A train whistles and roars through Oryudong Station (without stopping)
I had my first Korean conversation today. I have, of course, had many short, pre-planned conversations with work colleagues and Korean friends, in the aid of practicing the Korean that I’ve been studying. But today was my first experience in real life, on the road, out in the field, so to speak. I was in the hairdressers, umm, getting my hair cut. It’s the middle of winter here right now. It’s snowing outside, the temperatures are below freezing, but I’m going to Thailand tomorrow, so I need to get my haircut. (because it isn’t snowing in Thailand, it’s very hot, long hair, hot weather = nuisance)….
Anyway, back to my point. I had my first impromptu Korean conversation, in the hairdressers, today.
This is the conversation in English. I had this with the hairdresser (her name is yoo bin) ALL in Korean, yes, all of it. When I left the hairdressers I was VERY happy. My hard-work had paid off.
Yoo Bin: Can you speak Korean.
Toby: I can speak a little bit of Korea, sorry.
Yoo Bin: How long have you been in Korea?
Toby: (long pause, digesting the question), One year and 4 months.
Yoo Bin: Do you like Korea?
Toby: Yes, I like.
Yoo Bin: Why?
Toby: Umm, I like teacher. Sorry, I mean, I like my job. I like the food. I like people.
Yoo Bin: Good.
She carries on cutting my hair.
Toby: I’m British.
Yoo Bin: Oh, really? Wow. Very good. I like the British.
Toby: Notting Hill??
Yoo Bin: Yes (haha) (every Korean loves Notting Hill film)
She carries on cutting my hair.
Yoo Bin: Do you have any Korean friends?
Toby: Yes, I have lots of Korean friends.
Toby: I have about 10 Korean friends. Do you have any foreign friends?
Yoo Bin: No, I don’t have any foreign friends.
She carries on cutting my hair.
Yoo Bin: Where do you live?
Toby: I live in Oryudong. From here, to Oryudong, it takes 15 minutes by bus. (she was very impressed with this sentence – so was I)
Yoo Bin: I understand.
Toby: Where do you live?
Yoo Bin: I live in Bucheon. It’s two stops away. Do you know?
Toby: Yes, I know.
Toby: Tomorrow, I’m going to go to Thailand?
Yoo Bin: I don’t understand.
Toby: Thailand. Country. Tomorrow, I go. I don’t know.
Yoo Bin: I don’t know.
She carries on cutting my hair. She shows me my hair in the mirror.
Toby: Cut a little bit more please.
Yoo Bin: Little bit here?
Toby: Yes, please.
Yoo Bin: Do you like it?
Toby: Yes, I like. Thank you very much.
Toby: Goodbye.
Yoo Bin: Goodbye, have a good day.
Toby/Yoo Bin both nod, bow and smile. Haircut, first Korean conversation completed. Happy days…… Next stop, the madness of Bangkok and none other than Christopher Manski pants, one more stop will lead me to the golden beaches of Koh Lanta and none other than my father and step mother. Happy happy days……
MERRY CHRISTMAS everyone….. Love to all……..xxxxx
A chestnut cooker delicately exhausts some warmly smelling smoke into the crisp air.
Took the opportunity to get the camera out despite the below freezing temps.
Cold outside. Lets play with my camera indoors.
Have you ever visited the lavatory, opted to sit down and discovered that the seat is very warm? This obviously implies that some other man, or woman, but for the sake of this blog, I have to imagine that it’s man, has very recently been sitting there. Of course! This has happened to everyone. How does it make you feel? It makes me feel a little bit quirky. I don’t like it. Why would anyone want to feel the warmth of another mans behind, especially in the circumstance of him saying goodbye to his lunch.
I apologise if this blog, so far, isn’t particularly pleasant, but I do promise, with the deepest of warmth (warmth from the heart, not from, well, you know where), that there’s a happier, more tasteful ending.
Today, I experienced a new kind of toilet seat warmth. It was hot. If I had taken the seat outside, it would’ve steamed like a coal train whistling through the British countryside. I was at my private class’s house; just before the class started I took a trip to the toilet and sat down. The shock, to the intensity of the seat warmth, was significant. My face would’ve resembled shock, confusion, curiosity and disbelief, all in a split second. I felt my eyes penetrating the limitations of their sockets. I couldn’t quite work out what the hell had happened. Why on earth is this toilet seat so god darn hot? With a flash of wonder I then remembered that their toilet had an electronic self cleaning device, I then realised that it must be heated for the winter months. I carried on with my duties.
I had been thinking about writing a blog today, but I was stuck for ideas. I had resigned to the fact that I’d have to wait another day. It’s funny that simply going to the bathroom to pee, or whatever you may be doing in there, can inspire you to write a blog. Maybe I should have just kept all this to myself.
