So I got back from Thailand around 11:00 PM Saturday night. The girl who I went with, Shannon, and I had been up since 5 AM and three flights later made it back to Seoul. It was a great time.
We got to Bangkok via Guangzhou, China. I swore I would never again set foot in Commie China, but, alas, it was the only real way to get to Bangkok. We had a 7 hour layover there...it was miserable. For some reason there as was no currency exchange inside the international terminal, like there is at every other international terminal around the world. We really had to get some food, so we got some sandwiches at the downstairs restaurant. But when we finished they told us they didn't take cards, only cash. We explained that there was no way for us to get cash. So they had to go find some Koreans with Chinese currency who would give us Chinese Yuan in exchange for our Korean Won. How they were ever able to track down a Korean in a Chinese airport is beside me. But they did it, and we eventually paid.
So we finally got to Bangkok. We got into a cab and headed to our hotel, the Baiyoke Sky Hotel. We knew it was going to be a different world in Thailand when we saw three motorcyclists driving the wrong way and swerving ON THE HIGHWAY. Good thing there was no traffic. But at the hotel the rooms were pretty cheap, especially for a decent hotel. It is by far the tallest building in Thailand at like 87 floors or something. The room was nice and the service was better.
We hadn't really planned out what we would do in Bangkok prior to the trip but had heard there was plenty to do so we weren't worried. After waking up late we browsed through some tourist packets and saw a shooting range opportunity. We go downstairs and the designated travel clerk explains that a driver will take us there. But we wouldn't go to the one in the packet...there was a better one provided by the army where we could go. So our driver takes us to get some Pad Thay and Tom Yun soup, which were amazing, and then we headed to the range. When we get there, this is literally what happened. Tell me if there is something fishy about this:
I walk in first, and the chain-smoking mini Thai man pulls a bunch of hand guns out of the glass case. He points to a large silver one and tells Shannon she will shoot that. He points a smaller black one and says thats mine. He gives us the ammunition, 50 shots each. One person (who doesn't speak any English) leads us downrange. He shows me where my hands go. And then I begin shooting this extremely powerful .45 downrange. I've never shot a handgun before...but this thing was badass. I was reeling off rounds so quick and everything. It was awesome having that power. My gun had a pretty big kick to it, unlike Shannons. I shot hers a couple times and it was nothing. Her shots made perfect little holes in the target, whereas mine literally ripped across the paper in 2 inch shots. All of this happened in about 25 minutes. So we leave, and realize that not once did we have any introduction. There were no wavers to sign, no formal contracts, not even a tutorial on how to shoot the thing. I could have just as easily turned around and capped all these guys. It was a lot of fun.
After that we took a boat ride down the main river and into some canals west of the river which lies on the western side of downtown Bangkok. While in the canals we came across a "snake show". Yeah we decided to get out and check it out. This place was basically a zoo, with all sorts of animals. We played with pythons and eventually went to the snake show, where these nutcases would mess with the snake and piss him off and get them to spit venom and hiss at us, since we were the only ones there. Real cool.
After that we each got a 2 hour traditional Thai massage and then went to meet up with Chris Migely's friend Sean Olvany, who lives in Bangkok. This whole time we were being driven around by Moon, who was a great great tour guide and actually did more than he was supposed to for us. The next morning we flew from Bangkok to Surat Thani provincial airport. That's not very accurate....I would call it a shack with a landing strip. We get in at 8 AM and then buy a joint bus/ferry ticket to Koh Phangan, an island on the Eastern side of the strait that separates the Gulf of Thailand from the Andaman Sea (east of the Indian coast).
There was quite a bit to do in Koh Phangan (pronounced ko pang-on). One day we rode elephants, hiked up this mountain, and saw some waterfalls. Another day we rented a boat and had a driver take us around the northern part of Koh Phangan to different snorkeling spots. It was really cool to snorkel, but we both burned the shit out of our backs and bodies. A lot of times we spent just cruising around the island on our motorbike. Everybody all across Thailand drives these little things around the island. I had a ton of fun driving this thing. Probably more than the Europeans who do that sort of thing in their home country. Most of the people were from Europe...saw almost no Americans at all. But its ok, because they have to speak OUR language to travel. One night we went to the Full Moon Party. Its this crazy party that only happens on Koh Phangan every month; the night of the full moon. This whole beach is covered with people from end to end. There are tons of bars blasting every kind of music all up and down the beach, its really a pretty cool time. If you are ever in Thailand near the full moon, you should check it out. Additionally, there are other designated beaches for the Black Moon and the Half Moon and their subsequent parties, but nothing is like the Full Moon Party I guess.
