Blind Sided

They sure do know how to celebrate your six months here at DYB. . .

Taking off from New Orleans at 4:41pm Tuesday afternoon, I didn't arrive in Seoul until 6:05am, Thursday morning, two days later. Where did Wednesday go? Well, I can't exactly say but it sure didn't happen this year!

I quickly gathered my bags then stumbled through customs half asleep and fully jet lagged. Two hours, three subways and a short taxi ride later, I arrived at Dootavill. I managed to get in a quick shower and wash off three days of traveling before heading to work at 9:30am.

Here come the fun surprises. . .

I was immediately greeted at work by Anna who told me she had some surprising news. I informed her that I too had a surprise for her and pulled out a string of giant beads that seriously set her eyes a glow. Too bad her surprise wasn't quite as nice.

She took me in to her room and after about five minutes of beating around the bush, finally decided to tell me that I had been scheduled to work six days a week for the next three weeks. Well, that's what it sounded like at least. To be honest, she told me a whole bunch of different things, the majority of which I didn't quite grasp, partly because of the language barrier and partly because I was using every ounce of strength in me not to collapse right there and fall asleep.

I told Anna that I was somewhat aware of the situation as Yumi (head secretary?) had shot me an e-mail at around 7:30am that I just happened to glance at on my way in. I told her that I consider it and get back to Yumi by tomorrow. . . this was not accepted.

Anna informed me that my decision had to be made by 1:00pm as they had to fax the finalized schedules over to the Main Branch before the end of the day. Uh huh. Okay. With no energy to argue and no real desire to do so at that time, I agreed to the revised schedule which has me working two extra hours on a sixth day of the week.

It wasn't until later in the afternoon when Joseph came to confirm the schedule with me that I learned my sixth day was not what I had originally imagined. Apparently, due to the new semester (and the consolidation of the Middle School and Elementary School in to one building) Joseph scheduled me to work a five day week from Tuesday through Saturday. As for my sixth day? Well, I'm expected to come in to work Monday evening for two hours. Now this I didn't see coming. . .

With Joseph literally getting on his knees begging me to accept the schedule, I agreed but informed him that I would be responding to Yumi's e-mail later that evening with my concerns.

After finally 'resolving' the scheduling issue, I headed towards the Native room to try and take a few minutes to myself. Immediately after settling into a seat, Terry Teacher burst in to the room with more surprises. Apparently, one of the subs had failed to show up last week which means my students didn't get a speaking/writing lesson (not that they actually do when I'm there anyways). So, she requested, or, more rightly informed me that I would have to make the class up tomorrow (Friday) morning during my two hour essay period.

As the missed class is one of my best I agreed figuring that I could simply kill time talking about my trip and it's not like I was actually adding hours to my day. Before leaving though, Terry turns around and hands me another stack of about 50 essays and ask that I get them to her as soon as I can. Ha! This coming immediately after her telling me to utilize my essay time to teach her class. . .umm, sorry but not going to have time this week.

Oh, and on the topic of essay time. . . During our first few months here, I was originally scheduled for four hours of essay time each week. Sometimes I would have plenty of essays to keep me busy and other times I would have a bit of freedom but, in the end, it all evened out really well. During Winter Intensive, my essay time was cut down to two hours. Not a huge deal as I decided not to assign essays. However, Terry Teacher and Eun Kyung (whom I only worked with for two weeks) decided that they needed to assign essays and then give them to me for grading. Not a huge problem except for the fact that all of a sudden one day I had a stack of 50 essays sitting around and only two hours a week to work on them.

Now, I've missed my essay time the past two weeks (once due to vacation and once due to Terry's rescheduling me) and have accumulated probably around 100 essays. So, what can I do but slowly chip away at them during my essay time as I simply refuse to take home work to grade that I did not assign and that I know the kids do not look at/care about. Oh wait, herein lies the problem. My schedule for the next three weeks and the one for beyond that include exactly zero hours of essay time. Hmmm, well, not only does this mean I'm teaching four 'extra' hours a week but that I have no allotted in school time to grade. . . starting to sound like teaching in Korea yet?

Anyways, after conking out at 7:00pm Thursday evening I popped up at around five in the morning unable to get back to sleep. Thus, I figured I'd shoot Yumi and e-mail. After reviewing my contract I reconfirmed my inklings that I would be paid overtime for my extra two hours but that the overtime is only a few won an hour over my regular pay. With only two extra hours of work on Monday, I would essentially be making only an extra 8,000 won (or about $5) each week to miss out on a second day of rest. This hardly seems worth it!

