Here's an article in Time Magazine about the North's nuke program and how it's up and running again.
Just Nuke It
Thursday, September 25, 2008
Test Days Are Awesome
I was supposed to have six classes today, all in a row. That makes Thursday my least desirable day.
Today was great, however, because the teachers were preparing students in three of my classes for midterm exams. That means I didn't have to teach three of my classes. It was so great to get a little rest when I didn't expect it.
Making my day a little longer, though, was that I had to get up and go in at noon to go apply for my alien identification card. I need this card for things like opening a bank account, which will be vital once I get paid, so I can send money back home.
Unfortunately, the new, stricter rules are forcing me to hurdle another obstacle before I can actually register. So tomorrow, I have to go to the health clinic to get an HIV and drug test. It will probably only take a half hour or so, but I have to go at 11 a.m., which is way too early compared to everything else we do here.
Oh well. I'll get that out of the way, then my card should be on its way in a few weeks.
I went out with Cindy, Chris and two of the Songdo teachers on Tuesday night. Songdo is our sister school about 20 minutes away. Then, last night, Chris and I went to InHa to meet up with a couple Korean girls he knows. As usual, it's a good time going out. And since I don't usually eat, it's not too expensive.
Tonight for dinner, Chris and I got galby at a local restaurant. Galby is a marinated pork that they put on one of those little in-table charcoal grills. It was my first time eating it, and I was more than satisfied. It was a little bit tangy, but the meat was very filling and the spices were good.
Also, the school seems to have stopped providing us with a meal during the day for some odd reason. So the teachers go in together and order things. They asked me if I was interested today, but I declined because I planned on stopping by a street vendor after work. But they very generously invited me to eat with them anyway, letting me try a little of everything.
As I said before, I'm thankful that the teachers have been so friendly and welcoming. It makes things a little bit easier, for sure.
Friday is tomorrow, which means I only have three classes, then it's probably a bus ride over to Yeonsu for some fun.
Have a good Friday, everyone!
Today was great, however, because the teachers were preparing students in three of my classes for midterm exams. That means I didn't have to teach three of my classes. It was so great to get a little rest when I didn't expect it.
Making my day a little longer, though, was that I had to get up and go in at noon to go apply for my alien identification card. I need this card for things like opening a bank account, which will be vital once I get paid, so I can send money back home.
Unfortunately, the new, stricter rules are forcing me to hurdle another obstacle before I can actually register. So tomorrow, I have to go to the health clinic to get an HIV and drug test. It will probably only take a half hour or so, but I have to go at 11 a.m., which is way too early compared to everything else we do here.
Oh well. I'll get that out of the way, then my card should be on its way in a few weeks.
I went out with Cindy, Chris and two of the Songdo teachers on Tuesday night. Songdo is our sister school about 20 minutes away. Then, last night, Chris and I went to InHa to meet up with a couple Korean girls he knows. As usual, it's a good time going out. And since I don't usually eat, it's not too expensive.
Tonight for dinner, Chris and I got galby at a local restaurant. Galby is a marinated pork that they put on one of those little in-table charcoal grills. It was my first time eating it, and I was more than satisfied. It was a little bit tangy, but the meat was very filling and the spices were good.
Also, the school seems to have stopped providing us with a meal during the day for some odd reason. So the teachers go in together and order things. They asked me if I was interested today, but I declined because I planned on stopping by a street vendor after work. But they very generously invited me to eat with them anyway, letting me try a little of everything.
As I said before, I'm thankful that the teachers have been so friendly and welcoming. It makes things a little bit easier, for sure.
Friday is tomorrow, which means I only have three classes, then it's probably a bus ride over to Yeonsu for some fun.
Have a good Friday, everyone!
Sunday, September 21, 2008
So Many Nationalities
It's practically the United Nations out here with the various nationalities of people my age who come to teach. It certainly makes for more interesting nights.
On Friday, we all went to Bupyeong, another neighborhood of Incheon. There, we hit up a couple different bars. I went with two Canadians, a New Zealander and a Finn. While we were there we met a group of Brits who had members from England, Scotland and Wales.
