Less than a Week to Go...

Well my 2 year working vacation to Korea is coming to a close and I am flying home March 1st.

I've already packed one suitcase and half way packed my second one. I am not sure what my plans are when I return home but one of the first orders of business will be to get my British Passport and I'll next be exploring Europe. I have some irons in the fire with some interesting teaching options in Switzerland and England so we'll see what pans out.

This post is more of a dedication to the friends I've met in Korea.

Lee (the Crazy White Umbrella Brit) and Karen (The directionally challenged American) met fell in love and married in the span of 5 months who decided to become my adoptive parents. Hey can I have a car for my 35th birthday guys? Anyway, they skipped out on Korea and moved to New Jersey - for awhile anyway.


Lee is on the left his wife - well I should not have to point her out. My friend Victor the Chinese Australian who grew up in Singapore (yeah sure he's probably a secret agent) and who I try to get to speak in Aussie tongues is probably going to call Korea his home. Yeah Victor if I come back to Korea I'll take you up on the job despite those terrible split shifts.

Next is Angela - I met her in my building (well Starbucks next door) in Ilsan when I worked for Kids College. We have those deep intellectual conversations at 2am about life, love, politics and religion. I am her husband of sorts - long story - no we didn't really marry but her offer is on the table if I can get her an EU visa.


Here is Jessica and Adam - they're from Nova Scotia and came to C.I.S 6 months ago. Great couple really sweet. Adam's a writer/teacher/trouble finder like Lee. The picture isn't great - I have since bought a Nikon - sorry Lee but Nikon is better - hahaha. The little cocker spaniel is Tintiny which means healthy and strong apparently.


Here's a picture after a night out in the Nori-bong - which are private singing rooms. On the right is Colin and over by Lee on the right is his wife Melanie. They're off in Japan having more adventures. My audiophile friend Dave is second on the left. Have you made it back to Korea yet with those new Korea entry requirements? Crazy new rules since that pedophile have made it very tough to work in Korea. You now need police checks two drug tests and an interview with the Korean consulate in Canada. Dave and I toured all the audiophile technology departments of Yongsan. And we both love Sarah McLachlan - sorry I outed you Dave but if an ex-bouncer can admit he likes Sarah then so can I.

And then there's Tom. Tom came to Kids College and we have been good friends since, often going hashing together. I don't have a picture - must be on one of my hard drives that I already packed. Anyway, Tom is responsible for giving me the greatest book I've read so far - "Confederacy of Dunces" and it has renewed my interest in reading for pleasure. He's the Mcgiver man - he can turn white board pens into hose connectors for fish tanks all with a pocketknife. Look after my fish for me - though to be honest they're probably better of with you. And if I come back I'm staying with you - 3 bedrooms, two balconies, and a real BATHTUB. It's been a long time since I have seen a bathtub. Showering over the toilet is something I definitely won't miss.

And to my current coworkers - I am pleased to have known you and perhaps we'll meet again.

Now it's time to close on Korea and perhaps open a new blog on the next chapter, wherever it will be.

My Time in Korea is Coming to an End

Well I have decided that it's time to end my time in Korea and I shall be returning to B.C. March 1st. I've met lots of great people and some I wouldn't piss on if they caught on fire, but that's life. Korea as I've said is an interesting country with a very different culture. I enjoyed my time here but I want a new challenge especially in my field of education. I am exploring several options abroad and in different parts of Canada but I will take a few months to relax. I hope I see all of you before I set out on my next journey.

I may have one more farewell Korea pictures update before I leave.

A Visit to Seoul Grand Park

I should have posted this sooner as we went last month but I've been busy with extra work. Seoul Grand Park is an impressive place with a massive zoo, amusement park, gardens, and an IT world. We only had time for the zoo.

This is the largest zoo that I can recall going to. The zoo is at the far end of the park so you take a ski lift to get there. The ski lift day pass is $11.00 and the zoo itself is $3.00. Truly amazing price for the animals on display. Apparently another zoo in Korea is even better called Everland. Everland is a Safari kind of zoo.

Anyway, I went with some new teachers from school and we spent most of the day.


This is the ski lift area.

Jessica and Adam in the lift or is it called a car ahead of us.

The amusement park in the distance.

This is part of the gardens. The place was just too big to cover all the parts of the park.

