Mr. Rocky Top

Four Months and Counting

2010-04-01T07:20:00.000-04:00

Well, I will be finished with my teaching contract and will be departing Korea in four months. Perfect time to start blogging again. haha I can't believe I've been here almost two years. It's insane, really. There's been a lot of good times and a lot of bad times. I have been more than frustrated at times...downright furious, actually. Well, time to take on the rest of my time here and make the best of it.

Tonight, I got a little haircut at a tiny place on the way home. I've been going there for a while now. I've always been fearful of getting my haircut (always meaning all of my life); you can imagine my fearfulness of going to a Korean barber. One time in the beginning, I went to a place recommended by another expat because one of the stylists speak English (actually lived in Canada for a year or so); however, they charged me about 25,000won (about $22) for a trim, and she constantly bugged me about my terrible scalp and kept reminding me of their treatment that cost $100/month. After that, I went to a friend of a friend for about 7,000 won ($5). I didn't really like that person's personality so I stopped going there. After that, I finally settled on this place. The owner knows a little English, and I can get by in Korean now to tell them I just need a trim. It's a good deal 8,000 won and that includes wash & shampoo. I seem to get the same guy every time, and I think he has been working on this English a little. He seemed to have more phrases to tell me this time. I thought it was funny to see my brown hair over the sea of black hair on the floor. Makes me feel unique.

In other news besides my hair (I hate talking about my hair...really, I do), the yellow dust season is in full swing now. That's when the sand from the deserts of China come blowing into Korea. In the past, it wasn't so bad, but deforestation has caused it to get worse every year. Like last year, I have so much mucus in the lungs (you're welcome). It's horrible. I actually went hiking a couple of weekends ago (pictured), and it happened to be the most hazardous days of the year. Our hiking leader is a determined one. This is one of the toughest parts about life here. If you live in Korea, I would recommend checking out the yellow dust monitor operated by the US Army in Seoul and don't go hiking like a crazy man on bad days.

American Registry

2009-05-25T14:08:00.003-04:00

It looks as though the government is starting a registry of American teachers in Korea. This person's school was phoned up by the Ministry of Education asking the owners to report any American teachers working at the school. Sounds a little scary to me.

Swine Flu & More Craziness in Korea

2009-05-25T13:09:00.007-04:00

Well, the past week has been filled with activity here on the peninsula.

First off, the former president, Roh Moo-hyun, commits suicide while the government was investigating him for accepting bribes during his term. His death suddenly turned into a political ploy. Opponents of the current Korean administration (Lee Myung-bak) are using his death to blame Lee for employing harsh tactics and for basically ruining the nation. The day that he died an alter was immediately setup in front of my neighborhood metro station to allow people to bow and pay respects while someone on a loud speaker attracted an audience by denouncing President Lee. From what I hear, these alters are all around Seoul.

North Korea decided today to continue their craziness. They thought it would a fine idea to conduct an underground nuclear test while test firing some missiles at the same time. I think someone is just cranky they aren't getting their way. More here and here. Let's hope the place doesn't get nuked while I'm here. The Koreans don't seem to get too worked up about these things, though. The US Embassy did send me a notice about the test and reminded to always be prepared in case of a sudden evacuation.

Also, swine flu seems to be raging here on the ROK. More Koreans are being confirmed to have the virus. This past weekend, an American that recently came here to teach was confirmed to have the virus. Another American was discovered to have the virus today. That person also recently came to Korea to teach English. The school is a big chain here, and they send all of there new teachers to a big orientation/training session in Seoul. So, that person was in close contact with all kinds of other new teachers. That person has since been put in quarantine. Also, every Western that came in contact with that American has been rounded up in ambulances by the government and taken to a hospital so they can be isolated. People stuck in the hospital are blogging here, here, and here. An expat blogger in Korea gives a nice round-up of news regarding the situation here. News articles can be read here and here.

There are rumors in my town (Bucheon) that a foreigner at a big English school next to mine was involved with that week-long training session. The English school is big chain here in Korea and has decided to shut down for the next week to avoid more infections.

I'm a little worried about what the means for us foreigners. I fear that Koreans are going to get really worried by the "American sickness" and shun us in public. Maybe even the government will round us up and quarantine us or deport us; who knows. I heard that new teachers that has arrived after May 11 will have to undergo a home quarantine. If parents get really concerned, they will start pulling their students from our school to avoid the virus coming from foreigners.

Today, I told one of my classes that I was a little sick. They instantly asked if it was the "pig virus." I, of course, told them it probably was. One of the kids told me that I needed to eat lots of kimchi in order to get rid of the "pig virus." Another kid said it was the "America virus," and he then asked me if I was an "American people." Once I said yes, they all gasped in unison and pushed their chairs back away from me. That's just an example of what I think this might develop into. Koreans are already suspicious about letting foreigners into the country; this will only heighten their unfounded fears.

Wow!

2009-05-23T11:10:00.002-04:00

Galactic Center of Milky Way Rises over Texas Star Party from William Castleman on Vimeo.

Birthday Videos & Another Surprise

2009-05-23T02:20:00.002-04:00

Here are some videos from my birthday.

This is Zoe wishing me a happy birthday in Welsh:

This video is as I entered the room to find all of the teachers from my school waiting for me:

Also, last Wednesday my 6pm Pineapple class had the lights off in the classroom. As I entered, the confetti was popped and soap-bubble spray was emptied. The kids started singing "Happy Birthday" and had a heart-shaped chocolate cake with candles that spelled out "Happy Birthday." Wow, I was so shocked. I never really expected these kids to do something like that. They spent their own money to pull this off and even bought me some pens and pencils as gifts. So sweet! They weren't that excited about starting our lesson, though, once the cake was finished.

Teacher's Day Birthday

2009-05-18T03:16:00.005-04:00

May 15 is the day of two big events in Korea - Teacher's Day and my birthday. The day started out really nice. As I was walking into the teacher's room, the "Happy Birthday" banner was up and everyone had on birthday hats; then, they broke out into song. I was a little shocked. Actually, I was pretty dizy and tired because I had been up pretty late having a midnight birthday party. It was a great, surprising way to start off the day.

As the kindergarten kids started to arrive, the goodies started to roll in. All of my kindy kids brought me something in celebration of Teacher's Day. Here's a little list of some things I got: chocolate, Bennigan's gift certificate, aftershave, shampoo, a huge canister of soy bean sauce, cookies, men's cosmetics, and more. Actually, the most interesting gift was a box of 2 pairs of panties ("panties" is konglish for "underwear"); I never thought I would get some unmentionables as a gift from a kid. Our boss (Grace) decided to buy all of us foreigners a huge bottle of wine from France. I don't really know much about wine, but it looks quite fancy and expensive. I do know it came from an expensive department store in town. I was a little embarrassed that she only gave to the foreigners and not the Korean teachers.

I've got to explain that a couple of days before my birthday I was asking some Korean teachers (Erin & Elly) what they thought we should do for my birthday. I told them that I wanted to have samgipsal/galbi for dinner; they got excited and told me that knew the perfect place and would take care of all the details. I left it to that and asked them to invite all the Korean teachers/staff. On the day before my birthday, those Korean teachers told me that quite a few of the other Koreans couldn't make it. It was a little disappointing, but I still had a few others that said they could come.

Finally, my birthday came. People kept telling me throughout the day, "oh, sorry, Shawn, but I can't come tonight." People were dropping like flies. More and more kept canceling as the day progressed. It was rather disappointing. One foreigner told me he had to go help a friend in Seoul that was being kicked out of their apartment; the British couple left a note on my desk saying they had left and couldn't make it to the party because they were feeling sick. Even the girls that were going to take me to a special place left without saying anything to me. When classes were over, my good friend Joey told me that they couldn't make it. Elly sent me a text saying "oh, i'm sorry." That was really disappointing because Elly had told me earlier in the week that "of course" she would come to my party and mentioned it might be my last in Korea. By the end of the work day, only three others said they could make it. I was almost to tears, actually. Our kindy classes have a phrase of the day everyday, and we joked that "sorry, Shawn" should have been the day's phrase. I think Joey felt my immense disappointment, and he had us all have a group hug.

We finally left the school, and we rode away in Joey's car. He told me we were going to stop by my place and drop of all of my gifts and stuff from Teacher's Day. However, when we got near, he decided to wait until later because all of us were pretty hungry. He said that he knew a great place to eat around my place. We got there, and he mentioned going to a back room so we wouldn't bother others with our English. I thought it was a good idea, but I thought we couldn't have a room since it was just the three of us. I think the waitresses told Joey it was fine so we went to where an empty room was. As Joey went to open the door to the darkened room, I noticed a hand in the window. Joey opens the door and sure enough everyone is there! I was so shocked! As I walked in, the confetti poppers went off as they sang "Happy Birthday" and I blew out the candles. There was every single person from the office...every single person that told me that they couldn't come! I was so stunned and so happy! We had a great meal of galbi together. That's what I wanted for the night - for all of us to be together. Literally everyone was there from the school. The kindy manager mentioned how this type of thing never happens; it is almost impossible to bring everyone together. All of the foreign teachers, all of the Korean teacher, the receptionists, the help teachers, and even the boss. It was quite a feat! They've never done anything like this before - not for any other Korean or foreigner now or in the past. It certainly made me feel really special. The boss even gave me a pair of Nike sneakers and then paid for half of the total bill for the meal (that something that really never happens). I had always wanted a surprise party so it was great to finally have one!

After dinner, we then headed out to a pub/restaurant near the school. The boss (I'll starting calling her Grace 'cause the boss thing is getting annoying) took us there. She ordered all kinds of food and drinks for us. I had to cut the cake here; apparently, its sort of tradition that the birthday person cuts the cake for everyone. Grace decided that it would be best to put some of the icing on my face. I then had to give a couple of pieces to the owner, another Korean birthday tradition. My group applauded for my bravery. We then spent hours together hanging out and having a good time together. Around midnight, all of the Korean girls had to head home because they had to make it back home before their curfew. Us foreigners, Grace, and her kids stayed for a while longer. Grace was willing to go to a singing room with us (even though she really doesn't like it), but we insisted she go home with her kids since it was so late.

Us foreigners then went to another pub/restaurant. We went there just to hang out some more. They told the owner that it was my birthday so they played a techno birthday song and had lights flashing throughout the restaurant. The owner then brought us some free chicken, and he said "for your birthday." Joey then rejoined us after he ran a late-night errand. After a while, we all headed out. Joey drove me home, and he stayed with me for a little while so I wouldn't have to open presents from home alone.

It was such a great birthday, probably one of the best!

Teaching the Boss

2009-04-22T10:25:00.002-04:00

So the boss has asked me to teach her and the receptionist/secretary/desk teacher/heart of ECC some English. She wants me to teach them everyday for 10 minutes. Of course, I couldn't say no to the boss, especially not in this culture. I'm not sure what I can teach them, but I'll try and give it a shot. It would really be better for a Korean teacher to do it since the two really don't any clue about speaking English. We'll see how it goes; I have a feeling their passion might die off.

St. Patty's Day

2009-04-21T10:33:00.005-04:00

Well, it's been a while since this happened, but I thought I should share. We had a hastily prepared St. Patrick's Day activity for our kindergarten kids. Decorations were put up the night before and papers were printed off for hours. The kids made cards, decorated, read stories, wore green, and took pictures.

Apple class (5-year-olds...3-4 in the US)

Watermelon class (6-year-olds...4-5 in the US)
We had to retake this picture a few times.

Here are more pictures.

Freebie Friday

2009-04-19T12:34:00.002-04:00

I woke up Friday morning to the sound of the radio announcer talking about a contest for free tickets to the aquarium in Busan. I thought I would give it a shot since all I had to do was send in a text. Sure enough, someone from the radio station called me later that morning to let me know that I had won and that they would send me the tickets through the mail.

As I walking to my first kindergarten class, my 5-year-olds (3-4 in American age) saw me and ran out to hug me. Billy even gave me a sausage stick. I was then greeted by my 6-year-olds (4-5 in American age), and two of them handed me flowers that they had picked for me. Later, another kindy student gave me a pack of cookies. During the afternoon classes/elementary kids, a former student gave me a chicken-shaped piggy bank; he had gave me a music CD a couple of days earlier.

It feels kind of nice to know that my kids think about me outside of school and get something for me. It's so cute; I can't help but love them!

Positive Feedback

2009-04-16T12:36:00.003-04:00

I was talking with my friend tonight about teaching at my school. He mentioned how the boss really wants me to stay longer (past my contract ending date_. He told me that I am the best teacher (foreign or Korean) at the school and that I am a "natural educator." Oh, that made me feel so good. Sometimes, I wonder about my teaching ability. I usually don't really get much feedback from the other teachers so I'm really curious about how I'm doing. It felt good to hear something so reassuring.

Tonight, we had a meeting of foreign teachers with the manager. He shared some complaints that our boss had about us. I was really worried what he was going to tell me. I was told to "calm down" because the boss is worried about my health; she's worried that I'm working too hard. haha

I want to do my best in whatever I do; it's great to hear such reassuring comments from others!

Family in Korea

2009-03-31T11:30:00.002-04:00

Things have been terribly busy lately. I know I promised some pictures, but I haven't had time at all. My parents are currently visiting so we've been busy roaming about Seoul. It feels good to finally check some places off my "to see" list. I also found out that my schedule has changed once again. I was off today so I'll see tomorrow what damage has been done.

