So my house phone mysteriously rings and no one is on the other line....creepy. The best part is it plays
"Chim Chimney" from Mary Poppins ...pretty creepy after midnight if I do say so myself
Kinda mad at my dad for not sending my camera chord yet.....at the bottom of his list as usual. It won't happen until it has to....
ANYWHO, my routine is get up at noon, workout, go to work, come home, watch SVU, Bones, and NCIS....then drift off about 3 AM, I guess that's workin' nights though. I ain't complaining....I like not using an alarm clock.
Speaking of TV, there is an English-teaching channel here where young kids are learning English and answering questions at 10 oclock at night....part of a govt initiative to educate kids to be globally competitive....somethings our country is STRUGGLING WITH.....Im not ready to go back to America's schools....no.
There's even study videos on YOUTUBE that students watch on Saturdays.....I guess they treat it like a job
They also have FOX here and FX here. Even the FX man's channel here is cuter. Their logo is a banana that replaces one of the criss-crosses in the letter "X". Gender-stereotypes are cultural. Late at night on FX they have a show that only plays funny, racy, foreign commercials over and over. Don't get all awkward, they're just wicked funny!
And there is goes again....the house phone is ringing "Mary Had a Little Lamb".........its dull life here ; )
A few weekends ago I was waiting ....otherwise known as "people watching"...for my colleague and friend Jeremy who was a linguist in the Reserve and speaks Korean--enough said. I was waiting to go to the travel agency to talk about going to China ($1000 for 48 hours in Beijing....no thanks. I'm going to Japan for vacation in January instead PS) when 3 things happened while I was waiting:
1. a man dressed in a straight-up Mortal Kombat "Raiden" cone-hat and a traditional Korean men's outfit walked out of a glasses store wearing the most sophisticated, shiny, stainless steel glasses. I mean...I guess a monk needs to look good when he's reading his 1000 year old books.....
2. I saw a group of black people.....and NO...that's not the end of the story. But not only did the black folks stick-out because of their skin, duh...but because of their behavior...we all know that the phrase "quit ackin' so black" means....this time I wanted to say it more than ever. Amidst the Korean reserved demeanor even in downtown...these people were literally acting like a different species! The extremely large women in the group had hair that rivals the tower in Seoul and VISIBLE TATOOS.....that never happens in Korea. And the bald black heads of the fat guys shined as they sported studs in their ears, sunglasses, and NFL jerseys. These people were touching all of the street vendors merchandise...especially the shiny Beyonce shoes (stop is girl, you'll never be her)....with obviously no intent to buy anything or be respectful....no wonder people hate Americans...yet again. It made me sick to my stomach honest.
3. As I turned around to say hello to my friend Jeremy, I was arm-length away from a saucer-eyed Korean kid (yes Koreans can have big eyes) staring at me like I was on the other side of the glass at the zoo. It was like the kid was an Anime character. She was inhaling an "space frozen" milkshake from a pouch...I didn't know if I should move, or say hello...or what...so I just stared back. It was the "wow, I've just seen a black person for the first time" look. I'm getting to know that one all too well. I wish I coulda taken a picture of that moment without looking like a creeper.
OH MY GOD! .....Joel Osteen is on TV right now....the only reason I'm watching it is 'cause I'm lovin' the Southern accent...I haven't heard it in months! : )
My students, in an effort to try and use their English, always say TEACHER WAYYOOH (which means "why") OH MY GOD!!! ....They learn from K-POP songs all the time. K-pop wouldn't be nearly as popular as it is if the beautiful people who dance and lip-sync didn't throw in random English at least twice a song.
Dear Students---"oh my God" is not a phrase that makes you look cool. It won't make your more attractive--THE K-POP MACHINE IS LYING TO YOU AGAIN!
Some of my favorite compliments/brown-nose attempts so far include:
"GAME PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE............HANDSOME SHINY-FACE TEACHERRRRRR!"
"Teacher, you look like an old man when you laugh....you know...they guy who sells chicken...just...blacker"
"Ohhh....You mean the KFC guy!!"....yup...except for the fact that they think I look old, I don't mind being compared to the Colonel
"You're eyes are so big and bling-bling!"........again with the Korean obsession with big eyes....
