What the kimchi???

I miss ...

2012-02-16T00:45:00.002-04:00

I miss online shopping! I never really thought of it until the other night when I was talking to a co-worker. We were talking about ... well just shit ... and all of a sudden I blurted out that I missed online shopping in SoKo.

There was MUCH more variety than here. And if it took more than 2 days to get to you it was strange.

My CW mentioned that when she shops online she likes to buy from Asian sites because it still works out to be cheaper than Canadian ones. Even with delivery factored in. That is pretty sad.

What the ... impetus to continue?!?!?

2012-02-09T19:58:00.007-04:00

I had been meaning to post this for a while. Months actually. Unfortunately, or fortunately, I have been busy and it got forgotten. Clearing out some stuff today I found the email again and decided it was time to post about it.

The email. It arrived right around the time that someone emailed David Theissen to try and get him to attack Burndog. Nine days after my last post about Douchey Dave. Coincidence? Who knows. Mind you I am not a big believer in coincidence.

***

Subject: retard

From: ersgserfew feadfawfeaw <7thseal8050@gmail.com>

To: wtKimchi@gmail.com

Can you please remove yourself from the gene pool? Preferably in the most painful and agonizing way possible? Retard

Die painfully okay? Prefearbly by getting crushed to death in a garbage compactor, by getting your face cut to ribbons with a pocketknife, your head cracked open with a baseball bat, your stomach sliced open and your entrails spilled out, and your eyeballs ripped out of their sockets. Fucking bitch

I really hope that you get curb-stomped. It'd be hilarious to see you begging for help, and then someone stomps on the back of your head, leaving you to die in horrible, agonizing pain. Faggot

Shut the fuck up faggot, before you get your face bashed in and cut to ribbons, and your throat slit.

****

Interesting piece of prose, eh? Psychotic. Anti-Homosexual. Ultra-Violent. So many symptoms of a disturbed mind in one piece of writing. It reminded me of a tosser who used to post on Toad Man's original blog urging him to fellate a shotgun. Although this fucktard is much more graphic.

I replied to the sender and dared them to meet me. They declined to even respond. Just another Internet Tough Guy who probably pisses his, or her, pants at their own shadow.

Now, anytime I think about not blogging any more, I harken back to this email. The ability to rile someone up this much is too good to pass up. 7thseal8050 thank you for giving me the impetus to keep blogging. If just to piss you off. :)

What the ... statue?!?!?

2011-12-15T21:42:00.003-04:00

A tip of the hat to Korea Beat for this one. My only thoughts ... too fucking bad Japan. You did it. Stop trying to gloss it over. Own it. Sincerely apologize for it. And then you can move on. There is a reason most of Asia hasn't forgiven you. Until then ... in the immortal words of John Stewart .. go fuck yourselves.

And the killings continue.

2011-12-12T11:43:00.003-04:00

A tip of the hat to ROK Drop for this story. It looks like Chinese fisherman have murdered yet another South Korean Coast Guard Officer. There isn't a lot I can add to what ROK Drop said.

It is funny how quick South Koreans are to rally or riot when it is something the US did or is perceived to have done. Yet when things like this happen they stick their heads in the sand and ass in the air. A North Korean soldier murders a SK tourist. Nothing. Chinese pirates murder SK Coast Guard officers. Nothing. Free trade with the US? Time to get in the streets. Mad Cow lies and bullshit? Let's riot! Talk about skewed priorities.

A country that allows shit like this to continue is giving up their sovereignty.

What the ... outage?!?!?

2011-11-25T09:55:00.005-04:00

As Burndog walks away from his Herr Consoleman and Eve keeps bringing up hers I feel left out. It has been a long time since I mentioned my Herr Consoleman, the real one, and his sad band of racist fucktards at Korea Sentry.

I was going to visit there to see what Herr Consoleman is rambling about now and then mock him here. A friend pointed out that Korea Sentry is DOWN. Lo and behold, it is. If you go there you get the following message.

It has been down for 2+ weeks. I have to wonder just who they will blame for it being down.

Foreigner Teachers? After all, this is their biggest bugaboo. They blame foreign teachers for just about everything.

Immigrants to Korea? They do seem to be their second favourite whipping boy.

Vitamin200: The recent massacre in Norway was caused by multiculturalism ... Korea must avoid this dangerous multicultural path.

China? Probably tied with Immigrants as their second favourite whipping boy.

Herr Consoleman himself: Fuck China!

dangun harabuji: Still, it'd take a really long time to dilute the Northern heritage. Although the amounts of chinese cockroaches gaining citizenship is kind of worrying.

xcreaturex100: Chinese, probably island chink, that's why we had to make refute videos against these chink trolls.

The Japanese? Another favourite of theirs.

Jews? Yes, anti-Semitism also has a home on Korea Sentry.

shihtzuumji in a thread about Steve Jobs dying: The man was a killer and a Jew wannabe.

Vitamin200: Korea can't become a Jewish-worshiping nation. All these bullshit ideas such as "multiculturalism", "human rights" and "globalism" are Jewish ideas that have plagued Korea and a lot of European countries.

Herr Consoleman: you know Hollywood is control by Jews and a lot of non-American directors and producers and if you're redneck then there isn't much future within entertainment industry.

Korean Women? After all if they even think about not marrying a Korean they are stupid and evil.

MidwestInsahm82: Little do these stupid yellowcab sellouts know that dating or worse, marrying a white or non-Korean male leads to marriage problems in the future, and even identity crisis for their kids.

I'm all for Korean-only marriage. I know this may sound off topic, but this is why horses that participate in races are PURE bred. Nobody wants to buy a cheap mixed-breed horse. Same with racial purity.

Herr Consoleman: Korean women are bossy when it comes to Korean men but submissive when it comes to smelly Whiteys.

Mixed race children?

What can I say, they seem to hate everyone not Korean, and even some Koreans. It is hard to say who exactly they will blame but odds are they will try and put it on foreigners somehow.

Douchey Dave: 1st Encounter

2011-11-17T16:06:00.002-04:00

My introduction to David Thiessen aka Douchey Dave happened on YouTube years ago. He left a typical Douchey Dave comment on my old YouTube Channel.

"I wonder why you do this.? Can you tell me?"

This wasn't left in reference to any one video, just in the general comment section of the channel. It was followed up by this one.

"Foreigners only have themselves to blame for much of what transpires during their sojourn in this country, we are not blameless and the fault does not lie with the Korean nation only.

Take a hard look at your own actions, look at your attitude and behavior through an outsider's eye and see if you are happy with what you see."

I would discover that this is classic Douchey Dave. He takes the stand that whatever happens it is ALWAYS the fault of the foreigner. No matter how fucked over the foreigner gets it is always their fault according to good old Double D. It really makes you wonder how he functions with his head so far up his ass.

I left a couple of replies, which formed the nucleus of my later response. Then I looked up his YouTube Channel. The twat basically just went around to any videos that criticised South Korea in any way, whether real or perceived by DD, and spread his batshit. That is the sum of his contribution to YouTube. Much like his contribution around the web and in print. To be a troll.

Since my replies elicited no response, and in the time honoured tradition of ranting and responding, I made a video for Davey boy. :) Below is a transcript of it. At first, based on the insane logic and blind defence of South Korea I figured DD was just another Kyopo or Korean with an axe to grind, like the KKKlan members at KS. It was only after making this and searching his name on the web that I found out who he is, and just how batshit crazy he is.

***

Good afternoon. This is a bit of a rant but also a response. YouTube member davidarchthiessen posted a couple of comments on my channel's main page. I really don't know what to make of the comments he made.

Basically it seemed like he started off by saying it is the foreigners fault if things go pear shaped. If they have any problems, if something bad happens it's YOUR fault. And ONLY the foreigners are at fault. Never the Koreans.

He did have a bit of a point, and not just the one on his head. Sometimes with your attitude or your outlook you can create your own problems. I do that. We all do that.

Everybody has bad days. Sometimes your actions are so strange that it REALLY makes you look bad. Like if I were to, ohhh, take a phesant and hammer it to death. That would make me look very bad. Maybe a little "evil". Maybe I would even look like a psycho.That would be my fault and no one elses.

It works both ways though. Sometimes people create the problems for you. Sometimes it is their attitudes and what they do. Like if I am walking down the street and I hear a Korean say Meechin Miguk to me. Well, who just created the problem here? Him or me? Me because I learned enough Korean to understand he is being rude or him for being a rude asshole?

So, I do agree with him to a point. Sometimes foreigners do create their own problems here. I have done it. Other foreigners have done it. But it doesn't ALWAYS work out that way. According to Douchey Dave it is always the foreigners fault. That is pretty fucked up.

Then he posted "Why do you do this?"

Why do I do what? Why do I make videos? Why do I talk about life? Why do I criticize Korea? (Which does seem to be the burr in his saddle.) All of the above? I mean, it is not actually a bad question but qualify it. What do I do that you want to know about?

Why do I make videos? I want to. I can. So, I do it. Ok, that is being a little glib. I do it for my friends. A good friend got me started on YouTube or I probably never would have. So, some of it I do for him. Some of it I do for me. Some of it I do for family. Some of it I do to try and share my experiences in life with other people and friends. I have met some nice people through this and I have met a lot of people full of haterade. Which one are you davidarchthiessen?

Why do I talk about life? Well, you know what? I am living it! I'm not going to talk about your life because I am not living your life. What happens in your life, well, I don't know. Maybe YOU should share that with other people? You might like it. You might not. If you don't then you stop doing it.

When I view other peoples videos, well, except for the comedy ones, but the life ones I view them to learn from their experiences. Sometimes I learn lessons about myself. I hope people have the same experience with mine.

Sometimes in doing my videos it makes me examine what I think. Or comments I get back make me examine some of what I have said. Maybe I was a too harsh. Maybe I am taking something the wrong way. I would like to think that I am open minded enough to learn from that.

Why do I criticize Korea? I don't JUST criticize Korea. Granted a lot of my rants do that. But, you know what, I am living here. I pay taxes here. Income tax, pension, health care, sales tax. I pay that money out and if I want to criticize something about Korea ... I will.

If I was living in Canada odds are my rants would mostly be about Canada. No one country is perfect my friend. None! South Korea, Canada, America, Zimbabwe ... you get the idea. I could keep throwing out the names of every country.

No country is perfect. They all have problems. And sometimes, especially if it is a big problem like racism, if you don't talk about it then it will never get fixed.

After looking at your responses, reading your comments, and posting my replies I took a look at your YouTube Channel. I wonder why YOU are here? Are you just here to attack people you feel are saying disparaging things about Korea?

You created your account just over a week ago. All you seem to have done is piss people off by posting on their channel how much you don't like them. Which makes them post back on yours about what a douche you are. If that is all you are here for ... go away troll.

Why not try and contribute something? Make some videos about what you think makes Korea great. I challenge anyone out there ... make some videos about what makes your country great. If there is something in your country that ticks you off make a video about that.

There are a lot of good things in Korea. Tell us about them! Educate us about the country and what makes it great. If you aren't going to do that ... piss off.

If you need help I can give you some ideas. If you need some stock footage I can take some for you and send them to you. No problem. I will help you if you really want to do that.

If you do that. If you start to contribute and not just with your stupid comments. (Ok they weren't all stupid. "Why do you do it?" was an ok question.) People will take you seriously and won't just think you are a troll.As it stands right now I think you are just a troll. But I made this anyway. :)

Davidarchthiessen, have a good day. Relax. Drink some soju. If it raining where you are a little makkeolli and pajeon always goes good with the rain.

What the ... honour?

2011-11-15T10:45:00.004-04:00

Stig emailed me this headline from Yahoo News. It is about a current trend in South Korea for people to have the ashes of deceased loved ones transformed into beads to wear.

I am betwixt and between about what I think of it. On the one hand everyone grieves in different ways. I know of one woman, Korean, who had a special crucifix made to hold some of her dead husband's ashes. It is a touching gesture.

On the other hand it seems a litdtle morbid. Especially when you read about the guy who had his father's bones dug up to be cremated and then made into beads for him to wear.

In the end I lean more towards thinking "to each their own". Many people keep the ashes of loved ones in an urn in a place of honour within their homes. Now some will wear them. While it isn't something I would do if it brings them comfort and doesn't hurt anyone so be it.

More Mad Cow Stupidity.

2011-11-11T16:01:00.004-04:00

A tip of the hat to Korea Beat for translating the article about how Young Koreans fear that the FTA with the US will lead to Mad Cow infected beef coming to South Korea. According to the article:

54.7% of those in their 30s believe that the KORUS FTA will cause rampant mad cow disease, and 69.1% of women in their 30s are worried about it, the survey found.

After being in South Korea during the various bouts of Mad Cow bullshit I can't say I am surprised by the poll. There was a lot of batshit reasoning floating around then. A lot of fears were played on to get people riled up. A lot of anti-American bullshit was heard. Which makes the part of the poll that showed a majority of people feared becoming a US colony due to free trade not very surprising either.

What the ... Douchey Dave rides again?!?!?!?

2011-10-28T09:38:00.006-03:00

A tip of the hat to Burndog for bringing David Thiessen's latest foray into fucktardery to my attention. Yes the idiot that told us there is NO racism in South Korea is back in the Korea Times, Worst in the Nation. His latest endeavour is a made up conversation between him and a friend recycling some of his batshit. All foreigners (except him, his "friend", and the few silent foreigners) are bad, deserve being treated like shit, and are racists. Burndog does an excellent job of dissecting the tripe so there is no need for me to do that here.

This piece of crap journalism, typical of the Terrible Times, wasn't a Letter to the Editor. The Times has actually got Douchey Dave to submit crap like this for their "Thoughts of the Times" column. I knew the Korea Times had a low opinion of foreigners but hadn't realized it was this low.

Douchey Dave makes the same mistake a lot of apologists and the KKKlan over at KS make. He assumes that all foreigners support the bad behaviour of other foreigners. That is what, Elementary School logic? Which sums up DD quite well. The mental and emotional maturity of a child. Or one of the KKKluckers at Korea Sentry.

It is funny to see him try to distance himself from the apologists. He said, through his fictional friend Cal, "Even their so-called apologists are not really defending the Korean nation."

If they aren't defending Korea by excusing the bad behavour of Koreans then they aren't ... apologists. I guess he is trying to set himself up as the Uber-Apologist. Better than all the rest.

I may have my run in with him on YouTube around it might be worth typing up and posting.

*****

As per 3gyupsal's request here is a link to the article. The 1st of 2. Sorry I had a brain fart and forgot to attach it when I initially wrote this thread.

What the ... kowtowing?!?!?

2011-10-27T21:51:00.003-03:00

Chinese fishermen are once again illegally fishing in South Korean waters. When confronted they are fighting back. The first time I heard about Chinese fishermen doing shit like this they actually kidnapped, beat, and KILLED South Korean Coastguard Officers. Now they are at it again.

31 Chinese fishermen were arrested by the South Korean Coast Guard Monday October 24th. When initially confronted the fishermen attacked the Coast Guard officers and as in the past tried to fight their way out. The fight lasted an hour and saw a helicopter used to

The Chinese government then had the temerity to lecture South Korea on how to deal with the illegal fishermen.

"China urges the ROK to avoid the use of violence in the law enforcement process, to civilly and properly handle relevant issues, and to protect the legitimate rights and interests of the Chinese crew."

Yes, China actually tried to lecture someone else on civilised law enforcement. What a load of hypocritical bullshit. They also told South Korea

"We will follow developments closely."

South Korea's response? Not surprisingly it was similar to the last time. They bent over to take it up the ass from China again. The fishermen were released a while after China issued their statement. If they did nothing when a Coast Guard Officer was murdered, and wouldn't even allow the Coast Guard proper weapons to defend themselves in the future, why would they do anything more now?

What a fucking joke. If Korea isn't going to actually defend it's sovereignty they may as well just join China. I am not advocating just sinking Chinese fishing boats who are illegally in Korean waters. But if these fishtards pull shit like this they deserve to be shot out of the water.

Still learning lessons from my students.

2011-10-25T19:54:00.005-03:00

The other morning, about 5 minutes after I woke up, the phone rang. It was work wondering where I was. I said at home. They told me I was supposed to be at work. I said no I don't start until 7 tonight. They said that the schedule says I should be there now. Long story short, someone changed the schedule on my day off and never bothered to tell me.

Needless to say I was PISSED. I have never been late for work because I forgot I was working or hadn't checked the schedule. The only times I have been late in my life, and I can count them on 2 hands, it was because of forces beyond my control. The weather or traffic.

I am the kind of person that would rather be 30 minutes early than 1 minute late. It irks me when people are late and I try to NEVER be late. There are people at work who are habitually late and it screws up everyone who is working. To me being late is a sign of unreliability and I never want to be considered unreliable.

Needless to say I was working myself into a righteous fury on my way in. Not a good mood to be in when driving. Nor when working. Especially when you factor in that I am NOT a morning person on a good day and this was not starting off as a good day.

As I listened to myself rant I had an epiphany from my teaching days. I had just ranted to myself that "I am never late!" when I heard a little voice in my head start laughing at me.

Then I remembered how upset some students got because they didn't get a perfect score on a test. One student actually cried because she got 99 out of 100. Shen went on and on about how she never failed. She never got less than 100. At the time I thought she was just being stupid. Now I can understand it better.

"I am never late!" "I never get less than 100!" They are actually pretty stupid things to get worked up over. Whether it is anger or sorrow. Of course we are late at times in our life, whether our fault or not. In my case it wasn't my fault. It happens. Just like getting 99 instead of 100 isn't the end of the world.

Even in my state of pissed offedness I could see how much I was over reacting. It helped calm me down and get me looking at things from a more reasonable perspective. It also helped me understand, in retrospect, some of the stress my students were going through and why they reacted the way they did.

I always said that my students taught me things. Even over a year after teaching I can still learn from them.

Beauty Pageant Bullshit

2011-10-20T12:19:00.006-03:00

A tip of the hat to David Wills for bringing the issue of what happened at the Miss Asia Pacific World in South Korea up on his blog. In a nutshell, some contestants in a beauty contest in South Korea were cheated, harassed, and had to flee the country.

None what happened surprised me. Not what I read on the BBC's website. Not what I saw in videos one of the contestants who fled made while going through the bullshit. Not what I read about it on Critical Beauty.

In fact, it reminds me of the way Hagwon owners treat their slaves errr I mean foreign teachers. Lots of promises that aren't followed through. Lots of lies and bullshit. The rampant corruption. The uselessness of the police. The sexual harassment. The racism and ignorance (all blacks must be from Africa so the black girl from Guyana gets the African award for her national costume). All of which makes what the contestants went through no surprise to me. Been there. Been through some of it. Saw the rest of it. Never bought the t-shirt.

Hopefully the Korean government does something to make sure these assholes never run another pageant again. I don't actually expect that to happen but it would be nice to be pleasantly surprised.

Korean Culture

2011-10-18T17:53:00.003-03:00

I was talking with a co-worker a week or so ago. She is originally from the Philippines and took some ESL classes in Canada to improve her English. When she heard I had spent time in South Korea she started gushing about Korea. Some of her classmates had been Korean and introduced her to Korean culture. She loves Korean culture.

I bit off my cynicism and held back the first comments that came to mind. Instead I asked her what she liked about Korean Culture. She thought about it but was never able to answer because we had to get back to work.

It got me thinking about Korean culture and for the life of me I blanked. I just couldn't think of anything other than K-pop, karaoke, neon, and noise. (Ok, the flashing lights and slot machine noise helped me think of the last two.) A while later some of the traditional stuff came to mind. Samulnori, the hanbok, some of the food.

It bothered me a little that I couldn't think of a slew of things that would fit the category of Korean culture right off the bat. Had I become that jaded or forgotten that much? (Quite possible both. :))

If you feel like participating I am interested to read about what you think of when you hear Korean Culture?

What the ... timing?!?!?

2011-09-28T21:00:00.002-03:00

It may be time to wrap this blog up. Sure I can always come up with Korea Times article to shake my head at or stupidity at Korea Sentry to rant about but South Korea isn't really part of my life any more.

My new job takes up a lot of my time. I am, surprisingly to me, enjoying my job. My free time, well, I tend not to spend it on the internet that much any more. (Thanks for entertaining me with you fucktardery John. I probably would have come to this conclusion sooner but you always gave me material to run with. You and Herr Consoleman. :) )

Stig has gone back to University and doesn't time for the blog either. Heh ... Back to School ... good movie. :)

All of which has me wondering if it isn't time to let "What the kimchi???" go and focus on my follies, or just let it all go.

Untimely replies and racist comments.

2011-09-11T20:39:00.012-03:00

A comment that was left for me on Notes From the Dog Farm was pointed out to me the other day. Since time had passed I decided not to answer it. It did raise 2 interesting questions.

The 1st had me shaking my head a bit. The commenter asked why I stay in Korea if I dislike it so much. The only reply I can think of is a question. How can someone who claims to have read both my blogs not know that I left Korea almost a year and a half ago? If he meant why did I stay 10 years, that would reply a post of it's own.

The 2nd question raised was about some of the words I have used on my blog when talking about Koreans. Two were mentioned specifically; mook and ricetard.

It still surprises me a bit that people don't know the word mook. It has appeared in many TV shows and movies. Just about anything Mafia related has the word show up in it. You can't have watched The Sopranos without having heard it being used. It has even been used on the Simpsons. While it is an older term, more popular in the old pulp fiction novels and gangster movies, it isn't THAT rare to hear it used today.

Mook isn't just used to refer to Koreans. I use it to refer to idiots of any nationality. Once again, if someone read my blogs they should know that.

Of course you have 'tards like John who implied I was using it as a play on the word gook. Mind you that was him either being deliberately dense to imply racism on my part or too lazy to use a dictionary and just showing his own ignorance. But I digress.

Ricetard, well, yeah, regardless of how it was meant it was kind of racist. (Hmm, I went back and reread this post before posting it and even saying "kind of racist" seems like a cop out. It was racist.) Which is why I stopped using it.

It didn't seem racist to me at the time. Which is a reason not an excuse. It seemed like a funny play on words (especially after a Korean company released a confectionary called a Rice Tard), and Koreans aren't a race. Mind you that kind of reasoning is just a cop out. It is a way of trying to excuse something you either know or think could be bad behaviour. In this case my own behaviour. I can see how it can be construed as being a racist comment. So rather than using the term any more, or being stupid enough to actually try and defend the indefensible and continue using it, I stopped and just went with the generic fucktard and non-racist variants of it (Bustard, Youtard, etc.).

What the ... YouTards?!?!?!

