I Love Malling.

Phewwwww. What a day yesterday was.

Joel took my to Seonhak Station, which is about a ten-fifteen minute walk from my place; he showed me how the reloadable T-Money transportation card works, then I was on the subway and off to Yongsan Station.

Yongsan is one stop West of Seoul on the 1 Line. But why stop in Yongsan instead of Seoul? I'm glad you asked. Yongsan Station is attached to the I-Mall, which has just about anything and everything you'd ever want. Really.

The signs for I-Mall all say 'I Love Malling,' which makes me wonder if they meant 'Mauling' or even realized the similarity. Regardless, it's funny stuff.

I ran into Jay and Evan at I-Mall! They were just looking around, but had big plans to scale a big mountain and wanted some food first, so we went to a Thai place- I had chicken fried rice which, to my surprise, included some yellow curry. Was pretty damn good! Cultural note: the phrase 'yuh-gi-oh' means 'you, over here' and is a perfectly acceptable way to summon a waiter/waitress.

After the fried rice adventure, I wandered around a good bit until I found the music section of I-Mall. Yeah, there's a music section. Complete with everything from violas and cellos to big, button-covered Ableton Live specific MIDI interfaces. I... had to drop a bit of money. I couldn't help it. But I came out with two Korg MIDI controllers, the nanoPad and nanoKontrol. The Pad has a Kaoss pad built in (YES YES YES) and ten drum buttons with roll/flam features- the Kontrol has nine channels, each with a fader, knob, and two buttons along with play/stop/rewind/ff/record/loop controls. The best part is that every button on either device is fully assignable through software, so I'm stoked as Hell.

Anyway, more about I-Mall. They have bloody everything. I've seen red and lime green PSPs, vending machines with Bomberman figurines in them, shirt/vest combinations that put American ones to shame, sick ass USB hubs... there was a really nice LG LCD TV on sale for some 300,000 won... marked down from 1,500,000 won. Uhm. They have two floors for computers! Some really amazing machines, too.

The place is amazing. I love malling. It wasn't too hard to get there, either. Just take the Incheon line North to Bupyeong, transfer to Eastbound Line 1, and boom.

The subway is really cool, I enjoyed it. A little crowded at times and I got my fair share of weird looks, being one of three foreigners in my car at best.. but it's neat. There are TVs in the Incheon Line subways, and they announce which stop you're coming to (along with a voice announcement). A neat experience.

Then, last night, I went out with Tom and Joel. We went to a foreigner bar in Bupyeong. The first song that played when I walked in the door was MGMT's 'Kids,' of course, because I can't escape that bloody song no matter how far I fly. Not that I hate it, it's a good song, but.. anyway. I drank a bit too much last night and got pretty quiet. Actually, I was kind of quiet the whole time. It's a damn shame because there were new people there, could've gotten to know them, la la la... but I'm still kind of humbled/overwhelmed by all the newness here. I still feel very much like a guest here, and it's hard to get into the swing of things socially under those circumstances. I think once I feel more at home here and really understand the length of my stay, I'll be better about it. What I need to do is realize that everything that's happened to me so far, my entire past, it's just a story. And once I'm able to crumple that up and start again, I'll really get into the swing of things. I've always had a problem with pushing myself to socialize; I never really do it. I think there's a sense of entitlement behind all of that- I'm used to being liked, so I feel like it should happen immediately without any effort on my part. This is something I noticed happening to me before I left, even, and I really need to get out of that rut.

I slept until about 11:30a today and I'm still a bit hungover. Jay and Evan are going island hopping today- there's an archipelago area not too terribly far from here, and the ferry that goes between the islands is pretty cheap. I woke up a bit too late, though, and I'm a bit wary of spending any more money after my adventure in Yongsan. I'm still doing alright, but I want to play it safe until Wednesday when I open my bank account and am able to exchange my traveler's checks.

I'll probably go on another picture quest sometime soon, and should be able to update picasaweb.google.com/thefinalthom relatively soon. Keep an eye out! :)

Wishing everyone back home the best,
-토맛

You'll Allllllways Be Way-yi-yayyyy-tinngggg

Cake got stuck in my head. It happens.