And apparently sticking a pencil behind your ear is a funny thing for a teacher to do....everyone: adults, my students, my Korean friends always act surprised when they see me with one behind me ear. I asked why and someone said that ONLY carpenters do that and that doing that demotes you to blue-collar socially. In the strict social hierarchy of Korea and Asia in general, one wants to appear like a white-collar University Doctor as long and as much as possible....wow
I have gone from "teaching" at "Freedom Writer's Middle School" to teaching night-classes to snobby rich kids who don't speak my language...literally and figuratively. One example:
I couldn't find the word I wanted to translate from English to Korean. When the students finally figured out what I was saying they tried to give me the syllables while I tried to write the sounds I heard as Korean characters on the board. When I couldn't spell it right, Gina, a good kid..simply came to the board and fixed my mistakes....I often learn from them as much as they learn from me....but then another little snobby girl in the back said "teacher, Gina is smarter than you"...UGHH NO I JUST DON'T SPEAK YOUR LANGUAGE AND I WANT TO USE SOME REALLY CHOICE ENGLISH WORDS RIGHT NOW!! ...I wanted to say that, but I stayed professional......but seriously..... I really don't like that little girl............ : )
That's all for now....going to study my Korean before bed.
~CP
Wednesday, October 26, 2011
Saturday, October 22, 2011
So many title options for this one.....
So there's this dog across the street....and by dog I mean Chinese War Chow.....who would have thought big, fluffy animals could be so intimidating? I swear this diva is still pissed because Stephen King didn't pick him to play "Cujo".... The worst is when it runs and plows into the gate of its yard trying to lunge at me as I walk by. AND the thing only does it at night. I hasn't ever barked. I just hear the bang and then the scratching and the heavy tounge-dangling huffing and puffing. It's like something out of Jurassic Park and is bound to give me nightmares sometime in the near future....just thought I'd share.
On my way to and from work I pass many shops. There are so many little mom and pop restaurants on my street that it's a wonder they can all afford to stay open! There's a shop JUST for clocks and watches...talk about a specialized market! But most of all, right before I get to work is the butcher shop. There's this guy there that is built and in his twenties with a Bieber swoop and earings in his ears. I say all this to say that he is not the kind of guy you would see mutilating half-frozen roadkill all day. Its most hilarious when one can often see him doing the "Korean body pump" (as I've been calling it...refer to earlier posts) bobbing his Bieber bowl-swoop to the beat of the K-POP he blasts from the store loudspeakers. You can hear the music down the block! I really think he's got to be related to the owners if not their son just tryin' to not pay rent or save money. No one that metro jams with livestock carcasses all day and truly enjoys it.
Gay is only in the movies here...got groped at the club again. I was wearing my neon-green polo that glows under black-lights (chuckle if you know which one that is!) at the club a while ago...you know...if you're gonna stick out like a sore-thumb you might as well make it one that looks like it has gangrene : P and after a few cheers from grabby strangers at the club, I decided to dip-out! I'm all for attention, but hell---buy me a drink first!
Not to mention a guy at church pinched my disappearing love handles and asked me if I was working-out. Why yes, I am, but do you have to grab up on me? I know the lines are different here, but seriously...
As I was leaving the club that night someone's hand landed on the small of my back...totally intentional, like it was a slap...thanks Korea, I know I'm exotic! Went to the next club which I thought was a little classier...which it was, but it was a different kind of fascination they had for me.
Because I look foreign people stare. But that also means that they aren't quick to forget your face. Which means I usually make friends with the right (or wrong) people quickly. And, just like my students at Monroe Middle, people here often think I'm Cuban or Dominican before they say I'm black....or they just outright say "So what are you?"......I love it... I actually played into the role of a Cuban guy to get into a club for free as an foreign athlete here to compete in the Daegu Track and Field Champs in Sept. here....: ) : )..don't judge......Anywho, I ended up at CLUB PASHA....it just sounds fancy. Its one a big ole room with a DJ "altar" at the deepest part. There's plenty of room to move here usually and the AC is usually blasting....not to mention there's a girl-to-guy ratio of two to one always....no seriously they make sure of it with bouncers outside. Anywho, I was out with the Russian friends this time. I was fun to dance with them because they are all professional dancers who dance different styles and you can really see it come out at the dance club. I was doin' my thing with my hands in the air. The music was so loud it was numbing to the point where I could forget about things for a second. When I came to, I realized I was being watched. Not only that, I looked over my shoulder and people were imitating my "American" dances moves...they laughed friendishly and mimicked my every move. They asked me why was I dancing so low to the ground??.....because in America dancing has evolved into the thing right before damn close to having sex...that's why. HOW SETH GOT HIS BLACK CARD BACK.
