Happy Birthday?

The way Koreans keep track of their age is so confusing.  Several Asian cultures actually adhere to East Asian age reckoning.  When you are born you are 1 year old.  On your birthday your age doesn't change.  Everyone's age changes on January 1st -- the new year.

This allows for some interesting situations.   The most extreme situation: Say you are born at 11:59pm on December 31st.  One minute later when it is January 1st you will be considered 2 years old.

I have to ask Koreans which year they were born to get a true sense of how old they are.

Then there is the whole Lunar calendar birthday thing, which is another can of worms.

So, happy birthday everyone???

No Chris this Christmas

Last Christmas was the first one I ever spent without my sister Lauren because she was in Seoul.  This year I join my sister in Seoul, and our parents have made the journey to celebrate with us.  My brother Chris did not join us.  It will be the first time in my life that I won't be with him on Christmas Day.  I am sorry for that.  But as a shout out to my bro, you should check out this short film that he wrote and acted in:

Charity from Alex Delia on Vimeo.

Step aside Google

When it comes to search engines, Google, with 66.8%* global market share, is king.  Yahoo ranks a distant second with 7.2%.  Baidu, which is China's #1 search engine, has 6.5% of the global market share (not surprising when a country with 1.3 billion people is hostile towards Google).

Like their neighbors on the other side of the Yellow Sea, South Koreans wouldn't say Google is their go to search engine either.  In fact, in January 2010 Google wasn't even the second most popular search engine.  Actually, wait, it wasn't the thirst most popular either!  The market share breakdown in South Korea looks a little bit like this:

Naver 77%, Daum 11%, Yahoo 5%, Google 2%**

South Korea isn't a communist-Google-hating country, yet Google can only muster a measly 2% of the market share!

The layout of Naver (pronounced Nay-bur) looks like Yahoo but with a lime green twist.  Daum (pronounced DAH-oom) is reminiscent of Yahoo also but with a hipper (eBay knock-off) logo.

I know Koreans swear by these 2 search engines, which can be seen advertised all over Seoul, but I just haven't had much experience with either of them.

I occasionally play games on Junior Naver to help teach myself Korean.  Daum has these really cool, touch screen kiosks at the subways that you can play around with while you are waiting for a train.

I haven't converted to either search engine yet, but I must say, the maps on both websites are far superior to those of Google.  Google Maps is one of the coolest resources on the web.  Street View blew my mind the first time I saw it, but the picture quality and additional features of Naver and Daum are just... wow.

Just check out my apartment building.  Go ahead and take a stroll around my neighborhood while you're at it.

Now, if you still aren't that impressed, how about a bird's eye view of my apartment?


*So the data I have is from 2009, but I don't think much has changed.
**See for yourself.

12 Days of Christmas

This is not a rip-off of my sister and brother-in-law's blog.  


I asked a first grade class to write their own lyrics for the song "Twelve Days of Christmas".  The students radiated with excitement at the thought of writing their own song.  I didn't think it would be too hard of an assignment, but one over-achiever in the class informed me that she spent 5 hours working on her song.  Here is her version sans all the verses and her spelling and grammar errors:

On the First Day of School

On the first day of School

My true love sent to me:

An apple in my heart,

Two dancing sands,

Three lovely teachers, 

(she told me that those teachers were Mr. Gilmore, Mr. Haws and Mrs. Haws)

Four little friends,

Five brown desks,

Six smiling books,

Seven lunch boxes,

Eight sparking windows,

Nine dreaming pencils,

Ten flying butterflies,

Eleven roses of Sharon,

And

Twelve good-bye bellssss.

I'm not sure why I decided to share this.  The little girl is just super cute.  She was really proud of her song yet too embarrassed to sing it along to the tune in front of the class, so old Mr. Gilmore gave his vocal cords a stretch with this new classic. 

Another Spelling Test

I shared one of my student's spelling test a couple of months ago.  This may be unethical and make me a horrible teacher, but I just can't resist sharing (I'm keeping them anonymous at least).  Here is another spelling test:

Rah-me-un: Delicious

When I first got out here I asked my students what their favorite food is.  Many said "rahmeun" or "lahmeun".  I thought to myself, "What the hell is lahmeun??"  They were, of course, saying ramen--as in ramen noodles.  Koreans of all ages love this American-college-student-staple.