Thus I informed Yumi that I would be more than willing to accept the new schedule if Mr. Lee would pay me an overtime rate of double my current hourly wage; informing her that it is both customary and actually mandated by law (right?) in the US. Content with my demands, I lay back down for a few hours until I had to get up to go back to work.

Halfway through my Friday class while taking a break, Joseph comes barging in screaming "Aaadaaaam, whiiiieeeee!?!!!" Apparently Yumi had contacted him. For about twenty minutes I tried to negotiate with Joseph who continually reassured me that no ground would be given by the Main Branch, especially as my contract stipulates the overtime rate which, of course, I had no qualms about when signing a contract assuming that I would not be working overtime. We went through the different possibilities, including me demanding extra vacation days for working extra days, and finally decided on, well, nothing.

Joseph assured me that it would be okay if I refused the extra hours but that he would have to change my schedule again such that my two full days of break would be not consecutive but one on Sunday and the other Friday. Well, that sounds even worse that an extra two hours that I'd at least get paid for so I finally consented. More so to get Joseph off of his knees and hanging on my arm than anything.

So, that's where we stand right now. I'm working an extra two hours a week on Monday as Saturday has apparently been added to my schedule. I have a stack of essays as thick as my school bag but no time allotted to do them. Oh, and our Native Room was literally cut in half yesterday. We showed up for work and our spacious naturally lit room was suddenly filled with enormous shelving units that reduced our work area down to the size of a narrow hallway. Not only that but the elementary school is moving in to our building next week which means we'll be sharing the room with an extra one or two Native Teachers. . . sound fun?

As for the consolidation? Well, I can't be sure of anything but the future doesn't look too bright for DYB's Junggye Branch. Earlier this month Razer talked to us about how Korean Teachers are receiving not only pay cuts but an increase in work load. . .hmm, sounds like a great way to cut costs and lose employees. . . .and that's exactly what's starting to happen. Well, not exactly starting, but, continuing at least!

In the few short days I was gone DYB experienced one of it's highest turnover periods that I've witnessed. First of all, we all went out to lunch yesterday to 'celebrate' Claire's departure from the school. The way this event was described was that she had gotten sick last week and decided to take a few months off to get better. Even though she had miraculously recovered in a week (from a cold mind you) she decided it would be better to take some time to 'recharge,' and move on. Interesting timing as she has just hit her one year mark with DYB and six months exactly at Junggye as her first day of work coincided with ours.

Looking at the Native Teacher schedule it was brought to my attention that the New Hiree, Joseph, was also being 'let go,' supposedly, as Nate found out, because he talked about Canada too much. . .now, I can't exactly vouch for the validity of this statement but it sure seems like a great excuse to lighten the payroll! Oh that and Nate also told me that 17 other foreign teachers had been cut from DYB during the past week. . .whoa, well, we made it through the first round of downsizing! That must mean something about our ability!

Finally, towards the end of the day we were both shocked, but somewhat excited to hear that Sunny, our always cheery secretary, had decided to move on and accept a position teaching theater at a local highschool! Now this is exciting as she finally gets to do something that she clearly loves versus working long hours with no breaks for DYB which didn't even allow her to attend the New Years Party for which she choreographed our DYB Dance.

Oh, and, as I've mentioned, the elementary school is moving into our middle school, clearly to save money on rent and also in part probably due to the severe drop in enrollment numbers that have been obvious for a while now.

Yesterday the best student in the school, D.J., showed up to my class even though I had already seen him this week. I asked him why he was here and he informed me that he came to say goodbye as he was moving on to the 'very famous Topia Academy.' I tried to get him to explain why but he either didn't want to or couldn't quite do so. It didn't seem to have anything to do with me which was good to know but still somewhat disconcerting. D.J. has not always been the top student but since 2Kutz (also known as Yu-Jin) and Lisa left (both of whom previously held top honors, and no, this is not me ranking the kids, the staff actually does this) he has held the role for the past few months.

What a welcome back party huh!? I just got an e-mail from our recruiter, Scot Sustad, trying to encourage me through my 'six month lull.' It sounded like great advice at first but to be honest, it doesn't seem like a whole lot of what's going on is in my control. I figure if I can make it through six days a week then I'll be able to handle anything they throw at me. . .or, maybe I'll just get sick and quit. . . either way, I guess it's time to start planning the next step. . . .

Oh, and in other news, it doesn't look like I made the 50 person shortlist for The Best Job! To be honest, I didn't expect much after viewing my completed video. . .it was far from an artistic masterpiece but at least I now have taken a crash course in video editing! Thank you so much though to Nate who helped me film and Jay, along with my Dad, who helped to edit and upload the video from my computer in Seoul while they were in China and I was at The Gras! What a team effort it was and I really appreciate all the continued assistance. . .