After the club there's always the after-parties and the bars that stay open till dawn. There I met some guys who were here as journalists. They were from Texas. One was my age. Turns out he was a tenor-voice music education major and took the job he has now right after he graduated because it was giving him a chance to travel and do something he loves, sports reporting. We had a lot in common, including feeling a little guilty about leaving the fold that music majors make around themselves. He mentioned how shocked people were, we had parallel stories it seemed. I just happened to be hanging out with the Russians at the same time. The Russians wanted us to pick out a truly American beer for them to drink.......naturally I picked Corona....I mean lets be serious....Bud Diesel is not Kosher.
On a real note for a tic: It's sad to think I will never see those random Americans ever again...its ok Seth, even though you remember their first names (Jason and Matt)...you can't get attached. They will never know that they were mentioned in this blog. And, after all, you're leaving soon enough too Seth.....damn...that's kinda rough to think about.
Club Pasha, same night. Dancing with one of the Russian ballerina girls and she seemed to be lovin' it. Then she grabs my love handle and snarls in mocking disgust. She yells "that's McDonalds".........STAB.......I was taken aback at first. But then come to find out as we're walking out of the club she says something and then proceeds to SINK HER NAILS INTO THE FAT OF MY BACK while grunting something coarsely at me in Russian.....one guy translates it to me and says "man, she says you are 'like BEAR' and that you should start working out"..............OK....so Im not like the slim dancer-boys you're used to girl....I get it....damn.
Why the hell do I wanna watch Bones if you blurr out all of the gore during the autopsies! They blurr out people smoking cigarettes, gunshot wounds, and stabbings but they can watch "The Walking Dead" with no problems and they don't censor out "Where all my fucking alcoholics at" at a family amusement park?!?!?!? Ps. that was a highlight of my life here in Korea so far:
Seeing two very dangerously small kids ride the swinging Viking boat at WOOBANG LAND (funny name for an amusement park right? damn I miss Roller Coaster Tycoon!) and cheering to Lil' John......of course they didn't understand the lyrics and neither did their parents. They just loved knowing it was English....if you even wanna say that Lil' John uses real English.
AND--I did hear my first "beep" sensor on a Korean talk-show though...I wonder what he said?? It's not like home where you can put pieces together and guess what curse word was used.....oh its the little things in life
"Dirty Jobs" is always on here on "Discovery Channel Korea". Most of the shows are BBC ones or shows with British hosts. "Mythbusters" is on too. The reason I mention Discovery Channel is the choice of music for the show "Deadliest Catch". In MURRICA, the show boasts a macho manly "Dead or Alive" theme song. Here, I was shocked to hear a rather wimpy.....well..to put it bluntly...pussy-ass alternative-song to go with these tough guys throwing things overboard while fighting off the waves. Man, the ideas of what is "man" and what is "woman" are different all over the world!
The best are the Buddha mediation "200 repentance" channels right next to the Catholic mass channels. These are followed by the "Yo Gabba Gabba" of Korea channels for little kids where they are taught how to meditate. How cool is that? "Little Bobby can't come out to play right now, he's in his room meditating!"
Last things:
I saw my first tranny here.....he/she has business in my neighborhood. It was just weird because guys here are feminine anyway....this actually looked like a guy more than a girl??? I dont even know how to explain it....
A student of mine asked me: "Teacher, what is Judo?"....of all of the teenage Asians in the room, no one knew what Judo was...wow........just wow.......
Trying to keep up with the story reel....ahhhhh forgive me for rambling. I'm writing as fast as I can so I don't forget all the things I want to share! Whats the point of a cool experience when there's no one to share it with right??
Chicken Grease,
~CP
Ps....Does my obsessive use of ellipses (ellipsi?) mean that I scared for anything too final like a ( . )? Discuss.
