time to finish yesterday's post

so I arrived in Daegu on Friday night as previously mentioned.  I woke up early on Saturday morning, because I was going to a little air strip with the Young Falcons group an hour or outside of Daegu.  The kids had flight training but the wind turned itself out a little too much for the kids to get a chance at all to go up in the air.  Instead we flew kites (that look like parachutes), some model planes, played soccer and I hit some golf balls, while the kids retrieved them for me.  We were probably at this little place for six hours or more.  It was a fun time, but I got a little cold, and decided to sit in the van and take a nap towards the end.

I got back to the house and changed clothes so I could out with my friend Soo-Hye.  She's one of the girls that has grown up in the neighborhood.  She wasn't hungry but I was, so we went to one of the pork restaurants in the area, because I wanted some good food really bad.  When dinner was finished, we went to Sleepless in Seattle, local coffee shop, and just talked for a good while.  I had a blueberry latte, and we shared one of those fancy waffles, that people eat in those fancy coffee shops.  The coffee shop was showing Notting Hill on the little projection screen, when we arrived.  The next movie was Becoming Jane, which I thought was an odd choice, especially since this one didn't show any subtitles.

Sunday was another day of fun with the Young Falcons of Korea.  Only this time the group was much larger.  One of the kids in the neighborhood is in the group, so his mom prepared my lunch for me, which was awesome.  Sunday was Family Day.  Family Day is a day where many of the families get together, and go on a nice hike at a local mountain.  This time the destination was Mt. Apsan, which is just barely outside the city of Daegu.  The weather was decent, but could have been a little warmer for my liking.  I took the group I had been with the day before to the top, while the others stayed back mostly because they had younger kids with them. On the way back down we all stopped at an area full of tables and enjoyed our meals.  Many of the families shared what they brought with the other families as well.

The event ended around 4 pm, and I was able to come and relax for a little bit at the bathhouse.   I also sat in the office there and got to chat with one of the aunts, an uncle, Grandma, and a few others as well.  I was a little tired, so I decided I would leave Sunday night after dinner with samchon (which means uncle), and Eun Byeol.  So here's how I got back to little Gongju.  I was hoping to get the 7:30 train out of Daegu, but it was sold out.  I got a 7:47 train instead.  That meant, once I got to Daejon, I had to my bust my butt, and get to the bus terminal from the train station.  Luckily, that's only a five or six minute ride in the taxi.  I got off the train at 8:42, ran out the station, got in a taxi, arrived at the bus station about 8:52.  That left me just enough time to buy a ticket, go to the bathroom, and get on the 9 pm bus.

Yeah, so that was my weekend in a nutshell.  I still haven't caught up on sleep, and finally a little sick right now.  So, I am going to attempt to finish this awesome book tonight, and then crash big time.  Tomorrow is Thursday, and that's a relief.   I took a kid's phone in my first class, because the little guy was too distracted by it, and he punched at me for two or three minutes before I finally took him to the owner.  He tried and tried to think he could hurt me, but I wasn't successful.  The little guy could not sit still at all during the class.  It sucked to make someone else deal with it, but I'm not the person, who's gonna yell and scream at a kid, or even touch the kid (in Korean culture, sometimes it's alright to hit the kids).  I think I'm gonna start resorting to putting kids in the corner like I did in my first job.   Anyway, I've left a few pictures from the weekend here.

Sorry for the long delay

. . . . . I was away for a few days and I've been glued to reading this book as well as trying to find some work for the summer here, once my little gig in Gongju is over.  I did have a fabulous weekend though in Daegu visiting family (of course adopted family), the Young Falcons, and a friend or two as well.

Getting to Daegu (the city I call my Korean home), is kind of a chore from this city known as Gongju.  I asked the owner of the academy where I work for a ride to the bus terminal to get me started on Friday night.  He drives one of the vans that transports the kids from other schools to the academy or to their homes after the classes are finished.  So I took a bus at about 8:40 pm, to Daejon (5th biggest city in Korea I think, which is still over 1 mil).  I took the ride to kind of an outskirt area of the city, which meant I then had to walk to the subway station take a 25 minute ride to the KTX (train) station.  I should have just paid a taxi the extra money so I could get there earlier.  Then I got to the train station about 10:00, about five minutes before a train for Daegu was leaving.  Due to this bad timing I had to wait about thirty minutes and catch the next train.  Once I got to Daegu, it was about 11:20, so I just took a taxi to the neighborhood, and finally made it home.