But hey, if you hear about any island jobs opening up, thanks in advance for letting me know, I'd love to look into 'em!

Mardi Gras, pt.5

Well....I made it back, safe and, almost, sound.

I had an absolutely fantastic time this week and extended my most sincere appreciation to all those that made it possible from the extended families of But 8, Frogs, Sigma and the Great Nola Community.

To those who make comments like, "I can't believe you flew halfway across the world just to go drink for a week," I have only this to offer you. . . .

"To encapsulate the notion of Mardi Gras as nothing more than a big drunk is to take the simple and stupid way out, and I, for one, am getting tired of staying stuck on simple and stupid.

Mardi Gras is not a parade. Mardi Gras is not girls flashing on French Quarter balconies. Mardi Gras is not an alcoholic binge.

Mardi Gras is bars and restaurants changing out all the CD's in their jukeboxes to Professor Longhair and the Neville Brothers, and it is annual front-porch crawfish boils hours before the parades so your stomach and attitude reach a state of grace, and it is returning to the same street corner, year after year, and standing next to the same people, year after year--people whose names you may or may not even know but you've watched their kids grow up in this public tableau and when they're not there, you wonder: Where are those guys this year?

It is dressing your dog in a stupid costume and cheering when the marching bands go crazy and clapping and saluting the military bands when they crisply snap to.

Now that part, more than ever.

It's mad piano professors converging on our city from all over the world and banging the 88's until dawn and laughing at the hairy-shouldered men in dresses too tight and stalking the Indians under Claiborne overpass and thrilling the years you find them and lamenting the years you don't and promising yourself you will next year.

It's wearing frightful color combination in public and rolling your eyes at the guy in your office who--like clockwork, year after year--denies that he got the baby in the king cake and now someone else has to pony up the ten bucks for the next one.

Mardi Gras is the love of life. It is the harmonic convergence of our food, our music, our creativity, our eccentricity, our neighborhoods, and our joy of living. All at once."


-An excerpt from the book 1 Dead in Attic by Chris Rose, a New Orleanian by choice and Times-Picayune columnist by profession.

I guess what I really have to say is, "Why wouldn't you fly across the world for that?"

Thanks for making it possible everyone, I'll see you next year at Jackson and The Ave. . .

Change of Plans

Well whoulda thunk you need a visa to get in to China? Apparently not anyone in this family!

Why I am I posting so soon when I promised a week long break, well, if you haven't guessed already, I didn't quite make it to China. In fact, I didn't even make it to the airport! Here's the story. . .

Friday night I got down to packing after a long chatty dinner with Nate and New Teacher (Eun Kyung). She asked to join us to get to know us better as she recently replaced Elle (who is actually Ally) Teacher. Where did Elle go you ask (and why am I still using her name that is not her name)? Well, soon after getting married, Elle announced the she was pregnant and would not be sticking around much longer. In fact, she was gone the next week!

This was not entirely a surprise however as she had previously (on New Years Day) mentioned to Nate that DYB was not exactly a, um, nice, place to work. She was in fact so embarrassed by DYB making us come to work on the holiday that she assured us the rest of Korea is 'nothing like this' and that it's possible to be happy elsewhere. Well, we're still here, but she's not! Now, Eun Kyung is the third teacher to fill the role that has been held by both Elle and Ji Young teacher before. . .

Anyways, after dinner I retired to my Doota abode to begin packing, about five hours before I planned on leaving for the airport. Finished up around two in the morning I figured I'd hop in the shower before lying down for a quick pre-flight nap. . .this never happened! Just as I was beginning to derobe, I got a surprise call on Skype from Jay and my Dad. This struck me as odd seeing as how they should have been on their way, if not already in Shanghai by then. Well, I know they weren't there actually as they had missed their flight out of Chicago (I believe it was), but, it still seemed to early for them to be calling as they should have been aboard a trans-Pacific flight.

Okay, Hello?

Hi Adam! It us, we're here in Chicago. They won't let us on the plane because we don't have visas. Do you have a visa?

Um, no?! I figured if I needed one you'd tell me?

Yeah, well, we didn't know we needed one either!

Hmm, have I ever needed a visa? I guess, twice, but, not to visit a country?! I needed one in Ghana, to work, and here in Korea, to work. Heck, even here they let me in without an E-2 at first.

Um, yeah, well, apparently we're not allowed on our flight so we're going to try to go get a visa from the Chinese Embassy.

Hmm, it's two in the morning here. I'm not sure if I'll be able to do that.

Uh, good point, let's start looking for flights elsewhere. . . that don't require visas!