On my way to and from work I pass many shops. There are so many little mom and pop restaurants on my street that it's a wonder they can all afford to stay open! There's a shop JUST for clocks and watches...talk about a specialized market! But most of all, right before I get to work is the butcher shop. There's this guy there that is built and in his twenties with a Bieber swoop and earings in his ears. I say all this to say that he is not the kind of guy you would see mutilating half-frozen roadkill all day. Its most hilarious when one can often see him doing the "Korean body pump" (as I've been calling it...refer to earlier posts) bobbing his Bieber bowl-swoop to the beat of the K-POP he blasts from the store loudspeakers. You can hear the music down the block! I really think he's got to be related to the owners if not their son just tryin' to not pay rent or save money. No one that metro jams with livestock carcasses all day and truly enjoys it.
Gay is only in the movies here...got groped at the club again. I was wearing my neon-green polo that glows under black-lights (chuckle if you know which one that is!) at the club a while ago...you know...if you're gonna stick out like a sore-thumb you might as well make it one that looks like it has gangrene : P and after a few cheers from grabby strangers at the club, I decided to dip-out! I'm all for attention, but hell---buy me a drink first!
Not to mention a guy at church pinched my disappearing love handles and asked me if I was working-out. Why yes, I am, but do you have to grab up on me? I know the lines are different here, but seriously...
As I was leaving the club that night someone's hand landed on the small of my back...totally intentional, like it was a slap...thanks Korea, I know I'm exotic! Went to the next club which I thought was a little classier...which it was, but it was a different kind of fascination they had for me.
Because I look foreign people stare. But that also means that they aren't quick to forget your face. Which means I usually make friends with the right (or wrong) people quickly. And, just like my students at Monroe Middle, people here often think I'm Cuban or Dominican before they say I'm black....or they just outright say "So what are you?"......I love it... I actually played into the role of a Cuban guy to get into a club for free as an foreign athlete here to compete in the Daegu Track and Field Champs in Sept. here....: ) : )..don't judge......Anywho, I ended up at CLUB PASHA....it just sounds fancy. Its one a big ole room with a DJ "altar" at the deepest part. There's plenty of room to move here usually and the AC is usually blasting....not to mention there's a girl-to-guy ratio of two to one always....no seriously they make sure of it with bouncers outside. Anywho, I was out with the Russian friends this time. I was fun to dance with them because they are all professional dancers who dance different styles and you can really see it come out at the dance club. I was doin' my thing with my hands in the air. The music was so loud it was numbing to the point where I could forget about things for a second. When I came to, I realized I was being watched. Not only that, I looked over my shoulder and people were imitating my "American" dances moves...they laughed friendishly and mimicked my every move. They asked me why was I dancing so low to the ground??.....because in America dancing has evolved into the thing right before damn close to having sex...that's why. HOW SETH GOT HIS BLACK CARD BACK.
After the club there's always the after-parties and the bars that stay open till dawn. There I met some guys who were here as journalists. They were from Texas. One was my age. Turns out he was a tenor-voice music education major and took the job he has now right after he graduated because it was giving him a chance to travel and do something he loves, sports reporting. We had a lot in common, including feeling a little guilty about leaving the fold that music majors make around themselves. He mentioned how shocked people were, we had parallel stories it seemed. I just happened to be hanging out with the Russians at the same time. The Russians wanted us to pick out a truly American beer for them to drink.......naturally I picked Corona....I mean lets be serious....Bud Diesel is not Kosher.
On a real note for a tic: It's sad to think I will never see those random Americans ever again...its ok Seth, even though you remember their first names (Jason and Matt)...you can't get attached. They will never know that they were mentioned in this blog. And, after all, you're leaving soon enough too Seth.....damn...that's kinda rough to think about.
Club Pasha, same night. Dancing with one of the Russian ballerina girls and she seemed to be lovin' it. Then she grabs my love handle and snarls in mocking disgust. She yells "that's McDonalds".........STAB.......I was taken aback at first. But then come to find out as we're walking out of the club she says something and then proceeds to SINK HER NAILS INTO THE FAT OF MY BACK while grunting something coarsely at me in Russian.....one guy translates it to me and says "man, she says you are 'like BEAR' and that you should start working out"..............OK....so Im not like the slim dancer-boys you're used to girl....I get it....damn.
Why the hell do I wanna watch Bones if you blurr out all of the gore during the autopsies! They blurr out people smoking cigarettes, gunshot wounds, and stabbings but they can watch "The Walking Dead" with no problems and they don't censor out "Where all my fucking alcoholics at" at a family amusement park?!?!?!? Ps. that was a highlight of my life here in Korea so far:
Seeing two very dangerously small kids ride the swinging Viking boat at WOOBANG LAND (funny name for an amusement park right? damn I miss Roller Coaster Tycoon!) and cheering to Lil' John......of course they didn't understand the lyrics and neither did their parents. They just loved knowing it was English....if you even wanna say that Lil' John uses real English.