No Water Joy

2009-03-21T01:45:00.001-04:00

Well, the water park idea didn't really pan out. We wanted to go because it was only about $10 after 4; we thought it would be a great way to unwind after work. I was really looking forward to it for days. We basically run there to get there before 7pm. As soon as we run through the mall and make it through the maze of elevators and stairs, we discover that all the lights are off and no one is around. Talk about some major disappointment!!

We did hang out for most of the night, but it was still a little sad that we missed out on some water delight. We are going to try it out again today hoping that it was closed just because it was mid-week.

Things Are Warming Up

2009-03-18T13:09:00.003-04:00

I noticed tonight that I wasn't freezing my behind off as I walked home. Oh, it feels like Spring is heading to Korea! It couldn't come any sooner!

The yellow dust has certainly made its way here. Annually, yellow dust/sand from China makes an invasion into Korea and kills everyone's lungs. I've heard that China has undergone major deforestation so there are fewer trees to catch the dust/sand that blows in from the desert; it makes its way to Korea. I've noticed some mucus build-up going in me. Hopefully, it won't get too bad. If you are so interested in my health, here is a website where you track yellow dust levels in Seoul.

Tomorrow, I'm heading to a water park in town. The tickets are 10 bucks after 4pm. Some coworkers and I are going to head over there after work (about 6:30) and see what we can do in 2 hours.

Adventures in Teaching English: Bathroom Visits

2009-03-17T03:34:00.002-04:00

In my previous kindy class, I had a problem with kids wanting to go to the bathroom way to much. They were constantly asking me to go. I knew that it wasn't possible that they needed to go so much. If one kid asked, they all asked. I talked about it with my Korean co-teacher, and she said I really needed to limit. I implemented a system where a sticker would be taken away if they had to visit the bathroom. It worked. Kids would go between classes (with my helpful reminder) and wouldn't ask. One day, a very smart boy named Jack asked me to go to the bathroom. I told him he could but that meant he would lose a sticker. He just stared at me with an intense glare. I could tell he had a huge internal struggle between bathroom and sticker. After a minute or so, I could see some water gathering in his eyes so I told him just to go and I wouldn't erase his sticker. He just sat there with his hand in his mouth. I walk over there to try and convince him to just go. But it was too late! Pee was all over the seat and floor. The lengths these kids will go in order to keep their stickers!

White Pi

2009-03-17T03:09:00.004-04:00

Last Saturday was sort of a big date. First, it was White Day in Korea. This is similar to Valentine's Day. On VDay in Korea, the women will give chocolate to guys. On WDay (Mar 14), men will give chocolate to the girls. It's really another holiday made up by the chocolate companies. I'm not dating anyone so I really didn't give a flip. Except my lady co-workers got plently of candies while I was left empty handed.

It was also Pi Day. Think back to middle school math and the pi symbol. Remember what it equals? Pi = 3.14 = Mar 14 I was supposed to have pie, but I totally forgot to buy some.

Some friends and I did head to Seoul for Lotte World, a half indoor half outdoor theme park. It was pretty awesome. We took the subway there so we didn't walk outside for outdoors (there's an entrance gate in the station). It was almost like the Magic Kingdom except on a much smaller scale. Our first ride was a hot-air balloon that circled around the indoor part. We rode a few other rides but nothing too exciting. Some of the people I was with didn't really want to ride anything too extreme so we really spent most of the day walking around. We did get to ride the Gyro Swing, which is this huge spinning wheel that swings up over all of the buildings. Needless to say, I really want to head back sometime with some fellow thrill seekers. I was pretty beat when I got home that night.

On Sunday, I headed to Namdaemun market with some of the newbie teachers. They wanted to buy some Korean things. I ended up buying some things myself. I bought a traditional Korean game called yut. I really didn't want to go; my stomach and my body ached. I had a good time, anyways. When we walked around looking for a place to eat, our Korean manager called us because he wanted to cook dinner for us. Perfect timing! His Korean friend came over later to play yut with us. He distracted us Americans by bringing ice cream with him. Consequently, we failed in our mission to bring down the Koreans.

Pictures will be forthcoming.

March Brings Winds of Change

2009-03-10T03:50:00.005-04:00

Wow, it's been quite a while since I last updated. I guess the winter blues got to me, and I didn't have much motivation to write something. That's so jealous of me! Anyways, I've seen many changes in the past week at my school. Not very good changes, though.

First of all, March is the start of the new school year in Korea. Don't ask me why. Actually, it's a bit strange. The kids have a huge break from public school from December until February. They go back to school for a couple of weeks, have a couple of weeks off, and then go back to move up to the next grade. Keep in mind that I work at an afterschool academy so I don't get that time off...sadly. With kids moving to different grades, that means that their schedule changes because some go to school later now. That means our school's schedule has to change. Kids are all mixed up, and most of the teachers are moved around.

On top of this, 3 of the 4 foreigners (westerns) left the school at the end of February because their contracts expired. The school hired 4 more foreigners to replace those 3. Two came from the UK, one from Ireland, the other from Cali. These teachers have never taught before and have never been to Korea before. Luckily, all of them are really nice and easy to work with (so far). Understandably, it's just been a tad confusing for them starting at an already confusing time of the year.

My schedule totally changed. Before March, I came to school at about 12 (noon); now, I have to come in at 9am to prep and teach 4 kindergarten (kindy) classes in the morning. I usually enjoy teaching kindy, but not now. My kids in the past were awesome. They only spoke English, and we had a good time together. However, my kids now can only speak Korean and don't really want to be there. I try to act crazy and get them laughing, but it is such a struggle. They even have difficulty repeating me. I can't even play games with them because they don't understand my instructions. Oh, I don't want to go to work in the mornings. I have one class of 5-year-olds (4 in US age); they can't do anything. There is one kid in there that is deathly afraid of me. She always cries when I come in and wants her mommy. However, I'm starting to think that she just hates English. She will hug me and play around with me, but she hates it when we do English work. She runs out of the classroom for a Korean. The help teacher has to sit with her out in the hallway so she can listen to us. My kindy class from before was awesome (as I mentioned); all of them are still here so they still run up to me and hug me and try to tickle me. It's sort of taunt; it just reminds me of how good I used to have it.

My afternoon/elementary classes have gone pretty good. Most of them are pretty excited and energetic, which I like. They're having fun so far so that makes me happy. Actually, I would be totally satisfied if I came in and just did afternoon classes that would be so much better. Even though it requires more planning, it's not as frustrating as kindy. I just hope it stays that way once they are all comfortable in their new classes.

Christmas in Korea

2008-12-30T20:58:00.003-05:00

I woke up to find my cookies left for Santa were gone. Santa had came! He even left out some kimchi...who would have thought it?

I started out my Christmas morning with a call back home, where the family was celebrating our annual Christmas Eve dinner. After talking to everyone back home, I then opened the presents that my family had sent me. I got plenty of Christmas Story ornaments to add to my tree. It was great to have something from my family for Christmas. Even though I was alone, I felt they were near.

After watching A Christmas Story, I then headed over to the apartment of one of the teachers at my school. She had a big Christmas brunch for everyone at our church. It was very nice to hang out with everyone and have a great breakfast. I was pretty stuffed afterwards; I felt the grease slowing moving through my body.

After watching Christmas Vacation, I then headed back to my place to meet a good friend of mine. We watched How the Grinch Stole Christmas because my other Christmas movies were not working at well. After that, he was pretty hungry so we headed out for dinner. He asked me what I wanted, and I instantly thought about the Chinese Peking Duck Christmas dinner in A Christmas Story. I said, "duck!" So he took me to a duck restaurant. Even though a whole duck wasn't served to us and I didn't get a "fa-ra-ra" rendition of Deck the Halls, it was still great. The duck was cut up a, mixed with vegetables and a spicy sauce, and prepared right at our table. We also had some duck-bone soup and fried rice.

After that, we headed over to West Sea and Incheon's Wolmido. There, we were greeted by a small amusement park where we slammed into each other with bumper cars and then tried a go on a DDR rip-off. We then walked along the boardwalk while at the same time freezing our butts off from the frigid air blowing in from the sea.

We couldn't stand the freezing air for very long so we headed back to my apartment in Bucheon. We listened to Christmas music and the only light shining was the twinkling lights from my Christmas tree. We ate some Christmas cake and just hung out. I then called my family back home, where they were just waking up and starting their Christmas morning. After wishing everyone a Merry Christmas, my friend and I watched A Christmas Story; I thought I needed to share it to other cultures. We then hung out for the rest of the night, and he spent the night here. It was great to have someone with me on Christmas night; otherwise, I might have been pretty sad.

Even though I was away from everyone that I love, I still had a good Christmas. It was especially nice since I was able to share the day with friends that I've met while here in Korea.

Here are more pictures:

2008.12.25 Christmas Day

Christmas Eve in Seoul

2008-12-29T07:38:00.006-05:00

A fellow teacher and I decided to head to Seoul to spend Christmas Eve. What a great decision that was! We started off at City Hall, where the city has installed a giant skating ring for the citizens and visitors of Seoul. A person can skate for an hour and rent skates all for 1 buck. Talk about amazing! The ring, however, wasn't the greatest quality. The skates slipped around pretty easily and hurt the side of my ankle; the ice was also pretty chopped up. It made skating a tad difficult, but I got the hang of it after a while. My fellow teacher can't really say the same thing, though. Before skating, we bought some reindeer antlers. So being white people, we stuck out like sore thumbs. It was a good thing, though. Everyone was cheering us on, waving at us, giving us high fives, and cheerfully yelling Merry Christmas. After our hour was up, we decided we had a very successful skating run considering we didn't fall down once.

After skating, we walked around downtown Seoul and looked at all of the Christmas displays. We came up on Lotte Department Store, where we found an awesome display. The trees were covered in lights with icicle lights. The building was covered with snowflakes, ornaments, and icicles. There was even an Alice in Wonderland display. The best part was the snow! They had many snow machines (that produced soapy snow) on top of the building so the snow fell down on the sidewalks and streets...so awesome! We then went inside to find the Krispy Kreme, where we were greeted with free original glaze doughnuts. Oh, so yummy!

We then headed over to the Cheonggyecheon Stream, where a crowd met us. There was a huge wall of lights around the stream that was synchronized to pumping Christmas music. There were also huge snowflakes that hung above the stream. Although there were fewer lights than I expected, it was still pretty amazing. It really felt like Christmas was upon us. Everyone was so cheery, the music was spirity, the weather was nippy, the lights were shiny. It was awesome!

My friend and I were actually struck by how people were more focused on Jesus. There were lots of crosses used as decorations around town (including atop the tree at city hall). The Christmas music was mostly all Christian Christmas music (some of it was even just Christian and not Christmas).

We were actually almost like celebrities. Everywhere we walked, people were waving at us, wishing us a merry Christmas, and even wanted to take pictures with us. I guess being white, wearing a big white cap, and wearing matching reindeer antlers probably helped some. They probably all thought we were a couple considering Christmas is usually spent with a boyfriend or girlfriend; we saw couples everywhere, especially couples with matching attire.

After that, I had to go home a little early to meet up with a friend that had ordered a Christmas gift for me. I also thought another friend would come over so I bought a cake at a bakery near my house; it even came with a nice elfish hat. Unfortunately, my other friend didn't come so I had a lot of cake left over. Actually, that is what most Koreans do to celebrate Christmas - they buy a Christmasy looking cake.

After finishing my gift wrapping, my magical Christmas Eve finally came to an end. It was time for Santa to arrive!

More pictures:

2008.12.24 Christmas Eve in Seoul

Deck the Good Morning Officetel

2008-12-28T20:21:00.005-05:00

Now that Christmas is over, I thought I would share some decorations in my apartment.

My front door:

"Merry Christmas":

The tree (provided by a teacher at the school):

The living room:

My winter wonderland kitchen:

Snow!:

More photos:

Deck the Good Morning Officetel Fa la la la la

5-Day Christmas Holiday

2008-12-23T23:07:00.002-05:00

Today, I have started my "winter vacation," which includes Christmas Eve, Christmas, the day after Christmas, and the weekend. The teachers at my school get much for break time for Christmas than any other school. I know another school that was going to open on Christmas, but after many complaints, they decided to take Christmas off and make it up on Saturday. Hello, Christmas!!

An Everland Christmas

2008-12-23T22:31:00.005-05:00

Last Saturday, some friends from church and I went to Everland, which is an amusement park south of Seoul. This is the largest theme park in Korea, and they were having a big Christmas festival when we went. After an hour and half bus ride, we finally arrived and were super siked. As we walked through the park, we were filled with adrenaline after seeing all the decorations and the super exciting rides. We started out the day with a show called Santa Express, which had a vast array of dances from all over world. We were struck by the high number of white foreigners in the show; I heard Everland likes to hire foreigners as entertainers because of the good image. I loved it when the whole area was filled with fake snow during the show; I love snow, real or not.

After the show, we decided to hit up some rides. We went to ride the T-express, which has the steepest drop in the world. We were basically blown away. I couldn't feel my face or hands after we got off. We then headed to the nearby snow hill, where people can go sleigh riding for free. What better way to warm up than to have snow slushing all over your body?

We then went throughout the rest of the park and rode all that we could. We went to haunted houses, houses that go topsy turvey, rides that twisted and swung us all over the place. On one ride, one of our friends dropped her phone, camera, and t-money card (with about $100 on it). We saw the phone drop as we twisted upside down; luckily, it survived what should have been a tragic end to its life. We didn't discover the missing camera and t-money until later. So, we went back to the ride twice looking for those items after searching all over the park. Luckily, the t-money card was found, and the camera was still in great condition even though it no case at all. I thought it was funny that after one of the park employees gave us bad news, they would suddenly smile, wave with two hands, and say goodbye.