2011-09-06T16:15:00.004-03:00

(I wrote this post while events were still fresh. Unfortunately, I got busy with work and never got around to finishing it. While going through What the Kimchi yesterday I noticed that this was sitting unpublished. I decided to finish it and post it today.)

Odds are if you read a Korea related blog you saw the video and know about the expat blowing up at an old man on a bus in Seoul. (Was it Seoul?)

First you had the title of the video "Blacks riot in South Korea Bus". It was actually one black man. I don't know if that can actually constitute a riot but I doubt it. Regardless, it was very misleading. The title has since been changed to Black Violence in South Korea Bus. Still fucktardic but not as misleading.

But that isn't what had me shaking my head at the idiocy of some YouTubers. It was the comment section. I had almost forgotten just how fucktardic people can be on YouTube.

You had your Internet heroes making comments.

"I'D SHUT YOUR ASS? UPPP~~~~~~~~~~" emma1021poo

"What a fuckin IDIOT!! I'LL BRING IT MUTHAFUCKA!! Tough guy! I'll do that? shit to you!" zionrocket

if i was on that bus (as a black female) i would have slapped the sht out of him.

cdm0014

Of course if they were there they would have done something. They would have put him in his place. They would have kicked his ass. They would have ... probably done sweet fuck all just like the others on the bus did.

Then you had your racist trolls just using this as another way to grind their axe.

"fuckin nigger. i am not trying to mock all the black people, but his behavior makes me angry. and i cannot understand how come he is an english teacher in korea? such a mother fucker. when you go to Rome, you obey their rules big ass. and fuckin leave? this country. i usually try not to mean to people. but GO BACK TO YOUR COUNTRY SHITTY MOTHER FUCKER" StoryOfSouL

Ah the old when in Rome line. I could do a blog just on how stupid a thing that is to say.

"Fucking Nigger. Don't blacks know that they are the lowest race on earth? Didn't apartheid in South Africa and discrimination in USA thought them to bow down? to ALL other races?" AmandaLee392

is there anyway we can educate niggers with ipad?

koban4max

Then you had some that made comments that just didn't make sense. Or rather, made even less sense than the nonsense some of the YouTards were spitting out.

DEVIL FUCKER?

baitormaster07

He shouldn't even be there ..

southernature

Jap agent is active to let a Korean quarrel with a black.

killjap100

You did have some people making reasonable comments. Whether it was voicing their disgust vociferously or just letting people know it was wrong. (And that the net tards were wrong too.) Unfortunately, they seem to get drowned out by the idiots.

What can I say, these kind of tards are part of the reason I gave up on YouTube a long time ago. It seems like their whole life revolves around YouTube and posting their vitriol.

I was wrong.

2011-09-04T21:44:00.009-03:00

I have several posts on here that mention or talk about blood money. The last one saw The Korean from Ask A Korean respond. After reading what he said I had to think about why I call it blood money and just why I blamed the system, in Korea, for the way things are handled.

I could come up with excuses for why I tried to defend calling it blood money and raging against the Korean system. But they would just be excuses. There are reasons, some kind of silly when I look back now, but I am not going to make excuses.

What The Korean said makes sense. I could have tried arguing against it but I would have been doing something I berate others for doing, denying reality. While I had read the post on his site I never really processed it. For whatever reasons I never laid my own bias aside when I read it. Luckily I have never claimed to be infallible and this is a good example of it.

I was blaming instances of people abusing the system or making errors in judgement on the system being wrong, even evil. I was using it as a whipping boy for things that pissed me off. In short, I was putting the blame on the wrong things.

(After posting and re-reading this I came to the conclusion that the title I used sucks. "My blood money argument" is kind of ... bleh. So I changed it to what it now reads. "I was wrong." )

What the ... insult?!?!?!?!

2011-09-01T08:17:00.004-03:00

My first month in Korea I got in trouble with a co-worker. In one of my classes the students were noisy. So, I asked one who had half decent English how I would say be quiet or please be quiet in Korean. He told me. I was new enough at the game that I took him at face value.

A few days later I was in the teachers room trying to talk with a co-worker. I say trying because Mrs. Cho who was beside us was so fucking loud that I could barely hear the person beside me. Well, I had learned how to say be quiet so I used it on her. That is when the shit hit the fan.

Mrs. Cho leaped out of her seat and proceeded to get in my face. "What did you just say to me?" At this point I really thought she was going to hit me. "How dare you tell me to shut up!" Yeah, the fucker taught me shut up not be quiet and I was stupid enough not to confirm it.

Once I could get a word in edgewise, which took a couple of minutes, I told her what I thought I said. She proceeded to lecture me on how shut up is the worst non-profane thing you can say in Korean. I should expect a fight if I ever say it to an adult and a phone call if I ever say it to a student. She didn't calm down until I told her the name of the student who misinformed me. He was her student too, and she left to take out her anger on him. He never did volunteer to tell me how to say anything in Korean after that.

According to what I was told by Mrs. Cho, and other Koreans when the topic came up, shut up is extremely rude in Korean. There is no playful way to use it. There is no polite way to use it. Any Korea would take extreme offence to being told to shut up. Mrs. Cho's reaction was considered normal for someone who had been so offended. Which is why I tended not to say it.

Reading many of the comments left on the YouTube video of the BusTard in action had me thinking of the shut up incident. Especially the following comment but some YouTard named StoryOfSoul.

fuckin nigger. i am not trying to mock all the black people, but his behavior makes me angry.

and i cannot understand how come he is an english teacher in korea? such a mother fucker. when you go to Rome, you obey their rules big ass. and fuckin leave? this country. i usually try not to mean to people. but GO BACK TO YOUR COUNTRY SHITTY MOTHER FUCKER

When in Rome eh? I can't tell you how many times some retard, be it an apologist, a netnazi, or just some mook, has used that line. It is as stupid now as it was then.

Up until the point the BusTard started getting physical with the old man and woman on the bus he reminded me of ... a Korean. I immediately thought of Mrs. Cho's reaction to being told to shut up. It had me wondering just how visceral a reaction a Korean would have given if they were told to shut up. Especially by someone younger than them. Or even worse, by a foreigner younger than them.

Even the threats of a beating from the BusTard reminded me of Koreans over reacting. Especially the taxi driver who cursed me out in Korean but wanted a fight because I flipped him the bird after his tirade. He was waving a fist around so much I had to put my hands in my pocket or I would have snapped him upside the head. Which of course is what he wanted so he could cry injury and try to get some blood money. But I digress.

When in Rome? Well, it was in Korea not Rome and up until the point of physical contact the BusTard acted like a Korean. Which doesn't make his over reaction right. It just makes him a BusTard who needs to be punished for attacking an old man and pushing a woman around.

What the ... preparation?!?!?!?!

2011-08-28T14:40:00.003-03:00

One of my brothers visited us for a week along with his wife. They tend to be a tad loud and at times cause confusion. I say cause confusion because the wife is so slow to get ready that plans to do things tended to get screwed up all the time. My brother never helped matters either. All of the noise and confusion would leave our mother stressed and ready to blow up.

Towards the end of their visit both my mother and one of my sisters (not at the same time or together) asked me if it didn't stress me out. It didn't. In fact, my mother caused more of a headache for me by getting stressed out. The next question was "Why doesn't it bother you?". The answer was pretty easy. I lived in South Korea.

I spent 10 years living and working in South Korea. Confusion, noise, last minute changes, and lateness is par for the course in life there. You learn over time to ignore it to a degree or you go insane. You find ways to vent, like blogging, so you don't explode. Compared to what I put up with in Korea it didn't rate very high on the stress or bullshit scale.

Living and working in Korea also helped me to deal with my Sister-in-law. She is deaf and has a lot of the same trouble that students learning English have when speaking. Vocabulary, pronunciation, and talking speed at times. You have to pay attention when she speaks and when you reply you have to watch your speed and vocabulary. It was a lot like talking with students. Which meant I had no problems, or stress, talking with her and understanding her. And she was able to understand me.

My 10 years in South Korea pretty much prepared me for my brother's visit. :)

Celebrating The Lunar new Year

2011-08-24T14:56:00.002-03:00

Korean Adventure (March 7, 2003 Chautauqua)

Since I have been living and working in Korea, I have been able to celebrate the new year twice. On January 1st, I welcomed 2003, and on February 1st, I welcomed the year of the goat.
There are twelve different animals assigned to various years, including the rat, the dragon, and the cow. I was born in 1959, the year of the pig. According to my horoscope, I will be more of a homebody this year. So, no change.
Our calendar, the Gregorian, is used throughout Asia, but there are still those who rely on a lunar calendar to calculate the best time to celebrate ancient rites, such as the lunar new year.
The Gregorian calendar ignores the moon and adds leap days to recalculate the solar year. The lunar calendar, like the Islamic calendar, ignores the sun. The lunisolar calendar, exemplified by Chinese and Jewish calendars, adds leap months every three years. It can make you dizzy trying to keep them straight.
One of the main parts of the Korean tradition is something they call "jesa," which is a ritual performed in homes asking the residing spirit for blessings.
An altar table is set, and then the head of the household lights incense, pours liquor into a glass, and then into a bowl. He then bows twice to the ancestral spirit. His family follows suit, and the head reads the "chuk mun," or ritual address.
This is done three times, and a small amount of food is eaten to signify acceptance of the ancestors' symbolic blessing.
Some Christians have denounced it as a form of worship that they cannot condone. They also object to the drinking of liquor, as well as the increasingly popular tradition of visiting a fortune teller.
Such talk would have certainly brought down severe punishment in the 19th century, when over 300 believers lost their lives. Christianity has become close to a religious majority nowadays, and churches can be found on every street corner.
The struggle between the old (Confucianism) and the new (Christianity) can be very divisive of families, and compromises are having to be made. Many people are trying to find their own way of celebrating that will include everyone.
Some people simply say they are honoring their ancestors, and New Years Day is the appropriate occasion. It is part of a break from any orthodox religion and an effort to tailor their own beliefs and practices as they see fit.
Mainly, it seems to me, it is about family. Many Koreans have no religion at all, and don't perform the ceremony, but they do take the time to visit their home towns and pay their respects.
As the country changes and modernizes, some things will no doubt be lost. Maintaining something that is their own, may help a lot of Koreans retain a sense of national identity, and pave the way for better understanding and (one hopes) peace.
I got a lot of the information for this article from the Korea Herald, and a story by staff reporter Andrew Petty.

Coming To A (Korean) Tree Near You

2011-08-22T14:36:00.020-03:00

Korean Adventure (November 15, 2002 Chautauqua)

A recent article in the Korea Herald (which used the above title) by Andrew Petty listed the major areas in the country where people could go to see the "most spectacular collections of autumn foliage."

There is Mt. Naejang in South Jeolla Province, Mt. Jiri and Mt. Gaya in South Gyeongsang Province, and Mt. Seorak in Gangwon Province. All feature rugged mountain scenery, splendid views of the trees, and a variety of Buddhist temples to compliment the serenity of a day in the wild.

Well, these areas are a bit removed from Daegu, so I had to settle for either Beisulsan (to the south) or Palgongsan (to the north).

I had been to Beisulsan last October, with a large group of friends. We caught a "coach bus" for a two-and-a-half hour trip that still wasn't over when we debarked. It seems the driver had let us off at the bottom of the hill, and it would be another three hour walk before we arrived at our condo.

There is nothing so resourceful as a group of foreigners to find alternate transportation. A truck driver at a nearby construction site was more than happy to carry us up the hill.

There was a short ten minute walk to our condo, which passed by a hillside temple surrounded by trees clothed in brilliant orange and red. The view down the valley was very nice. Trips like this exhaust your vocabulary. There is only so many ways to say it was all spectacular.

That night was spent consuming many beers, so that we would be in the proper frame of mind the next day. A long night of singing and drinking games is a fine way to appreciate the hike up to the top of the mountain.

There was a wide flat space just below the summit where a great congregation of trippers were enjoying picnic lunches and the view all the way around.

There was a pagoda on the lip of a precipice, and there were a couple of para-gliders to complete the picture.

Flint is enjoying this picture, I bet.

This year, I was all on my own. Saturday, November 2, was a brilliant day. The sun was shining, but the wind had picked up, and made the cold just a little more bitter.

I took a "coach bus" all the way from my place to Palgongsan. There is a small tourist village at the base, with a variety of restaurants, hotels, and souvenir stands.

Not being as physical as last year, I took the cable car to the top of the mountain. The trees were more colourful the closer I got to the summit. There is a much smaller space to move around, and there is a trail that leads back down.

I took this trail, but it is not for everyone. It is very rugged, with a lot of jagged rocks and tricky spots to negotiate. There are even ropes strung up to assist the more vertically challenged. Going up would definitely be a major challenge. Going down is no problem, as there is a variety of long stretches where you can do little else.

About an hour down from the summit is the temple of Dongwasa, which has the largest stone Buddha in the world. And it is enormous. It was erected in the hopes of the eventual reconciliation of North and South Korea (something a little more distant now that the North is going nuclear).

The temple itself is the center of a loose collection of temples, and there were many people using the various facilities to pay their respects. There is a large area at the base of the Buddha where you can light a candle. The floor of highly polished marble is a no-shoes area, and many supplicants brought their own rugs to pray in comfort.

Korea's "fall" is a very brief time between the steamy heat of summer and the bitter cold of winter. I was very happy to have taken advantage, and gotten a little taste of a world some only see in a postcard.

----------------------------------------
I have some photos of us strung out along the road, hitchiking, with our pant legs up to show our legs. Doesn't work too well on the guys. Another photo shows us all piled into the back of a Bongo, sitting on top of our bags. The guy was a good driver, and not one of us fell out on the way up.
I went to Dongwasa a few times. There's another temple/Buddha in the area at Gatbawi, which I never did manage to get to.

Pucca Face

2011-08-21T11:08:00.006-03:00

Last night I was sitting around a fire talking with some friends. We all started telling stories from our lives and I told them some from Korea.

One of my favourite classes only had 3 students but they worked well together. Their English was pretty good and they all wanted to be there. It was the kind of class where you can throw the book out and talk about anything.

One time I opened the class to anything they wanted to talk about and the subject they picked was Western music. I ended up bringing my laptop in and showing them some videos on YouTube. The last one was Lady Gaga's "Poker Face".

When the video finished one of the students started singing her version of "Poker Face". She called it Pucca Face. I can't remember all of her lyrics but as you can guess Poker always became Pucca. The students ended up doing some Pucca and Garu artwork and making a story up as well.

The next class one of them showed up with a Pucca face on a stick and ty started singing the song again. It was hilarious.

Anytime I hear Lady Gaga's name I think of "Pucca Face." I miss teaching that class.

What the referrals 4?!?!?!?!

2011-08-21T09:58:00.000-03:00

Searching for "what the kimchi" is still the most common referral to here. There are many others that have been used.

Some of the funnier or stranger ones are;

hands in the air as punishment by korean teacher

how to do kinchi babalety I have no idea what babalety is supposed to mean. :)

kimchi for weight loss

rx glasses downtown daegu

Some interesting ones.

stig korea This one has shown up a few times.

conapt

muslims in korea I find this interesting because searches like this appear monthly, directing people to WTK. There is only one post that talks about Muslims in Korea, the one about the guide to Halal food in Korea.

IVY English Academy and Oedae Language school Ilsan It is nice to see people actually checking into schools before going there.

Inside Korea

2011-08-19T15:41:00.003-03:00

Korean Adventure (November 1, 2002 Chautauqua)

I subscribe to an English-language newspaper called the Korea Herald. It gives mostly political and economic news, and a view of what some aspects of Korean life is like. There are profiles of Korean public figures, discussions of artistic endeavours, and bits of traditional lore/folkways.

In the political arena, one of the main points of interest for the past year has been the presidential election, due in December. There are two main parties, the Grand National Party, and the Millennium Democratic Party, which was created about six years ago by the sitting President, Kim Dae-jung.

President Kim received the Nobel Peace Prize in 2000 for his "Sunshine Policy" of reconciliation with North Korea. This process was stalled for a time after the election of George W. Bush, who included North Korea in his so-called "Axis of Evil." It is only recently that things have gotten back on track (pun intended). The two Koreas are building a rail link through the de-militarized zone, and working on a permanent re-unification village, where long-separated families can meet.

President Kim has had a very bad year. His administration is under investigation for corrupt practices, and two of his sons are now in jail for profiteering. The president is not eligible to run for re-election, but the voters are turning away from his party in droves. The present candidate has spent more time fighting off challenges from within his party than campaigning. Whether the party will survive to the election is still up in the air.

The candidate from the Grand National Party hasn't had an easy time, either. His son has been accused of draft-dodging, and there have been acrimonious exchanges when the law-makers meet in session. At one time, there were so many charges and counter-charges flying around, the Herald had a "Scandal Round-Up" section in the paper.

News from the north is scanty. There are tales of millions of people starving to death, which makes the need for reconciliation that much more acute. One story said that people were foraging in the hills for anything edible, and others were attempting to cultivate seaweed. The same day that story appeared, another one was printed that said the south's First Lady had sent up a shipment of soccer balls. The thought of starving people being given sporting equipment...

A recent article outlined South Korea's high costs and low quality of life. It is the eighth most expensive place to rent an apartment (three bedrooms): 1,580USD/month, as compared to: Taiwan 1,440USD; China 1,460USD; America 1,675USD; and Japan 2,160USD. Office space runs 523USD/year for one square meter (ninth highest), compared with 245USD in China, 452USD in America, and 486USD in Taiwan.

Korea ranks 22nd out of 131 countries in terms of living expenses, while Korean households earmark 4.9% of their budget for education of children, the highest ratio in the world, followed by the U.S., 2.4%; Japan, 2.1%; and Britain, 1.4%. Despite the high cost of living, the 2002 quality of life index for Korea stood at 5.64, ranking 32nd out of 49 countries and trailing Austria (9.77), the U.S. (8.92), and Japan (6.15). The hourly wage of Korea's manufacturing sector workers averaged 8.13USD as of 2000, ranking 21st of 29 countries and trailing Germany (22.29USD), Japan (22USD), and the U.S. (19.86USD).

A lot of Koreans drive their own cars, and they spend a lot of money customizing them to the particular owner's taste. They also have very good, and cheap, transit systems. I do not have a car, but I can get around the country very well for very little cost. It comes in handy when the freeways are jammed to zip past in comfort on the train.

Mostly everybody has a cell phone. It is not unusual to see a couple walking down the street, both of them talking away, but not to each other. The phones are cunning little items, and some of them have special headsets that make it look like wires are trailing out of someone's ears. A lot of people tap away at their hand sets, sending text messages. The rings are modern pop tunes/classical pieces that almost make up for it when they ring in the middle of a crowded movie theatre. Sometimes I think I'm the only person in Korea who doesn't own one. Even my kids have them!

I don't want this to be taken the wrong way, but sometimes Koreans remind me of big, happy children - easily mollified by bright, shiny objects - but with a capacity to work harder than we are used to in the west. They work hard, and they play even harder. They have the confidence that will surely be rewarded, and it will be more than deserved.
------------------------------------------------
I remember the GNP leader Lee Hoi-chang once being quoted that he was shocked, shocked, at the opposing parties' corrupt practices. The very next week he was under investigation, and he eventually retired from politics.
Despite it's very high standard of living, it was fairly economical to live in South Korea. Mostly because the school paying for your living expenses and health care.
I sometimes wish I was back there earning a living instead of begging for a job, any job back here in the world.
I didn't get a cell phone until my third year there. I probably should have gotten one earlier. I resisited as long as I could, but it just became too impractible not to have one.

What the ... bureautardic bullshit?!?!?!?!

2011-08-17T12:59:00.003-03:00

I never thought I would say it but I would much rather be dealing with Korean Immigration or the Pension people than the idiots I have had to deal with in the Canadian government just to get my birth certificate.

The last 2 years dealing with Korean Immigration and the Pension office was a walk in the park compared to the idiocy I have been dealing with for the last 6 months. Not even to start getting into the bull shit of getting my Criminal Background Check done. In many ways it worse than when dealing with Korean Immigration a few years back because there isn't a language barrier.

And they wonder why people hate bureaucrats?

Shit Herr Consoleman Says ... about geography.

2011-08-16T09:35:00.002-03:00

A reader emailed me and suggested I check out the KKKlans thread "US Officially Confirms “Sea of Japan” Name". He said there were some real nuggets of stupidity in there. Holy shit was he right.

According to Herr Consoleman:

Actually so called "Sea of Japan" was called "Sea of Korea" prior to annexation of Korea in early 1900s.

However, there was no "Sea of Japan" prior to 20th century, when did "Sea of Corea" became "Sea of Japan"? right after Japan beating Qing and Russian Empire and annexation of Korea, so it should be return back to original name.

Then he made the even stupider comment;

Gulf of Mexico have reason to be called gulf of Mexico, it was discovered and named by Mexican and it's in every old European maps, Mexico was formed before U.S.A, and it's named after using int'l sea naming protocol, so there's no challenge.

Wow, what an astounding lack of knowledge of history and geography. (Australian education system, I am looking at you. Herr Consoleman graduated High School and University there.) The Gulf of Mexico was discovered by a Spaniard. Amerigo Vespucci is credited with discovering it. It was named by the Spanish. European countries used the name "Sea of Japan" well before the Japanese annexed Korea. Of course, I never expected anything more of Herr Consoleman than stupidity like this.

And what is it with morons who just repeat the same old bullshit over and over? Do they believe the constant repetition will make what they say true? Saying shit like "Sea of Japan wasn't used until Japan annexed Korea" enough times will alter reality and suddenly become true. And they wonder why they get called idiots?

What the ... false hooker advertising?

2011-08-15T20:50:00.006-03:00

According to a the title of an article in the Korea Times, Worst in the Nation, 'Korean entertainers on Chinese selling sex list' . (Yes, that is badly worded but it IS in the Korea Times so what else can you expect? Proper proof reading?) It should have read "Korean entertainers appear in Chinese ads for prostitutes". The gyst of the article is

China’s leading media websites published photos of alleged Korean entertainers selling sex, spurring criticism from Koreans and other foreigners.

Sorry but I have to digress for a minute. "Other foreigners" are complaining about this? About Korean stars appearing on ads for hookers in China? Really Korea Times? That is pretty weak even for the Korea Times.

The article ends by saying

But it is doubtful that Korean female entertainers are really engaging in prostitution, as it has not been confirmed where the photos came from and who really are pictured, according to Onbao.com.

Which would mean that the sites are probably using photos of stars from elsewhere, look alikes, or just blurry photos that can't really be identified as anyone in particular. It reminds me of something I saw, no exaggeration, all the time in Korea. Cards advertising for hookers on cars and the ground. Just ask Stig how often he had to clear them off his car windows.