AND--I did hear my first "beep" sensor on a Korean talk-show though...I wonder what he said?? It's not like home where you can put pieces together and guess what curse word was used.....oh its the little things in life
"Dirty Jobs" is always on here on "Discovery Channel Korea". Most of the shows are BBC ones or shows with British hosts. "Mythbusters" is on too. The reason I mention Discovery Channel is the choice of music for the show "Deadliest Catch". In MURRICA, the show boasts a macho manly "Dead or Alive" theme song. Here, I was shocked to hear a rather wimpy.....well..to put it bluntly...pussy-ass alternative-song to go with these tough guys throwing things overboard while fighting off the waves. Man, the ideas of what is "man" and what is "woman" are different all over the world!
The best are the Buddha mediation "200 repentance" channels right next to the Catholic mass channels. These are followed by the "Yo Gabba Gabba" of Korea channels for little kids where they are taught how to meditate. How cool is that? "Little Bobby can't come out to play right now, he's in his room meditating!"
Last things:
I saw my first tranny here.....he/she has business in my neighborhood. It was just weird because guys here are feminine anyway....this actually looked like a guy more than a girl??? I dont even know how to explain it....
A student of mine asked me: "Teacher, what is Judo?"....of all of the teenage Asians in the room, no one knew what Judo was...wow........just wow.......
Trying to keep up with the story reel....ahhhhh forgive me for rambling. I'm writing as fast as I can so I don't forget all the things I want to share! Whats the point of a cool experience when there's no one to share it with right??
Chicken Grease,
~CP
Ps....Does my obsessive use of ellipses (ellipsi?) mean that I scared for anything too final like a ( . )? Discuss.
Monday, October 10, 2011
Settling into the Sounds
Getting used to things....procrastinating my workout by posting more music. Enjoy:
Secret- "Shy Boy"
The "cutest" very feminine guys here get the hottest girls. This song says "I don't want a bad boy anymore, I'm ok with a guy that isn't so good looking but is good to me and smart"....ok.....I believe you
Sistar- "So Cool"
Theme song of "Korea's Next Top Model"...need I say more??
Theme song of "Korea's Next Top Model"...need I say more??
2PM- "Hands Up"
For the first 30 sec of this one you think it's gonna be reminiscent of Will Smith in the old days. Then it becomes a club anthem. The last time I sang this I was on a roller-coaster with a bunch of high-school Korean kids behind me screaming "I love America! GET YOUR HANDS UP"....great night.
f(x) - "Hot Summer"
Apparently this was a hit this past summer...I remember hearing it in August....alas...it's getting chilly now. If we all fought in tanks like that we'd all be dead because bubblegum pink can't be good camo....
Girl's Day- "Cupid"
This next one is just because I hear it ALL THE TIME in Paris Baguette (nothin special its a chain bakery owned by Dunkin Donuts) during lunch breaks and I have been trying for weeks to figure out what she's saying. At first I thought she was saying "shaggy" then "shy-ee" then I finally realized she was saying "shiny"......wow...what a choice of words....ooooooooooooo shiiinnnnyy! : P
Kim Hyun Joong feat. Double K -- "Break Down"
He reminds me of an American artist....but I can't put my finger on it right now...Chris Brown maybe??? Where the Asian "Rhi-Rhi" for him?
OK Girls "Crazy Boy"
This was a summer blockbuster this year. I feel like I need to see this. And yes, they all drive crotch-rockets here.
Im still getting used to admitting that I can like a girls pop group and not getting looked at funny. The gender taboos are SO different.
For the first 30 sec of this one you think it's gonna be reminiscent of Will Smith in the old days. Then it becomes a club anthem. The last time I sang this I was on a roller-coaster with a bunch of high-school Korean kids behind me screaming "I love America! GET YOUR HANDS UP"....great night.
f(x) - "Hot Summer"
Apparently this was a hit this past summer...I remember hearing it in August....alas...it's getting chilly now. If we all fought in tanks like that we'd all be dead because bubblegum pink can't be good camo....