No wonder Koreans love it so much; the ramen of Korea is considerably better than the 10 cent Chicken or Beef flavor with which you are familiar.  There are many more flavor options.  This ramen with "HOT TASTE" is one of my favorites:

You get more than just the standard flavor packet inside the package.  You stir in an additional packet of veggies.

The best thing that Koreans do to ramen, which I highly recommend trying, is to add an egg to the boiling water while the noodles are cooking.  This really enhances the meal.  I am shocked college students didn't try this earlier considering eggs are the next cheapest food after ramen.

It tasted as bad as it looks.

I think they are silkworms.  Old ladies always fry them in giant pans on the street.  People buy a cup full and eat them with toothpicks.  They smell awful.

Before I came to Korea, I told myself, "I will try everything at least once because it is okay to not like something if you've tried it, but it is not okay to not like something without trying it."  I ate octopus that was still moving and enjoyed it.  I always walk by these silkworms and gag a little, so I had low expectations for them.

The worst part was the texture.  The outside was hard, and when you crunch down on it an explosion of moist, chalky, dirt-tasting goop fills your mouth.

I hated it.  But, hey! Now I can say that I've tried it.

North Korea, you so crazy.

We all know its true.  Check out this link to see just how crazy they are.  Their attack on Yeonpyeong this week exemplified their craziness.  North Korea unleashed a barrage of artillery shells on the small island injuring many and killing 4.  The attack, which the North vows they won't hesitate to repeat, supposedly occurred because they were pissed that South Koreans were firing near the border during training.

I had never heard of the island, so I immediately Googled it the moment I heard about the attack.  It is relatively far from me, but I say 'relatively' because nothing is really that far away when you consider the whole country is about the size of Indiana.

This is pretty scary stuff, especially considering the nuclear plant that was unveiled earlier this month.  Recently, a Stanford professor, Siegfried Hecker, was taken on a tour of the new uranium enrichment plant in North Korea, which is for *cough* "nuclear power" *cough*

The basketball-loving dictator Kim Jong-Il is crazy and old.  Some people theorized that the attack had something to do with his son, Kim Jong Un, taking over for him soon.  When the first picture of Kim Jong Un since he was an adolescent was released this year, people thought that the baby-faced/plastic-surgery-faced 26 year old didn't look capable of leading the country.  Maybe this attack was to show that he is the real deal.  

Look out world

Halloween at BIS

Halloween is by far my least favorite holiday.  I don't like the idea of getting scared just because it is "fun".  I don't like the evil and darkness associated with the holiday.  It is just stupid, and I've never looked forward to Halloween.  

So, I was glad to hear that it is not a big deal in Korea.  Trick or Treating isn't allowed (which is unfortunate for the kids since they could go to one high rise apartment building and hit up 300 apartments).  

I was, however, excited when the Korean staff told us that class would be canceled so we could have a Halloween party.  Hooray Halloween!!! 

I'll admit I was really excited to see our cute little kids dress up.  We were encouraged to dress up and scare the students.  I've never been one for costumes, so I went as myself.... but with a mustache.  

Convincing kids that my jet black mustache that I "forgot to shave this morning" was real was surprisingly and satisfyingly easy. 

The most pissed off ghost you'll ever see

A dragon picking its nose

A witch? With yellow hair?

Thankful for Life

A year ago today I almost died.

Some friends and I went to see one of my favorite bands, Bishop Allen, in concert about 3 hours away from Hillsdale.  There were six of us packed like sardines into a friend's Ford Escape.  Buried under the seat, the seat belts in the backseat were determined unnecessary for the leisurely drive back to Hillsdale on Michigan's lonely roads.  It was very late.  We were exhausted.  I sat in the middle of the backseat trying to sit in the most comfortable way my disproportionately long legs would allow.  

I drifted asleep.

Suddenly, I felt my body aggressively tossed to one side.  I heard shouting.  I heard more shouting as I flew to the other side.  I felt the car roll.  I heard smashing glass and crushing metal.  My eyes were still sealed shut.  I had no idea where I was in the car, but by this moment I had opened my eyes and saw the ground in a position it shouldn't be when you look out the windshield.  I remember thinking, "Okay, I am going to die now."  Oddly, I was not afraid.  I just accepted that, yes, this is how I was going to die.  It was going to happen any moment.  What was it going to feel like?  Why hadn't it happened yet?  The car kept tumbling.  Finally, we skidded to a stop on its roof. 