After riding as much as possible all day, we ended the day with a giant firework display tuned to Christmas music and a Christmas-light parade. Those things put us in an extreme holiday spirit.

I decided that my new goal in life is to be an employee at Everland. I have a few choices for employment. I could be one of the foreigners that entertain the Korean audiences. I could also be one of the ride attendants that sing and dance while they control your fate with the flip of a switch. I also wouldn't mind being one of the cleaners that wear polar bear hats and skate around the park with brooms; I don't care to clean up as long as I can skate all day. If all else fails, I could be one of the people that stand outside rides and shops and wave with both hands while saying "Merry Christmas" constantly.

After figuring out how to catch a bus back home, we finally got back at about 11, and I just basically passed out on the couch. It was a great way to spend the holidays!

Holiday Update

2008-12-18T20:52:00.004-05:00

I haven't updated in while so here are some updates on Christmas things going on here in Korea.

Christmas Packages
I've been pretty much blown away by the Christmas packages sent to me. My family sent me a box full of Christmas gifts, Christmas food, some decorations, and other little goodies. My gifts are sitting under the tree waiting to be opened! Another friend sent me a package full of decorations. I love Christmas packages!

Namdaemun Christmas Shopping
In Seoul, there is a big outdoor market called Namdaemun. This is the place to go to in Seoul for Korean souvenirs. There are many stores, and the price is usually cheaper. I decided to go there for some Christmas shopping for people back home. Even though I went alone, it was a pretty awesome experience. It really felt like Christmas. It was cold, the crowds were bursting, decorations were strewn about, the Christmas lights shined brightly at night, the trees were sparkling, the Korean techno Christmas music was pumping. It was so nice; it put me in such a good mood that I just went crazy with buying things. Then, it started to come a heavy snow. At that moment, it really felt like Christmas. The snow blanketed the whole market; it was so beautiful! Unfortunately, I forgot my camera and let it in the apartment, and I wasn't able to take any pictures. I couldn't have taken many, though, because my hands were full of bags.

Christmas Tree Decorating
One of the foreign teachers at my school decided to give me her Christmas tree because she wasn't going to use hers this year. I was all for that! So I decided to invite all of the teachers at my school over to place on Dec 4 for a tree decorating party. It was such an excellent time. I made my co-workers a Korean dish, and the head manager at the school even gave us 50 bucks to order pizza and chicken (she actually intended for us to buy pig head meat, but one of the other foreigners was not up for it). After dinner, we then decorated the tree with lights, ornaments, and the traditional tinsel. One of the teachers even made ornaments just for the occasion. Another teacher took decorations from the school so we could have more. After finishing the tree, we made some hot chocolate, turned off the overhead lights, and enjoyed the sparkling beauty of the tree.

Making Hotteok (호떡)
One of my good Korean friends and I decided to made a traditional Korean-style pancake one night. Even though it's not a Christmas food, you can usually buy them on the street in the winter. It is like a pancake except it's smaller, and it's insides are filled with brown sugar, cinnamon, and nuts. After making the balls, you place it in a frying pan, let it get nice and warm, and then push it down into a pancake form. Oh, it was so yummy!

Christmas Cards
After a few late nights, I finally got all of Christmas cards sent off. I hope all of them make it there before Christmas, but I think I waited too long. Now, it's in the hands of Korea Post and the USPS.

More Photos

2008.12.04 Christmas Tree Decorating Party

2008.12.14 Making Hotteok (호떡)

Sickness Shows Love

2008-12-18T12:39:00.002-05:00

As I noted before, I had been suffering from a horrible cough. I'm happy to report that I have successfully passed it on to others and seem to be mostly better. Best of all, I have my voice back, and I can speak again. Although I hate sickness (especially ones that eradicate your lungs), this sickness was somewhat special. It made me realize how much people care for me here, especially at my school. Friends took me to doctors or pharmacists, and others gave me plenty of advice (I heard "keep warm" and "get lots of rest" plenty of times). The head western teacher acted almost like a mother. She was constantly giving me medicine and making sure that I was taking it (I felt guilty taking it since it was medicine her family sent to her from the states). She was always on my case about taking care of myself. She even taught a class for me so I could go see a doctor. The top manager even bought me a brand new thermos so I could have hot drinks throughout the day. One of the other Korean teachers at the school also bought me some long-johns to wear. The doctor (a friend of my friend) even gave me free medicine, free acupuncture treatment twice, and a free head massage. Even after my sickness ended, two of the teachers at the school gave me some dishes to use in my apartment (my good Korean friend told them that I didn't have much). It has been so great knowing how deeply people really care for me. I've certainly been blessed with such a great school and great relationships.

I'm certainly happy to finally be done with the sickness, though. I was starting to get a little worried. My voice is pretty valuable here in Korea; I get paid to talk to kids. I started to think to myself that I might get fired if I don't get healed quickly. Luckily, it never came to that. haha

By the way, sorry for the delay in posting. I've been so busy lately with little breathing time. I hope you can forgive me.

Critical Corker

2008-12-09T07:41:00.001-05:00

I heart Bob Corker:

The primary sticking point for the White House and Republicans is that there is no clear-cut language in the bill requiring the automakers to restructure their enormous debt before they take on new debt to taxpayers. "Once bond holders see that the government is in this, they will have no incentive to write down the value of the debt they hold," said Senator Bob Corker (R-Tenn.), a member of the Senate Banking Committee who has been influential during the negotiations despite his freshman status. "These companies cannot be restructured for success without a complete restructuring of their debt and labor and retiree obligations, and the debt is the biggest issue," said Corker, who added, "I wanted to see more teeth in the bill."

More here

Alternative Treatment

2008-12-04T12:31:00.003-05:00

For the past three weeks, I've been hacking my head off with a stupid cough. After the first few days of my coughing adventure, one of the teachers at the school took me to the pharmacy near the school. The teacher and the pharmacist talked about the medicine in Korean without any translation, except for the price which was $21 for a week's supply. I didn't find out until later that it was simply herbal medicine. After finishing that dosage, one of my good friends drove me to friend of his that is a doctor, who speaks pretty good English. Except this doctor is a specialist in herbal medicine. When he looked me over, he didn't even bother to look at my throat, nose, or ears. He did push my stomach in a little and asked if it hurt. He decided that some acupuncture could do me some good. They took me in a special room where the the doctor stuck some needles in my index finger, a couple of toes, and on my leg. He then took a pen and pricked my thumbs a few times and let them bleed some. He kept asking me, "are you feeling better?" Of course, I didn't. Now, I was worried about the blood. He is doing this while I have needles sticking in me. After he finished, I layed on the bed with the needles in for about 20 minutes; a nurse then came and stuck some hot pieces of metal near the spots of the needles. She then took it all out, and they gave me some medicine. Except, this time it was again herbal medicine. My friend and I were hoping that he would give me some real drugs this time. The good thing, though, is that I got to experience acupuncture, and he didn't charge me anything. However, I now feel obligated to help this doctor correct grammar and structure in his pending medical journal. I don't think it helped, though, because I still have a bad cough. It isn't as bad, but my voice is still so hoarse and raspy.

Pilgrim Lost in Korea

2008-12-04T11:50:00.005-05:00

Last Thursday was Thanksgiving, of course. Even though I'm half across the world from the Free World, I had to of course take part in some Thanksgiving festivities. The foreign head teacher at my school (my manager) invited all of the teachers and staff at our school to her house for a big Thanksgiving dinner. Luckily, I've found someone hear who had a great fondness of holiday activities. Unfortunately, we had to work that day since it was a Thursday, but we started right after school ended.

Us Americans wanted to share this uniquely American holiday with our Korean friends; I thought I should share some traditions, like some traditional dress. I've always wanted to dress up like pilgrim for Thanksgiving, and I thought what better time than the present. The outfit was a hit. The head manager of the school loved it; I should probably wear it at least once a week.

We all had a great time together. The apartment was decked out with colorful leaves, which I helped make, falling from the ceiling. We had all kinds of food. We didn't have turkey (a real one costs about $80), but we did have some beef and chicken. We also had the traditional favorites, like green been casserole, mashed potatoes, stuffing, and even salad with Ranch dressing. Yummy! I even found a pecan pie in the supermarket that I shared with everyone. After we finished eating, we all sat in a circle and shared what we are thankful for. Of course, translations were a must for a few people; the head manager doesn't know English so the poor Korean teachers were stuck translating everything.

Even though I wasn't in America and wasn't able to do all my usual traditional things, I still had a great holiday. It felt nice sharing this holiday of ours with the Koreans. Being in Korea, actually makes me especially thankful for the things and people I took for granted while living back in America.

My pecan pie:

Pilgrim pride:

The food!

There's something out of place with this picture:

Those crazy Wisconsinites:

Here are some more pictures:

Pilgrim Lost in Korea

Pink Spandex Techno Dance

2008-11-28T22:09:00.002-05:00

When in bored in Seoul, why not slap on some pink spandex and dance to techno music?

Making Kimchi, Eating Turkey

2008-11-25T23:05:00.002-05:00

I had a great time last weekend. It was a nice balance of Korean and American things. It started out Friday night after school. The Korean manager randomly decided to invite a few of us over for a raumen party (instant noodles). We had some cheesy noodles with some spicy, barbeque chicken. Oh, so yummy. After that, a friend came over to my place, and we hung out.

On Saturday, I started preparing my Christmas decorations. I bought some red and green paper and cut them into strips. After that, I connected the strips to make some nice Christmas chains. I was going to go with a friend to Namdaemun market to do some Christmas shopping, but I instead went to my friend's home to make some kimchi with his family. They thought it was a little weird that a foreigner was interested in making kimchi. They thought my friend asked me just because of the extra help. In the middle of their living room, they had a huge tub full of some kind of spicy sauce. They gathered around the tub and rubbed the sauce over huge heads of cabbage. It was messy but kind of fun. They then put the cabbage in plastic containers and put them outside to ferment. We had a great spicy chicken dish for dinner. My friend and I then went for a walk around Bucheon stadium and had some fried food around my place.

On Sunday, I got out early and headed to Bucheon station by bus. My friend met me there and took me to his Korean church. I was a little interested in the church so I took my opportunity when he invited me. The service was, of course, all in Korean, but my friend translated most of it for me on his notebook. At the end of the service, the pastor pointed me out to everyone, and they all clapped for me. I guess because I'm a foreigner? They had lunch together in the basement. We had a great fried kimchi dish with some rice.

That afternoon, I met up with the English church in town, and we headed to the US Army base in Seoul. Technically, I was back in America. It felt like I was in America, too. Everything was in English, everyone spoke English, and everyone looked like Americans. The dinner was excellent. We had turkey with all the trimmings. We were even entertained by a K-pop star named Brian from the group Fly to the Sky; the Koreans there went crazy. I, of course, had to go back from seconds; it wouldn't be Thanksgiving without seconds. I was certainly stuffed like a turkey as I got up to leave.

Adventures in Teaching English: Part 2

2008-11-21T22:08:00.002-05:00

Friday was a nice little day for teaching. Not only was it the end of the week, but I was also full of energy for some strange reason. I was bouncing all over the place and was more talkative more that normal. My partner teacher for my kindy class even commented that I was "alive" today. I guess I'm dead on other days? I did make another kid cry today. I was going over phonics (short o and short u sounds) in a class with some small kids. After reviewing the sounds, I would say the word of a picture in the book, and they would have to write it down. Most, however, did not listen to me and tried to write it on their own. As you can imagine, it is pretty frustrating when they aren't listening. One kid stood up and said, "Shawn Teacher! What?," as he pointed at his empty page that I had already covered. I didn't yell at him, but I did talk to him strongly about not listening. As soon as I stopped, he sat down, took off his glasses, and broke down in tears. I couldn't pay him any attention, though, because it just encourages them to do it more. Actually, that raises the count of boys I have seen cry verus the number of girls. I have seen so many boys cry but very few girls. That seems strange to me; I guess Korean boys are a tad wimpy.

On a lighter note, I was walking out of the classroom with my arms full of stuff heading to the classroom. As usual, two boys were standing at the door of the teacher's room waiting to help me carry my stuff. As soon as they grabbed my stuff, they ran down the hall and around the corner. I knew what they were up to; they were waiting around the corner to scare me. So, I walked slowly up to the corner and took a peek down the hall. One boy's head was turned around talking to the other boy. The other boy saw me and stared so the first boy naturally turned around to find my face right in his. All of a sudden, he scrieked and callapsed on the floor. I couldn't help but laugh.

Painfully Hiking Up Bukhansan

2008-11-14T08:19:00.002-05:00

A couple of weeks ago, I went hiking at Bukhansan National Park, which is a little north of Seoul. My sole motivation for doing this hike was to do something outside of town. Unfortunately, no one I knew was in proper condition to go hiking or was busy so I had to head up the mountain by myself or do nothing at all. Of course, the adventurous/independent side of me took over and sent me outside of town.

It took me a little under a hour and a half to get there, but it was rather strange getting there. I actually took the subway to the base of the mountain; there is a station basically at the start of the trail. Can you imagine riding the metro to the Smoky Mountains? I did have to get on a bus for a few minutes, but it wasn't hard figuring out which bus to get on considering I had to push myself on since it was literally packed with hikers. Once I got to the base, a friendly English-speaking Korean helped me out and sent me up the trail that I was looking for. I decided to head up to the highest peak in the park since I read that it offered an amazing 360 view.