This is when the light bulb goes off. If you recall, I mentioned a while back how depressing it was that I would have to remain separated from my dear love New Orleans for such an extended period of time; especially with The Gras and JazzFest right around the corner! Well, I bet you can see where this is going.

A bit of quick internet research proved our suspicions that even if I were to go to China, I would have to wait until Monday to try and acquire a visa. Who knows when I would have ever actually made it to Shanghai. So, I did the only reasonable thing there is to do. . .head towards Nola.

It took a good a good couple hours but by about five o'clock in the morning I had found the perfect flight to New Orleans. Sure I could have just booked any ole flight across the pond but here're the parameters I was working with.

I have five days of vacation, that I had already requested off. Not only that but I had to adamantly stress how important these days were to visit my family as it's still 'Winter Intensive' and vacations are not typically allowed.

I knew I needed to go to The Gras but couldn't figure out how to define it. As Carnival celebrations are obviously going on all this week (and certainly have been for a while now) would it count if I kept my same flight dates and did a Saturday to Saturday? If I did that I could swing through somewhere else like Nashville or D.C. first. Well, turns out buying a ticket the morning of the flight is no cheap venture. . .with those prices, Sat-Sat was quickly out of the question.

With that in mind, I quickly realized that if I were to go to Mardi Gras, it wouldn't be an 'authentic' trip unless I made it until Tuesday morning to see the Zulu King making his turn on to the Ave at Jackson St. I mean, I know it's only been four years no but it's been four years in a row and I've made it out every Tuesday morning. Trust me, it's not as easy as it sounds and a great deal of people fall short just before the final push. . .perhaps the midnight Lundi Gras show at Tips has something to do with it but, anyways, if you make it that far, you might as well finish!

Thus, I started working on my search backwards, allowing my return date to define the departure day. Well, here's the day. Going to America from the East is fantastic as you're set to arrive the same day, even after more than a dozen hours of travel. The problem is flying back. Leaving Tuesday (Mardi Gras Day), no matter how I cut it, brings me back to Seoul on Thursday.

With this in mind, I began to think that I would only have three full days in the city (as I can only take five days of work to reserve my other five for a later vacation, hopefully to the South Pacific with anyone that would like to join). However, with enough research, and a whole lotta help from Kayak.com (as well as Continental Airlines) I eventually found a flight (the only as far as I can tell) that arrives in Seoul Thursday morning at 6:00am. Sure, it only leaves me three and a half hours to get to work but hey, the airport is only about an hour and a half away. . . .we'll see how this goes!

So, with Thursday of next week under my belt at work, I figured I could leave this Thursday, the 19th. Outbound I had a much greater range of options and decided on one due to both price and a non-absurd (meaning after 7am) departure time. Turns out, even the earlier departures would arrive at the same time in NOLA as everything gets held up in Texas. Oh, did I mention that I get to not only fly in to Texas but do it twice? I have an intra-Texas flight from Dallas to Houston en-route to the Naw'. Why? I can't tell you but it seems like someone is playing a joke on me! No wonder flights to Houston were so much cheaper (yes, I checked there and almost every other airport within a 500mile radius). Too bad my cowboy boots are at home!

In the off chance someone needs to find me while in mid-air. . .here's where I'll be when. . .that and it seems like planes have been dropping like flies recently so keep your eyes tuned to the sky.

Thursday, February 19th

• Seoul Korea (ICN) 9:50am -> Dallas (DFW) 7:05am CO 6320
  
• Dallas (DFW) 9:05 am -> Houston Bush (IAH) 10:09am CO414
• Houston Bush (IAH) 11:40am -> New Orleans (MSY) 12:48pm CO723
  

Tuesday, February 24th

• New Orleans (MSY) 4:41pm -> Houston Bush (IAH) 5:57pm CO872
  
• Houston Bush (IAH) 7:10pm -> Los Angeles (LAX) 8:57pm CO47
• Los Angeles (LAX) 12:10am -> Seoul Korea (ICN) 6:05am CO6312
  

I finally got to bed at around six in the morning just as the sun made her daily appearance. Even then I found it impossible to sleep as I was both worked up from scrambling madly across the internet and finally deciding on heading towards the city of my dreams. Sleep did eventually come but I had to drag myself out of bed not long after in order to start of day of readjusting plans. Before heading out, I quickly shot an e-mail to Yumi explaining to her that I would like to change my vacation due to peculiar circumstances that I then explained. I then grabbed Nate to scarf down some lunch and tell my story though I was hesitant to tell him about my change of plans at first, knowing that I had yet to confront DYB about changing my vacations days that I had previously fought hard for.

Following lunch I contacted Joseph who not only laughed his face off at my mishap but promised to contact Yumi. He reassured me that it would be difficult to get them to change my vacation plans but I told him that it doesn't matter if they do or not, I had booked a ticket and would be going. He called me back a couple hours later to say I was okay! Phew!