Another night we went to a Muay Thai boxing match. We weren't quite sure what to expect, but were pretty satisfied with the results. There were 7 rounds of feet to the face, hardcore knockouts, and 12 year-olds fighting for God knows what. It was kind of awkward to cheer for one 12 year old or another, but we quickly got over it when one destroyed another one with a right kick to the neck, knocking him out cold. Things in Thailand are different.
After having traveled around Asia now, I've become really thankful for a number of things. For starters, being a native English speaker is taken for granted by every single person who speaks it. Every country in the world has English education at some level. You cannot say that about any other language. Every person who travels internationally is exposed to English signs and text in English. Every airport that I have been to has not only that country's native language posted on signs, but also English. Could you imagine the effect/outrage if highway signs in the US started displaying words in Spanish or Chinese, the only languages more spoken than English? It wouldn't happen. It is essential for people who travel to know English. So be thankful for knowing English. Also, being American. We met these really cool German kids who were staying at our hotel. Obviously their English was fluent, as they had been exposed to it for 9 years in school. But they loved the fact that I had played American football for a time. Maybe being surrounded by Europeans created a little more focus on us, but I don't know. But just about every Thai person whom I met (the Thai people are as nice as any I have ever met), was really excited to meet an American. Even our driver Moon, who had practiced English with his wife for the past 5 years, talked about how much better life could be. He was upset that Thai people live a lifestyle where bribing the cops is just another illicit part of their lives. I really didn't know how to respond to him, so I just casually nodded...uh huh...
Tuesday, September 28, 2010
You Are Gay
Hope things are going good in the 847 and 312. Things in the 082-010 are alright, I am beginning to have a lot more responsibility in the classroom which is sweet because we do what I want. And that usually includes a lot of time being wasted on cheesy jokes and dancing.
So I met this dude Ben a few weeks ago bungee jumping. He is an American here working for the department of defense as a civil engineer. He told me that as a government employee he had access to the military bases around. My first question was whether or not he played golf, to which he replied "Golf is my sport. I played in high school and college." He is from Arizona, so I figured he would be pretty good. So last Saturday night we got together and I was gonna stay at his place that night, then in the morning we were gonna play a round at Osan, an air force base not too far from where I live. (Incidentally, I heard that there are around 50 or so U.S. military bases in South Korea alone. Yikes.) So Saturday night I meet him at the train station, where he picked me up. He picked me up in his massive Dodge Ram which the government shipped over from the U.S. Then we went to his 3 bedroom, roughly 1,000 square foot condo, which had all of his furniture from his apartment in the U.S. shipped free of charge by the government. His $22,000 annual rent is also covered by the government. All of this for a 24 year old recent graduate from ASU with a degree in civil engineering. Now I am beginning to understand a) where our tax dollars go and b) why our defense spending is so massive.
So we hit the links in the morning, each paying 30 bucks for 18. the conditions were pretty wet, but it was great to get out there for a change. We played with this guy who was an airman stationed in southern Korea. He told me all about his trips to South America, the Middle East, and Asia. Although when I asked him what he thought about the current North Korea situation, he claimed he wasn't allowed to talk about it. In my head I said "bullshit", but it wasn't a big deal so we moved to the 12th tee. My drive was ok and my 3rd shot approach went about 30 yards past the green. I was behind the green looking for my ball when I saw these two Korean dudes, clearly part of the joint U.S./South Korean army, dressed in fatigues standing on a platform about 15 feet above where I was, each wielding some sort of automatic weapon. It seemed they were guarding some sort of huge machine gun or something. They hadn't seen my ball, but I eventually found it. I asked our playing partner what they were doing there, and what kind of gun it was that they were guarding. He wasn't positive, but thought it was an 'anti-aircraft machine gun'. Pretending to know what in the hell he was talking about, I asked what kind of firepower they held. He said it was similar to that of an A-10 jet, or those gray jets you sometimes see with the teeth and devilish grin at its nose. So here these two Korean dudes were, just manning a massive automated machine gun designed to shoot down anything that might go near the base's oil center. And I'm trying to putt? Are you kidding me? I ended up doubling that hole, by the way.
