Shannon's (29th) Birthday Cake!!

Fashion Show

Tonight's fashion show was my favourite so far, very glad I took my camera along. One of the key motifs of the night seems to have been facial hair, as we see here: Although I do think he was supposed to be a wizard. Another common theme is the the trashcan chic look - basically, how much newspaper and sellotape can we stick to one person and still allow him to walk and breathe? These guys came through pretty well in the end - they had to resort to rock-paper-scissors to decide who would be the model, but this kid totally rose to the challenge as you'll see: Next we have I think another wizard. There was also a boy who was forced to dress as a fairy/angel somewhere; I was planning to take a pic of him at the end but I was judging so had to write down the scores instead. Probably the design idea that occurs most often: dressing boys in dresses. Yesterday we had one in a wedding dress. I think maybe this kid was enjoying it just a little too much though, y'know? We mark the entrants on fashion, use of materials, and critically, on their walk down the catwalk. Through a fiendishly orchestrated tie in tonight's scoring, we had to resort to a 'walk off' for the final two contestants. Check out the kid at the back totally mincing it up for the crowd - he had us all in hysterics!

Night Shift

I'm working on the late shift again this month; in fact, since me and Emma like nights so much, we've asked if we can be permentantly on this shift, and Kane and Eva (who prefer days) will have our early mornings. Whether or not we're allowed to do this kinda depends on if everyone else kicks up a stink, but we did ask first! Late shift means we don't have a class until 1:30pm at the earliest - today I had nothing until 3:30pm! - so I can and usually so waste the morning in bed! We have a few classes after lunch, then tea, an hour and a half break, then it's time for the evening activity. This week I'm on fashion show, the nature of which, if not self-evident, I'll explain in more detail later when I've taken a few pictures. I'll try to remember to take my camera tomorrow. Some of the kids make a real effort; others look like they've just crawled out of a dustbin lorry. Often it's an exercise in humiliation: just how ridiculous will these kids make their own teamates look? Answer: very. Wait for the pictures. Another bonus of night shift is not having to work weekends, so can actually go out on Saturday nights and not worry about work the next morning. On the early shift pattern, you're lucky if you get two consecutive days off in any given month. The only disadvantage of evening shift is that I have absolutely no incentive to drag myself away from the internet, so could very easily stay here surfing, oblivious to the time, until 2am or more. Hence wasting most mornings in bed...

Are you kidding me!?

I just looked at the site in Internet Explorer out of curiosity, and it looks atrocious, at least on my laptop! It's just random! What's going on!? Tell me that isn't how it usually looks!

Monthly Review: Month 2

We've been in Seoul two months now. That same length of time five times more and it'll be time to come home again. Still doesn't seem too bad. Perhaps in the icy grip of winter time will pass at a more noticeable pace. Sixteen point six recurring per cent of the way there in any case. The summer program is finally over, which means student numbers are back down to normal levels thank goodness. Last week I had three free periods, this week, some people have up to 20. My schedule is slightly different as I'm going to be on evening shifts for the foreseeable future, but it's still pretty good. I'm teaching nutrition. The school are throwing some kind of party/meal for us this weekend in honour of our oh-so-hard work over this last month. We do deserve it though. It isn't going to be that busy again until Christmas I'm relieved to say - although this does mean I will almost certainly be working Christmas day, which ain't so good. Developments of the month: the dress code is to be sharpened up so I guess I'm going shopping soon. Thongs and singlets (translation: sandals and vests) have already been banned, as have shorts, and as soon as the hot weather ends, t-shirts will be out too. If jeans are ever outlawed I'll be coming home as I hardly have anything else to wear! Katie is coming to visit in a week! She'll be staying with me for a couple of weeks (or until security find her and kick her out as the issue of visitors is hotly controversial) so I should finally get round to doing all the touristy things that we haven't bothered to do just yet. I'm very excited. I'll probably know in a week if Emma's going to be sticking it out here with me or not. Honestly, I don't mind either way. That may sound harsher than I intend, so I'll qualify. Obviously, it is great having her here, and I'd probably never have come here by myself; but on the other hand, hanging out with Emma all the time inevitably means spending less time bonding with the other teachers, so maybe it'd be good for me being on my own out here... By all accounts, homesickness is due to kick in another month, but I'm personally not seeing any signs so far! Four of us (me, Christa, Cade and his friend (even if she stays, Emma would prefer to do something cheaper herself)) are planning to go to Japan in October during our week off; hopefully having this to focus on will allay any homesickness that does start to kick in around this time, if it does at all. Me and Emma have started giving salsa lessons to some of the other teachers in the school's dance studio. First one was yesterday and I think everyone enjoyed it. We're planning on doing it every Sunday until the director finds out and bans us. Note that this is entirely selfish - we just want people to come to salsa bars with us so of course we have to get them up to standard first! Oh, and it's still roasting outside.