Within thirty seconds we were all out of the car miraculously.  Per Hollywood, we dashed away from the upside-down remains of a vehicle that we surely thought would ignite into flames and explode.  I got on the phone with 911, and we were in an ambulance within 15 minutes.  

We had hit a deer, rolled and subsequently totalled the car, and were lucky to be alive.  We spent the night in the hospital and were thankful to only sustain minor injuries.   

All of us were sore for the next few days.  We were pretty shaken up.  It took us awhile to not feel anxious in a car.  But the accident strengthened the bond between all of us.  I am so glad to have these dear friends in my life.  And I am so thankful for life itself!  I wouldn't be here in the Orient if things turned out differently that night.

Everyone who was in the accident: Paige, Joel, Shawn, Britton, and Kaylyn

How could you not be happy to be alive when you hear this song?

       

Korea on Boozin'

Drinking is a different animal in Korea.  Koreans see drinking as a social event to bring together friends, family, and potential business clients.   It is completely socially acceptable to drink to the point of black out drunk all the time.  Drinking yourself silly is not shameful or dishonorable.

Especially for businessmen.   This is a direct contradiction to American business where the rule is to never order more than 2 drinks and don't finish your second!  But it is not out of the ordinary to see a Korean man in a suit stumbling and being held up by his buddy at 3pm on a Tuesday.

I've seen men in suits sleeping on the sidewalk at 10am.  I've jumped over a stream of puke coming from a guy sitting on some stairs.  If you don't believe me there is even a blog dedicated to pictures of people who are black out drunk in Korea.

Here are some of my favorite pictures from Black Out Korea:

You've Lost That Runnin' Feelin' Woah That Runnin' Feelin'

My Running Background

Running was my life in high school.  I was so passionate about running that I evaluated everything I did as to how it would affect me as a runner.  I was fortunate enough to be able to continue my running career at Hillsdale College, but my collegiate career was plagued with injuries, setbacks, and disappointments.  

I don't know whether it was my disdain for the Michigan climate or that I never adjusted to the different training, but sometime during my sophomore year I burned out.  Running just wasn't what it used to be for me.  I kept doing it because every once in awhile I would have a training run or a workout that reminded me of the success, talent and love I used to have.  

Running is too special to me to give it up forever, but after I graduated I went into "retirement".  I needed to take at least a year off of the strenuous training to clear my head of my discouraging collegiate career and let my body recuperate (aka get seriously out of shape). 

Running in Korea

Well, the running itch struck me here in Korea.  I heard about a running group called Seoul Flyers that is made up of mostly foreigners.  They inconveniently meet for runs while I am at work during the week and at 6am on the weekends (gross, I am so glad to be done with morning runs), however, they conveniently provide a very helpful service -- race sign up for people who can't speak Korean. 

I found an interesting 5K race and signed up for it.  It is pretty impossible to run living in the middle of the city.  It would be ridiculous to try to run in the packed streets or bustling sidewalks.  I'd have to take the subway or a bus to a park or the river if I wanted to get a decent run in but that would mean a sweaty and stinky ride back.  So, I resorted to something most true runners hate -- the treadmill.  I started running sparingly about two weeks before the race, so I wasn't expecting much.    

The race was quite an experience.  As the night approached, the rain began pouring.  Hundreds of Koreans in matching white, full body, hooded ponchos watched the pre-race entertainment or participated in games at the sponsors' booths.  It was quite chaotic.  As race time approached, I grew anxious.  I asked several people from the Seoul Flyers if they were going to warm up soon.  Warming up before a race doesn't seem like the thing to do in Korea.  That is, besides the group warm led by someone on stage consisting of everyone doing jumping jacks in their white ponchos in unison.  

I had a peaceful warm up by myself and then waited at the starting line for about 20 minutes because they didn't seem too concerned with starting the race when they said they would.  The race was a lot of fun.  It wasn't too crowded.  The course was dark and through a zoo, so wild animal aromas accompanied me on the rolling hills (how pleasant!).  The course wasn't marked, so I had no idea of my distance or pace.  I ended up getting 10th place running an 18:50.  