So! It turns out that I won't be getting my ARC until next Wednesday. Total bummer. Because of that, I can't get a bank account until probably Thursday. And because of that, I can't get internet until probably Friday morning. This, my friends, is no good. I won't be able to get a cell until then either, so contacting anyone will be a pain.

What else is going on... let's see. I didn't have classes today, and I don't have classes tomorrow. My day basically consisted of finding ways to look busy even though I have the majority of my work done. And that's even with the meeting that I had this evening... if that hadn't killed an hour, I'm not sure what I would've done. I did get to leave early though, mostly because there wasn't anything for me to do.

So tomorrow I'm sure I'll drop a few Won on another pretty little pink box of chocolates (they're essentially Koala Yummies, so don't front because you know they're delicious) and maybe a few shots of espresso. Then I'll sit around, maybe get a few lesson plans for next Friday done, do a few Powerpoint presentations for some of the Elem. School teachers, probably hit Facebook a few times, check my e-mail more often than necessary, and try to leave an hour before my shift would normally end so I can go bowling with the co-workers. Since I won't have any work to do.

The vacation sounds like it'll be interesting. I guess there's something going on in Seoul this weekend, so I may end up over there. Might stay the night there, too. Not sure what the details are on that yet, but... where I land, I don't really care. I don't need a plan.

Well, that's pretty much that for now. I'll try to find a good, reliable wi-fi spot that I can make calls from on Friday. Maybe try to Skype a bit. We'll see what happens.

Be well,
-토맛

Won Rules Everything Around Me.

Hey, blog. It's been a bit since I rapped at ya.

So on Sunday I managed to find my way to a bowling alley. It was a long walk, about 30 minutes I'd guess, but it was totally worth it. Upon arrival, I decided that I wanted to buy my own ball. Korea is an incredibly competitive country (if you lot haven't already noticed, what with the professional Starcraft games and all), so I figured that I'd get a bit of my own equipment so I can at least try to reach that level. When in Korea... anyway. So the cheapest ball was 130,000 Won, so a bit over $100 USD. I didn't have that on me in cash, so I made the mistake of asking if they accepted American credit cards (because some larger establishments like Lotte Mart do). Well, the guy behind the counter told me 'no, this is Korea'. Maybe a little rude, but fair enough, right? I'd imagine the question in itself is maybe a little insulting. But I bowled three games with a few house balls; their house ball selection is insane. They had a Storm (nigh legendary hook ball) sitting on their house ball rack. If the finger holes were a bit bigger, I could've rocked that.. but I went for the Hammer instead. Still a good ball. I didn't have a glove, so I didn't bowl as well as I could've, though I was pretty into it by the third game. I went to buy a beverage from a vending machine and saw that they had Mountain Dew; the label said something about SAME GREAT AMERICAN TASTE and I realized something- as much as I rag on America and Denver in particular, I do love it. It's my home. Everything I love now, I discovered there. But I love it here, too. So it really comes down to this... don't hate where you are, and don't hate where you're from. Easier said than done, but coming here has already given me a bit of perspective... which is one of the things I'm looking for.

Either way, I was pretty proud of the fact that I managed to track down a bowling alley and get there- and now I have bus directions there from work and home, so I can go just about whenever I want. It'll be easy- the bowling alley has an oversized bowling pin out front on the street for easy identification. Pictures soon, I swear it. ;) The bowling alley sells balls and shoes but not gloves, so I have to find this place called N.B. Bowling- it's a bowling supply store in Yeonsu. I'll find it, worry not.


Yesterday I went to Lotte Mart with Tom and Joel after work. Lotte Mart has a KFC inside, kind of like Wal-Mart has McDonald's or Subway. Feeling a little adventurous and maybe a little crazy, I decided to order the TOWER BURGER. It was either that or the Shrimp Zinger Burger, but a coin toss decided on the TOWER BURGER. The thing's enormous, as you'd probably imagine. It's a chunk of fried chicken topped with a hash brown with some sauce on a bun. Okay, maybe it sounds gross, but get your ass over here and try one. It's pretty amazing.