The image at the top of this blog, is a flashback to my blog about Korean taxis. I forgot to mention, I think, that getting a taxi between the hours of 11:30pm and 3:00am is very difficult, and on some occasions, impossible. It isn’t because there aren’t any, it isn’t because there are too many people getting taxis, it’s because the taxi will not take you unless you’re going on a healthy, money spinning distance. One night, I was so fed up with rejection after rejection that I lunged into the depths of my pocket, took out my camera and took a picture of the number plate and then asked my Korean friend to threaten the driver with the image, saying we would report him to his boss, or whoever we could. It’s an illegal offence to deny anyone a journey in a taxi. He replied with a shake of the head and a mumble. We walked onto the next taxi. So if you find yourself in Seoul, do not take this taxi, he doesn’t deserve your cash.
I have some rather sad news...... Umm, it's very hard to even type the following message. I hope this doesn't affect you all as badly as it has affected me. It has been a big part of my life for the last few months. A relationship that sparked off with instant love. The admiration I had was something I haven't experienced before, and probably won't ever again. I thought it would be something that would last forever, but I guess all good things come to an end, I'm just so sad it has happened now, so soon, just as things were getting, well you know, comfortable. My fridge has died. The beautiful second hand fridge has passed away. No longer will she keep my apples cool. No longer will she serve me well and freeze my varieties of ice creams. She had died last week, but I managed to resuscitate her.... I brought her back from the dead, once again she was cold. It was a miracle. However, I feel this is the end, I feel she can longer function. She will sadly be replaced with a newer, more advanced and more efficient model of refrigerator. I have fond memories. The 4am Ice Cream is a memory that will stay close to my heart and will help me through these troubled waters. Please take this opportunity to hold your hands together, close your eyes and make a wishful wish to your own refrigerator, this kind of thing can happen to any fridge at any moment, of any day. My wish is for your fridge to remain happy, and keep your groceries cool.
Something has been happening over the last year and four months that I neglected to tell you. I have always modeled myself on independence and seem to keep some things to myself for a while, and most things I keep locked away in a safe-box with no key to hand. It’s easier that way.
My next little secret is something that I can’t and wouldn’t be able to keep a secret for much longer, even if I really wanted to. I would have to put myself into the safe-box; that would be the only way to keep it from you all.
The ability of my eyes has been deteriorating. On Sunday, 7th December, 2008, I went to the opticians. I’ve been before, but only as a routine check at the tender age of ??teen. Now, I’m 26, and getting on, some might say, my eyes aren’t what they used to be. The proof is that, I’m now the proud owner of an additional pair of eyes. I believe the technical term is, Spectacles.
After deliberating for around 20 minutes and 20 different styles, colours and fits of glasses I chose these ones. I thought they sat nicely in-between non geeky and non fashion-y, they’re also comfortable and I think, kinda, ‘ok’. A new chapter begins. I blame this all down to reading too much. This is the first time that I have read books back to back and the first time that I have taken studying seriously, The Korean Language. Studying before was mostly practical and didn’t include too many mountains of reading material. I’m of course joking. Playing online Scrabble is clearly to blame for my new blurry disposition.
What do you think? I have chosen a series of pictures, to show you, with a series of emotions.
I wore them for the first time today. When I put them on I couldn’t believe that I had been walking around for the past two months (that’s the time span of my blurry realization) without them. I don’t need to wear them 24/7, although they said I should, but they certainly offer a clearer outlook on books, TV screens and umm, people. My kids found it very entertaining. They’re used to my pranks. Sometimes I wear their jackets, or put on some kind of comedy accessory as a form of entertainment. They thought this was another joke, so a couple of them carried on as usual. One kid, who goes by the name of Jeremy, did a double take and they said “Booya”, which vaguely translates to “WHAT?”. My afternoon kids pretty much all said the same thing. “Teacher! You is ugly”. I don’t take them seriously. People close to me have referred to me as “A Harvard student”, “even more handsome” and “Intellectual”, oh sorry, I mean “even more intellectual”. (haha, I couldn’t spell interlectual (luckily automatic spell checker is here to save me)
Regardless, and at the end of the day, they’re just a pair of spectacles right.
Firstly, I would like to update you the state of my Korean language. I thought that I would quote from a book that I'm reading to help convey my current thinking. The book is titled "Shantaram", and is written by Gregory David Roberts. Gregory Roberts would suffice for me, but who am I to judge as to why he uses all three. The quote is "We can't really know what a pleasure it is to run in our own language until we're forced to stumble in someone else's". Stumbling is definitely the impression that a Korean would have, if I they were to see me in the street, whilst executing my latest phrase. The Korean script is written into their phonic sounds. So my name would read 'to-be', rather than Toby. When I learn new words, phrases etc, I learn by writing it over and over, mixed in with a few listening exercises and verbal practices. But the most efficient way for me to learn is repetition of writing and then reading. So I am used to most words broken down. My results consist of well pronounced but excruciatingly slow spoken words. Example; if you were to hear a foreigner asking you for help, and they had learned their language "Toby Style", it might sound like this hel-low, ker-an, you, huh-elp me pur-lee-sur. I aa-mer, In-tur-re-sur-tae-dur in see-ing a fur-il-mer....... Translated into fluent speaking English. Hello, can you help me please? I am interested in seeing a film. I require a lot of patience from my close Korean friends and work colleagues.