Down at the Korean Airlines office in Gangnam (City Air Terminal) I was greeted with equally relieving news. At first I began to flip out as I was told that my ticket could not be changed or credited towards another flight. After allowing me to boil to the rim, the woman helping me calmly informed me that if I would like, she could simply give me a refund on the ticket. Um, well, yes, thank you, though next time I come in talking about missing my flight and wanting to change it, it'd be helpful if you mentioned that first! So, for only 30,000 won I was able to cancel and (almost) fully refund the ticket my parents had given me to Shanghai for winter holidays!

In the end, it looks like it all worked out. No, I don't get to go to Shanghai but at least Dad and Jay will have pictures to share. I mean, I'm upset that I don't get to go to China, as I've never been, but my kids tell me its just cheap, dirty and crowded anyways (which makes me wonder what they think about Seoul)! Going to the States is great but I would love to have more time to not only go to Nola but stop by our Nation's Capital and the E.L. as well to see close friends and family. . .if I don't get a chance to see you this trip know that I'm sorry, it doesn't mean that I didn't want to!

Three days of work under my belt and only one more class to go this evening. Then, it's time to repack, grab a short nap and head towards the airport! I'm gonna leave a little early as I hope to avoid rush hour on the subway. If you've ever been on an Asian subway at peak time you'll know why. If not, you can try to imagine but I don't think most Americans can come close to conceptualizing this type of human density. New York doesn't even come close, I promise!

Hopefully my American cellphone will meet up with me in New Orleans thanks to the brave work of Momma Nell and Ms. Joanna Asher! Thanks you two, I appreciate it! As for me, well, I'm going to be the responsibility of Continental Airlines, and, well, myself!

It's unlikely that I'll take the time to post while I'm back 'home,' but I'll certainly try to update as soon as I return. . .then again, what's the use. If you've been to Gras, you know what it is. If you haven't, you can't even come close to imagining. Sure you can tell me what you read, and pictures you pay $9.99 and hour to look at, but that ain't the Gras so I don't wanna here it. You gotta live it to know it. . .

I'd tell you how excited I am to be going but I'll let a man named 'Fess do it for me. . .

Well I'm going to New Orleans, I wanna see the Mardi Gras
Well I'm going to New Orleans, I wanna see the Mardi Gras
When I get to New Orleans, I wanna know what's Carnival for

Got my ticket in my hand, I wanna go to New Orleans
Got my ticket in my hand, I wanna go to New Orleans
When I get to New Orleans, I wanna see the Zulu King

When I see the Zulu King down on St. Claude and Dumaine
When I see the Zulu King down on St. Claude and Dumaine
I'ma stay right there, until I see the Zulu Queen

-"Mardi Gras in New Orleans" Professor Longhair

Lights, Camera, Action!

Whoa. . .sorry for the delay but what a hectic (few) week(s) it's been!

While recovering from an exhausting ski trip that blended right into a birthday weekend, my world was further thrown for a whirl as our morning schedule was replaced with a revised evening one. Though I have spent the better part of my time here working in the evening (which is probably more accurately described as 'night') it was a little rough at first getting going again. It's not easy keeping your energy level up from 4:30-10:30pm, especially without a chance to grab a snack at any point!

Anyways, with my mornings free once again I was able to dedicate some good chunks of time to simply sitting at the computer and banging out revision after revision on the script for my 'Best Job in the World' application. Now, to be honest, while I've shot plenty of home-videos on my Canon PowerShot (which I highly recommended for those in the market for a digital camera, by the way), I haven't actually spent much time ever putting any thought in to creating them. . .lets just say they 'happen.'

So, with only 60 seconds to introduce myself and explain exactly why I am obviously the best candidate for the Island Reef Job, it took a lot of brainstorming, and, even more editing! Luckily, I had the input of both Jay and my Dad to work off of, due to the magic of Skype, not to mention the wizardry of Google Docs (but, whoa, that's a-whole-nothing story in the making).

I spent countless hours sitting in my boxers in an uncomfortable chair banging away at the same few paragraphs. Trying to condense a lifetime of exploration, a passion for discovery, a willingness to report and, of course, a penchant for island life into just a minute worth of material is. . .well, challenging to say the least! But, I did what I could.

My final concept came down to highlighting not necessarily my past explorations, as many applicants seem to have done, but rather focus on what I can bring to the Island that others may not. For example, since deciding to come to Korea, I have managed to put up at least two digits worth of posts each month, with out fail. Sure, there are plenty of people who travel to plenty of places, but what does that say really? What I chose to portray was my willingness, and desire to not only explore but share with others the many discoveries I so actively seek.