I had to again defend America's honor in bar games by beating a Canadian twice at pool and an English guy at darts.
Colin and I didn't end up leaving the bar until a little after 6 a.m., while the New Zealander and Finn were still holding it down there.
We were trying to go to the SK Wyverns game on Saturday, but it got rained out. That night, a crew of us just hung out at Dan's place. I made my way home around 1 a.m., so I could watch the Arsenal game and follow the Pitt game online.
Today was another thrashing of Canada's wiffleball team by a 10-3 score. That puts our seven-game series at 3-0 USA. I crushed three homeruns today and pitched one scoreless inning.
After the rout, Dan, Scott and I hiked up Chongyang Mountain, which is right in the center of Incheon. I couldn't find much info online, so I can't tell you how high it is. Check out my pics below and get a good look for yourself. It was pretty steep and took about an hour to go up and down it. There were a ton of people out today since it was so nice. It was in the mid-80s again.
The weirdest thing is that all the way up the mountain, vendors would be selling things like hats, food and water. Some of those people carried pretty heavy loads all the way to the top to sell to hikes. It's incredible the way Koreans think sometimes.
Maybe the best part of the weekend came Friday when I finally got my cell phone. I asked Mr. No about getting one and he took me downstairs and got me one. The base plan is at $14 and then you pay per minute and per text. I think it's something like 18 cents per minute and 3 cents per text, but I'm not totally sure.
One of my students who has the same phone, switched the language from Korean to English and then sent me a song for my ringtone. It's some lame Korean pop song, but it was cool of him to do that, and I'm definitely keeping it.
My landlord, who I live right next door to, came Saturday to fix my water. She got it back to normal, but of course it went back to cold today. So her son came and fixed it. I have a feeling I'll have to mess with it every time I shower. Oh well, it's better than the cold showers I took for a week and a half.
It's back to a full week this week. I don't think we have another holiday until the first weekend in October. So time to put the nose to the grindstone I guess. It shouldn't be too bad because we're starting new books this week in all the classes.
Five classes tomorrow. I guess it's just about bedtime here. Enjoy the pictures!
Chongyang Mountain
New cell phone
Friday, September 19, 2008
Happy It's The Weekend
My assumed break for my last class of the day yesterday never happened after all. The teacher told me she was very tired and asked me to teach it anyway. So I did.
It was not a problem, however, since I was done with the book in pretty much all of my classes. That's when Quiddler became a hero. It was a huge hit with the students. Their vocabulary level is good enough that they can find all the small words, and they're just thrilled when they find big words or words that use Q or Z.
It was cool to see their excitement over the game. Maybe I need the Korean version, if there is one, to help me with my Korean vocabulary.
After work I went out with Cindy and Vicky to the hof by our school. Once again, they ordered SO MUCH food. I know it's culture, but it always seems like overkill to me. It's not like they ever finish it either. Now I know why children are starving in China. It's because Koreans order all their food and throw it away.
Either way, it was a really fun night. We drank a bunch and had a great time getting to know each other and learning about our cultures. It really is amazing. I learn so much more in a casual setting from the other teachers than I ever could in a history class. Experience is certainly the key to life.
Today I only had three classes scheduled, but I taught an extra one of Cindy's class. She sat in and watched. I think the other teachers are curious about my style of teaching, since I only get good reviews from the kids. Since her class finished their book today, she got pizza for them. So I got to eat a slice of that. The toppings were hamburger, ham, corn and green peppers.
That's one of their weird tastes over here. They mix corn in with their pizza sauce. Both times we have ordered pizza, my friends have asked for no corn. They have done it so much at the one place that the employees just know not to give it to them. Americans and their no corn order!
I still have no hot water and no cell phone. The hot water is supposed to be fixed soon. Who knows if it will? I asked about getting help to buy a cell phone today, and Terry said the school has a cell phone that no one uses, and he thinks Mr. No will give it to me. That would be nice. Then they can take my bill right out of my paycheck.