I'm currently in a little storm of studying Korean. It's the first bout of form that I have hit since being back in the country. You might say I have wasted three months of valuable study time. To a certain degree, I agree, but I have no one to answer to but myself, therefore I think I'm doing great. It's hard to digress the state of my Korean language. I think I know more than I think, if you know what I'm thinking. What I can say is that if someone was to ask, "Do you speak any other languages?", I would say yes. I wouldn't step out of my shoe size and say I have two languages!! actually, I would, I would lie. After all, how many people in the world can test me on my level of Korean. It may be a globally useless language to learn (exception being in Korea and inside Korean restaurants across the world), but to me it's something I enjoy, and something that one day will serve me well. I hope, that one day, my stumbling can become an adolescent waddle, or better still, a steady, Sunday stroll.
It's now only three weeks till I depart for Thailand. I'm hoping, with every ounce of hope, that the political troubles will have been swept away before my flight departs Seoul, 8:05pm, 24th Dec, 2008 (Seoul Time). Admittedly, it would be quite nice for the protests to flare up again whilst I'm on the islands. Whose going to complain at a few extra days in the sunshine eh? So Christmas, this year, will be spent in Bangkok. Last year it was Seoul. This year I will be parading around Bangkok with Chris, one of my old mucker's from Himley Road. Chris came to Seoul for Christmas last year. He loved the Asian way so much that he took himself out of the comfort zone and flew his life to Malaysia. So, with Thailand sitting comfortably within both of our grasps, what a fine excuse to spend a second, on the bounce, Christmas together.
The weekend has passed and I spent a fun fun day at the horse races. Seoul Race Course was the chosen location, midday was the chosen meeting time, and Chris's 25th Birthday was the cause for celebration. Five British, Four Americans and Two Koreans made up our party of eleven. I didn't know what to expect, apart from the obvious running horses, small bets, slightly bigger bets, some wins, some loses and most likely a chilly afternoon in the crisp winter air. Unexpected extras that unpacked themselves throughout the day were; most clientèle were middle aged heavy smoking men, there was a distinct lack of females (not a huge surprise), we had the comfort of a foreign lounge (leather seats, warmth, non-smoking, English speaking guide), a sand track rather than grass and non-alcoholic larger. The days betting couldn't have got off to a better start. I threw myself into a BIG first race bet. I put down a thumping 4,000 Korean won bet on a horse to finish in the top three. 4,000 won is about £1.80. Not much!. My horse came in third. I had put the bet down, not knowing the odds. The system was fairly complex and I didn't have time to digest all the different numbers and fractions. Anyway, my horse came in a position and I knew, I had won something. It turned out I had gathered, with a huge almighty slice of beginners luck, a whopping 48,800 won. So my cute little £1.80 had transformed into a juicy £24.00, roughly. Still small time money, but I nice way to start the day. My pot luck continued, in the 12 races that I placed money on, I won in 10 of them. So, I went home the only person with a +figure in their wallet. I was up by about £15.00 after 6 hours of hustle and bustle. Fair Play!
Here are a few things you might not of known about Korea, and Korean people.
People remove shoes inside ALL houses and a lot of other offices, restaurants etc.
Kids go to school, two Saturdays a month.
Most people live with their parents until they get married, regardless of age.
Being busy and achieving (bettering yourself) is more important than leisure time.
Koreans don't sell ANY kind of medicine in supermarkets or convenience stores, everything, including aspirin, is sold in pharmacies.
Transferring money from bank to bank, or bank to retail company, bank to anywhere in the world is instant, no 1,2,3,4,5 or 6 day interest snatching time laps.
Age is very significant in all walks of Korean life.
Baseball is, by far, the most watched, played and enjoyed sport in the country.
Young singers, pop stars if you like, men and women, have a lot of plastic surgery to look even younger than they already are. Most popular being, creating a small bag under the eyes, to enhance roundness, softness and all round cuteness. Apparently.
Koreans, in general, don't like the Chinese. In a non discriminating way they refer to them as dirty. But this is a huge stereotypical view. Apparently. Also, their relationship with the Japanese isn't too hot either. However, Japan is preferred to then that of the "dirty" Chinese.
The beer, larger, isn't good. At all.
Men take huge pride in their workmanship.
Dried squid is, probably, the most popular snack. I personally want to turn my stomach inside out a thousand times just looking at it. The smell?!!! I wouldn't wish it upon anyone, not even the Arsenal first team.
Certain people refer to each other as Brother and Sister, rather than their name. Example, Anthony Teacher is older than me, so I would have to call him Brother, not friend, not Anthony. Something like that anyway.
If you have a sore throat, slight ear infection, stomachache or any other small irritant sickness, the Korean doctor will supply with a ludicrous amount of pills. The pills, which come in packs of five, a range of colours and sizes, are a lethal mixture of 'I have no idea'. You must take the pack of 5, 4 times a day for a ransom number of days. Luckily enough, touching wood, I haven't had any kind of reason to visit the doctor. Hopefully, touching more wood, I won't have to.
I will post more Korean insights as they come to mind. As for the pictures below. I will let the image itself tell you.