Groovin'

Graduation

We weren't working last night, but it was the graduation of the kids from the last two-week summer programme so we wanted to go say goodbye; also we'd heard that it was quite emotional last time, and we didn't want to miss out again. It was great fun. We got there just as the YMCA was starting up. The kids (and the teachers) lapped it up. After a few more numbers (lead by Kyle), it was time to say goodbye. They put a bunch of slow songs on while the kids/teachers wander around saying goodbye to each other. It's also a final chance for the kids to get any teacher's signatures/emails that they've missed. These kids look happy enough, right? And this one looks like he's having a grand old time. Yet to see a lot of the others carrying on, you'd think you'd arrived at the aftermath of some kind of natural disaster or high school massacre. The girls - hell, even a lot of the boys - were sobbing onto each other's shoulders. Even a few of the teachers were getting upset. Of course me having a heart of stone, I just whipped out my camera to capture the moment... To be fair, I wasn't deliberately taking pictures of the crying kids per se, but there were so many of them they were hard to miss. In this last one, they're actually just going for high-fives with Siamack, but doesn't it kinda look like they're all raising their hands to ask god for salvation? Maybe that's just me...

Funny Little Frog

Poor Pluto

So after all of last week's excitement, we're not getting thre new planets after all; instead, Pluto is being demoted to a 'dwarf planet':

Astronomers meeting in the Czech capital have voted to strip Pluto of its status as a planet. Astronomers rejected a proposal that would have retained Pluto as a planet and brought three other objects into the cosmic club. The ninth planet will now effectively be airbrushed out of school and university textbooks.

My first meme

Here's a meme I found on kotte.org, the idea being that you go here and look through the random quotes until you find the five whch best reflect your character and beliefs. And then you post them. After much deliberation, here are my five:

Every answer asks a more beautiful question e e cummings (1894 - 1962) Without cultural sanction, most or all our religious beliefs and rituals would fall into the domain of mental disturbance. John Schumaker Man is only man at the surface. Remove the skin, dissect, and immediately you come to machinery. Paul Valery (1871 - 1945) To be free of destructive stress don't sweat the small stuff and by realizing that all stuff is small. Author Unknown Beginning is easy - Continuing is hard. Japanese Proverb

Ambush

Police Sketches

I had kindergarten kids today in 'police class; as their English wasn't great I had them describe and then draw sketches of me. They seem to have interpreted my request with a certain amount of artistic license though...

Lamest. Post. Ever.

Bit of a slow news day today. I could gripe about how I don't get a free period until Thursday this week, but that would be spoiled of me. I could regale you with a tale how we went to the wholesalers yesterday and returned with spoils of peanut butter, brie and wine, but that would be of dubious interest perhaps. I could point out the new links section over in the right-hand column, but it's a bit half-assed so far, needs work. Don't bother with it. I could put myself in the firing line for another round of ridicule over my on-going project to make myself a scarf in time for winter, but I still haven't fully recovered from 'Bluecoatgate'. I could just go in the shower and have an early night for once. I will. Cheerio.

Oh, we laughed...

I received this at 10:30am this morning (though didn't read it until many hours later!) Hello, To whoever gets this email the situation is laughable but I need help please and fast! I am currently in my room. Normally this wouldn't be a problem but the door seems to be stuck hard and fast and I currently seem to be locked in. The handle will turn and the door is unlocked but it will not open. Whoever gets this email first please find someone to help. I am in Atlantic 302. Thanks Vanessa

Antsy

I think I'm officially addicted to the internet. I had a full schedule of lessons scheduled today, and a meeting at lunch, so it's been almost 18 hours since I last had chance to log on. Can't be healthy to think about checking my email quite so often...