On the way to the Daejon, I was received a call from Seong Ha, the educational director of the Young Falcons of Daegu, a group that I helped tutor on the weekends last year.  The kids had some flight training on Saturday, and I was invited to come along.  So it looked like most of my weekend was going to be spent with that group, and not resting like I wished for, but that's ok.  (to be finished soon, I got a book to read).

Everything is A-ok here.

I've been in Daegu all weekend visiting folks, but I'll have an update and some fun pictures up here in a little while.

Hope everyone has had a great weekend as well.

I'm slackin'

. . . . . and you're gonna just fine with that.  I'll post some pictures from last weekend on here though.  I did a little sightseeing around the Gongju area Saturday. Not much has been going on over here this week though.  I did have an interview for a summer gig in Seoul with The Princeton Review (a little humbling for sure).  I think the interview went well.  I had to do a mock teaching session, and that was good in terms of preparation, but I think I spent too much time doing the talking.  I'll find out by tomorrow afternoon, since Koreans are quick when it comes to deciding to hire someone or not.

The only downfall of the interview was having to wake up four - six hours earlier than usual to go to the bus terminal, and eventually arrive in Seoul super early.   I slept maybe two or three hours last night -- that was not a good feeling at work when my last class was my toughest to control. Anyway, I ran in a somewhat cold downpour, so I'm heading to sleep here in a few.

Enjoy some pictures though.

congrats to me. . . .

I've read more in one week than I have in any other week of my life. . . .sure it's only 700 pages or close enough to that. . . if you count the last nine days then almost 850, anyway, this book "The Pillars of the Earth", is an incredible read.  I'm almost halfway through at the moment.

Job Interview Thursday in Seoul

So it's just a summer job, but it is with The Princeton Review, and I'm pretty stoked, that they are accomdating my work schedule on Thursday.  I even have to set up a mock lesson to give to the staff members, when I arrive for the interview.  Anyway, it's the most intenese interview I've had for teaching (with the exception of a skype interview with a lady in Poland last year).

and check this out as well. . . . . Mr. Buffet hits Korea

Check it out. . . .

This is a pretty cool article.  I was a little disappointed that Deadwood, SD, wasn't on here, but it's a little smaller than some of these other places.

http://travel.yahoo.com/p-interests-38846833

So this is how great technology is in this country. . . .

I just made a video call on my cell phone to an old friend in Daegu. . . . . Funny thing is. . . . . my phone didn't cost a cent, the plan does of course.  So, you can get free phones in this country on a plan, and make video calls.  You don't need a fancy Iphone or any of them other smart phones.

I'm off to sleep for now, March Madness resumes in a few hours.

My Gongju

Well, I haven't really taken ownership of the city just yet, but sooner or later the folks here will bow down.  Maybe not so much, because I'm not exactly full of it these days.  Anyway, here's a little website that has some info on good 'ole Gongju -- Gongju

Cat Island in Japan

Glad to hear this island and its people are safe.  The main inhabitants are the cats on this island of course.
Click the link and see for yourself.

Cat Island

Latest Pictures from the IPod

Picture of the Keumgang River as I am on a bus at 8:30 in the morning

I think you know what these newspapers are talking about

Self shot on my way to Seoul

Some Green initiative deal in Seoul.  I'll have to go inside and visit next time.

My attempt at taking pictures of snow.

A cute picture by some of my  good kids -- it says"Welcome John Teacher"

Little Martin who has no clue, probably because he shares a book with his sister, and she has class with me before him.

One of my really well behaved ones -- Erika.

Some of the kids in the library checking out books.

tough day

I am forgetting how difficult it is to teach little kids, that are five or six years old.  I haven't had to teach that age in a long, long time.  Of course these kids have no English background, but I'll regroup, and be more patient with them next time.