The last week has been a pretty busy one. My mind has been occupied with one special event, that was completed yesterday. It was our annual Kids Herald School, winter performance. Red and Blue class have been under tight scrutiny other the past 4/5/6 weeks. They have been memorising individual speeches, song lyrics, dance movements, more song lyrics and a twenty minute musical thrown on top. The pressure that has been mounting for these 4/5/6 year olds finally came flowing down on Saturday. The event, which was MC'd by myself, again, and a co-teacher under the name of Sarah, was a raging success. There were, of course, a few hiccups along the way. Sound quality from the microphones, pressure of on-stage performing, emotional kids, slight memory loss etc, but if one was to absorb the whole situation as a whole event, then one would say it was more than satisfactory. Job done. After, we were treated to a celebratory meal with all teachers of both the schools in our building. We had a private suite at Gimpo International airport. Once we had consumed our buffet dinner and a few semi chilled beers, it was time for singing. They had hired a karaoke man. He came with PA system, computer monitors and a bass guitar. Every song that was sung was accompanied by him plucking away at his bass. It was amusing and distracting. The evening was yet another good opportunity to bond with co-teachers. Teachers come and go quickly at the school, it seems. So every meal/dinner/drinks occasion usually results in tighter, more homely, relationships with the people we spend a days with. Job done.
BREAKING NEWS.................. Utichi Steps into the Spotlight..... My British compatriot, Giovanna Utichi, has finally come out of the woodwork. She has put her typing shoes firmly back on both of her feet. No longer does she hide in the shadows of lexical shyness. Her worldly confidence is currently being exercised, in the form of writing a blog. The last entry was the middle of August. A staggering three months has passed without any update on mood or experience, she has left hr loved ones in the dark. But the light has been turned on. Will her newly acquired motivation last? Will she embrace this new turn of a leaf with continued optimism? Or will she fade, like your new pair of jeans and freshly tanned body? Time will tell. I am, for one, screamingly excited about her blog update. Tune in very soon to http://giovannautichi.blogspot.com/ to find out WHAT has been happening....
The following week will probably contain some post-'big Kids Herald School event' depression. Going back to a normal schedule will be strange but refreshing. The weekend ahead promises to be fun. Chris Utton will be turning 25. We are going horse racing in Seoul. We aren't racing the horses ourselves, we will be merely putting money on some other people racing horses. Can't wait. First time for me.
Winter, Autumn, somewhere in between. 5pm, sun falling down, residing onto the side of the apartment block for a few seconds, slashing a glare across Han River........
Give me strength. Thriving, and living with an abundance of comfort-ness, in this country is easy. However, I have come across a new, impossibly difficult, and daily challenging, ‘decision making moment’. You may remember that my last, blogged, tough decision making dilemma was ‘what to listen to on my way to work’, well my new dilemma is, Ice-Creams! Which one shall I eat today??
The choice is extraordinary. The options that I have delved into, to date, our nothing short of delicious. So delicious, that, about 9/10 times I end up eating two.
I might research into the exact number of varieties they have here, in Korea. In England, I can remember it being a straight choice between a Cornetto, Magnum, Solero, Feast and Callipo (and mini-milk). That was hard enough. I could roll off a list of about 15 I’ve already tried and would consider as a premium taste of ice-cream. The ice cream freezer at my local convenient store is (inconveniently) large enough to house a small Asian family and their pet dog (depending on breed). I’ve stood at the summit of the menu-less freezer for about 10 minutes before, going through the motions of taste and after taste satisfaction, before finally, comfortably, relying on one of my top three choices, most of the time. The decision irritates me so much at times, that I end up purchasing 3/4 different options, taking them home, placing them in the freezer, relaxing, contemplating, deliberating, assessing and then plunging in with the instinct of my head, or heart.
To cement this, new, phenomenon in my life, the price is no more, and sometimes less, then 25p, a pop. Just today, I bought my entire class an ice cream, total price was about £1.75. That’s one Deluxe Magnum in some corner shops in London.
Something, within this state of ice cream satisfaction, does baffle me. One of my favourite choices of creamed ice is in the shape of a fish (fin, scales and pout included). I do eat some of the seas little swimmers, but in general I would declare myself as an extreme part time eater of fish. The process of fish, from the sea, to the rod, to the fish boat, to the port, sea-weed cleaning, sea-dirt removing, head chopping, eye-popping, gutting, hand slipping etc, disgusts me. Fish smell foul when fresh, fish stink when being cooked, fish, most of the time repulse me. My stomach has turned over, flipped, twisted, stretched and cleared out countless times just at the smell of most fish. (n.b. I love you Tuna)
My old house, the rather sexy offictel across the road from my, new, old school humble abode, was pivotal to a number of shops. One of the shops was a fish restaurant. Not a huge problem, but my walk, from the bus stop to the front door was a wind tunnel. At the end of the wind tunnel stood the fish restaurant. Every minute of every hour, of every day I would be walking home to the repulsive intake of smouldering fish eyes, and brains.