You can see a couple of those types of cards in the picture above. They are the smaller ones on the bottom left. You could see the pictures used in some bigger ads too. Most of the pictures on these ads/cards weren't of Korean women. They often used pictures of Japanese AV stars as well as Chinese stars. I saw more than a few ads using Shu Qi.

A few times students brought the cards to class. They said they were collecting them. :)

Go-Stop

2011-08-15T16:31:00.007-03:00

Korean Adventure (October 18, 2002 Chautauqua)

"Go-stop" is a traditional Korean card game, usually played in smoky rooms with beer bottles and money scattered about. It is Korea's most popular gambling amusement.

The cards themselves come from a mixture of the deck used by the Portuguese sailors who sailed into these waters in the mid 16th century, and the deck that was in use in Japan at that time. Western-style card playing was made punishable by death in Japan in 1633, so changes were made in order to preserve the game that had arisen. The faces on the cards were changed to reflect Japanese culture, and the cards continued to be changed and modified as the years went by.
Japanese soldiers introduced their game, called "hanafuda," to Korea in the late 19th century. Koreans made some changes, and began calling the game "hwatu." The most popular game played using the cards today is "go-stop."
There are 48 thick cards in a deck with 12 different suits representing the 12 months of the year: January/pine, February/plum, March/cherry, April/black bush clover, May/orchid, June/peony, July/red bush clover, August/pampas grass and moon, September/chrysanthemum, October/maple leaf, November/paulownia, and December/willow and rain.

The first step to learning how to play is to study these cards, and recognize and match the colourful pictures. Two cards within each month are almost exactly the same. These can be called plain cards, equivalent to western junk cards.
The next step is to study the following cards: three blue ribbons with writing, three red ribbons with writing, four red ribbons with no writing, five with small round dots, three with pictures of birds, and eight with a potpourri of pictures: deer, pig, butterfly, insect, pillar, strange iris, chrysanthemum with soccer ball, and a pile of dung.
The rules state that three to five players are needed, with the action moving counter-clockwise. Deal out seven cards per person. Koreans have a very simple way of shuffling cards, and whenever I shuffle cards in the classroom (a very simple box shuffle that would be laughed at by any serious card player) I get "Oooh!" Aaaah!" and the occasional round of applause.

To continue, before placing the remaining cards facedown in a pile, flip over six cards in the middle of the playing area. Players take turns matching a picture in their hands with a picture on the floor. If they match, the player collects both cards and puts them in front of him face up. These are the cards that will score the player's points.
Before the player's turn is over, he gets to flip the top card on the deck and try to match that picture with the remaining pictures on the floor. Again, if they match, he collects both. If they do not, he leaves the card face up on the floor.
The strategy is to collect as many cards as possible, thus scoring more points. The goal is to collect enough cards to score three points. When this is achieved, say "stop" to end the hand. If, however, you want to gamble and double the money, say "go." The risk in doing this is that more points must be added during the next turn. If another player gets three points in the meantime, that player can stop the game and win. What is the penalty for your risk? You pay for the other player as well as your own loss.
The points are counted thus: three red ribbons/three points, three blue ribbons/three points, five birds/five points, three dots/three points, four dots/four points, five dots/fifteen points, 10 plain cards/one point (each extra plain card is worth one more point), one "go"/one point, two "go"/two points, and three "go"/double points.
There are a few interesting things to be said about the cards themselves. The blue and red ribbon cards represent old Japanese scrolls where poets penned their deepest thoughts and feelings.
The old man holding an umbrella in the December rain card is actually Ono No Toufuu, the founder of Japanese-style calligraphy. The August moon that sits atop a hill is nicknamed the "Buddhist monk." The single oldest card in existence today, made in the 16th century, is located in the Miike Museum in Omuta, Japan.
The novice should be aware of the professional player, who plays the game as a full-time job. There are stories of players who have lost cars, homes, and even wives! Some Korean families will not even allow the cards into their homes in strong disapproval.
I thought that playing the game would be an interesting way to bridge the language barrier with my students. However, the first time I took them into the classroom, I was handed a note by the Korean teacher. They believe it is a game for adults, and not for children. The feeling was that if the students even see the cards, let alone play the game, the school would be inundated by calls from outraged parents, calling for my head on a stake.
It was kind of embarrassing, but I guess that's all part of the experience of exploring new cultures.

I got most of the information from an article in "The Korea Herald," by Everett McGuinty, who is described as a "Contributing writer."
-----------------------------------
Once, when I took the ferry over to Japan, I saw a group of Korean men playing the game in one of the common rooms. I was sharing a beer with another teacher I had met (who was making his visa run) and we idly chatted as we watched the game. There was money scattered on the table, and it occasionally changed hands, so we imagined they were betting on the game.
A little later, some kind of crewmember passed by the table, took a look at what was going on, and said something to the players. They all looked like guilty little boys caught with their hands in the cookie jar as they tried to hide the money in their pockets.

Gangster Movies

2011-08-12T21:02:00.009-03:00

Koreans seem to love Gangster movies as much as we do in the West. The difference I have found is in the genre of movie. Most Korean gangster movies I have seen are comedies while most Western ones have been drama or action movies. Well, there was "Mickey Blue Eyes" but that piece of shit sucked big time. Most of the Korean gangster comedies have a lot of action in them.

The first Korean movie I watched was "My Wife is a Gangster". It was good. The action scenes were damn good. I had wanted to see Shiri or JSA but they were rented out. Which ended up being a good thing. It got me hooked on Korean gangster movies. :) I wasn't as impressed with the sequel and the third movie in the series actually had nothing to do with the first two. It did have one of my favourite Chinese actresses in it though, Shu Qi.

The next one I saw translated to "Kick the Moon". It took place in Kyeongju and was also good. Interesting storyline, the school tough guy becomes a teacher and the school brain/nerd becomes a gangster. They both fall for the same woman. Hilarity and a lot of violence ensues. ;)

There are lots more out there like "My Boss is my Hero" and the sequel "My Boss, My Student", "I Married the Mob" (which also had a sequel). If you are looking for a good comedy I highly recommend these films and most other Korean gangster comedies.

Jinju

2011-08-12T14:14:00.015-03:00

Korean Adventure (October 4, 2002 Chautauqua)

Jinju is a small (pop. 350,000) town to the southwest of Daegu. It is a very clean, pleasant place to visit. On the walk from the bus station, my friend G (who I met on the ferry to Japan) and I were offered sunny smiles from many of the school kids we saw.

The North Gate of the fortress.

The town is on the river Namgang, which makes a wide upside-down U through the town. Even though the summer season was over, there were a few people taking out the Duck Boats, and enjoying the breeze. There were some clouds that threatened, but held off until the evening.

Cannon-fired projectiles that probably really hurt.

The main attraction in the town is the fortress Jinjusanseong. It covers a fairly large hillock on the north side of the river. Included on the grounds are a few Buddhist temples, as well as a National Museum.

The fortress walls, covered with ivy.

The walls of the fortress have been restored, and there are many paths to follow around to the various attractions.

The fortress was built during the years of the Goryeo dynasty (100 - 1000 AD), and partially destroyed during the Japanese invasion of 1592 - 1593. It was here that one of the major battles of the campaign was fought, in which some 70,000 Korean soldiers and civilians lost their lives. The wall was rebuilt in 1605, and these remains are there today. They look pretty good for 400 year old walls.

You see these crews all over the place. I used to think they were some kind of groundskeepers, but they're actually scrounging for greens to put on the supper table. See how they protect themselves from the sun.

Overlooking the river is Chokseongnu, a large pavilion which was used as an exhibition hall for the poetry of the times. It was burnt down during the Korean War.

The roof of the museum.
The museum devotes its exhibits to pieces detailing the period of the Japanese invasion. These include some pottery, and some impressive paintings and drawings. The detail on some of them is very intricate. There are also exhibits of poetry books, which look very old. Koreans have a good appreciation for poetry, and some are translated and printed in the English-language paper that I read (The Korean Herald).

The main exhibit was some detail of the invasion, and how the battles were fought. If you can imagine hordes of samurai, battling their way up and over castle walls, trying to avoid spears, arrows, and boiling oil, you might get some idea of what it was like. There is one mural showing the defense of the fortress. There are huge crowds of samurai surrounding a little fort with only a few defenders. I was reminded of Custer's Last Stand, or the Alamo.

The cemetary - these steles rest on turtles - good luck charms.

There is a memorial to the dead, and some statues of heroes from the battle.

General Li, who dies during the fighting, is posed with his finger pointing at the viewer, as if to say, "I want you!" The other hero is a woman, Madame Kim. She is revered for sacrificing her own life and killing the Japanese general. She lured him close to the river's edge, clasped him to her, and threw herself in. She locked her hands together with special rings, so that he could not escape her embrace.

There are some very old trees which date back to the invasion, as well. They are marked as being the sites for defense of the fortress. One was where General Li stood, and another shadows the spot where Madame Kim made her sacrifice.

Namgang Dam
After the fortress, G and I visited the dam above the city. There is a resort area there, but we were happy enough just to sit on the grass. Real grass is at a premium over here, and there are not too many areas where a person can just sit and enjoy the cool feeling.

Before we left, we enjoyed a meal in one of the many restaurants downtown. For a small town, Jinju has a lively restaurant/nightclub area.

A monolith up by the dam.

I got some of the facts for this article from the "Lonely Planet" guide to Korea. It is indispensable for the traveller. There are many useful tips, and good advice on how to get where you're going, and what to do (and eat) while you're there.

If you look closely, you can see a pillbox guarding the base at Jinju.
-----------------------------------------
Jinju was a pretty cool place to visit. At the time I went there, I only knew it as the place where the girlfriend of an American teacher I knew lived. He was a hound. He had two girlfriends, and it was a chore making sure neither knew about the other.
I returned to Jinju a few years later to see a live show. It was fairly popular in Korea, but I can't recall the name right now. It was about a family of martial artists who're visited by thieves one night. They each dispatch a thief with an amazing display of a particular aspect of the martial art.

Living In Korea

2011-08-10T17:23:00.008-03:00

Korean Adventure (September 20, 2002 Chautauqua)

I'm going to try and reflect some facets of my life here, in the hopes that they may complete a picture, and show what I am experiencing.
I live in a one-room flat, in a three-story building. The other foreign teacher at my school has her apartment next door. Most schools provide the apartment rent-free, and all the teacher has to pay for is the utilities and the TV. As you walk in the door, there is a small area to leave your shoes. It is impolite to walk into a Korean house with your shoes on. I like to walk around in my slippers at home and at work. It is very comfortable.
I have a fridge, which is fairly large compared to other fridges I have known. Opposite is the sink/stove/cupboard area. It's all one unit, and that's my kitchen. I've gotten fairly good at preparing delicious meals on a two-burner gas range. It's pretty standard for most Korean households. Ovens are a rarity. Most Korean dishes are prepared without one.

One of the roads up to my con-apt, which was a block to the right. I did get a lot of what Flint calls 'Christers' visiting my con-apt. I was never as... curt as Flint was, but I did learn to shut the door on them after a while.

I have a TV/VCR unit, and I am limited to watching movies or whatever programs are part of the American Army's channel. They get most of the shows that are part of the lineup I was used to, but they can be some months behind. They have no paid advertising, but a lot of service announcements that let the soldiers know what's going on in their area. There are a lot of reminders about what it means to be a soldier. These are produced by the soldiers themselves, and some of them can be a little amateurish. I get a lot of laughs in this way.
The bathroom is a tiled room, with a toilet, a tap with showerhead attachment, and that's it. There's a drain in the middle of the floor, and that's where all the water drains. I've gotten used to washing my hands while standing back from the tap. It will be strange to return home and get used to water that drains "normally."

The street leading up to my building, which was on the right, the last building but one.

There are taps in my bathroom that would usually hook up to a washing machine. The other teacher has to deal with this, but my washer has been installed in the "back room," which is like a storage area. I have no dryer, and I take care of that job by hanging my clothes on a rack, which is standard issue for most teachers' apartments. Some buildings have a tap out front, and I have seen some Koreans using this to wash their dishes and their clothes.
I was really lucky to have a double bed in my place. Most flats have single beds (my first one did). Koreans, of course, sleep on the floor, and one of my friends (tired of the cramped and lumpy single) has switched to this with satisfactory results. I also scored a microwave, which comes in handy when I want to cook up some popcorn. That is one of the snacks that I really missed when I came here.

There were two busy streets that I had to cross on the way to work. North of this one was the neighbourhood where my con-apt was situated, which was mainly three-story one- and two-room buildings. South was full of those huge blocks that marched off into the distance.

Koreans don't usually eat popcorn. They have some... different...flavours for their chips, too. Some of them are really spicy, and can cause your tongue to dial the fire department if you're not careful. Some of their chips are sweet-tasting, as well. I remember a comedy sketch from a while back about a man who gave a snack bar attendant fits by asking for "Raspberry Ripple" flavored chips, and so on. He would have got on well here.
I live approximately fifteen minutes away from the school (by foot). There is a big hill behind the building, where I like to go hiking on the weekends. The trails are well maintained and travelled. Hiking is a favorite activity for many people, and there are camping areas that feature equipment for the serious hiker. You can do chin-ups, sit-ups, play badminton; there's even a set of barbells to do some press-ups.

This is the second busy road I had to cross. Right on the corner, almost at my feet as I took this picture, there was always a pile of tofu for sale. It sat on the corner every day, absorbing the exhaust fumes, burps and farts, narrowly missing being spat on by some mook. I... never really liked tofu after that.

The area I live in is predominantly three- and four-story apartment buildings. There are a couple of private dwellings, but these are scarcer than hen's teeth in a space-premium country like South Korea. I imagine you have to be wealthier than Croesus to afford a private dwelling. Surrounding the neighbourhood where I dwell, is the main living space for Koreans, the high rise, which go on for miles. I tried to get a picture that would show these buildings stretching to the horizon.
I pass through these on my way to work, and they are like little villages. The buildings are about 15-20 stories high, and about 10-15 apartments wide. They each have their own little strip malls, and "police" forces to keep an eye on traffic. There is a lot of foot traffic going through, mostly mothers with their kids in hand. Foreigners have a lot of eyes on them.

The building where my hagwon lurked. The PC room I used was across the street. The hagwon's name was New York, and the lobby featured a mural of the city skyline featuring the twin towers of the World Trade Centre front and centre. I worked here the year after 9/11, and it was always a little jarring to see that photo every day.

I've heard that this type of dwelling is more expensive than the one I live in. They don't seem much different inside, and I'm not sure I would want to live in an area so crowded, with people on either side, and on top as well as below you. You have to deal with a substantial loss of "personal space" when you come to Korea. There is no such thing as waiting patiently in line for anything. It's every man for himself, and don't be afraid to use those elbows.
Still, there are perks. I use a computer at a "PC Room," and the owners have gotten very good at arranging for a monitor away from the smokers. I get a nice comfy chair, and an iced tea. Being served in a restaurant is a pleasant experience, and you get a lot of "service" (free stuff!) if you become a regular.
And the beer! Ah, the beer. Their draft comes in inexpensive pitchers that always taste like another one. A night out with a group of teachers looking for a way to unwind can go on for a long time, with no appreciable dent made in your wallet. Most bars like to try and sell you a side dish to go along with your beer, and it's not unusual to see a table of Koreans enjoying a nice array of ... fruit?... to go with their beer. Or if that's not to your taste, you can always try the seaweed. Dip it into a little soy sauce. Mmmmm.
-----------------------------------------
I've had a couple of hagwons try to get away with just supplying me a beer fridge. They look at me strangely when I tell them I need a regular sized fridge. When you consider they have fridges just for kimchi, I don't think it too much to ask.
I remember in my first year, my roommate's girlfriend kept kimchi in the fridge, and whenever you opened the door, the smell would hit you like a punch in the face.
I was always impressed with the relentless way Koreans exercised. I was never able to get motivated enough to follow their example. I'm flabby and out of shape, and I would be of no use in a crisis. I thought, 'Either get in shape or hope there is never a crisis.' I always hoped there was never a crisis.
I remember going to one teacher's wedding. He invited me up to their con-apt. They were just moving in. The place was chock-a-block with all the newest appliances and electronics still in their boxes. It was too bad when she gave him the boot the day after the wedding, but he deserved it. He romanced a foreign teacher and then dumped her on the advice of a fortune teller.
What a douchebag.
I almost lived in one of those highrises during my third year, but was lucky enough to get a solo con-apt. For me, it's the only way to go.
I still didn't have a 'puter, and I didn't get one until my third year. The PC room I used in my second year was a pretty good one, and the owners were very nice to me. But having your own 'puter is the bomb. I was really happy when I got my first laptop.
This neighbourhood was in West Daegu, and the local bar we went to was called Elvis. More often than not, the waitress would insist we order a side with our pitcher. I got to like the dried squid with peanuts. You could dip the pieces of squid in mayonnaise, or hot sauce, or both. Mmmmmmmmmm.
But getting used to the side dishes that most Koreans took for granted was difficult for me. I missed the usual salty snacks that we get back here in The World. There were a few places that served popcorn, like the Hollywood Bar in Cheongju, but then you'd go to a place like The Berkeley in Daegu, which served squid-flavoured crisps.
Eurgh.

Shit Morons Say ... about nuclear retaliation.

2011-08-10T11:59:00.003-03:00

If China decides to do that, expect 100 nukes towards China. When China collapses under social unrest, then it's Korea's time to take advantage of the situation and claim back Manchuria.

This was posted by the KKKunt called Vitamin200 on Korea Sentry. I managed to stay away from them for a while, thanks for the diversion John, but this one is just so stupidly funny it is hard to pass up commenting on. It was posted in response to a thread about China invading North Korea and then the South.

How moronic is this comment? Even the other KKKluckers, including Herr Consoleman realize how unbelievably stupid Vitamin200 was to say this. Herr Consoleman and others pointed out that South Korea has no nukes, North Korea doesn't have 100 nukes, and why would the US nuke China for that? For them to pick up on it and comment about how unrealistic it is means it must be extremely fucktardic.

What the ... bad English?!?!?!?!

2011-08-10T08:25:00.001-03:00

When I went to read the articles on the "Sea of Japan" I noticed something on the Korea Times, Worst in The Nation, web site. An animated ad for Ieodo. Why did it stick out? Well it was animated and ...

... the English used in it is, not surprisingly, BAD.

Ieodo. Korea's treasure island, belonging to Jeju with most beautiful myths and ocean research station

Oh come on Korea Times, you and the ad company need to hire a fucking proof reader who actually understands English. You consider yourself the Number 1 daily English newspaper in Korea yet you still put out a rag that regularly contains bad English in it.

Hell, hire me! I can write better than that on a bad day.

Shit Koreans Say ... about friends.

2011-08-09T17:02:00.003-03:00

"This is my American friend."

"My Canadian friend said he liked blah blah blah."

I know Koreans tend to pigeon hole people based on ethnicity or nationality. If you are white you are American. Black you are from Africa. Etc.. They do it with friends and nationality as well sometimes.

In some cases it is done to show they have foreign friends and I guess make themselves look worldly. My friend CS used to introduce non-Korean friends that way all the time to his Korean friends and co-workers.

To me, a friend is a friend. You don't have to qualify their nationality or ethnicity. When I talk about friends I just use the term friend which sometimes lead to confusion when the Korean I was talking with found out the friend I mentioned was not Canadian. That kind of reaction confused me at first because I couldn't understand why they were seemingly obsessed with my friend's nationality. Why would nationality matter? Then I just accepted it as par for the course in South Korea.

BodyWorlds

2011-08-09T16:56:00.008-03:00

Korean Adventure (September 6, 2002 Chautauqua)

On August 2nd, I made a trip to Seoul. My main object was to do some shopping for books. Reading material (in English) is a little hard to come by, and I was gratified to find not one, but two bookstores that sold second-hand English language books. Both were in Itaewon, a district of Seoul that caters to international travellers, as well as soldiers from the adjacent American base.

The "69" Building in Seoul.

I bought 5 hardcovers and 7 paperbacks, which should keep me busy until next week. I was on my way to dinner when Whoops! Hey, there's a woman on my arm! How did that happen? Of course, I had seen her, eating noodles at a street kiosk. She must've thought I looked like a good mark, and she wanted to show me a place where the beer is cheap. I knew, however, that the drinks I would have to buy her would not be cheap, so I disentangled myself and went on my way. There is a "Hooker Hill" nearby, where the soldiers seem to go for that kind of "entertainment."

Seoul Tower. There is a smaller replica in Daegu. My first roommate went on and on about how much smaller it was, and then he would talk about how Texas had built a replica of the Washington Monument, except one foot taller. I think he had some sort of fixation with long, hard objects.

The other object of my visit to Seoul was to see the "Body World" exhibit at the Science Museum. This exhibit originated in Germany, and has begun its world tour here in the Far East. It features real bodies that have been donated to science and then specially treated with plastic so that they can be dissected, examined, and posed for research purposes. Somewhere along the line, it was decided to share them with the world.

The lineup for Bodyworlds...

There are bodies without skin, and some without muscles. There are some with only the organs, and some with just the blood vessels. The variety is almost endless, and they all offer a close up look at the inner workings of the body with real-life examples. There has been some controversy in Europe about this exhibit, and debate about whether someone's remains should be viewed in this manner.

... went down the block.

I myself was fascinated, but I did get some funny looks from some people when I tried to explain what I was going to see. It was quite a sight to see a person's muscles posed next to his bones, and to try and see in the mind how they would fit together. A few of the exhibits showed lungs that had come from smokers. The damage should be seen by all who smoke, and contemplate smoking.
Some of the bodies had been frozen, and then sliced thinly, both lengthwise and through the middle. The hanging pieces reminded me of what you might see in a slaughterhouse, except that these are people. I got a different perspective than I was used to, and it made me appreciate some things just a little bit more.

I was able to take one picture before being wrestled to the ground and beaten senseless. The figure in the foreground is of a chess player. The other figures are just garden variety gawkers. It's eerie how lifelike they are, isn't it?

The last part of the exhibit showed examples of the growth of the fetus. All stages of development were on display, from the almost microscopic one month fetus, to a fully developed nine month baby. There was even a fetus shown inside its mother's womb, inside the mother's body. A truly unique sight. I am not sure when this exhibit will be in North America, but I think everyone should be prepared to think about going to see it if it does.
An amusing aspect of my visit to the museum was that I felt sometimes that I was on display just as much as the bodies. It is a little funny to see some Koreans' reaction to the sight of a foreigner, especially the kids. Jaws dropping to the floor, eyes bugging out of the head, it just goes on and on. Sigh. Sometimes it’s tough to be a star. One thing that bothers me is being labelled "mi gook" (American). I always try to correct this misconception by saying "Anni-yo! Cho Canada saram!" (No! I am Canadian!). Koreans are impressed when you try to use their language, and are ready with pointers to help your pronunciation and comprehension improve.
----------------------------------
On my first trip to Itaewon, I was not too impressed after all I heard, and I didn't go back unless absolutely necessary. I had a hard time finding bookstores those first few years. My first roommate knew where they were, but he couldn't give you directions out of a paper bag.
You can see I was getting a bit tired of constantly being stared at when I was out in public. Even in Seoul. And it just went on all the time I was in Korea. You'd have thought they'd get used to foreigners at some point...