I'm not sure if I can really call it hiking; it was more like climbing. After the initial general incline, it was basically straight up. I had to hoist myself up all the way. At certain points, there were cables cemented in the rock, and the only way up was to pull yourself up. It was a struggle, and I had to take many short breaks, but it was certainly worth it when I reached the top. It was such an amazing view! The peak was as small as my living room with hundreds of Korean trying to crowd on it; I was a little worried about being knocked off. It was also a little sad not being able to share a moment like that with someone, but it was still great. I was at the very top, and I could see for hundreds of miles all around me. I thought I even saw my home back in Tennessee. It was also incredibly windy up there; I wasn't wearing my jacket because of the hike up, but I promptly put that back on once I reached the top.

After spending some time at top, I finally headed down. It took me about 2 hours and 15 minutes to get up and right at an hour to go down if that tells you anything about the climb. The effects of the day lasted for a couple of days afterward. I could barely walk around from the excruciating pain in my calves. The pain eventually went away, though, after lots of Tylenol.

Luckily, trumpets are allowed while hiking:

The entrance to the hike:

People normally eat cucumbers when hiking here; they say it helps prevent you from getting thirsty:

A little village at the beginning of the trail that had all kinds of food and, of course, alcohol:

The last part of the hike:

Looking down:

Part of Seoul:

The scenery:

After many takes, I finally got a picture:

The mountains from behind as I was leaving:

Double Standards?

2008-11-12T19:33:00.002-05:00

Another look at the election (via Six Meat Buffet):

A Nice Recap of Election Night

2008-11-09T06:14:00.000-05:00

At Least Europeans Can Love Us Again

2008-11-05T12:45:00.000-05:00

This is from Six Meat Buffet:

Voting corpses notwithstanding, you won by a big enough margin to have been elected fairly. The office of the Presidency is to be respected regardless of who holds it.

We are deeply disappointed and somewhat apprehensive about the kind of administration you will bring and laws your legislature will pass. It is my hope that your campaign promises made from the center will guide you rather than your mentors and past record representing the South side of Chicago.

On the bright side, at last France, Spain and Belgium will admire us once again. As they gaze at us through the smoke of their burning cars set alight by masses of unemployed youths, they will see that we are embracing a better path - theirs. Regardless of their approval, we do know that Americans are a decent people and have elected a man of African descent less than 150 years after slavery was abolished.

I will work diligently to see conservatives regain power, but for the next four years, it’s your show, President Obama.

One Bright Spot for the GOP: Tennessee

2008-11-05T12:03:00.006-05:00

Not only did McCain handily win in Tennessee, but the TNGOP also made some gains at the state house. According to Bill Hobbs, the GOP has taken control of both the TN House and Senate; this is the first time since the Civil War.

The Republicans now have a majority in the State Senate with 19 seats versus the 14 seats now held by the Democrats.

One race that was in particular interest to me was the race between Mike Faulk and incumbent, independent Mike Williams of District 4 (my home district). Williams was formally a part of the Republican party but recently switched to independent status after many in-party disputes, including his vote for a Democrat as Speaker of the Senate and Lt. Governorship. I hadn't really kept track of this race closely. I did hear about allegations of Faulk having an affair with a married woman. Also, Williams racked in $110,000 of campaign contributions from TN Dems. Even though those were obstacles for Faulk, I expected him to win in a landslide. I thought people in the District would see the "Republican" title and push the button without looking at the name. However, Faulk has won with only a 346-vote margin. This was certainly a lot more competitive than I originally thought. (more here)

Another surprise to me was the narrow loss of Democrat incumbent Nathan Vaughn of the TN House 2nd District. He was defeated by Republican challenger Tony Shipley; the vote difference, however, was only 1%. Apparently, Shipley ran a tough campaign by "attacking Vaughn’s voting record on everything from illegal immigration to raising taxes on cigarettes to fund education reform." It looks like this will now allow the GOP to also take control of the State House; they are supposed to now have 50 seats out of 33. (more here)

Mike Harrison, of Hawkins County, defended his TN House 9th District seat by obtaining 71% of the vote. This will now be his fourth term in the House. For more on Harrison and some more Hawkins County races, there is more here.

To no surprise, Republican Phil Roe of the TN US House 1st District will now be heading off to Congress with 72% of the vote. Really no surprise here considering we have sent a Democrat off to Congress in 100+ years. After he defeated incumbent David Davis, there was much second-thought about his next job. (more here)

For more on the GOP gains in TN government, read here. For local election results in the Tri-Cities area, check this out.

Be Careful Barack

2008-11-05T08:29:00.004-05:00

"Obama ran on platform of change — now he must spell out exactly how"

Ever since Obama began his campaign, he has never been very specific about what he is going to do and how he is going to do it. Well, now he's finally got to let people know. He's going to have a very difficult time balancing between liberal, progressive policies and those more middle-in-the-road governance that he promised during the campaign (he already broke the promise of accepting public campaign financing; will he again?).

He needs to remember that once Clinton started getting liberal along with the Democratic-controlled Congress the Dems lost big time in the mid-term elections and the GOP took over. He needs to fulfill his promises of being a moderate and all-inclusive President. If not, he will encounter problems two, four years down the road.

I don't really see this election as an embrace of liberalism and socialism; Obama doesn't have the mandate to follow such policies. This was more of a backlash against the Bush era.

Democratic pollster Geoff Garin said Obama's mandate, as put to the voters, was a mandate to be a different president than George W. Bush. "That covers a lot of ground," he said. "There's certainly a mandate in terms of leadership style to have a politics that is more inclusive."

Garin argued that Obama enjoys a mandate for a more activist government that can regulate the excesses of the private sector. "But having said that," Garin said, "the public still has a lot of skepticism about the efficiency and effectiveness of government."

He is certainly going to have to resist pressure from the energized Dems controlling the House and Senate.

"My own hunch is that Obama is smart enough not to want to govern as a liberal," said Peter Wehner, a former Bush administration official. "But he is going to have hydraulic pressure from the House and Senate to do that."

John Feehery, who was a top aide to former House speaker J. Dennis Hastert (R-Ill.), said House Democrats represent a political threat to an Obama presidency. "His real challenge is to understand that the House leadership does not necessarily lead you into a reelection," he said.

Read this great article from the Washington Post about these difficulties that Obama faces.

08 Election Live

2008-11-04T13:20:00.026-05:00

11:05pm - it's all over. obama wins. sigh.

10:31pm - roe called for tn 1st district with 72% of vote...100+ year dominance by gop continues

10:30pm - i'm at work now...watching live abc news feeds...doesn't look like there's much of a contest anymore...looks like va and fla might go to obama

9:24pm - ohio has been called for obama...looks like it's in the bag
obama 195, mccain 76

9:11pm - mcconnell will keep his seat in kentucky...gop holds on to their leader in the senate; one sigh of relief for republicans

9:10pm - roe is taking 72% of the vote in tn district 1 with 13% reporting

9:06pm - 4 senate seats switched from dems to gop...can they make it to 60? i'm not entirely sold yet

9:00pm - polls close; most too early to call; georgia now called for mccain
obama 174, mccain 76

8:55pm - nbc just said speaker pelosi is going to have complete control...such a scary comment (house controls the purse strings)...that could kill the dems like bush killed the gop

8:55pm - big chunk of country closes polls at 9

8:53pm - little change in turnout; african americans, whites, youth about the same as 2004

8:30pm - abc says dems will have biggest hold of senate since 70s; we all know how well they took care of the economy back then

8:20pm - young voters down in fla; old voters up big time in fla; great news for mccain

8:15pm - lamar called for senate in tn!!

8:00pm - pa called for obama (21) with 0% reporting...a little early don't you think?
15 state polls close: obama (102); mccain (34)

7:56pm - 90% voters nationwide confident votes will be counted; 15 state polls closing in 4 minutes

7:46pm - nbc calls south carolina for mccain (8)

7:42pm - mccain still holding indiana at 20%

7:40pm - abc news calls it the end of public financing

7:29pm - watching abc news on afn here in korea; more polls closing soon

7pm - Kentucky called for mccain (8), vermont for obama (3); here we go

Freedom

2008-11-04T13:19:00.001-05:00

Go Vote!

2008-11-04T12:38:00.001-05:00

I voted all the way from South Korea; the least you can do is drive across town to vote.

(if you're not sure who to vote for, I would recommend McCain)

It Comes Down to This

2008-11-04T12:35:00.002-05:00

I'm watching MSNBC news coverage live from the web. I'm tired; I'm going to bed. I'll wake up early to see what happens. I'll blog what I see and think here.

If you follow me on Twitter or look on the right-hand side, I will update various stories I see around the web on election night (well, election day...my time).

Brilliant Idea

2008-11-03T20:26:00.002-05:00

Let's bankrupt the industry that keeps the lights on! Let's do that considering there is no other viable energy alternatives! (granted, there is solar and wind technology available, but those power sources do not currently have the ability to meet the high demand that's supplied by coal plants)

K-Halloween

2008-11-02T20:05:00.007-05:00

We had a great time on Halloween at my school. Actually, we had two full days of Halloween activities. The school really got into the Halloween thing; I had never seen a place so heavily decorated before. It was amazing! The principal decided that I was a good drawer so she made me draw a haunted house on one of the walls.

We started our Halloween activities with our kindergarten kids on Thursday. All of the little kids got dressed up so there was adorableness all around. We took the kids out on a "parade" through the neighborhood; they marched, sang, and danced through the town. Actually, we were lucky that they all survived. We crossed over some big intersections with our big, long train of students. The cross signal told us not to cross once we reached about half way. Thankfully, no one ran over our kids. At various points, we would stop, and some parents would hand out candy. By the time we got back, all of the kids and teachers were pooped so they decided to delay studies for a little while.

With our bigger kids, we had a bunch of games and activities. We had a eye ball/tomato race, a mummy building race, corn hole, trick or treating, and even a haunted house. I think the kids really liked the haunted house. We built a maze in one of the rooms and stuck some teachers in it with some scary masks. It was completely dark in the maze so the kids were pretty freaked out.

It took me a while to finally come up with a costume. Already-made costumes in Korea are pretty expensive and are a little hard to find. Also, second-hand clothing store are not that widespread so it is a little hard to make your own. I went through about 5 different costume ideas before I finally settled for Spongebob. After getting some cardboard, yellow paper, and painting for a few hours, I finally had a my costume.

My K-Halloween was a good time. We worked really hard preparing for it, and it turned out to be really successful. Most of the kids had fun so that's all I can ask for.

Unanswered Questions

2008-10-30T22:10:00.004-04:00

One of the reasons the Obama camp doesn't really strike my fancy is their inability to confront facts. There are just so many unanswered questions (mainly because the media doesn't want to ask). Fox News recently presented a radio interview that Obama did in 2001. Instead of answering the questions raised by the interview, the Obama camp just attacks Fox News for even raising these legitimate questions. Take a look at this (via Bob Krumm):

This is just one of the reasons that I did not vote for Obama; click here for a list of many other reasons.

Commander-In-Peace

2008-10-28T12:36:00.002-04:00

It sounds great when a potential leader says he will reduce the development of military weapons. Surely world peace would come soon after. Or would it? I know it scares me to hear a presidential candidate say words like that. Why would we reduce military R&D when countries like China, Iran, North Korea, and Russia are rapidly increasing the strength of their forces? I'm sure they will stop as long as we do (sarcasm intended).

I Voted!

2008-10-26T19:50:00.004-04:00

I'm proud to say that I finally mailed in my ballot for the Nov 4th election and, hopefully, my voice will count this year. Thanks to FedEx, my ballot was sent for free through their express delivery service. I sent it on Saturday, and it's due to arrive on Monday. They're even going to send me an email when it's delivered; how sweet. I was originally going to deliver my ballot and then go hiking, but once I got out of the subway station in Seoul, it started raining. So I decided to go look for a camera at the Yongsan electronics market. I found one that I liked and got a great deal on it (cheaper than what I would have paid in the US); the dealer even through in a camera case, tripod, and 2GB memory card for free.

Here are some pictures from my journey:

(technically, I'm not allowed to display my ballot)

(I found a Subway around the FedEx place - awesome!)

Halloween Approaching

2008-10-22T10:03:00.002-04:00

It is a tradition for me to spend the last couple of weeks in October scrambling to find a great costume for Halloween festivities. I didn't think that I would encounter such a problem here in Korea; how wrong I was. We will be have two days worth of Halloween parties at my school. Of course, I'm going to have to wear a costume for that. I found some things on the internet, but it was a little too pricey. I saw some things at the market last weekend, but again a little outside my price range. Tomorrow, I'm going to another market in Seoul along with some other teachers to find a costume. This is my last stand for a bought costume; after that, I'll be rushing to make my own. Does anyone have any good ideas?

The View Back Home

2008-10-22T10:00:00.002-04:00

The worst part about living in Korea is being away from East Tennessee and the Smokies during the Fall. Beautiful! (web cam here, via No Silence)

Some Freebies

2008-10-20T11:28:00.004-04:00

Over the past few weeks, I've collected some much needed items. The best part? All of it was given to me for free. I wish I had some pictures to share, but as I mentioned before, no camera.