Girl's Day- "Cupid"
This next one is just because I hear it ALL THE TIME in Paris Baguette (nothin special its a chain bakery owned by Dunkin Donuts) during lunch breaks and I have been trying for weeks to figure out what she's saying. At first I thought she was saying "shaggy" then "shy-ee" then I finally realized she was saying "shiny"......wow...what a choice of words....ooooooooooooo shiiinnnnyy! : P
Kim Hyun Joong feat. Double K -- "Break Down"
He reminds me of an American artist....but I can't put my finger on it right now...Chris Brown maybe??? Where the Asian "Rhi-Rhi" for him?
OK Girls "Crazy Boy"
This was a summer blockbuster this year. I feel like I need to see this. And yes, they all drive crotch-rockets here.
Im still getting used to admitting that I can like a girls pop group and not getting looked at funny. The gender taboos are SO different.
Tuesday, October 4, 2011
What Korea Sounds Like
Miss A - Shut Up, You Don't Know Me
The title is something I would say. In fact you all have probably heard me say it once or twice :)
Heard this during an insomnia attack. I was flipping channels and they were singing for the stationed soldiers. The soldiers were roaring with testosterone but also doing the motions and all the dances. "Don't ask dont tell?" or is it just ok for the men to do the dances with the performers and scream like teenagers? I'll do my research.....My favorite part is the beginning: "Made in Asia" line. And yes ladies, I will "shut up" if it means you keep dancing.
Davichi - Please Dont Go
Watch the whole thing. Get a glimpse of Korean style. I always hear this song blaring from "Paris Baguette" chain bakeries that compete with another store called "Tous Les Jours". Again, Koreans apparently really like Paris. Man the Koreans love sappy music with their fake baguettes.
Davichi- My Man
Same artist. Catchy. Yes I'll be your man, your BANGIN'....even though your English grammar flashing on the screen is only 75% correct. 3 out of 4 ain't bad right?
A Club favorite, and one of my students' favorite chants to hum in class....
It means "I'm the best in the World" -- by 2NE1....I taught my youngest students the translation of the title because I was tired of hearing them chant the Korean...so now they chant it in English....gotta love the random English lyrics and that chick's HAIR
if you listen real hard you can here them say "Mona Lisa"--MBLAQ ...but it sounds more like "mohna leejah" :)
BY FAR MY FAVORITE WORKOUT SONG RIGHT NOW. GET PUMPED!
"Keep Your Head Down" TVXQ
I've a running list of songs going but Im tired and you need to soak it all in. Be amazing. TTYS
Korean-Case Files
I'm beginning to become a regular downtown.......is that a good thing? I'm starting to show the newbies around. I'm on the verge of no-longer being a newbie. Sure I still haven't been to half the places in town, but Im starting to have "haunts" where people can usually find me. The bartenders know my black face, and even THE TAXI drivers are starting to stop me on the street, sometimes grabbing me and saying "HEY REMEMBER!! REMEMBER!" I'm like "remember what dude? oh yeah...I guess I did tell them"Doh-man-nah-yo" (which means see you again) I'm the only dark man that can use Korean. I didn't realize how much money I've spent on taxis this month. ...oooo....trying not to think about it. The taxi drivers just idle in a line by all the biggest nightlife spots, and you get to pick and choose. I always look for "VIP TEKSHI" because those guys are ex-street racers (or current...just with a taxi sign on top) who blow through red-lights and reach close to 140 kph. "Daegu drift" anyone?
One of my cutest students is named Jimi. He's 10 and is really excited to sing and is EXTREMELY SMART. We were learning "zoo" (lovingly pronounced JEW) animals and Jimmy says "teacher: rhino-saur!".....I didn't correct him. After all it was close. Yes Jimi. This is a "rhinosaur".....and in the next enclosure are the "Lygers"...or is it "Ligers?" As my kids would say, "TEACHER, SPELLING!!!!"