What the ... Era Error 2?!?!?!?

2011-08-09T08:20:00.005-03:00

As usual, the Korea Times, Worst in the Nation, just can't let a bad fact go unsaid. In another story about the US using "Sea of Japan" instead of "East Sea" the Times repeated their previous factual error.

South Korea points out that the name Sea of Japan was unfairly established during Japan's 1910-45 colonial rule of the Korean Peninsula.

While I can understand why they don't like it being called "Sea of Japan" the above statement is bullshit. The name "Sea of Japan" was established by WESTERN governments long before the Era of Colonial Rule. While using a lie like this gives emotional oomph to the Korean argument it also hurts it because it isn't true.

I had to chuckle when I read the following statement;

The South Korean government filed a formal protest with the U.S. against the move, with South Korea's major Internet portals flooded with messages denouncing Washington.

When the hell aren't the major Korean internet portals flooded with messages denouncing Washington or the US in general? Or some other target of the day?

Then there was this gem.

In July 2008, the U.S. stirred a similar controversy.

The government naming agency described Dokdo, a set of South Korea's islets in the East Sea, as under "undesignated sovereignty" to reflect Japan's claim.

And just what helped push the US to consider Dokdo's ownership disputed thus giving them the status of "undesignated sovereignty"? The stupid Dokdo campaigns Koreans did in the US to show that Korea owned Dokdo not Japan. The Times forgot to mention that in the recent article.

As usual for articles concerning issues like the comment section is good for a laugh.

The Times seems to believe that if they keep telling you the same lie over and over eventually it will become the truth. Hmmm ... that sounds familiar.

What the ... Era Error?!?!?!

2011-08-08T10:23:00.004-03:00

An article in the Korea Times, Worst in the Nation, brought up the whole "Sea of Japan" versus "East Sea" bugaboo again. "Korea protests US agency’s support for 'Sea of Japan'" read the headline. (Is it just me or does the use of "agency" seem to be used to imply some sort of sinister intent? Like spy agency?)

A U.S. maritime boundary group told the International Hydrographic Organization (IHO) that they supported the use of "Sea of Japan". The British also agreed with using this term. Thus ignoring the Korean desire for "East Sea" to be used.

There was really nothing new in the article but one statement made me wonder just who Korea is blaming for the Western use of "Sea of Japan".

"This is the latest setback to the Korean government’s long-time efforts to replace the appellation with “East Sea” in the guideline in what appears to be a campaign to root out one of the longest surviving legacies of Japan’s colonial rule of Korea from 1910 to 1945."

How is it a legacy of that Era if a) Western countries coined the term not Japan, and b) it was used well before the Colonial Era, possibly as far back as the 17th century?

Pusan

2011-08-07T14:57:00.008-03:00

Korean Adventure (August 16, 2002 Chautauqua)

In my first year of teaching here in Korea, I spent the last six months at a school in the small coastal city of Changwon. I really enjoyed my time there as the school was well organized, and most of the people who worked there were really nice.

I went down to visit them on July 19th. It seemed like they were happy to see me, and we had a good visit, catching up on old times. It was interesting to see the kids that I used to teach in the morning were now attending in the afternoon. I guess they must have graduated from pre-school to elementary. It was kind of like watching my own kids grow up.

I was treated to dinner that night, to a meal advertised as a traditional Korean dish, galbi jjim. It was a great deal like my mother's beef stew, and I ate a pretty good portion. My old director picked up the tab, and he was even nice enough to treat me to a motel room that night. There are some very nice people down there.

The next day, I was off to Pusan, to visit a teacher I met on the ferry to Japan. My first stop was a motel, so I could drop off my stuff. An indispensable part of my journey here is the "Lonely Planet Guide." It gives some useful information about the country you're travelling in, including budget places to eat and stay. The motel I decided on was fairly cheap, with an...interesting atmosphere.

The bed was round. I think that might give you an idea of what sort of clientele the place catered to. There was even a vending machine in the room. The logo read: "Love Calling." Now, I am a world traveller, but sometimes I come across aspects of a foreign society that remind me that in many ways I am still a kid from the prairies.

My next stop was the ancient Geumjeongsanseong Fortress on top of a mountain. You get up there via cable car, which rises up through a sea of evergreens to a height of 540 metres. The contrast of forest and crowded city is startling, especially once you reach the top. It was almost like being back in the mountains of Banff National Park, it was that quiet. Fortunately it was a clear day, and I could see all the way to the port, and the Sea of Japan beyond.

The Busan World Cup Stadium. You can see how hazy it is. There were some clear days, but a lot of the weather looked like this.

There is not much left of the old fort, just some crumbling walls, almost hidden by the green growth of the forest. The gates have been restored and are impressive sites to see.

There are hiking trails that lead all around the outside of the remains, and it can take a day to see everything. A planned tour will end up at a magnificent Buddhist temple of Beomeosa.

I met my friend at Haeundae Beach, which is the most famous beach in Korea. There are international hotels, and many western-style eating and drinking establishments. My friend and I consumed many beers at a seaside beer garden, before going in to enjoy a curried dinner that just couldn't be beat.

There is one thing about travelling in Korea - it is fairly cheap and efficient. Buses, trains, and taxis are all well within the budget of anyone and everyone. There are even "standing room" tickets available for the trains, which are sometimes the only tickets available if you do not plan ahead. In no time at all, I was back "home," ready for the next trip.
------------------------------------------------
One of the teachers at my old school asked me why I came back for a visit. Her question was asked in an aggressive manner, like she suspected my motives.
Maybe she saw the unbridled lust I had for my old supervisor, I don't know.
When I was on the cable car going up the mountain, there was this ajumma who took a shine to me. Maybe it was my beard, or my Batman shirt, or my sheer animal magnetism.
Most Korean women have a hard time resisting.
When I visited my friend on haeundae Beach, he introduced me to Dongdongju, for which I will be forever grateful. As Flint always says, I love dong... dongju.

Year 1 - The Corner Store

2011-08-07T10:20:00.001-03:00

There was a Green Mart (I believe a Green Mart, definitely a Something Mart) on the ground floor of the small apartment building I lived in during my 1st year in Korea. The owners were an older couple and great people, as were their kids. They ended up becoming grandparents twice in the same week. Their sons's wife and their daughter gave birth a few days apart. As of my last week in Korea they still kept a bottle of wine in case set aside in case some of the old gang came by. But I digress.

I was just watching No Reservation: Macau and Bourdain was talking about how government over regulation hurts the street food industry everywhere. While chowing down of course. :) It reminded me of when the government started cracking down on stores and shops putting tables on the sidewalk.

There was a huge sidewalk that linked the side street to the main street. Even with tables set out there was lots of room to move around. The corner store had tables out so people could sit, drink and eat. A restaurant on the other side of the walk put out some tables. It was a great place to gather before an outing or come back to and decompress after an outing.

Then one day after World Cup the tables were gone except for a few snug against the store. The cops and a government official had come by and told them they were not allowed to put tables out on the walk way. If they did they would be fined.

What brought this on? Pedestrians complaining because they couldn't walk through? Scooter's complaining because the side walk was too unsafe to drive on with so many people there? Nope. It was some other restaurants in the area who got their ass in the air because the store was cutting into their business. Their over lap crowd wouldn't wait around for a seat to open. If there was space by the store they would head there and settle in. Mind you some of the same restaurants didn't mind sending food OUT to the tables by the stores to serve their overlap crowd.

This "ruling" was disappointing. You would meet some interesting people out there. Plus you could sit outside instead of being jam packed into a restaurant or bar. Add to that the convenience of it being beside my apartment building. ;)

A man ahead of the times.

2011-08-06T09:37:00.003-03:00

I knew a foreigner who seems, in light of the Korean government saying contracts aren't binding, to have actually known more about contracts in South Korea than any other foreigner did.

Johnathan was an interesting character. A nice enough guy but kind of flaky and one of the cheapest sons of bitches you will ever meet. If he was out with a group he would figure out his portion of the bill to the smallest amount and give just that. That is if he actually had to pay and wasn't just mooching.

I ended up getting the job at Ivy School through him. He had just re-signed with them for another year. As my year there was starting off well his was going down hill. After signing a contract Johnathan decided he should be head teacher, making more money and the school should be paying a maid to clean his apartment. So, he felt justified in re-opening his contract negotiations. In the end he wasn't going to get anything he hadn't signed for already so he pulled a runner.

I always thought he was an ass for doing that. A contract is a contract. You negotiate then sign it and abide by it. Of course that was based on the faulty premise that contracts in South Korea are binding documents. Johnathan was actually on the same wavelength as Koreans by seeing the contract as a mere starting point for more negotiation and demands.

Konglish

2011-08-03T13:31:00.007-03:00

Korean Adventure (August 2, 2002 Chautauqua)

"Enjoy your outdoor life with National Icebox. Through the green maze of quaking aspens and burly cottonwoods, the squirrel's eyes glitter silver. Black eddies shimmer like mirrors. Riffles sparkle like pools of diamonds, and the quiet holes cast the glow of awesome emeralds. The valley of the northern alps is almost a magical place for the camper and the back packer. Perhaps there is no finer place."

The preceding piece of prose is featured on a picnic cooler that my friend Mick Dundee rescued from a rubbish "tip." It is an example of what some foreigners disparagingly refer to as "Konglish." It is an attempt by a Korean with a limited knowledge of our language to use it to sell something. It has been under fire most recently for the slogan of Korea's soccer team: "Korea Fighting."

Some critics thought that such a violent term, used to support a soccer team, might be seen as a contribution to "hooliganism" that sometimes mars soccer games. The opposite happened here, as most Korean soccer fans were well-behaved, and their celebrations did not include rioting. There were hundreds of thousands of them gathered in the streets to watch the games on huge-screen TVs, and not only were they well-behaved, they even cleaned up after themselves.

A sign outside a classroom at the downtown campus of Juseong University.

Of course, some of the malapropisms can be quite amusing. I saw one woman's t-shirt that read: "On The Ruins Of This Body." What that meant exactly I do not know, as the body looked to be in good shape to me. Another woman's t-shirt read "If I Wink Him, Will He Stop Walking?" A most curious pick-up line.

A sign in the Tsingtao Brewery in Qingdao, China.

Menus can provide a bit of a laugh. I've seen "Whisky" spelt "Wheshy." "White Wine" comes out as "Whie Wine." These are just ordinary spelling errors that any proof reader could have caught. Other mistakes provide some fairly risqué humour amongst us foreigners. We were at one bar that listed "Cock" under the soft drinks. Mick said that that it should be under "Hard Liquor."

Some Korean retail outlets are named for pop culture references like "Barbie" and "Superman." One bar downtown is called "Swine" for reasons that are not readily apparent. Is the owner describing his food? Or his customers? Another establishment advertised itself as "Fruit Professional Shop." While wondering what "professional" fruit might taste like, I was distracted by the disturbing implications of a store called "Baby Cook And Food."

I love rock and roll. I love rum. This lets me love both at the same time!

A hair salon advertised "Total Hair Collection." Does this mean that the hairdressers are well versed in all the various forms of hair styling that might be requested? Or are they going to take all the hair on your body?

Every once in a while, someone with an English degree will write in to the Korea Herald, decrying the misuse of the language. I for one hope that the laughs just keep on coming.
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In my first year, and for a few years thereafter, me and my friends would scrounge the leftovers that some Koreans would toss out: wardrobes, desks, tables (those little Chusok/Solnal ones), toys, etc. They weren't any less odd than than some of the collections the hagwons provided for us.
Once when we got a cake for a co-teacher, it said "Happy Birthdry."
If you go to Pohang Airport, there is a sign that reads "Welcome to Kyoungju."
What the Kimchi?
I'm sure our readers have many more examples.

What the ... attention?!?!?!

2011-08-03T09:35:00.003-03:00

An Anonymous commenter, in reference to my posts and comments about John, said...

"Why pay so much attention to such an obvious troll?"

It is a fair question. The simple answer is boredom. I have too much time on my hands right now and John, much like the KKKleagle over at Korea Sentry are a way to kill some time. It is also easy to push his buttons and get him into batshit mode, which can be entertaining. Actually, much like the KKKluckers, he can go into batshit mode without any pushing of buttons.

Is that a good reason to pay so much attention to him or them? Probably not. But I never claimed to be perfect or not make mistakes. :) In fact I can guarantee you that I will make mistakes and show my ass from time to time. Everyone does. Except John in his world.

I have seen and dealt with John's type on the net since I started going on line. He is a classic example of a Troll and was doing his thing long before he came to my site. And when I get tired of giving him attention he will pout and focus on another site where he gets the attention he craves.

2002 World Cup

2011-08-01T17:04:00.008-03:00

Korean Adventure (July 5, 2002 Chautauqua)

World Cup Fever
I have never been a real big soccer fan, but it is hard to ignore over 5 million people in the streets. The Korean people are going mad for their team in this round of the World Cup. Korea is hosting the games, along with Japan, where the final will be played June 30th. Unfortunately, the Korean team lost to the Germans, and will not play for the top spot.

That does not matter too much to their fans, who, in the beginning, would have been content just to see them enter the second round. Korea and Japan were entered into competition because they were the hosts, otherwise they would not have qualified. I remember in my first year here, another teacher was trying to get tickets. He was hoping to get into the Korea-U.S.A. match. He did not hold out much hope for the Korean team to do well.
At that time, they were in disarray and not ranked any more than 40th in the world. They have improved greatly since then, and the credit is given to their Dutch coach, Guus Hiddink. This man is now worshipped in this country. There has been talk of erecting statues to him, and awarding him honourary citizenship.

In World Cup play before this tournament, Korea had yet to post a victory. The greatest success was achieved by a North Korean team, which reached the semi-finals in 1966. During the first round of 2002, Korea won twice, and tied one game (with the U.S.). They were the leaders in their division, and advanced to the next round.
This is when the fan support really took off. There were huge-screen TVs set up in front of city halls and in local parks. Hundreds of thousands of fans gathered to cheer the team on. They chose red as their team colour, which is kind of ironic in an anti-communist country like this one. I have become accustomed to seeing a "sea of red" overflowing the streets of major South Korean cities. The games (edited) have even been replayed in the North.

The scene in front of Seoul City Hall.

Korea's second round opponents were the Portuguese, and most of the Korean people I talked to did not give them much chance. When they won, it unleashed celebrations of the type I have not seen outside of the times a Calgary team has won a national championship, or the times an Edmonton team has won anything.
There were parades of fans down the streets, racing around in cars, flag waving, and constant chants of "Daehan Mingguk!" (Republic of Korea) or "Oh Pilseung Korea!" (Korea Is Sure To Win!). The celebrations have escalated each time Korea has won, building to ever greater heights of joyous expectations that are more than adequately fulfilled.

I really like the way she wears that shirt.

One thing that has not been present is the "hooliganism" that has accompanied most of the celebrations I have heard about. The Koreans have been remarkably restrained in this area. I was in downtown Taegu on June 22nd, after they defeated Spain. There were crowds celebrating everywhere, and they were more than happy to have us join in.

Daegu Stadium.

It has been a real Cinderella story, and the people here are not even too disappointed now that the coach has turned back into a pumpkin. They are just real happy that their team has done so well, coming up from obscurity to challenge and defeat some of the top teams in the world. Their enthusiasm and support of the sport has eclipsed that of Japan somewhat. Whether they win or lose in the third place game, they will never forget the wild ride of 2002.
-------------------------------------------------
The games were replayed endlessly on some Korean sports channels. The part I liked best showed two of the Korean commentaters calling the game in the stands among the audience. When the Koreans scored the game-winning goal, they both broke down crying.
One of my students gave me a 10,000won bill with Hiddink's face superimposed over that of King Sejong. I liked the idea so much I copied my own face onto a bill, made many copies, and used that funny money whenever we played games.

Shit Morons Say ... to Obfuscate.

2011-07-31T15:19:00.004-03:00

"Racism and stupidity happen everywhere not just korea. You make it sound like it only happens there."

The above quote was in an email I recently received from a fan. It reminded me of similar comments made both on and off my site.

"Also, you act like this type of attitude in Korea is exclusive to them! "

"But the point is that I’ve had plenty of run-ins with racist people EVERYWHERE."

"It’s amazing that you guys make comments like “this is how retarded some Koreans are” and “this is how rude/fucked up some Koreans are” as if, again, these things are exclusive to Koreans."

Same shit, different morons. (Oh wait, some of those were posted by the same moron.)

It never ceases to amaze me that people who come to a blog about a specific place or region get their panties in a bunch because people are talking about shit that happens there. I do have another blog that talks about stupidity that happens in Canada. Does that mean I am making it sound like idiots, such as the Vancouver rioters, are only found in Canada? Of course not. At least not to those who live in the real world.

This type of "reasoning" is often used by trolls and apologists to cloud an issue. To deflect away from what was being discussed and try to diminish what a person experienced. It is often accompanied by whining that people are talking about all Koreans even when phrases such as "many" or "some" are used and not "all". When the morons use this tactic they are being disingenuous and just trying to push their narrative.

Year 1 - Rainy Season

2011-07-31T09:38:00.002-03:00

The latest floods in South Korea and Stig's post about the 2002 flooding he experienced got me thinking about my 1st year in South Korea. It was my first experience with a "Rainy Season" other than spring.

My strongest memory is of when a typhoon hit. Cheongju is far enough inland that we didn't get a lot of the wind but holy humidity batman did we ever get the rain. While the flooding wasn't on the scale we have seen in the news now it was pretty soupy out.

A group of us went out to supper on a Saturday night and did something stupid. It wasn't raining when we left so no one brought umbrellas even though it was pretty dark out. After supper it started raining but we just beat feet to Road King. Then the heavens opened and what seemed like a deluge of biblical proportions started.

From the window seats we got to see a lot of lightning and rain. At times the rain was so heavy you couldn't see across the street. Part of the street, running downhill, looked like a small river. Ok, I am exaggerating, more like a stream. None of us were looking forward to the walk home. Luckily, home was only about a 5 minute walk away.

The rain had lessened but was still coming down pretty hard when we decided to head home. It wasn't a cold rain so we all said fuck it and decided to just enjoy a walk in the rain. It was actually kind of nice once you got over the initial soaking. A nice hot shower once I was home helped too.

I have always loved the sound of rain falling. It something I find kind of relaxing. Nights when it is raining I usually have the best sleep. As a kid I liked to walk in the rain, not always with rain gear on. That night reminded me of it. After that I would sometimes go for a walk in the rain, with or without an umbrella (not in the winter though). Or go to a park and sit under one of the pagodas with a book and just relax listening to the rain. There is a great spot in BalSon Park with a pagoda that over looks the bus terminal and part of the city. A great spot to sit and relax on a rainy or stormy day.

What the ... referrals 3?!?!?!

2011-07-30T11:54:00.003-03:00

I was bored so I peeked at the referrals that led people to this site.

The number one is still people googling "What The Kimchi".

Lately a bit of traffic has been directed here from Korea Sentry. Mainly from a thread Settt set up to complain about me complaining about him. He claims to not like Hitler and doesn't like it when people say he does. Nor does he like being called a racist, and he can't seem to understand why I would think he is one. No surprise there, he doesn't strike me as the sharpest tool in the shed.. Although he is definitely a tool. :)

Someone found WTK by googling "korea blood money". WTK was the #2 hit for that search, AAK was #1. Odds are that pits his knickers in a twist. :)

Some of the stranger searches that led people here were "what is shit in korean" and "Koreans sleep anywhere" and "mokpo love hotel".

The funniest was "anonyjohn fucktard". :)

Floods

2011-07-29T16:15:00.008-03:00

I've been reading about the recent flooding in South Korea. I'm sorry about the deaths and havoc caused, and I hope the people who I know there are safe and dry.
I remember similar flooding in 2002, and thought I would share the photos I took from that time. I was in Daegu, and the two rivers are the Sakdong (which flows through the centre of the city), and the Guemho (which flows along the northern edge of the city). The flooding occurred on or about the August 15th holiday, and the pictures showing how the rivers look normally were taken on November 2nd.

The Sakdong in (almost) full flood. August 15th.

The same, November 2nd.

August 15th...

... and Nov. 2nd.

The Sakdong (again) Aug. 15th...

... Nov. 2nd.

The Guemho looking like the Mississippi August 15th...

... and back down on Nov. 2nd.

Under the bridge August 15th...

... and Nov. 2nd.

As I said, I hope everyone in Korea stays safe, and the rains stop soon so the waters can go down.

Gossip

2011-07-28T16:54:00.009-03:00

Well, there's always gossip, isn't there? The passing along of information about people you may or not know is at the same time good (who can't resist?) and bad (if you're talking behind their back). It's a pretty big business when you consider TV shows like "TMZ" and "Entertainment Tonight."
So let me tell you what I heard...

The "Chinook" troop carrier

During my first year in Korea, my co-worker Blondie became involved with an American soldier I'll call Mr. Bill (Oh noooooo....). Blondie, as you can imagine, was very popular. I remember once when our gang went to the nightclub at the Ariana Hotel in Daegu. She got invited to a table full of Hennesy reps and was given all the free samples she could drink.
Daegu had at least three U.S. bases, so there were many opportunities to run into and party with the G.I.'s. There was a club close to Suseong (where we all lived) called "Morrison's" (after Jim Morrison). The cover was 15,000 won, and for that you got all the beer or soju you could drink. I stuck mostly to beer, but there was a variety of flavoured soju available, as well.

The versatile, and venerable, "Huey."

I remember one night trying to drink 15,000 worth of alcohol. I made it, but just barely. And I didn't keep it for very long.
You may think 15,000 may not have been very much, but at the time you could get a jug of draft for about 6,000 or 6,500. Beer was (and still is) really cheap there.
In downtown Daegu, there were lots and lots of drinking establishments. There was the Rock 'n Roll Bar (sadly out of business), Old Blue (which featured two rooms: one devoted to jazz and the other devoted to rock - again, sadly out of business), the El Toro (which had a big patio and an even bigger St. Bernard wandering around), the Berkeley (which also had a patio and a trickling fountain), and the Gypsy Rock.
The Gypsy Rock's original location was a basement room just down from the El Toro. It was the favourite of a lot of G.I.'s. The walls were bare cement covered with graffiti, and the furniture was crude wooden tables and stools. When the place was arockin', you couldn't move. I imagined it was what the Cavern would have been like when The Beatles were playing there.

