거북2

맛이겠다!

2009-10-15T21:42:00.000+09:00

Sandy got a pleasant surprise this evening. Both Hyejeong and I were running out of alfalfa so, seeing that ordering 5kg worked out better than ordering 1kg bags every couple of weeks I went ahead and ordered 10kg (5 for me 5 for Hyejeong).
This is what 10kg of alfalfa looks like..

That's one happy bunny! The way it was packaged in 1kg bags made it seems like neatly packaged drugs..

I was a little worried as this is from s different supplier than what he's used to. But it seems he likes it enough..

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPod Touch

Pic of the bunch

2009-10-15T20:59:00.002+09:00

This is just a bunch of pics I’ve taken, meaning to share them but not quite getting around to it..

Firstly..proof that Sandy is at least half lop-ear. We love him anyway.

This one took a bit of posing..Unfortunately the boys aren’t usually the best of friends. Especially when dinner is served..

Just to give you an idea of the size of Okgwa. This is pretty much it. Interestingly we have the only university in Gokseong county as well as elementary, middle and high schools. The cluster of blue buildings on the right is a 5 day market (roughly every 5 days) and my school is on the other side of town (centre back).

This is the main street, looking towards the town centre. It gets a lot busier further down. On the left is the main gate to the university.

Nonghyup-Hanaro Mart. This is the biggest mart in town, it even has its own bakery!! Kinda reminds me of the Four Square out Mangere way..yeah, its small but its convenient. Field next door is barley(?)

Just for mum: this is what a rice field looks like just before the rice is harvested. This was taken pretty much across the road from school. Yeah, Okgwa is rural.

From the ‘so what else is new’ file..I got another toy. I caved and finally got an iPod touch. In my defence it is the cheapest model and I bought it mainly for notetaking in class and reading books on the bus (at least 30min to get anywhere from Okgwa). Funnily enough thats what I mainly use it for. I’m wanting to add an Korean-English Dictionary and something to allow me to edit word files but that is pretty much it..
Some time I might write down how I use it in class..but for now I can say it replaces a folder full of notes and lesson plans that I have been carrying from class to class. Its handy. (oh, its not replacing my Sony mp3 player…I know its an iPod but managing songs through iTunes sucks compared to Windows Media Player. The Sony gets better battery life too..

Dinner for 2, round 2

2009-10-10T20:12:00.001+09:00

Wang galbi, 300g..very nice!

Puzzling..

2009-10-09T22:37:00.001+09:00

I believe the technical term for this is 'Oh crap!' At least I finally got all the pieces right side up..now to find where they go. Which one of my brothers picked this one for me? I owe them a little something..

18 things to teach your son about women..

2009-10-09T21:07:00.001+09:00

I found this randomly at a blog called Axioms for a Random Life.

1. Pick your battles. (Argue what you know not what you do not know..The Toilet Seat is not a battle)

2. Walk on the outside (closer to the street) of your female companion. (Or she will push you into traffic if you do not follow number 1.)
3. Saying "You're being crazy" is never an appropriate response, unless you want her to go postal on you. ("Is it me who is crazy" is also not appropriate)
4. Cooking, cleaning, and taking care of kids are things men can actually do as well as women. (Do not let them know that or you will be doing it)
5. Keep backup supplies of quality chocolate in the house for her to raid. (That includes beer)
6. Buying tampons and other feminine products shouldn't embarrass you --everyone knows they're not for you. (Actually relish these moments because she is crazy at this point)
7. Women like compliments and gifts. You are really good with a crockpot is not really either.
8. Earning less than her shouldn't be emasculating.
9. Be on time, even if she usually isn't. (And if she is always on time she may not be a girl -check first)
10. Don't be a pouty puppy when shopping with her. (Actually pouty is never good. By all means if you can just avoid shopping altogther. In other words stick with what you know.)
11. Find out what her favorite flower is.
12. If you like her, then don't buy her shoes; it's bad luck. (Actually, snow shoes will do the trick)
13. Smiling and nodding aren't the same as listening. (My son was doing this as I read this list to him)
14. It's OK to cry in front of her, but keep the blubbering to a minimum. (Actually never use the word blubber in her company)
15. Personality goes a long way. (And lack of the ability to laugh ones self is deal killer)
16. At some point she'll be more important than your mother. (And guess what you are grounded)
17. You will never completely understand women. (Son master calculus or compete in the tour d.France. Its easier)
18. Oh yeah, and no woman will ever be good enough for my baby

19. Understand this now. Just put the toilet seat down or somebody is going to drown.

While I don’t have sons (well..human sons)..this is pretty accurate (and a good laugh).

hmm...not so much...

2009-10-09T11:04:00.001+09:00

..no Korean support..bugger.

..and apparently it works..

2009-10-09T11:03:00.001+09:00

? ??!

Another #$%^ test..

2009-10-09T11:02:00.001+09:00

I have too much free time this week to play around with things..now attempting to blog from my computer at school through a gadget on iGoogle homepage. Blogger is blocked at school (funny that..) but if I can get this working right I should be able to run class blogs for my high level students.

SD Stargazer.

2009-10-08T17:09:00.001+09:00

What do you do on an unexpected afternoon off? Build amother gundam of course! So much for getting some much needed sleep..

The place I know only as Pyeokjae.

2009-10-03T10:01:00.001+09:00

The house

The place I know only as Pyeokjae.

The garden

The place I know only as Pyeokjae.

The driveway

The New and Improved Linoleum Bungalow

2009-09-24T19:59:00.001+09:00

Last contract I lived in a somewhat small tissue box of a place, very aptly referred to as a oneroom. Others knew it as the Linoleum Bungalow.

This contract I have moved up class..I have a nice apartment with a living room/bedroom, kitchen/dining room and small room for storage and a window about the same size as one of the walls in the Linoleum Bungalow..

Somethings just don’t change though..lino..everywhere..(except the bathroom and deck which are very nicely tiled). So..welcome to the New and Improved Linoleum Bungalow.

This is the main living area…what you can’t see is the sheer amount of space..this one room is larger than where I lived for the previous 10 months! Sharp eyes will notice that I have all the comforts of home..X360, computer, cable TV..and the shelf that is slowly filling with gundams. On to the next room..

The kitchen / dining room. Yes, I realise its messy..so? It’ll be tidied before Hyejeong is over next. Honest.
It’s very nicely equipped..fridge/freezer, microwave, oven, rice cooked, gas hob (with extractor fan..hooray!)..I don’t eat here much. It’s just as easy to sit on the floor in the living room. Oh..yes I do walk into those lights. Daily.

The ultimate bathroom for the multi-tasker. Which I’m not. Still, nice big mirror if thats your thing.

I used to joke that my bedroom back in NZ was a 16 square metre filing cabinet. This is my equivalent here. All my clothes are stored in here and the rest of the stuff I have yet to sort out. Longer term this is going to be my modelling room.

This is the closest thing I’ve got to a shot of the deck. Steer your eyes past the mess and check out the view..mornings are awesome! Also (avoiding the mess) see how much room I’ve got to play in… helicopter anyone??

