A Journal

She's Alive... Beautiful... Finite... Hurting... Worth Dying for.

2011-12-21T22:31:00.000-05:00

Spoil - Documentary on the Great Bear Rainforests under threat by DIRTY ...

2011-12-09T09:37:00.000-05:00

2011-11-14T08:57:00.001-05:00

We've lost much
It is time to stop and feel that loss
I believe when we have done this we can understand what it will mean to go forward
Beauty remains
Life is all around us
The Earth still speaks
Will I listen?

Western black rhino declared extinct

2011-11-09T22:04:00.002-05:00

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-15663982

Derrick Jensen - Endgame

2011-10-31T13:23:00.000-04:00

2011-10-14T10:30:00.000-04:00

Should I ever realize these ideals in my own way of living I would consider myself very fortunate. Though it might not be unreasonable to assume that this should be our state at birth.

We are a part of the natural world.
-We should live in the midst of that world and take our place in it. It is the same for humans as it is for any animal living in a zoo...an environment we surround ourselves in that is without the patterns of nature cannot provide for our basic needs. Since we are natural beings we depend on natural patterns and resources for our well-being. Any deviation where we are caused to depend on patterns that do not hold true to nature creates and imbalance.
-We should eat only what is within our personal reach within that world. We should not use industrial knowledge to exploit the land for our own tastes and desires for an unnatural sense of stability.
-We should live within our senses. Those senses should be strong and balanced. We should listen to our bodies and act according to our feelings and intuition. No artificial light should be used to prolong our wakeful state.
-We should use the energy gathered through food in our bodies to do work that is necessary. We should never exploit non-renewable or renewable energy sources. And we should always make an offering to ensure respect for any life source we employ. The basis of our functioning should be personal human power.
-We should work as though it were a function of life within our place in the world. Work should be focused on securing the needs of the day or season. Hoarding of resources is a symptom of an imbalanced way of living.
-We will move and position our bodies in space as we are encouraged by our environment. Therefore we should choose to be a part of the natural world and live by its way, to keep our body, mind and spirit vital and healthy.

2011-10-03T11:17:00.004-04:00

Cries are not enough
it hurts and you will cry
but it is not enough
the earth bleeds
and you cry
because you feel the pain
the wound occurs within your own heart
and you will cry
but it is not enough
you cry and you keep pushing the blade edge deeper
your heart is crying and you cry
but you know not the source of the pain
you are a stranger to your heart
you have been feigning friendship with your heart
you aren't aware that you left your heart long ago
It will not be enough

Know your heart.
The earth cries out through the heart
But it does not only cry

2011-09-23T08:51:00.002-04:00

I hope for mind
mind that is here
mind that is laid open to its task
mind that is at peace
with sorrow, pain, anger and joy
mind that takes each as a passing storm to be loved

2011-09-19T21:32:00.002-04:00

In our hearts we know the perfumed flowers are our sisters
The deer, the horse, the great eagle, these are our brothers
That the earth does not belong to man
Man belongs to the earth
And this also we know
All things are connected like the blood which unites one family
That man did not weave the web of life
He is but a strand in it
Whatever he does to the web he does to himself
So friend, do it this way and if you so do
The power of the universe will come to your assistance
But be sure your heart and mind are one
For all of creation is related and the hurt of one is the hurt of all
And the honor of one is the honor of all
And whatever we do touches each and everything in the universe
Each of us was put here in this time and this place
To personally decide the future of the world
Did you thing you were put here for something less
So if you do it this way that is if you truly join your heart and mind as one
Whatever you ask for, that's the way it's going to be.

Inspired and Adapted from Various Native American Elders

2011-06-20T11:37:00.002-04:00

If we know its not working
why do we continue?

A shift in consciousness

2011-06-19T13:53:00.002-04:00

Give me an hour
I will watch the forest
with no words I might hear a clear thought
the birds may offer their feelings
I may see something new and feel appreciation

2011-06-19T13:52:00.001-04:00

What I look forward to every evening and weekend these days are the blocks of time when I can be outside. Whether I'm sitting, walking, running, gardening or observing I find something new every time.

I often think how I'd like to start my own business and then I think about how I definitely don't want a business. The underlying desire is to able to dictate my own schedule or allow my schedule to be dictated by more local forces. I have things I want to share which I feel could be marketed and the only reason the thought comes to mind is because that is how we survive in this culture (by marketing something we feign to own). I cannot in a clear conscience think about marketing the ideas I want to share because they are not mine. They belong to each of us and I believe we only need to relearn them.