The "Loach," a light reconnaissance 'copter.

The Gypsy moved after a year or two to newer premises. The dance floor was in the basement, and the upper two levels were open in the middle so you could look down and see the dancers crammed together. The new premises were larger, but you still couldn't move when the music was playing.
So somewhere along the line, Blondie met and fell for Mr. Bill, who was a helicopter pilot. They look very happy in the few pictures I have of them.
Because she knew a soldier, he could sign us into the base and shop for certain items at the PX. He got us a turkey for Thanksgiving and a barbecue to cook it with.
We also got to go to the base for the open house and see a lot of cool military hardware (pictured here).

The Apache, Mr. Bill's 'copter.

But they didn't stay happy for very long.
Their intention was to get married until Blondie found out Mr. Bill was already married. His wife was living in the States while he served his tour of duty in Korea.
Blondie was heartbroken, but she still pined after him. She did two years in Korea, and then went to Mexico. I eventually lost contact with her. She just lost interest in replying to my e-mails, I guess.

As part of the show, Mr. Bill took off straight up into the air, spinning around, and taking off like a bat out of hell.

I later heard that Mr. Bill may or may not have been killed in a helicopter crash. I also later heard that he may not have been married at all. The crash and the marriage stories may have been invented just to give him an "exit strategy" in case any woman got too close.
This was just one story about some of the people I met while I was in Korea. I know many more. Ah, gossip.

Shopping In Korea

2011-07-28T15:45:00.009-03:00

Korean Adventure (June 21, 2002 Chautauqua)

Shopping in Korea can be an interesting experience. There are many modern western-style supermarkets, including Wal-Mart, Costco, and Homeplus. It is a great temptation to stick to these convenient mega-stores. They carry most of the goods we are used to, and the prices are fairly reasonable. There are subtle differences, though.

The newly constructed (ca. 2008) Busan Fish Market

There is an entire aisle devoted to seaweed. It is dried and compressed into sheets of various sizes, from postage stamp to full human length. Koreans mainly use it to make "kimbap", which is like sushi. You lay out some seaweed, cover it with rice, and then various fillings like meat, fish, or vegetables. You then roll it up into a cylinder, approximately 12"long and 1" in diameter. Slice into pieces, and that is a meal. I enjoy having kimbap for lunch every once in a while. The price is more reasonable than the usual hamburger and fries, and it is filling, too.
There are also differences in the kinds of vegetables that are available. Koreans' favorite accompaniment to any (and every) meal is kimchi. It's a spicy cabbage. I’ve seen it made from a variety of vegetables, but the cabbage is my favorite. There is usually an island in the produce section where they make and display the various kimchis.

There is a lot of fresh fish available; any kind you could imagine, and some you could not. Squid and octopus are big sellers, and they are usually displayed live (in tanks) so you can be sure it's fresh.

Yes, the department stores are convenient, and have just about everything you could want, but the real "Korean Experience" demands that you go out and shop at the open air markets that are in every corner of the city. Some of them specialize in dry goods, furniture, food, what have you. There are some very good deals to be had, if you know where to look. A person can spend a whole day just wandering around, seeing the many sights and sounds. Buying something becomes a secondary consideration.

There are some interesting corners that some people might want to avoid. Really fresh meat and poultry in the form of caged ducks, chickens, and rabbits should not be confused with pet stores. I remember walking around the Chil-sung market (in Daegu) with my friends last summer. We rounded a corner deep inside the market, far from the main thoroughfare. There, laid out for display was a freshly slaughtered dog. How fresh do you ask? The muscles were still twitching.

Yes, the Koreans do eat dog. Some of the people I have talked to do not see anything wrong with it, and are nonplussed by some western reactions. There was even some talk of setting up dog-meat booths at the World Cup venues in order to introduce foreigners to this local delicacy. One foreigner, a teacher I believe, wrote a letter to the Korea Herald, denouncing this intention in a near-hysterical rage. I have not heard if the booths were set up. Maybe more PR-conscious heads intervened.

These open-air markets have been a staple of the Korean life-style for hundreds of years. Many of the structures look as if they have been there that long. People continue to flock to them, just as many go to the more modern establishments. This combination of the old and the new, makes for a fascinating experience for the traveller willing to explore beyond the beaten path.

Year 2 - Some Winter Observations

2011-07-28T08:59:00.001-03:00

Howdy

It's beginning to look a lit like Canada here. We have had more snow this winter than last. By Korean standards a LOT more. By Canadian standards not that much. Not even enough for Toronto to call in the army. ;)

The snow started in the wee hours of the morning. It kept up all day. At times it was really being whipped around by the wind. Even then, it still wasn't that bad as the lowest temperature was around 1 Degree celsius. The ground was more slushy than anything else.

The problem started when the sun set. Now the streets and sidewalks are a sheet of ice. I saw several cars that crashed on the way home. One woman went up on the sidewalk, hit a tree, and split the front of her car right into the radiator. She was alright.

Some people here put chains on their tires when it snows. That is, when it snows heavy by their standards. It is still strange to see vehicles with chains on their tires. Mind you, they have no salt or sand trucks so they need chains.

You will still see women walking around in their usual footwear though. I am amazed they don't fall more often. Walking on ice wearing high heel boots and shoes just doesn't make sense. Then again, they do walk up mountains wearing them too.

I had no problem walking home. A little bit of slipping and sliding, but nothing worth worrying about.

Take care

Flint

Shit Morons Say ... about Mixed-Race Children.

2011-07-27T19:31:00.000-03:00

Data confirms that mixed race children are less intelligent.

20% of mixed race children fail to graduate from middle school. Almost half can't even get past high school. Activists blame Korean society for being racist which is completely untrue. These kids are borderline retarded by Korean standards.

Intelligence is part genetics part environment. Mixed race children lose out on both. The father is an uneducated laborer/farmer/loser who did poorly in school and was was too stupid to make a better life for himself(which is why he needed to buy a mail order bride). The mother comes from a third world country whos national IQ average is around 80. Her family is so poor and stupid that they had to sell their daughter to a complete stranger whos old enough to be her father. Both parents are genetically at the imbecile level. Both parents tend to have terrible values(the mother is a prostitute) which they will surely pass on to their kids.

Ummmm, yeah Settt, no racism there. It reminds me of comments he made in another thread about the parents of mixed-race children.

The worst of the worst breeding so that they can create the next generation of sub human trash who will end up populating Korea.

Disgusting, unhygienic middle aged laborers with oily skin and low intelligence marrying gold digging prostitutes who are willing to sleep with anyone they can get their hands on in order to get out of their shit hole of a country. You have two low IQ individuals breeding so that they create subhuman offspring who will then be educated on how to be a loser/prostitute just like their parents. You don't just inherit your genes from your parents, you also inherit some of your intelligence and personality from them. Its sad that these people are so determined to have children.

He considers their children to be subhuman. But he isn't a racist. Then another KKKlucker, Vitamin200, joins in the first thread I mentioned.

Mixed-race children are also more prone to genetic diseases.

Really? He knows this because he is a geneticist? A doctor? A misanthrope? At least he does openly admit he is a racist. Which was no surprise.

Then Sett posted this gem

**Edited my post**

Alright maybe I did go too far but my point still stands. I don't want Korea turning into a poor south east asian country. This entire situation is just infuriating.

So what you saw at the beginning was his edited post. A supposedly less or non-racist one in his view than what he originally posted. Wow. What a bunch of racist fucktards.

What the ... rising racism?!?!?!?!

2011-07-27T10:00:00.005-03:00

A friend sent me a link to a Korea Times article titled "Xenophobic groups grow more vocal". It wasn't a big surprise. Nutjobs call for a similar approach to foreigners in South Korea as the terrorist/murderer in Norway. You just have to look at Korea Sentry and the fucktards that hang out there. Korean Netnazis are all over the place spouting their bile when something gets their panties in a twist.

What caught my eye was the message forum following the article. They tend to be more interesting than the articles. One post in particular jumped out.

Koreansentry (14.200.73.34) 07-26-2011 20:20

Say No to immigration, because it's plague to Korea. Let's keep Korea clean, I personally don't want to see Seoul turning into another Paris, LA, NY and London. Increase in foreign immigrants means racial tension and riots. Is Korea ready for all this?

Yes, it looks like Herr Consoleman posts on the Korea Times forums as Korea Sentry. The best reply to him was from someone going by the name thankswww.

thankswww (121.190.181.232) 07-26-2011 21:24

Koreansentry: Your IP address says that you are in Australia. Are you seriously complaining about immigration to Korea, while at the same time being a Korean living in a foreign country yourself? Why do Koreans become so proud only after they ditch their own country for greener pastures?

It is funny to see someone enjoying the life of an immigrant in one country speaking out against against immigrants going to his Fatherland.

Shit Korea Times Writes ... using English improperly..

2011-07-25T20:13:00.002-03:00

Change of lifestyle causes adult disease to women

The Korea Times, Worst in the Nation, continues it's long tradition of bad English. What a horrible fucking title. It reads like something Herr Consoleman would write.

This is an English language newspaper that has been around for quite a while. Yet mistakes like this always seem to crop up. What, they can't invest in a proof reader who can actually comprehend English? Probably because their "reporters" are too busy ripping off UFO stories from other media sites.

Living In Korea

2011-07-25T01:48:00.003-03:00

Korean Adventure (June 7, 2002 Chautauqua)

A foreigner, coming to Korea to teach English, is a bit at sea on first arrival. It's a foreign country, where people speak a different language. If you don't know anyone, there's only the staff at your school (or "hagwon") to rely on. Sometimes this can be a blessing, as I have met some really good people over here.
I remember when I first got off the plane, I was met by my director and his assistant, who oversaw the teaching staff. They loaded my luggage into the car, and took me for a drive through the nighttime streets of Taegue. Korean cities at night remind me of Las Vegas somewhat. It's not quite that gaudy, but it's close. Koreans like a lot of signage on every available space. The neon lights and banners with the strange symbols are everywhere. It's pretty, but you don't know what they mean.

The street entrance to my second con-apt building.

Eventually, we arrived at the apartment I was to share with another teacher. I was so tired after travelling, I just hit the sack for a couple of days. Most hagwons provide their teachers with housing. Some of it is shared, and some teachers are provided with a place of their own. The apartment I was sharing had an entranceway, where all shoes are left. Koreans only walk around in special house slippers, and leave outside shoes by the door. It's very bad manners to wear your shoes in the house.

The courtyard inside the street entrance. The door into the building leads to a hallway. My door was the last on the left.

The common areas of the apartment were the bathroom, the TV room, and the kitchen. The bathroom had a sink, a toilet, and a shower attachment on the wall. There was no tub, and there was no shower curtain. There wasn't even a drainpipe attached to the sink. The water just emptied onto the floor, and down the same drain as the shower water. I had to get used to not keeping my feet well away from the sink when I returned to Canada.

The door to my con-apt from the inside. The "kitchen" is to the left.

In my last two apartments, I have not even had sinks, just a combination tap and shower sticking out of the wall. It's a bit odd at first, but you get used to it, and even enjoy the space that a whole "shower room" affords. There are even separate slippers that you wear in the bathroom, just to keep your feet out of the water that's there after your shower.

The door into my bathroom. Just a toilet and a tap/shower attachment.Note the fan in the lower right corner. This was just before they installed an air conditioner (my first in Korea).

Sometimes the washing machine is installed in the bathroom. I haven't lived in an apartment like that yet, but I know people who have. One girl even had an electrical outlet almost directly beneath her shower head. Yikes!

The door to the storage room at the rear of my con-apt.

Inside the storage room, with the washing machine in the foreground.

The modern Korean dryer, the latest in technology!

The television is an adventure, as well. There are about 70 channels. Most of them are Korean, naturally, but there are a few movie channels that show English films. There are also American sitcoms shown on various channels. "Friends," "Third Rock," "Seinfeld," and "Married, With Children" just to name a few.

The TV in my second con-apt. The bulge on the top is a VCR. This is before my first computer and the joys of downloading.

There is also the Armed Forces channel, which shows all the regular programming available back home. There are no paid commercials, just service announcements that the GIs film themselves. Some of them are fairly amusing in their amateurishness, and we all get a good laugh at the (unintentionally funny) antics of the American Army.
The kitchen area has a fridge, some counter and cupboard space, and a two-burner gas range for all of our cooking. One of the things I have missed over here is baking or roasting some of my favorite foods. But Korean cooking is very good, and I have no problem with the local delicacies.
Now, the school looks after the rent, but the teachers are responsible for their own utilities. This means TV, water, electricity, and gas for the cooker. There is also a fee for the oil heater. This heats up water for the underfloor heating system (called "ondol"), and the sinks and shower. Unless the school's troubleshooter instructs you on its proper use, you can have trouble getting enough hot water. I remember we had that problem until we figured out which buttons to push, and what dials to turn. Since then I have had no trouble with getting enough hot water.
The only rooms left in the apartment were the two bedrooms. My first roommate had the bigger of the two, which I got when he moved out after one month of our sharing the place. I got another roommate a few months later, and he was a good guy. We really got on well, shared the cooking, and hosted some good parties. Since then, I have had only single apartments for myself.
Next time I will talk about shopping, cinemas, and beer. Mmmmmmm, beer.
----------------------------------------------
I remember that first nighttime drive. It seemed everywhere I looked, there was a flourescent orange cross. I wondered just what I was getting into.

Year 2 - Rainy Days

2011-07-24T20:52:00.002-03:00

Another one from the e-mail box.

*****

Howdy

Last week felt like rainy season came early. It was cold, rainy and gray for the most part. We caught some sunny breaks Tuesday, but that was it. It started raining Thursaday night, and poured until Friday evening. Which made for a nice nights sleep, but it REALLY messed up everyones Friday morning.

We usually take our Kinder Kids to the park for an hour instead of being in the classroom on Fridays. I also have an extra hour with another Kinder class on Fridays. Having the break of going to the park makes the day go by faster. Instead we were classbound. Luckily it stopped by the evening, so going out Friday night was fun.

It was also testing time thursday and friday. We give evaluation tests every few months. This week we do evaluations to send home. Sometimes they are...interesting to write. Most of the parents don't understand English so it can be a bit of a waste.

Next weekend we have a 3 day weekend. I am trying to get to Panmunjom if I can. If not, I might go to Kyeongju. The only problem with going to Kyeongju is there will be hordes of kids on school trips for the weekend.

May 5th is Children's Day here, hence the upcoming 3 day weekend. Kids get the day off of school, which is a pretty major event here. The 8th is also a holiday, it is Buddah's Birthday, or the Festival of Lantern's. So the week of May 5th we only teach 3 days. Well, 2 and a half since Wednesday is always a half day. :)

Time to go watch a movie.

Take care

Flint

*****

Hagwon student evaluations, testing, and report cards, also known as a fucking waste of time unless the student is good. I know I have mentioned this before but what they hey, the horse ain't dead yet. ;)

Except for my good boss, we were NEVER EVER supposed to tell the parents anything negative about the students. They all had to be little geniuses. Nothing with a score of under 70 was sent home either. They were not meant to be an honest evaluation of the students ability. They were just supposed to make the parent believe their child was doing well and progressing.

Before the testing Korea teachers would prep the students, often with the answers. Which let you know just how wrong the level was for many of the kids when they still did poorly on the tests.

What the ... abusive power?!?!?!

2011-07-23T08:22:00.000-03:00

A friend sent me a link to a Korea Times article about bloggers. It was titled "The Abusive Power of Bloggers".

My first thought seeing the title was "Yes. finally, they will take a piece out of the net nazis and assholes. They will expose the way these idiots try and ruin peoples lives and in the end give Korea a bad name. Then I thought, "Yeah right, and monkeys might fly out of my butt. This is the Korea Times after all. That means they will probably go after bloggers who say anything negative about Korea." So, with that confusion in mind I decided to look further than just the title of the article.

The piece was about bloggers who promote products and companies for a fee. Often shilling shitty defective products to the gullible while trying to look like a neutral party. That is abusive power?

Well, yes it is. After all, an inordinate amount of Koreans do seem to believe what they read on the internet. (Much like my Grandmother and so many others believe what the National Enquirer says.) One just has to look at the "Mad Cow" bullshit to see that.

So, the article is right. I was ready to jump all over it for being a deceptive title. However, it just looked at a different aspect of the abusive power of bloggers than what immediately sprang to my mind. Both types of idiots deserve some ... special treatment.

Shit Morons Say ... about having a disabled child.

2011-07-22T09:59:00.005-03:00

“We would rather leave our baby to die if he has to live disabled. That will be good for him,”

This was said by the parents of a premature baby in Seoul. They are refusing further treatment that would allow the baby to survive. The hospital is seeking an injunction so they can operate and save the child.

The child's intestine ruptured during a surgery. If the latest surgery isn't performed the baby will die of peritonitis and blood poisoning.

The parents don't know if the child will end up being disabled in any way. They just don't want to take the chance. I could kind of understand it if the doctors said there is 99% chance your child will be a vegetable. But they don't say that. People like them don't deserve to have any children.

One of my nephews was premature and had complications. There was a chance he could have had problems but he didn't. He grew up to be a healthy "normal" person. If he hadn't, his parents still wanted him.

I have to stop here because anything else I write could be a tad unfair and very harsh.

Shit Morons Say ... to Delude Themselves.

2011-07-21T19:03:00.003-03:00

"Flint, you’re an intelligent guy, but it’s obvious debating isn’t really your thing."

Bwahahahahaha ... John actually thinks he is debating!?!?!? If debating means you act in a condescending manner, spam, harass, and generally act like a dickhead then John would be considered a great debater. If we are basing it on reality then he is just a troll.

Year 2 - Playing Tourist in Seoul

2011-07-21T18:50:00.004-03:00

Another one from the old e-mail bag.

*****

Howdy

Since I have been feeling better I have become more active, and remiss in writing.

Last weekend I went to Seoul. It was a blast. I didn't get to stay at the hotel I had planned on, but the one I did stay at was a 3 star and very nice. It even had a Captain Kirk toilet seat!

Right now you are probably thinking WTF? In Korea high tech Western style toilets seem to be all the rage. You can buy add ons to make them more comfortable or functional. The one at the Pacific Hotel was such a toilet.

There was a control arm on the right side of the seat. You could start the bidet, heat the seat, and there was even a blow dryer for after using the bidet. (Yeah, I know, I was thinking the same jokes well before I typed that. ;)) The instructions on the use of the toilet are posted on the wall across from it, in both English and Korean. I almost lost it laughing when I read the part about being able to warm the stool. It meant warming the toilet seat, but of course it has that double meaning. I am still chuckling thinking about it.

I played tourist a bit while in Seoul. On Sunday I visited a couple of sites. The first was Tapgol Park. It literally means Pagoda Park. The name is due to a 10 story marble pagoda that resides there. It is surrounded by a metal and glass protective barrier which is pretty ugly. The pagoda isn't actually 10 stories tall, it has 10 different stories or levels. Some are large some are smaller as you get to the top.

The park was also the site of the start of the March First Movement. On March 1st 1919 Sun Pyoung-hui and other Koreans opposed to the Japanese occupation drew up a Declaration of Independence. Two days later it was read publicly in the park and thus started the Independence Movement. Thousands of Koreans were tortured and murdered by the Japanese for daring to dream of being their own country again. There are several statues and monuments commemorating this. The main monument contains the text of the Declaration in both Korean and English. I was going to visit the park on March 1st, Saturday, but it would have been too crowded.

After touring the park I met up with my friend SJ. She took me to a place called UnhyongUng. The site is considered Historic Relic Number 257 by the Korean Government. It was the private residence of Prince Regent Hungson-Taewongun ,who was the father of King Kochong, the 26th monarch of the Choson Dynasty. King Kojong lived here till 12 when he rose to the throne. Taking the reins of government, Prince Regent Hungson-Daewongun made it the main center of politics during the late Choson Dynasty. Currently, the Unhyongung, reduced in size and facilities, contains only Noandang Hall, Noraktang Hall and Irodang Hall.

Irodang Hall was a place for women only. Men were not allowed to enter. The building itself is square shapped, with smaller entrances to prevent men from entering.

While the area was small compared to other spots like GyungBukGung. However, it had a lot to offer. Unlike some areas you could look into almost every room and they were occupied! Mannequins were done up in period dress, and artifacts from the era were in place. This really made the place feel as if you were seeing it as it looked during the Joseon era.

It was a strange contrast in style to see this old building surrounded by modern ones. All in all it was a good way to spend a Sunday.

This week we start a new year for the kindergarden classes. There are a lot of new students. We are also starting a new curriculum for some special classes. That will be keeping me busy as we get used to the new schedule and content.

I will try to write more often.