Apartment is smelling a bit funny because the clothes I've hung out to dry are... still drying. I soaked everything when I tried to wash it- I guess I chose the setting that gives me five times the water I needed. Oops. So I went down to the GS25 convenience store and looked around at their selection of air fresheners. I knew the one I wanted when I saw it- it's called the Big Egg. Funny thing is, my dad would always ask my mom to make him a 'big egg', which is essentially a... well... fried egg. Or is it scrambled? Bah, I don't know. But it's funny nonetheless. The clerk there was the same guy I saw yesterday when I picked up my daily Doubleshot- he'd given me a point card and, upon recognizing me, asked me to present it. I guess I can go online and get some sort of crazy rewards with it? I don't know. But it's kind of neat that people recognize me and are being super helpful as a result.

Speaking of which! I also went to Lotte Mart on Sunday and bought a cushion for my bed because it's unnaturally hard, which has made sleeping chore-like. It set me back quite a bit, but that's okay. What was really nice is that the woman in the formalwear section (surprise, surprise) recognized me. I told her that I was looking for bedding in the most broken, basic Korean imaginable and she actually escorted me down the escalator and across the bottom floor to the bedding area. She left her post and walked across the whole store to help me get where I was going. Super nice! The only issue is that I'm having trouble getting out of bed now... it's much more comfortable than it was.


Oh, Placebo- they're playing not this coming Wednesday, but the next. I'm hoping to have my T-Money card for the subway all squared away by then so I can get to Olympic Hall in Seoul to see them after work that day. I'd assumed that this would be an impossibility because I was under the impression that I was working until 11:30p every day, but it looks like I'll actually be able to go now that work ends at 7:30p. The only issue I can see is getting back home... I'm pretty sure the subway will stop running before the concert's over, and it's already an hour and a half-ish subway ride into Seoul from where I am. Problem. If I catch a cab, it'll probably take a while too... and it'll be expensive. Considering that I've been getting to work at 11:30a every day, little sleep will be had.


Tonight is galbi night; every Tuesday night, everyone at work goes out for galbi. I don't think I'll have time to grab my camera today, but every Tuesday night is galbi night... so I'll be able to take pictures later. The crew mostly consists of Elementary School teachers, who leave the office an hour before Middle School teachers. But now that there are two foreign Middle School teachers, myself included, they might wait up. They might not. I'm not sure. I hope they do, though; our schedules are different to the point that I haven't had as much of an opportunity to get to know them, while Tom usually stays at school until Joel gets out. But yeah- I'm very excited about the prospect of more galbi.


Classes yesterday went pretty well. I taught my most advanced class yesterday- they're an advanced-level speaking class, and it's really amazing how good they are. They're a bit disruptive at times, but they participate to the point that I don't mind so much. I really would rather they come to class with a bit of extra energy and misuse some of it than having a classroom full of zombie students. But I will go Chicago Ted on them if need be.


Anxious to get my ARC- once I get that, I can open a bank account and exchange my traveler's checks. Pro Tip: Don't just bring traveler's checks, you'll pretty much be forced to exchange them at the airport; this'll land you a worse rate on your exchange. I've been able to use my American debit card just fine at the GS25 ATM with no fee on my end. Regardless, I really want a bank account here. It'll make me feel more at home, more at ease. I'll also be able to get a cell phone, meaning I can keep in touch with my co-workers and new people I meet. This'll be especially valuable during my vacation at the end of this week / start of next week. I don't want to be holed up at home or at Ghost for the entirety of it, though I might go subway hopping if I get my T-Money card. Lastly, though, I'll have internets at home- I'm like a superhero that draws his powers from internet connectivity. I can really do most anything and solve most any problem as long I have a good bitstream going. Plus, I'll feel a bit more comfortable at home and can hopefully start working on a few tracks with greater confidence; the internet is a great resource to have at your fingertips when you're making music.

I hope everything is going well at home. I've heard reports of Wheat Ridge tornadoes and other madness since I've left, which was just a bit over a week ago, so I really hope my presence wasn't keeping the Hellmouth from opening under Denver. Hah.

Be well,
-토맛

...and it's the effing weekend.