While it might sound good on paper, and, yes, I can read it in under 60 seconds, getting it onto film and into a single, aesthetically pleasing video has been. . .well. . .an adventure in and of itself! Allow me to catch you up. . .

After finalizing my 'script' Friday morning, I turned in early to get ready for my big first day of filming. Unfortunately, the sleep Gods did not agree with me as I spent the majority of the night, and early morning, simply lying in bed wondering how in the kimchi I was going to get this all put together in a week. So, after a few hours of rest and even less of actual sleep, I dragged myself out of bed early Saturday morning for a long overdue promise to both my students, and myself.

My bi-annual haircut.

Yeah, it was tough, but, I managed to get myself across the street to the barber/stylist (I guess she'd be classified more as the latter) before noon. I confided in Helena that it had been quite some time since scissors last touched my head and she seemed to understand. For about the first time in my life, that I can remember at least, my six months work of 'work' was shown a compassion usually reserved for those donating to Locks for Love or a similar cause. There was no putzing around, no teasing about the mess I was leaving on the floor. . .just a simple, matter o' fact hair cut. . .that, in the end, turned out pretty darn well. I don't keep my hair cut rankings in my back pocket or anything but when you only do a couple dozen every decade, you tend to remember them a bit more, and, well, this one was certainly worth the 10,000 won. . .now, if that didn't bring a tear to your eye, well, you're just a stone cold piece o' granite aren't ya?!

Okay, here's the deal, I gotta get to bed soon so lets just breeze through the rest of this! I already accidentally erased one video that I needed and will have to re-shoot tomorrow morning. I also haven't slept anything close to a comfortable amount at all this week. Worrying? Maybe. About what? I don't know. Excited? Sure. I'm off to China on Saturday for my first vacation. The week I return will mark my six months. I've got to have my video app in before then. The Tuesday that I 'celebrate' six months on coincidentally coincides with Mardi Gras. . .and, well, I guess I've had a lot on my mind!

After losing a full head of hair and a darn good natural ear warmer, Nate and I headed to COEX Underground Mall where we spent an hour or so in the Aquarium filming clips for TBJ App and tooling around with the fishies. Why not longer you ask. Well, because on our way to the Aquarium we passed a large poster hanging over the mall's main stage which read 'Big Bang,' followed by a slew of Korean that we weren't able to decipher. After checking with a number of middle school girls mulling around, we confirmed our suspicions that Korea's most famous boy band would soon be making an appearance at that very location! Thus, we scurried off towards the Aquarium quickly so as to make it back for the four o'clock appearance. . .I mean, when in Rome. . .right?

Welcome to the COEX Aquarium

While I would have loved to spend more time simple oogling the fish and pretending to be anywhere but Seoul, I agreed with Nate that we should rush through to get back to the 'show.' After all, he was a good enough sport to wake up early, travel across town and fork over the 15,500 won to film me saying ridiculous clips while jumping in front of fish tanks. . .then again. . .maybe he did it for his own personal enjoyment. . .I mean, laughing at others sure is a blast isnt' it! Thanks though doood!

Not much to say about the Aquarium itself however except that you've seen better. And, well, if you haven't, then you probably don't really like Aquariums anyways in which case you might as well just hang out at one of COEX's dozen Starbucks. Not that there's anything wrong with a enjoying a delicious coffee while cowering from sea creatures but, come on, if they're caged, check 'em out!

The one thing I can speak on is the absurdity of the Aquarium's displays (why have I been capitalizing the word aquarium. . .I don't know, it makes it sound more important, that's why). If the idea of an acrylic harp or replica mailbox filled with fish doesn't get you questioning, then perhaps the below picture of a fire extinguisher tank will. . .don't ask me, I'm just as curious as you are!

Oh no, there's a fire, should I put it out or fry some fish!?

The two headed turtle however did get my attention for quite some time. So did the Aquarium's largest tanks filled with a variety of sharks and giant turtles. . .too bad none of the pictures turned out. . .though, again, if you haven't seen these animals already well, you're probably not cut out for island life! Anyways, we blew through the Aquarium in record time, in part because we were anxious to catch Big Band and in part, well, because we were by far the oldest un-accompanied people there!

Two Headed Turtle!

Back out at the main stage we waited for almost a half an hour before anything 'happened.' I mean, sure, before then there was a lot of pushing, some preemptive screams, picture taking and security guard trickery but, those are all expected for any big showing, right? Finally, the crowd elicited a piercing scream in the key of 7th-grade-girl that left my ear drums shaking and my 'manliness' in question. For a comparison, think Backstreet Boys circa 1998. . .there you have it.