Take care

Flint

***

I had forgotten all about the Captain Kirk toilets and blow dryer. :) Yes the info for the tourist sites was taken from tourist sources. :)

Inside The Korean Classroom

2011-07-20T17:59:00.002-03:00

(May 17, 2002 Chautauqua)

I can still remember the fear I felt when I walked into a classroom for the first time. It was just this morning.
Seriously, I can now feel fairly comfortable in a classroom. When I first started, I had no experience aside from some labs I took in university. I was expecting to receive some kind of direction from the school that I was working for, but all they wanted was a native speaker to give the kids some exposure. How you spoke, and what you did to capture their attention, was pretty much left up to you.
Now the morning kids in the typical Korean "hak won" are pre-schoolers. They have no attention-span to speak of, and the Korean teachers keep them in line through fear. It's not corporal punishment, so much as the shame of being made to stand against the wall with their hands in the air.
The most profitable way to keep their attention is to be a bit of an entertainer. One teacher likened it to performing like a professional wrestler. You have a flashy entrance, some music and movement to attract attention, and a lot of loud vocalization to keep the kids centred.
The first class I teach in the morning are five-year-old boys. They are probably the most difficult to handle. They are more pre-occupied with making sure that their pencil is the longest in the classroom. It's harder than it seems, as the pencils also have to be sharpened after each individual letter is written. These points are then inserted into the erasers and broken off, necessitating more sharpening, and on and on in an endless cycle.
My next class is composed of 7-year-olds. I share that class with a Korean Teacher, and we do story-telling. I read the story, and the kids repeat my words until they can tell the story in English. The Korean teacher, Jenny, translates the words into Korean occasionally, so the kids can better understand the action. I also teach the kids phonics every other month. The other foreign teacher, Aurora, is doing that this month.
My last class in the morning is 3-4 year-olds. There is not too much I can do with them but colour, and try to introduce some English letters, numbers, or words along the way. These kids are very sweet. One boy, David, is like a pudgy little doll. He usually has a big smile on his face, and the other kids play with him as they would a doll.
The afternoon kids are elementary and middle-schoolers, ranging in age from 7-15. When I was in Korea last year, I had to do quite a bit of prep work each day. I was expected to draw up a syllabus, and do lesson plans. My first school had limited resources, and I relied on the Korean teachers for direction. My second school was a bit better organized, with teacher's manuals, games, and supplements that made planning a lesson so much easier.
The school I am at this year does not require me to do any prep work. I just walk into the classroom and the Korean teacher shows me a couple of pages in the book to do. The Korean teachers do not even leave the room. Some of them do a little interpreting of what I am saying, some do work on their own, and some sleep.
They work long hours, and I do not envy them. They are all young women, in their early twenties. There are not a lot of opportunities for women over here. It is very much a man's world, though it is slowly changing.
Some of the afternoon kids can be a little bratty, especially once you start dealing with teenagers. But most of them are very smart, and are keen to interact once the initial shyness (on both sides) has worn off.
Usually, the earlier in the day it is, the younger the kids are. Some of my last classes of the day are composed of 15-year-olds. These are kids that speak English fairly well, but need some help with polishing, grammar points, and forms of language. I've gotten a bit better at deviating from the book if a line of inquiry opens up, in order to expose the kids to as diverse an experience as I can.
It amazes me to think how far I've come from those first days, and how much more I have to learn about teaching. Although I can do a pretty basic lesson without too much thought, I hope I can learn enough to be of more use to the kids coming to me for knowledge. I'm working for them, and I want them to "get their money's worth".
------------------------------------
Even tough I sound pretty confident about my abilities, I never really shook that fear that I had going into a classroom for a long time. And now that I've been out of work so long, I think I've forgotten how to teach altogether!

Year 2 - Party Time and Observations

2011-07-20T09:35:00.002-03:00

Another one from the 2nd year E-mail bag.

*****

Howdy

What a wild weekend, and it is only saturday morning.

I had no classes until Friday afternoon and evening. My friend Sunny got back from the Phillipines. So, we had a welcome home party for her Thursday night. That was fun. Wine Sum Kyub Sal (bbq pork) and lots of soju. Sunny is a really nice person and a good friend. We ended up going to Albatross for a while before ending the night. It was a good time.

Friday I went to Seowon Middle School. My friend CS is a teacher there. We were supposed to go out for lunch at 11 AM. I agreed to go see the festival being put on at the school before lunch. It was actually interesting. They had art exhibits by all the students, and in the new gym there was a variety show with traditional and modern acts being performed by the students.

We had bori-bop for lunch. It is barley, rice, and vegetables. It is also very delicious. The only down side was the Christers we met. There were 2 ajummas sitting at the table beside us. They started talking with CS. Their conversation quickly turned to religon, they wanted to know if I was Christian. I should have said nothing, but I said so-so. Then they wanted to give me religous literature and have me come to their church on a sunday. They were very persistent and annoying. I played nice and didn't say what I wanted to.

This is one of the big problems I have with most Christians over here. If you say you aren't a Christian they want to convert you. If you say you are they want to be your church buddy and drive you crazy. The ones who are that bothersome don't take subtle hints to stop, you have to be rude to get them to shut up and leave you alone. And that doesn't always work.

He wanted to go to a nori bang after lunch. Since I had a few hours to kill I said sure. After getting there he invited a couple of female friends to join us. I barely made it to school in time for my first class. Classes were literally starting when I got there.

When I got into my class the kids looked at me funny. One of them ponted and said "Flint Teacher, pe! Pe!" and pointed at my face. Pe means blood. It wasn't blood, it was lipstick from one of CS's friends. I had to go clean my face off before I could start class. Luckily the director and other teachers didn't see that. ;)

After work there was a staff party. Two of the Korean teachers had birthdays, one thursday and one friday. Plus there is a new teacher, from Ireland. So it was a combination welcome and birthday party. It was also my welcome party. They did have one planned for me, but never told me about it, so I didn't go. ;)

You have to keep something in mind about going out with colleagues. At my old school it wasn't just frowned on, it was actively discouraged. The director and her husband were mormons and didn't drink. They also didn't want the Korean teachers and staff fraternizing with the foreign teachers. They wouldn't say anything to us, but they would call the Korean's into the office and take them to task. Especially if they thought they were getting "too close" to a foreigner. So, we rarely had all the staff out together, and it was always a sedate sort of affair.

At Ivy School, the director and her husband don't mind us all getting together. In fact, they join in! They want everyone to party together. Last night was a blast.

We started with dinner, sum kyub sal. That included champagne for the birthdays, soju, and beer. Except for one teacher who was ill all of the foreign teachers were there. Most of the Korean staff was there too. It was a fun meal, very relaxing and a good way to get ready for the rest of the evening. The director picked up the bill. They ended up paying for the entire night!

After eating we went to a bar called Jjocki Jjocki. It is a nice place, for a western bar. There is an outdoor area with a big waterfall fountain. In the summer you can sit out there and drink. We drank a lot of beer and vodka coolers there.

After several pitchers and coolers we went to a nori bang. The room we got was huge. It had to be to fit all of us. I have been to a nori bang with small groups of people, never with 12-15 people. I expected it to be like the smaller groups, but I was pleasantly surprised. Everyone was up and joining in on songs, dancing. It was a lot of fun. We spent a couple of hours there.

Our group broke up after that. Most people headed home, it was almoost 1 AM. 6 of us decided to go to Casanova, a night club. I hadn't been to one in all my time in Korea. It was a fun experience. Yes, I was dancing. :) One of the Korean's I work with is very shy and quiet ay work. When she is out patrying she is pretty wild. It was a great night out.

So far I like this new school. :)

Take care

Flint

******

I am pretty sure I mentioned the incident with the Christians in another post. While out to lunch with a friend I ran into one of the bitches again and she tried to ruin our lunch with Christ talk. My friend got rid of her. :)

What the ... answer?!?!?!

2011-07-19T20:16:00.001-03:00

A commenter recently posted asking a question about John.

"Why does he troll these sites?"

My answer was a simple one. Boredom. Which to me is very plausible. I know I tend to focus on things more when I am bored and need entertainment. Like Korea Sentry or John. While I am talking about their stupidity and hypocrisy I tend to talk about it more than really needed because I am bored and it gives me something to do to while away the time.

According to John he does it for nobler reasons.

"Burndog, these people have disrespected me, a country I love (and the home country of my wife) LOOOOOOOOONG before I was here calling him stupid."

He does it because he loves South Korea and his wife is from there, oh and people disrespect him. I guess he sees himself as protecting Korea from bad mouthing. He likes to think he is doing them a service by attacking ... or in his mind educating or schooling ... those who "disrespect" South Korea. In the end, when he ignores reality, he gets told off and that angers him. Remind you of any other defenders of Korea?

He really doesn't seem to understand why people are "disrespectful" to him. When reasons are pointed out, like the way he treated a 1st time commenter on David's blog, he ignores them. His reasons for acting the way he does explain getting upset and pissy but it doesn't really explain the trolling.

Of course, John doesn't believe he is a troll and can't understand why people think he is.

"He says "I'm trolling," because I make multiple attempts to get my point across, which is responded by these fools as "trolling" from the get go."

I call it trolling because ... it is. Hell, it actually fits the definition of trolling. As in a previous thread, I have to wonder about John's ability to use a dictionary. If you have been making multiple posts, usually saying the exact same shit over and over, it is called spamming. It is something trolls do, especially when it is just used to incite or irritate. In fact, let's look at John's own words from David's blog.

"Kid, despite how much I’ve hated you and spammed you and made fun of you, I’ve shut you up and forced you to think countless times."

John admits to making hateful posts and spamming. He posted under many different "names" when moderated. He follows David to other sites, like here, and continues it. Why the fuck would we NOT think he is a troll? By his own admission he IS a troll. Which leads one to wonder if he is being disingenuous or just flat out being a liar when he gets upset and pretends not to know why he is being called a troll.

In some ways John reminds me of me. We both have a propensity for showing our asses when pissed off. The difference being I will admit it. Just like I can admit when I have been wrong and hopefully learn from it. John doesn't seem to do that, instead he increases his trolling. Or acts like a child.

Why a child? Often it all comes down to an infantile "I win" from John. "I've beat you!" "I kicked your ass." "I've shut you up." "I'm done with you." "You keep provoking me!" "They disrespected a country I love." "They disrespected my wife's home country." (Not his wife, her home country.) Sometimes it seems like he is just playing a childish game. Hence my reply of boredom being his raison d'etre.

In some ways John reminds me of the idiots over at Korea Sentry. The trolling. The rabid defense of the indefensible. The denial of reality.

Why does he troll these sites? Maybe he really just has nothing better to do.

What the ... shake up?!?!?!?

2011-07-19T12:12:00.002-03:00

According to an article in the Joongang Daily the cause of Techno Mart shaking has been identified. The shaking was felt on the 20th floor and up, not below. Prime Group, the owners of the building, say the shaking was caused by 17 middle aged people exercising. They were doing Taebo in a gym on the 12th floor.

Really? That is almost as hilarious as the Norks blaming the poor performance on players being struck by lightning while practicing in NK. They are going to bring in experts and have a demonstration to prove that is the cause. It should be interesting to see their results. :)

One of the best Cab Drivers.

2011-07-18T10:19:00.004-03:00

The talk on Burndog's is centered around Cabbies right now. Of course, I had to chime in about having wanted to smack some Korean cabbies around. Mr. Spock replied and got me thinking about cab experiences. I don't want to hijack Burndog's thread so I figured I would post this here, with a link to his post that started the thinking process.

Mr. Spock (oh and this is a different Spock, not my buddy/co-worker from Korea) got me thinking about cab experiences. It brought to mind one of the best cabbies I have had hands down anywhere in the world I have been.

It was the day before Buddha's birthday in my 2nd year and I wanted to go to one of the temples and see the floats they have for the parade in Cheongju. I was actually supposed to meet "my" Spock there. I hopped in a cab and gave him the name of the temple. The driver was pleasant but had no English. In my bad Korean we talked a little and he drove off.

It turns out that there are TWO temples with the same name. One by the "river: and one on the mountain. I had no idea about that, or which one I wanted. The taxi driver managed to get me to understand the problem. I wasn't able to get a hold of Spock to find out which temple.

The driver started asking some of the taxis on the road around us which temple had the floats. He wasn't getting anywhere so he pulled over. Then he shut off the meter and got on his phone. It took him about 5 minutes or so to find out which temple was the right one. He flipped the meter back on and drove me to the temple by the river.

Talk about great customer service. It only cost 5000 won to get there, not counting the time the meter was off. I thanked him and made sure to give him a healthy tip. You don't encounter people, let alone cabbies, that willing to do what he did. And most cabbies would never have shut off the meter. One of the best cabbies ever.

Latest Flint's Follies Post

2011-07-18T09:57:00.002-03:00

I couldn't decide if the latest post on Flint's Follies should have been there, here, or both. It started off about Japan but was also kind of about Korea. So I figured I would just cross post it. :)

Year 2 - Medicinal Blues

2011-07-18T09:51:00.002-03:00

Another moldy oldy from my second year.

********

Howdy

Not a lot new going on. I have been pretty sick for the last few weeks.

I picked up a virus about a month ago. My throat got infected, and it wnet to my head. Normally it would clear up and be gone in a few days. Unfortunately it is just starting to go away.

I went to the doctor as soon as it hit. He gave me pills which helped to a point. The symptoms would start to go away, and then come back with a vengeance. Nice things like chills, fever, sweats, coughing so much you throw up.

Saturday I went to the doctor yet again. The symptoms were back, worse than before. This time I found out that he was giving me penicillin as an anti-biotic. I am allergic to penicillin. The doctor either didn't hear me the first time I saw him, or didn't understand when my Korean co-worker told him I was allergic to penicillin the second time I saw him, or it lost something in the translation. Regardless, he put me on it and over the span of a month kept increasing the doseage. Which is why I kept getting worse. I was reacting to the penicillin, and the virus wasn't going away.

Now I am off penicillin and on eurythrimicin. The virus is starting to fade and the pennicilin is getting out of my system. Life is getting back to normal, there is a staff party friday night. :)

Take care

Flint

******

The moral of the story is that you have to be extra vigilant when getting medical treatment in a foreign country. If I had checked the pills out that I was given I would have found out they were penicillin. Unfortunately, every pharmacy gives you the pills pre-packaged for daily consumption. Which is great is some respects but in this case, if I had the bottle, I could have seen the name of the drug or checked it out more easily.

I Hate Rectangles

2011-07-18T02:23:00.009-03:00

Styles come and go. In the Eighties, glasses used to be huge. There was enough extra lens for at least another pair. And then, in the nineties, glasses got smaller. They became these little rectangles that reminded me of the pair that Roger McGuinn of The Byrds used to wear.

I bought that style, and wore it for about 10 - 15 years.
When I became a public school teacher in Daegu, the teacher at the school closest to mine had pretty much the same pair. We also shared the same goatee, but there was not too much else that we shared. He was taller, thinner, and had more hair.
Let's call him Ass, because let's face it, he was one.
Halfway through the school year, the department in charge of the foreign teachers in Daegu, the DEIEIO, took us all to Angang for the day. Ass didn't make the trip. Somebody had to sit it out, and he drew the short straw. It was a great trip and we all had a terrific time.
BUT...
When I was getting off the bus at the end of the day, the (Korean) head of the DEIEIO said to me, "Goodbye, Ass!"
At first, I thought, "Do we really all look alike to you?"
He was properly apologetic when I gently pointed out that he had mistaken me for another babo waygookin, and we all went back to working harmoniously together until they fired me for trying to kill a Korean English teacher.
Before my year there was over, I decided to change my looks. Not because I would have to go on the run, but I had been brooding after that Angang trip, and I decided I didn't want to look like an ass.
So I shaved off my goatee and went glasses shopping. There is an underground mall in downtown Daegu where there is a huge section chock-a-block with Ankyong (glasses) Marts.

I decided to go for some circles, not because I was a fan of Harry Potter, but because I was a fan of John Lennon. I even brought along a picture of him wearing his iconic "granny" glasses, just in case the clerk didn;t understand my lousy Korean.

I showed him my prescription, requested my style, and it seemed like no time before I was walking out with my new specs. They cost me, frames and all, only 50,000 won.
Affordable eyewear is one of the things I loved about Korea.
I continue to wear my circles, but I notice that I haven't started a trend. Everybody else is still wearing those fucking rectangles, and I'm really starting to get irritated. Did you ever look at somebody wearing them and want to rip them off and stomp them into the mud? Tune into Global Calgary's evening news program and take a look at the male anchor, Gord Gillies. A more squint-eyed ferret-faced little git does not exist. And those fucking rectangles! Does he really think he looks good?

I snort in disgust and roll my eyes.
Well, until the rest of the world catches up to me, I guess I will have to go my solitary way. So far ahead of my time, I'm starting to catch up with it again.

Blast from the Past: Dunkin Donuts Boycott

2011-07-17T01:51:00.000-03:00

I was talking with my brother David about coffee and South Korea over Tim Horton's coffee and cigars last night. It got me thinking back to my frustrations with Dunkin Donuts that led me to boycott them for a while. I can't remember exactly how long it lasted but it was more than a couple of months.

This afternoon I was looking through old emails and found one I had sent to a friend venting about the stupidity I was encountering just trying to get a cup of coffee in SoKo and my DD boycott.

Here is the email, some more commentary will follow after it.

****

Hey bud!

You know that not much pisses me off more than someone screwing up my coffee. Dunkin Donuts in Korea is useless. Any Dunkin Donuts I have gone to in Korea has caused problems. I am not complaining about language skills, that would be stupid. You can't expect everyone in a foreign country to understand English. unfortunately, they even seem to be able to understand Korean here at any of the DD's I have gone to. There are so many reasons I am pissed off at them.

You go in and order a large coffee with cream. I don't like sugar in my coffee. I like large not regular. I don't want Americano (black) I don't want Original (cream and sugar). I want a large fucking coffee with cream. Not black. Not cream and sugar. It should be easy to get, right? Wrong.

They constantly fuck it up EVEN WHEN YOU ORDER IN KOREAN. I have gotten a small Americano, regular Original, coffee with 2 cream and 2 sugar, you come up with a way to fuck it up and odds are a DD's in Korea has done it and tried to pass it off to me as what I ordered.

They just can't think outside of the fucking box. In the box you have Original and Americano. Nothing else exists in their world. Try to go outside the box and they just can't wrap their tiny minds around it. Go help you if you want something a little different because they just can't ceop with it in Korean or English. I have had Koreans go in and order my coffee and they STILL get it wrong. Havign your first coffee of the day ruined by some moronic shit stains sets a bad tone for teh rest of the day.

Then you have ordering food. I liked getting their bagel sandwich. I hate sweet mustard and sweet pickles. Of course that is standard on most Dunkin Donut sandwiches of any type. I ask for them with no pickles or sauce, in Korean, and 9 fucking times out of 10 it comes back with one or both of those on it. Then they will try scraping the mustard off and then giving me the sandwich.

It must be a Dunkin DOnut thing because I NEVER had a problem with the McDonalds in YongAm-dong screwing up my burgers. I hate ketchup and pickles on my burgers. They never once fucked up and gave me a burger with that on. Evidently my Korean is good enough for McDOnalds to understand but not DD's. I think the problem is that they just don't pay attention to what you say and/or they aren't trained that well. Or they are just a bunch of fucking morons.

Then you have another problem. If you don't watch them, and stop them, they will half fill your cup with brewed coffee. THEN they will add hot water to the rest. Fuck me! I don't pay fucking starbuck prices for Dunkin Donuts coffee that is half watered down. That happened and every DD I went to. Sure, after a while, you can train them not to do that. Usually by the time you train them, and we are talking months here, someone new starts working there.

They would actually swear black and blue that they don't do that. Then turn the fuck around and start doing it. My co-workers would get coffee, tell them about my problem, be told it doesn't happn, and then the person who just told them that would fucking do it. Are you a bunch of fucking morons? Survey says ... yes.

So, the last few weeks this bullshit was going on almost daily, plus sundry other bullshit. Bullshit like how slow they are. Even when they aren't busy they tale too long. One friend just wanted a cup of black coffee takes 5-10 minutes with NO ONE in front of you. Last week I waited 25 minutes for a fucking cup of coffee. When I had come in the waoman was pouring coffee for some customers. There was at least a cup left. When I ordered she dumped it out. Which can be a good thing, fresher is better, but it took 25 fucking minutes! People were coming and going while I waited. It should take 5 minutes to perk a pot of coffee.

Then what happened when she actually started making my coffe? She half filled it and started adding hot water. What the fuck?!?!? And at that point I lost my temper.

I have had enough. I'm boycotting DD in Korea. I will not be buying anything from them anymore. I may go sit on the patio if my friends want something from there but I won't be getting anything. I have just had enough of the stupidity. I will tell all my friends not to go to DD. It will be a cold day in hell before I ever go there again.

I hope you guys enjoy your Tim Horton's. Wish I was drinking it now.

Take care

Flint

****

I decided to give Dunkin Donut's another shot after a few months. Two factors helped me come to this decision. First was the fact that it was hard to get good coffee or coffee service anywhere I went in Korea at that time. I remember trying to get a coffee with cream at Te Amo, which was right beside work. When I asked for coffee with cream no sugar they started putting whipped cream in. They actually had no cream or milk to put in coffee. Although they did have milk to make lattes with, but couldn't be arsed to put it in a coffee. Angel's In Us did the same sort of nonsense. So, no matter where I went for coffee, there was too much fuckery.

The second thing was a change in managers at the Dunkin Donut across from where I worked. I didn't expect anything to have changed that much but you never know. It turns out she made a big difference. The odd problem still happened but they were few and far between. not like the constant bullshit that caused me to start my little boycott.

Thus ended my boycott which probably had no effect on their business but made me happy.

The Top Ten Ways To Amuse Yourself In Korea

2011-07-16T15:04:00.000-03:00

Korean Adventurer (May 3, 2002 Chautauqua)

The Top 10 Ways to Amuse Yourself In Korea

This list was sent to me by my friend, Blondie. It provides some insights about what life in general is like over here.

10.) Play chicken with cars on the sidewalk. This is a fairly common occurrence. Koreans park just about anywhere they damn well please. Cars, motorcycles, and bikes take advantage of any opening anywhere, road or sidewalk, to beat the traffic. I remember walking home from the store the other night, and I heard an engine behind me. I was almost up to a space between two other parked vehicles, and I didn't bother moving aside, as I thought the space was too small for the following vehicle to pass through. I was startled to hear the motor continue close behind me. I looked, and was confronted with the smallest car I have ever seen. It gave new meaning to the word "compact".

9.)Order Steak and Potato with Fiddleheads at EVERY Korean restaurant. I'm not exactly sure what this means, as I've not had this particular delicacy. I think it makes reference to the fact that "fiddleheads" can make you sick if you're not careful. It's not really funny, as there was a story in the "Korean Herald" last week, saying that the food in six different fast food chains (KFC and McDonald's among them) had tested positive for staph infections in the foods. Bad news for westerners who do not like Korean food.

8.) While sitting in a public spot, pretend to catch a fly with chopsticks. Celebrate loudly. Koreans are intensely interested in everything we westerners do, and do not hesitate to stare when they so you. They also like to examine the contents of your shopping basket. It's nothing hostile, just innocent curiosity.

7.) When something is said by one Korean to another that is slightly amusing, laugh hysterically. Don't stop. Well, this is just plain mean. Hee hee hee.

6.) Stand outside a Korean electronics store where the TVs are playing. Pretend to understand every word. Again, just mean. The kids in my school get very excited when I display any knowledge of their language, and it is difficult to stop them from testing me, and turn the lesson back to learning English.

5.) Remind a Korean man that he is short. Do this repeatedly. Be prepared for an a** kicking. It's true that there are a lot of short people here, but they are also very thin. One of the first things that struck me when I returned home last year was how many obese people there were, myself included. Most Koreans like to get out and do some regular physical activity, for which they should be commended. Also, there are quite a few who are as tall, if not taller than some westerners.

4. Convince them that both of your parents are Korean (oh yes, it can be done). The trick to arguing with Koreans is to remain calm at all times. Once you lose your temper, you've lost the argument.