Weekends are exhausting. At least kind of.
Today I went to Lotte Mart on foot, walked around for a long while, and ended up leaving with all sorts of cool stuff. Including computer speakers and CD-Rs, excluding bedding.
I know, I know, I know. I went there for bedding. But anyone who knows me shouldn't be surprised by this at all.
The best thing was that they accepted my American credit card.
It's been pretty easy distributing my expenses over my different methods of bringing money so far; I brought traveler's checks, my debit card and my credit card. There's an ATM at a convenience store just down the street that will let me withdraw money from my bank account without a charge. There's still a bank charge, of course, but it's nice that the ATM doesn't double-dip. That was always a gripe of mine back home.

Joel and Tom came by this afternoon after my Lotte Mart adventure and we ordered a few pizzas from Domino's. Which is right by my place. Like, right next to it. To the point that I use it as a landmark if I'm venturing South of my place, around the Suribong intersection (large four-way intersection, lots of cars- I cross this to go to work or anywhere South of me, really). It was nice to kick it with them for a bit- we went back to Joel's to eat. Those two are characters, they really are... they picked up some toy guns from E-Mart and got into a few heated standoffs here and there, hilarious to watch. Joel's internet is hooked up, so he grabbed a subway map and threw it on my flash drive. We also watched Bruno from a streaming site and, oh man, anyone who hasn't seen it isn't missing much at all. We stopped about a fifth of the way through to save ourselves the headache.

Tom also showed me how to get hot water in my apartment. It's really easy- you just push the button to activate the thermostat and the hot water heater kicks on instantly. Everything's gas powered, so that's why there's just one button. No more frighteningly cold showers for me... now I have control over that aspect of my life once again. It's quite a nice thing to have control over. Trust me, you don't know what you got 'til it's gone.

What else... oh, I got my first lesson in Korean fashion today. When I went to Lotte Mart, I was immediately drawn to the men's formalwear department. It was easy to see because all of their ties are SHINY AS HELL. Seriously. Shiny. Glittery, almost. It's something else. I didn't buy one today, but I'm sure I'll end up back there at some point. Just don't laugh if you see me wearing a glittery, pastel pink tie. I know nobody will because I know I can pull it off. ;)

I also ran over to a local convenience store today. Went for more hangers, a clothes drying rack (because nobody really uses dryers over here) and a bunch of bottled water. That was fun to carry home. :P

Sounds like Tom and Joel will be stopping by tomorrow to take me to the nearest train station so I can buy a T-Money card for the public transit system. These cards are great- they're refillable transit cards that also give the bearer a discount on tickets, transfers and even taxi service. So if you ever forget to bring some money when you're heading out somewhere, it's no problem so long as you've brought your keys. Yeah, your keys. The card's really tiny to the point that it's an acceptable keychain or cell phone accessory.

Anyway, Joel tells me that there's a huge electronics store at the station two stops North of here. Huge. Keyboards, CD and Vinyl tables, guitars, speakers, you name it. I'd love to check it out tomorrow- I'm a little upset that I bought computer speakers today, but I do tend to jump the gun. I might just put them up on Craigslist - Seoul and see if I can get a decent bit back. I'll lose money, but so is the price of being reckless.

I'm also familiar with how to get to Seoul using the subway system thanks to Joel's map. North to Bupyeong (붑영), transfer to the Eastbound 1 line, take it to Seoul. No problem.

Now that I have a subway map, I'm really anxious for Global Gathering in September. Huge electronica festival held in multiple countries. And piss, I've missed the Jisan Valley Rock Festival which featured Basement Jaxx and Dieselboy... that was today. Son of the bitch. Best case scenario they both show at Global Gathering, I guess?

Damn it. I was excited about that. But it's probably more important that I get settled in and get everything together right now. By September I'll be more than prepared to venture off to wherever Global Gathering is being held. I'm way way way excited for it. You've no idea. Not only is it a huge electronica festival but I'm pretty certain that it'll be one of the most amazing days, if not the most amazing day, that I've ever lived. Excitement.

It's getting late here and I've had a long day. Going to poke around on Craigslist - Seoul for a bit, pay my Won and get to bed.

Bones.

-토맛

You Can't See The Lotte Mart From The Trees.

I'm at Lotte Mart on limited battery life. Free Wi-Fi, though.
Need to get some bedding- my bed is kind of stiff and has a small pillow, so.

I couldn't find this place until I checked on a map.
It's hard to see from the school because it's obscured by trees.

Anyway.