I selected the wrong photo but it takes too long to fix so here is a picture of a baby hippo. He or She is under water.

Pictures of animals will follow - umm if I remember. Don't worry I have them all on my computer and both my hard drives -- when I get back to Canada I'll have em all to bore you all with.

A Visit to Building 63

Building 63 aptly named by having 63 floors is the tallest building in Korea and naturally I have to go up it.

I went with some new teachers from work and we spent the day at Building 63 which also houses an aquarium and IMAX theater. We saw a film largely set in Northern Canada about the caribou. They gave us some headsets to convert into English.

Here are some photos of the day.

This is a picture of Building 63 - it actually has real gold in the construction.



This is a picture from the top overlooking Seoul and the Han River.



Another picture from the top to give an idea how high we are.



This a picture of our our little tuxedo friends in the aquarium.


Well that's all for now - next update will be soon as we went to a massive zoo.

Best regards,

Richard

A new update finally...

Had some trouble with the blog but I managed to find the fix. Well it's been damn hot - well I should say humid these last couple of months and is finally returning to a non-instant sweat atmosphere. 18 months in now and we're soon approaching Chusok (Korean Thanksgiving) which gives us a three day vacation later in September. I am liking the co-workers of my new school a lot more. Generally more professional and easy going and less of the cliques. Still it's a long teaching day going from 9:50 - 6:00 and to 7:00 three days a week. Kindergarten Kids can take it out of you - sometimes I feel like Arnold in that movie...they really can take a big man down. :)

We have had a few new teachers come and they are very nice. I think the best experience for me has been to meet such good people over here. My new British friend Lee met and married an American girl here after just 5 months - for his pseudo honeymoon he invited me over to the Hyatt Regency overlooking Seoul - he had the best room in the country's best hotel. Wow what a room and a view. My first time sharing a bottle of vintage Dom Perignon.



Just a kooky thing you see walking around Seoul - yes they really drive these around!


Field Trip - Thomas the Train was in a large shopping mall convention room and the kids in my class got the chance to ride Thomas. They had fun. I got to try out my new Nikon DSLR-- still learning.



This is an older picture of a field trip from a few months ago. This is the 1910 Rolls Royce Silver Ghost taken at the Samsung Car Museum. I have piles of pictures including the car in Back to the Future and Herbie the Love Bug and Kit from Knight Rider.

Anyway - not much for now - I've been working a lot and a side job to try and pay for an extra vacation.

Back From Japan...

Well what an experience. I suppose that I had a certain notion of Asia before I left Canada. I figured Asia would be made up of countries that were more or less the same in the same way that U.S. States or Canadian provinces are the same. Sure there would be some differences but a similar feel.


Well I have only been to three Asian countries now and all three are wildly different. The Philippines is generally poor but the people are friendly and everyone speaks English quite well. The Spanish and American influence is very strong. Korea, as I have mentioned before, seems to be built on a 1950's American conservatism. The people here work hard - too hard in my opinion. The boss is the boss in Korea and your job is seemingly kept on his or her whim. People here work well beyond the 8 hour day. I would say 12-14 hours is common.


Living in Ilsan, a suburb of Seoul, the environment was more relaxed. Downtown Seoul is busy. On the subway it is not uncommon to be sardined into the cars and pushed from behind into people in front of you. The train jerks to a stop and you need not worry about keeping your balance because you are so tightly packed that the sway of people are as one. Seoul is a massive metropolis and generally dirtier than Ilsan. Drunken Koreans stream the subways as early as 7pm and a word to the wise - make sure you look down a lot to avoid stepping in some one's ex-main course.


Japan - Fukuoka. A work visa in Korea lasts one year so my school was forced to send me to a nearby country to get a new one year work visa. So they send me Wednesday night (8pm) by KTX train to Busan. A 3 hour train ride. This train travels at average speeds of 200kph. After a night in Busan I left on the Beetle hydrofoil to Fukuoka. This ferry is very fast with a jet engine on board and travels at 80kph (3 hour ride). If you have a weak stomach that would be a very very long three hours as it is dips and dives. Well seeing the seat belts made me groan before we even left.


