afternoon. I was very proud of myself: I only gagged once.

+ 1

Today, Mimi told me she's 7 weeks pregnant. I suspected it over the last couple of weeks - she's been eating an overabundance of chocolate and dok boki lately. It's only been 3 months since her wedding, but she wanted a family now. She told me sometimes she wishes she didn't have to raise her family in Korea. I agree but.... was surprised to hear her say it.

Outback

Craig, me, Jung Kyung, Dave (click to enlarge)

Lately, to beat the Sunday night blues, Craig, Dave and I started going out to a different restaurant every week for dinner and drinks. Tonight we invited Jung Kyung, a friend who lives in our apartment complex, and we all went to Outback Steakhouse, for a fine "Korean" meal. They took our picture and gave us each a copy. As you can see, Dave gave me a nice set of bunny ears. He was very proud of them, so I thought I'd mention it.

Been organizing my photos lately - I like this program from flickr.com, so I've started putting all my photos on there. I'll be updating them over the next few weeks, and I'll add them to the My Flickr Photos link on the right.

Thermometers, Fake Food, and Annie Hall

Here's a new one about Daniel: I (try and) teach science to the kindergartens in the morning. Before Christmas vacation, I was teaching about thermometers and showing my class what happens to them when it gets hotter or colder. The other 3 played with it for 2 minutes, then had enough, but not Daniel. He spent the whole 40 minutes trying to make it reach 40 degrees. I thought he forgot about the thermometer after coming back from vacation. But no. Now he runs up to me, grabs my hands, looks like he's thinking and yells "25 to 27 degrees". He's my personal thermometer now. And he now knows all the temperatures of the major cities (must memorize them off the tv). He's always telling me, "Shanghai: -1 to -14", "Seoul: -8 to -12". I don't need the weather channel anymore; I've got Daniel.

Been reading Clara's site, and it just so happens she was talking about fake food in Japan. It's everywhere here in Korea. They use it in place of a menu. I knew the idea came from Japan, but I didn't know the history behind it. Very interesting read.

Friday night, and I'm incredibly tired. We were back from Thailand for only half a day before we started teaching again, so I'm in desperate need of not moving for an evening or two now that it's the weekend. Apartment's to myself tonight, so I'm thinking Annie Hall. Watching neurotic Woody Allen makes my worrying seem so minute. Oh, an oldie but a goodie. I'm glad I brought it with me to Korea. La Di Da!

Links

It's a small world. Was randomly searching through blogs the other day and came across a blog by a fellow Stevensvillian. Clara and I had gone to school together since kindergarten and haven't seen each other since our RCBHS days; she reminded me that we even went to Girl Guides together (how I hated those blue tights). She's in Toronto now - I'll add her blog to my Links. These kind of finds just make my day.

I'm also adding Matt's page to my Links. He started his site when he began teaching in Korea; still keeps it up to date with his drawings. Recently posted pictures from his 2 month trek across China, Mongolia, and Russia. Amazing.

Back to work....

Getting back into the regular schedule, getting used to the cold again (thankfully it still hasn't snowed), and getting used to the fact that my tan will eventually fade. The elementary schools are now on their "summer vacation" (they have their 6 week break in the winter). Now Swaton's afternoon elementary classes are changing day to day. Many kids are taking breaks from their private schooling as well as their normal schooling, so my classes have decreased from an average of 7 kids to 2-3 kids or some of my classes are cancelled. Unfortunately, it won't be long before the new school year starts up again for the kids (in March) and we'll be overworked once again. I'll have to take advantage of these next couple months.

Kanchanaburi, Thailand

Erawan National Park, Kanchanaburi (click to enlarge)

Two hours west of Bangkok is Kanchanaburi, the city where the Death Railway Bridge is (Bridge on the River Kwai). When planning, we thought that's all the city had to offer for visitors, but soon discovered the parks, rivers, waterfalls, night markets, and animal camps/temples the province had to offer. We visited the bridge in the evening, then spent the whole next day trekking with an Italian couple and two Belgian guys through the parks, rivers, and at the elephant camp. It was my favourite day of the whole trip.

Kanchanaburi pictures: mine / Craig's

Bangkok, Thailand

By the Standing Buddha: being a typical tourist (click to enlarge)

Only spent a full day in Bangkok. Needed to see all the typical tourist attractions for at least one day. The temples and palaces were amazing; I was really awed by the Reclining Buddha - the size of it alone stunned me. It's not uncommon to try and be scammed into buying fake gems or fake Armani suits; we didn't go far in Bangkok before trying to be scammed. We caught on pretty quick, but I was amazed at the boundaries they pushed to try and make a few hundred bucks. Lost our Lonely Planet guide in the hotel, but was later saved by a man on the corner selling used Bangkok guides (we probably bought back our lost guide). Along with finding little hole-in-the-wall Thai restaurants with the most amazing food, it was a very interesting day in the city.

Bangkok pictures: mine / Craig's

Koh Samet, Thailand

Monks at sunrise (click to enlarge)

We knew we couldn't miss the infamous beaches in Thailand. First planned on going to Ko Phi Phi, like I said before, but we decided to go to less populated beaches. That's when we came across Koh Samet. It's a tiny island in the Gulf of Thailand, about 3 hours east of Bangkok. It's mostly populated with Thai vacationers, but it's starting to be discovered by foreigners. The beaches were beautiful, the food at the small restaurants were amazing, and it wasn't busy at all. It's very remote, which was exactly what I needed. I wanted to get away from all communication; just lay on the beach, read and relax. Unfortunately, that's when the Tsunami struck down south. We had only heard that it hit Sri Lanka. There was no knowledge on the island at the time how severe it was in Thailand as well. That's why I didn't respond sooner.

Here's my pictures and Craig's pictures of our 3 days in Koh Samet.

Happy New Year!

As I'm sure all of you know, the week I go to Thailand was the week of the horrific Tsunami. Luckily, we didn't go to Ko Phi Phi, which we were planning on going to when first booking this vacation. Ended up going to the beaches in Koh Samet, a remote island in the Gulf of Thailand, about 3 hours away from Bangkok.... hundreds of miles away from the Tsunami. Didn't realize how much destruction there was in the south until we got back to Bangkok on the 29th, checked the internet and saw all the news on TV. Over the next few days, we heard interesting stories from other travellers who either planned on going there, or went there and were forced to come back to the Bangkok area. We only stayed in Bangkok for a day and then headed west to the Kanchanaburi province to see the River Kwai and check out the national parks and rivers there. I had a wonderful vacation, but along with being lucky, there was a hidden sense of guilt that I had a good time when so much tragedy was happening in the same country. And even though I didn't want to come back to Korea and work, knowing that we came back safe and sound made returning a little bit easier.