3.) Wear Japanese flags. The Koreans really are very touchy when it comes to anything Japanese. A person who makes a reference to the "Sea of Japan" will be provided with the correct title, the "East Sea". There has always been some tension in their relations. Last year it was some textbooks, approved for use in Japanese schools, that did not deal adequately with Japan's conquests and behaviour during it's Imperial phase. It only just got smoothed over when the Japanese premier paid a visit to the shrine for Japanese war dead. Some of those memorialized are considered war criminals over here, and the visit has cast a pall over the upcoming joint Japanese/Korean hosting of the World Cup.

2.) Go to the cinema. After the preview for a Korean film, pump your fists in the air and yell, "I CAN'T WAIT TO SEE THAT!". Actually, there have been some very good films made here recently. A few years back, a film called "JSA" won an Academy Award for best foreign film. It was a tense thriller about a South Korean soldier accused of murdering some North Korean counterparts. Another film, called "Friends", dealt with four rookie firemen that featured some thrilling firefighting scenes.

1.) Fix something. It always seems like there is something to be done when foreigners move into their (school-supplied) apartment. Usually, it's fairly simple to make it seem homey. My friends and I have managed to make our places comfy enough to be a close substitute for "home". We are convinced that we are the only ones to take the time and trouble. Some of the people we've had as room-mates have been less than...clean. Oh well, it takes all kinds, I guess.

Anyway, there is a lot more to tell about life in Korea. I hope I have not rambled on too long, and I hope you look forward to the next installment. Until then, anyong assayo (Peace be with you).
________________________________________

Ask Flint about the shopping basket thing, and then duck.
My description of the movie "Friends" is erroneous. It's actually about four Koreans who grew up in Busan. One became a cop and another became a criminal, with tragic results.
I remember helping Mick and Jane clean an apartment after another teacher had left. The filth was indescribable. I remember scrubbing layers of grime off of the tile in the bathroom and wondering how anyone could stand it.

What the ... Dokdo Related Stupidity?!?!?

2011-07-15T20:44:00.001-03:00

I was perusing ROK Drop today and noticed his post about the latest Dokdo stupidity.

Korea Air flew their brand spanking new AS380 Jumbo Jet over Dokdo. How is that stupid? It isn't. An airline, so long as it isn't violating an laws, is free to fly it's inaugural flight where ever it wants. The stupidity followed.

The Japanese got their panties in a bunch over the flight. An e-mail was sent from Japan's Foreign Ministry to all it's diplomats telling them that they were to boycott Korea Air for 1 month, starting Monday. Seriously!?!?

That is one of the most retarded things I have heard in a while. It makes you wonder if the Japanese Foreign Minister or Prime Minister (whichever moron in charge ordered this stupidity) had too much sake.

Shit Morons Say ... about themselves.

2011-07-15T16:39:00.000-03:00

"I’ve never taken your words or the words of others out of context."

This was said by John, aka AnonyJohn, aka Anonymous, aka a variety of names on David's blog. He is still trolling around there declaring victory. It is kind of strange to hear him claim that he has never taken anyone's words out of context considering shit he has said here as well as on David's blog.

"Yet, you douches are the only ones comfortable with calling people derogatory terms like “ricetards,” peasants, mooks (clever play on the word gook?), and etc, but you get butthurt when you get criticized for it?"

He all but accused me of using mook in place of gook as a racial slur. Instead of being a man and flat out making the accusation he tries to be subtle and imply it.

You know what I do when I encounter a new word, or an old one I am unsure of? It is something I learned to do as a child. I look it up in a dictionary or ask someone what it means. Sometimes I do both to make sure I know the meaning. John should learn how to use a dictionary before pointing fingers.

Oh fuck it, I know the 'tard is too lazy to look it up. A mook is term I learned watching American gangster movies and television shows. It refers to someone who is ignorant in the true sense of the word (not knowing), selfish, rude, or a combination. Some define mook as an insignificant or contemptible person. It has nothing to do with the derogatory term gook or being Asian. Talk about using a word out of context. Mook does seem to fit John.

"You said that as if stereotypes are things only Koreans do, or that the stereotypes created in Korea are somehow worse than ones made in your country."

John made that comment on this blog as Anonymous. Yet no where in my posts did I say that. Something he had to admit to after Eve brought it up. But hey, he never takes the words of others out of context.

"“Korea used to have more diversity in wildlife, but tough times and a growing population have depleted their numbers. ”

So did England, America, Scotland, and every other first-world nation. You are stupid and yes, you are a bigot."

AnonyJohn posted this gem on David's blog. However, he left out something. Right after the sentence David wrote that JohnnyBoy zoned in on David mentioned that EVERY COUNTRY does it. By leaving that out John opened the comment to criticism and used it ... OUT OF CONTEXT. But he never does that, according to John.

What happened when this was pointed out to John? Did he reply by doing a mea culpa? Did he apologize for leaving that out just so he could attack David and seem justified? Of course not, that isn't John's style. His reply was to continue what he said he doesn't do, use things out of context.

"You were trying to argue that Korea is uniquely hostile to wildlife or something, as opposed to other first-world countries."

No, actually he said that Korea like every other country is hostile to animals.

I suppose he would say he never makes shit up either. However, he did just that when he accused me of writing a post titled "Retarded Shit Koreans Do". No such post or thread exists on my blog.

And John still wonders why people think he is a moron and a troll.

Stig's Second Year - The Adventure Begins

2011-07-15T03:03:00.000-03:00

This column originally appeared in The Chautauqua, and describes my return to Korea for another year of Morning Calm and Afternoon Difficulty.

Korean Adventure (April 19, 2002 Chautauqua)

I took off from Calgary on Monday the 8th. It was cold and there was still a lot of snow on the ground. As I write this, it is raining in the city of Taegu, South Korea. Saturday was brilliant sunshine, just really nice. I had been in the country about three days by then, and I went to visit my friends, who were holding a "Welcome Back" BBQ for me.
I rode the bus across town, for almost an hour-and-a-half. The Koreans have some pretty good roads, and some are dire, and you have to sque-e-e-e-e-e-e-eze your way through. The problem with the good roads is that everybody uses them at once, so sometimes traffic can be frustrating. You can always amuse yourself by watching someone head for the sidewalk and scatter some pedestrians.
Anyway, I finally got to my friends’ place. Allow me to introduce them. The one that's been there the longest is Mick Dundee, an Australian from Perth, who was my roommate from March until May last year. He's a good guy, down to earth in that way some Australians have.
Then there's Blondie Bumstead, a Canadian from Ottawa. She gets loaded with all the dumb blonde jokes we can lay on her, but she's really smart and funny.
The third person is Jane (who's last name escapes me), who turned up after I had left. She's pretty quiet (like me), but can surprise you with a quip, and has a passion for all the candy she can get her hands on.
All three have apartments in the same building, so they're pretty close to each other. You have to have someone to rely on and trust when you're this far away from home, and these guys are the best.
The Koreans have these cunning little BBQs, that hold small charcoal bricks that ignite with the touch of a match. Or that's the theory. Sometimes they just smolder, and only slowly build up enough heat to cook on. We had a pretty ordinary western type of meal: steaks, salad, potatoes, washed down with beer. Just a group of friends catching up, and relaxing from a week of teaching the kids at school.
Aaaaah, the kids. A story for another day...

My new school was in I-dong, which is on the west side of Daegu, while my original posting (and my old friends) were in Jisan-dong, waaaaaaaaay in the southeast corner. I would visit them there maybe once a month, but usually we'd meet downtown and go to the Rock 'n Roll Bar, or the patio at Berkely.
You know, I look at pictures of the old gang, and remember that these were people that I was quite close to at the time, but now we've drifted apart. I hear from one of them, maybe once a year. The others just stopped responding to my e-mails.
It's a shame.

Year 2 - The Latest Happenings (at that time)

2011-07-13T15:46:00.000-03:00

Howdy

Just as there are Tabang Girls, it turns out there are Nori Bang girls too.

If you remember, a nori bang is a singing room. Basically, a private karaoke room for you and your friends. If you don't have any friends who like to sing the Nori Bang can provide you with a "partner" for a nominal fee.

Sunday I went out for supper and to a nori bang with a friend. He decided that we needed "partners" to sing with. We ended up with some very cute partners who could also sing in English quite well. Mind you they couldn't speak it. It made for an, um, interesting night out. :)

My classes are pretty good. So far my kindergarden is one of my favourite. They are cute, and so much fun. It doesn't matter how bad my mood might start out, they can always make me laugh and smile. Tomorrow we are going on a field trip to make ceramics, and for lunch. It should be fun.

I also have a 2 pretty good middle school free talking classes. They are fun, although one is more fun than the other. Sometimes they lapse into Korean a bit too much, but that is to be expected.

My other classes are vary. One which I find ok is supposed to be the worst class there. It is all boys, late elementary school, early middle school age. They can be crude at times in their joking. But they love the Simpsons, so we can relate that way, and sometimes their jokes are actually funny.

Yesterday I had a fight break out in one of my classes. That has never happened before. One boy grabbed a marker from another, that boy grabbed it back. The other boy punched him, he punched back, and then I grabbed them both in a hand and lifted them out of their seats. They got to spend the class with the director after that. What can I say, it was a Monday.

Take care

Flint

What the ... referral?!?!?

2011-07-13T09:47:00.000-03:00

Taking a page from some other bloggers I sometimes check out how people found this blog.

It seems that the number one search, be it google or yahoo, that brings people here is .... can you believe it .... "what the kimchi". Or some variation of that such as "whatthekimchi" and even once "what the klimchi". For some reason this blog always appears as #1 on the list for this search.

People have also been referred here by searching for "stig in Korea", "korean sentry racist", and even "cheongju". None of which surprise me.

The strangest referrals I have seen are "koreans put kkk", "korean asking permission", and for some strange reason a Yahoo image search for "no KOREAN allowed".

Nothing as interesting as the referrals Burndog gets but some strange ones nonetheless.

My First Column

2011-07-12T14:22:00.000-03:00

When I went to Korea for my second year, I began a column reporting on teaching and travelling in Korea and the surrounding countries. These stories first appeared in The Chautauqua, which circulates in Central Alberta. I'll be reprinting these columns here and in Stig's Silly Walks. The stuff about Korea will appear here, and the stuff about other countries will be found on SSW, unless I'm channeling Flint that day, and do the opposite.

Teaching English in Korea (February 1, 2002 Chautauqua)

By Alan E. Johnson

In the summer of the year 2000, I was working as a security guard in Calgary. I had graduated from university, but was unable to find a job that suited me. Security paid the bills, and gave me time to read. But it was a dead end, and I had been looking around for something better for quite a while. I had tried to get jobs teaching English in Europe and China, but they fell through.
Then I met another guard who was going to Korea. He gave me a handout that answered questions about applying for a job, the various procedures to go through to work in another country, and an address to contact a recruiter. A lot of the work can be done via the internet, which makes it easy for people in different countries to communicate quickly.
In no time, I had a variety of offers from recruiters in Canada, the U.S, and Korea. Eventually I settled on what seemed to be the most straightforward of the offers, and got my papers together. I had to submit copies of my university transcripts, a certified copy of my diploma ( the Korean Embassy in Vancouver handles that), and a copy of my passport. Koreans put great importance on a person's appearance, so a photograph is a must. No one seemed put off by my appearance, and a contract was faxed to me.
There is a website run by the Canadian government that offers some advice about working in Korea. They make it clear that a lot of what you do is at your own risk. Koreans don't see contracts as something that they have to adhere to completely. They place more emphasis on the personal agreements that people make face to face. A contract is just a guide that can be ignored if better terms can be arranged.
There was a lot of work to do before I was ready to leave the country. I had to quit my job ( that was a lot of fun!), put some of my things into storage, sell the items I no longer needed, and move the rest to my folks'. My parents were an invaluable source of help and inspiration in this. They were very happy to see me get out of the rut I had been in. It was a very emotional farewell.
I must admit to a certain amount of trepidation as I flew half-way around the world. Wandering around the airport in Seoul ( my pick-up was late), I wondered if I had done the right thing. That feeling never really left me the whole time I was there. A new teacher is not really given any extensive training - at least I wasn't - before being placed in a classroom.

Taegu from the southwest. Taken from the "mountain" behind my first con-apt.

The school I landed at was in the city of Taegu, the third largest city in Korea ( approx. 2.5 - 3 million population). It was part of a chain of schools that go by the name of "Wonderland". When I arrived, there were three other foreigners there. I was rooming with one of them, another Canadian by the name of Phil. He gave me a lot of useful information, but he was wrapped up in personal problems, and I had to learn a lot of things for myself.
I was given a couple of days to watch the other teachers in various classes before I was given my own students. There are no words to describe the fear that grabs you in that situation. A lot of what I did in those early days was made up as I went along. To tell the truth, Taegu Wonderland is not a very good school. Their curriculum is poorly organized, and there is not a lot of support for a new teacher to rely on. A person has to look inside for the resources he/she needs.

Taegu Wonderland (3rd and 4th floors)

The main reason that foreigners are there is to provide a resource for the children to listen to. All I had to do, really, is go into the classroom, start talking, and not stop until class was over. The children needed to hear English being spoken in order to get used to the rhythms and be given corrections about pronunciation. The hard rules about grammar points and spelling would come from the Korean staff.
The Korean teachers were young, pretty women. There were four kindergarten teachers, who did not speak very much English at all. Their task was to get the children used to the school rules, where the bathrooms were, when lunch is; the usual day-care sort of tasks.
The pre-schoolers (cute as buttons, all of them) came to the school in the morning, and were there from 10:00 until 2:30 in the afternoon. At that time, the elementary and middle school kids came in. Those classes went from 3:00 in the afternoon until 7:30 at night. The same kids were not there all that time. There were three sets of kids who changed "shifts" every 90 minutes. In those 90 minutes they had two classes, one with a Korean teacher, and one with a foreigner.

Changwon Wonderland in building indicated.

There were a variety of textbooks that were used, and the Korean teacher usually controlled how fast or how slow the books were used. After a while, I began to rely less and less on these books, and on my own resources. The books became a guide as to what I was teaching, and I grew more confident about discarding the less helpful parts and giving the children more substantial instruction.
In the time I taught in Wonderland, I saw a complete turnover in the foreign staff. The teachers who were there when I arrived moved on when their contracts were completed, and sometimes before. The act of leaving early came to be known as "doing a runner". I knew five different teachers who for one reason or another decided to move on before their contracts were fulfilled. Some were a bit overwhelmed by it all, and decided to return to the "real world". Some were merely taking some time to travel and experience a bit before they took up "real" jobs.
Living over there became easier as I became accustomed to travelling around the city by myself. I really began to enjoy my time when the new teachers arrived to replace the old. We formed a gang, and we relied on each other to help us through the tough times. We found that we could get together and talk shop, take instruction in the Korean language, and generally have some fun. It was a lot like being back in school. There was less "responsibility" in our profession, and we were able to have some fun with it.
Exploring the country, experiencing a different culture, is just one of the perks of the job. I was able to see the remnants of a civilization that flourished at the same time Christ walked the earth. I was also able to see first hand one of the few remaining places that the Cold War is still being fought.
The Korean people are very friendly once you get past their initial reserve, and I made some good friends that I am looking forward to seeing once I return. Yes, I am returning - if I can sort through the many jobs available - and I hope to see the people who I came to regard as my second family. One of the jokes I heard before I left was that I would probably bring back a little Korean wife. That didn't happen, but who knows who'll come back to Canada with me the next time? I'm working on it.

Well, there you have it. My first year in Korea, encapsulated in just so many words.
It left out just how difficult those first months were, and just how bad it was, working for Wonderland. I came this close to doing a runner myself, but I stuck it out and was glad I did. By the time the year was over, I began to feel comfortable in the classroom and in Korea.

Year 2 - Where is the address?

2011-07-11T23:45:00.000-03:00

Howdy

Tis the season, eh?

Even sending out Christmas cards is a learning experience here. I finally found out my FULL mailing address. Before I only had part of it. City, Province. Now I know all of it, and even learned what each designation is.

My Building (Whatever Floor)

Young-Am Dong

Cheong-Ju Shi

Sang-Dang Ku

ChungCheongBuk-Do

360-810

Korea

When giving a street address it isn't that easy. There are not many signs labelling streets in most cities. Most houses and buildings have NO number on the outside. Buildings are assigned a number when they are built. So, if you built a new home beside building number 10 you could be building 120 if you are the 120th to be constructed. Confusing eh?

Most large buildings, 3+ floors, have names. That tends to be how people find places. Which is why you use the building name and floor when sending mail.

Yongam-Dong is my Ward. The section of the city I live in. Many people also refer to it as town or district. The proper translation is ward.

Cheong-Ju Shi is my city. Most people in Korean actually do refer to it as Cheong-Ju Shi when they talk about it. Westerners tend to leave out the Shi.

Sang-Dang Ku is my county.

ChungCheongBuk-Do is the full name of the Province I live in. Most people, Koreans and Westerners, tend to refer to is as just CheongBuk-Do

The lack of street names can make it hard when using a taxi too. You need to find a well known building near your destination in order to get to where ou want to go. Some of the best references to use are police stations, as each ward has its own station. Yong-am Pachusol would be the police station in Yong-am Dong. Popular stores are also good. Mulyu Centre is a large grocery store (a la Superstore or Walmart) near my place, and a handy reference.

Finding your way around town can be difficult for a foreigner. Then again, if it is not your hometown, it can even be difficult for Koreans.

Time to get ready for work.

Take care

Flint

*****

Oops

2011-07-11T23:31:00.000-03:00

God damn it. Posting when tired sometimes leads to cross posting. This should have been on Flint's Follies. I know return you to your regularly scheduled blog. ;)

Anonymous Comment About KS

2011-07-11T16:25:00.001-03:00

I got an anonymous comment about something being posted on KS today. Actually Anonymous posted their comment in two different threads. I didn't post the comment because it contains Herr Consoleman's real name and some personal information about him.

THE COMMENT:

***** ** and his friends are now outing people they don't like.

http://forum.koreansentry.com/viewtopic.php?t=4361

http://forum.koreansentry.com/viewtopic.php?t=4484

(Some links to Herr Consoleman's Facebook page, LinkedIn page, and non-KS blog deleted)

So I went and checked out the links and sure enough the KKKleagle is posting the id's of two Chinese guys they consider anti-Korean. One posts on YouTube and the other Asia Finest. The thread about the AF guy was started by Herr Consoleman and includes links to the guys Facebook page. Pictures of their targets have also been posted.

I guess passing names on to the netnazi's wasn't enough for them. Now they post the info on KS themselves. It is enough to make me wonder if my policy of staying away from posting Herr Consoleman's real life info is a good one. If anyone deserves it he certainly does. After all it is easily accessed publicly. Definitely some food for thought.

Shit My Students Say/Said ... about Summer Vacation.

2011-07-09T23:55:00.000-03:00

"Teacher, what will you do this summer? I will study hard. I will play with my friend. I will play with myself a lot. "

One of my old students emailed me that today. She is in her 2nd year of High School. Once I finished chuckling and remembering that a) she isn't an adult and b) English is her 2nd language I replied that I would go to the beach and hoped she enjoyed her summer.

One of the benefits of teaching adults is that you could explain to them why you don't tell people you will play with yourself. :)

Korean Movies

2011-07-09T16:57:00.000-03:00

For all our negative banter back and forth Anonymous, aka AnonyJohn, aka (Anonymous) John on Dave's site was right when he said there are some great Korean movies out there. I don't see as many now as I used to for some strange reason. ;)

The 1st Korean movie I ever watched was "My Wife Is A Gangster." Some of my adult students (University age) had recommended it to me. This was the start of a strange love affair I have had with Korean gangster comedies. It was hard to understand some of the jokes in it because my knowledge of Korean culture was so low at the time, not that I am an expert now. The fight scenes were great. I have gone backed and watched it a few times since then and still enjoy it.

The first Korean movie I saw in a theater was "Phone". I will leave out some of the stupidity that was encountered as this post is about the movies not the mookery. While I couldn't understand much of what was said I was still able to follow the movie. Overall, I really enjoyed it. The little girl scared the bejeesus out me with her scream. As soon as it was out on DVD I rented it and watched it again. It was even better than the 1st time.

I still watch the odd Korean movie, thanks to the internet, and even recommend some of them to friends here.

Year 1 - Playing tourist at Home

2011-07-09T08:25:00.000-03:00

Another one from the old email bag. While it was still in my 1st year it was a month before I started my second job.

It always felt kind of strange coming home and ending up doing touristy things. That is what happens when everyone is working weekdays and you have nothing else to do.

******

Howdy

What can I say, I have been remiss in writing. I have been keeping pretty busy since I returned to Canada. Family get togethers, out with friends, parties, and even playing tourist. It has all kept me away from my computer.

The strangest thing about being back in Canada is that I feel more like a tourist now. I am only back for a few weeks, so there is no finality to my return. Also, I was playing tourist. While my uncle and aunt were visiting I did all the tourist stuff. I hit museums, some I hadn't been to in many years. I also did a tour of Halifax on the harbour hopper, an amphibious truck frm the Vietnam era.

We were going to go whale watching but due to high seas they didn't sail. So, we went on the harbour hopper. It takes you on a tour of Halifax by road, and then sea. Overall, it was pretty interesting, and a lot of fun. The tour guide made it fun too. She knew her history, trivia, and even some jokes.

One thing I have noticed since I got back is that we eat a LOT of meat here. I think I have eaten more meat in the last 2 weeks than I did in the last 2 months. Even counting all the lunches and going away parties. I also find I kind of miss Korean food. The Korean restaurant in Halifax closed so I couldn't go there to eat.

I have enjoyed my visit, but I am kind of looking forward to going back to Korea.

Take care

Flint

*****

Pyeongchang, South Korea, to host 2018 Winter Olympics.

2011-07-06T12:28:00.001-03:00

It is official, South Korea was awarded the right to hold the 2018 Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang. It is nice to see them go to a country that has never held them before. (Meaning the Winter Olympics, not the Summer.)

While it was nice to see the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver I believe that the Olympic games should be spread out more. There are a lot of countries who have never hosted a game before who should be given a chance before countries who have had them. In Canada we had the Calgary Winter Games and the Montreal Olympic Games. While it would be nice to see them here again there are other countries who deserve a shot at them too.

Unfortunately, money becomes an issue even though it isn't supposed to be. The Olympics is supposed to be about the best amateur athletes in the world but has gotten away from that. It often seems to be about having the best facilities and generating the most revenue.

Sorry to start rambling on about that but it has long been one of my pet peeves.

Congratulations again South Korea.

Turning Text Books into Tablets.

2011-07-05T22:20:00.000-03:00

I meant to post this yesterday but got ... distracted. Sometimes I write several things in advance but don't publish them right away so as not to inundate the blog with posts. Which is what happened with this one. But I digress.

