KEEPING THE FAITH
IN KOREA
Thursday, March 31, 2011
Yeah.....About that Deal....(and more pictuers)
Drowsy, blog,
Where as first the meal and extra paid work seemed like a do-able deal, by day three it's taking a bit of a toll. Worked extra couple hours yesterday, three today. Two 12 hour days and I'm sort of a zombie when I get home. They fed us again the last two days but not quite the feast like the first day, more like one roll of kimbop, which is a sushi roll-esk enterprise as aforementioned here, not as filling as the feast was but quicker to eat.
Anyway sort of a big day tomorrow: I want to get up to watch MY Padres opening day on MLB.TV at (or around, let's be real) 5:15 am, then I have the internet guy coming at 10 to install me some of them intrawebs so I can stop mooching off this unreliable free wi-fi, then if there is enough time --- there better be... I'm lookin at you, future internet installer man --- I am going to try and squeeze a hair cut in before noon, and at 1:30 pm I will start to power through a block of six hours worth of seven classes straight w/o a break, followed by some extra work at the library afterwords and then it's the freakin weekend baby bout to have me some fun!!!
Today was the last day of this month's block-o-afternoon classes so in homage here are a few pics I snapped of some afternoon kids.
Starting with the Usual Suspects (wouldn't be a picture post update with out them), Sam 'The Main Even' and Tinkerbell. Watch this progression:
Where as first the meal and extra paid work seemed like a do-able deal, by day three it's taking a bit of a toll. Worked extra couple hours yesterday, three today. Two 12 hour days and I'm sort of a zombie when I get home. They fed us again the last two days but not quite the feast like the first day, more like one roll of kimbop, which is a sushi roll-esk enterprise as aforementioned here, not as filling as the feast was but quicker to eat.
Anyway sort of a big day tomorrow: I want to get up to watch MY Padres opening day on MLB.TV at (or around, let's be real) 5:15 am, then I have the internet guy coming at 10 to install me some of them intrawebs so I can stop mooching off this unreliable free wi-fi, then if there is enough time --- there better be... I'm lookin at you, future internet installer man --- I am going to try and squeeze a hair cut in before noon, and at 1:30 pm I will start to power through a block of six hours worth of seven classes straight w/o a break, followed by some extra work at the library afterwords and then it's the freakin weekend baby bout to have me some fun!!!
Today was the last day of this month's block-o-afternoon classes so in homage here are a few pics I snapped of some afternoon kids.
Starting with the Usual Suspects (wouldn't be a picture post update with out them), Sam 'The Main Even' and Tinkerbell. Watch this progression:
1. Take a picture of Matt Teacher.
Tuesday, March 29, 2011
DEAL.
Filled up, blog!
I made some usual complaint last post about management wanting us to stay late and organize the library books tonight. So I worked a sorta long day, had an hour's worth of breaks so it wasn't too bad. And then got geared up to stay the extra hour (making it an 11 hour day) organize. Don't get me wrong, we were right to be cautious, it is customary in this country to work overtime or for free "for the good of the company" so we usually need to stay vigil. However I feel I need to renege on that initial complaint.
Because first off, they decided to pay us $10 an hour AND they included this meal as much as twice a week:
That's fried rice with dumplings, spicy soup, kimchi and some tasty onions and radish as well. It was delivered to us from some place, with those plastic plates all perfect like that, and then when we are done we just set the plates outside in the staircase and the restaurant COMES BACK and get the plates later in the night. Like elves.
I made some usual complaint last post about management wanting us to stay late and organize the library books tonight. So I worked a sorta long day, had an hour's worth of breaks so it wasn't too bad. And then got geared up to stay the extra hour (making it an 11 hour day) organize. Don't get me wrong, we were right to be cautious, it is customary in this country to work overtime or for free "for the good of the company" so we usually need to stay vigil. However I feel I need to renege on that initial complaint.
Because first off, they decided to pay us $10 an hour AND they included this meal as much as twice a week:
That's fried rice with dumplings, spicy soup, kimchi and some tasty onions and radish as well. It was delivered to us from some place, with those plastic plates all perfect like that, and then when we are done we just set the plates outside in the staircase and the restaurant COMES BACK and get the plates later in the night. Like elves.