All in all, it was a tough day.  I need to be my biggest critic here and say some of that was partly my fault.  I was very well prepared in some classes, and in others not so much.  Tomorrow is Thursday, and I'll be raring to go, when the time comes.

Happy Hump Day. P.S.  I'm gonna see if I can grow the hair back out for now.

Check this out

I used to be a part of this group back in the day, when I lived in Bowling Green, KY.

English Country Dancing

Random Fact for the day

The city I live in is called Gongju -- Gongju in Korean means princess.  I had been on the bus to Seoul and seen the word princess in Korean, but gave no thought about it.  Thanks to a former co-worker for pointing that out to me.

Four Days and Counting so far. . . . .

So far I have gone four days without Facebook -- 10% of the way there.  Wow, that's a long way to go.

Trying to get this little book out of the way

I'll have to admit that I'm learning a little something from this book " If Life is a Game These are the Rules".  I had no idea why I bought the book, but I've got twenty pages to go and the clock says 12:42 am.  I guess I'm gonna get it done before I fall asleep.  At least I hope to after the big yawn I just let out.

An interesting quote or two that I have found (actually I found many): "It is entirely possible that other people's positive perceptions of us can heal any damage in our self-esteem".  This is a good one too - "We view others through the grid of our past experiences, feelings and thoughts".  Lastly -- " You cannot love or hate something about another person unless it reflects something you love or hate about yourself".

If you want to know more about this little book, here you go: http://www.iflifeisagame.com/

Signing off!!

Happy Monday

So I am making an effort these days to become more intellectual -- I still read mmajunkie.com, but I've decided to take on some reading these days, along with still studying this difficult language of Korean.

So in the next day or two I will start a book by Ken Follet, named "The Pillars of the Earth", which apparently is a classic masterpiece, and only more than a thousand pages.

Last night I started an interesting one entitled "If Life is a Game, These are the Rules".  I'm not sure what to expect from this one, but I perceived it as one of these short reads to help one stay focused in life.

Anyway, Happy Monday everyone!! NCAA Tournament starts very soon.

Garrett Hedlund with Leighton Meester 'Give In To Me' - Country Strong Clip

Now why couldn't I have been blessed with this dude's voice?? Oh well, I can't complain, but this is a great song!

A fun day at the Palace

Today I went to Seoul . . . . I love going to Seoul when the weather is really nice out.  I may have been the only person I saw wearing shorts all day.  . . . Walking into Dunkin Donuts wasn't so fun when it felt like a darn furnace, and it was 50 degrees outside.  No, I didn't eat any donuts, just picked up a bagel and a muffin to hold me over until dinner.  I got to meet one of my camp co-workers Holly and her boyfriend Amoele.  I am pretty sure I just butchered the guy's name, but he was pleasant to talk with at dinner.  He's a Frenchman, who recently received his master's degree in tourism, in Switzerland.

Anyway, I got to see my favorite place in Korea (or one of them).  Gyeonggbokgung Palace is always a good sight, on pretty days. Plus, I always get to practice my Korean with strangers, which is always good.  My favorite bookstore isn't too far away from there as well. So I picked up a few things to read, so I could get through the next few weeks.  It's a been a fun day, but the work starts back tomorrow.

I'll leave you with some pictures from the day. Pictures will come later, since my internet is jacked up at the moment.

I am the year of the Rooster

Marvelous state of the Great King Sejong

The Keep Going Prayer

with all credit given to Mr. Joseph Marshall, III

Father Sky,
It is I who raises my voice to you,
Have pity on me,
Mother Earth,
It is I who raises my voice to you,
Have pity on me,
To all my relations who live to the West, North, East, and South,
It is I who raises my voice to you,
Have pity on me.
Grandfather,
It is I who raises my voice to you,
Have pity on me.
Thank you for the blessings and the difficulties I have known,
Because everything is the source of strength and wisdom.
You who knows the journey that waits for me,
Help me to face the path ahead,
Help me to find the strength to keep going,
No matter the difficulty, no matter how weary I may be.
Help me to face each day,
Help me to face each test, each storm,
One step at a time,
Grandfather,
I ask this in the name of
All my relations.

