Final Weeks!

So I have two weeks of teaching left before Danielle and I head out on our next adventure! The thing that I will miss most about Korea is going to our temple to teach English to the monks and North Koreans. It has been a really wonderful experience to be welcomed into the temple community. The monks are simply the most wonderful people that I have ever been able to spend time with. Their English isn't great but class is always such a joy as they bring such enthusiasm and humor to our simple lessons. Spending a few hours there a week always leaves me feeling calmer, happier and more centered. I wish I was able to express to them how much I appreciate what they have given me. Danielle and I went to visit them on Lunar New Year and the head monk presented both of us with Buddhist names. Mine is 선 헤 지 (Seon- goodness, Hae- intelligence, Ji- wisdom). In the card it explains "With this name you will achieve Buddha's wisdom so that you can share with other people. I wish you are always happy and peaceful like Buddha". With only two weeks left I will only see them a few more times but it has been the most important experience of my time in Korea and something that I will keep forever.

Happy Lunar New Year!

I bet you didn't know I was fluent in 한국어??

hmmm....Bob if you wont give Ziggy back why don't you just come to Korea so we can clone him (you can keep the clone)?

Staying Sharp

Some of you may be wondering how it that I am keeping myself sharp after exiting college 19 months ago and I can say that this is how I spend just about all my free time when I am not working or sleeping:

1. I am taking full advantage of the lack of any sort of copyright laws here and working my way through all the TV and movies ever made. Not quite but I am getting pretty close. So far I am up to number 38 on the AFI (American Film Institute for those not in the know) top 100 films. I was worried that my limited attention span (blame internet and all that other evil stuff) wouldn't be able to handle the slow pace at which most of these old films unfold but I have become quite adjusted the the pace and almost never have to check how much time has passed now! Real achievement right there. But really it turns out all those movies that were made before I was born actually are quite good. Who would have thought anything would be able to top Clueless. As you can see I am learning every day. Now not to become too cultural I am also keeping up on current TV. In fact I spent approximately 9 hours watching all of the available episodes of a new show on the CW, Revenge. Its pretty much a soap opera set in the Hamptons and it made my annual Jan. 1st "headache" feel much better.

2. I am also breaking down new barriers in my illegal downloading with books for my Kindle. I have fully mastered and taken advantage of endless free music, TV and movies but free books is a new frontier. I still have a few ethical concerns...with music I can justify it because I do spend money on going to concerts, and with TV and movies I just don't care (I know that no actor, actress or movie maker is living paycheck to paycheck and these days everyone involved in the movies I'm watching is dead so whatever). But books I feel a bit of a tinge of guilt because I'm not going to pay to see this person read, nor will I eventually buy the book and I am pretty attached to the idea of books remaining in print. So we'll see where this one goes. But anyway, moral dilemmas aside, I have been reading quite a bit. Lots of free fiction that was printed pre-1923 (can't go wrong with Dickens) and then trying to find and read books on Southeast Asia so I can be a little prepared for my travels. I just finished a book titled "Cambodia's Curse: The Modern History of a Troubled Land" by Joel Brinkley. I had no idea how fucked up Cambodia still is. Sort of wish I still didn't. But what can I do, I just have an eternal thirst for knowledge. Anyway, I am hoping to find a good book on Ho Chi Minh cause word on the street is he was a pretty big deal in Vietnam (joke, I am well versed in the Vietnam war: I have seen Apocalypse Now, Platoon, Full Metal Jacket, Deer Hunter, and many others). So if anyone has any suggestions let me know (or just have it sent to Claire Sheldon's Kindle- I always accept gifts).

Does it seem like anything is missing? Like maybe exploring Korea? Yeah, I'm pretty much over that. Once you've seen one temple/palace you've seen them all. Also I am never that blown away by these old palaces because they have all burned down and been rebuilt so its not like any of it is actually old. Totally bogus. Mostly its just cold here and I am working and ton and I am pretty much sick of work and people and everything and I am ready to go. Thank god I got my movies and books!

 

If you haven't seen it already, the somewhat terrifying funeral procession of Kim Jong-il. I remember reading about the same kind of hysteric mourning for the death of his father Kim Il-sung and some of those that later defected saying that people were watching to make sure that you mourned violently enough. People here seem very unsure of what will happen next and a lot of my kids say that their parents and teacher have said that it would have been better if Kim Jong-il hadn't died as his son is so inexperienced. 

Merry Christmas!

A very uneventful Christmas here. Danielle and I made a delicious breakfast and watched Love, Actually and then I have spent the rest of the day sleeping and lying about. We went to a party at a friends that lives across the street last night which was quite fun, left me with a bit of a hangover this morning.
Tomorrow we start intensives so that should be pretty tiring but I am teaching The Little Prince in one of the classes so that should be pretty fun. It will also be pretty fun to make some extra money. It will not, however, be fun to be working six days a week. At least it will probably keep me from spending all my money.
My classes are pretty excellent so far except for one class that is the worst thing I have ever experienced. Its on Saturday and it is filled with all the kids that everyone has given up on. They are all taught by Koreans during the week and then have me on Saturday and their English is non-existent. Pretty much they just refuse to speak. For three hours. Their is pretty much nothing worse than trying to get people to acknowledge your presence and speak for three hours.
Danielle and I have booked out flight to Vietnam and the plan is pretty much to travel around that area for about three months. After that I will be heading to India on my own for a few months! I can't wait to start traveling.
I hope everyone is having a good holiday season!

Seoul

So here are some photos from my vacation in Seoul with Pete, Aaron and Sarah. It was a great break, especially as Aaron acted as tour guide and translator which meant that I was really on vacation!