A bike!
One of the best things I like about living in Korea is the ability to walk a short distance and have access to almost anything that I need. However, there are some things across town that I would like to get to that would take me about 30-40 minutes walking. I don't really know all of the buses so I recruited a friend to help me find a bike online. Later, I found out that the teacher that I replaced actually bought a bike while he was here and left it with one of the other teachers. Luckily, that other teacher isn't much of a bike rider so he gave it to me. It is kind of a long bike, and it sort of looks like it belongs to an older woman, but I like it. It gets me across town in a jippy, and it has a basket and rack so that I can carry stuff with me. I've gotten some looks from some of the locals (I haven't ever seen a foreigner on a bike before), but I enjoy life in the spotlight.

A couch!
One of the things I wanted since I got here was a couch. I have a wide open living area that is perfect for a couch. My back was also hurting from sitting on the floor using the computer or watching TV. There are also some days where I would like to come in and just pass out on the couch; it's a little hard to do that when you just have a hard wood floor. I looked on the Internet and through stores; I could get a decent one for about $140. I didn't feel that comfortable spending that money for something that has just a temporary use. I even looked around dumpsters for people trying to get rid of their old furniture (Koreans have to pay a hefty fee to have furniture put in the trash). One day, I got a text message from my fellow teacher telling me that there were rumors of couches sitting outside a nearby hotel. I dashed out the door and sure enough there were couches, tables, and TV stands. My fellow teacher joined me to help me carry one back, but I felt a little uncomfortable just taking it. She went inside and asked and sure enough it was trash; they even welcomed us to take it (remember the hefty furniture disposal fee I mentioned?). Not only did I take a couch, but I also added a table on top for my computer. Now, I have a nice little set up in my place. I now have a place where I can pass out watching TV.

AFN!
Mentioning TV, that reminds me about my recent discovery of AFN, which stands for the American Forces Network. This is a TV channel for American soldiers in Korea and has shows from back in the US (even though the shows are a day old). My fellow teachers had it in their apartment, but I didn't have it in mine. One night, one of my Korean friends came over and started watching my TV. They were a little disappointed that I only had like 4 channels so they pressed this button on my remote that searched for more channels. After that, we were flipping through the stations, and there it was - AFN! I had never seen anything so glorious before (well, that's exaggerating a little)! I finally have some TV that I can understand! It's filled with lots of military propaganda, but I could care less. Now, I can watch Leno, Letterman, SNL, American news (occasionally), The View, Dr. Phil, among others. Sadly, still no Conan.

Happy Suwon Turns Into Sad Suwon

2008-10-19T04:20:00.004-04:00

A couple of Saturdays ago, Isabel (a teacher from my school) and I traveled south to the city of Suwon. We went to see the World Heritage Site Hwaseong Fortress and attend the annual cultural festival. We had a great time with all the festivities. We got to see a lot of performances, and I was even interviewed twice about the festival. Koreans love to see foreigners enjoying Korean things. The fortress wall is wildly famous to Koreans and this is the only remaining city wall in Korea that surrounds the whole town. Isabel and I made an effort to hike around the complete wall; we did it successfully! However, on the return trip home, I lost my camera somewhere either on the subway or bus. I'm pretty sure that it dropped out of my coat pocket since I don't remember ever taking it out after the last I used it. Unfortunately, I had taken lots of great pictures that day so all of those are lost. I had the Korean manager at my school call the subway system, but they didn't find it. I'm going to have him call the bus company on Monday to see if they have it. However, it looks like I'll end up having to buy a new one.

South Korean Fact Check

2008-10-18T14:06:00.002-04:00

If you watched the final US Presidential Debate, you might have heard South Korea mentioned by Obama. He was talking about the proposed free trade agreement (FTA) between the US and Korea. Obama was not very clear whether or not he supported the FTA; he made it sound as though this agreement would create a trade imbalance where Korea could dump all of their cars on the US while we could sell only a few thousand to Koreans. Actually, the FTA would stop this current imbalance and allow more balanced automotive trade. Maybe he just mixed up his words, but here is more on Korea in the debate.

Hiking Mt. Inwangsan

2008-10-17T21:00:00.005-04:00

Last Sunday, I had the chance to go hiking in Seoul; I went up Inwangsan Mountain, which lies North of the city. Seoul is surrounded by mountains, and this creates a nice mix of urbanization and nature. Actually, it is common to see people in the subway wearing hiking equipment or having camping gear; most of the mountains have a subway station right at their base so access is extremely easy for those without cars. The hike itself was very short, but it was pretty intense.

There were a lot of steps along the way, but most of it was straight up. My friend and I huffed and puffed along the way. This mountain is sacred for Buddhists for some reason. Along the way, there were many signs of Buddhism. There were people on mats giving prayers, giving offerings (including a pig head with money in its mouth), banging gongs, and singing.

Also along the way were these tents that acted as convenience stores in the sky; it is amazing that people would tote so much stuff up the mountain to sell to hikers. Once we got near the peak, we encountered some barbed wire that surrounded the peak. Apparently, the very top of the mountain is a forbidden area.

The Korean military have a presence on top to protect the city and the nearby presidential house. Near the top, we did get some excellent views of the city. I've never had such a good view of Seoul before, and it was awesome being in the middle of nature while at the same time being in the middle of one of the largest cities in the world. We rested at the top where we had a good view and had some food (Korean sushi, Kimbap, and some cookies).

After enjoying our time relaxing at the top, we finally headed back down the mountain as it was getting dark. We got on the subway and headed home to have a dinner of noodles and dried squid. Yum, yum!

Pure Arrogance

2008-10-17T09:36:00.002-04:00

Is this the kind of "change" we want in Washington?

(More here, here, here, and here)

What Just Happened?

2008-10-12T00:57:00.001-04:00

Granted this video is from the Republicans, but nothing in this video was made up:

(via Are We Lumberjacks?)

Adventures in Teaching English

2008-10-06T14:48:00.003-04:00

In our classes, we have the sticker reward system. Teachers give out stickers for good behavior, answering questions, etc. When a student fills their sticker book, they get a prize from the school. In my kindergarten class, I write everyone's name on the board and draw a star (indicating a sticker) next to each name. When a kid is rowdy or disobeys me, I promptly erase a sticker. Today, one my kids (English name Jack) grabbed one my of scissors in my teaching basket and acted like he was going to throw it across the table at another student. Of course, he was just playing around and would never actually throw it. I yelled, "no, Jack!" and immediately erased his star/sticker. Instantly, Jack's face was filled with utter disgust and tears gushed from his eyes (we actually just learned that word last week...the irony...haha). I then had to spend the last few minutes of class calming him down (boys are so emotional in Korea). Poor kid! He loses his sticker because he acts like he is going to kill someone; such a shame!

In other news, I was given a bike today by one of the fellow western teachers at my school. It actually belonged to a previous teacher at the school that returned back to the States. I went to Homeplus (Americans think Wal-Mart) to get a chain for my seat (crime is very low here except for bicycle theft...the seat is not safe either). I was looking around the aisle with a dazed look, and then this friendly worker came up to me and spoke some Korean. I tried to explain to her that I was looking for a chain. She spoke to me some more in Korean, and I answered yes (in Korean) hoping she was saying the right things. Obviously, she wasn't because she giggled a little when I answered that way. Some Korean woman and her husband were passing as I was trying to speak; the wife came up to me and offered to help me out because she spoke English. I explained to her my situation, and she found out for me that they don't have what I need. Instead, I need to go down the street to E-mart (another Wal-Mart type store). Oh well, maybe I'll also get lucky there.

As I was walking home from Homeplus, I passed by one of the many street vendors around town. I always glance to see what is cooking (usually the same stuff as every where else). This time, there was a group of teenage friends hanging around...probably enjoying a late night snack after school (keep in mind this is about 11:30pm). I thought I heard a faint "hi" as I passed, but I ignored it. As I walked a little further, one of the guys yelled out, "You are handsome. I love you." (you must know that most Koreans often don't hold back from using the English word "love") He says this as he places his arms over his head in a heart-shaped fashion. All I could yell in response was "thanks!"

A Day at Ocean World

2008-10-01T21:30:00.006-04:00

Last weekend, a bunch of us from my school decided to go to Ocean World, a semi-big waterpark in central Korea. We did this despite the temperatures being in the mid to low 60s. The park is about a 3 hour drive from Bucheon so that meant we had to leave very early in the morning. We were supposed to leave by 6:30, but a late straggler kept us delayed until 7. The drive there was pretty unadventurous. We were pretty crammed in the small car we took.

(up bright and early)

As we approached the park, though, the excitement started building inside me. I hadn't been to a waterpark since I was in middle school so I was pretty siked about going. When we went inside, we were greeted by a couple of double-hand wavers that inspected our bags. We were given bracelets to wear all day. One bracelet acted as a key to our complimentary lockers and shoe boxes; the other acted as a payment system for the rest of the day. At the front desk, you give them a certain amount of money, and they then scan your bracelet. This bracelet acts as your debit card for the rest of the day. This is really convenient in that you don't have to leave your wallet laying around, but it's inconvenient in you have to walk all the way to the front desk in order to add more money.

(Ocean World!)

(our greeters; their hands were happy, not so much their faces)

(going to a waterpark with a jacket on...that's totally me)

The only way to the waterpark is through a maze of hallways and stairs that led you to the locker room and sauna (separate for guys and gals, of course). Back in America, people take all of there stuff with them inside and camp out at some lounge chairs by the wave pool. Not so here. You really leave most of everything in the locker because there is no lounging in a Korean waterpark. Unfortunately, I didn't have this in mind when I was at my locker so I was stuck carrying my heavy backpack all day.

Once we finally made it through the locker room maze, we finally emptied out into the indoor portion of the waterpark. The area had a small wave pool, a couple of slides, a kids play area, a lazy river, some jet pools, and some sauna pools. I was so excited that I ran to the first slide I saw and rode it about three times. After I was done with my reversal to childhood, we headed outside to a waterfall sauna; it felt so good with the cold morning air surrounding us. After some relaxation, we went uber-extreme. We rode a family slide ride (ECC fighting!), a huge drop off slide, and some others.

(ECC family! well, three of many)

Korean waterparks are unique in their requirements. Everyone has to wear a swimming cap (that's true at pools, too); at waterparks, you can just wear a baseball cap. I didn't want to ruin my only cap so I decided to wear the swimming cap that I bought last year in Korea and used only once. I think I was the only adult to wear one. Everyone also has to wear a life jacket. Not only do they require it, but you also have to pay a renting fee to use one (at least at Ocean World). Luckily, one of the managers went ahead and bought life jackets for all of us.

One of the coolest parts of the park was the extreme river (no laziness here). You get in an inter tube, and it appears that you are just going on a traditional lazy river, but as soon as you hit it, the waves come roaring after you. You are tossed and turned all over the place. You are smashing into walls and people; we had to hold on to one another so we wouldn't get separated so we had as a huge wrecking ball for the other people in the river. Waves come at both directions so there is like an explosion of people and water when caught in the middle of them.

(waiting for the waves to start)

The wave pool was also really cool; I had never seen such huge waves in my life (even at the beach). Once the waves hit you, there is no stopping yourself;no matter how hard you swim, you are thrown all the way to the back of the pool.

(in one of the sauna pools)

(Burger King lunch)

After our adventures and a great lunch at Burger King (again paid for us), we decided to take it easy and take a dip in the many hot saunas around the park. It felt so nice to feel some warmth after freezing our butts off all day. One of the saunas was a huge pool full of citrus tea (tea good for your body?). We were so relaxed by all the sauna pools so we decided that we didn't have enough energy for anything else. The kid inside of me was really disappointed, though. After we changed, made it back through the locker room maze, and cashed in our bracelets, we headed back to Bucheon.

For some reason or another, our Korea drivers decided we should go back a different route through Seoul. Unfortunately, every street we encountered in the city was packed with weekend traffic; there weren't really any roads, more like parking lots. Our three hour journey turned into a 5-hour endurance test; it was miserable, but we made it through and got to see some sights around Seoul. Our water-filled day of fun had finally come to an end.

(our view on the way home)

(kids having some fun)

(the parking lot in Seoul)

Ignored Warning Signs

2008-09-30T07:50:00.004-04:00

For years leading up to the current financial situation, the Congress and the President knew something bad was going to happen. They saw the warning signs, and the flags were waved.

The crisis has roots in economic (actually, social) policies of the the Carter and Clinton administrations:

This Congressional hearing was held in 2004:

Both Bush and McCain introduced legislation in 2003 and 2006 to help prevent the trouble that we are in now.

Bush tried to reform Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac back in 2003:

The new agency would have the authority, which now rests with Congress, to set one of the two capital-reserve requirements for the companies. It would exercise authority over any new lines of business. And it would determine whether the two are adequately managing the risks of their ballooning portfolios.

The plan is an acknowledgment by the administration that oversight of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac -- which together have issued more than $1.5 trillion in outstanding debt -- is broken. A report by outside investigators in July concluded that Freddie Mac manipulated its accounting to mislead investors, and critics have said Fannie Mae does not adequately hedge against rising interest rates.

Who blocked the legislation? Can you guess?

"These two entities -- Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac -- are not facing any kind of financial crisis," said Representative Barney Frank of Massachusetts, the ranking Democrat on the Financial Services Committee. "The more people exaggerate these problems, the more pressure there is on these companies, the less we will see in terms of affordable housing."

McCain tried to do something himself in 2006:

I join as a cosponsor of the Federal Housing Enterprise Regulatory Reform Act of 2005, S. 190, to underscore my support for quick passage of GSE regulatory reform legislation. If Congress does not act, American taxpayers will continue to be exposed to the enormous risk that Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac pose to the housing market, the overall financial system, and the economy as a whole.