Overall, the race was a success.  I got some cool swag -- a dry fit shirt and a headlamp -- and met some new people.  I satisfied my running itch a little bit and will do so again at a Halloween race on Oct. 30th.  

          

Shocker Pen!

Before I left Amanda gave me a shocker pen.  You know, it is one of those trick pens that isn't really a pen.  When you click it an electric shock goes through your hand.  Well, I successfully pulled the trick on quite a few people before I started teaching by saying, "Look at this really cool pen Amanda gave me," including my sister Lauren.  After Lauren got shocked, she said I HAD to take it to school.  I was pretty hesitant considering a former Colorado deputy may serve over 27 years in prison for child abuse after he tasered some willing high school students, and I figured using a shocker pen on 6-11 yr. olds was roughly the equivalent.

I finally mustered up enough courage to take the pen to school.  The kids loved it, and we missed about ten minutes of class while the kids ran around the school crazily sharing the pen with every student and faculty member.  It was quite a riot when our principal Mr. Kim became a victim of the pen.

Here is a video from a hidden camera of some 1st and 3rd graders using the pen for the first time:

Fonettick Speling

There are three kindergarten classes at my school.  Universe class consists of the highest level students, who are extremely gifted and know English as well as they know Korean.  Jupiter class consists of the middle level students, who are learning English but are more comfortable with Korean.  Earth class has the lowest level students, whose favorite thing to do is sputter off a long sentence in Korean quickly and then say "in English?" while I stare at them blankly.

I give Universe and Jupiter at least one spelling test each week.  There is a student in Jupiter who is amazing at spelling.... phonetically.  This student was absent when I assigned this week's spelling words, so he didn't know what to study.  I feel obligated to share the student's test:

My Apartment

From what I have gathered by looking at other Korean ESL teachers’ blogs, talking about your apartment and showing pictures is the thing to do.  My apartment, however, is identical to Chris and Lauren’s.  So, if you want to see what my apartment looks like just check out their blog:

http://hawsseoul.blogspot.com/2009/03/our-new-home.html

http://hawsseoul.blogspot.com/2009/03/continuation-of-apartment-photos.html

http://hawsseoul.blogspot.com/2009/03/more-apartment-photos.html

http://hawsseoul.blogspot.com/2009/03/doorbell.html

There are a couple of differences between our apartments to note, however. 

Their apartment looks over a bustling backstreet whereas mine looks about 8 feet to a towering office building, which makes natural light virtually an impossibility in my tiny living quarters.  Instead, I rely on two fluorescent lights that make my apartment feel like a sterile hospital. 

The other difference is my wallpaper:

Yes, that is right.  You do see poop-brown roses.   

T Express

We recently visited Everland, which is the largest theme park in South Korea.  Everland has been compared to Disneyland because of its size, architecture and atmosphere.  There aren’t many thrilling rides, but I did get to ride my new all-time favorite wooden roller coaster: T Express.

The leading mobile telecommunications company in South Korea, SK Telecom, sponsors T Express, which was built in 2008.  With a first drop of 77 degrees, this enormous roller coaster is the world’s steepest wooden coaster.  It also ranks as one of the fastest and longest wooden roller coasters in the world. 

You can see some clips of the gargantuan ride in this (hilarious / ridiculous) video from the K-pop (Korean pop) male group, Xing:

"This is the best uller coaster!"

No, I don’t have an Asian Flush

I’m just sunburned.  I got a little too much sun in Guam.

When Asians drink alcohol they get a flush or reddening of their skin in their faces, necks and shoulders.   It is a result of being unable to metabolize alcohol.

We had a staff dinner with a bunch of other schools.  My sunburn was quite the conversation starter. After one Korean had a little beer he started to get the Asian Flush.  When someone pointed it out he said smiling, “Oh, I went to Guam.”

The children at school went hysterical when they saw “Mr. Redman”.  They grabbed their handphones to take pictures of my ruby face.  They were curious about my sudden change of color.

“Teacher, did you eat the maekju?”   Maekju (맥주) is beer.