When the Internet guy came yesterday, it was a pretty funny experience. He logged me into my net account and said it was ready. But I wanted to ask about a password and user ID. So I looked up password in my dictionary, and that's how I got my message across.
I think I've really hit it off well with all the teachers here. Even though their English isn't perfect, my goofy jokes seem to get across. For instance, everyone here has an ID badge that they wear. I do not have mine yet. I told Cindy and she told Stacy.
When I walked into the Korean teachers' area, they were all asking if I envied them for having it and things like that. So I said, "I want to be a teacher too!" They all seem to get a kick out of how positive and excited I am about every little thing that happens.
Tonight I'll head over to Yeonsu-gu to hang with Dan and the Canadians, most likely. None of the teachers are going out tonight because they have some lame seminar tomorrow. Thankfully, they don't make Chris and I attend. We probably wouldn't really understand anyway.
One last story for the day. In my first class on Fridays, it is one little girl who is very smart and a good student, and three little boys who are just horrible and loud. I had to be mean today to the boys to just settle them down. But the bad thing is that one of the boys, Lion, pulled his pants down for a second and flashed his tiny kimchi. Needless to say, I was not happy with that. I yelled at him and told Vicky, his teacher. He might be in some trouble. I have no idea.
Time for the weekend!
It was not a problem, however, since I was done with the book in pretty much all of my classes. That's when Quiddler became a hero. It was a huge hit with the students. Their vocabulary level is good enough that they can find all the small words, and they're just thrilled when they find big words or words that use Q or Z.
It was cool to see their excitement over the game. Maybe I need the Korean version, if there is one, to help me with my Korean vocabulary.
After work I went out with Cindy and Vicky to the hof by our school. Once again, they ordered SO MUCH food. I know it's culture, but it always seems like overkill to me. It's not like they ever finish it either. Now I know why children are starving in China. It's because Koreans order all their food and throw it away.
Either way, it was a really fun night. We drank a bunch and had a great time getting to know each other and learning about our cultures. It really is amazing. I learn so much more in a casual setting from the other teachers than I ever could in a history class. Experience is certainly the key to life.
Today I only had three classes scheduled, but I taught an extra one of Cindy's class. She sat in and watched. I think the other teachers are curious about my style of teaching, since I only get good reviews from the kids. Since her class finished their book today, she got pizza for them. So I got to eat a slice of that. The toppings were hamburger, ham, corn and green peppers.
That's one of their weird tastes over here. They mix corn in with their pizza sauce. Both times we have ordered pizza, my friends have asked for no corn. They have done it so much at the one place that the employees just know not to give it to them. Americans and their no corn order!
I still have no hot water and no cell phone. The hot water is supposed to be fixed soon. Who knows if it will? I asked about getting help to buy a cell phone today, and Terry said the school has a cell phone that no one uses, and he thinks Mr. No will give it to me. That would be nice. Then they can take my bill right out of my paycheck.
When the Internet guy came yesterday, it was a pretty funny experience. He logged me into my net account and said it was ready. But I wanted to ask about a password and user ID. So I looked up password in my dictionary, and that's how I got my message across.
I think I've really hit it off well with all the teachers here. Even though their English isn't perfect, my goofy jokes seem to get across. For instance, everyone here has an ID badge that they wear. I do not have mine yet. I told Cindy and she told Stacy.
When I walked into the Korean teachers' area, they were all asking if I envied them for having it and things like that. So I said, "I want to be a teacher too!" They all seem to get a kick out of how positive and excited I am about every little thing that happens.
Tonight I'll head over to Yeonsu-gu to hang with Dan and the Canadians, most likely. None of the teachers are going out tonight because they have some lame seminar tomorrow. Thankfully, they don't make Chris and I attend. We probably wouldn't really understand anyway.