Let's not start pointing fingers. Of course, this is an election year, and the biased media does have much desire to report on "history." Granted, I don't agree with a lot of Bush's policies; however, he at least had the foresight to see change was needed. The Democrats stopped the plan; now, when there is trouble, they start blaming others. I'm not sure if this is what you would call "change." Sounds pretty old-fashioned to me.

Financials

2008-09-23T20:04:00.004-04:00

I finally got myself a bank account today at Shinhan. It was a fairly easy process. The head Korean manager took me to help with translations. As in the US, I had to write my name a lot and write my signature many times. There are some funky rules. For some reason or another, I can't use internet banking until after three months. Also, there are fees for using the ATM if I withdraw cash after 6pm, which is bad for me considering I don't get off work until 6 or 9. There are a few cool things, though. They gave me a bank book that I can put into an ATM, and it will update my account balance and show all of my transactions. They also gave me my visa debit card immediately, no waiting at all.

In other financial news, I got my first bill (pictured above...called itself the "wonderFULL letter" I think that's debatable) for the internet and my landline phone. It amounted to about $8 after I was reimbursed for the connection fee. Not only is it cheaper than in the US, but it is also much faster.

Chuseok Vids

2008-09-18T22:00:00.000-04:00

Here are some videos of the Chuseok celebrations at Seoul City Hall. The first one is of the traditional farmer dance, and the second one is the modern/traditional fused concert later that night.

Chuseok in Seoul

2008-09-14T22:11:00.010-04:00

Yesterday was such an awesome day. It was the first day of Chuseok, somewhat like Thanksgiving except a little bigger. Chuseok is supposed to be the best time to view the moon and everyone is suppoed to make a wish as they view the moon. I started out by taking a hour and half train ride to the northern tip of Seoul to Chang Dong. The city was having a free concert. I thought it would be something exciting and fun, but it turned out a little different. It was basically a dance show mixed in some singing. The outfits were elaborate, but that was about the only thing interesting about the show. It was almost like a Dollywood show except in Korea.

After the show, I was headed back to Bucheon. I had read that there were going to be some Chuseok activities at Seoul City Hall. I thought about passing it up and going home due to the disappointment in Chang Dong, and then I thought that I should check it out since I would be passing by. Once I got there, there were a bunch of people in the plaza. There were a lot of booths set up so people could make traditional crafts, play traditional games, try on Korea's traditional dress hanbok, and even take part in a tea ceremony. I also noticed there were to be performances later that night. So, I decided to hang around and check it out.

The evening started out with a traditional farmer's dance. I had been wanting to see this since I came to Korea last summer. Each community used to have a band that played at community events to celebrate the planting and harvesting of crops. They play hourglass-shaped drums, gongs, and horns; they also were a long ribbon on the top of their hats. As the dance and march, they twirl the ribbons to create a mass of circles. They also do many acrobatic tricks. One of the old men playing was really funny. He would take water from the audience, and he kept trying to pose for a photographer standing near by. They were also a couple of cute kids that jumped around with them.

After the farmer dance, everyone gathered around the main stage for the big show. Remember that none of this is in English. The MC came out and tried to warm up the crowd. He handed out prizes to people wearing hanbok and spoke a lot of Korean gibberish. He must have been funny because everyone laughed. I just pretended like I knew what was going on. A Korean guy sitting next to me randomly started talking to me. He was very friendly and warned me that I might be called on since I was a foreigner. It was nice to have someone to talk to. Anyways, the MC guy starts walking through the audience and has everyone make a "ha ha ha" sound. Then he stops to a Korean guy sitting on the other side of me and has him stand up to make the "ha ha ha" sound. He said it wasn't good enough so he looks at me and says, "stand up, please." I was a little taken aback. My friend was right. Suddenly, my face was plastered on the jumbotron in front of the audience of thousands, including the mayor of Seoul. He asked me where I was from and then asked me if I knew English. As a joke, I said "a little." Suddenly, he starts speaking in Korea, and I thought, "oh crap, he thinks I can speak Korean." Luckily, he was just translating because that was when people laughed. He had me do the "ha ha ha" thing and must have liked it because he had me do it numerous times. He then thanked me and gave me a free studio portrait session. That was my moment in the spotlight.

The rest of the evening was filled with some great performances. The B-Boys did some beat boxing and break dancing. Some other performers played traditional Korean music but fused it with modern beats. A guy named Choi So Ri played traditional drums but really mixed it up with modern music, fire, and water. It was an amazing performance! He played the traditional Korean folk song "Arirang" but it felt more like something played in a techno club rather than hundreds of years ago. Sadly, my Korea friend had to leave because of his restless daughter. The old woman sitting next to him then befriended me and talked to me about the young performer who is just 11 years old and has the deep voice of an adult. She then swayed hands with me as the more subdued Arirang was played. Her husband would want to tell me something so she just translated for me. As they left early also, the old man with a NY Yankees hat shook hands with me and patted me on the back. I think he appreciated the fact that I was there trying to experience Korean culture.

The end of the night's events was pretty fantastic. It is traditional for women to do a "Soo Wal Rae" circle dance under the moonlight on Chuseok. It was such an inspiring dance with bubble machines blowing full speed, the girls in white hanbok circling around on stage, and the drummers on the side. After they finished, they formed somewhat of a "Soo Wal Rae" tango line and came marching through the audience with the drummers. They stopped right in front of me, and they started dancing with the audience. One of the girls even grabbed my hand and started swirling with me. Everyone was up, clapping, and dancing. Imagine a major city like Seoul doing this traditional dance all together. One woman brought her little kid in a hanbok up to me and had me do the dance with him. We then formed a circle with a bunch of people around us and did our own So Wal Rae. Words cannot describe the awesomeness. That concluded the evening.

The woman and her kid started talking to me and told me many times, "I love you," and would then hug me. Some other Koreans then came up to me and did the same. The little kid even handed me his traditional Korean fan. He had bought the fan earlier that night and wanted to give it to me as a gift. They all said that they had seen me on the screen earlier that night and thought I was funny with my "ha ha ha." One guy even came up to me and started asking me about American Thanksgiving and American music; he was a fan of American jazz. It was so great to meet so many strangers last night; you could certainly feel the Chuseok spirit. After I greeted a few people, I then headed for the subway and got on the train home. Such a great and memorable night!

(video is forthcoming)

"Big Issues"

2008-09-12T22:59:00.003-04:00

The Obama campaign sent out this memo after losing some traction:

"But we will do it on the big issues that matter to the American people. We will not allow John McCain and his band of Karl Rove disciples to make this big election about small things."

Here is the "big issue" they are referring to:

The new Obama ad hit McCain hard, ridiculing him as a computer illiterate who doesn't know how to use e-mail and working to cast the 72-year-old Arizonan as out of touch with ordinary Americans.

I know that's my top concern as a voter: can my President use email?

Thanks, Obama, for bringing "change" to politics and dealing with the "big issues."

Dooson! Dooson!

2008-09-12T10:14:00.005-04:00

Last weekend, we went out to the ballpark in nearby Mok-dong. It was experience to say the least. It was the loudest baseball game I had been to in my life. Everyone has these white blow-up sticks that sounds like a drum beat when hit together. And this guys stands up front with the dancing girls and leads everyone in chants throughout the game; he was almost like a conductor of the people beating the sticks. They just got louder and louder as the night went on. Halfway through the game, some techno-esque music came on and everyone started making these weird movements, almost like in a trance. Apparently, that was the half-time stretch. Our team, the Dooson Bears defeated the Woori Heroes, 9 to 3, so it was a pretty good game. Afterwards we headed out into the town and got some awesome food. It was a form of Samgyeopsal, except it had 5 layers instead of the normal three and was smoked. Oh, it was so good! Probably one of the best meals I've ever had in Korea.

The conductor and his dancing ladies:

Some peanuts made it feel a little like home:

Krispy Kreme ad...oh, I need me some doughnuts!:

The crowd:

Oh, so yummy!:

Never Forget

2008-09-11T09:21:00.002-04:00

Lucky Day

2008-09-08T21:48:00.002-04:00

Monday was a rather lucky day for me. As I walked in, the receptionist (we call them "desk teachers") handed me an envelope from the Korean Immigration Office. It contained my alien registration card (isn't that funny...I'm an alien) and my passport. Every foreigner has to have this card in order to have legal status within the country. Well, they had taken my passport so they could process my request for a card. They gave me a piece of paper stating that my card was being processed and my passport was in their possession. For some reason or another, I can't find that piece of paper that I am supposed to carry with me at all times. This also happens to be the day that Korean Immigration officials decided to visit our school. I was interrupted during one of my classes by the Korean manager needing that piece of paper. Well, of course, I couldn't find it. Luckily, though, my alien card arrived just in time for it's first use.

Laundering

2008-09-05T22:13:00.002-04:00

Well, I've been in Korea for a few weeks now. This is the moment I have been avoiding as much as possible...doing laundry. I have put it off too long. I had no choice but to try it out and see what happened.

This is the machine. It is actually a washer/dryer combo. Electricity rates are really expensive here, though, and the dryer (I've been told) just sucks up energy like mofo. Needless to say, I didn't attempt drying.

Here are the instructions for the machine. Obviously, no English.

Freaking out a little.

Trying to figure it out.

Success! This is my extra-large drying rack.

Special thanks goes to Joey teacher at school for translating for me and making this moment possible!

Palin Power

2008-09-05T15:07:00.002-04:00

According to a survey of voters, Palin is now viewed more favorably than McCain or Obama.

A week ago, most Americans had never heard of Alaska Governor Sarah Palin. Now, following a Vice Presidential acceptance speech viewed live by more than 40 million people, Palin is viewed favorably by 58% of American voters.
...
Perhaps most stunning is the fact that Palin's favorable ratings are now a point higher than either man at the top of the Presidential tickets this year. As of Friday morning, Obama and McCain are each viewed favorably by 57% of voters. Biden is viewed favorably by 48%.

Palin's Amazing Speech

2008-09-04T12:46:00.005-04:00

Here's a couple of great speeches yesterday at the GOP Convention (in case you missed it...you need to see it):

Palin's speech was masterful! Apparently, she winged a lot of it. It will be interesting to see where she goes from here. I can't wait to see on her on the campaign trail and take down Biden at the VP debate!

This is what Dr. Helen has to say about the criticisms of Sarah Palin:

If Palin were a Democrat, we would not be having this national conversation about her children, her ability to mother and the other dirt that the MSM is flinging against her. Instead, the media would hail her as a hero, a role model for young girls and beyond reproach. The hypocrisy is staggering.

Happy Labor Day, America!

2008-08-31T22:26:00.001-04:00

I hope you enjoy your Labor Day. Unfortunately, there is no such holiday in Korea, and I will be working until late at night. Oh boy!

A Kid Again With Diseases At Least

2008-08-31T22:14:00.002-04:00

I'm just getting over a little congestion/cold that developed last weekend. Apparently, this happens all the time. Foreign (it's still weird using that term) teachers always get sick within a week or two of arriving. It really makes sense. I've spent over 20 years building up an immunity against many types of colds. That why most kids get sick a lot because they are not immune to a lot of cold strains. Well, here I am in another country with different types of cold strains that my body has never encountered before, and I am around snotty-nosed kids all day. That doesn't add up to anything good. So, I'm like a kid again...just waiting for that next cold bug to infect my body. I have been taking a lot of vitamin C so hopefully that will help some. I also have some Germ X so that will help me keep my hands clean on the go. I'll have to be careful with what I touch.

Palin: A Total Package for McCain

2008-08-31T00:07:00.004-04:00

I am so happy that McCain picked Sarah Palin as his running mate. This will add much energy and strength to the campaign. Although, there are questions about the length of her experience. I don't think that's a great argument against her. She has served two years as Governor of Alaska. That's 730 days of EXECUTIVE experience (the executive branch of the federal government includes the Presidency). Compare that to the 143 days of Obama's LEGISLATIVE experience in the Senate.

I am really happy that McCain opted to avoid picking more of the same with Pawlenty and Romney; they would have added very little to the ticket and would have reinforced the view that no change will come out of McCain's administration. A Joe Lieberman or Tom Ridge would have made strong strides toward the image of a moderate administration and would have attracted some independent voters; those picks would have upset many social conservatives, something McCain definitely doesn't need to do.

I think Palin, though, attracts many different people. She attracts women (she has a family of 5; she even gave birth to a child just last April), hunters (she is a hunter and fisher herself and NRA member), union members (she is a former union member and her husband belongs to a union), and military families (her son will be deployed to Iraq soon). She's also seen as being a maverick and even going against her own party when the times called for it. She defeated an incumbent Republican governor during the primaries and went on to fight corruption in Alaskan government, which meant fighting members of the Republican party.

She might be able to attract social conservatives and independents at the same time. This is what the New York Times had to say: "Just as crucial, Ms. Palin, 44, was beloved by the party’s religious base, but did not come off as shrill. 'She’s conservative, but she’s not an ideologue,' Mr. Black said." I hope this holds true in November.

Anyways, I think McCain made a great choice for VP. Even if they don't win this election, I think we will see much more of Palin. She is the future of the GOP (along with Governor Bobby Jindal of Louisiana). She's one of those figures that have much energy and don't go away easy.

(Superwoman picture via Are We Lumberjacks?)

Beginning Korea

2008-08-27T22:09:00.005-04:00

Well, I’m finally here. After about 25 hours of flights and layovers, I have finally made it. I can tell you that it is definitely no fun traveling for long when you are by yourself. The highlight of my trip was the route from Detroit to Tokyo; I had the whole row to myself. So if I wanted a window seat, I had one. If I wanted an aisle seat, I had one. If I wanted to lay down, I could. Even though the rest of the cabin had their windows down, I had the ability to keep my partly open without much problem. That worked great with my plan to stay awake during the flight (I was trying to adjust my internal clock to Korea time). I did have some problems with the movies. I plugged in my headphones to listen to the movie, but the American movies were in some funky language like Russian or something. So I couldn’t watch the movies; I found out later that there were different stations for different languages. I wish I had found that out sooner.

While waiting in Tokyo, I really wanted to just leave the airport and explore the area. That was my third time in Tokyo without the ability to see Tokyo; so disappointing. I did befriend some Americans there. I had sat next to them in the Detroit airport, and I ran into them again while waiting in Detroit. They were waiting for the same flight to Seoul, and they had sat down beside me to watch the Olympics on TV.

The flight to Seoul was pretty uneventful. I dosed off a few times while watching Toy Story on the personal entertainment display. The food was the best on this flight; we had sushi! Well, I finally made it to Seoul. I got through immigration without incident. My American friends helped me out at luggage claim by getting me a luggage cart. I would have probably toted around my stuff myself otherwise. The head western teacher and one of the Korean teachers greeted me with signs outside luggage claim. I was so excited that I hugged the western teacher (a woman) without thinking; I hope she didn’t think anything.

Anyways, they drove me off to my new home in town of Bucheon. It was pretty exciting driving along the interstate and having them point to my new home. It is in a rather developed side of town; I’m really in the center of the action. It is kind of strange living in the middle of the city after spending years living in Church Hill and Jefferson City. It’s rather nice. Anyways, the apartment is great. I live in the Good Morning Building and on the penthouse floor. I have a bathroom, kitchen, living area, and a bedroom/loft. I like to call it my party loft! I have a view of the city whith a slight mountain view between some buildings. The school has done a lot for me in terms of my apartment. The head western teacher spent a lot of time cleaning the apartment, and the school put a lot of effort into finding a great apartment for me. They collected a lot of things for me from the other teachers and bought some stuff for me that they thought I would need. I even have a cell phone because one of the western teachers doesn’t use it that much and let me use his for a while. I was missing a bed the first night, but the teachers brought some mats that I used as my bed that first night.

After I got my luggage in my room, they wanted to take me out; luckily, I wasn’t too bad in terms of jet lag. I met up with the rest of the western teachers, the head Korean teacher, the Korean that drove us, and a couple of other westerners. The head Korean teacher is dating this guy from Ireland so she had an Irish accent; it is so funny. But they treated me, and we had a good night. They actually have some high expectations of me. The recruiter had told them some good things about me so I hope I don’t let them down.

The weekend was pretty good. I arrived on Thursday, but Friday was a national holiday so I had the day off. I met a couple of friends that day. One of which left that same day for America; I thought it was funny that we were exchanging countries for a year. That night, I went shopping at a Wal-Mart equivalent called Home Plus (I feel that I might start to love it as much as Wal-Mart). I also found the equivalent of Greased Lightning; it is called Anywhere (appropriate name I thought). I then ate dinner at my favorite Korean fast-food joint – Lotteria! On Saturday, I got to visit the school and review my books. The western teachers and I then headed for Incheon were we visited the memorial to General McArthur (Incheon is where McArthur and his troops stormed into Korea during the Korean War). We then looked around Chinatown before heading back. On Sunday, I spent most of my time walking around the town and figuring out what was around. Some interesting things I found was a huge shopping mall with the tree of life in the middle. A random Korean woman stopped me on the street and had a 15-minute conversation with me. A Popeye’s, Outback, TGIF, and Toys R Us are all near by. There are also some nice trails and parks across the street from me.

Monday was the first day of school for me. I was supposed to be ready by 10 because one of the western teachers was to come by and walk with me to school. Well, my alarm went off at 9, but it stopped and never turned back on. I didn’t wake up again until about 10 so I jumped out of bed and scrambled to get ready. Luckily, he didn’t have to wait too long for me. The other Korean teachers were really nice to me, and I look forward to getting to know them more. I found out just the night before that I had some kindergarten classes to teach right off; they mostly gave me blank stares. I observed another class, and then it was to myself. Some classes were pretty cool; other classes were not that cool, but I survived. The kids kept calling me handsome all day and would keep staring at me. That was pretty nice, sort of. When I met the receptionist, she told the other receptionist that I was handsome with realizing that I might know that word in Korean; I thought that was a little funny.

Anyways, things are going pretty good here in Korea. I have a great apartment, I’m living in a good city, and I have a job that isn’t that bad. I’m sure everything might not be so spiffy in the future, but everything is alright for now. However, I did miss watching the Olympics on TV; at least seeing Americans in the Olympics.

Gone to the Land of Kimchi

2008-08-13T07:30:00.000-04:00

Well, I'm gone. If you are reading this, I'm probably on a plane now headed for South Korea. "Korea?!" Yes, Korea. "What in the world are you doing in Korea?!" For the next year, I will be embarking on a journey that I feel will be a significant chapter in my book of life. I don't know what awaits. I might have the time of my life, and I might have some horrible days. All I know is that I will be teaching English just outside of Seoul, and I know that I am willing to embrace this experience.

This journey has definitely split my soul. Half of me wants to stay where I am in my comfort zone; this part of me wants to stay as close as possible to my family and friends. The other half of me, however, is so excited to take on this experience. This part is ready to learn and explore a culture unlike my own.

This was a very hard decision on my part that I made back in February. Doing this required that I made some sacrifices. I had to pass on a great job offer. I had to leave those that I dearly love. I have to live in a very unfamiliar country. I must be crazy, right? Let's hope I'm not. I think this opportunity will provide enriching experiences unlike any other. This will be my opportunity to learn about myself and the world; this will be my opportunity to grow emotionally, spiritually, and culturally.

I know everything will be ok; I have a Lord that loves me, protects me, and guides me down the right path.

For those that I have left behind, I won't forget you. I'll probably think of you constantly, and I will probably wish that I could be near you. I thank you for all the good times; the love you have shown me. Without your support, I don't think I could have taken such a huge step in my life.

Stick around, and I'll keep you updated.

Well, anyways, here I go! Ready or not, Korea, here I come!

Almost There

2008-08-09T00:58:00.004-04:00

Well, my next to last step on my journey to Korea is now done. Last Wednesday, I traveled down to Hot-Lanta (aka Atlanta) to make a visit to the Korean consulate. I had to wake up pretty early to make it all the way down there before 11:30. I woke up at about 4 and left the house around 5. The trip was long, but it was ok and uneventful. Traffic wasn't that bad, and I found the MARTA station pretty easily.

I rode a MARTA train into Atlanta and made it to the consulate's office at about 11. I turned my paperwork in and waited for my interview. This Korean guy comes and takes me into a conference room. This is where it went downhill. The first thing he does is point out that I am wearing flip-flops (sandals is what he called them); he obviously did not like the fact that I was wearing them. He said it is not appropriate to wear them in a consulate. OK, made a mistake there. I thought it would be fine since it wasn't like a job interview or anything...more like a character reference. He then tells me that he is the one that makes the decision whether a visa will be issued or not. That's when I got a tad bit nervous.

He goes on with the interview with an agitated demeanor about him. He really did not like me. He asked me if I was a drunk, took drugs, or anything of that nature. Of course, I said no. He went on how he couldn't understand why I wanted to do this with an accounting degree and with no teaching experience. He wanted me to explain why I chose Korea and wanted me to explain everything about Korea in a few seconds. He's still not in a good mood. He finally looks down at my paperwork and sees that I had previously been to Korea. I explained to him that I had a few friends there, and I spent the month visiting them. The air about him changed entirely at this point. All of sudden he liked me. He talked a little bit more, didn't ask me any more questions, and told me to have a good time in Korea. After the interview, I apologized again about the flip-flops; this time he didn't seem to care at all. Oh well, it's over at least.

I drove back home after visiting the Museum of Design...another long journey, and I then met up with some friends for a farewell dinner. Today, I got my visa in the mail so I'm now ready to leave as soon as I get my plane ticket from my school (and I get packed, of course).

Roe Wins, Davis Whines

2008-08-08T11:55:00.002-04:00

I think Phil Roe's granddaughter is confused by this whole election thing.

Davis, meanwhile, is blaming his defeat on "Democratic crossovers." Myself, I don't see anything wrong with having a little bi-partisan support. Davis is also pointing his finger at Roe for negative campaigning.

“I think we did exactly what we needed to do. I think we ran a good race,” Davis said. “When you have someone come out and say you’re taking bribes, basically, which would be illegal, you have to respond. I wish it would have been a much more positive race, but (Roe) chose differently.”

Um, I don't think Roe was accusing you of taking "bribes." He showed facts that displayed your acceptance of PAC money (that's legal and isn't a "bribe").

More here and here.

Roe Defeats Davis

2008-08-08T00:13:00.003-04:00

According to the Associated Press and the Bristol Herald Courier, Phil Roe has defeated Congressman David Davis in the Tennessee 1st District Republican Primary. Roe received 25,918 votes (50.4%); Davis received 25,458 votes (49.6%). As you can see, it was a very tight race with Roe narrowly coming out top. This is the first time since 1966 that an incumbent Tennessee congressman has been defeated by a challenger. I say congratulations, Roe, and good luck in the general election.

Here are county-by-county results (as of 11:10pm):
County Davis/ Roe
Carter 3123/ 4213
Cocke 896/ 977
Greene 2326/ 1746
Hamblen 1192/ 794
Hancock 527/ 311
Hawkins 1800/ 1562
Jefferson 314/ 206
Johnson 802/ 691
Sevier 3349/ 2584
Sullivan 4110/ 4985
Unicoi 1408/ 1315
Washington 5444/ 6520
Total 25291/ 25904

Googlers on Street View

2008-08-05T11:36:00.002-04:00

Google recently updated its Street View feature on Maps to include more US cities, Australia, and Japan. In addition, Google employees lined up outside their California headquarters to have their pictures taken by the Street View car. Take a look at these Googlers.

DHS Can Take Your Computer

2008-08-05T11:22:00.002-04:00

Agents with the Department of Homeland Security now have the authority take people's laptops at airports. Not only can they look through your personal files, but they can also keep the laptop and share your data with other agencies. Sounds pretty scary to me!

As part of border search policy, government agents are now authorized to seize electronic devices and inspect documents in them, the document states. The electronic devices might include laptops, cell phones, portable music players or storage devices such as portable hard drives.

Agents with U.S. Customs and Border Protection will also be allowed to translate and share documents with other government agencies.

In our new world where personal identities are constantly stolen, I wouldn't feel comfortable with the government tossing my personal data around like a gym bag. I have lots of personal information on my computer that I don't want just any Joe looking at.

Worse yet, travelers don't have any mechanism to challenge the confiscation. According the the Electronic Frontier Foundation:

Before you get on an airplane, the government wants to sift through the personal details of your life. If the data analysis says you're a security risk, too bad -- you may have no way of challenging the error.

I see some worthy court challenges coming from very invasive policy of the DHS.

Obama Runs Scared

2008-08-04T15:04:00.003-04:00

(via Are We Lumberjacks)
McCain had previously challenged Obama to some additional pre-convention town-hall-style debates. Obama seemed to be up for it.

In May, when a McCain adviser proposed a series of pre-convention appearances at town hall meetings, Obama said, "I think that's a great idea." In summer stumping on the campaign trail, McCain has often noted that Obama had not followed through and joined him in any events.

Now, Obama has officially backed out of that deal. He has told the Commission on Presidential Debates in a letter that the three standard debates will likely be the only ones he takes part in. Why has he backed off from more debates with McCain? He's scared. He is afraid of losing poll numbers by doing additional debates.

In other election news, Democrats have a chance to take control of the Senate with a veto-proof majority. CNN ponders the idea of Obama winning the Presidency, Dems keeping control of the House, and then taking control of the Senate.

The worst nightmare for Republicans on Election Day is the Democrats' best-case scenario: control of the White House, a nine-seat net gain in the Senate, and a healthy gain on their 36-seat majority in the House. In that case, Democrats could steamroll President Obama's agenda into law.

If that doesn't sound scary, I don't know what does. I don't care what political party it is; America thrives on a balance of power. Having Democrats or Republicans control two of three branches is not a good idea. That is when crazy things happen and the outside voice is never heard. Well, if you like the idea of transforming America into a European-like socialist state, then that probably makes you happy. But that's not for me.

Happy Monday

2008-08-04T01:49:00.000-04:00

FCC Stops Comcast

2008-08-02T13:26:00.003-04:00

As expected, the FCC ordered Comcast to stop controlling Internet usage of broadband subscribers. Again, as expected, lawmakers are already speaking out against the FCC's action.

Chinese Censorships Lifted (for reporters)

2008-08-01T12:08:00.002-04:00

Chinese President Hu Jintao made a rare public appearance on Friday to announce that Internet censorships will be lifted for Olympic reporters. The Chinese government will now be in line with one of the promises made when the IOC awarded China the Olympic games. It is sad the IOC allowed this in the first place.

Sadly, the rest of the nation is still in the dark.

More here.

Roe's Mom?

2008-07-31T23:43:00.002-04:00

Obviously, this is the new campaign spokeswoman. Who couldn't vote for Phil Roe after hearing from this woman?

China Censors Reporters

2008-07-31T11:40:00.004-04:00

The Chinese continue to display their inability to fulfill promises made to the
Olympic Committee. When Beijing was selected to host the '08 Olympics, the Chinese agreed to made information fully available to reporters so they could have "complete freedom to report." Flash forward to 2008, the IOC and Chinese officials are admitting that certain websites that don't pertain to the Games will be blocked from reporters. It is sad that the IOC continues to turn a blind eye to Chinese government as Olympic sponsors cash in on China's booming economy.

UPDATE:
A BusinessWeek article covers the string of broken promises from the Chinese.

Continuation of abuse of human rights:

On July 29, for instance, Amnesty International published a report critical of the Chinese government's human-rights policy. According to an Amnesty statement, "there has been little progress towards fulfilling the Chinese authorities' promise to improve human rights, but rather continued deterioration in key areas."

Continued censorship:

Paris-based Reporters Without Borders in a statement on its Web site has condemned the Chinese government's censorship policy and the International Olympic Committee's willingness to go along with it. "The organization also condemns the cynicism of the Chinese authorities, who have yet again lied," the Reporters Without Borders statement said, "and the IOC's inability to prevent this situation because of its refusal to speak out for several years."

Displacement of citizens:

On July 29, the group issued a report on the government's treatment of people opposed to the demolition of housing and the eviction of residents in Beijing to make room for Games venues. Human Rights Watch focused on Ni Yulan, an activist whom it said the government will put on trial Aug. 4. "To try her on the eve of the Games is an extraordinary insult to those who lost their homes to the Beijing Olympics and shows contempt for human-rights concerns raised by the international community," said Sophie Richardson, the NGO's Asia advocacy director, in a Human Rights Watch statement.

Greenpeace is somewhat happy, though:

Greenpeace in a recent report praised some of the government's work to improve the environment before the Games. "A number of Beijing's achievements represent best environmental practice," a Greenpeace report published on July 28 said. "In our analysis from the information available, Greenpeace found that Beijing achieved and in some cases surpassed original environmental goals," the group added, although the NGO's report said leaders "also missed some opportunities that could have ensured a better short- and long-term environmental Olympic legacy for the city."

FCC Punishes Comcast, More is Needed

2008-07-30T13:31:00.003-04:00

The FCC has voted to punish Comcast for blocking Internet traffic to certain subscribers. Comcast has been limiting the Internet traffic to users of file-sharing networks; they did this in order to prevent those users from hogging all the bandwidth. The punishment, according to FCC Chairman Kevin Martin, will not include fines but will require Comcast to "stop its practice of blocking; provide details to the commission on the extent and manner in which the practice has been used; and to disclose to consumers details on future plans for managing its network going forward."

This disciplinary action is resulting from a FCC policy instituted in 2005 that requires all broadband networks to be "widely deployed, open, affordable and accessible to all consumers." This makes US broadband providers be more in line with the principles of net neutrality (support the Save the Internet campaign here).

I certainly applaud the FCC for their actions; Congress, however, has a duty to the American public. If we are to have a truly open and accessible Internet, Congress needs to step up and providing funding that will greatly improve our national broadband infrastructure. Nations around the world continue to surpass us in availability to the Internet. I really doubt that Internet providers can continue to meet the increase in demand of broadband networks with current pricing schemes. This is why they are seeking to limit users. If the government would step in and help build a national broadband network, this problem would be greatly alleviated. Please, Congress, give us a national strategy for deploying broadband Internet.

I Voted (Early)

2008-07-29T17:20:00.002-04:00

I voted and so should you (assuming you are an informed voter).

I actually left half of my ballot blank because I was not informed regarding the candidates. I certainly don't encourage people to vote for candidates that they don't know.

Early voting in Tennessee ends this Saturday, and election day is August 7.

Tennessee is Good for Business

2008-07-29T17:15:00.002-04:00

According to a new survey of corporate executives, Tennessee is ranked fourth in terms of business environment. This is what Phil had to say:

“This study confirms that our efforts to create a better business climate in Tennessee are being recognized by key decision makers,” Gov. Phil Bredesen said in a statement. “We know one size does not fit all and each company has distinct business needs, and that’s driving continued investment by new companies in Tennessee.”

Davis Continues Deceptive Campaign

2008-07-29T12:25:00.003-04:00

David Davis continues his deceptive campaign. According to the Hawkins County GOP blog, Davis is indicating on his campaign website that he has received the endorsement of State Representative Dale Ford. Ford, however, has not endorsed any Congressional candidate; Ford has even requested many times that his name be removed from the list of endorsements. As of 12:30pm on July 29, his name has yet to be removed. This makes me question the other names listed; did they really endorse Davis? Do the people of TN's 1st really want such a deceptive person representing them in the House? I know that I don't.

Prayers for TVUUC

2008-07-28T01:09:00.003-04:00

No matter your faith, please keep the TVUUC congregation and the Knoxville community in your prayers and thoughts.

The people of Knoxville will unite and rise stronger.

Chris Matthew's Love Tears

2008-07-23T19:42:00.001-04:00

Have you ever seen some couples that just make you want to throw up a little in your mouth? This is the way I feel about this love affair.

Oil vs. TN's 1st

2008-07-23T19:33:00.003-04:00

David Davis and Phil Roe continue to fight it out over oil and energy prices. Roe is presenting the facts that the Davis campaign has accepted money from Big Oil; Davis, however, is countering with his own ad that says he never pocketed the money. He, of course, did not personally pocket the money, but his campaign did. It is wrong of Mr. Davis to be so deceptive in his advertising. Davis also continues to tout the "No More Excuses" energy plan as something he created himself; he leaves out the fact that he is one of 80-some co-sponsors of the legislation.

More here and here.

A Good Idea...But

2008-07-23T19:20:00.002-04:00

Nissan, the state of Tennessee, and TVA has recently announced that they will be partnering in order to put more electric cars on the road. At first glance, this seems like a great idea. Electric cars can reduce our national addiction to foreign oil, they can cut down on smog-inducing exhaust, and they can eliminate household gasoline expenses. However, one must remember how the car will be powered; you have to plug it in. Where does that energy in the wall come from? Electric utilities. Now, imagine everyone house in America plugging in an electric car in order for it to recharge. I'm no expert, but that requires a lot of extra energy than what is being consumed currently. Haven't electric utilities been trying to encourage households to cut energy usage? They have because they don't have the infrastructure to supply much more energy. Don't you think that they would have a tough time supplying the power for all those electric cars? In order to meet such an increase in demand, we would have to see a dramatic increase in construction of coal-fired plants, nuclear plants, etc. I'm not saying that electric cars are not good; we just have to consider where the energy is going to come from in order to power these vehicles.

Forever a Golden Girl

2008-07-22T14:55:00.003-04:00

Estelle Getty has passed away.

Much sadness.

I Hate the GMAT

2008-07-22T14:44:00.002-04:00

As you might have noticed, I've been a little distanced from blogging. I'm currently in the process of getting ready to take the GMAT on Thursday. I've been trying to get in some last minute studying and practice before I have to encounter this behemoth face-to-face. I haven't been doing that well on the practice tests so I'm hoping for something a little different when I really take it. Anyways, wish me luck!

Early Voting Begins Today

2008-07-18T11:42:00.002-04:00

Early voting begins today for many parts of Tennessee for the upcoming Aug 7 elections. This election includes the state primary (for US Senate, US House Reps, TN Senate, TN House Reps) and county general. Early voting ends Aug 2 with election day being on Aug 7. So go vote!

Just in time for the campaign season, JibJab has a new video:

Send a JibJab Sendables® eCard Today!

Batman Blows Me Away

2008-07-18T11:27:00.004-04:00

I stayed up late last night to watch the midnight showing of The Dark Knight; I didn't get into bed until about 4 this morning. I was a bit surprised by the crowd at the mall. The parking lot was full when I arrived about 11:20, and the lobby was filled with people waiting to be seated. It certainly was a mad house last night!

I must say that the movie was great. The performances were great, and the action scenes were awesome and intense. I did, however, feel it was a bit overwhelming. My emotions ran all over the place from laughing to intense rage. The movie deals a lot with society and morals throughout the nearly 3-hour movie; so I left feeling a bit cruddy with my mind racing. Overall, I would definitely recommend it. Just be mentally and physically prepared for the emotional roller coaster you are about to encounter.

The Cost of V-Dub

2008-07-16T17:34:00.004-04:00

It's great that VW will be locating its first North American plant in decades right here in Tennessee, but many are asking how much the taxpayers are coughing up for the deal. Of course, state and local officials are mum. It will be great both for the city of Chattanooga and the state of Tennessee; at least 2000 jobs are expected to be created. I just wonder what the long-term benefits are. Do the financial benefits outweigh the financial costs? As a Tennessee taxpayer, I sure hope so. One problem, though, is the location of Chattanooga. The city is a stone's throw from Georgia and Alabama. Where will the workers be living and spending their money? Where will the auto suppliers locate? I wish this would happen within Tennessee, but it might not since Nooga is such a border town. I hope state officials considered this.

Obama's Civilian Military

2008-07-16T13:08:00.005-04:00

Obama has called for a civilian national security force. He didn't elaborate, and the media, of course, is not interested in asking.

"We cannot continue to rely on our military in order to achieve the national security objectives we've set. We've got to have a civilian national security force that's just as powerful, just as strong, just as well-funded."

I don't know what it is, but it sounds scary to me considering how civilian forces developed in the past.

In other Obama-military news, the campaign has removed segments of his website that indicated his opposition to the 2007 troop surge. He argued at the time that it was a mistake and would make the situation worse.

The New York Daily News first reported the Obama's campaign site had been scrubbed of language saying the Iraq troop surge was part of "The Problem" in Iraq. According to the LA Times, an Obama spokeswoman said the change was just part of an "update" to "reflect changes in current events."

"Current events" meaning the troop surge has been successful, and Obama doesn't want people to know that he was wrong.

Here is what Bill Hobbs had to say:

Obama's website was changed because Obama hopes you'll forget that when America faced its toughest challenge in the war on terror, Obama's first instinct was to tuck tail and run and hope for the best.

Obama's website was changed because Obama is the candidate of change - he changes positions based on what he thinks the audience wants to hear, and hopes it brings him victory.

Davis Ducks BHC

2008-07-15T15:10:00.003-04:00

The Bristol Herald Courier Editorial Board is a little ticked off at TN 1st Congressional District Representative David Davis after he refused to answer any of their questions regarding his views. Not only has he denied the Bristol Herald any type of meeting, but he also refuses to make any sort of public appearance that does not follow a certain script. He has not once shared the stage with any other opponent in this year's race. Is this really someone that we want to send back to Washington? Someone that freely accepts PAC money and refuses to talk to the public? For any voter of the district, I recommend regarding this editorial from the BHC Editorial Board.

Wedding Week 2008

2008-07-14T15:50:00.006-04:00

If you've been worried about my sudden departure from blogging, fear no longer. I am back! During the last week, I was up in Northern Virginia spending the week preparing and celebrating the marriage of a great friend of mine from Carson-Newman. Here is a pictorial round up of the week.

On Tuesday, we headed over to IKEA after dinner.

On Wednesday, we went to the National Zoo in DC.

On Thursday, we met up with the rest of the wedding party and went into DC. We started out with a lunch on the National Mall.

We visited the modern art museum, where we created our own art.

On Friday, we had rehearsal and the rehearsal dinner.

The wedding was on Saturday. We tried to sneak in as bridesmen, but we were put to the task as ushers.

Here is the CN crew with the bride and groom.

The bride has a dangerous addiction to rainbow sprinkles; we thought it would be more appropriate to throw those instead of birdseed.

We then drove down to Richmond to have my traditional Thanksgiving dinner with my aunt and uncle since I will be half way around the world when November rolls around.

Now, I'm starting to realize that my time in the states is running short. Soon, my friends and family will be very far away from me. The thought kills me.

The David Davis Song

2008-07-06T01:08:00.003-04:00

David Davis went and git himself a song! I like dit song; I guess I ought to vot fur him.

With this guy willing to venture into a Republican primary in order to defeat David Davis, something must be wrong.

Also, Roe accuses Davis of flip-flopping on earmarks. Irregardless, I don't have much confidence in Davis and his use of Christianity as a campaign button.

Independence Day 2008

2008-07-05T12:30:00.002-04:00

I never feel like I mark Independence Day in an appropriate manner. I don't know; I feel like I should do more to celebrate the freedom that we achieve on this date over 200 years ago. Well, I did go to the Kingsport parade with some friends. It was a good parade, and we had some good times despite the downpour near the end. We then went and had a cookout with some great food. I then came back home to celebrate my mom's birthday (yes, fireworks flew at her birth). We then went over to my brother's house for a little bit and then headed to Rogersville for their annual fireworks show (as pictured...I admit, I'm not the greatest fireworks photographer). Overall, it was a great day.

Celebrating Independence Day in Iraq, Bob Krumm offers up a video on his blog where the largest re-enlistment in American history took place in an old Saddam palace. What a great way to mark the occasion!

RIP Skate City

2008-07-04T00:23:00.002-04:00

Please, no, surely it's not true!! Skate City has apparently shut its doors for good. Where will Kingsportonians go to do the limbo on wheels and shake it all about?! I've had many great memories at Skate City. I remember flying like Sonic the Hedgehog around the skating rink while Britney Spears and New Kids on the Block blasted from the DJ booth. Those were the good days! I feel like skating, but I have no where to go now. Much sadness!