“Yesterday, yesterday, yesterday I go to Guam”

Translation from Korean first grader: “I went to Guam 3 days ago.” Since the end of June I have just been “visiting my sister” in Seoul, I decided I should “start” working because, of course, I wouldn’t think about working unless I had a visa. To get your first visa you have to be on U.S. soil. At about 4 hours away, Guam is by far the closest U.S. soil to South Korea. My trip was very brief, but I tried to make the most of it that I could.

Guam: In a Nutshell

Guam is the largest of the Mariana Islands. It is hot and humid throughout the year, and it is no stranger to typhoons. The local people are called Chamorro (pronounced like ‘tomorrow’). Magellan discovered Guam, and it became a Spanish colony until it was transferred to the United States after the Spanish-American War. Guam acted as a rest stop for American ships traveling to and from the Philippines. Shortly after the bombing of Pearl Harbor, the Japanese took Guam and were very brutal to the Chamorro people. The U.S. reclaimed Guam towards the end of the war, and it soon became an organized territory of the United States.

My Visa Run to Guam

This was technically a business trip. The purpose was to get in, get a visa from the Korean Consulate, and get out. I arrived at 2am on Thursday (ugh). When I woke up, I got online to research how to get to the Korean Consulate. I started in the direction I thought I was supposed to be going. After an hour of aimless wondering I decided I was probably off track, so I turned around to try my luck in the other direction. After much more time in the sun than I had expected, I stopped at a bookstore and asked for directions. Barb and Ahyen at the bookstore were very kind and a huge help to me. Barb even had her husband Larry pick me up and take me to the Korean Consulate.

It takes one business day to obtain a visa, so I had to return the next day at 3pm. I spent the rest of the night watching American TV, walking around all the resorts and hotels on “Hotel Road”, and meeting new people at the live show in the restaurant at my hotel.

Matt, a Japanese business man living in Singapore, and Suha, a graphic designer living in Dubai

I couldn’t wander too far away the next day since I had to return to the Consulate. In retrospect, I wish I had rented a car (it only takes about 4hrs to get around the entire island). Instead, I spent time on the beach, in the pool, and going to all the shopping destinations on the bus route. I got my visa with no problems.

That evening I went to Chamorro Village expecting to find some local culture, but it turned out to be really touristy. I ran into another teacher from Korea on a visa run, who I met on the plane and saw at the Consulate, Sam. I ate a local dish consisting of red rice and some deep-sea fish, and I enjoyed a Guam Beer, which, ironically, is actually made in Korea.

My flight was leaving at 3am, so I made my way back to the hotel and watched some live music at the restaurant in my hotel again up until 1am when it was time to head back to Korea.

I just got a taste of Guam, and I would really like to go back sometime to experience the beauty of the rest of the island.

A Pitfall of Laundry in the Orient

Thank you, Korea, for not adopting the use of dryers yet. I did laundry last night and thought my two towels would have enough time dry overnight. They didn't. I had to use an old undershirt to dry myself after my shower this morning.

타코벨 먹고 싶어요 → Yo quiero Taco Bell → I want Taco Bell

Korean food is incredible. All of it is so good. If you get tired of Korean food, however, there are several “American” options. There is a 24 hr. Burger King a block away from my apartment. There is a McDonald’s with a seating area that is bigger than any high school cafeteria I’ve ever seen one subway stop away. You can get Pizza Hut. Papa John’s. Dunkin Donuts. Baskin Robbins. Outback Steakhouse. Et cetera. Et cetera.

The one thing that isn’t readily available is Mexican food. There is an On The Border a ways away, but besides that, nothing. Thankfully you can buy tortillas at the Costco here, but that isn’t always enough to satisfy my continual desire for Mexican food.

Good news! Korea’s first Taco Bell opened in Itaewon (the U.S. military district – about 40 min. from me). Taco Bell is hoping to infiltrate the Asian market through Korea because as of now the only Asian countries with T-Bells are India, The Philippines, and South Korea.

Now, I’d much rather have a Chipotle or Qdoba, but Taco Bell is a good stepping-stone. Chris and I made the journey 6 weeks after the joint opened because we heard that the line was a block long for a few weeks. It was a little different from your run of the mill Taco Bell seeing as it was 3 stories tall, but the food was all the same. I left with a Grilled Stuft Burrito, a Burrito Supreme, a hard taco and some diarrhea.