With all this taken into the equation, you would have thought I would pass on the fish shaped ice-cream. I tried to, but it’s far too delicious and scrumptious to ignore. The ice cream in question is a sandwich style ice cream. A sensationally soft outer curtain, that once opened exhibits a succulently mouth watering filling of vanilla ice cream and then a generous layer of sweet red bean paste. If served at the right temperature you can safely melt away from lives worries and stresses, and seduce yourself into ice cream heaven.
It was 430am, I set my alarm to watch the Carling Cup tie between Spurs vs. Liverpool (COYS). Mid way through the first half (0-0), hunger struck me hard. As it was an unsociable hour, and I was unsociably attired, I thought thrice about heading out to the store. I did, however, venture into my kitchen and started a very brief exploration of my cupboards. I stalled upon the freezer. My fishy friend was there. I’m, confidently, sure that this was the sole inspiration for Tottenham’s goal fest towards the end of the second half (half-time 3-0).
My most desirable past time, at work, is giving the kids a word-search. The words I give are usually of relevance to the unit they’re studying. It has become a kind of ‘in’ joke between myself and the other foreign teachers (Anthony and Chris), we seem to teach the same level books around 3/4 times a year, and we come across the same vocabulary often. Example, Anthony and I have both taught ‘Herald Leaders, B2’, on numerous occasions. Vocab – Tall, short, fat, thin, pretty and ugly makes up unit 2 of the book. We could create a whole workbook/workpack for B2 with our eyes closed and our brains set to low.
Within the 15-20 minutes it takes the kids to find everything, as their eyes go into overdrive, and their mindsets frantically and competitively search for that elusive word, I am able to sit back and enjoy a well deserved, and more often than not, essential rest bite. ‘Everyone wins’ during word-search time. The kids enjoy the challenge of finding the words (I add an extra incentive of, “Whoever finds ‘November’ first, gets 20 stickers….. GO, GO, GO!!”), I, as I just mentioned, get a well deserved break, and finally my boss has been convinced that doing a word-search is beneficial to their vocabulary and spelling. Some days I prepare a bumper word-search (I might consist of around 15-10 words, and even some of the words might be backwards), knowing that it will take them the entire class to complete. It’s also common practice to prepare a word-search for each and every afternoon class. So, from 2:30 to 5:30, I do nothing but sit back and say the odd sentence (to reassure my boss that all is ok), and enjoy my afternoon.
You can create your own word-searches, very easily, online. The day I discovered the website was like inventing the wheel. An over zealous remark maybe!! But I’m in the teaching game, I’m not a philosopher, or a geeky scientific genius sitting in my lab mixing chemicals, components, compounds and shapes (wheels are round right???), I’m looking to enhance the education of the kids and ease my work load. So!! discovering the word-search creator, levels with the invention of the wheel, for me.
Moving away from the collation of random letters into a square shape and mysteriously hiding words within, I want to talk about Korean taxis.
‘The Korean Taxi’, is a pretty interesting subject. Like in most cities they are all the same. New York you have your infamous Yellow Cab, distinctive in colour, foremost, and then distinctive in shape. The London Taxi’s shape is worldly recognised, as is its colour. In Korea, it’s the same, kind of. They’re all grey in colour. Not as outstanding as yellow, so you would have thought they would back up the dull colour but implementing an outstanding, or unique, shape. Nope! The Korean Taxi, is the same model, and colour, as about 90% of cars on the road. The single thing, that alienates them from other road users, is that they stop to pick you up, where as Kim and Lee, don’t, they drive past (rightly so). Koreans, in general, along with most Asian cultures, seem to be ‘streets’ (nice) ahead, of the rest of the world, when it comes to inventions of gadgets, convenient lifestyle living, and more importantly, being able to have a hugely populated city ticking along nicely. They’re basically 10-20 years head of us lazy lot. But when it comes to cars, they suck!! At times, I walk down any street and I am amazed at how many cars are the same colour, shape and if they had personalities, then they wouldmatch too. If ‘Herbie goes Bananas, part 8’ is set in Korea. Don’t watch it. If Pixar, do Cars 2, Streets of Seoul’, don’t watch it. I get excited when I see a bus coming down the high street. Buses are either Green, Blue, Red, White and Turquoise or another variation of the colours mentioned. They also come in many different sizes, shapes and personalities. My boss is obsessed with me getting a car. Anthony teacher bought one and is now my bosses best friend. I won’t be buying a car just yet, but never say never.
The exterior to a taxi is, as I’ve mentioned, horrific. Once you get inside, all is well. The language barrier, is pure genius once you get in the taxi. As long as you can say where you want to go, which I can, then you can sit back and enjoy the ride, knowing that he won’t be asking you any small talk questions. I don’t miss taxis from back home. Overpriced!! and to compensate for the over pricing, they seem to want to befriend you, maybe to make them feel better about charging you obscene amounts of money for short distances. I have had a number of conversations with Koreans, but they’re short lived and very rare. One conversation, which I shared with a couple of friends in the taxi, was centred around the drivers ability to cheat on his three girlfriends and wife at the same time. We found it rather amusing, so did he. We had labelled him an ‘odd ball’ on first entering the taxi. He was wearing a Kangol cap. Do you remember Samuel L Jackson’s fashion disaster??? Same!!!!