OMG!! Big Bang!!

With everyone pushing past dying for a better look, Nate and I weren't really sure what to do but stand there and be excited. Before even trying to capture the event with photographs we figured out that for some reason cameras were not a welcome sight during the appearance. I had heard a similar anecdote from one of my students who attended a Big Bang show and reported that no pictures were allowed during the entire performance. Apparently, this is the case at all their appearances, even without a real 'show.' Left and right security guards were slamming closed elevated cell phones while a man with a mega phone hollered at those in the back with cameras.

Not one to miss out on documenting this opportunity, Nate and I both tried to grab a couple snapshots to pretty much no avail. While taking a picture without the flash is difficult enough while indoors, this feat was made even trickier by the sea of young women pushing us around while simultaneously trying to dodge the attention of authoritative looking security guards. Pretty much all we came out with was the blurry picture below in which you can only just barely make out (from left to right) Tae Yang, T.O.P. and G-Dragon.

Despite the poor resolution and obvious jarring of the camera, for the past week now, this picture has elicited not only horrific screams from our students but tears of joy from at least one of Nates. Apparently this was a big deal that we were lucky enough to simply be in the presence of these 'stars.' Ha, according to our middle school girls at least. And, well, boys too. Although they are reluctant to admit their excitedness at first, all it takes is a few minutes of the girls oogling at the pictures before the boys inevitably insist on seeing as well. From that point it's not long until they too declare us the luckiest teachers ever. . . yeah, we know, thanks!

BIG BANG!!!

While the whole Big Bang ordeal lasted no more than 45 minutes from the time we started waiting, we were exhausted by the time we escaped the scene. So, in order to kick back, relax and celebrate a successful day of shooting, we headed towards Itaewon where we were lucky enough to catch Beef and the Penetrators' final show at Woodstock! Though the horn section was AWOL and the crowd was lifeless, I'm darn glad we made it for their final rendition of. . .well, if you know you know, if you don't, sorry!

Beef and the Penetrators: Final Act

We took a break from filming on Sunday while I spent the day kicking the crap out of the Han River Harriers, our supposed "A" team in the Han River club. There's nothing like beating the 'big boys' at their own game two weeks in a row. Though I didn't find a chance to score this week, I held down a solid place in the back where we allowed only one goal, off of a penalty kick that, no, I did not cause!

Oh, and for the record. . .for all you 35 year old English men out there who find it necessary to throw punches at not one, but two Koreans that you're not just playing against but have, only a few weeks ago, played with. . .well, we have a name for you in America and I believe it's along the lines of P.A.B (figure it out yourself and pardon my language, please). . .but seriously, smashing the face of a kid whose ten years younger than you in to the ground while playing a friendly match. . .well, it makes it clear why you have no friends left on your little northern island and had to come to Korea to find someone to love you. . .by the way. . .she roller blades in circles like a young deer on ice. . .you think that's cute?! Oh, excuse me, I'll stop now.

Nate and I resumed filming Wednesday morning as we dragged ourselves out of bed unusually early to head up the side of Mt. Bulam. The original plan was to film a shot from the summit to demonstrate my adventurous nature though, it was apparent upon leaving that a shot from the top would likely yield nothing close to stunning as the summit was steeped in fog. Even so, we decided to push on as we had already gotten out of bed! Not the greatest of motivations but it works! We followed a fellow hiker down the street to enter the mountain by a different trail head that seemed to cut a great deal of time off our hike! We managed to make it up in just about an hour 'n a half. . .compared to last time where it must have taken us at least double that!

Headed up the 'new' trail

Buddhas for Sale!

Though I didn't get the epic summit shot we hoped for, we managed to film a couple clips along the way that will certainly do for conveying the sense of adventuring a la mountain climbing! But yes, of course, we still summited! Who do you think we are, a bunch of lazy English teachers!?

"Hi Mom" -Nate

Glacial Explorations on Bulamsan

Back at school Wednesday evening Nate joined my first class to shoot a few more seconds of the 'script.' While it didn't take very long, it was evident that the surrounding teachers, and more so, my current teacher, Terry, were not too pleased about the distraction. Nevertheless, I had promised my students for weeks that they would be in the video, both because they wanted to be and well I wanted them to be! Unfortunately, this is where the story turns sour as I was uploading the videos a few minutes ago and managed to erase the one (of a few dozen) that I actually needed. . .thus, we'll be going for a re-shoot tomorrow morning! Sorry in advance teachers! Thank you for your patience!