Monday, March 28, 2011
TALE OF TWO MEALS
Decent Monday, blog,
Who am I kidding today was great. In my afternoon classes I mostly had tests so I didn't have to do much. Morning classes were a breeze. O there was the basketball thing I guess.
Bought a basketball last week after I went on Google Earth and found a court not three blocks away. SO I headed down there today, it was at a high school and I was there about 7:15pm. About 7:30 this woman walking by started shouting at me. I was sort of zoned out (kinda the point of shooting around in the first place) so she was yelling for probably 2 min before I acknowledge her. Apparently school was still in session and she wanted me to leave which I did of course. But it got me thinking...In Korea, if I can only go to a high school when there's no school then I have about a 4 hour gap only on Sundays to play ball. Meh, Sundays it is.
Let's talk about food!
Who am I kidding today was great. In my afternoon classes I mostly had tests so I didn't have to do much. Morning classes were a breeze. O there was the basketball thing I guess.
Bought a basketball last week after I went on Google Earth and found a court not three blocks away. SO I headed down there today, it was at a high school and I was there about 7:15pm. About 7:30 this woman walking by started shouting at me. I was sort of zoned out (kinda the point of shooting around in the first place) so she was yelling for probably 2 min before I acknowledge her. Apparently school was still in session and she wanted me to leave which I did of course. But it got me thinking...In Korea, if I can only go to a high school when there's no school then I have about a 4 hour gap only on Sundays to play ball. Meh, Sundays it is.
Let's talk about food!
Saturday, March 26, 2011
THE MANY FACES OF BAYBAY JACK
Boring Saturday so far blog,
Possibly heading out in a couple hours. But until then I decided to post a collection of the unofficial multiple adorable faces of the internet's cutest sensation: Baby Jack!
Possibly heading out in a couple hours. But until then I decided to post a collection of the unofficial multiple adorable faces of the internet's cutest sensation: Baby Jack!
I WANNA ROCK JACK
Thursday, March 24, 2011
BEHIND THE MUSIC
O it's the surprise smash hit of Hwajeong, blog!
I forget if I've mentioned it already but there is a song that Mamaw used to sing to us as kids, and I've started singing at school. I don't remember what exactly my reaction was back then when I was young but she would sing it all the time, and now at school here in Korea the kids go absolutely WILD.
It started with a boy named Kevin. Kevin... was a cryer. I mean the first two weeks of school it wouldn't have been 1st period, or lunch time without Kevin turning on the water works until some (female) teacher came a running to smother him with love and affection. Don't get me wrong, he's one of the smartest and most well behaved kids we have, he was just, you know, a cryer.
My strategy with cryers is always the same: ignore them completely and make all the kids around them have so much fun that they would quickly abandon being Pouty McPouterson to join in the festivities. With little exception it works like a charm. Which brings me to my two accomplices in the quest to cure Kevin's crying:
Shawn (left) and Jason! The Rosencrantz and Guildenstern of Duke Classroom.
I forget if I've mentioned it already but there is a song that Mamaw used to sing to us as kids, and I've started singing at school. I don't remember what exactly my reaction was back then when I was young but she would sing it all the time, and now at school here in Korea the kids go absolutely WILD.
It started with a boy named Kevin. Kevin... was a cryer. I mean the first two weeks of school it wouldn't have been 1st period, or lunch time without Kevin turning on the water works until some (female) teacher came a running to smother him with love and affection. Don't get me wrong, he's one of the smartest and most well behaved kids we have, he was just, you know, a cryer.
My strategy with cryers is always the same: ignore them completely and make all the kids around them have so much fun that they would quickly abandon being Pouty McPouterson to join in the festivities. With little exception it works like a charm. Which brings me to my two accomplices in the quest to cure Kevin's crying:
Wednesday, March 23, 2011
NAILED!
(Cue music)
Detective Matt Teacher here blog,
In today's featured case takes place in my MWF English World 2 class. The afternoon classes are month long, either MWF or TTH, so the classes are winding down and today I just had them do a lot of catch up workbook stuff. You know, run of the mill, just like any other day etc etc. As for myself, desperate to kill the boredom, I decided to take a picture to possibly throw up on the blog of a class actually doing work in a civilized, calm and orderly manner. Civilized huh? So I thought.