I have sadly been sick, out of the window, in a Korean taxi, maybe 2/3 times. But, this was in my first 6 months in Korea, so I make no excuses. I just did. Oh well.
To summarise, Korean taxis are disgusting to look at, but generously cheap and all round an efficient mode of transportation.
I have been very slack with my Korean studying. Since I got back from UK, I have focused my intentions on being able to stay in the country (Visa issues). Once that was sorted, I managed to pick up some extra classes. One of my kids needed some extra help, so I obliged. This is taking up my downtime, which was usually set aside for blog writing and Korean study. With new schedules and new routines comes a period of familiarisation. I’m there now and to celebrate I bought myself a new notebook, as a motivational incentive, so hopefully my self teaching of Korean can and will continue, next week, I need to have a relaxing weekend first, then I will continue, I promise, I can feel the urge, it’s there, I think…………..
I have created a word-search for you. Please find, Tobyteacher, Koreantaxis and wordsearch. Also, the image above proves that all cars are grey. OK, ok, the image is in black and white, but you will have to just trust me.
S E S I R S R N S Q L R E K C G T R R V C U U N R I R F L O L T L C X T S M R P A H Y E O D J S S R E K J W I C H Z C R K C Z E E G X P T P S L F X E T F E I I D O L H T T G Q O H X O V D S E L L S W O R D S E A R C H Z E S A R V P B Q N G O N S S R T N P K A P K Y N X A R G P T S G E G T X X N T O S R X Y G S B H G G F I O P E O X K E H L T C E U I S G X Q A L V W S R Y C N M O T E G G E C C H H D C A R O A E E S E Q S H S L N F N O E Q G A G E N R S E P E C N M I E X S L I P G K O R E A N T A X I S I K N
The image you see is of a street side Baseball hitting net thingy. They're all over the place. You pay (500 won) 20p (about) and then stand patiently as a tempremental machine hursl down 15 or so baseballs. As you can see from the second image, I seem to be treating it like a game of cricket. Getting my front foot to the pitch of the ball, with a huge stride, and then top edging it into the air for 'myself' to catch.
I thought it would only be fair to finally shed a little truth on some things about my new life. I have always heaped praise on my kids and my new profession. Teaching the little ones is more often than not, a breeze. The kids enjoy the challenge of a second language and I certainly enjoy delivering it to them, so both parties sit nicely when the class starts, motivation is buoyant. I have been guilty of divulging to you, just, the positives, the geniuses, the prodigy's, the talents, the spectacles, to summarise, the kids that are good!!!!
This blog is going to be dedicated to all those kids that struggle with English. The kids that are below average. The kids that would rather draw than (most kids that struggle with English seem to be excellent artists, which gives me comfort that they will succeed in life, with or without my help) say "Hello" and "Goodbye". The kids that somehow manage to forget just about everything that they shouldn't and remember pretty much everything they shouldn't. These are the kids that give me a headache during the day and the kids that have parents that are living in some unknown universe where common sense and understanding do not prevail, anywhere, at anytime, at all..... PERIOD!!!
One kid, who I dearly like, but who I really didn't like, at all, not one iota, is Richard. I used to teach him (which is why I didn't like him but do now) in the afternoon classes. He is aged 8 and has been studying English (apparently) for two years. If you absorb the fact that he has been studying the language for two years then you would say that his level, now, is somewhere between outstanding and remarkable. I must confer that when I say outstanding, I mean outstandingly poor and therefore remarkably low, considering his situation. Kids at the same age and with the same opportunities and material infiltrated to them over the past two years are light years ahead of him. Bless him, you may be thinking and that is exactly what I think now. But when I taught him it was just plain frustration, but at times so hilariously funny that I couldn't help but pat him on the back and say thank you.
His reading was diabolical, but it was his improvised sentence making that has brought us all together on this blog page. is, is, is, is and is. I will explain. OK, so all the kids open their books and we read a story, that lasts about 15 pages and about 10 minutes. After, we have around 15 minutes of open discussion about the story. A great opportunity for the kids to make some sentences about the story and accompanying imagery. I ask a few questions and they give a few answers. Example: Toby Teacher: What is the boy doing on page 45? Glen: He's walking to the house. Toby Teacher: Good job. What is the boy wearing? Daniel: He's wearing a blue t-shirt and black pants (Trousers, where I'm from mate) Toby Teacher: Good job. What is the girl doing?
OK, cue man of the hour, Richard.
Richard: Girl is, house is, walk to the, is happy.
I could reel off a host of impressive sentences, all flooding with use after use of ???is ???is ???is. He has some how picked up the tradition of using 'is' before and after pretty much every other word. It's now so contagious that Anthony Teacher and I, jokingly speak to each other in Richardish (I just named it). This is an example of Anthony and I asking about each others plans.