Thursday morning we continued filming, this time headed towards Itaewon as I had a revelation the night before. Why I didn't think of this sooner I don't know but sometime in the course of lying awake at night it occurred to me that there are big 'Hamilton' signs all over Itaewon advertising the Hamilton Hotel. Sure, they don't say Hamilton Island but it's the name recognition I'm going for, not accuracy!

So, down to Line 6 we went. Not only did I get a good shot (though the lighting is terrible as you'll soon see as I've vowed to post my completed application, if it is ever in fact completed) but we pounded down an excellent lunch of none other than, Pad Thai! Pondering our lunch options it didn't take long for me to point us in the direction of My Thai, one of the remaining Thais joints that we had yet to try. Of course I needn't look at a menu as my order had already been decided last June while traveling the Land of Smiles with Stef. . .if you don't know this story well. . .check the history books. . .I've eaten a lot of Pad Thai!

Anyways, for 11,000 won it sure hit the spot. The whole fried egg on top was a bit different as it's normally mixed in but otherwise the flavor was superb. Heavy on the fish sauce but not over powering. Lemon not lime, but, it'll do. Chili powder instead of peppered vinegar. . .eh, not biggie, but I could've used the extra tang. Delicious chicken and a hearty portion of ground peanuts to boot. Seoul Ranking. . .tied for second with Buddah Belly. . .what it lacked in flavor it certainly made up for in portion!

So, there you have it! It's now Thursday night, I'm an hour past my 'bedtime,' and yet hours from falling asleep. While Roy and Jay have already left for Shanghai I have another day of work to put in before taking off. . .oh yeah, did I mention I'm going to China on Satuday?! As Nate noted this evening, that would be such a big deal in the States but now that we're already 'here,' well, I mean, it's just going to China, not like it's the Philippines or anything! Strange how perspectives can be so easily skewed!

Thanks for reading. . .likely no updates to come for the next week as I'll be off to mainland Asia. . .as for the video, while, it's either done before I return or it ain't gettin' done!

For those Stateside, I wish you a Happy Carnival and hope that you are celebrating appropriately. . .whether it's paczkis or king cake, please make sure you're over eating, over dancing, and well, if your in the Naw', over heating!

Birthday Bash

This past Saturday, January 31st (Seoul Time) Nate wrapped up his 23rd year of life.

Birthday Boy

In order to celebrate this momentous occasion we spent the day doing. . .well, just about nothing!

After a late bagelshop breakfast we decided that the day was simply too nice to pass up indoors. Having purchased a soccer ball a few weeks back, in the dead of winter, we decided it was high time to break it in. Though on this lucky day not only did the ball get christening but so to did my new cleats that my mom had sent to me from the States.

As I earlier mentioned, apparently Copas are simply too 'bland' of a soccer shoe for Koreans to dare to sell, let along wear. While it feels great to once again have my foot wrapped in fine kangaroo leather, it's a shame that even after two tries, they're still a bit too big. . .oh well, I figure this reoccurring theme of shoes that don't quite fit holds some sort of significance for the whole experience!

We spent the next few hours booting a ball back and forth on a new mini pitch that was just installed across the street from a park not too far from Doota. Though the red dirt covering the field reminded me of our pitch in Ghana, this time around the ground was so saturated that the dirt stayed (for the most part) on the ground, rather than coating your entire body.

As the sun ducked behind the highrises of Nowon we decided to turn back towards home. . . not before a quick stop at Lotte Mart however where we managed to blow at least an hour. I went in for milk, Nate for soap, yet we came out, just before dark, with bulging bags in hand. How they do it, I don't know, but that is one fascinating store!

After showers and some much needed rest, from our intense kick-a-thon earlier, we decided to head towards Apgujeong to celebrate in fashion. . .kinda.

As was suggested by the Groove a few months ago, we chose to spend the evening at a 'Thai Themed' spot called Monkey Beach. While Nate had ventured by once before, it took calling the Korea Help Line (021330) for us to again find the spot.

Welcome to...

Alas, Monkey Beach gave us all that we could hope for in a Thai themed bar. Buckets, table dancing, and Monsters that rock, paper, scissored for free drinks. . .seriously.

And the Winner Is. . .

But the looser gets revenge!

We even met a group of Koreans who had just returned from studying in Ann Arbor. We tried to explain that Michigan as a place was pretty great but what their sweatshirts represented wasn't so. . . no luck! At least we were able to grab a picture of the Koreans, in Michigan garb, and Nate in his newly gifted (from yours truly of course) 'Defend Dokdo' shirt, together!

East (representing the West) meets West (representing the East)

Though we missed out on the fire shows that supposedly take place Saturday nights, we managed to have a great time overall and never needed to head towards the 'Twon as we had originally invisioned. I know it's been a while, but don't worry, we'll be back soon!

My Long Lost Twin!