So there it is..my lovely New and Improved Linoleum Bungalow. Thank you Okgwa Middle School..coming home to this everyday is a pleasure.

And now a return to our regular programming..

2009-09-24T19:17:00.001+09:00

I’d intended to make this an ink-blog..but it seems my handwriting has suffered and I really can’t be bothered working on it just this minute.

Anyway..this is going to be the first long post in quite a while. Hopefully (I’ve said this before) I will update more frequently. I’m doing my best to distract myself, though.

A few things..

1) I’m now living in Okgwa, having moved from Gwangju in July/August.

2) I’m no longer with TaLK. Instead, I’ve signed with the Jeonnam Language Program (which is why I’m in Okgwa). My main reasons for this are the pay (1.5mil to 2.3mil a month is a good move) and wanting to stay in Jeonnam.

3) I’m currently teaching at Okgwa Middle School (옥과중학교) and Jeonnam Culinary Arts High School (전남조리과학고등학교). Both schools are around 300 students and have roughly the same English level..even though one is a highschool. Ask me sometime and I’ll go into why that is (and why I couldn’t care less).

4) Okgwa is a small town..very small. It makes Damyang look big. Gwangju is 40min by car (20~30 if you take the expressway). My accomodation is a big improvement though..I live on the 12th floor of the only apartment building in Okgwa.

5) Hyejeong is still in Gwangju..so I get to see her once a week if I’m lucky. Going from seeing each other every day to seeing each other once a week is hard..and we both get lonely. Thankfully…

6) We’ve got rabbits!! Hyejeong has Tiki and in the last week I’ve bought my own, a lovely sand coloured lop-ear named Sandy. Both are boys..Hyejeong and I aren’t ready for grandkids just yet..

Not much else I can think of, except that all is going well and I’m keeping myself busy enough. I take a walk every evening, there are lessons to be prepared..and if that fails to interest me I have the 360, 3 more gundam kits and a couple of jigsaw puzzles left to take care of. Not to mention a teddy bear to make and a rabbit to take care of..

Never a dull moment!

2009-09-15T21:58:00.001+09:00

아이폰 없었어: I hereby call out the Korean Communications Commission (KCC) as a bunch of blowhards.. http://bit.ly/17kqai

Sunday morning breakfast @ maccas

2009-09-13T09:44:00.001+09:00

Just checking to see if i can upload text only through pixel pipe without a heading. Could be a nice blogging tool if it works

2009-09-12T13:00:00.001+09:00

My home away for the next year. Seongam mansion. The tallest building in okgwa.

2009-09-12T12:42:00.001+09:00

Home.

Milk delivery..

2009-09-08T10:16:00.001+09:00

Getting milk delivered to my desk..about 10000 won a month..this is the them giving my moneys worth!

Picture Post II

2009-08-18T13:58:00.001+09:00

I decided to split the pictures into two parts, just to help out those poor ~~bastards~~ people dealing with NZ internet..

These two guys announce the entrance to one of the local walking trails.

Looking downstream from the entrance to the hiking trail.

Looking upstream towards the hotel. You can just see the main building between the trees.

I took a picture of this big fella just for Ben..he was huge!

After breakfast I went back out and took another walk..

This road was lined with sunflowers..

..and these filled the next field down.

I’ve been wanting to get a good picture of one of these for a while. This is the Korean equivalent of a Ferguson..every farmer has one and they use it for everything from plowing..

..to taking the missus round to the neighbours for a cuppa..

I kind of like this..its a great illustration for how the church dominates Korean society. Take out the power pole, switch the rice for wheat and age the buildings..it could be pre-enlightenment Europe. Scary, 네?

Being a rice-growing area, irrigation is very important.

And lastly…it wouldn’t be Korea without..

red chilli peppers…

Picture Post

2009-08-18T13:55:00.001+09:00

The wonderful thing about the Jirisan Hot-spa area is that the scenery is awesome..even if the heat makes going for long walks a bit uncomfortable. I spent a bit of time walking around yesterday and today..evidence follows..

This is the hotel we are staying in. In the foreground are a field of cosmos flowers and metal hoops with pumpkins growing on them. The pile of stones is called a Tap (탑).

As you can see, there are lots of Tap around..and lots of places to stay. I suspect in the right season this area is packed. A bit quiet now though..

This was a very lonely lamp post. Included solely for that reason.

I like the mix of old and new styling in these two markers. The large black stone in the foreground marks Sapo village (사포리) and the blue sign on the power pole marks Sapo Rd (사포길).

Korean farmers tend to be a patriotic (or nationalist) lot..

They also tend to live in buildings that have definitely seen better days. This one is built in a style quite common in the 1980s. The flat roof is a perfect place to dry washing or gather for a drink.

I’m rather impressed that I managed to get this shot.. These mirrors are quite common on blind corners in South Korea. They certainly make a lot of sense.

Living with the dead. The heat is somewhat of a killer..

A name plate on the bridge that leads to the hotel we are staying at.

The entrance gate..fancy stuff eh?

A Haechi. A mythical beast that is currently the symbol of Seoul. Everytime I see it I start singing “I’ll eat you up, up, up, up uuu~p”

You get the impression they occasionally have a lot of customers..

I figure this is uniquely Korean..3 naked marble women and a lamp post in the middle of a car park. Classy.

Back in Korea

2009-08-17T17:55:00.001+09:00

Yes ladles and jelly spoons I am back in Korea.

The story so far is that I am back for another year but have changed programs from TaLK to JLP. JLP is the English program run by the Jeollanam Provincial Office of Education. To make things more interesting I’m not actually hired by the Provincial Office of Education but by the local school or Local Office of Education. It doesn’t make much difference, but we shall see..

So..
I’m in a place called Gurye (look it up in google maps) at a hot-spa less hot-spa on quarantine till Friday. Just in case the filthy foreigners have swine flu..

Then, on Friday, orientation starts and goes until Monday morning. On Monday morning I get to meet my co-teacher (or someone from the school/Local Office of Education.

I’ve seen Hyejeong for a few hours on the day I got back but otherwise I’m suffering worse withdrawl than when I was in NZ..the whole so close yet so far thing.

Couple slippers

2009-08-14T21:38:00.001+09:00

How to make a Banana Split

2009-07-28T22:48:00.001+09:00

Tools and Ingredients

A plate. A spoon. A knife.

A banana. Some toppings. Chocolate sauce. ..and Ice-Cream!

1.

Cut the banana in half.

2.

Take the skin off the banana and put it in the plate.

3.

Put three spoons of icecream in the middle of the banana.

4.

Cover the icecream and banana with toppings and chocolate sauce.

5.

Eat..Yummy!

Contradictions

2009-07-28T22:36:00.001+09:00

Doesn’t it look peaceful?

I took these yesterday on the summer camp trip to the Damyang river bank..

The students also had to complete a scavenger hunt, but some just sat under the trees and did their math homework. It was such a nice day that I just let them…was good to get out of the stuffy classroom for a day.

Some students gave the boats a helping hand..

Others were content to watch..