Anthony: Is, tonight, house, is, doing, is what? (Translates, What are you doing tonight?) Toby: I, is, house, stay, is, food, then, is, eat, is, sleep, is, watching TV, umm, is.
Just a little harmless fun at the expense of Richard, one of the less fortunate kids at our school.
It’s been too long. I have neglected my duties as a blog writer. I have no excuses apart from I’m working a lot harder these days and I’m doing a lot of extra hours. Anyway, I promised a blog about bowing.
Koreans, and other Asian cultures, like to bow. It is a tradition that goes back way before I was born and you and your mates and their mates. I’m not a historian, neither am I that interested in dates, so I won’t give you a specific date, I will just let you know that it started a long time ago.
The point of my message to you is that I, too, like to bow. I have moulded it into my new persona. I do it to my friends, my co-workers, even to the kids for a laugh. I obviously do it to shop workers, restaurant waiters, general service providers and doo-gooders. One time that I did it and I thought to myself “That was bloody stupid”, was when I was lifting weights in the gym. One of the trainers was doing his routine stroll around the gym, whilst correcting peoples grabs, pulls, strains, stretches, pushes, lifts etc etc etc. As he passed me I quickly remembered my newly acquired persona and bowed. Mid-bow I realised I was in mid lift of about 40Kg of weights with the aid of my back muscles. I quickly amended my all round multi-technique and resumed normality, in the relaxed position. I felt like a bit of a fool. Since then I have noticed many people doing the same. The politeness of the bow is so essential and expected and custom that no matter what situation you are in, you bow. I’ve seen people carrying countless bags of shopping and still mastering a bow to a fellow heavy bagged up bower. Despite this, people happily do it and they do it with passion and grace. I once saw a couple having a bowing competition on the pavement. It was so funny. They were competing to see who could get their forehead closest to their feet. He won. I want bowing to become common place in my life. When I eventually return to the non-bowing lands of the UK, I will be introducing some sporting bow techniques to my friends and family. So if you’re listening folks, get working on those back muscles, because I will be expecting a bow from you every time I see you, or give you something, or even think about you.
Thank you. (I’m bowing now, as I type – seriously)
(THE PICTURE - I am not bowing, but this is the kind of angle one would expect to see, and execute)
Coming soon to a web page near you, a blog update. Apologies for the late arrival of this release. I would shoulder the blame but my companion Giovanna is shite at writing blogs, frequently, and I seem to have caught her 'slow finger' disease. I will not promise that the latest addition to my blog will arrive soon, but I will tease you and say it will happen soon, and that it will be about the over zealous-ness of Koreans and their polite stooping (Stooping is more commonly known as Bowing, which is the act of lowering the torso and head as a social gesture in direction to another person or symbol.
Meanwhile, this is a picture of me wasting some time with my camera and it's new assitant Captain Tripodia.
6 weeks after returning to Korea. Many troubles, stresses, worries, concerns, frowns, disbeliefs, frantic calls, frantic emails, what if's, but what if's, lots of that's not fair's and why does it take so long's and I have finally be given my second year visa. It's such a relief and such a change in emotions that yesterday I had a short period of mild depression. I have spent most minutes of the day worrying about all of this. Now I have nothing to worry about. It's strange how the brain likes to be troubled sometimes, or it at leats gets used to the idea of stress and then chokes when it doesn't have any.
I'm happy, thank you to all those who participated in the process - NO THANKS to the UK Metropolitan system and their friends at the NCI..... Sort your system out, ummm, umm, NOW
Please focus on the girl looking at you..... Her name is Alice.
I thought it was about time that I wrote a piece about one of my babies. I have taught a number of kids in the past 13 months, but my current BLUE class kids are the ones that have segmented a bigger percentage of my heart. Alice is today's case study. Before I proceed, I will however, not be referring to her as a case study. She's one of my babies.
The term 'babies' is obviously a play on words. I didn't impregnate a Korean women, or many for that matter, all those years ago. I like to use 'babies' a number of times throughout the day. It can be implicated to ridicule an infant. If they're behaving below their accumulated years then I will ask them "Are you a baby?". This results in an uproar of laughter from the endearing classmates, therefore striking a message to, from now on, act your age. On the flip-side I use 'Baby' and 'babies' in order to deliver my affection to them. At lunchtime, a number of the kids, decide that they will take a long time to eat their food and in the process of this, they play with it, or in Alice's case, secretly deposit it onto the floor. Cunning. So, as an incentive to a quickly eaten meal I reward them with 'baby time'. I think I have mentioned this before. It simply means I cradle them like a newly born and swing gentle from side to side, for about 30 seconds, then we both get bored and move onto the next adventure.