A friend sent me a link to an e-article a few days ago about how South Korea is planning a big change in how kids are taught. Text books will be phased out by 2015. Instead, students will have a special tablet and access to a cloud based system for school material. Overall, an interesting article and policy.

Personally I prefer paper books to reading on a screen. However, it would have made for a much lighter load to carry when I was in school and University. One tablet instead of a shitload of books does sound nice.

They will have to make it so the kids can't add programs though or it will quickly become a gaming tool. I am sure some enterprising future programmer will find a way around that anyway. It should be interesting to see how this works out.

AnonyJohn - The Spam Post

2011-07-05T10:12:00.001-03:00

I am going to start this post with the last section I wrote. Why? Because it is going to be long and the last bit pretty much sums everything for those who just want to skip to the end.

"Of course none of what I just said will matter to AnonyJohn. In his universe all I said was "blah blah blah fucktard blah blah blah Korea bad blah blah blah AnonyJohn wins!"

Will he leave and not come back? Who the fuck cares?

Part of me hopes he returns and not just so I can say "I told you so." Fucktards like him can relieve the boredom at times. Part of me hopes he keeps his word because you can never get through to people like him. The trolling can become boring instead of a relief from boredom at times. Only time will tell."

Now for the post in its entirety.

*****

As mentioned in the comment section of a thread I found the "missing" post of Anonytard. AKA AnonyJohn. AKA John on Dave's site. Yes, I didn't approve it in what AnonyJohn considers a timely fashion. Why? I never saw it.

For some reason, kind of makes me wonder who the "whitey esl" anonymous poster might be, his comment ended up in "spam" and not "awaiting moderation". A few "anonymous" posts came in around the same time he sent his comment in. Until AnonyJohn started whining about me not approving it and declaring he won I never actually knew the post existed. Even though AnonyBaby said he was taking his ball and going home I still looked for the post because I wanted to know what the kimchi happened. and I found it in spam. Mmmmm .... spam.

I have to say AnonyJohn's speed in whining about the comment not being approved is kind of funny. I have no idea what the time is set for on the blog, I should look into it, but AnonyJohn's comment was submitted at 8:59 and he started whining about it not being approved at 12:04. Three hours. Jeebus H Crisco John, it was only 3 hours! Some people do have lives.

Maybe before declaring victory he could have simply asked what happened to it. Was I ignoring it or did I not get it? Of course that would be asking for too much common sense from him. I could understand jumping the gun if I had a history of not allowing comments but I don't. The whole TWO comments I have not approved since starting the blog were actually posted, sans the link they included to AAk's site. That is anonyJohn for you.

As for his "missing" post. It was classic AnonyJohn. He REALLY fixated on one sentence I wrote when talking about groupthink in SoKo and twisted the hell out of it. When talking about the darker side of groupthink I said:

You can see it in the racial stereotyping by Koreans.

I never said stereotyping was particular to Koreans. I never said stereotyping was the main problem. The depth and degree of groupthink in Korea is. I said you can see the darker side of groupthink in the racial stereotyping. Which just means most Koreans seem to hold the same racist stereotype strongly and blindly.

AnonyJohn's reply to Eve questioning his logic

EVE: You're right. Flint doesn't outright say stereotypes are exclusive to Korea, but he uses these stereotypes as an argument that Koreans have herd-mentality. I'm sorry, but which countries doesn't have stereotypes about other races/nationalities? Perhaps he didn't mean to say that? But here are his exact words: "You can see it (herd mentality) in racial stereotyping by Koreans." So just based on those words, am I to assume that if a country shows more creativity in stereotyping, they have less of a herd mentality?

Who the hell said racial stereotypes are creative? And AJ left out the examples of it. Does he REALLY think some dumb fuck who thinks every white person is an American or every black must be from Africa is creative? We DEFINTELY have a different opinion on creativity then. I think it shows a huge dollop of ignorance. Creativity has nothing to do with it.

Nor did I say steroetypes show the herd mentality. Nice of him to ignore everything else, including his own links, which pissed on his arguments and focus on that one sentence. Hmmm ... isn't that something he accused me and Dave of doing?

It was also interesting to see how he tried justify himself to Burndog.

Buddy, he calls me a Mook first in the post. He says "I'm trolling," because I make multiple attempts to get my point across, which is responded by these fools as "trolling" from the get go.

I have to wonder if AnonyJohn even knows what a troll is on the internet. AnonyJohnnyBoy seems to forget we had words on another website loooooong before he came here. One could say before he followed David, or me, here. AJ has a long history on Dave's site. I considered him a troll there long before he came here because he kept showing on David's site berating David and anyone else who disagreed with him or complained about Korea. He would post the same shit over and over. (Almost as if he thought that by continuously posting it he would somehow make people believe him.) Then he came here and did it. Sounds like a troll to me.

A troll;

someone who posts inflammatory, extraneous, or off-topic messages in an online community, such as an online discussion forum, chat room, or blog, with the primary intent of provoking readers into an emotional response or of otherwise disrupting normal on-topic discussion.

That pretty much nails him on Dave's site and at times here. It is the same shit over and over. When he isn't twisting shit around and ignoring reality he is making shit up. Why? To provoke.

I have been sharp with my words before, sure, but this is a site that has posts titled - "Retarded Shit Koreans Do," and "Korean Bullshit."

Then we have the "post titles" that piss him off. Well, first off they aren't post titles, they are categories or labels. I just checked to make sure but there is NO category or label titled "Retarded Shit Koreans Do" and lo and behold I was right. It doesn't exist. So I did a search for it just in case I was wrong and one post had that title. Here is what I found:

No posts matching the query: retarded shit koreans do

AnonyJohn, outright fabrication? Do you really know why the site pisses you off if some of the stuff you claim irks you DOESN'T exist?

He is right, about one thing, there is a "Korean Bullshit" tag. There is also a "Foreigner Bullshit" tag. I have said it before and odds are will again, reality just isn't AnonyJohn's friend. One is for posts about bullshit Koreans do the other for bullshit Foreigners do. Would you feel better if it said "Bullshit in Korea" AJ? Would that have your panties in less of a twist?

So I am a hypocrite because I talk about shit in Korea and about Koreans that bothers me. I don't talk about the same stuff in other countries here. Here being ...a site ABOUT Korea specifically. This is one of the things that always makes me chuckle, when assholes like him whine on about how you never talk about shit in other countries ... on a site about KOREA. What a fucktard.

Evidently AnonyJohnny never saw my other site, which I have mentioned many times, where I bitch about non-Korean things ESPECIALLY the crap in Canada. Who is a hypocrite again AnonyJohnnyBoy?

AnonyJohn also may have also missed the fact that I have a "Shit Koreans Say" category. Or in his world does that translate to "Retarded Shit Koreans Do"? Does that category upset him? What about "Shit Foreigners Say", "Shit Morons Say" (which has been used to point out the idiots on Korea Sentry), "Shit people Say"? Do they all upset him? Or just the Korean one? Which would be hypocritical of him wouldn't it? Can you guess what category he is being lumped in now?

Oh wait ... didn't he complain that I ONLY talk about the bad stuff Koreans do and not anyone else? Doesn't the FACT that these categories exist, complaining about the shit foreigners do in Korea make him ... wrong? Oh no, not AJ. He is a winner! He won!

Then you have his comments directed towards Burndog.

Burndog, these people have disrespected me, a country I love (and the home country of my wife) LOOOOOOOOONG before I was here calling him stupid.

Is that what has your knickers in a twist? We diss a country you love and the home of your wife? Grow the fuck up.

AnonyJohn you were being an obnoxious troll long before you came here. But of course that didn't happen in your reality. Seriously AnonyJohn, don't try and play the poor victim here. Hell look at how condescending you were to someone the FIRST time you replied to a comment by him about his time and experiences in Korea on David's site.

In many ways, the kid does bring up a lot of good points, but in others, it shows the type of arrogance that you 20 year olds often display.

And you wonder why people don't talk to you in a pleasant manner? FIRST fucking time you ever replied to the guy you talk down to him like that. He is just a kid. An arrogant 20 year old. Now why would anyone want to tell you that you are a condescending asshole for that?

I can trust Flint’s opinions, but the two of you haven’t been in Korea so long that you have the right to say, “we know the REAL Korea, and all of you other folks are fucktards, brainwashed assholes.”

My response was to say

Who the fuck said I am in my 20′s? Thanks for assuming John but you are off by a lot.

To which JohnnyBoy replied:

I never knew I was directly talking to you there, Flint.

Of course he never knew that. He only used my name in his second sentence. He started off by calling the OP " the kid" then mentioned "you arrogant 20-year olds" and in the NEXT sentence mentions me. But hey he never knew that last bit could be directed at me. And he wonder WHY I call him a mook and a troll? Oh and a fucktard. A serious fucktard.

He finished his diatribe by doing something he whines that I do to him, he dissed Burndog.

You think when they bitch about Korea that is them being positive? Of course not, but you don't give a shit because you agree with them and not with me.

Did he ever ask him about that or was he just assuming? Burndog strikes me as the kind of person who will tell you when he thinks you are right or wrong. When you are good, bad, or a stupid cunt. Once again, why would people ever think AnonyJohn is condescending and a prat? Maybe because he sounds that way.

In the end AJ sounded like a whiny fucking brat. Oh, you agree with them not me so I will discount what you say! Now I will take my ball and go home to mommy.

Of course none of what I just said will matter to AnonyJohn. In his universe all I said was "blah blah blah fucktard blah blah blah Korean bad blah blah blah AnonyJohn wins!"

Will he leave and not come back?Who the fuck cares?

Asian Movie Website

2011-07-04T18:44:00.000-03:00

If you are looking for Asian movies in torrent format try out Asia Torrents. They have a LOT of movies from all over Asia, recent as well as older ones. If you are like me and enjoy the old Shaw Brothers kung fu movies you will love the site. Most of the movies I got either had subtitles hard coded in the video or available as a separate download.

Shit Morons Say ... about leaving internet sites.

2011-07-04T14:03:00.001-03:00

"I'm done here. "

This was recently said by an Anonytard. (I thought of putting the post on Flint's Follies but since it was made on WTK I decided to keep it here.) It got me thinking about how many times I have heard similar remarks by people since I started going online. Whether it was people on an LPMud, a BBS, Facebook, or any other site.

They make a scene, large or small, about leaving. Many will leave diatribes castigating those they feel wronged them. Or they announce they "won", like Anonytard, and are taking their ball and going home. Or it is posted to garner sympathy and they expect to be asked or begged to stay. However written, worded, or reasoned they all have a common theme. "I am leaving and never coming back."

In most cases, they come back. Whether it is just to read the site and not participate or to start over under a new name/anonymously. Some stay away for a while "to make a point". Some stay away for a while before coming back quietly. Some make a production about their return. Regardless, most of these drama queens usually come back in some way. I found that the ones who left and never came back were usually the people who didn't make any kind of production out of it. They just left.

Which is why when I see people making statements about leaving it makes me laugh. Leave, stay, it doesn't really matter. People should do what they want to do. If you don't want to be somewhere then leave. But if you make a production about it and come back you are just another drama queen looking for attention.

What Whitey Wants.

2011-07-03T14:49:00.001-03:00

Recently one of the Kimchi Kamikaze Kommandoes made a comment in a thread that bears commenting on. The brave kkklucker known as Anonymous said;

"whitey esl only come to korea for women and drugs"

Now I dealt with the drug part in the comment section so Iwon't go into detail about it here. Suffice it to say that if I was going to a country because for the drug scene I would never have gone to South Korea. There are much better choices.

The lamentation of the South Korean male, be he "real" or ethnic, seems to be that "whitey esl" is in Korea just to get "their" women. Well, if all men includes me then you are wrong. My impetus for going to South Korea was to get a job I hoped I would enjoy and to see the world. I never went there to "get a woman" nor to find a wife. If I found one, and I dated a few, fine but that wasn't why I went there. I enjoyed teaching and saw some of the world and went home so, mission accomplished.

Sure a lot of the guys who come to teach want to party and get laid. What the hell do you expect when you hiring "kids" just out of university? Of course many of them are going to act like a bunch of frat boys.

Add to that a society that doesn't mind drinking, in fact it encourages it at times. Bosses that don't usually do anything if people come in drunk or hung over as long as "whitey esl" is in the class performing for the students. (Actually that isn't fair, most places I worked at didn't care if the Korean teachers were hung over either. Unless the boss was looking to fire a teacher, foreign or Korean.) Jobs with poor communication where anything can change with no warning. Jobs that at times seem more like a joke than a job.

It is a bad mixture of immaturity and stupidity which can cause some bad results. Yes, I am thinking of you twats naked in the stands at the baseball game. However, it isn't all expats. Just like the kkklansmen on Korea Sentry don't represent all Koreans, or ethnic Koreans.

*NOTE* I finished this one a little quickly because I stupidly hit publish instead of save as draft. May have more to say on the matter at another time.

Duck Me!

2011-07-03T09:13:00.000-03:00

I was watching Grill It with Bobby Flay and they were doing duck. It got me thinking back to food in Korea. I never really enjoyed duck until I was in Korea.

The first time I had it was nothing fancy, duck pieces grilled kind of like samkyubsal. The grill was more of a dome than a grill so a lot of the fat ran off. The duck was not gamey at all. The problem I had with duck in Canada the few times I ate it was that it was too gamey. I don't mind a little gamey but it just didn't work with the duck I had.

Another great way of having duck was Ori Ros, which is roast duck. It really isn't roasted. You get a huge pan full of veg and cut up pieces of duck and they all fry together. (Kind of like some of the chicken we had at Chicken Palace Stig.) It was damn good.

I had duck soup a few times but it wasn't that special. It wasn't bad but it wasn't something I would go out of my way to eat.

Now I find myself wanting some Ori Ros.

Generalizing about Koreans

2011-07-02T10:16:00.000-03:00

I have been reading David's site and a mook named John keeps trolling there. He is often found bleating the same tune about generalizing about Koreans. Yes, I have commented on making generalizations and South Korea before but it bears repeating.

A lot of times the "defenders of Korea", especially apologists, decry the fact that people make generalizations about South Koreans. Of course people do, it is one of the few societies in the world where you can generalize about public thought and be right. Group think, or herd mentality, is very active, alive, and encouraged in SoKo. This has even been noticed by the Korean "media", and used and abused by them, protest groups, as well as businesses in order to sell their service or cause.

Conformity is the norm in South Korea. Whether it is in style of dress or way of thinking. Sometimes those two actually go hand in hand as I found out from my friend SY. He used to get jealous of the fact that I could wear whatever I wanted whenever I wanted because I am a foreigner. Really? Yes, you have to dress a certain way for the seasons. If you deviate something is wrong with you, or you are a foreigner and it is excused. Koreans would get bent out of shape at times when they saw me wearing short sleeve shirts in the winter.

There is a dark side to it as well, which I have written about before too. Like the idea that if you don't "look" Korean you can't be Korean. After an incident in a class where an older boy started laying into a younger girl because she had light colour hair and complexion, I used that as a talking point with higher level classes. Most agreed that if you don't completely look Korean you aren't. Even adults.

You can see it in racial stereotyping by Koreans. All whites are American unless they are blond in which case they are Russian. All blacks are African. Japanese are evil. Chinese are poor and dirty.

Individuality is not encouraged in South Korea, or North Korea for that matter. If you do stand out you tend to get smacked back into line or even worse, no longer treated as part of the group.

Yes, generalizing can be taken too far at times but in the case of South Korea it tends to be true a lot of the time as well. The fact that some people get pissy when generalizations based in reality are made just makes me wonder how much they really know about life in South Korea.

Shit Morons Say ... about the Simpsons.

2011-06-30T22:49:00.000-03:00

Aren't they also involved in making of the Simsons? This one looks more like older Disney cartoon. The style reminds me of Snow White or Bambi.

Herr Consoleman posted a link to a North Korean Anti-American cartoon and that was Campers reply. He thinks the Simpsons animation is done by the Norks?!?!?!?!?! Or does he think there is a North Korean cartoon called The Simsons? Just when you think Indcut is the biggest moron on Korea Sentry you have this post by Campers. What a fucking idiot.

I try to get away from posting about these idiots but their stupidity just keeps dragging me back. :)

Update July 1 2011:

Thanks to the info provided by Burndog I have to apologize. There really is a Nork cartoon called "The Simsons" which is meant to parody The Simpsons and be anti-American. Damn. Truth is stranger than fiction.

Shit Morons Say ... about gender imbalance.

2011-06-30T09:24:00.000-03:00

Isn't there generally more women in Korea than men?

Bwahahahahahahaha!!!!!! Sorry, I couldn't help laughing before starting any commentary. This comment was made by Indicunt ... or Indicut ... in a thread on KkkS about the shortage of Korean women in South Korea.

This twat tries to tell people what Korea is REALLY like and about. He tries to tell people who should or should not be allowed into South Korea. Yet he really doesn't seem to know much about South Korea.

The gender imbalance and the problems it has created already, and ones it will create in the future, has been around since I 1st went to Korea, and probably before. The big worry back then was what would happen in 10-15 years. But this idiot who likes to think he is a font of knowledge about Korea never knew about it. Even Herr Consoleman knew about it and he has been ensconced in his parents basement in Australia since at least High School.

What a moron.

Shit Morons Say ... when they lose.

2011-06-29T16:33:00.000-03:00

According to the coach for the North Korean World Cup women's team the reason they lost to the US team was because ... several of their players were struck by lightning while practicing in Pyongyang. (A tip of the hat to Korea Beat for this one.)

Bwahahahahahaha!!!! That is a pretty insane excuse. :)

Shit Morons Say ... about inventing.

2011-06-29T16:13:00.000-03:00

Caucasians have invented too many things for the society of human beings.

So Caucasians are bad because they invented too many things that are useful? Seriously? That is one of the stupidest fucking things Indicut has written, and he has written some doozies. Of course he had to add a load of racist bullshit after that.

Other races like Hispanics and Blacks are nothing but cockroaches that only leech off the flourishing nations. If Korea were to let any race immigrate into Korea, I would only approve the entrance of Whites. Hispanics are decent for labor but they have that 3rd world mentality that just consumes their area of habitat into a ghetto filth.

His just one whackjob among the many whackjobs on Korea Sentry.

Shit Morons Say ... about rioting vs demonstrating.

2011-06-27T12:09:00.000-03:00

Koreans don't really have riots. They don't burn down stores or loot or deface public property en masse. They may DEMONSTRATE and be loud, but that is a far cry from rioting.

Wideawake on Korea Sentry.

Wow, this twit really showed his lack of knowledge about Korea, and the difference between demonstrating and rioting. Google definitely isn't his friend.

I guess he had his head buried in the sand when the Mad Cow riots were taking place. While the Korean "demonstrators" don't loot en masse they do throw molotov cocktails, attack police, destroy public property. I guess to FastAsleep that is just being loud?

And that doesn't even start getting into the antics of the "demonstrators" at ones that don't turn into riots. Tearing a live piglet into quarters. Bludgeoning pheasants to death. Of course their politicians don't exactly set a good example do they?

Of course this is a person who claims KS isn't really a racist hate site.

AddedJune 28th 2011:

I figures I would add this link to one of ROKDrop's posts. It is about the 2002 accident where 2 Korean Middle School girls were killed and the subsequent fuckery and lies.

What the ... misperception?!?!?

2011-06-21T14:50:00.000-03:00

Reading the lametations of the KKKluckers and their ilk makes me shake my head at the way they seem to perceive non-Koreans. Do they REALLY believe that people (non-Korean) approve of others in or from their home country acting like assholes or breaking the law? In the case of many of the KKKleagle at Korea Sentry they actually grew up and/or live in Western countries.

Look at the latest foreign idiots in South Korea that got the KKKlans juices flowing. First you have the mooks sitting on the floor of the subway drinking and playing cards. Then you have the uber-idiots stripping down at a baseball game. If I was to only go by what the folks at KS and their ilk said I would be left thinking that ALL foreigners approve of this behaviour. If I was to go by what one of the contributors on Marmot's Hole said I would be left thinking that it is common behaviour in Western countries. Their perception isn't just off, it is seriously flawed.

I don't know of anyone (ex-pat/foreigner) who says the behaviour of those people is acceptable. Sure, some may joke and laugh about them but they would also be quick to say they are a bunch of fucktards. A lot of foreigners I know in Korea would like to see the offenders identified, exposed (no pun intended), and punished for their behaviour. They believe, and I concur, that these idiots give foreigners a bad name in Korea and there is no excuse for what they did. In fact, it doesn't matter if they did it in South Korea, Canada, or Zimbabwe, they would still be viewed as assholes by most people.

Nor have I seen any foreign media coverage extolling the virtues of the idiot ex-pats. Or even websites doing teh same. If there was something like that out there then I could see where this perception MIGHT come from. But there is nothing like that out there. Sometimes perceptions are have some basis in reality but I haven't seen anything to support this one.

To actually believe that most if not all ex-pats and foreigners believe this is pretty fucked up. It doesn't say a lot about the intelligence of those (like the KS idiots) espousing that view. However, it does give you an insight into their bias, hatreds, and just how far they will go to grind that axe.

Travelling Abroad

2011-06-19T22:35:00.000-03:00

"Do we really want to travel in hermetically sealed popemobiles through the rural provinces of France, Mexico and the Far East, eating only in Hard Rock Cafes and McDonalds? Or do we want to eat without fear, tearing into the local stew, the humble taqueria's mystery meat, the sincerely offered gift of a lightly grilled fish head? I know what I want. I want it all. I want to try everything once."

— Anthony Bourdain (Kitchen Confidential: Adventures in the Culinary Underbelly)

This quote really made me think of Koreans I know who travelled abroad. Most of them went on package tours where everything was prepared for them. For the most part they only ate at Korean style restaurants. They saw all the sites tourists are supposed to see, and had their pictures taken in front of them.

To me going to another country should be an experience of all your senses. Not some antiseptic prepared tour where nothing is really a surprise and all you experience is the familiar. I believe you need to experience all the culture and food is a major part of that. I would be gobsmacked when I talked with friends and students who travelled abroad but never sampled the food. In many cases they brought Korean rice and kimchi with them.

I would look at them as if they were insane when they talked about going to Thailand but not even trying Thai food. They would say it tastes too strong or too hot. But ... how the kimchi would they know? They never tried it! One of the biggest complaints I heard was about how all Chinese food is too oily, too greasy. Yet this would be said after telling you they have NEVER eaten it. They never even tried a nibble. Why? Because they were TOLD, by Koreans, that the food was like that. So why bother trying it? To which I would say why bother going abroad if you are just going to see Korean related or approved sites and only eating Korean food?