Good fun. Of course..the stress of organising everything (without a Korean speakers help..so I did a good portion of the class in Korean) kinda tempered it. But I did my best. And I’d like to think they enjoyed it..

2009-07-28T07:28:00.001+09:00

2nd to last day..moving out tomorrow.

2009-07-26T22:00:00.001+09:00

preparing for a paper boat race tomorrow AM. Serious stuff!

17/07/2009

2009-07-17T15:00:00.001+09:00

Test from nokia 6120 to blog, twitter, facebook

2009-07-13T22:29:00.001+09:00

Got it..

2009-07-09T08:35:00.001+09:00

Got a firm job offer from JLP (via Canadian Connections) for either 옥과중학교 or 임자중학교. Not sure which I'll take yet.
Imja is an island about 2.5 hrs from Gwangju. School is nice and small. Bus to Gwangju from the nearest port is about 15nzd, ferry from Imja to the mainland is about 5nzd. Pay is a little higher but that would go towards visiting Gwangju every other weekend. Probably not going to get any sailing/winsurfing/kayaking in as the school is in the middle of the island. So..
Okgwa is a small town in Gokseong county about the same distance from Gwangju as Damyang. School is a bit bigger at around 400 students. Accomodation would be in Okgwa itself though there are buses to Gwangju reasonably often. The town looks suitable for a spot of riding and theres a reservoir nearby which looks good for a spot of r/c yachting. Pay is just the normal for my level but still good. Yeah..

I still have no idea which to pick!

Take a deep breath..

2009-07-07T00:51:00.002+09:00

I'm getting into the bad habit of staying up late these days. Of course, I do have 2 days off while the students do their exams so I have some time to rest.

The late nights haven't been helping my temper though and tonight I got something that just rubbed me the wrong way.

So..to make some things perfectly clear.
The fact that one does not need a degree to get a place in TaLK does not mean that all TaLK scholars don't have degrees. I have my degree, thank you very much. Majoring in Linguistics & English Language Teaching and Korean. Kinda suitable huh?
In New Zealand (and Australia and a bunch of other places) the normal length of a degree is 3yrs. It doesn't mean we deserve our bit of paper less..unlike some countries with 4 year degrees (a certain republic?) graduating requires 3 solid years of work..

Thats that off my chest. I know it will come across a little whin(e)y. I'll be back to my normal relaxed self once I sort out my next job.

edit: My degree status has been clarified (?!) and I will have an interview tonight. Wish me luck!

Counting down the days..

2009-07-06T08:37:00.001+09:00

I'm back to work again after a wonderful weekend away with other TaLK scholars from Jeonnam. We went east to Geoje Island by way of Tongyang. It was a great trip, highlights being the Korean Aerospace Museum in Tongyang and island paradise of Oedo..beautiful!

This is my 2nd to last week of regular teaching..then one of summer camp then off home.

The pressure is really on now to get a job ASAP. I've yet to hear back from Canadian Connections about the 2 schools they offered me. I turned one down last week, because they wanted me to start immediately. All in all I'm pretty disappointed and getting worried. Me worried isn't good for anyone around me as I get very single-minded..so heres praying something comes up soon. There is no real plan B as my research has been stalled so much returning to uni is not really an option at this point.
Pray something comes up soon.

In the Jungle – Lyrics by Hyejeong Kim

2009-06-28T10:46:00.001+09:00

“In the jungle, the mighty jungle the lions eat tuna…”

The rest of the lyrics are kinda normal..

Tiki’s Whare

2009-06-22T22:25:00.001+09:00

Hyejeong spent today at work looking up how to take care of Tiki..she found a lot of info on what works and what doesn’t, the result of which was that the newspaper and woodshavings lining Tiki’s cage had to go (not good for the skin etc).
It seems that Korean rabbit owners are of the rather creative and cheap sort who do as much of their shopping as possible at the Daiso (Korean equivalent of 2 dollar shop) so taking a few ideas we headed off and eyeshopped for a bit.

We found some great rubber anti-slip matting (in a lovely green) for 1000원, which is lining the cage and the courtyard. The courtyard is made out of some metal grilles which were about 2000원 a piece and are joined by zip ties. There is a nice patch of very fake grass with some flowers, which he has shown a cursory interest in and lastly, a new feed bowl which has a higher lip, stopping him from climbing in and using his food tray as a toilet.

All in all, a nice bit of work. The big task now is to convince him to use one place as a toilet and let him get accustomed to his new surrroundings.

A new arrival

2009-06-21T21:44:00.001+09:00

Today we welcomed a new member to the family..

After a long angst filled period where we weren’t sure if we wanted him or if we could support him (let alone such practicalities as where we were going to put him)..or if it was even a him or a her..

Weighing in at at 8oz, about 10cm tall and 25cm long..

May I intoduce, Tiki (the Tokki)

There is a tail behind how we got him (and how come he lives in my house), but it can wait until I can be bothered to write it..

He’s not the best behaved little bunny and has already left his mark in the shape of little pellets all over my floor and the occasional puddle. Most of Hyejeong’s afternoon has been spent looking up toilet training techniques for rabbits..mine has been spent cleaning up the mess and playing with him..

Despite the first class accomodation that I bought him, he is not keen to stay in his cage, prefering to roam the floor hiding in my washing, blending in to the bedding…and climbing the gin bottle behind his cage. Smart fellow..

We tried out a few names (‘Peter’ was first..surprise, surpise) but ended up settling on Tiki. The Korean word for Rabbit is 토끼 (Tokki)..so, Tiki Tokki (Tick Tock). Cute, huh?

He has a couple of balls to play with, but he mostly seems interested in eating (he found the onions already) and exploring.

My next step is to build him a house to sleep in inside his cage (there’s enough room for a second story..hehe) and finding a hamster ball big enough for him. My theory is, if he wants to explore the house the least he can do is carry his droppings with him. Better than leaving them on my pillow.

I’m sure there will be more posts of his adventures..Hyejeong wants to get him a leash so we can take him to the park.

iPhone in Korea

2009-06-13T22:54:00.001+09:00

I’ve been shopping around for a new phone for a while now. My current contract ends in August, and though I love it (really I do), windows mobile sucks. Really.

The hardware is wonderful. I’ve got GPS, Wi-Fi, a decent camera, and a QWERTY keyboard.

The software lets me do twitter, facebook, e-mail, internet,skype, and all the usual phone things. Actually, looking at that Windows Mobile isn’t so bad..

The problem is really what I pay for the privilege of doing all this.

10,000 Won for 33Mb of data. Its a good thing the phone has Wi-Fi.

So I’ve been looking at my options..LG telecom will let me use 1Gb of data for 6,000 Won. But I can’t use my current phone on their network. In fact, there are currently no smart phones on their network. Bugger, huh? They do have some very nice phones though..just nothing quite going as far as I would like.

Now, the new iPhone was launched last week and there has been much wailing and gnashing of teeth in the Republic due to the lack of a release date here. Apparently SK Telecom and KTF have been negotiating with Apple since the first version came out 2 years ago..and yet the ‘most connected’ country on earth has yet to see a release. Forgive me if I don’t hold my breath for the newest iteration to arrive..