Anyway, I'm drifting away from Alice. I have taught Alice from day one. When I first graced the wooden floors of Kids Herald back in August 2008, Alice was one of the 5 VERY small babies that was looking up at me I was escorted into RED class. I was petrified and I'm sure she was as well. Alice is properly one of more substantial cute kids of the entire school, past and present and optimistically, the future. To explain. There are an abundance of cute kids throughout. But their cuteness waivers as they grow or as they are molded into perm-babies by their mothers. (Perms - some kids get given perms by their mother's - disgusting behavior, but deeply amusing when they walk into school styling their new wave)
Alice has maintained her cuteness since day one. It's the kind of cuteness that gets her out of so many situations. Arguments flare up on a daily basis and Alice, with a slice of pure genius, tilts the head to one side, frowns (whilst holding the infamous cute rounded eyes), and squeaks out a little "Teacher". Every teacher in the school knows what she's doing, but none of us have the ability to conquer it. Her biggest sin is depositing food onto the floor at lunchtime (as mentioned above). Most kids swallow all their culinary delights. Alice is the solitary exception. Every day, once the masses have digested and departed the class, there is a scattering of un-chewed foods splattered around her vacated seat. Christine Teacher and I both know it's her and have even seen her doing it. But! Why shout at her? If she doesn't want to eat a bit of spicy, boiled and fermented cabbage, then so be it. She's young, she'll learn.
Another thing I love about Alice is that I also teach her sister Wendy. Wendy is two years older than Alice. Their sisterly love is very strong and warming. I regularly use ask them how their sibling is doing. With Alice being the younger, she's is frequently mentioning Wendy's name. One day I asked Alice to write "I Love Wendy". Just a time filler before next class. She wrote "I love Wenby". Alice has always struggled with the d-b, b-d concept. I pounced on this error like a newly born would do to it's food source (nipple). Immediately, and from then on, I would always ask "How's WenBBBBy?"..... It sends her potty. As predicted Wendy isn't too keen on the purposeful error either.
Alice is currently doing very well and is progressing exceptionally. I have at least 5 months left of teaching with Alice. Then she will promote to her third and final year of kindergarten. Hopefully I will be lucky enough to teach her in her final year. We'll see........
Here are some snaps......
This is Alice in my first few weeks..........
Frowning and cute round eyes. I told you......
Taking a nap.
Taking a fall on sports day......
And finally, a more grown up Alice. Taken last week.
Quick update. I have been able to work since the expiratory of my visa. On going to the immigration office, on the 4th September (my last legal day of work), we took all the required documents minus the elusive criminal check. They gave me around 14 days to hand in the final piece, then I would be granted my visa renewal. They also kindly let me work in this limbo period. However, if the elusive document doesn’t arrive on or before the 22nd of September, then I will have to reapply for a new visa number. A process that takes around two weeks and entails leaving the country. I won’t be able to work at all during this period. So two weeks of lost payment.
Anyway, I’m remaining positive and eagerly awaiting that pivotal email or phone call from my father, divulging the news that he has the gold dust in his hands.
Since I have been back in teaching mode life has been great. I’m finally settling into my humble abode. I have even started drawing up plans for moderations here and there. But I’m patient enough to wait until the dust has settled over the visa malarkey. a slight change from my first year, besides the new home, is a new gym. Another teacher in the neighbourhood works out at a gym around the corner from the one I have been sweating at for the pat 8 months, I thought I’d try out the new set of weights and cardio machines. The freshness of the new gym has given me a timely boost to my new keep fit regime. You may recall a few months ago I declared that I wasn’t drinking as much. Well I have taken it to levels of, some might say stupidity – others might say intelligence, either way, I get a warm feeling inside after just a glass of red or a big bottle of beer. My tolerance is somewhat less. So this along with my new enthusiasm for working out, I have maintain my slimmer waist line. Confirmation in this was witnessed today as I, for the first time in my life, bought a pair of trousers with a 32” waist. I almost kissed the, may I add male shop assistant, as he bagged up my 32’s…….
I had a request to divulge my morning routine yesterday. Here it is.
Bearing in mind that I start teaching at 9:30. I set my alarm for around 8:15. I then put a 5 minute snooze on, but about 20 seconds later, I get the anticipated “miss the snooze alarm” paranoia and jump up from my cosy pillow. I turn on my laptop and check for GOOD NEWS about my criminal record check. I then gulp down a glass of vitamin C tablet laced water and start cutting up a huge pear. Koreans have massive pears. Very juicy and always refreshing. I then iron a shirt of some sort. I have a selection of maybe 8. I tend to rotate about 4 of them, as the other 4 post some kind of frustration during the day. I’m thinking of just throwing them out to be honest with you. I’ll let you know. Then I pack my bag, plug in my headphones, debate with myself and my i-pod on what I will listen to and then set about my 20 minute walk to work. “No Shower?” you ask. I have a shower the night before. I’ve discovered that, significant to the summer months only, that having a shower before bed considerably and effectively reduces my body temperature enough for me to fall asleep without the aid of air conditioning.
That’s the gist of my routine.
This weekend sees the second instalment of a Cheosuk holiday for me, in Korea. Monday off and Tuesday morning off. No major plans. Might head to the beach for some quiet time. Might not. Decisions will be made based on weather, and instinct. I thought it would be nice to throw a few pictures up here of life at school. I won’t label them or divulge any details. Just enjoy the smiles and faces. Apologies for any typos or grammar errors, I can not be bother to red over thiss. I just wan’’t to pist it and got to bid and sloep.
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