The back nine were better...I'm pretty sure the cheap Budweisers we were drinking had something to do with it, at least that's what I'm tellin' myself. After we played we went to Chili's. Now, I haven't been to Chili's since I had to use a fake ID to drink margaritas back in high school, but let me tell you what, its awesome. The Notre Dame game was on then, and we were there just in time to watch Denard Robinson run 87 yards down the heart of the ND defense. I had the Jalapeno Cheddar Bacon Big Mouth Burger. I had no idea how good Chili's could be, especially in a place as far as Korea. It was unbelievable. I am a huge Chili's fan, and will continue to patronize it as long as I live. There are all sorts of similar American restaurants on base, where all Koreans speak English and the US dollar is accepted everywhere. There is even an American supermarket and a free movie theater. Its a sweet place.
So at the beginning of September I moved into a brand new classroom with my host/co-teacher. I have one co-teacher for each grade 3-6, but the one whom I talk most with and deals with all my paperwork and translation stuff is the 5th grade English teacher. She is really cool, I'm glad to have her. Before we moved rooms we sat pretty close to each other. This new room was built over the summer as a strictly English classroom. We now sit roughly 20 yards apart from one another. The room is in what was a vacant space before, so everything in it is new. New desks, chairs, tables, walls, computers...everything is new. There are six table/desks where up to 6 students sit. Each of those tables has a built in computer. There are new small tables and English signs and even a few chessy TV monitors which display English literature and things of that sort OUTSIDE of the classroom. Inside, we have a space that is twice as big as every other classroom. Our place, dubbed "Jamwon's English Center", is one of only two air-conditioned classrooms in the entire school, with the other being the other "English Zone", which 6th graders use and where I spend the other half of my entire work week. Perhaps the best feature of this classroom is the CommBox. It is this 70-inch TV/computer that is much more than a computer. You can control what happens on it via connected mouse, mobile mouse, or by touching the screen. I teach little Korean kids English by touching a screen and having it make noises and words. It is the coolest thing ever. It has too many features to list, but I will just say that I highly doubt any public school in the U.S. (even within district 36) has something with this thing's capabilities. Oh and when I get tired there is a couch in my classroom too. Thank God, you wouldn't want to be too sleepy on the job. The whole room cost over $25,000 I believe.
In a school so big, especially a public school, its not surprising that I would find and meet many different kinds of kids. Lately though there have been a number of kids who stand out for one reason or another. I wish I could make some of this stuff up, as it is all true and likely hard to believe. But they include:
This one kid who runs towards me, jumps on my back and screams "you are gay!" At first I was kinda caught off guard...like, what in the hell in this 11 year old Korean child saying to me? But after a few days I remembered that when we ate dog a month ago, we ordered gae, or dog meat (which was delicious). He hasn't been calling me "gay" as the Western world knows it, but instead he's been calling me a dog. So now I call him gay back. It's good fun.
This one little girl who I see every day walking in the halls. Every day she smiles ear to ear, points at me, and says "You like dick". And every day I say something like "no, no you can't say that; that's not nice." But she never gets it, and is always a lock to be there the following day repeating her one and only phrase.
Or the kid who refers to just about everything as "Obama". I will call on him and say "how do you spell 'hat'', and he will respond with "Obama". I pretend to get upset sometimes, as if to say 'you shouldn't talk about the president of my country in such a humorous manner'. But really? Who am I kidding? It's pretty funny. You gotta pick your battles with these kids, and that's not one I'm willing to fight.
Because its a public school every kid of every kind of accepted. So there are some kids here who are mentally or physically retarded. Although they probably have no idea what is going on, these kids are a lot of fun. They love to smile and have a shitload of fun doing the simplest things. They also don't really cause trouble (except for this one kid with severe hardcore ADHD who doesn't shut his damn mouth). But at the same table as the ADHD kid is this girl whom I had never seen talk before. We were playing a game last week where if the ball came to you, you had to answer the question on the board. The ball comes to her and she says nothing...for 45 seconds or so. I try explaining what is going on but get nothing. Not even a movement. The ball is sitting in her lap and she doesn't even look at me or move or speak or anything. I give up and get the ball to another student. After class my co-teacher tells me that when this girl leaves her house in the morning she doesn't talk. Not once during the day does she open her mouth, only when she is at home. I guess it is some kind of psychological syndrome or something. While at school the students and teachers all act like they know that she can talk, as if to encourage her to do so. It's really kind of neat that everyone understands this girls situation, but nothing has really worked yet. But for some reason my co-teacher neglected to tell me this prior to class beginning. I still don't know why...