Arriving in Japan and going through customs was the usual treat. I of course am picked out to be searched and padded down. I had piles of stuff in my coats so I suppose I don't blame them. Anyway, being forewarned that taxis cost about 10 times what they do in Korea I had to look up the buses(Taxis start at about $6.00 and for a $2.00 ride in Korea it would run $20.00+ in Japan). And what do you know, buses are very simple to use, all are in English and there is actually a map of their route -- this is something Korea must do something about. The buses and subways in Korea run $2.00 - $3.00 depending on distance - a lot less than I was expecting and typical of Vancouver fares).


Anyway, on to the Korean Consulate. The usual government bureaucracy of filling out the same information on several forms as if anyone really cared or even looks at them. But give over the passport and $60.00 bucks on Thursday and pick up the passport on Friday with the visa stamped. Sometimes I think it's a big scam to make a buck and keep the economy going.


But thank heaven for the scam because Japan is something else. Korea is a clean city compared to Manila but a veritable dive compared to Fukuoka. This city is absolutely spotless. The air is far cleaner and the grounds - well it is the cleanest city I have ever been to or lived in. Interesting to note that they drive on the other side of the road. If Korea is emulating North America then Japan - or at least Fukuoka - is emulating Europe. In Korea it seems as though they got a discount on building design. Whether you are in Ilsan, Seoul, or Busan you would never know where you were by looking at buildings because they are all the same. In Fukuoka this is entirely different. It is far easier to get your bearings because the city looks unique. Streets, buildings, shopping areas are separate entities. In Korea you will have 20 restaurants all right beside each other selling virtually the exact same menu. In Fukuoka it is far more like Vancouver with competition selling different menus to entice you.


Cars are different - not just the wheel being on the other side but a lot more electric cars and hybrids and different colours. You see all the colours of the rainbow -- light purple cars don;t look as bad as you would think. The other big difference is "no motorcycles on the sidewalks!" Yes the crazy motorcycles everywhere in Korea were completely absent in Fukuoka. Maybe there is a noise pollution ordinance or something but was I thankful. I suppose I just got used to the noise in Korea.


Now for the single men reading and or the single women who could be converted - never in my life have I seen such beautiful women. I am NOT kidding. I met a nice guy from Australia and hung out with him over the weekend and walking through the Tenjin subway/underground shopping mall we both decided that one could see the sites of Korea and never leave the underground. The eye candy, as it were, was about to make me a diabetic so we had to retreat above ground. Unfortunately, this offered us no solace as waves of dressed to the nines women on bicycles rode by us endlessly. Something curiously cute about women in high heels with the latest fashions riding 1960's bicycles everywhere. Yes you could say that falling for Fukuoka was inevitable for us single guys.


Generally, prices are about what they are in Vancouver. Some things of course are expensive but the $5.00 Coca Cola myth is just that. You pay about $1.00 but the can is smaller. I can say that if I do another year in Asia I will do everything in my power to make Japan my destination. You are not hounded in stores. In Korea you feel like you are in Future Shop all the time - only worse. The Japanese are very friendly but you need to ask for help - if you are looking at your map they will not offer you the help but will be very happy to help if you ask them - even though they don;t speak English - you would be surprised at how far hand gestures go.


My hotel room was small - and no English channels - but the room runs $50.00 a night and included a $10.00 all you can eat breakfast each day of your stay. That is also a lot cheaper than I would have expected out of Japan. Also - no one pushed or shoved on the trains - there was generally less people, more room, more open spaces, fresher air, more western niceties, more modern conveniences - Vancouver is behind in this regard. Anyway, Victor and I had a great time in Fukuoka. Oh and how about a night out -- $20.00 from 10pm-3am buys you your cover and all you can drink at the club downtown.


Anyway I am posting pictures below




My Australian friend Victor. We went to the Marine center and saw some spectacular sea creatures, a dolphin show and a tour of the countryside.

Fukuoka tower in the middle, main library on the left and City Museum on the right.

Another shot of the tower. This is the second largest tower in Japan and offered a wonderful view of the city and ocean.

Yours truly in the tower.



A view facing towards Canada. The pictures really don't do it justice.

Well that's all folks - until we meet again.

Another New Year Begins...