One last story for the day. In my first class on Fridays, it is one little girl who is very smart and a good student, and three little boys who are just horrible and loud. I had to be mean today to the boys to just settle them down. But the bad thing is that one of the boys, Lion, pulled his pants down for a second and flashed his tiny kimchi. Needless to say, I was not happy with that. I yelled at him and told Vicky, his teacher. He might be in some trouble. I have no idea.
Time for the weekend!
Wednesday, September 17, 2008
Nice Break Today
Thursday is my really heavy day as far as classes go. I have six of them. The problem is they are all right in a row from 3 to 9 p.m. Six straight classes with only the short 25 minute break at 6:50 p.m. to grab a bite to eat.
Thursday is also rough because Chris isn't here if I have questions. I have no problems going to the teachers to ask what to do, but I sometimes get the feeling that I am bugging them a little bit. The issue is that the English teachers can only teach the units that correspond to what the Koreans have already covered. Sometimes, when we finish our unit or simply finish the book, we have to come up with our own ideas.
Stacy, the head teacher, said all classes are starting new books next week. That means for this week and part of last week, I was bugging them to ask what they recommend I do. I now realize that I have a little creative freedom in teaching the kids when we have those breaks in the lessons.
The best news about today is that my 8 p.m. class is taking a test, so I get that period off. That makes my hectic Thursday a lot easier. It's still five classes in a row, but that isn't a problem at all.
Also, I have two classes today where the teachers said I could prepare something. Last week I came up with a list of questions about the Olympics, and the kids used them to write short essays. It wasn't as much fun as possible, but it was fairly easy since everyone, even non-sports fans, know about the Olympics.
This week, I already used Scrabble in parts of two classes. I brought LCR and Quiddler with me as well. I know LCR is generally a drinking game for us, but I can use it to teach counting and directions. Quiddler will be perfect for the kids because it's a short-word card game. It's
a lot like Scrabble, but doesn't depend on a board to form words. I will see how it goes in my class today.
I finally got my internet hooked up in my apartment. As I suspected, all I needed was an ID and password, which were numbers. This could've been resolved easily last week. I still don't have cable, so we'll see how long that takes. Also, the hot water is not back yet.
Terry, the school's VP, called a repairman, but he needs permission from the landlord. That call should take place today. I hope it does soon, because I am getting tired of taking cold showers. It makes my shower far less relaxing and a little more stressful when all I'm thinking about is how I wish the water was warm.
I have just been approached by one of the other teachers about finishing the old books and starting the new ones. She said to make sure I get the current lessons done by tomorrow, Friday. That won't be a problem. Most of my classes have already finished or just have one lesson left in the current books.
I had my first interesting experience with a Korean stranger in a bar who was very hands-on. I was warned that it would happen at some point, and it doesn't make me uncomfortable, but I think it's worth noting.
Chris, Mike and I went to a bar Tuesday night in Inha, which is Incheon Harbor University. While we were there, a 29-year-old Korean guy started talking to us. But he also would hang on our arms, touch our legs and give us hugs.
Chris said that while it's not totally uncommon for that to happen, that guy was just a weirdo. It wouldn't be any different than if we were in America and a person with a strange personality started talking to us. That being said, the guy was generous and bought our drinks, which would've been expensive because we were at a hostess bar.
There seems to be three different kinds of bars here that I have seen so far. The Korean hoff is the most common, where you basically have to order some kind of food with your drinks. It can be fruit or chicken or soup of some sort. But that is their culture to eat while drinking.
The second kind would be the hostess bar, where you don't have to order food, but bottles of beer are $4 at the cheapest. The third kind is the western bar, which means you can go and order cheap drinks without the food. Guess which is my favorite. haha.
Well, I have about 30 minutes until my five hours of classes start for the day. And there's not as much rush to type the blog while I'm at school since I finally have my internet hooked up. I won't be getting kicked off and signing back in constantly anymore.
I hope all is well at home, for whoever may be reading this. Love you and miss you!