So I’ve been looking at alternatives. Samsung and LG have both released good looking touch screen smart phones in the last few months – in Europe. They’ve just started to arrive in Korea but it appears they are missing some features. Nothing major..just things like GPS and Wi-Fi. Things which the Iphone also has.

I’m getting a theory developed here..

Assuming the network operators decide what features to include on the phone, it must be them deciding these are features they don’t like or want..
I wonder if the iPhone fell victim to the same approach?

I’ve mentioned that SK Telecom and KTF have been the front runners forcarrying the Iphone..but looking at what LG Telecom has been doing (with their data plans and phones) I’d like to see them carry it. It makes sense..

To me, at least.

Block head

2009-06-11T22:17:00.001+09:00

Dunno why, but this guy reminds me of Jono (jks). The nose reminds my students of me..

This is actually part of a set that I’m going to try put up this weekend…I realise the blog has been pretty empty of late. Trying to find a job and helping Hyejeong with her TESOL (it’s whats for breakfast..and lunch, and dinner etc.) homework. Which will conveniently finish this weekend. If only job hunting was so easy!

Till then..

The Lil’ Truck That Could

2009-05-19T15:24:00.001+09:00

I just spotted this little thing moving dirt around the school this afternoon.

This isn’t the first time I’ve spotted such a beast, theres one that sits, seemingly derelict, on my route from the Damyang Bus Terminal to school.

I know nothing about them or who they were made by, but I’d guess they date from the 1960s/70s..perhaps a fruit of the Saemaul movement.
Old and rough they may be but they certainly seem quite capable little beasts.

Gryffin Aeroworks

2009-05-12T22:00:00.000+09:00

Gryffin Aeroworks: "When you were little ...

... did you dream you could fly?"

The things you find when remembering old hobbies..

Movie Review - Star Trek - A Franchise Goes Boldly Backward - NYTimes.com

2009-05-10T21:41:00.000+09:00

hahahahahaha...

Movie Review - Star Trek - A Franchise Goes Boldly Backward - NYTimes.com: "The barbarians here are the Romulans, who at one point in television time used to look a lot like Spock, but here resemble a Maori motorcycle gang complete with facial tattoos and Goth threads."

Once Were Warriors meets sci-fi..this I have to see!!

Wooden Wing Gundam

2009-05-08T17:11:00.001+09:00

http://blog.naver.com/mysky2909/150046712017

New letter paper..

2009-05-07T21:39:00.001+09:00

Windows 7 RC1

2009-05-06T11:28:00.001+09:00

Just installed the Windows 7 release candidate..very nice. Now to rebuild my laptop. Gonna try keep the software to a minimum this time but will see what happens.

Testing, testing, 1, 2, 3

2009-05-04T22:51:00.001+09:00

Just testing Windows 7 Blogger Buddy gadget.

Where was I..

2009-04-23T12:11:00.001+09:00

I think the last time I posted was Easter..and a lot has been going on so here ya go..

Still Alive

2009-04-23T12:10:00.001+09:00

Yeh, still here..

Just found I don’t have any classes today. TIK. So I’m gonna put some stuff together for the blog instead. Would be a pity to waste my entire day playing on the DSLite (Mario Kart is addictive..annoying but addictive). And at least this way it LOOKS like I’m doing work. Appearances are very important in Korea.

Easter

2009-04-12T00:07:00.001+09:00

Easter doesn’t seem to be celebrated here in the Republic. I haven’t seen any evidence of the Easter Bunny or Easter Eggs like back home. Neither have there been any Easter sales. There is, most certainly, no extra days off from work.

Because of this (and my not attending church here) it is easy to miss it. I’m of two minds about this.

On one hand, Easter is definitely one of the most important events on the Christian calendar. Christmas is certainly important, but it would be easy to argue that Easter is what defines Christianity apart from other faiths. But, Easter is just a celebration, an event..a mark on the calendar where Christians get together and celebrate the resurrection of Christ. Even a little research can make the exact date that it should be celebrated doubtful, and the name itself (Easter) comes from a pagan festival.

What is important is the act being celebrated..the resurrection of Christ after 3 days..as advertised. This is something worth celebrating, no matter what day. Just because the date on the calendar is not celebrated so widely in South Korea (outside of churches), doesn’t make it any less important. The date does not matter so much to me. But Christ’s crucifixion and resurrection and ascencion are worth thinking about and contemplating, no matter what the date. So my Easter has been just like any other day. It’s kind of refreshing.

I do miss the Easter eggs though..

Unqualified teachers etc..

2009-04-08T17:15:00.001+09:00

I read a post over at Brian in Jeollanam-do that got me and a couple of other TaLK scholars a wee bit fumed (easy to do with some of the crap we’re currently dealing with from Jeonnam POE)

Link to the post here

The letter he was writing about was ‘normal’ (as in I’ve heard it before) but is still rubbish. Some of his comments at the end, though, really got my back up. So I’ve cross posted my comment below..

--Rant warning--
Did you have to bag TaLK?
I realise there is an impression that most of the TaLK scholars are gyopo on a free ride who are completely unqualified to teach (if they even speak English). But if you apply that to all the TaLK scholars you are just presenting them the same way the Korean media presents native English teachers. Sure, there are bound to be some who are not concerned about working and who wouldn't otherwise stand a snowballs chance of being qualified. But, the majority actually enjoy there jobs and do them well enough.
Are they unqualified? They get a month of 8hrs-a-day training in classroom management and English teaching method. Some have even finished degrees and are taking time out from post-graduate study.
Are they all Gyopo? Most are..about a third aren't, and of those who are a good portion have graduated and are doing what Mummy or Daddy told them to.
In Jeonnam about half are non ethnic Korean. Many of us teach regular English classes instead of after-school as we were told we would (TIK). We get help from university student volunteers for, at most, 9hrs a week. If they turn up. TIK.
I'm not saying that there aren't problems with TaLK, I hear complaints regularly. But the majority of the teachers, like those in JLP or EPIK, do their best and do it well enough.
I'm in TaLK. I teach 400 kids in Damyang. I have my degree (in a TESOL related field). I'm a native english speaker. Am I unqualified?

Now, I realise that its not my best writing but it does echo things I’ve heard too many times before from English teachers here. Bagging TaLK is easy, I do it all the time. The difference is I’m actually in the program and try to do something about the things that come up (like our, currently missing, cultural experience money). I follow a few of the larger blogs run by ESL teachers in Korea and I have yet to see someone look further into TaLK before running it down. I know I come from a very different background to many TaLK scholars (and any other English teachers) in Korea. But, we all recieve the same training deal..and we are all ‘theoretically’ qualified. Much moreso than the average first time English teacher in Korea.

Thats it..I’m done. If someone wants to call me on anything I’ve said..sweet as.

[my background is BA from University of Auckland, not much, I know, but my majors were Linguistics and English Language Teaching AND Korean studies. Plus a long relationship with Koreans in general and 5 years ongoing with one special lady. Not the typical background for a first time English teacher in Korea.]