There's the aforementioned Tinkerbell upfront, as usual more paying attention to the things around her than the books, but not in the least suspicious. There's also Sam 'The Main Event' making a cameo in orange on the right - I make a point never to trust a man in orange but I'll make an exception in today's case. So I take that picture above, I give it a quick glance so as to cure another 10 seconds of boredom. And that's when I spotted something just a lil out of the ordinary - so indulging my curiosity I snap a second picture to get a closer look........
Detective Matt Teacher here blog,
In today's featured case takes place in my MWF English World 2 class. The afternoon classes are month long, either MWF or TTH, so the classes are winding down and today I just had them do a lot of catch up workbook stuff. You know, run of the mill, just like any other day etc etc. As for myself, desperate to kill the boredom, I decided to take a picture to possibly throw up on the blog of a class actually doing work in a civilized, calm and orderly manner. Civilized huh? So I thought.
There's the aforementioned Tinkerbell upfront, as usual more paying attention to the things around her than the books, but not in the least suspicious. There's also Sam 'The Main Event' making a cameo in orange on the right - I make a point never to trust a man in orange but I'll make an exception in today's case. So I take that picture above, I give it a quick glance so as to cure another 10 seconds of boredom. And that's when I spotted something just a lil out of the ordinary - so indulging my curiosity I snap a second picture to get a closer look........
Tuesday, March 22, 2011
BIRTHDAY & FIELD TRIP
Big 25 blog,
Birthday (part I, the II will on a non-school night) was Monday and it was awesome. School day wasn't all that interesting. Classes went pretty well. Highlight was probably Monday afternoon when my manager tried to trick me by (not at all, more like offered the option) of giving me the morning off today during a school field trip to see a play, but really my missing the trip would have canceled out my overtime for the month so ya better believe showed up bright and early to chaperon!!
Back to Monday night though, myself and my three coworkers headed out to a Korean BBQ restaurant, actually my it was the first restaurant I went to in Korea my first night here. It was DELICIOUS. We ordered some unknown but fantastically marinated meat, a few beverages, as usual the food it came with a ton of side dishes, and we hung out for a good while. Good way to start a work week eh?
Probably look a lot like the last BBQ pic I posted but what kind of makes this place stand out is that they put this spicy battered egg in the ring around the BBQ so that it cooks into a delicious spicy egg loaf (eat your heart out school lunch).
Birthday (part I, the II will on a non-school night) was Monday and it was awesome. School day wasn't all that interesting. Classes went pretty well. Highlight was probably Monday afternoon when my manager tried to trick me by (not at all, more like offered the option) of giving me the morning off today during a school field trip to see a play, but really my missing the trip would have canceled out my overtime for the month so ya better believe showed up bright and early to chaperon!!
Back to Monday night though, myself and my three coworkers headed out to a Korean BBQ restaurant, actually my it was the first restaurant I went to in Korea my first night here. It was DELICIOUS. We ordered some unknown but fantastically marinated meat, a few beverages, as usual the food it came with a ton of side dishes, and we hung out for a good while. Good way to start a work week eh?
Probably look a lot like the last BBQ pic I posted but what kind of makes this place stand out is that they put this spicy battered egg in the ring around the BBQ so that it cooks into a delicious spicy egg loaf (eat your heart out school lunch).
Sunday, March 20, 2011
HUNGER & FINAL SNOWDAY PICS
What to eat blog?!
I'm so hungry!! But it's Sunday and I don't want to move. I know the answer is probably go to the grocery store and stock the fridge for the upcoming week but I've been eating at home lately (whoa that's sort of a lie) and I think I am going to use food as an excuse to get outta the house. Because that has yet to happen today. Because it's Sunday.
I don't have much to update because....uuhhh.....nothing's happened I guess. I got to stream LIVE the SDSU second round game this morning! Usually when I try to do things like that it says the game isn't allowed in my region, so that was cool I got to see the game. Which is of course only half the miracle with the other half being that I was actually UP for the 7am start time. Sorta an ugly game but got the W! Last night I went to some foreigner packed St. Paddy's Day thing with all you can eat and drink and I had some awesome quesadillas & sushi and there was good music too, but still came home pretty early (comparatively speaking). In bummer news the I heard that the NY Times website is going to be $15 A MONTH starting in April! I'd def pay that if it was a year long subscription, but alas. So I need a new homepage, any suggestions??