Thursday is also rough because Chris isn't here if I have questions. I have no problems going to the teachers to ask what to do, but I sometimes get the feeling that I am bugging them a little bit. The issue is that the English teachers can only teach the units that correspond to what the Koreans have already covered. Sometimes, when we finish our unit or simply finish the book, we have to come up with our own ideas.
Stacy, the head teacher, said all classes are starting new books next week. That means for this week and part of last week, I was bugging them to ask what they recommend I do. I now realize that I have a little creative freedom in teaching the kids when we have those breaks in the lessons.
The best news about today is that my 8 p.m. class is taking a test, so I get that period off. That makes my hectic Thursday a lot easier. It's still five classes in a row, but that isn't a problem at all.
Also, I have two classes today where the teachers said I could prepare something. Last week I came up with a list of questions about the Olympics, and the kids used them to write short essays. It wasn't as much fun as possible, but it was fairly easy since everyone, even non-sports fans, know about the Olympics.
This week, I already used Scrabble in parts of two classes. I brought LCR and Quiddler with me as well. I know LCR is generally a drinking game for us, but I can use it to teach counting and directions. Quiddler will be perfect for the kids because it's a short-word card game. It's
a lot like Scrabble, but doesn't depend on a board to form words. I will see how it goes in my class today.
I finally got my internet hooked up in my apartment. As I suspected, all I needed was an ID and password, which were numbers. This could've been resolved easily last week. I still don't have cable, so we'll see how long that takes. Also, the hot water is not back yet.
Terry, the school's VP, called a repairman, but he needs permission from the landlord. That call should take place today. I hope it does soon, because I am getting tired of taking cold showers. It makes my shower far less relaxing and a little more stressful when all I'm thinking about is how I wish the water was warm.
I have just been approached by one of the other teachers about finishing the old books and starting the new ones. She said to make sure I get the current lessons done by tomorrow, Friday. That won't be a problem. Most of my classes have already finished or just have one lesson left in the current books.
I had my first interesting experience with a Korean stranger in a bar who was very hands-on. I was warned that it would happen at some point, and it doesn't make me uncomfortable, but I think it's worth noting.
Chris, Mike and I went to a bar Tuesday night in Inha, which is Incheon Harbor University. While we were there, a 29-year-old Korean guy started talking to us. But he also would hang on our arms, touch our legs and give us hugs.
Chris said that while it's not totally uncommon for that to happen, that guy was just a weirdo. It wouldn't be any different than if we were in America and a person with a strange personality started talking to us. That being said, the guy was generous and bought our drinks, which would've been expensive because we were at a hostess bar.
There seems to be three different kinds of bars here that I have seen so far. The Korean hoff is the most common, where you basically have to order some kind of food with your drinks. It can be fruit or chicken or soup of some sort. But that is their culture to eat while drinking.
The second kind would be the hostess bar, where you don't have to order food, but bottles of beer are $4 at the cheapest. The third kind is the western bar, which means you can go and order cheap drinks without the food. Guess which is my favorite. haha.
Well, I have about 30 minutes until my five hours of classes start for the day. And there's not as much rush to type the blog while I'm at school since I finally have my internet hooked up. I won't be getting kicked off and signing back in constantly anymore.
I hope all is well at home, for whoever may be reading this. Love you and miss you!
Monday, September 15, 2008
Ch'usok Weekend and New Pics
I hope you're enjoying the pictures so far. I'm adding a few more now.
Over the long Ch'usok weekend, we made it to two SK Wyverns baseball games. They lost the first one but won the second in a 12-inning game. It was a lot of fun. Tickets were only $3 and beer was only $2.50 per can.
Some of our Canadian friends took advantage of the one white guy in center field on the other team and heckled him without mercy. It was a great show, especially when the guy turned around and threw a ball at them. Don't worry, it missed.
To answer Pauline's questions, the food at the game is similar in some regards and VERY different in others. Of course there's beer and other soft drinks, as well as Gatorade (the only flavor in Korea is lemon) and slushies. They also have chicken sandwiches and potato chips.