Suncheon Gurye Road-trip

2009-03-22T16:09:00.001+09:00

pics on facebook (Gurye-Suncheon trip) or picasa

Pumpkin!

2009-03-22T11:05:00.001+09:00

Another day..another 50 won

2009-03-02T07:54:00.001+09:00

Gundam IV 2day

2009-02-28T08:07:00.001+09:00

Essay IV Today

2009-02-26T23:53:00.001+09:00

2009-02-26T17:37:00.000+09:00

Recipies please!!

2009-02-18T22:38:00.001+09:00

ink blogging pt2

2009-02-17T17:17:00.001+09:00

2009-02-16T21:20:00.000+09:00

2009-02-16T18:14:00.001+09:00

Why am I in Korea again?

2009-02-09T07:19:00.000+09:00

Got some photos from Mum today, from her and the bro's holiday a couple of weeks back. Damn NZ looks good!

p.s. The correct answer is 'money'

2009-02-08T12:27:00.000+09:00

Frozen waterfall in Kangwon province. Seen on Seollal weekend.

09-02-02

2009-02-02T08:59:00.001+09:00

Well its been a while since I've posted anything..its actually been a bit of a lazy last couple of weeks for me since I finished winter english camp.
For a quick update of where I've been and what I've been doing:

Finished winter english camp on the 13th Jan
Spent 18-22nd in Seoul on retraining for the TaLK program
Came back to Gwangju on the 22nd with some nice new clothes and a rather nasty flu.
Went back to Seoul (and from there to Bucheon) on the 24th, spent the 24th 25th 26th with Hyejeong and her parents in Kangwon province.
Returned to Gwangju on the 27th...been stuffing round ever since.

Highlights: I bought a new computer yesterday...kk

Immediate future: I start back at school on wednesday at 11am. No idea what I'm doing but I'll try and be prepared.

Mirotic - Korean Teacher's Version..

2009-01-07T21:30:00.001+09:00

This is a song that is pretty popular right now..and this is also a pretty good representation of the sort of teachers at school here...awesome!

Christmas

2009-01-04T10:19:00.001+09:00

Christmas 2008 was a strange one..its only the second time away from the family for Christmas and as both Hyejeong and I were working it was almost more of a day off than a special holiday. We started the day with pancakes and then chatted to family back home for a while before opening the nice big box of pressies that mum had sent us while we watched romantic holiday (I think it was??) on tv..pretty nice really..we were indulging in a little Christmas cake when Mum called and chatted with her for a bit before begging off to go out and get some lunch/dinner..
Interesting fact #1: Outback Steakhouse is open Christmas day in Korea.
Interesting fact #2: If they say there is a 40min wait but you can eat at the bar...do it!!
Actually practically everything is open Christmas day here so after a rather undercooked steak lunch we headed off to Lotte department store to do some shopping!!

Actually the original plan was for Hyejeong to buy me my Christmas present but we took care of some other necessities as well (as you can see by the 3 Lotte bags in the above picture..the little G-Shock bag is what we went there for). This year Hyejeong was very very nice to me and insisted on buying me a new watch..she has had a problem with my old watch for some time..simply put, the strap stinks. We aren't sure if it is the result of it getting wet and not drying out properly or me sweating too much but the canvas and leather strap just was not doing a good job. So after a couple of days of exhaustive research (Hyejeong will attest to my need to research purchases to death) it was off to the watch shop in Lotte to purchase an upgrade. Hyejeong's requirements: fashionable and metal strap. Sam's...well...a little more practical than fashionable. I had my heart set on a G-Shock as they are not too pricey (but still expensive enough to whisper 'quality') and yet are pretty strong, water resist to 200m etc..actually the 2 features I wanted the most were a decent alarm and a countdown timer (good for timing activities in class).
So, here you go...ladies and gents..my new Casio G-Shock Cockpit Edition!

And one last shot comparing it with my old one...a bit chunkier but I like it..

The rest of the pressies, as seen in the top pic...a copy of Upwords, Dangerous Book for Boys NZ Edition, a can of V, some nicely scented soaps, Licorice Allsorts, Cadbury Favourites, Lindauer Chocolates, A lovely blouse (which looks beautiful..unfortunately something has to be worn under it as its rather transparent) , and a very nice jigsaw puzzle.
I suppose I should mention that Hyejeong hates jigsaw puzzles...and we now have 5 in the house ranging from 150 pieces to 1000 pieces. I like them :)
What you don't see is the cash my Father and Grandmother donated to my debt relief fund...thanks guys!! Just 2000 more and I can think about proposing...

Oh, the extra shopping...a new pair of hiking boots for me (I need the exercise), a new jacket for me (GoreTex, yay!!) and a new wool coat for Hyejeong...just coz she's worth it!

Catchup (again)

2009-01-04T09:35:00.001+09:00

I guess I have some catching up to do again...really need to get in the habit of blogging more stuff but the general case is I am otherwise occupied...a good thing I guess.

Anyway..since I last blogged Christmas has come and gone, as has new years and a rather packed week in between...so here we go..

2009-01-01T08:04:00.000+09:00

새해복 많이 받으세요!!

Happy New Year!!

Winter Camp Day 1

2008-12-22T18:08:00.001+09:00

Well, today started winter camp..not so much a camp as an intensive class for the top ranked students in 4th 5th and 6th grade. I'm teaching it with the 'regular' English teacher and the students have been split so we have about 20 kids each..pretty good numbers really.
So...it was off to work at 7:30 this morning (more like 7:40 once I got myself out the door) in the freezing snow..thankfully Hyejeong had warned me so I could get dressed nice and warm!

So around 8:45 I waltzed into school, popped up to my supervisors classroom and saw the kids...nice lot :) We only saw the books for the first time this morning so organisation was a bit of a mess but you get that...anyway...key part of the day was deciding that it was too early to do anything (without planning) so we might as well go out into what was left of the snow for a snow fight (and try and get them to make a snowman or six...)

The results...Mayhem as wave after wave of students scrape together a bit of snow and attack the teacher (centre screen..)

Of course some found more snow than others... This one got even bigger later...but its a nice shot of Subin, one of the two key creators. Incidentally, I homestayed with her family when I first moved to Damyang. She's a favourite.

Some students even did what they were asked and made a snow man..
Another...just so I can show you my co-teacher

And yes...I know I need a haircut..oh...we got splattered straight after this was taken...kid from behind..little rat! I hope he liked getting snow down his shirt..

Afterwards the kids were pretty tired and so was I...hope it doesn't snow tomorrow!

Busy Weekend (Gwangju-Bucheon-Gwangju-Namhae-Gwangju)

2008-12-20T12:07:00.001+09:00

Last weekend was kind of crazy. Hyejeong (aka the wonderful girlfriend) was guilt-tripped into going up to Bucheon to help out with something at her Church on Saturday...which meant a 4hr drive there and 4.5hr drive back...on saturday...for another 4 hrs at church. That pretty much screwed any plans we had for saturday. It was good I went instead of moping around home as the scenery was good, the company was great..and Hyejeong started falling asleep on the drive home (to be fair...it was getting near midnight). So I got to drive! Yay!!