My honors class is ridiculously smart. I've had the honor of teaching the smartest classes in the school. One day I got sick because of the amount of sugar in the juices here and I just gave them their work, and told them there will be a quiz next week. They got this. If I don't watch out, they'll make my job too easy. Is it because I have a teaching degree? Who knows. I have many co-teachers, but my favorite is Jiny. She is HARDCORE. We share the same honors classes. Unlike the other Korean teachers who cycle in and out almost as fast as the foreign teachers, she has been in this same hagwon (private school) for 5 years. Her desk is always stacked high with work and her library of ESL books rivals the book-store downtown. Anywho, shes my favorite. One day huge parts of Korea lost power. It's amazing to think that pretty much the whole country lost power because it was so hot and we were all blasting the A/C. While most teachers like myself would just give their honors students all of the in-class work as homework during a power-outage and just say forget teaching, Jiny-teacher made her students go to the lighted stairwell and take their vocab quiz standing up while using the wall to bare-down on.....gotta love the teacher who is a heartless diva but is still down-to-earth enough to talk to you about brewing wine, help you with your YMCA Korean homework, Korean texting slang, and rocks Converse on Fridays. GET IT JINY-TEACHER
My first test with that class made one student say "Teacher, this test, oh my God!" Needless to say, now that I've scaled down my tests, Jiny has kept right on going. Now all they say is "Teacher, can we please study? Jiny teacher test: OH MY GOD!" I laughed out-loud and started giving them 5 mins to study for her class if they do all of my work. Some say she works too hard? Hmm? *Jane, if you're reading this, don't laugh too hard*
Weekend before last I was being an "MF-er" as usual at MF-bar with my girl Sinade (cool name right?). We were sippin', people watchin, and making ambitious drunken travel plans when we realized this one rather un-Korean-ly large girl who obviously was trying to wash away her Daddy-issues with waves of Soju. She had a tattoo (again, not very Korean-like) on her back. A full-scale pirate ship. Something video-game designers might use as a concept. It looked cool. But what happens when you start to sag and the wind in those "sails" starts to die? What happens when your young "Argghhhs" become old "Uggghhhs"? Sinade summed it up beautifully, "Ooo girl, maybe you shoulda just put that on a t-shirt...." : )
I really need to get on a normal sleep schedule. I was hoping that classes at the Y would mean I would start getting up in the morning. Oh how naive I was. It just means Im running around on Tuesdays and Fridays after a night of Korean-cramming, trying to get to class on time. Im starting to feel uber-metropolitan though with my bagel and coffee and Ipod morning music on the subway to downtown in the mornings.
"Meanwhile, back at the ranch"... I mean... the bar:
I was out meeting new people and the like. My co-worker is really good at just going up to people and starting a conversation. He can come off as somewhat forward and loud at first, but hey, it works for him. Sometimes I like going out with him. If he's the bait, I'm the fisherman. Usually what happens is he brings all types of varieties of fishies over to meet me and then I get to talking. If I really like 'em I'll buy 'em a drink. "The bait", however, he usually gets up within ten-minutes--he says he gets bored easy--leaving me to get their cell number. I don't think the bait realizes that we have a system going. One night while people-fishing I actually met someone named Steven then who I didn't know I would see again from my YMCA class I take now. We met again when class started. He sat next to me and the first thing he says is "Muhammad Ali is really from Atlanta right?" ....dude...what? Im thinkin. He says it again....Im still lost. Then he says "I'm sorry, but the last time we met. You remember, MF? The last thing you said to me was: 'Ali is from ATL' right?"......I had to take a sec to dig through my mental archives and drag out my thoughts from the dirty right corner of my brain in the beat-up, sticky case-file labeled "MF" written in fuzzy black sharpie. "ooooohhhh yeaaahhhhh" I said, not wanting to sound too guilty and give my self away. For it was that same night we had met that I had taken what I like to refer to as a "lil nappy" on the comfy chairs in that blue-tinted bar. I wasn't drunk, but that was night 4 of 4 for me each with only 4 hours of sleep. I'd been ragin' from Wednesday to Saturday. Unknowingly ---or unwillingly exhausted, I don't remember anything except almost leaving my wallet in the taxi at 6 AM the next morning. I still haven't figured out why there were blood streaks on my phone in the morning. I guess we'll never know. Just throw it back in the cold-case "MF" file bin in the right corner of my brain.
One of my cutest students is named Jimi. He's 10 and is really excited to sing and is EXTREMELY SMART. We were learning "zoo" (lovingly pronounced JEW) animals and Jimmy says "teacher: rhino-saur!".....I didn't correct him. After all it was close. Yes Jimi. This is a "rhinosaur".....and in the next enclosure are the "Lygers"...or is it "Ligers?" As my kids would say, "TEACHER, SPELLING!!!!"