Pictures on their way at http://picasaweb.google.com/thefinalthom

Please take a look, thanks! :D

-Thom

...Great Teacher Thomas?

Teaching today was a snap. A breeze. No sweat.
Classes were anywhere from 70-80min, much longer than the 45min classes I was teaching yesterday. So how the blast did I manage to do so well today?

Not sure.

I only finished three of four lesson plans today, and one of them was shot to Hell when the students told me "teacher, teacher, teacher! we did already."

Those are the worst six words to hear from students. Aside from "give me detention, I don't care," I suppose. But I still managed to work things out and keep my students from landing themselves in detention while powering through a full unit in each class. So I'm sticking to the schedule that the higher-ups want me to stick to, which involves keeping the students well enough in order to get through the material.

They really love it when you tell them "If we can finish everything in class today, there's no homework. So please don't talk while I'm talking." The promise of one or two fewer pages of homework means a lot. My co-workers tell me that they're swamped with homework from public school, not to mention the homework they get from the other teachers in my school. So any little bit helps, right?

To further solidify my point, I handed out five reward pencils (five!) today and was actually told "good lesson, teacher" by one of the students. That and they actually did what I asked instead of sitting there and doodling.

I think it really helps that I have some beef with the public school system in 'merica. I never had any motivation to do my work. It was boring and the teachers didn't really get me into it- even the ones that tried really hard to get their students involved ended up dishing out more work than anyone could really handle unless they dropped all of their free time into studying. That makes it really hard to be motivated, you know?


Tom and Joel invited me to come out to Touchdown for pool tonight, but they got a call from one of their friends in the area who wanted to go to dinner with them, so Tom came to my door to explain the situation- he apologized a lot, which was crazy. But really considerate of him. It's just funny because I tried to pay the cab fare back from work today but they wouldn't have it. "Don't worry so much about trying to pay us back for every little thing. It's only $1.50." I told them I wanted to based on principle, and they liked the idea of that but still wouldn't take my money. Fair enough.

The weirdest possible thing that could happen is that I come home with an Australian accent, but who knows. Haha. I caught myself nearly telling Joel that one of my students was whinging about the possibility of detention... funny funny.

So instead of going out to play pool and drink soju, I decided to explore. Tonight I walked to the street I'd walk down for school, but went the other way instead. I managed to snap a few pretty choice pictures along the way. On top of that, I found a grocery store! It's not nearly as far from my place as Lotte Mart is, and doesn't have some of the stuff I need so I will need to hit Lotte Mart eventually, but it's nice to know that there's a grocery store so close to me. The walk is still a bit farther than I'm used to, so it was something else to walk back home with two huge bags filled with all sorts of things, but I managed.

One of the items I bought was a loaf of bread labelled "Happy Plus Toast." Everything here cheers me up and whittles away at the bit of homesickness I feel here and there, it's amazing.

I don't know that I'd call it homesickness, but... life in Denver really started picking up a few weeks before I left. I got to see a number of people I hadn't seen in a bit, started spending more time with old acquaintances and watched those relationships start to blossom into current friendships, I was given the chance to play a set (and offered a second chance) which made me really happy, and I finally came to understand the purpose, rhyme and reason of everything that's happened to me since last April. All of this stuff is important, but that was really the icing on the cake... that's really what made my coming to Korea feel like the start of a new chapter, because the previous chapter was concluded. Sense was made of everything that I'd dismissed as complete nonsense, complete madness. It's really an amazing thing that happened, and it all happened on the night before I was set to leave. So I guess it may not have happened if I didn't leave, but. Well. Like I said, life in Denver really started picking up a few weeks before I left. And I learned a lot about myself and my life in Denver during those few weeks.

It's okay, though. I've been listening to upbeat music, which always seems to keep my spirits up... and it seems like every little thing that I see here does the same. I walked by a pet accessory store and smiled the happiest little smile when I saw the dog leashes, all of that. I saw a dad give his son a piggyback ride. I went to a small bakery near the grocery store and got a sweetroll. I'm learning to appreciate the small things again due to the change of scenery- I'd become so accustomed to Denver that I forgot to appreciate the small things. I think it's an important part of being a happy and well-rounded person, to appreciate everything around you.