The different foods range from things like noodle bowls to various weird vegetables that I didn't even ask about. They also have some nut and candy mixes as well as a sweet waffle with whipped cream and honey smothered on it.
The stadiums was fairly empty on Saturday and a little more full on Sunday. Dan said he's seen it packed, which is probably true. The fans are rowdy like English soccer fans. The only thing is, if they're not in the middle of a song or chant, you can hear a pin drop. That's when we liked to yell.
Also, while the level of play is decent, their is almost NO hustle play. If a guy thinks he'll be out at first, he jogs down the line. And you almost NEVER see a player dive. We were fortunate to see the SK shortstop make a great diving catch, but things like that are rare.
Last night, when we got back from the game and were hanging outside, a guy approached Dan, Mike and I. The guy, an American, offered to sell a scooter to us for $50. I was skeptical, of course.
He said his wife doesn't want him to drive it anymore, and stressed that he can sell it so cheaply because he makes so much money. Regardless, Mike and Dan pitched in and bought it.
It's kind of beat up but is a real motor scooter with a lot of pickup to it. It really moves when you crank it. I guess anything can happen here. It's almost surreal sometimes. Mike kept saying, "I can't believe I just bought a scooter."
He's a little afraid to drive it back to our neighborhood from Dan's, however. Even though it would only take about 10 minutes, drivers here are totally insane. Not to be toyed with for sure.
On Monday we started the International Wiffleball Championship between the USA and Canada. Four Americans took on three Canadians in the first game of a seven-game series. Needless to say, it was a morale-crushing 7-4 victory for the Americans.
It was 7-0 going into their last at bat, and they got a couple runs while our pitcher fatigued a bit. He didn't care about the score at that point, and just was throwing heat for strikeouts. Keep waving those flags for us back home. Three more games to go for the championship.
Back to Pauline's questions -- No Koreans have really talked about the stuff involving Kim Jong-il thus far. Of course, maybe they're just not telling anything to the western teachers. A few of us have talked about it briefly, but no one is concerned right now about any governmental power struggle. The climate, I think, is always a little shaky, but people don't seem concerned in any way about any of it right now.
All the Americans and Canadians in the pictures I'm taking are teachers at the various private academies in Incheon. Five of them actually live in the same building in Dan's neighborhood. Three Americans, including me, live in my neighborhood. Two of us live in my building, and one is across the street.
Mike and I were chatting about it today, and about how it feels a little bit like an extension of college. The western teachers all know each other in one way or another. We all make decent money and have a lot of free time to really explore the area. It's not uncommon to go out during the week to see each, like it might be back home if we were just in whatever profession we entered after college.
Best of all is that we all do the same thing at different schools, so we can all talk about our work experiences. It's a nice support system and its own little community over here in South Korea. The veteran teachers are always willing to impart their knowledge on the constantly revolving new teachers.
As far as the address of the school goes, I don't know the exact way to write it yet. Also, if you'd like to send me a letter, you should write the Korean and English address on the label. It will leave the US for sure if it's in English, but once it gets here, it might not be readable by some typical mail sorter. I'm still working on figuring it all out. If you want to send a test letter, feel free. I wouldn't send anything valuable yet, though. We wouldn't some Korean mailman to go home with something extra from your letters to me.
I posted some more pics of my apartment, pics of Dan's neighborhood, wiffleball pics and some pics from the second Wyverns game. Enjoy!
Wyverns
Apartment
Dan's neighborhood of Yeonsu-gu
Wiffleball Championships
Over the long Ch'usok weekend, we made it to two SK Wyverns baseball games. They lost the first one but won the second in a 12-inning game. It was a lot of fun. Tickets were only $3 and beer was only $2.50 per can.
Some of our Canadian friends took advantage of the one white guy in center field on the other team and heckled him without mercy. It was a great show, especially when the guy turned around and threw a ball at them. Don't worry, it missed.
To answer Pauline's questions, the food at the game is similar in some regards and VERY different in others. Of course there's beer and other soft drinks, as well as Gatorade (the only flavor in Korea is lemon) and slushies. They also have chicken sandwiches and potato chips.