Come Sunday she picked me up around 9ish and we headed off to the small district of Namhae in Gyeongnam province. From Gwangju it was only about 1hr 45min so not too bad. And the scenery...very very nice!

The reason for going was the Battle of Noryang Festival held in the small (very small) village of Noryang which is pretty much on the shore next to the site of Yi SunSin's final battle in 1598.

We got there a few minutes before they officially started so, wrapped in our coats, we took a look around. There were a couple of Chamsuri (참수리) class patrol boats docked and they were letting people on board so I dragged Hyejeong over to have a look.. They are quite well armed with twin 30mm cannon in a turret in the bow

and 2x turrets, with 20mm vulcan cannon, aft.
They even let me sit in the forward turret! It was a tight squeeze though..We also got a quick tour of the bridge and talked with some of the sailors.
The Chamsuri class are of particular interest to Hyejeong and me as one was sunk in 2002 while the soccer world cup was on. Wikipedia has more, but the basics are that Chamsuri 357 was intercepting a North Korean patrol boat that had crossed the Northern Limit Line (the debated border at sea between North and South Korea) when the North Korean boat opened fire on Chamsuri 357, killing the commanding officer and 5 others and sinking it. The battle was kept quiet by the Korean government, who wanted nothing to ruin the world cup and the crew were only recognised for their conduct last year..pretty shameful stuff.
Why is it of interest to us? History is my thing and this is something she can actually relate to as the world cup gives her a grounding point. Nice when that happens..

Anyway..back to the festival.
Pretty much the entire local fishing fleet was decked out in colours that represented the Korean, Chinese ('allied' with the Koreans) and Japanese fleets and they showed various formations that would have been used by the fleets in the battle, while the goings on were explained by a narrator backed with some music which sounded like it was from a movie..Hyejeong translated and then I corrected...I'm so nasty.
After that we went and looked at the replica turtle-ship which is permanently tied up at one end of the harbour..It looks a bit fake but it (partially) satisfied me...its actually surprisingly roomy inside though I'm sure this would change with a crew of 50 or so..
Again, doing the silly foreigner thing..

Interestingly, I believe that the ceiling in these ships is higher than in a English Galley from the same period..I could even stand up in the sleeping quarters on the lower deck.

After Hyejeong pulled me away from the Turtle Ship we grabbed some lunch.
I don't know if I've said it before, but to me one of the great attractions of Korean food is the side dishes..This was before the main dish had arrived! I've never eaten so much sea food..and so good! Cost was probably around the $100 mark for the 2 of us, but that isn't too bad considering what we were eating.
Oh, the crowning moment of the trip...Hyejeong let me drive home :) I really need a licence...

I don't know quite how to put this but this has been by far the best trip I've been on in Korea..I didn't realise how much I missed the sea and the countryside...it was comfortable enough that I feel I don't want to leave. This is the sort of place that could keep me in Korea.

Catch-up

2008-12-20T10:57:00.001+09:00

I finally have a 'dead' weekend with nothing that needs doing (and no money to do anything) so I'm going to be playing catch-up with the blog e-mails etc...should make a few people happier.

Twitter

2008-12-18T12:20:00.002+09:00

As you might notics there is now a panel on the sidebar (on the right) that shows twitter updates. This should have me updating a lot more often as I can do it from my phone. If you have twitter you can follow me and converse (if you do have it please let me know..it works the other way round too).

2008-12-05T22:17:00.000+09:00

How school looked when I got in there this morning.

Things to do on a snowy day Pt.2

2008-12-05T22:10:00.000+09:00

Have a snow fight.
As you can see I got totally covered.
My bare hands took about 10min to defrost. Gloves are a must.

Things to do on a snowy day Pt.1

2008-12-05T22:03:00.000+09:00

Eat ice cream..in the snow.
The ice cream was actually warmer than my face!

Snow x2

2008-12-05T10:28:00.002+09:00

It's snowing again!
No, I'm not going topost every time it snows. But this is the second snow this year...and I came to school while it was snowing...The white man became even whiter!
Not entirely appreciated due to the cold I'm busy fighting off but beautiful nontheless. Will post pics tonight (I promise!).

All quiet..

2008-11-30T14:36:00.002+09:00

Not much to report..waiting for the girlfriend to finish tutorin so we can drive back down south...keyboard is crappy so typing is a struggle (my phone is easier!!)

Did a spot of shopping yesterday..nothing major...just christmas/birthday presents for Ben and Geoff. Hope I can get them there in time. If anyone wants to complain about the crappy presents they got this year talk to those two...the girlfriend figures I must love them more than her..I think they ate next weeks dinner!!

Back to work, have a 7pg essay due tonight..will be mashing it out on my phone on the drive home..thank God for Office Mobile!

p.s. exercise in jealousy for the younger brats..I finally bought Hi-Nu!! That makes Strike Rouge, RX-78-2 Ver 2.0, Zaku Ver 2.0, a nice little (!) Nu Gundam and now...the Hi-Nu...all waiting to be built. All I need now is time!!

고창국화축제 (Gochang Chrysanthemum Festival)

2008-11-24T07:51:00.001+09:00

Chalk up another cultural trip done..this weekend past Iwent to the Gochang Chrysanthemum Festival with Myung, my co-teacher. It was...시골*...really really 시골!

I got to see lots of Chrysanthemums, of course, and for the incredibly steep price of 2000원** pick a bowl full to make Chrysanthemum tea with.

There had obviously been a competition for making sculptures out of the flowers..personal favourites being the butterfly:
the farmer with ox and plow (really quite clever):
the map of Korea (there were a few but this was the best):
and, as if a map of Korea wasn't patriotic enough, Dokdo (wikipedia it), which I should mention is one of the most beautiful islands in Korea and is really Korean (so what's the big deal?)

Afterwards we went to a nice restaurant about a 22,000원 taxi trip away and ate eel...very nice too. Very pricy.

Afterwards we took a walk around the entrance to the Buddhist temple nearby (didn't enter...no time to look around). It was getting near twilight and looked absolutely beautiful.

Then went home...all in all, a rather packed day. I made up for it on Sunday by not getting out of bed till 10, tidying the house (room) and doing washing. Lazy bugger aren't I?

*시골 = countryside (shigol)
**원 = Korean currency (won)

2008-11-19T15:10:00.000+09:00

Yep, it snowed alright. This, by the way, is my school. When I left most of the snow out the front had disappeared..a goo portion was either thrown at me or dropped down students necks in revenge. Good times.

2008-11-19T07:08:00.000+09:00

Notice the white stuff...

Colder.

2008-11-19T06:11:00.001+09:00

20min after the last post...-2.3...

2008-11-12T09:00:00.000+09:00

Don't know where its from...but...awesome!!

Still alive

2008-11-10T08:52:00.001+09:00

I know, I know..I haven't posted in a long time (again). Things have been kind of hectic here and my downtime has been just that...horizontal. Its starting to look a bit better (more organised) so I'm going to get back to posting this week..