My honors class is ridiculously smart. I've had the honor of teaching the smartest classes in the school. One day I got sick because of the amount of sugar in the juices here and I just gave them their work, and told them there will be a quiz next week. They got this. If I don't watch out, they'll make my job too easy. Is it because I have a teaching degree? Who knows. I have many co-teachers, but my favorite is Jiny. She is HARDCORE. We share the same honors classes. Unlike the other Korean teachers who cycle in and out almost as fast as the foreign teachers, she has been in this same hagwon (private school) for 5 years. Her desk is always stacked high with work and her library of ESL books rivals the book-store downtown. Anywho, shes my favorite. One day huge parts of Korea lost power. It's amazing to think that pretty much the whole country lost power because it was so hot and we were all blasting the A/C. While most teachers like myself would just give their honors students all of the in-class work as homework during a power-outage and just say forget teaching, Jiny-teacher made her students go to the lighted stairwell and take their vocab quiz standing up while using the wall to bare-down on.....gotta love the teacher who is a heartless diva but is still down-to-earth enough to talk to you about brewing wine, help you with your YMCA Korean homework, Korean texting slang, and rocks Converse on Fridays. GET IT JINY-TEACHER
My first test with that class made one student say "Teacher, this test, oh my God!" Needless to say, now that I've scaled down my tests, Jiny has kept right on going. Now all they say is "Teacher, can we please study? Jiny teacher test: OH MY GOD!" I laughed out-loud and started giving them 5 mins to study for her class if they do all of my work. Some say she works too hard? Hmm? *Jane, if you're reading this, don't laugh too hard*
Weekend before last I was being an "MF-er" as usual at MF-bar with my girl Sinade (cool name right?). We were sippin', people watchin, and making ambitious drunken travel plans when we realized this one rather un-Korean-ly large girl who obviously was trying to wash away her Daddy-issues with waves of Soju. She had a tattoo (again, not very Korean-like) on her back. A full-scale pirate ship. Something video-game designers might use as a concept. It looked cool. But what happens when you start to sag and the wind in those "sails" starts to die? What happens when your young "Argghhhs" become old "Uggghhhs"? Sinade summed it up beautifully, "Ooo girl, maybe you shoulda just put that on a t-shirt...." : )
I really need to get on a normal sleep schedule. I was hoping that classes at the Y would mean I would start getting up in the morning. Oh how naive I was. It just means Im running around on Tuesdays and Fridays after a night of Korean-cramming, trying to get to class on time. Im starting to feel uber-metropolitan though with my bagel and coffee and Ipod morning music on the subway to downtown in the mornings.
"Meanwhile, back at the ranch"... I mean... the bar:
I was out meeting new people and the like. My co-worker is really good at just going up to people and starting a conversation. He can come off as somewhat forward and loud at first, but hey, it works for him. Sometimes I like going out with him. If he's the bait, I'm the fisherman. Usually what happens is he brings all types of varieties of fishies over to meet me and then I get to talking. If I really like 'em I'll buy 'em a drink. "The bait", however, he usually gets up within ten-minutes--he says he gets bored easy--leaving me to get their cell number. I don't think the bait realizes that we have a system going. One night while people-fishing I actually met someone named Steven then who I didn't know I would see again from my YMCA class I take now. We met again when class started. He sat next to me and the first thing he says is "Muhammad Ali is really from Atlanta right?" ....dude...what? Im thinkin. He says it again....Im still lost. Then he says "I'm sorry, but the last time we met. You remember, MF? The last thing you said to me was: 'Ali is from ATL' right?"......I had to take a sec to dig through my mental archives and drag out my thoughts from the dirty right corner of my brain in the beat-up, sticky case-file labeled "MF" written in fuzzy black sharpie. "ooooohhhh yeaaahhhhh" I said, not wanting to sound too guilty and give my self away. For it was that same night we had met that I had taken what I like to refer to as a "lil nappy" on the comfy chairs in that blue-tinted bar. I wasn't drunk, but that was night 4 of 4 for me each with only 4 hours of sleep. I'd been ragin' from Wednesday to Saturday. Unknowingly ---or unwillingly exhausted, I don't remember anything except almost leaving my wallet in the taxi at 6 AM the next morning. I still haven't figured out why there were blood streaks on my phone in the morning. I guess we'll never know. Just throw it back in the cold-case "MF" file bin in the right corner of my brain.
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