Lauren's Birthday

Lauren's birthday was this last week on August 19th. At school the kindergartners labored over a birthday cake for Mrs. Haws. Their faces were close to it, and their hands were all over it. The teachers were advised not to eat it. It was a mound of whipped cream and an eclectic group of fruit including strawberries and apples. They were sooo proud of their creation. Also, they showered Lauren with gifts from homemade cards to their little toys to pencils or erasers. They just wanted to show Mrs. Haws how much they appreciate her. It was so adorable.

The next night a group of about 14 got together to celebrate Lauren's birthday. We met at Big Rock Brewery to enjoy some tasty brews from their infamous beer towers.

Here's a little video of the two occasions:

I want to know, have you ever seen the rain?

Monsoon season or jangma (장마) typically lasts from June to mid August on the Korean peninsula. Korea gets 60% of their annual rainfall during this period. There will be heavy showers of 8-12in. I’ve never experienced rainfall like this. All you have to do if it rains in Colorado is wait twenty minutes for it to stop. In Korea, the people do not have that luxury; rainstorms can last all day long. Monsoon season is a part of life, and life must go on during it. I’ve had to make an adaption in my life to adjust to the rain. I never owned an umbrella before coming to Korea, and I’ve already gone through three in my short time here.

Korea and Vietnam aren’t exactly neighbors, but whenever it rains I think of the scene in Forrest Gump when he talks about all the different kinds of rain:

Lauren and I getting ready to take on the rain:

Beer and Internet: It is What Post-Collegiates of the 21st Century Do

I met some amazing friends in college. I believe it is a necessity that we stay in contact with one another. My roommates from my senior and I decided to conduct at a video chat conference with one another. Joel Vanderworp, Shawn McKinstry, and I met on August 7^th at 12am (EST – 1pm Aug. 8^th Seoul time) to conduct a video chat. Because of the incredible technology available to us, we were able to share a beer together, catch up with one another, and recount some good memories.

Sharing a beer with Joel and Shawn via iChat

There are several ways to video chat with people. Skype may be the most popular. Skype is good because it works on basically every computer. There are other options, however. I like iChat because you are able to share screens or watch movies with one another. iChat is only available on Macs and the connection seems to get dropped a lot. My favorite is Google’s video gchat because it is reliable, the picture quality and sound are the best, and you can minimize your own face so you aren’t constantly looking at yourself instead of the person you are actually talking to. It is such a blessing being able to have face-to-face conversations with the people who I am closest with despite being thousands of miles and several hours away.

Watching Mad Men with Amanda

ATTN: I have a hairy situation on my... arms.

I’ve never really considered myself a particularly hairy man. I have my sparse chest hair, my full beard complete with blonde mustache, and my “invisible” eyebrows (according to the girls who used to make fun of me in elementary school). I think I have an average amount of androgenic hair, albeit it blonde. Well, I thought I had an average amount before I came to Korea.

Asian men just aren’t hairy. I’ve seen very few with facial hair. The little body hair that I have seen on men’s legs or arms is laughable compared to the yellow jungle on my arms and legs. This isn’t something I would normally start noticing, but I couldn’t help it since my students instigated my attention to my own “hairy” arms.

It doesn’t bother me at all; I think it is pretty funny, but, without fail, at least once a day a student will notice the difference of my arms compared to his or her father’s. “Teacher, fur,” is the most common statement. I have also gotten, “Your arms are like a bear.” The most startling, however, will be when I am walking around checking homework and a student begins rubbing my arm. The kindergarteners first discovered it, but they are not the only ones who do it. Even the curiosity of the 5^th graders leads them to poke at my arms. The other day a first grader asked if I would cut off some of my arm hair and give it to him so he could show his mother. I didn’t.

Thank you, Mr. Gilmore

All of my students must be so grateful to have me as a teacher because I’ve received so many “thank you” notes. OKAY, really, I actually assigned “thank you” notes to all of the first graders. Their notes needed to include a proper heading, greeting, body, closing, and signature. These young, imaginative children created wonderful (and hilarious) notes. I received several drawings and well-decorated envelopes using lots of tape and stickers (and one using tissues).

Here are a few of the notes and drawings for Mr. Gilmore:

(edit: Sorry for the low quality of pictures. I'm still working on getting a better camera out here.)

(EDIT: I got a new camera. I've uploaded the notes at a better quality and added a few more. Check 'em out!)