Well I started work for CIS (Canadian International School) on March 2nd. The new school had to put me up in a motel for three nights and I must say it was an interesting motel in a Red Light district. The motel room literally had a red light above the bed. A lot of tacky novelties - such as the main door into the motel having women's breasts you have to push to open, and a first for me - "a vibrator vending maching." Still it was inexpensive and clean. (Ahem the room - get your mind out of the gutter)

My new place is smaller as I expected. Accomodations in Seoul are very expensive. Studio flats can go for over 1/4 million dollars in some area and some 2 bedroom apartments 3/4 million. My place is clean and has a nice big queen bed, a half fridge and a washer (no dryer). I have two windows which is nice and my shower is above the toilet - so it is cramped in the washroom. Still it is not as bad as it sounds and you'd be surprised what you can get used to in this country.

My new school is much bigger and my classroom is more than double the size of my old one. I teach Kindergarten students from 10:00am to 12:00 and I get a 1 hour lunch. Then I teach from 1:00 to 2:00. At 2:00 the kids get a snack and they pack up to go home at 2:30. This school is organized by 1/2 hour sections with circle time from 10:00 to 10:30 every morning to get the kids into a routine. We talk about the date and weather and then sing some songs. The kids love B-I-N-G-O. Granted it's not the most exciting for this teacher but again it's fun to see them actually remember the words. Afte Circle Time I teach them printing practice, Math, science and phonics in various orders. We have P.E. once per week for half hour. Music for 1/2 hour a week (They go to a special music teacher so I get a prep block) and they get a one hour art class (also a prep block for me). Oh these kids are 5 years old. Some of them cried for the first week but now they seem not to be afraid of the Giant White man talking to them in some strange tongue.

At 2:30 I get a 1/2 hour break. Then I teach the 9-10 year olds. This class is called BC Grade 2 and used the British Columbia curriculum along with the performance standards. I teach these kids from 3pm until 6pm every day. I teach Reading, Vocabulary, Spelling, Conversation, P.E., Science, Math (English word problems mainly as the math itself is simple for them). There is a 10 minute break in the middle.

Man do these kids work hard. They went to their normal school all day and then come for a full load with me for 3 hours every day. I give them a fair bit of homework because it is impossible to cover all the material the school wants covered. Then on top of my homework the Korean Supervisor gives them a bunch of daily homework and weekend homework. Every three months they get a massive 30 page exam and they write the exam for 3 hours. After it is marked the parents come in and I am supposed to discuss the results with them.

One girl goes from 8am until 2 and then from 3 until 6 with me. Then she either has math or Piano from 7-10 and then does all her homework until 1:00am - 5 days a week. That's nuts but Korea is all about work.

I will be going to Japan in the next week or two. They will be sending me to Fukouka. They will send me on a Thursday and I will get my Visa processed. Then On Friday I pick it up. I will stay an extra 2 days on my on my dime and get a mini-vacation. Later in the year I plan to fly to Koh Samui in Thailand http://samui.sawadee.com/

Though I am entertaining the idea of going to Italy which may be significantly less money from Korea if the timing is right.

Oh and since I am staying here for another year - I bought myself a fish tank. A nice big tank with all the filters and lights. The whole set-up was under $100.00 and they have weird looking goldfish. It's nice to come home to something. When I come in the fish actually move to the front to see me. I didn't think fish could be this enjoyable.

Lastly, My new address: (Thankfully much smaller)

Kwanak-gu,
Bongchun - Sa Dong
914-5ho, 401ho
Seoul, South Korea
151-841

Phone Number is 02-886-2405

Hope all is well with you. Here are some pictures

My new classroom from the board to the entrance. My desk is a mess and it's only been a week.

My class from the entrance. Circle time is the green and blue mat. This school is still using chalk and chalk boards. I prefer the chalk - I find it easier than white boards to print clearly.

Sometimes I feel like Arnold Shwartzenegger in Kindergarten Cop. And some days I think "I have a tumor."

This is a neat building. Up close it looks like their is a massive cutout near the top which is angled in like a triangle. I hope to get a higher shot sometime. The Gangnam area where I work is Seoul's Wall Street. I have seena few Rolls Royce and Ferarri type cars going by.

This is a criss cross crosswalk. This I have not seen before and it is very close to my school. When the walk lights are on pedestrians can go in 6 directions. The motorcycles of course drive on the side walks in Korea. They are not allowed on the freeways. So if you buy a motorcycle you are only allowed to drive it in the city. All the Pizza chains and delivery restaurants have their own fleet of motorcycles. Luckily all the sidewalks in Korea are about the size of a full lane.