The different foods range from things like noodle bowls to various weird vegetables that I didn't even ask about. They also have some nut and candy mixes as well as a sweet waffle with whipped cream and honey smothered on it.
The stadiums was fairly empty on Saturday and a little more full on Sunday. Dan said he's seen it packed, which is probably true. The fans are rowdy like English soccer fans. The only thing is, if they're not in the middle of a song or chant, you can hear a pin drop. That's when we liked to yell.
Also, while the level of play is decent, their is almost NO hustle play. If a guy thinks he'll be out at first, he jogs down the line. And you almost NEVER see a player dive. We were fortunate to see the SK shortstop make a great diving catch, but things like that are rare.
Last night, when we got back from the game and were hanging outside, a guy approached Dan, Mike and I. The guy, an American, offered to sell a scooter to us for $50. I was skeptical, of course.
He said his wife doesn't want him to drive it anymore, and stressed that he can sell it so cheaply because he makes so much money. Regardless, Mike and Dan pitched in and bought it.
It's kind of beat up but is a real motor scooter with a lot of pickup to it. It really moves when you crank it. I guess anything can happen here. It's almost surreal sometimes. Mike kept saying, "I can't believe I just bought a scooter."
He's a little afraid to drive it back to our neighborhood from Dan's, however. Even though it would only take about 10 minutes, drivers here are totally insane. Not to be toyed with for sure.
On Monday we started the International Wiffleball Championship between the USA and Canada. Four Americans took on three Canadians in the first game of a seven-game series. Needless to say, it was a morale-crushing 7-4 victory for the Americans.
It was 7-0 going into their last at bat, and they got a couple runs while our pitcher fatigued a bit. He didn't care about the score at that point, and just was throwing heat for strikeouts. Keep waving those flags for us back home. Three more games to go for the championship.
Back to Pauline's questions -- No Koreans have really talked about the stuff involving Kim Jong-il thus far. Of course, maybe they're just not telling anything to the western teachers. A few of us have talked about it briefly, but no one is concerned right now about any governmental power struggle. The climate, I think, is always a little shaky, but people don't seem concerned in any way about any of it right now.
All the Americans and Canadians in the pictures I'm taking are teachers at the various private academies in Incheon. Five of them actually live in the same building in Dan's neighborhood. Three Americans, including me, live in my neighborhood. Two of us live in my building, and one is across the street.
Mike and I were chatting about it today, and about how it feels a little bit like an extension of college. The western teachers all know each other in one way or another. We all make decent money and have a lot of free time to really explore the area. It's not uncommon to go out during the week to see each, like it might be back home if we were just in whatever profession we entered after college.
Best of all is that we all do the same thing at different schools, so we can all talk about our work experiences. It's a nice support system and its own little community over here in South Korea. The veteran teachers are always willing to impart their knowledge on the constantly revolving new teachers.
As far as the address of the school goes, I don't know the exact way to write it yet. Also, if you'd like to send me a letter, you should write the Korean and English address on the label. It will leave the US for sure if it's in English, but once it gets here, it might not be readable by some typical mail sorter. I'm still working on figuring it all out. If you want to send a test letter, feel free. I wouldn't send anything valuable yet, though. We wouldn't some Korean mailman to go home with something extra from your letters to me.
I posted some more pics of my apartment, pics of Dan's neighborhood, wiffleball pics and some pics from the second Wyverns game. Enjoy!
Wyverns
Apartment
Dan's neighborhood of Yeonsu-gu
Wiffleball Championships
Saturday, September 13, 2008
Two More Sets of Pictures!
Here are a couple new sets of pictures. The first are pictures of my school in the Lucky Building about two blocks from my apartment building. The second set is from the SK Wyverns baseball game on Saturday evening. Enjoy!
Jungchul School
SK Wyverns baseball. Fan First! Happy Baseball!
Jungchul School
SK Wyverns baseball. Fan First! Happy Baseball!
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