Just to whet your appetite here's what I'm wanting to cover this week.
1. Where I've been the last few weeks
2. The pictures of my room I've been telling people I will put up.
3. At least one picture of my school
4. Where I'm at now

That should be enough to keep me busy on top of classes etc..we shall see!!

For now, I've had brekky, washed the dishes, ironed a couple of shirts, txted my girlfriend and prepared the rice for dinner tonight (hint for mum...soaking it all day really helps). Time to prepare classes.

2008-11-09T16:17:00.000+09:00

I couldn't resist posting this..only the 2nd thing I've made with my new oven...and the bread looks goooood!!

2008-10-26T20:59:00.000+09:00

New Olympus Micro Four-Thirds DSLR (The one with the orange band..) Micro Four-Thirds means no mirror which apparently is why DSLRs are so big (they have to house a big mirror)..all electronic. Panasonic has a rather nice one that comes in red (very nice) and looks more like the normal DSLR but smaller..but this is currently top of my lust list..stylish!!

Single life..

2008-10-07T08:11:00.001+09:00

Well, I've just spent my 2nd night alone in my little oneroom and I am learning a few things.
1) Ironing on the floor is a pain
2) Just because it says bread on the packet doesn't mean its real bread. The cost might also be an indicator..less than half for twice the quantity.
3) Any future objections to owning a pet are overcome by the girlfriend shedding more hair than they do. She was only here to help me move in..
4) On that point: Linoleum floors are hard to keep clean
5) But oh...so warm!

I mentioned that the wonderful girlfriend helped me move in..we may not be living together but she certainly has left her mark on the place. Some time I'm going to have to post a picture of the rubbish bin(s). I drew the line at pink shower slippers though..

Home again..

2008-10-05T23:51:00.001+09:00

I'm back in Gwangju after a tiring weekend. Ended up catching the 6pm bus from Bucheon due to some car problems..so got her about 10pm. I've cleaned the kitchen and chucked a load of washing on. Will see about the ironing and paperwork in the morning...oh..my room now has internet :)

Moving finished...

2008-10-03T13:54:00.001+09:00

I'm totally bushed, so this will be a short post.
Yesterday I moved to my new place with the aid of my wonderful girlfriend..it wasn't just moving, we also had to go shopping for bedding, a clothes rack etc..its amazing how expensive moving is! There are still many things left to get but they will probably wait till after the 25th (pay day). Spending most of ones pay packet on the room doesn't leave much for stuff to go in it!

I'm up in 부천 now with the girlfriend and I can hopefully get a few things while I'm here. First on the list is an oven..I have an urge to cook!

It'll happen when it happens..

2008-10-02T07:22:00.001+09:00

And it has happened! Yesterday my wonderful girlfriend told me about a place she thought was almost perfect. Despite some difficulties with finding an English speaker to translate between me and the owner Sunny, one of my co-teachers, made some time last night and so we went and had a look. End result: I am moving into my new house today!

Its all a bit fast, and I don't feel 100% about leaving my host family this way, but I wonder if there could ever be a good way to leave them? They are wonderful people and I have had a good time staying with them.

Oh..my reasoning for moving so fast (instead of next week) is that I am off to 부천 this weekend to spend time with my girlfriend and meet the only other foreigner in the family, next week I will be off on a study trip with 6th grade and the weekend after that I am planning on heading off to the south-west of Jeollanam-do for a festival celebrating one of Yi Sun Sin's victories over the Japanese way back in the 1580s. So busy..

2008-10-01T10:15:00.001+09:00

A quick update:

Still no luck with a new place to live. My wonderful girlfriend came down monday night and we looked at a few before she had to go back tuesday morning. My girlfriend is amazing! I'm stuck a bit at the moment as all my 'translators' are busy so there isn't much I can do in the way of looking. There is one place I like but it doesn't have any furnishings. So there are some expenses like a fridge, bedding (I'll have to buy it anyway) and a table (I need somewhere to work). Its quite close to the bus route so we are looking for something about the same distance away with a few furnishings (especially that all important fridge!). Oh, most of the places have deposits of 2million won so we are really pushing for a deposit of only 1 million and a higher monthly rent. The place I like has agreed to this but we need to find some alternatives.
The real killer: I really need to get it done by this weekend!

2008-09-27T12:34:00.001+09:00

Well, its been one week since my last post and what a week its been!
Actually, its been only the second week that I've taught the whole week as public holidays etc have got in the way other weeks..and next week I get Friday off..guess where I'm going for the long weekend :)

Highlights of this week include:
I am now a millionaire almost 2x over! I got my first pay and now have 1.9mil in the bank..a bit over 2000NZD :(
My 2 best classes this week were on Family and Animals...(not both at the same time!). For family I showed a picture of my family and explained the relationships (mum, brother, older, younger). I agonised over how to put the rest of my family in there but in the end it got too complicated. Divorce is still difficult to talk about in Korea, let alone remarriage, but I will probably cover it with a higher grade later. The kids got to make a family tree which they are going to continue with next week...it was fun!
Animals involved showing a bunch of pictures of animals and getting them to name them...surprisingly some knew what a kiwi was...and those that didn't got the explanation of three types of kiwi..me, fruit and bird. Kinda hard to explain what is so good about the Kiwi though..for a national bird its pretty useless!

And so we get to today...I'm sitting at home cleaning up the mess from this last week. When my mind is occupied I sure get messy..
Oh, its got a bit colder as well (Autumn is finally here..) so I will need to buy some shirts etc..thankfully I will be off to Seoul to see Hyejeong next weekend. I may have to visit a museum or something so school will pay for my bus ticket :) Good times!

2008-09-20T22:39:00.000+09:00

Not the best picture, but an update for those who have already forgotten what I look like?

In my defence, I was on the phone (guess who to..), so I think it came out ok.

2008-09-20T22:33:00.000+09:00

Yes, I know I have a fascination bordering on obsession with dragonflies.

What you gonna do about it?

2008-09-20T22:28:00.000+09:00

Sex Bomb~
Breaking out the voice at the after-dinner karaoke session, TaLK Orientation Farewell Dinner

Attacking 남한산성 (the hard way)

2008-09-17T20:38:00.001+09:00

So you've invaded Korea, almost got to the capital..struggled up the above valley (probably under arrow-fire), almost got to the top..and you see this..

The word 'bugger' just doesn't quite express one's (hypothetical, of course) feelings..

Assuming you makes your way past that, rather nicely built, wall..you then have this to deal with (minus the garden path..)

Gives one a whole new level of respect for the people who attacked it!

Dragonfly

2008-09-16T22:31:00.000+09:00

I got this pic on the stroll(!) up 남한산성 park..I almost caught it but it flew out the bottom of my hand..
So beautiful!

The insy winsy spider..

2008-09-16T22:27:00.000+09:00

One for the little brothers..found in the backyard of the Girlfriend's Aunt's country place...it was about as big as my hand!!

It's good to be on top..

2008-09-16T22:10:00.000+09:00

This is the view from along the wall of Namsansanseong (남한산성), loosely translated 'south mountain, mountain fortress'. As ineffective as Korean fortresses tended to be (I'll qualify this some other time) you can see why they picked the spot...check out that view!

2008-09-11T07:08:00.001+09:00

Today's looking like a busy one..originally I only had 2 classes on Thursdays, however one of my co-teachers was contracted to teach 3 hrs on a Thursday...starting with my second class. So now I have to Grade 4 classes and 2 grade 5 classes. Not her fault but still a little annoying..
Because..tonight I'm off to Bucheon (부천) for the weekend. Long weekends rock!

Plan for the weekend is to go to Bucheon and then hit a few historical sites (unfortunately not related to my dissertation) like Changdeokgung (창덕궁) and Namhan Sanseong (남한산성). Largely just spending time with my girlfriend... ^^

Will post again on Monday with pictures (if any). For now I have a couple of lessons to plan and paperwork to fill in (or out..)

END

It's all about communication..

2008-09-09T16:46:00.001+09:00

Or miscommunication! I was told yesterday that my first class today was cancelled and I didn't need to come till the second one (2hrs later). This morning I got a call asking where I was...and when I got to school I found that my class wasn't cancelled at all and that even if I don't have a class I should go to school anyway...whoops!

Somewhere someone's wires got crossed...I got short circuited :P

Aint she fine..

2008-09-08T22:11:00.000+09:00

And one more, coz any day is a good day for a picture of the most beautiful woman in the world..taken a couple of weeks back in 'our' coffee shop in 부천.

Good times..

2008-09-08T22:05:00.000+09:00

Test post 2..just coz I can. Good times..

Picasa3

2008-09-08T22:03:00.000+09:00

Test of posting a photo from Picasa3.

If you can't make funny faces in front of the president's house, where can you?

Livewriter

2008-09-08T21:56:00.001+09:00

P.s. That last post was written with Windows Livewriter. Test was successful so I may end up posting more often. Does anyone even bother to read?

In the heart of the bamboo forest..

2008-09-08T21:54:00.001+09:00

Gee, that sounds romantic! Reality..not so much!

I like Damyang, I really do. From TaLKing (see what I did there..) with other TaLK scholars over the last week it seems I have one of the better schools in DamyangNam Elementary School (담양남초등학교) and I have an amazing homestay family that are bending over backwards to take care of me...it helps that the Dad is owner/manager of one of the local convenience stores and gets free food now and again :) Nothing like an ice block after a long 4hrs of teaching!

I suppose I should put a bit of a summary at this point..I can't remember what I've written before and can't be stuffed going back and reading it!

I am one of around 400 uni students and other assorted riff-raff given a 'scholarship' of 1.5 mil Won (around 1800NZD?) to teach English at rural elementary schools in South Korea for 6mths/1yr. There aren't many staying for a year..
Housing is provided (homestay and for some lucky people apartments!) and a reasonably large sum is provided for weekend activities (cultural experience).

My school, as previously mentioned, is 담양남초등학교 one of two elementary schools in Damyang-eup (kinda like a town). The school is reasonable sized having 680 odd students from 1st to 6th grade. I teach every class from 3-6 grades once a week (16 classes = 16hrs). Oh, students start elementary at 8yrs so grade 3 is 10yrs old and it works up from there. Maturity is at a slightly lower level than NZ for any given age..

To help me with this I have two wonderful helpers, Sunny and Princess Myung (she's not really a princess but she might as well be..) who are with me for around 9hrs a week. They are both university students in Gwangju (about 30 min away by bus, bus every 10 min) so the combination of co-teaching with me and their university work means they are ridiculously busy! Given my small (but firm) grasp of Korean they also serve as interpreters and have helped me do many things I would have been lost in (aside from teaching).

I won't say too much about my host family, but they are wonderful and feed me lots. No danger in me losing too much weight. There are 3 kids, ranging from 7mths to 15yrs(?). The middle child is in one of my classes and she is cute..her favourite word seems to be 짜증나 (annoying). I, of course, agree.

English ability of the students at school varies greatly. Some students, who are lucky enough to have after school tuition, can form sentences. The rest know set phrases and a few words here and there. There is not much context taught and forming sentences is not seen as important it seems. Without meaning to be too harsh, their English knowledge is very Korean. As in, there is a superficial whole but it is missing pieces, some of them important.

What else is there?
There is a part-time English teacher at the school who teaches the regular classes and is a regular lunch buddy (school lunches...actually quite good!) and helps me keep up with adult English conversation. There is another lady in the administration who speaks some English which is nice when I need something (usually at the last minute).
The teachers like to play volleyball...a lot! It is really serious here and I understand that 담양남 has one of the best teachers teams in the area. So..every Wednesday we finish classes early and play volleyball. It's quite fun! My body still aches from last week! The teachers party afterwards was also somewhat of an experience.. (Lisa-> Soju+Beer. Try it...really!)

I think thats about it...my eyes are telling me its time to sleep. I'm getting really tired here for some reason. The heat perhaps?

END

*거북2*

맛이겠다!

Pic of the bunch

Dinner for 2, round 2

Puzzling..

18 things to teach your son about women..

hmm...not so much...

..and apparently it works..

Another #$%^ test..

SD Stargazer.

The place I know only as Pyeokjae.

The place I know only as Pyeokjae.

The place I know only as Pyeokjae.

The New and Improved Linoleum Bungalow

And now a return to our regular programming..

Sunday morning breakfast @ maccas

Just checking to see if i can upload text only through pixel pipe without a heading. Could be a nice blogging tool if it works

My home away for the next year. Seongam mansion. The tallest building in okgwa.

Milk delivery..

Picture Post II

Picture Post

Back in Korea

Couple slippers

How to make a Banana Split

Tools and Ingredients

1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

Eat..Yummy!

Contradictions

17/07/2009

Test from nokia 6120 to blog, twitter, facebook

Got it..

Take a deep breath..

Counting down the days..

In the Jungle – Lyrics by Hyejeong Kim

Tiki’s Whare

A new arrival

iPhone in Korea

Block head

The Lil’ Truck That Could

Gryffin Aeroworks

Movie Review - Star Trek - A Franchise Goes Boldly Backward - NYTimes.com

Wooden Wing Gundam

New letter paper..

Windows 7 RC1

Testing, testing, 1, 2, 3

Where was I..

Still Alive

Easter

Unqualified teachers etc..

Suncheon Gurye Road-trip

Pumpkin!

Another day..another 50 won

Gundam IV 2day

Essay IV Today

Recipies please!!

ink blogging pt2

Why am I in Korea again?

09-02-02

Mirotic - Korean Teacher's Version..

Christmas

Catchup (again)

Winter Camp Day 1

Busy Weekend (Gwangju-Bucheon-Gwangju-Namhae-Gwangju)

Catch-up

Twitter

Things to do on a snowy day Pt.2

Things to do on a snowy day Pt.1

Snow x2

All quiet..

고창국화축제 (Gochang Chrysanthemum Festival)

Colder.

Still alive

Single life..

Home again..

Moving finished...

It'll happen when it happens..

거북2