March 2009
11 posts
Presents!
The last day and a half has been a veritable windfall of gifts from one source or another. It isn’t uncommon to have a small token of appreciation bestowed upon me from a student. Something to drink, maybe a piece of candy here and there; I’ve come to expect this from time to time. However, in the last 36 hours I’ve been utterly spoiled. here’s a look at some of my...
Adventures In Street Food #9; The Chinatown...
Last weekend I went to Chinatown in Incheon with Sean and his girlfriend Sia. Being this close to China, I assumed we’d be visiting the mother of all Chinatowns. One that would put the rest of them to shame. The only shame in the matter was that this place is referred to as Chinatown. It was one small street, lined mostly with restaurants and people selling crappy souvenirs. But we ate...
Denied
I heard back from the Beer Bank today. My loan was denied. They said their share of the bail-out money was insufficient to cover such a high risk borrower. Times are so tight the economy is now messing with my beer. A bunch of horse shit if you ask me.
In Korea a good way to loosen the times, so to speak, is to pick up private lessons. They’re very lucrative, but also highly illegal...
St. Paddy's Day in Seoul
Last week I got a message form my friend Nick asking if I wanted to go to a St. Patrick’s Day parade in Heywha on Saturday. Done and done, I responded. I wasn’t sure what to expect, or if most Korean’s had a clue what happens on March 17th, but I figured whatever the outcome, it would prove interesting.
Myself, Jared and Jordan met up with Nick and his girlfriend Shannon...
Booger'd Up
I just sat through one of my morning classes where I watched a student aggressively pick his nose for close to 50 minutes. Bear in mind, this is not an eight year old second grader, but a grown adult well into his 20’s. John walked in a bit late, sat down and dug right in. It was almost as though he waited to arrive in class and somehow that setting is the only forum in which he can...
New Classes
I met all my new students yesterday. Sometimes I am sad to see a particular group go, but with the exception of one free talk class, I was looking forward to seeing what the new group might bring. Though we’re only one class in, things look positive.
There’s a French guy in one of them. That alone threw me for a loop, but having adjusted the way I listen to allow for a Korean...
Tyred
The new session of classes started today and just as I thought would happen, I didn’t get me new schedule until 10 o’clock last night. My worst fears came true and I have to start teaching at 6:30 in the morning. For the last two weeks I’ve only been teaching night classes, so I had returned to my habit of staying up until around 7am and then sleeping until 4. Realizing I...
Halfway Home
As of the last day or two I have been in Seoul for six months. Half of this journey is now behind me. I’m on the back-nine, so to speak. I haven’t got the creative energy to make any sort of grand observations or insights into all that’s happened so far. Should I muster up said creative energy, I’ll save it for a few months from now or even some time after I return home...