There are also some kids who have experience living abroad...among others, there's a girl from England, two boys from the U.S., and a brother and sister who just moved from Egypt who are fluent in English because that's the type of education they get at international schools. Most of these kids are pretty fun to talk with (although our conversations usually revolve around nothing I could give a damn about), and some of them have better English than the Korean co-teacher who accompanies me (one for each grade). That's when I feel bad; some of these kids have better English than the teachers and are soooo bored in class. I wanna go hang out with them and talk about how boring school must be for them. At Red Arrow, for instance, that would be acceptable. You are more or less friends with the kids. Here--unlike most of the other teachers--my maturity level can be just as low as the kids, so its easy to get along with them. For example, I'm the only teacher who ever does stuff fun like throwing them around the halls and arm wrestling 6 of them at once.
I am going to Thailand all next week, but I thought a post now would be appropriate since I'm sure I will have plenty to say about Thailand. I'm going with this girl Shannon, and we are staying a few nights in Bangkok then heading south to the islands on the eastern side of the straight, in the Gulf of Thailand. Pretty excited for the beaches and snorkeling and we might even ride elephants, although I have heard they are really slow. Who'da thunk it?
So I met this dude Ben a few weeks ago bungee jumping. He is an American here working for the department of defense as a civil engineer. He told me that as a government employee he had access to the military bases around. My first question was whether or not he played golf, to which he replied "Golf is my sport. I played in high school and college." He is from Arizona, so I figured he would be pretty good. So last Saturday night we got together and I was gonna stay at his place that night, then in the morning we were gonna play a round at Osan, an air force base not too far from where I live. (Incidentally, I heard that there are around 50 or so U.S. military bases in South Korea alone. Yikes.) So Saturday night I meet him at the train station, where he picked me up. He picked me up in his massive Dodge Ram which the government shipped over from the U.S. Then we went to his 3 bedroom, roughly 1,000 square foot condo, which had all of his furniture from his apartment in the U.S. shipped free of charge by the government. His $22,000 annual rent is also covered by the government. All of this for a 24 year old recent graduate from ASU with a degree in civil engineering. Now I am beginning to understand a) where our tax dollars go and b) why our defense spending is so massive.
So we hit the links in the morning, each paying 30 bucks for 18. the conditions were pretty wet, but it was great to get out there for a change. We played with this guy who was an airman stationed in southern Korea. He told me all about his trips to South America, the Middle East, and Asia. Although when I asked him what he thought about the current North Korea situation, he claimed he wasn't allowed to talk about it. In my head I said "bullshit", but it wasn't a big deal so we moved to the 12th tee. My drive was ok and my 3rd shot approach went about 30 yards past the green. I was behind the green looking for my ball when I saw these two Korean dudes, clearly part of the joint U.S./South Korean army, dressed in fatigues standing on a platform about 15 feet above where I was, each wielding some sort of automatic weapon. It seemed they were guarding some sort of huge machine gun or something. They hadn't seen my ball, but I eventually found it. I asked our playing partner what they were doing there, and what kind of gun it was that they were guarding. He wasn't positive, but thought it was an 'anti-aircraft machine gun'. Pretending to know what in the hell he was talking about, I asked what kind of firepower they held. He said it was similar to that of an A-10 jet, or those gray jets you sometimes see with the teeth and devilish grin at its nose. So here these two Korean dudes were, just manning a massive automated machine gun designed to shoot down anything that might go near the base's oil center. And I'm trying to putt? Are you kidding me? I ended up doubling that hole, by the way.
The back nine were better...I'm pretty sure the cheap Budweisers we were drinking had something to do with it, at least that's what I'm tellin' myself. After we played we went to Chili's. Now, I haven't been to Chili's since I had to use a fake ID to drink margaritas back in high school, but let me tell you what, its awesome. The Notre Dame game was on then, and we were there just in time to watch Denard Robinson run 87 yards down the heart of the ND defense. I had the Jalapeno Cheddar Bacon Big Mouth Burger. I had no idea how good Chili's could be, especially in a place as far as Korea. It was unbelievable. I am a huge Chili's fan, and will continue to patronize it as long as I live. There are all sorts of similar American restaurants on base, where all Koreans speak English and the US dollar is accepted everywhere. There is even an American supermarket and a free movie theater. Its a sweet place.