I think I am going to get the spicy yellow curry at the 24 hour place. That's warm and hearty. Nice.
IN THE MEAN TIME! Check out the final round of pics from SLED DAY 2011. My coworker put all of her pics from her nice camera on the school's computer so I snagged all the (pictures with me in it) good ones.
GO AZTECS!
I'm so hungry!! But it's Sunday and I don't want to move. I know the answer is probably go to the grocery store and stock the fridge for the upcoming week but I've been eating at home lately (whoa that's sort of a lie) and I think I am going to use food as an excuse to get outta the house. Because that has yet to happen today. Because it's Sunday.
I don't have much to update because....uuhhh.....nothing's happened I guess. I got to stream LIVE the SDSU second round game this morning! Usually when I try to do things like that it says the game isn't allowed in my region, so that was cool I got to see the game. Which is of course only half the miracle with the other half being that I was actually UP for the 7am start time. Sorta an ugly game but got the W! Last night I went to some foreigner packed St. Paddy's Day thing with all you can eat and drink and I had some awesome quesadillas & sushi and there was good music too, but still came home pretty early (comparatively speaking). In bummer news the I heard that the NY Times website is going to be $15 A MONTH starting in April! I'd def pay that if it was a year long subscription, but alas. So I need a new homepage, any suggestions??
I think I am going to get the spicy yellow curry at the 24 hour place. That's warm and hearty. Nice.
IN THE MEAN TIME! Check out the final round of pics from SLED DAY 2011. My coworker put all of her pics from her nice camera on the school's computer so I snagged all the (pictures with me in it) good ones.
GO AZTECS!
Wednesday, March 16, 2011
Monday, March 14, 2011
EATS
I know it's late blog,
But I couldn't sleep. Since I've been home I've already watched most of a movie, played video games, read two chapters in a book, half memorized the 68 teams in the Dance, considered cleaning my apartment multiple times, finally caught the highlights from State's buzzer-beater, and checked the Jack Chronicles for updates twice. So for lack of a decent close to my night I thought I'd post what I had for dinner:
There isn't two meals there, that's a mirror (also know as Matt's Famous Illusion of Having Friends Trick. Been doin' it for years).
But I couldn't sleep. Since I've been home I've already watched most of a movie, played video games, read two chapters in a book, half memorized the 68 teams in the Dance, considered cleaning my apartment multiple times, finally caught the highlights from State's buzzer-beater, and checked the Jack Chronicles for updates twice. So for lack of a decent close to my night I thought I'd post what I had for dinner:
Friday, March 11, 2011
LUNCHIN
Ah, Saturdays are good blog.
I've only been awake for 20 min of this Saturday, but I bet it'll be a fun one. The last two days were really good though. IN PARTICULAR, the school lunches. They school provides lunch for the students and teachers, it's outsourced to somewhere and arrives every morning.
On Thursday I have a break before and a break after lunch. So I went to the bank - like everything in the Burbs it's a two min walk - and paid some bills. There's a really great machine in the bank that looks like an ATM, where you just insert whatever bill you have and then pay it right there instantaneously! Ingenuous. Anyway after that I was going for a walk - when the place at which you work has absolutely no windows, a nice morning stroll outdoors is a rare and welcome commodity - and I decided to stop and get some lunch.
I've only been awake for 20 min of this Saturday, but I bet it'll be a fun one. The last two days were really good though. IN PARTICULAR, the school lunches. They school provides lunch for the students and teachers, it's outsourced to somewhere and arrives every morning.
On Thursday I have a break before and a break after lunch. So I went to the bank - like everything in the Burbs it's a two min walk - and paid some bills. There's a really great machine in the bank that looks like an ATM, where you just insert whatever bill you have and then pay it right there instantaneously! Ingenuous. Anyway after that I was going for a walk - when the place at which you work has absolutely no windows, a nice morning stroll outdoors is a rare and welcome commodity - and I decided to stop and get some lunch.
Wednesday, March 9, 2011
GOOD/EVIL
AYE BLOG!
Wednesday night here and I just got home from the grocery store, EMart, across the street. List: Eggs (6), OJ (2pack), chicken, frozen dumplings (I accidentally got JUMBO ones last time and that's been rough so I went to the other extreme and got mini ones and am on the brink of ecstaticicity (BOOM new word) to give them a go), one big slice of pizza for an after-work snack, and....oh yeah milk for cereal. The only thing that is left out of the usual suspects is pasta and sauce because I have those. If anything says early, strike that, MID twenties BOY it's my grocery list. And my laundry situation. And no sheets.