Like the two guys sitting behind me playing a soccer game against each other. Or the girl a few computers down rocking some Tetris. It feels like this huge picture is being painted for me, a picture that will become my life perspective when it's all finished. And I can already tell that it'll the loveliest picture I've ever laid eyes on.

Speaking of pictures! My Picasa photoblog will be up pretty soon. I gave my passport to one of the Korean teachers so that he could get my Alien Registration Card with it. He says it should take a week for processing. This means that I can spend some of my vacation getting things together- this means a handphone, bank account and, most importantly, internet at home. Then I'll be able to Skype and post pictures, video, all of that.

Okay, going to try to call my mom again.
Hopefully this time the international calling code I use doesn't get all pissy at me.

Take care,
-토맛

Quick Update Before Work

Hey, everyone.
Don't have much time before I have to head over to the school.
Probably going to cab it today- there's not much appeal in showing up to work sweating like you just ate three full bowls of kimchi.

I spent a lot of time looking at maps online last night and managed to find a place called Green Mart in the Hambakmaeul neighborhood. Still pretty sure I'm butchering the name of my neighborhood.

So today I managed to walk to this place and pick up some bowls, plates, milk, cereal... all that essential stuff. I'm pretty happy about it; it wasn't easy because some of the landmarks from the maps I was using have changed. For example: the church I was looking for on the corner? It's a bar/PC 방 now.

But yeah, I did manage to find Green Mart and it was pretty awesome. Small, sure, so I still need to stop at Lotte Mart (which I also found on my map) tonight after work. Assuming none of my co-workers have crazy Friday night plans.

Regarding work: I'm hoping that today will be easier. I think I have a good lead on which units the students are on, but I'm not entirely sure. I thought one of my classes was on the unit about the internet yesterday, but it turns out they were on the next unit which involved a bit of listening. Since I thought they were on the previous sans listening unit, I didn't bring a CD player. Made life hard.

We'll see, though. Once I go through this first week of classes I should know exactly where everyone is.

Alright- need to put on the final touches before work. Time to head back home, pick out a good tie, get my bag together and hail a cab (still so very excited that this is possible!) to school.

Words.
-토맛

Now erase name.

Today was my first day of classes.
Some went very well, some were harder.
It's true, the students like to try to test you by being total zombies in class.

Luckily, though, they weren't misbehaving too hard.
I tried having students switch off reading sentences from a paragraph in class, but a lot of the other students were talking. And since the students are already pretty shy about their English, they talk pretty quietly when speaking it.
This makes reading out loud exercises impossible.

So there's this student named Copy in my last class.
I love the name, it's awesome, he's probably my favourite.
But he's a bit of a chatterbox.

So I have this system- there are five rules. You break one, you get a warning. After your warning, which is your name written up on the board, you get three strikes. Three strikes means detention, son, and you don't want none of that 'cause your parents'll be mad pissed that they have to stay up until midnight to get your delinquent ass.

Rules:
1. Don't hit.
2. Don't cheat.
3. Don't be disruptive; raise your hand instead.
4. Don't throw things.
5. Don't say bad words.

After observing good behaviour, I start erasing names/marks. Messi and Luigi were being punks, they got their names on the board. But once they started reading quietly when asked, boom. Their names came off. Copy noticed this and started behaving well only to say 'now erase name' after doing so. Whatever motivates the students, honestly... as long as they're behaving and doing their work, I could care less if they like me or if they really care about the subject. I would prefer that they care, but let's face it... they're Middle School students, right on the cusp of complete and total apathy towards everything, everybody and every idea/concept ever. I know, I was there once.

Half of the classes, well, nobody knew what unit the students were on. This made it really hard to plan the lessons and, as a result, I accidentally relinquished control while trying to figure out what to do next. The second you stop talking and leave a lull in the classroom is the second they exploit your lack of confidence/foresight and go nuts. So the next week will be tough- until I know exactly where every class is in the books, I might have to wing it a bit. And winging anything with these students is met with some pretty rough consequences.

Once I get everything down to a science, though, well... I will have found the science. No problem.

Next step for me is getting through classes tomorrow, finding Lotte Mart (with maps!) and buying things I need. Like bowls. And detergent. Maybe a laundry basket. Eff, I should make a list tonight or tomorrow.