Pukansan National Park

Rather than waste my day off in bed as usual, I decided took up Christa's offer of a morning hike up our mountain, mt. Pukansan (I think). She'd not been before, so I was the guide, poor girl, as I've already been part-way up a couple of times before. Our first obstacle: a bloody great iron fence right where we usually join the trail. I'm not sure if this is to keep the kids inside the village or us out of the park. Officially you're supposed to go up the road and pay to get in the park but nobody ever does, even though it's only about 70p! Anyway, we figured if they really didn't want us crossing over, they'd've strung barbed wire up too. Since they didn't, we climbed over and continued on our merry way. Visibility wasn't too bad for once. Usually this view looking South over Soeul is obscured by haze and smog, but we picked a good day. The clouds were a little foreboding though, as a typhoon warning had been issued the previous day. We ignored it and luckily the rain held. It gets very slippery up there went it rains even when it only rains a little, and the promised rains were supposed to be heavy, which would've been really dangerous up there. After just two days here one guy broke his leg on the mountain and had to be rescued by helicopter. This is Christa celebrating us reaching a summit. Not the summit as there are many and each would take the best part of a day to reach, but still a decent accomplishment. This is the furthest I've reached yet, as usually there's someone in the group who wants to turn round as soon as the going gets tough, so I was pleased. Even getting this high and back only took two-and-a-bit hours in all. This is me staking out our goal for next time. We're thinking we might have to pay though as out here we're stuck following the one trail that we know. The commercial end of the park is said to be bustling with people though, so I'm thinking maybe not quite the same experience. Even stood up on our own little peak we could see a few other groups on the other side of the valley. I guess we'll explore all of it in time though. In autumn (I had to fight the urge to write 'in the fall' just there) it should be lovely. We're thinking a peak with clouds might be nice sometime. Christa went hiking in the Rockies once when it was like this. It sounds cool. Amazing photo ops too, natch. And this is the sight you get to behold at the very top if you turn your back on the city. The panograph business, while not a great attempt (I hadn't intended to do this at the time, but it turned out that a lot of our pictures overlapped anyway), is the only way to get any sense of scale. The hillock on the left is the mini-peak we finally scaled, the pile of rocks on the right is the setting of the photos of me and Christa shown above.

No post today

What do you want from me? You got three fabulous posts yesterday, you'll surely get some tomorrow, I'm sure I deserve a day off already? If you must know, I went to work, I ate pizza, I drank some beer, and I imagine I then went to bed. Nobody comes here at the weekend anyway.

Important Site Maintence Announcement

I've just upgraded the site to the new and improved beta version of Blogger, so bear with me over the next few days if the site goes a bit squiffy from time to time - it's just me trying to get a handle on all the new features, and possibly cocking it up as I go...

Happy 'Fruit In The Cup' Day Everyone!

In honour of the special event held in the canteen today ('Fruit in the Cup' - there were balloons), today's featured artist-style is Andy Warhol. I'm sorry, Andy...

My View. Need to get out and about more...

At least it's tidy this time

Playing around in Photoshop - first attempt at Hockney-style panograph. Needs mucho work. Expect more.

Solar System: now with 33% more planets

Well this us utterly unrelated to anything Korea, but this is my site and I'll talk about whatever I like. Astronomers are to vote in Prague next Thursday on a new proposal concerning raising the number of planets in the solar system from nine to 12 by reclassifying the 'asteroid' Ceres, Pluto's moon Charon, and object 2003 UB313 (which hopefully will be given a catchier name soon) as planets. This would mean school textbooks having to be rewritten, and would leave the way open for further planets being discovered in the not-too-distant future. Exciting stuff. Just thought you should know.

Silent Treatment

I was forced to work all day on Sunday, and while in principle I don't mind working weekends, it generally means we're teaching day kids. Unlike the week kids who quickly become comfortable with each other as they're eating and sleeping together, the day kids never have this chance to get to know each other properly, and hence are often very shy about speaking up and risking humiliation in front of each other. The 'police station' class I had after lunch yesterday was the worst example of this I have had yet. It was as though they'd made a pact before entering the class that they would not speak to me under any circumstances. For the first 20 minutes of the lesson I faced a wall of impeneterable silence. They were like SAS commandos under interrogation. I tried making them laugh, I tried begging: nothing worked. I was trying to teach them the word 'steal' (which I knew they knew) but nobody would even venture a guess. I decided to resort to hangman, but even that was torturous. I gave them S _ _ _ _ to start, but still nobody would even say a letter. I went round the class asking each in turn just to say one letter of the alphabet. "A! B! C! D! E! Just pick one!" Finally one of them cracked and gave me an N, and thank god a few others followed along in his wake. They still didn't get the word though. I was about ready to hang myself by the end of the lesson. Torture.