So at the beginning of September I moved into a brand new classroom with my host/co-teacher. I have one co-teacher for each grade 3-6, but the one whom I talk most with and deals with all my paperwork and translation stuff is the 5th grade English teacher. She is really cool, I'm glad to have her. Before we moved rooms we sat pretty close to each other. This new room was built over the summer as a strictly English classroom. We now sit roughly 20 yards apart from one another. The room is in what was a vacant space before, so everything in it is new. New desks, chairs, tables, walls, computers...everything is new. There are six table/desks where up to 6 students sit. Each of those tables has a built in computer. There are new small tables and English signs and even a few chessy TV monitors which display English literature and things of that sort OUTSIDE of the classroom. Inside, we have a space that is twice as big as every other classroom. Our place, dubbed "Jamwon's English Center", is one of only two air-conditioned classrooms in the entire school, with the other being the other "English Zone", which 6th graders use and where I spend the other half of my entire work week. Perhaps the best feature of this classroom is the CommBox. It is this 70-inch TV/computer that is much more than a computer. You can control what happens on it via connected mouse, mobile mouse, or by touching the screen. I teach little Korean kids English by touching a screen and having it make noises and words. It is the coolest thing ever. It has too many features to list, but I will just say that I highly doubt any public school in the U.S. (even within district 36) has something with this thing's capabilities. Oh and when I get tired there is a couch in my classroom too. Thank God, you wouldn't want to be too sleepy on the job. The whole room cost over $25,000 I believe.
In a school so big, especially a public school, its not surprising that I would find and meet many different kinds of kids. Lately though there have been a number of kids who stand out for one reason or another. I wish I could make some of this stuff up, as it is all true and likely hard to believe. But they include:
This one kid who runs towards me, jumps on my back and screams "you are gay!" At first I was kinda caught off guard...like, what in the hell in this 11 year old Korean child saying to me? But after a few days I remembered that when we ate dog a month ago, we ordered gae, or dog meat (which was delicious). He hasn't been calling me "gay" as the Western world knows it, but instead he's been calling me a dog. So now I call him gay back. It's good fun.
This one little girl who I see every day walking in the halls. Every day she smiles ear to ear, points at me, and says "You like dick". And every day I say something like "no, no you can't say that; that's not nice." But she never gets it, and is always a lock to be there the following day repeating her one and only phrase.
Or the kid who refers to just about everything as "Obama". I will call on him and say "how do you spell 'hat'', and he will respond with "Obama". I pretend to get upset sometimes, as if to say 'you shouldn't talk about the president of my country in such a humorous manner'. But really? Who am I kidding? It's pretty funny. You gotta pick your battles with these kids, and that's not one I'm willing to fight.
Because its a public school every kid of every kind of accepted. So there are some kids here who are mentally or physically retarded. Although they probably have no idea what is going on, these kids are a lot of fun. They love to smile and have a shitload of fun doing the simplest things. They also don't really cause trouble (except for this one kid with severe hardcore ADHD who doesn't shut his damn mouth). But at the same table as the ADHD kid is this girl whom I had never seen talk before. We were playing a game last week where if the ball came to you, you had to answer the question on the board. The ball comes to her and she says nothing...for 45 seconds or so. I try explaining what is going on but get nothing. Not even a movement. The ball is sitting in her lap and she doesn't even look at me or move or speak or anything. I give up and get the ball to another student. After class my co-teacher tells me that when this girl leaves her house in the morning she doesn't talk. Not once during the day does she open her mouth, only when she is at home. I guess it is some kind of psychological syndrome or something. While at school the students and teachers all act like they know that she can talk, as if to encourage her to do so. It's really kind of neat that everyone understands this girls situation, but nothing has really worked yet. But for some reason my co-teacher neglected to tell me this prior to class beginning. I still don't know why...
There are also some kids who have experience living abroad...among others, there's a girl from England, two boys from the U.S., and a brother and sister who just moved from Egypt who are fluent in English because that's the type of education they get at international schools. Most of these kids are pretty fun to talk with (although our conversations usually revolve around nothing I could give a damn about), and some of them have better English than the Korean co-teacher who accompanies me (one for each grade). That's when I feel bad; some of these kids have better English than the teachers and are soooo bored in class. I wanna go hang out with them and talk about how boring school must be for them. At Red Arrow, for instance, that would be acceptable. You are more or less friends with the kids. Here--unlike most of the other teachers--my maturity level can be just as low as the kids, so its easy to get along with them. For example, I'm the only teacher who ever does stuff fun like throwing them around the halls and arm wrestling 6 of them at once.
I am going to Thailand all next week, but I thought a post now would be appropriate since I'm sure I will have plenty to say about Thailand. I'm going with this girl Shannon, and we are staying a few nights in Bangkok then heading south to the islands on the eastern side of the straight, in the Gulf of Thailand. Pretty excited for the beaches and snorkeling and we might even ride elephants, although I have heard they are really slow. Who'da thunk it?
Thursday, September 2, 2010
Party Time
What a two weeks I have had since returning from China. During the week I had Summer English camp. The first week was 3rd and 4th graders, the second was 5-6 graders. I would have the same 25 kids from 9 AM to 12:10 every day. I'd then eat lunch and go home with the whole afternoon off. Camp was different from regular classes because I was in charge of everything. I had to do all the lesson planning, preparation, and ran the whole camp by myself. I had a Korean speaking English teacher to help me, but she would come and go as she pleased and was there only for support and to run errands for me.
All morning long I would teach them a little something like directions or geography or random vocab words then we would play a game with it. We played musical chairs, watched the Simpsons, played bingo...a bunch of really fun and easy to manage stuff. Oh and the first day they each picked English names, some of which I provided and others that they came up with on their own. For kicks I provided a bunch of really hard to pronounce names, like Harold, Gilbert, and Waldo. We also had a Larry, Curly and Moe. Some of the kids are a little slow though. One insisted he be called Dragon Rider, which wasn't nearly as bizarre as the boy he sat next to, Naver, or his other friend, Movie. That's right I called a kid "movie" all week long. In addition to Larry, there was also a Harry and Terry.
Last week some friends and I went to this Canadian bar in Seoul for 300 won (30 cent) wing night. My friend from college Kate is visiting and staying with my friend from Knox, Kim. We all went out and had a real good time, especially when these Korean guys whom we met insisted on celebrating Tequila Tuesday with us...meaning they buy all the drinks, most of which were shots of tequila. I mean, as much as I wanted to buy my own stuff, I supposed I could let them pay for drinks. While at this bar I talked to the bartender about playing hockey. He said as long as I got my stuff here he could find a team for me to play for, since goalies are fairly uncommon. So I might consider playing soon. But we'll see. I am really enjoying this unathletic lifestyle I live.
This past weekend a bunch of people got together and took a trip to Gangwahl-do (or something), which is this area somewhere outside of Seoul (we weren't sure where) to go rafting. There were maybe 40 people on this bus, all English speakers, that we took up there. But before we got to the river, we stopped at some lake. There we could go swimming in the lake, or go bungee jumping, which is exactly what I did. I was just under the weight limit of 105 kilos, which was a relief. I got up there and just jumped right off without thinking about it. I wasn't really too scared for some reason. But it was really cool...I think it was like 65 meters high into a pool. It was so awesome...such a rush. I really had fun doing it, and it was only about 30 bucks. After that we went rafting in this really lame river which apparently was the best rafting river in Korea. But we made fun of it and jumped out of the boat and pushed our guides in. They really had a blast with us. That night we all stayed at this camp-type place with small houses that we all bunched up in and had a barbecue and bonfire by the river. It was pretty cool. There were plenty of spirits to indulge in as well.
In other news, I recently got my Playstation working. I had been looking for ways to get it working forever...looking for a converter or remote or adapter. There was info on the web that said I needed a converter so thats what I thought. I had the tv repair man come to my place, I had another teacher's son and husband come over to try and get it to work, and I even brought it to school one day thinking it was my TV's problem and the ones at school might work. After not finding any answers and formally giving up, one of the teachers at my school did a little research. He said all I had to do was hold the power button for longer, and it would go on. Yeah right...how the hell would that work? That wouldn't bypass any converter or anything. As a last ditch effort I gave it a shot....AND IT WORKED! I was so happy I started jumping around and screaming. Fortunately for me, Madden 2011 just came out. I found this Asian gaming website (www.play-asia.com) that sold them for cheaper than in the U.S. and delivered to Korea, which the major U.S.-based ones don't. Up until this point I had been working to learn Korean pretty hard, but no longer, thanks to Playstation. It's reallly hard to get off the couch and away from the TV to study. Thanks, Sony! You have officially ruined my social/educational life!
Well I apologize for this being so short but there really isn't a whole lot else going on. Most of my friends here have already left/are leaving in the next week cuz their contracts are up. I still have a few acquaintances but the majority of my closest friends will be gone. But that also means that a whole new flock of people will be arriving, just waiting for an experienced foreigner like me to show them around. At least I hope...stay tuned.
All morning long I would teach them a little something like directions or geography or random vocab words then we would play a game with it. We played musical chairs, watched the Simpsons, played bingo...a bunch of really fun and easy to manage stuff. Oh and the first day they each picked English names, some of which I provided and others that they came up with on their own. For kicks I provided a bunch of really hard to pronounce names, like Harold, Gilbert, and Waldo. We also had a Larry, Curly and Moe. Some of the kids are a little slow though. One insisted he be called Dragon Rider, which wasn't nearly as bizarre as the boy he sat next to, Naver, or his other friend, Movie. That's right I called a kid "movie" all week long. In addition to Larry, there was also a Harry and Terry.
Last week some friends and I went to this Canadian bar in Seoul for 300 won (30 cent) wing night. My friend from college Kate is visiting and staying with my friend from Knox, Kim. We all went out and had a real good time, especially when these Korean guys whom we met insisted on celebrating Tequila Tuesday with us...meaning they buy all the drinks, most of which were shots of tequila. I mean, as much as I wanted to buy my own stuff, I supposed I could let them pay for drinks. While at this bar I talked to the bartender about playing hockey. He said as long as I got my stuff here he could find a team for me to play for, since goalies are fairly uncommon. So I might consider playing soon. But we'll see. I am really enjoying this unathletic lifestyle I live.
This past weekend a bunch of people got together and took a trip to Gangwahl-do (or something), which is this area somewhere outside of Seoul (we weren't sure where) to go rafting. There were maybe 40 people on this bus, all English speakers, that we took up there. But before we got to the river, we stopped at some lake. There we could go swimming in the lake, or go bungee jumping, which is exactly what I did. I was just under the weight limit of 105 kilos, which was a relief. I got up there and just jumped right off without thinking about it. I wasn't really too scared for some reason. But it was really cool...I think it was like 65 meters high into a pool. It was so awesome...such a rush. I really had fun doing it, and it was only about 30 bucks. After that we went rafting in this really lame river which apparently was the best rafting river in Korea. But we made fun of it and jumped out of the boat and pushed our guides in. They really had a blast with us. That night we all stayed at this camp-type place with small houses that we all bunched up in and had a barbecue and bonfire by the river. It was pretty cool. There were plenty of spirits to indulge in as well.
In other news, I recently got my Playstation working. I had been looking for ways to get it working forever...looking for a converter or remote or adapter. There was info on the web that said I needed a converter so thats what I thought. I had the tv repair man come to my place, I had another teacher's son and husband come over to try and get it to work, and I even brought it to school one day thinking it was my TV's problem and the ones at school might work. After not finding any answers and formally giving up, one of the teachers at my school did a little research. He said all I had to do was hold the power button for longer, and it would go on. Yeah right...how the hell would that work? That wouldn't bypass any converter or anything. As a last ditch effort I gave it a shot....AND IT WORKED! I was so happy I started jumping around and screaming. Fortunately for me, Madden 2011 just came out. I found this Asian gaming website (www.play-asia.com) that sold them for cheaper than in the U.S. and delivered to Korea, which the major U.S.-based ones don't. Up until this point I had been working to learn Korean pretty hard, but no longer, thanks to Playstation. It's reallly hard to get off the couch and away from the TV to study. Thanks, Sony! You have officially ruined my social/educational life!
Well I apologize for this being so short but there really isn't a whole lot else going on. Most of my friends here have already left/are leaving in the next week cuz their contracts are up. I still have a few acquaintances but the majority of my closest friends will be gone. But that also means that a whole new flock of people will be arriving, just waiting for an experienced foreigner like me to show them around. At least I hope...stay tuned.
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