This is what I Should be doing (just limited by funds)

I'm trying to pick one of these, since I turn 30 this year, and I don't see myself doing much celebrating.  So, I should reward myself with some volunteer travel (hopefully).

http://www.responsibletravel.com/holidays/volunteer-travel

Day trip to Pohang

So I went to Pohang today.  I visited my friend Min, who was a Korean assistant at the camp where I taught in Pohang in January.  I had left some clothes at his house, because my original plan was to work at the college where our camp was during the Spring time.  That kind of fell through, so I scheduled today as the day to get my clothes and visit Min and his mom.  The fellow even took me out for lunch, which consisted of something called konggooksoo, which is a big bowl of noodles that are actually pretty tasty.  We have had some dumplings to go with it, which were wonderful.  Min helped me with some of my Korean study book that I was struggling with, and in exchange, I helped him with some of his advanced English grammar.

We spent a good bit of time sitting in the kitchen watching footage of everything going on in Japan.  For those of you back in the USA, Korea has not been affected whatsoever by what has happened over there.  Thanks for worrying (those of you who have posted on FB).  Seriously though, you should at least try to communicate with me more often.  It seriously took a natural disaster for some to actually communicate with me? Anyway, the day was a good one.  I did spend almost eight hours on buses and got home a little late to eat dinner on the corner tonight.  Since I wasn't too hungry I bought some dried squid and my favorite Korean liquor.  I do have some oranges and granola here around the apartment though if I get real hungry.  I finished the book" Keep Going : The Art of Perseverance", by Joseph Marshall, within the first 90 minutes of my bus rides.

I will probably produce my own audio versions of each chapter and post them on here daily.  I've read this book maybe four times now, maybe even more.   This book is what really lifts my spirits.  This author has some great books that he has written, that discuss the Lakota culture and their values, which have helped me a little over the last few years.  Another good book to read by this man is :" The Lakota Way: Stories and Lessons for living."

I think I'm gonna sign off for now.  I'll drink a little bit more (don't worry Ma, the bottle is only 16 ounces, if that. )  It's better to do it once a week than once a day.  Hopefully I wake up and decide to go to Seoul tomorrow.  I want to buy some books to read at night, and I may go visit my favorite palace if my buddy Greg gets over his hangover from last night by then.

Some dried squid and Makoeli 

Tomorrow Pohang, Sunday Seoul

So, I'm on the road again this weekend.  Luckily, I've got a new book, well, one that I've read a few times.  It was actually supposed to be a gift for someone, but I think it will end up staying with me instead.  I've made it to page 59 of my Korean study book (level 2), and have over 250 more pages to go.  Hopefully with ten hours worth of bus rides over the next two days, I'll knock some of the book and the study book out.

Have a good weekend everyone.

My apartment

So I don't have a refrigerator in this apartment.  I do have a washer, and floor heat, which is great for drying clothes.  The internet is hijacked (I bounce off various wi-fi networks daily), and my toilet is a little jacked up at times too.

Most importantly, I have a bed to sleep on at night.  I've had more 8-10 hour sleep nights in the last ten days than I've had in a while.  Gotta get rested up to get my body back in shape soon.

Walk in, and shoes off

My comfy bed/desk

Floor heat drying my clothes

Bathroom with clothes drying

My bedroom area (TV has yet to be used)

Clothes hanging near my washer

  

Washer and balcony area (also where milk stays cool)

"the kitchenette"

some pictures from work

I've only been using my I-Pod since I've been back, but I took a few pictures of work yesterday, and in the next post I'll have some pictures of my apartment as well.

The building with the red sign is where I love
My work is the one with all the glass

Some snack the boss lady gave me
Yes, that's ice cream there.

I've been looking good lately!!

A yummy snack between classes

Student's portrait of me

My little work space

My boots have been in Korea longer than me

Two of my students 

Little Mary who's a sweet kid