Glorious Beasties

Click for the full size images if ye dare... You can see a few more here if you like. Next on my Most Wanted list is a cicada, a dragonfly, and the holy grail: a cockroach.

Anne's Birthday

For her birthday this weekend Anne decided to go seek out a salsa bar as a change from the usual hip-hop clubs. Despite having work this morning, of course Me and Emma decided we had to go for an hour at least – it had originally been Emma’s suggestion after all. The plan was to meet at 10 o'clock, so we'd get there around 11. By twenty past, everyone was ready except Heidi. By half past, just as I was thinking about not bothering after all, Heidi arrived. Then it emerged Sharon was still missing. After protracted discussion, the first wave of us set off. We would each make our own way and meet up at the bar.

On route to the bus stop, the group somehow fractured further still, so that only five of the original thirty made it onto the bus. Some of the others got the next bus, others got taxis into town but then split up again as some had to go to the bank. Is this how it used to be before mobile phones were invented?

I was amongst those on the first bus, and was trying to persuade the others that we just head for the nearest bar, as we were already 45 minutes behind schedule, and the salsa bar (two connecting tubes away) would be closing in a few hours anyway. I almost had them won over on the steps of the subway, until I challenged Christa (who would not be swayed by words stubborn) to a round of rock-paper-scissors (rock-paper-scissors is huge here – the kids use it to settle all disputes, and nobody ever questions the outcome). Rashly, I went for scissors. She beat me, so we continued. We couldn't find it. We asked westerners, we asked Koreans. Nobody had a clue. Again I suggested just going to any damn bar, but they resisted still. Instead we went back to the tube station to await the others. To my surprise, they were there. Half of them anyway. The rest had missed the train and turned up 10 minutes later. Then of course we had have another 10 minute debate on what to do next, at the end of which I was about ready to slip away by myself, but as if by magic a mobile appeared, a called to information was placed, and we finally did reach the bar at about midnight. It was deserted. Literally. But it was a bar, and there were enough of us left to make the place seem at least half-full. It would turn out that we were just early, as the Koreans appeared a little later. And despite my bitching all the way there, it was fab. They played salsa and bachata, which nobody but me and Emma could dance to, but everyone enjoyed it nonetheless. We taught them as much as we could, and danced until we were nearly the only ones left (most of the others had gone on to a hip-hop after all). If you didn't know it already, Salsa Rocks.

When we last set foot in Doncaster

Dangdaemum Night Markets

First observation: people is Seoul do not seem to observe time. The city is just as busy by night as it is by day. We were out until half eleven, and we could still see parents walking around with their kids as though on a leisurely sunday afternoon stroll. Despite or because of all this bustle, you do feel very safe here. I don't think I've ever seen anyone out on the streets drunk, though Koreans are known to like their drink. Score one for Korea. Resisiting the obvious 'street food' jokes, uou can buy puppies at the market. They don't seem to be popular pets though - very few of the kids have dogs and the odd few that we do see out and about are inevitably the smaller breeds that you can fit in your handbag. We're still not sure if we found the night markets or not. Granted, we found market stalls, and it's clearly night-time, but we were expecting something...other. Also, Christa had heard they were underground. It's a wonder how many of these guys make any money, as sellers with like-wares tend to bunch together rather than attempt to carve out separate niches for themselves. You'll pass 15 stalls selling shoes, then a dozen selling ties, usually with the same prices and special offers. With little to pick between them, I just don't get it. Street food. Occasionally tempting, but this woman is selling silkworm pupae and what look like tiny snail shells. Since that is all she's selling, one can only wonder which are supposed to served in the cornets. I'm more your pineapple-on-a-stick kinda guy thanks. What's he doing here? Observe Christa, unaware that I'm playing with my camera, looking ever so slightly dopey as we wait for Kane and Eva to turn up as our meeting spot. They didn't. So went home.