Anyway it's almost been a full week with the new crop o' youngins in the morning. There are six home rooms with anywhere from 3 to 9 students in them. The classes I have the most are really fun and mostly manageable. Art&Craft has been messy, Science has been cool and Math was boring. Pretty usual stuff. Also as usual there are kids that are angels and even when they mess up or act up it's hard to punish them in any way. And there are the other kids.
He looks cute huh! He usually is but he also tried to tried to run out of a 40 min class 5 times today, kicked two chairs over and also hid a cubbyhole. He's pretty smart though so as long as he does the work it's not so bad. Check out that school lunch too! Also, don't be impressed those aren't his chopsticks.
Wednesday night here and I just got home from the grocery store, EMart, across the street. List: Eggs (6), OJ (2pack), chicken, frozen dumplings (I accidentally got JUMBO ones last time and that's been rough so I went to the other extreme and got mini ones and am on the brink of ecstaticicity (BOOM new word) to give them a go), one big slice of pizza for an after-work snack, and....oh yeah milk for cereal. The only thing that is left out of the usual suspects is pasta and sauce because I have those. If anything says early, strike that, MID twenties BOY it's my grocery list. And my laundry situation. And no sheets.
Anyway it's almost been a full week with the new crop o' youngins in the morning. There are six home rooms with anywhere from 3 to 9 students in them. The classes I have the most are really fun and mostly manageable. Art&Craft has been messy, Science has been cool and Math was boring. Pretty usual stuff. Also as usual there are kids that are angels and even when they mess up or act up it's hard to punish them in any way. And there are the other kids.
Monday, March 7, 2011
FOOTBALL SUNDAY
Hey hey blog,
This weekend was long! Hung out and had pizza and chicken and watched TV after work with some co workers on Friday. Saturday I PLANNED on just relaxing and going in to the City to get some more stuff for my apartment but got talked into going out and that was fun. Sunday though I went to the home opener of FC Seoul football club! They won the championship last year and there were a lot of people at the game. It was a ton of fun but they lost 2-0 to Suwan or someone so the crowd didn't really get a chance to go nuts. Here are some pics:
This is a little before kick off. Those banners hanging from the roof of World Cup Stadium are enormous.
This weekend was long! Hung out and had pizza and chicken and watched TV after work with some co workers on Friday. Saturday I PLANNED on just relaxing and going in to the City to get some more stuff for my apartment but got talked into going out and that was fun. Sunday though I went to the home opener of FC Seoul football club! They won the championship last year and there were a lot of people at the game. It was a ton of fun but they lost 2-0 to Suwan or someone so the crowd didn't really get a chance to go nuts. Here are some pics:
This is a little before kick off. Those banners hanging from the roof of World Cup Stadium are enormous.
Thursday, March 3, 2011
CAGED
And an almost Friday to you too, blog!
Couple of interesting things happened today. First and foremost, I got outright CAGED for the first time in Korea! It's been so long. For those of you who don't hang out with me in public, 'Gettin Caged' is when people giggle to themselves after looking at me, and then finally get the nerve to ask me if anyone has ever told me that I look like Nick Cage. Today it was the two dumpling ladies who run a tasty dumpling shop/cart outside our work. At first we thought that they were laughing at our struggle to speak Korean, but nope, it was me gettin Caged. I've never been bothered by it, usually it's hilarious and people get a kick out of it. Can you see the resemblance?
A student of mine took this pic a few weeks ago.
Couple of interesting things happened today. First and foremost, I got outright CAGED for the first time in Korea! It's been so long. For those of you who don't hang out with me in public, 'Gettin Caged' is when people giggle to themselves after looking at me, and then finally get the nerve to ask me if anyone has ever told me that I look like Nick Cage. Today it was the two dumpling ladies who run a tasty dumpling shop/cart outside our work. At first we thought that they were laughing at our struggle to speak Korean, but nope, it was me gettin Caged. I've never been bothered by it, usually it's hilarious and people get a kick out of it. Can you see the resemblance?
A student of mine took this pic a few weeks ago.
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