Let's see... oh! I did manage to walk to the school from home today, which I'm pretty proud of. It's usually easier for me to navigate long distances by car and short distances on foot, so I usually have trouble getting from point A to point B by walking alone. I have this route down pretty well though, and I can always hail a cab (I KNOW THIS IS FOREIGN TO DENVER BUT IT'S SO AMAZING) and get to where I need to go. If I'm going home, I say "Hambaekmeul," the name of my neighborhood. If I'm going to work, I show them a piece of paper one of my co-workers gave me. Which reminds me... Tom has the romanization of my address on paper- I need to get that from him and post it here so you lot can shower me with cards and money and adoration. Hahaha, I kid... but it'd be nice to have my address anyway, yeah?

Anyway, I better stop blogging and start looking at maps. Lotte Mart calls... maybe I can find my next favourite restaurant, too.

As always, guys... take care. You all mean a great deal to me.
-토맛

Doctors, Change and LET'S START A RIOT, A RIOT

So, doctors.

I went through my health test yesterday. It wasn't too bad overall, and actually moved very quickly. I was amazed how efficiently I was moved on from post to post, really. First it's weigh-in and height measurement, then blood pressure, then vision, then tell this guy that you've never had tuberculosis, then urine and blood test (they took five full test tubes of my blood), then dental.

We insisted on eating immediately after the health test due to, you know, blood loss. I wasn't able to eat anything or drink anything but water before the test, so there goes the Doubleshot... that combined with blood loss meant I was nearly passing out in the cab on the way home. Life on easy mode is boring, though- new challenges make me happy because I know that I can take them on head-on and come out on top.

I went to the health test with Evan, the second newest teacher. I guess he was teaching in France before he came to Korea, which is incredible. He's quite a nice guy and has a good head on his shoulders. I'm glad to be a part of such a diverse, intelligent and kind group.


So, change.

Yesterday I asked for my class schedule as today is my first day as a full-fledged teacher! I'll get to that later. When my schedule was presented to me, I noticed that my first class was at 1:00p... and I was like 'lol wut'. Well, starting today and going through until mid-August, our hours have changed. As a Middle School instructor, I'll be working 12-7p. This caused a bit of disorder among the staff- I mean, such a drastic change in hours with such little notice would understandably step on a few toes... I'm usually a creature of habit at the workplace (ask Mr. Wild, he knows), but a few curveballs here and there tend to keep me on my toes. I have a tendency to stagnate a little otherwise (once again, Mr. Wild knows). I also found out that my vacation will span from Jul 31 - Aug 4, at which point I should have the internets at home. This means Skype. :-]


So, LET'S START A RIOT, A RIOT.

I shadowed four of Joel's classes yesterday. The Middle School students tend to be a lot more withdrawn than the Elem. School students, but at some points can be absolutely uncontrollable. The last class of the night saw a restless group of students throwing all sorts of trash at another student, making a big mess... they also like to punch each other and flick each other in the forehead. I probably would've been hanged for this kind of behaviour in Middle School, or at least made to feel foolish by my classmates.

This has inspired me to rise to the challenge, though. I'm sure my students will be an unruly lot just like these ones were. The challenge is to prevent this through an intricate system of discipline and rewards. I'm still working on how I want to approach it, but I think I'll be able to bribe them with a game at the end of class (time allowing, still need to do some time management) should their 'class score' be high enough. I was in Middle School once- if you turn something into a game, students will be interested in playing it. I know I was.

I understand that I'm not supposed to build on curriculum too much. The books are there for a reason. But I would like to supplement them with things that will keep the students interested instead of 'okay, turn to page 32. listen to this. answer the questions. okay, page 33. read this. answer the questions.' I know that in public school, this kind of approach bored the crap out of me and, as a result, I didn't pay attention. I didn't do my homework. Hell, I didn't even go to class most of the time. Learning should be awesome, not a chore- it's amazing that any approach can suck the inherent awesome out of learning, honestly. Learning kicks ass!


So, my co-workers.

Everyone has been incredibly kind thus far. Everyone. I'm really enjoying their company as well as their help adjusting- Joel and Tom, the Aussies mentioned in previous posts, have been a blessing. Hell, without them I wouldn't know how to get to work or back home. They've covered cab fares, owned me at pool, given me advice... this is all stuff they don't need to do, not by a longshot. But they've helped me feel at home in a country I'm completely new to and I appreciate it more than they know or I can express.

That's it for now.

Until next time,
- 토맛

Street Fighter, Soju and I Still Suck At Pool

My first day was interesting.
Way interesting.

I met all sorts of great people- we went out for galbi after school; galbi is a grilled pork dish with rice, hot pepper sauce... all sorts of stuff. The best part is that your party is seated around a grill and, well, you grill it yourself. Then you cut it up and toss the small chunks into whatever you see fit- kimchi (which is surprisingly pretty good and similarly suprisingly spicy), vegetables, hot pepper sauce, I repeat myself...

My co-workers saw it fit to crack open a bottle (or five) of soju. The stuff is actually pretty refreshing, with just enough bite to remind you that you're drinking booze. After that, we went over to TOUCHDOWN~! to play some pool. My two Aussie co-workers (and, coincidentally, the guys who live in the same building that I do) started drinking more and throwing money down on their pool games. I was not confident (or capable) enough to do the same.

Oh, one of the Aussies is named Tom. I can't believe it, I feel a little betrayed by fate... I'm the only one, damn it! Well, as a result (and a strong desire not to be called Tom/Thom 2, which seems to be pretty popular here), I've started going by Thomas. It's not pretty but I'll get used to it.

Let's see... what else. The classes should be interesting. I'll be teaching middle school students, so my schedule is 4p-11:30p. It's not so bad. Elementary teachers have to work every other Saturday also, so I'm pretty pleased- I'll want those Saturdays to go exploring.

What else... oh, next week is holiday! I know! I just got here and boom, it's time for a vacation. I won't gripe- I need the time to do a few essential things like figure out exactly how to get from home to the school, master Starcraft, get my internet and handphone services going, etc.

Today is health test day- rumour has it that they're going to draw about six needles full of blood from me. Sounds awesome, right? Considering how much I love needles? Yeah... great. But it is the first step to getting my Alien Registration Card, so it is important. Because I need that card to get a bank account, internet, handphone, you name it.

If only this were the least of my problems- I'm still trying to figure out how to get hot water from my shower, I need to buy groceries, and I've no idea what anyone's saying. It'll all come with time, though.

Wishing everyone back home the best,
토맛

P.S. Pictures should come soon. I've already found a number of things I want to revisit and get pictures of, but I won't post them until I have my own internet service up and running.

At Ghost PC 방

Hey, everybody.
I'm at an internet cafe in Incheon.
It's crazy- you can play just about anything you want here.
It's about 70 cents an hour, so I'll probably be reporting from here until I can get the internet hooked up at home.

I'm still having trouble believing I'm here. It's still a little surreal despite the fact that I can't really read any signs here, I spent most of yesterday without a single Won, etc etc.

I'm starting to catch on, though. Slowly but surely.

Today a fellow teacher is taking me up to the school for training, so I'll be shadowing a few people during their lessons. Looks like I'll be teaching Middle School students, which should be pretty interesting. I'm hoping that we'll be able to connect on a few levels- I'm guessing it'll probably be easier to talk about things like music with them whereas the Elementary School students may not be as interested.

Once I get the internet at home, I'll have a 303 number that you lot can reach me at. Crazy, yeah... but we do live in the future, you know. Also, I don't know my address yet- I know I live at 39 something, apt # 203, Yeonsu-gu, Cheonghak-dong, Incheon... but that's as far as it goes. So hold off on showering me with presents for now. ;)

I'm already starting to feel a little more... I don't know how to describe it... capable? Shaving took me a quarter of the time it usually does. Small things like that. That's a lot of the reason I'm here- I want to grow into myself, if that makes any sense.

What else... oh, I found Doubleshots here. So yes, I will survive. There seems to be espresso flowing from every corner, which is nice. Already feeling a little at home despite the obvious.


The flight was nightmarishly long, and it was bizarre to spend all day flying and end up somewhere at 6:00p the next day. I mean, really now.

Time's a wastin', so I'm going to get an e-mail over to everyone to tell them about this blog site, say hi, etc.

Regards,
토맛