Almost like being famous

The first batch of kids on the two-week program finished today. It's been quite nice, as they don't usually stick around long enough for us to get to know them at all, whereas I've taught some of these kids three or four times. It's kind of a shame that we don't get the chance to develop any deeper relationships with the kids as we would at a normal school; on the other hand, as a novice teacher, I like the fact that I can't get stuck with any bad first impressions here - the kids aren't around to hold my rookie mistakes against me! I wasn't working tonight, but apparently at the 'Graduation' they played some slushy music - maybe something by Sinatra - and all the kids were reduced to tears - boys as well as girls - at having to say goodbye to all their new friends. Me, Emma and Christa happened to be walking across campus as the children came out of school. It must've taken 2o minutes to battle through the barrage of bodies grabbing at us, and swarming around asking for our signatures and emails. They never email though. I think it's just another competition for them - to see who can collect the most names, shed the most tears, etc. Signing autograph after autograph does do your self esteem the world of good though. And though we pretend like they're being a nuisance when we have to do this, it's so much worse when they walk on by and don't ask you...

Travelling in Seoul. A crash course.

1. Be aware that traffic lights here are largely decorative pieces. At the most generous, road signs (including speed signs) here are still more what you'd call guidelines than actual rules. 2. Leave no more than two feet between you and the car in front. 3. As a corollary to point 2, you’ll need to break hard. It's especially fun to observe this rule in action while 'standing' on the bus. 4. If you want to change lanes, just do it. Follow your gut. 5. Public transport is efficient but hazardous. Apart from the dangers inherent in driving around the city already mentioned, merely boarding is not without obstacles. On the way back from town tonight, Emma only had one foot on the bus when it started pulling away. Forgivable in itself maybe, but when the driver spotted her, he just carried on as he was - she had to jump off again. I was just grateful nobody here understands English, so they didn't know what she really thought of him.

6. Seoul is busy. Don't expect that going by foot will be less stressful. In Seoul, if someone wants to get past you, they will climb right over you as you stand (while steadfastly refusing to acknowledge you or make eye contact). This habit takes some getting used to. When I come back home, expect me to just elbow you out of the way every time I need to get past.

7. There's no such thing as a pedestrianised zone. Down the narrowest of side streets, even on the pavement, motorcycles (sometimes cars) will come straight at you. You will be the one to move.

8. At pedestrian crossings, the Korean incarnation of the green 'walk' man should be treated with deep suspicion. He won't come along very often, he's unpredictable, and he definitely jumps the gun. There will always be at least two more cars along after he's given you the all clear. If you're lucky enough that no cars have actually parked on the crossing, make your way swiftly and be constantly vigilant. The next van will be hurtling round the corner any second now.

All this said, I’ve yet to see or hear of any accidents (though Emma did have to pull a woman clear of the zebra crossing a few weeks ago as she’d foolishly trusted the green man and started crossing before all the cars had finished).

Purple Rain

Video of the week number three was going to be footage from a thunderstorm we had a few weeks ago, but blogger was playing up that day and wouldn't let me post the video. You can see the video here instead if you like. To be honest, though it was a very dramatic storm (two hours with at least one flash and bone-shaking peal of thunder every thirty seconds or so), it's pretty bog-standard cinematograohy, but I did apparently manage to catch a little discharge, as you can just about see on the left in this picture: Though I never ever noticed it until somebody commented on the video over at youtube. Here we are in the split second of a flash: And then a second later it's night again: If you didn't catch that that strike first time round, here we are again with a bit o'zooming: Pretty, but why is it purple?

Please Please Please let this be on the other side of the glass

Nothing to see here

Really I have nothing to say, but I worry that if I skip posting one day this time, then next time it'll be two days, then a couple of weeks, and my international readership* will dwindle until there's nobody left but my Mum. Hi Mum. * don't scoff - I'm read in over ten countries and counting!† † but yes, I do also realise that 99% of my visitors find this site by clicking on the 'show random blog' button and stay for no more than ten seconds each.

Pictures

They've filled the pool! And yet, they haven't. Any more water than this would be 'dangerous' for the kids. Reminds me of being at home again. And yes, this is the deep end. Everything I treasure is being eaten alive. Conclusive proof: I am not living in a mudhut. Because pictures of the mountain never get old: And because my mum reckons I never post any pictures of myself: