안녕히 가세요, Korea! 你好, Beijing!

It's hard to believe that my year in Korea is finally over. A lot has changed on both sides of the ocean during the past year and it's a little bit of a relief to see the light at the end of the tunnel.

It also occurred to me that this is the first time in a long time that I have nothing related to work or school to look forward to in a while. Since high school, I've had classes or work at least every summer coming up. It's strange to not think about the new school year or starting a job.

At the same time, it's somewhat refreshing. This year in Korea was hard, partly because it felt like one long business trip. I never really relaxed for the past year; it was "go go go now now NOW quickly quickly QUICKLY" for 12 months and this is the first time in a while that time is no longer a factor.

In the past year, I also found out or confirmed a lot of things about myself. I had a tough time during some of these discoveries but I guess now I know.

I'm going to miss having the freedom to live alone, but living in a familiar place with a familiar language and familiar customs would be a nice shift from this chaotic year.

It's Friday afternoon and I'm done! I'm done! I'm done! I'm done!

Party at my place!

10 days left

So I officially have 10 full days left in Korea. It's hard to believe that the number of days remaining is now in the single digits.

I already came to terms with leaving a while ago, so I've had some time to reflect what I'm going to miss about Korea and what I'm not going to list. It's quite a colorful list, actually.

Things I'll miss about Korea

• cheap public transit fares
  
• not having to tip at restaurants
  
• the option to travel the country by KTX bullet train
  
• the Wolfhound
  
• almost non-existent sales tax
  
• sales tax being included in the price tag
  
• readily available street food
  
• living conveniently next to the city center
  
• the T-Money smart card system
  
• convenience stores at every corner
  
• proximity to nearby places and countries
  
• the awesome internet service
  
• the low crime rate, especially property crime
  
• range of camera equipment on sale
  
• bargaining for products
  
• cheap cab fares
  
• fried chicken (much more superior than Canada's)
  
• the ease of clearing customs
  
• cleanliness of the subways
  
• cheap cell phone rates
  
• having squid available for lunch every second day
  
• cheap and plentiful billiard halls
  

Things I won't miss about Korea

• drivers running red lights, not shoulder checking, nearly running over predestrians, etc.
  
• people spitting everywhere
  
• every car on the road being the same 4 Korean car brands
  
• every car on the road being either black, silver or white
  
• occasional overt discrimination against foreigners and other Asians
  
• garbage on the streets everywhere
  
• motorcyclists driving on the sidewalks
  
• insane back roads and side streets
  
• Korean currency values going up and down like a yo-yo
  
• the mutant mosquitoes in summer
  
• the pesky cicadas in summer
  
• the humidity of summer
  
• the extreme dryness in winter, which makes skin crack open
  
• people not knowing how to walk in a straight line and bumping into each other as a result
  
• the unbelievably slow pace of Seoul for a city of its size
  
• people not picking up after their dogs
  
• the random puddles of puke and urine on the streets
  
• the tight regulations on stuff like imports, cell phones, and communications in general, causing either unavailability of products or inflated prices
  
• the lack of decent/authentic international foods outside Itaewon
  
• the extreme homogeneity of Korea; I think I prefer a multicultural area more
  
• noise pollution during election time... oh dear god...
  
• crazy adjummas
  

My weird music preferences

Some people say I have the weirdest collection of songs on my iPod. Looking at it, it's hard to argue otherwise.

How is it weird? Well, here's my entire song list in alphabetical order (and the order it appears on my iPod).

• "Addicted" -- Simple Plan
  
• "Ain't Talkin' 'Bout Love" -- Van Halen
  
• "All About Us" -- Tatu
  
• "All My Life" -- Foo Fighters
  
• "All Star" -- Smash Mouth
  
• "All the Small Things" -- Blink 182
  
• "All the Things She Said" -- Tatu
  
• "All You Did Was Save My Life" -- Our Lady Peace
  
• "Always" -- Blink 182
  
• "Amber" -- 311
  
• "Angels Losing Sleep" -- Our Lady Peace
  
• "Are You Gonna Go My Way" -- Lenny Kravitz
  
• "At the Hundredth Meridian" -- The Tragically Hip
  
  
• "Back in Black" -- AC/DC
  
• "Bad Luck" -- Social Distortion
  
• "Bad Romance" -- Lady Gaga
  
• "Before it's Too Late" -- Goo Goo Dolls
  
• "Behind Blue Eyes" -- Limp Bizkit
  
• "Better Days" -- Goo Goo Dolls
  
• "Beautiful People" -- Marilyn Manson
  
• "Bleed Like Me" -- Garbage
  
• "Boom Boom Pow" -- Black Eyed Peas
  
• "Brand New Low" -- Treble Charger
  
• "Bring Me to Life" -- Evanescence
  
• "Bro Hymn" -- Pennywise
  
• "Broken" -- Seether
  
• "Buffalo Soldier" -- Bob Marley
  
  
• "California" -- Phantom Planet
  
• "California Sun" -- The Ramones
  
• "Call Me When You're Sober" -- Evanescence
  
• "Careless Whisper" -- Seether
  
• "Catch My Fall" -- Katy Rose
  
• "Ch-Check it Out" -- Beastie Boys
  
• "Changes" -- Thornley
  
• "Check My Brain" -- Alice in Chains
  
• "Chelsea Dagger" -- The Fratellis
  
• "Clumsy" -- Our Lady Peace
  
• "Cold Hard Bitch" -- Jet
  
• "Complicated" -- Avril Lavigne
  
• "Crackerman" -- Stone Temple Pilots
  
• "Creep" -- Radiohead
  
• "Crush" -- Jennifer Paige
  
  
• "Devil on my Shoulder" -- Billy Talent
  
• "Diary of Jane" -- Breaking Benjamin
  
• "Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap" -- AC/DC
  
• "Dirty Little Secret" -- All-American Rejects
  
• "Disconnected" -- Face to Face
  
• "Don't Speak" -- No Doubt
  
• "Down" -- 311
  
• "Dr. Feelgood" -- Motley Crue
  
• "Dragula" -- Rob Zombie
  
• "Dream On" -- Aerosmith
  
• "Dude Looks Like a Lady" -- Aerosmith
  
  
• "Enter Sandman" -- Metallica
  
• "Every Little Thing" -- Melanie Doane
  
• "Every Morning" -- Sugar Ray
  
• "Extraordinary" -- Liz Phair
  
  
• "Face Down" -- The Red Jumpsuit Apparatus
  
• "Fade to Black" -- Metallica
  
• "Faint" -- Linkin Park
  
• "Father of Mine" -- Everclear
  
• "The Fear (I Don't Know)" -- Lily Allen
  
• "Firestarter" -- Prodigy
  
• "Flagpole Sitta" -- Harvey Danger
  
• "Flowers in the Window" -- Travis
  
• "For the Moment" -- GOB
  
  
• "Get Free" -- The Vines
  
• "Ghetto Superstar" -- Pras
  
• "Gimme Sympathy" -- Metric
  
• "Girlfriend" -- Avril Lavigne
  
• "Give Up the Grudge" -- GOB
  
• "Going Under" -- Evanescence
  
• "The Good Life" -- Three Days Grace
  
  
• "Heading for Nowhere" -- Jets Overhead
  
• "Heaven Coming Down" -- The Tea Party
  
• "Heavy" -- Collective Soul
  
• "Hell Yeah" -- Rev Theory
  
• "Hell's Bells" -- AC/DC
  
• "Hella Good" -- No Doubt
  
• "Help I'm Alive" -- Metric
  
• "Here is Gone" -- Goo Goo Dolls
  
• "Hey Baby" -- No Doubt
  
• "Hot 'n' Cold" -- Katy Perry
  
• "How's it Going to Be" -- Third Eye Blind
  
• "Hurricane 2000" -- The Scorpions and Berlin Philharmonic
  
• "Hysteria" -- Muse
  
  
• "I Can't Stop Laughing" -- The Trews
  
• "I Don't Care" -- Fall Out Boy
  
• "I Don't Want to Miss a Thing" -- Aerosmith
  
• "I Get Knocked Down" -- Smash Mouth
  
• "I Hear You Calling" -- GOB
  
• "I Kissed a Girl" -- Katy Perry
  
• "I Knew I Love You" -- Savage Garden
  
• "I Know You Want Me" -- Pitbull
  
• "I Like" -- Katy Rose
  
• "I Need You" -- LeAnn Rimes
  
• "I Think I'm Paranoid" -- Garbage
  
• "I Will Follow" -- U2
  
• "I Will Not Bow" -- Breaking Benjamin
  
• "I'm Just a Kid" -- Simple Plan
  
• "I'm Only Happy When it Rains" -- Garbage
  
• "I'm Shipping up to Boston" -- Dropkick Murphys
  
• "I'm With You" -- Avril Lavigne
  
• "If You Only Knew" -- Shinedown
  
• "(If You're Wondering If I Want You To) I Want You To" -- Weezer
  
• "Imaginary" -- Evanescence
  
• "In This Life" -- Chantal Kreviazuk
  
• "Indestructible" -- Disturbed
  
• "Innocent" -- Our Lady Peace
  
• "Iris" -- Goo Goo Dolls
  
• "It'll be You" -- Daniel Wesley
  
• "It's About Time" -- Lillix
  
  
• "Jumper" -- Third Eye Bline
  
  
• "Kashmir" -- Led Zeppelin
  
• "Keep On Rockin' in the Free World" -- Neil Young
  
• "Kickstart my Heart" -- Motley Crue
  
  
• "Ladies and Gentlemen" -- Saliva
  
• "Last Parade" -- Matthew Good
  
• "Leaving on a Jet Plane" -- Chantal Kreviazuk
  
• "Lemon" -- Katy Rose
  
• "Let it all Hang Out" -- Weezer
  
• "License to Thrill" -- Katy Rose
  
• "Life" -- Ashlin Debison
  
• "Lights and Sounds" -- Yellowcard
  
• "Love is a First" -- The Tragially Hip
  
  
• "Major Tom" -- Shiny Toy Guns
  
• "Man in the Box" -- Alice in Chains
  
• "Man Overboard" -- Thornley
  
• "Master of Puppets" -- Metallica
  
• "Mess of Me" -- Switchfoot
  
• "My Happy Ending" -- Avril Lavigne
  
• "My Immortal" -- Evanescence
  
• "My World" -- Sick Puppies
  
  
• "Never Ever" -- All Saints
  
• "Never Gonna Stop" -- Rob Zombie
  
• "New Divide" -- Linkin Park
  
• "No Rain" -- Blind Melon
  
• "No You Girls" -- Franz Ferdinand
  
• "Now or Never" -- Everlife
  
• "Numb" -- Linkin Park
  
  
• "Oh! Ellin'" -- GOB
  
• "One of a Kind" -- Breaking Point
  
• "Original Skin" -- Katy Rose
  
• "Overdrive" -- Katy Rose
  
  
• "Panama" -- Van Halen
  
• "Panic Switch" -- Silversun Pickups
  
• "Paparazzi" -- Lady Gaga
  
• "Paralyzer" -- Finger Eleven
  
• "Paranoid Freak" -- The Trews
  
• "Party in the USA" -- Miley Cyrus
  
• "Perfect" -- Simple Plan
  
• "Pilgrimage" -- Daniel Wesley
  
• "Poker Face" -- Lady Gaga
  
• "Poor Ol' Broken Hearted Me" -- The Trews
  
• "Pork and Beans" -- Weezer
  
• "The Pretender" -- Foo Fighters
  
• "Push it" -- Garbage
  
  
• "Ready to Roll" -- Jet Black Stare
  
• "Real World" -- Matchbox 20
  
• "Remedy" -- Seether
  
• "Rescue Me" -- Hawthorne Heights
  
• "Right Now" -- Van Halen
  
• "Rise Above This" -- Seether
  
• "Rock and Roll" -- Led Zeppelin
  
• "Rock Superstar" -- Cypress Hill
  
• "Run Baby Run" -- Garbage
  
• "Runaround" -- Van Halen
  
• "Rusted From the Rain" -- Billy Talent
  
  
• "Saeglopur" -- Sigur Rios
  
• "Saint Veronika" -- Billy Talent
  
• "Saints of Los Angeles" -- Motley Crue
  
• "Santa Monica" -- Everclear
  
• "Savior" -- Rise Against
  
• "Seasons" -- The Veer Union
  
• "See You Again" -- Miley Cyrus
  
• "Seether" -- Veruca Salt
  
• "Sex on Fire" -- Kings of Leon
  
• "Sex Type Thing" -- Stone Temple Pilots
  
• "She Could be You" -- Shawn Hlookoff
  
• "She Likes Me for Me" -- Third Eye Blind
  
• "She Likes Me for Me" -- Everclear
  
• "She's a Genius" -- Jet
  
• "She's so High" -- Tal Bachman
  
• "Sick Muse" -- Metric
  
• "Slide" -- Goo Goo Dolls
  
• "So Whatcha Want" -- Beastie Boys
  
• "Somebody Save Me" -- Remi Zero
  
• "Somewhere Out There" -- Our Lady Peace
  
• "Steal My Sunshine" -- Len
  
• "Stupid Girl" -- Garbage
  
• "Sucker Train Blues" -- Velvet Revolver
  
• "Sweet Child of Mine" -- Guns 'n' Roses
  
• "Sympathy" -- Goo Goo Dolls
  
  
• "Take Me Out" -- Franz Ferdinand
  
• "Telephone" -- Lady Gaga
  
• "Then the Morning Comes" -- Smash Mouth
  
• "Thunderstruck" -- AC/DC
  
• "Tik Tok" -- Kesha
  
• "Times like These" -- Foo Fighters
  
• "Tomorrow" -- Lillix
  
• "Too Close" -- Next
  
• "Torn" -- Natalie Imbruglia
  
• "Trippin' on a Hole in a Paper Heart" -- Stone Temple Pilots
  
• "Truly Madly Deeply" -- Savage Garden
  
• "Typical" -- Mute Math
  
  
• "Ultimate" -- Lindsay Lohan
  
• "Underneath it All" -- No Doubt
  
• "Uprising" -- Muse
  
• "Upside Down (and I Fall)" -- Jakalope
  
• "Us Remains Impossible" -- Matthew Good
  
• "Use Me" -- Hinder
  
• "Use Somebody" -- Kings of Leon
  
  
• "Vivrant Thing" -- Q-Tip
  
  
• "The Wait" -- Metallica
  
• "Walk" -- Pantera
  
• "The Way I Feel" -- 12 Stones
  
• "We Used to be Friends" -- The Danny Warhols
  
• "We're from America" -- Marilyn Manson
  
• "Welcome to My Life" -- Simple Plan
  
• "Welcome to the Jungle" -- Guns 'n' Roses
  
• "What I Like About You" -- Lillix
  
• "What?" -- Rob Zombie
  
• "What's my Age Again?" -- Blink 182
  
• "When I Grow Up" -- Garbage
  
• "When You're Gone" -- Avril Lavigne
  
• "Where the Wild Roses Grow" -- Kylie Minogue and Nick Cave
  
• "Who Are You" -- The Who
  
• "Why Can't I?" -- Liz Phair
  
• "Why do you Love Me?" -- Garbage
  
• "Woman" -- Wolfmother
  
• "Won't Get Fooled Again" -- The Who
  
• "Wonderful" -- Everclear
  
  
• "You Could be Mine" -- Guns 'n' Roses
  
• "You Get What You Give" -- New Radicals
  
• "You're Going Down" -- Sick Puppies
  
• "You're Gonna Go Far, Kid" -- Offspring
  
• "Your Love is My Drug" -- Kesha
  
  
• "3 A.M." -- Matchbox 20
  
• "24" -- Jem
  
• "50 Mission Cap" -- The Tragically Hip
  
• "1901" -- Phoenix
  
• "1985" -- Bowling for Soup"
  

Non-Korean Asians in Korea: What to expect

When I was applying for this job, I was curious about one thing -- as a non-Korean Asian, how would things be like in Korea? By physical appearance, I look like everyone else but obviously I wouldn't know the language or the culture too well. I tried looking for resources about what to expect, but came up disappointed. As I approach my 10-month anniversary, I think it's time I came up with some general observations about how it is to be a non-Korean Asian in Korea.

Please note that these are based on my own personal experiences and may or may not have any bearing on any future newcomers. Please take these with a grain of salt; it's different for everyone.

• Koreans can't tell the difference between Koreans, Japanese and Chinese people.
  
  In general, people from places like Hong Kong are able to tell whether you are one of them or not, either from your physical features or your dress. They can often even tell whether you're an Asian expat or not. But not in Korea. Quite often, they simply assume I'm Korean. If they find out I'm not, they predict that I'm Japanese. After that... American. And after that... well, you get the picture. A grand total of 1 person has got it right (even though either "Chinese" or "Canadian" would've been acceptable). They can't tell.
  
  
• If you look Asian and say you can't speak Korean (either in Korean or in English), a lot of people won't believe you.
  
  This is a bit strange, but whenever I say "hanguk mal malayo" or "I don't speak Korean," a lot of Koreans don't believe me and continue talking in rapid Korean to me... then get upset with me when I don't understand them. Quite weird stuff but it happens to be quite often.
  
  
• Mistakes are often magnified.
  
  Whenever you make a cultural mistake, the effects have a much larger impact than if you were Caucasian. You're expected to "know" a lot of stuff in Korean culture even when it applies only to Korea and not to other Asian countries, and committing a faux pas is something to look out for. However, linguistic faux pas have a lesser impact for some reason.
  
  
• The "staring" problem is solved but it comes up as soon as you speak.
  
  A lot of non-Asian foreigners in Korea complain about being stared at. I don't have that problem, but once I open my mouth and reveal that I can't speak Korean (and any Korean I do know is very bastardized), the staring would start and continue until I remove myself from eyeshot. The same thing happens whenever I answer my cellphone in public as well.
  
  
• If you're a teacher, your school is not going to know what to make of you.
  
  I've had instances where my school was surprised that I knew how to use chopsticks, even though I'm Asian. But there'd be other instances where they wouldn't be surprised that you know something Asian-related. It seems that they don't really know what to expect. Students can be a bit on the cruel side as well, such as mocking you for looking like a Korean but not knowing Korean stuff.
  

All in all, it's a mixed bag. There are usually extremes on both sides of the equation, as there are often some people who fit these descriptions perfectly and some who will act completely the opposite -- Korea is a place of extremes.

From what I've noticed, one annoying thing that a lot of Asians tend to complain about is how a lot of people here don't seem to have an awareness of other Asian countries around them while being relatively aware of English-speaking Caucasians. I can see this as well, even though it seems to be improving.

Things might change in a few years and things have changed since last August, so this may change in the future.

The World what?

Am I the only one who considers soccer a "fringe sport"?

Singing the blues

Since starting this job in August 2009, it seems that there is a pattern among the people who started at the same time. Around November, there was a period where suddenly a lot of people were expressing homesickness. Around January, it happened again. And again now in April.

I don't know if this is a coincidence or not. It seems that there is a cycle of homesickness going on here.

I'd imagine the novelty of living in Korea was wearing off for a lot of people around November. The honeymoon period was likely coming to an end and for those who hadn't felt it yet, it was the "oh my goodness, I really am in Korea" feeling coming in. That was also when the weather started to change from pleasant and warm to bitter and cold, which is often a reminder that time is indeed moving along.

In January, the winter English camps were getting underway for some of us while others went away on vacation. This had a profound effect, it seems, as some people started hearing about others' vacations and started to long for the same. Also, it was in the middle of Korea's coldest winter on record, which didn't help things when your buddies are posting stuff about snorkeling in Australia or enjoying the sun in Vietnam.

And this brings us to April. It seems that a lot of people are settling back into their schools for the new semester and interestingly, a new wave of homesickness seems to be settling in for a lot of people. Perhaps it's the lack of holidays or the feeling of déjà-vu, but some people seem to be expressing some frustration at the monotonous nature of restarting a semester. Some have even flirted (albeit playfully) with the idea of just handing on a letter of resignation and going back home.

I'm not immune to this. My first bout of homesickness came in mid-October, although I had largely gone past the "oh dear, I really am in Korea" part long before. The first time is really difficult because it's such a new feeling. My next feeling of homesickness came around January, like a lot of other people. However, I was more well-equipped to handle it because I had gone through it before. When I came back in March, I felt another wave, which was much stronger than the January one. That one was hard to deal with; the others are experiencing this in April, but I already got it out of the way a month early.

Sometimes for people wanting to sign up for this job, the money and the perks seem attractive; some Koreans are even a bit resentful that we are here to teach a language that we speak in our home countries. However, one shouldn't overlook the emotional toll it may have on a person. It's impossible to imagine the feelings of homesickness that will eventually hit you, until you're actually here and experiencing it.

While money was a big motivator for me, it eventually became clear that money is of secondary importance. This job is not all about the money. To remain here, you have to also question whether you can handle the emotional burdens that present themselves. Some can handle it, and some can't. At some point, you have to ask yourself if the money is worth it.

I'm making it sound like doom and gloom, but there is a plus side to this. Living here is difficult. However, if you manage to last for a year, then you have accomplished something that few people at home ever get the balls to even try. Living here is a test of endurance and tolerance, and passing the test can have some benefits down the road. I don't know what those benefits might be, since I'm still here in Korea, but there's got to be at least a few.

This is why reality shows should be banned

Embedding has been de-activated, so you'll have to watch the video HERE. I came across this video before and was reminded of it again today.

I've never been a big fan of reality shows but I can understand why they can be addictive. I once got sucked into a season of Britain's Top Model and let me tell ya, when my favorite got voted off, I got majorly upset. At that point, I figured it was smarter to swear off all reality shows altogether.

However, my reaction was nowhere close to these girls' reactions. I mean, holy bloody crap. This is precisely why reality shows should be banned. They feature people you normally wouldn't care about, and are about such trivial things (such as being the next big singer or model) that you otherwise wouldn't care for. So why would you suddenly care for it all of a sudden? Because it's on TV? I don't know, I just don't see the appeal of these shows beyond getting ridiculously obsessed with them (like I did at one point).

Some shows are fine. Game shows are fine because you learn something. Talent shows are fine because they are just damn cool. But a reality show about a bunch of people eating bugs to stay alive on an island or a catfight involving two hateful personalities just seems a tad stupid. Thankfully the Top Model season I watched had some quality characters and not the shallow ones that you normally see.

Maybe this is just me being an asinine dick, but to me, the vast majority of reality shows suck.

International Pillow Fight Day 2010

Yesterday was the 2010 International Pillow Fight Day. Here in Seoul, it took place in front of Seoul City Hall. It was awesome beyond belief. It was a bit amusing because most of the participants were fellow foreigners, with only a few Koreans involved (and the Koreans who were involved could speak English pretty well).

Now THIS is how the Korean War should've been settled.

Here's a video clip of it from EatYourKimchi.com (I actually saw Martina from that site at the event, but didn't put a name to her face until I got home):



And here are some photos I took at the event.

Dokdo is Canadian

From an article in the Chosun Ilbo today:

Japan's Education and Science Ministry on Tuesday approved five elementary school textbooks that represent Korea's easternmost islets of Dokdo as Japanese territory. Three of them already made the attribution, but the other two added it only recently. That means all elementary schoolchildren will now be taught that Dokdo belongs to Japan.

The two new textbooks do not go into details but contain maps where they are labeled "Takeshima," the Japanese name. The new texts also show a boundary line between Dokdo and Ulleung Island, making it look as though Dokdo is part of Japan.

Seriously, both countries are being idiots. There is evidence of empty Timbits boxes and broken hockey sticks found on the islands estimated to be over 200 years old. In addition, it has been proven that Dokdo's rock consists of an 8% concentration of not magma or limestone, but hockey puck rubber.

The answer is clear.

Dokdo isn't Korean. Dokdo isn't Japanese.

It's part of Canada.

Adventure in Korea: By the numbers

Contract statistics:
Number of days completed in contract: 209
Number of days left in contract: 156
Percentage of contract finished: 57.7%
Number of days in Korea: 217

School statistics:
Number of students whacked by co-teacher: approx. 46
Number of students sleeping in class: approx. 17
Number of times I've gotten lost in Korean Windows XP: 12
Months before I decided to say "screw it" and bring my own computer: 6.2 months
Number of times I bowed: approx. 6,100
Number of times a student has bowed to me: approx. 31,200
Number of times I bumped into a student outside of school: approx. 50
Number of cultural mistakes made at work: 13

Other statistics:
Amount of money saved per month: from 800,000 KRW to 1,300,000 KRW
Cost of power bill in fall, per month: 20,000 KRW to 40,000 KRW
Cost of power bill in winter, per month: 130,000 KRW to 150,00 KRW
Hottest temperature experienced: 31 degrees C
Coldest temperature experienced: -21 degrees C
Number of stamps and visas in passport in past year: 13
Number of stamps and visas in passport before this year: 0
Number of times I've been mistaken for Korean: 189
Number of times I've been mistaken for Japanese: 56
Number of times I've been mistaken for American: 14
Number of times I've been "mistaken" for Canadian: 0
Number of times I've been "mistaken" for Chinese: 0
Number of verbally racist incidents: 9
Number of physically racist incidents: 0

In-jokes:
Number of seasons experienced: 3
Kilograms of kimchi consumed: 42.1 kg
Number of Hyundais and Kias spotted: approx. 47,000
Number of Toyotas spotted: approx. 5
Number of times I had to Konglishize a word to make myself understood: 21
Number of "gamsa hamnida"s: approx. 327,000
Number of "annyeong haseyo"s: approx. 410,000
Number of times I've crossed my arms into an X: approx. 12,000

안녕히 가세요, Korea! 你好, Hong Kong!

I'm about to leave for the airport on my way to Hong Kong, where I'll remain until the end of the month. It's 4:47am and I'm sleepy as hell. I leave you with this:



In Korea, it's common to have people so drunk that they pass out in public. In fact, there's even a website out there dedicated to this. I finally got a chance to submit my own pic for that site. This guy was snoring loudly while passed out in a parking space belonging to an apartment building about 5 minutes from my building. It was -5 degrees C, so he was really out of it to be passed out like that!

The good/bad/turbulent old/new days/years

Here I am, sitting at my office cubicle killing time before the students' graduation ceremony. Less than 24 hours from now, I'll be on a plane flying over some place between Seoul and Taipei, en route to Hong Kong.

The last time I was in Hong Kong was 1995. That's nearly 15 years ago, for the numerically-challenged. Some people think it's a long time (like my students, who were born around that time) and some people think it's not really that long ago. But when you think about it, 1995 is indeed a long time ago. Let's think about what it was like back in 1995.

In 1995:

• Hong Kong was still British territory.
• Princess Diana was still alive.
• Apple Computer was on the verge of bankruptcy.
• Mike Harcourt was the premier of British Columbia.
• Intel released its new 120 MHz Pentium processor, a drastic improvement from the new 75 MHz processor from the year before.
• The National Hockey League canceled half of the 1994-95 season due to a labor dispute.
• Sun Microsystems revealed its new project, Java.
• The original PlayStation gaming console was released.
• The first consumer 3-D accelerator, Voodoo by 3dfx, was released.
• Timothy McVeigh and Terry Nichols bombed the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building in Oklahoma City.
• The Supreme Court of Canada ruled that discrimination based on sexual orientation is a violation of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms.
• Approximately 80% of internet users used Netscape Navigator as their primary browser, with only 3% using Internet Explorer.
• The computer game Doom was only 2 years old.
• Windows 95 was released, replacing Windows 3.1.
• Cell phone subscribers in the United States numbered only about 3.8 million (compared to 55.4 million in 2007).
• eBay was founded.
• OJ Simpson was found not guilty.
• The Calvin & Hobbes comic strip debuted.
• Dakota Fanning was only a year old.
• Toy Story won an Oscar.

Spring weather for the Winter Olympics and other tidbits

I just realized that in less than a month, the Winter Olympics will start in my hometown of Vancouver. And apparently, there's no snow in the mountains.

Those who know Canadian weather will know that Vancouver is the second-warmest major city in Canada in winter (the other being nearby Victoria). It almost NEVER goes below freezing there, and snow in the city is very rare (and usually melts in less than a day).

However, the city gets loads of rain in winter and all the rain turns into snow in the mountains, making for prime skiing and snowboarding conditions. From what I heard, this year, that hasn't materialized and there is almost no snow in the mountains. One of the Winter Olympic venues, Cypress Mountain, has apparently been closed to the public so they can MAKE snow (which is unusual in itself for Vancouver's ski mountains) and maintain it until the Games.

Above: A photo taken in the summer of the Olympic rings between Vancouver International Airport and the Arthur Laing Bridge leading to the City of Vancouver.

The opening ceremonies will be at BC Place Stadium, and it'll be the first-ever indoor opening ceremony in Olympic history. With the buckets of rain that the city gets in winter, that's a good choice, and probably a good way to deter the TV viewers from looking around the stadium's exteriors and wondering, "Where's the snow?"

Also, there's the issue of the Downtown Eastside (DTES). For those outside Vancouver, the DTES is known for being possibly the poorest area of Canada and has a high rate of crime, prostitution, drug deals and open drug use. The previous mayor of Vancouver didn't really do much to fix it, and now it's too late to do anything. It's just a stone's throw from the "good" part of downtown, where a lot of visitors will be staying. Just wait -- there will definitely be some media coverage about this and many will ask, "Why is there a huge open air drug den in the middle of this city?"

This is going to be one interesting Olympics.

English names

Teaching English winter camp this week has been interesting so far. One of the unexpectedly interesting points were not so much with the teaching or the material, but rather with something quite trivial -- names.

In an article from William Cheung (a researcher at my alma mater, UBC) called "The Economics of Post-Doc Publishing," he states (emphasis added):

In my field and most other disciplines in science, English is the dominant language for publishing (Ammon 2001). Being a Chinese person from Hong Kong, my original name was, of course, fully Chinese. I was also given an ‘official’ English name translated by the government from the Cantonese (the Chinese dialect spoken in Hong Kong) pronunciation of my Chinese name (i.e. Wai Lung Cheung). However, non-Chinese speaking people often have problems pronouncing, spelling or even remembering my Cantonese-translated name.
...
Thus, in recent years, I changed from using my Cantonese-translated first name (Wai Lung) to my English name (William) in scientific publications and academic communications, while keeping the Cantonese name as a middle name. Such changes may be seen as ‘caving in’ to the dominant culture. However, when Hong Kong was under British colonization (until 30 June 1997), most students in Hong Kong were asked to acquire an English name. Hence, the use of an English name is psychologically easy for me to accept. On the other hand, this may be considered a violation of one’s culture to some colleagues.

• From: Cheung, William W.L. "The Economics of Post-Doc Publishing." Ethics in Science and Environmental Politics. 8.41-44 (January 2008). Print.

While most Koreans, like the Chinese in Hong Kong, have Korean-translated first names, I've found that it was next to impossible to remember them. I try to remember, but it's quite the mountainous task, especially when you have hundreds and hundreds of students. (My inability to remember faces easily is also an obstacle here.)

However, I have avoided forcing students to adopt English names for the exact same concern that Cheung mentioned. I don't feel comfortable forcing students to choose English names because it feels too much like cultural colonization to me. I would never ask a Korean for his or her English name, unless he or she volunteers it to me. In other words, I leave it up to the students whether or not they want English names. I won't force them to do it, but I won't stop them if they really want to choose one.

I have also heard of instances where "forcing" the students to choose English names has backfired. Some students decide to choose outrageous names. For example: "My name is Barack Obama!" Sometimes, if a parent decides to choose an English name for the student, it might also backfire. For example, I read about some parent who decided to bestow upon his child the English name "Grand." While the intentions are there, naming your kid Grand is just a little... strange.

For those reasons, I have decided not to bring up the issue. However, during this week's English winter camp, some students asked me if I would like to call them by their English names. I was a little hesitant to answer, but informed them that it was up to them as long as it's not like the "Barack Obama" example. Thankfully, the two students who volunteered their English names had normal-sounding ones: Ron and Michael.

That got me thinking -- why is it that they have normal-sounding names while others that I've heard of have chosen to be "Barack Obama" or "Michael Jackson"? Over the past several days, I realized that this week's class is VERY GOOD, despite the fact that they're my youngest students. They were so good, in fact, that some of them watch TV shows on AFN (the US army television channel), which doesn't offer any Korean subtitles. I was surprised to learn that despite not being fluent in English, they didn't need the subtitles and would prefer not to have them. They were just that good.

They also seem serious and willing to learn English, despite its challenges. I think that might be the determining factor here; the students who are more willing to learn and are serious about learning English seem to realize what's "acceptable" in English and what's not. They know that choosing a name like "Barack Obama" is unacceptable. They seem to want to know how to conduct themselves in an English-speaking atmosphere, which is quite cool. This group gives an honest effort, which is what I've been wanting to see from my students; to me, it doesn't matter if they are wrong every time, as long as they give an honest effort.

So perhaps forcing the students to use English names is the wrong way to go, and thank goodness I didn't do that. When a student is serious about learning English, I think he would be capable of deciding whether or not to choose an English name. Otherwise, it might be best to just leave their names alone for the time being.

Appreciating Seoul

It's no secret that places annoy me. I get annoyed with Vancouver. I get annoyed with Southern California. I get annoyed with... well, almost every place I go to. I don't know, but the more familiar I become with a city, the more I get annoyed with it. (It's not always annoyed in a bad way though.) So it seems inevitable that I will get annoyed with Seoul.

Before the snow came and hit the city, I used to like making trips out to far places, like in Gyeonggi-do (the province around Seoul) or in Incheon. I had no idea why, until the other day.

There is such a large contrast between Seoul and the areas outside of Seoul. I was on my way to Anyang the other day, and once I was outside of Seoul, there was a large atmospheric change. Suddenly, I really started to feel conscious of the fact that there is a lot less English. Even ordering a burger proved to be a mountainous task. Even though the area looks like a much better neighborhood to be in, it doesn't seem to be a place where a newly-arrived frightened foreigner (ie. me) would want to be to start out in South Korea; the areas outside the big cities don't seem to be well-equipped for non-Koreans. Why should they be? It's not like non-Koreans find these areas to be large tourist hotspots.

On the bus ride back, it was getting dark. As the bus crossed from Gyeonggi-do to Seoul, there was again the huge shift in atmosphere. There was suddenly a lot of English (some of it incorrectly used). There were signs that it was an international city, even though some of them weren't entirely successful, like the cellphone store that had a banner outside advertising some deal to foreigners -- but the banner was written in Korean. But at least the effort was there, which is more than I can say for the areas outside Seoul.

Back in Vancouver, I remember how many times I would go somewhere far from the city, just to re-energize myself. I would get away from Vancouver and go somewhere far like White Rock or Langley, where it's so quiet and so far from everything that you feel like you can scream and there's a chance that nobody would hear you, before coming back to the city, where things are convenient and faster-paced.

I guess here in Seoul, I need to find that release once in a while too. I need to go somewhere drastically different from the norm once in a while, only to come back and appreciate the fact that I live in Seoul. In comparison to its surroundings, Seoul is actually quite worldly, despite the large number of improvements that can be made. Is Seoul the best place for foreigners? I don't think so. Is it heading in the right direction in terms of internationalization? Probably. Would I be happier working in Seoul than elsewhere? Definitely.

---

In other news:

• The temperatures are finally back above freezing today. It's amazing how 2 degrees Celsius (36 degrees Fahrenheit) suddenly feels warm after a week of terrible weather.
• It's also amazing how much snow can melt in 6 degrees C (43 degrees F). The streets are wet out there and it looks like it rained, but it didn't.
• Yesterday was an awful work day. The students were almost scared of the material, and actually bailed on me after their scheduled classroom cleaning. But ironically, today was brilliant. They cooperated and didn't need me to force them to work on the stuff I assigned to them. It was amazing how one day was awful and one day was brilliant.
• I really want to make sushi, but can't find out how to prepare the rice.
• My laptop battery is doing weird things. Windows Vista said the battery is "plugged in, not charging." Jay suggested that it's an adapter problem. I hope so, because replacing an adapter is certainly a lot cheaper than replacing an entire battery.

SOS

SOS

trapped by snow

SOS

ramen and dumpling supply dwindling

SOS

running out of dvd material and books

SOS

send kimchi

SOS

Happy New Year

New Year's Day is almost over here, but I decided to wait until the people back in Vancouver have reached midnight before posting a New Year's note. Anyways, Happy New Year and let's hope this decade doesn't become a waste of time like the 2000s turned out to be.

Anyways, I have made a small website for my best photos. The new gallery can be reached here and was created at the suggestion of several friends who liked some of the photos. So I will post my best photos on to that site.

Ah, F this...

Found in Seoul's Itaewon international tourist area:


Ah, F this S...

Merry Christmas