I want a local currency.

And sometimes I become impatient with my own ability to articulate thoughts so I leave what has been written and wait for a better time to write.

2011-05-04T22:00:00.002-04:00

started praying again
learned how to clean a duck
incubating a duck egg
discovered, gathered and ate morel mushrooms

it's an interesting world
I feel like I'm living more often

2011-04-26T21:26:00.003-04:00

You can rarely say what you truly want
I want to say that I'm thoughtful
Heavily
more than I've been in my own memory
I think things are changing and will continue to do so
In a way that is not necessarily to our liking
Teaching ESL brings you a lot of information
A lot of feeling
From Mexico, Vietnam, Egypt, Libya, Congo, Iraq
Things I don't know
You can't know the lives that push you to wake up
You listen
I try
And when I wonder I can sit outside and feel the night breeze
maybe this is where I can return if my life becomes like a stranger

We still have birds
trees
bees
squirrels
and plants of all kinds
I think we can find something new
that we lost
and find hope that while things change
they continue to change

2011-03-31T14:49:00.002-04:00

How can I put to words the thoughts I've been having over the past months. No idea.

So I will try write more freely, without review or attempt at reconstruction. I'm witing this while at work. Something that is rather unusual and would have felt problematic maybe just a couple months ago. I've changed in the way I view time and how we spend it. I'm still working, don't worry. Just a little less diligently. Or maybe you should worry, that I still am.

I feel and believe that listening has become for me an imperative. In that I imply a deep and pervasive listening.

I've started observing the birds in my vicinity. We have mourning dove nest on our front porch and what I believe to be either purple or some other finch I can't remember on the back. I can recognize black-capped chickadee.

I want to remember the things we've lost. I want to know the plants I see, I want to know songs and stories to teach my child. I want to speak honestly without trying to dress up my words.

It's not so hard in application. It's a matter of letting go. I often feel the busyness of my mind and an impulse to do and make a mark in the day. It's a slow progression, but the more I am aware and listening to myself and everything around me, the easier it is to stop and enjoy a breath.

That is all I have a mind to say for now.

2011-02-20T20:39:00.002-05:00

So I've been running barefoot for nearly a year in Harrisburg, Pa. I've learned a lot and am interested in networking with others in the area if there is an interest. I would love to share my experiences with others who have also been barefooting or are interested in getting started. I'm not always out running, but you can catch me some evenings or afternoons along the river in Harrisburg. If you've come across this post and are interested leave me a comment and an email address and maybe we can meet up sometime.

Barefoot Running Video

2010-09-14T13:26:00.001-04:00

http://vimeo.com/12451532

German Soccer Coach Picks His Nose And Eats The Booger On World TV

2010-07-02T13:23:00.000-04:00

2010-06-30T21:35:00.002-04:00

I don't like the progress. I don't like the highways. I don't like the heat. I sat at a friend's under trees and returned home to an oven. Do we really need the comfort of an air conditioner? It seemed easier before.

I don't like the mindless work. I don't like the waste. I don't like the artificial light. I walk outside and feel fresh, alive and well. Do we need the money, the cars, the phones, the garbage? I'm never fresh in a warehouse.

I like to walk. I like to breathe. I like to move where I wish when I wish. It seems pure and natural to be outside. Do we need the trees, the rivers, the air? I'm sick and weak and disconnected from all that I was meant to do and be.

I'm waking up slowly.

Ignitable Drinking Water in Candor, NY, Above Marcellus Shale

2010-06-23T22:15:00.000-04:00

I came upon a similar clip the other day and was shocked. I have since been doing research and came upon a growing battle between natural gas drilling companies and residents of small towns who list serious complaints about the effects of drilling. Living in PA it struck me that I should be concerned because a large number of new gas wells are being dug throughout the region. The new documentary Gasland is coming out and directly confronts the controversy. I haven't seen it, but think it should be important for anyone concerned with the safety of basic living to learn more about natural gas drilling and the effects it has on the local communities and environment. Hydro-fracturing is the method of gas extraction being used and is a good place to start to learn about the process. I think this a big deal, and so I would be silly not to share it.

2010-06-21T22:21:00.001-04:00

I really want to share the joy of recaptured imagination. The freedom of seeing the world as a kid again. The world is our playground. We can get hurt, but we get back up and learn from our mistakes. For so long I've struggled with the idea of private property. I cannot cross this fence for fear of my neighbors anger and litigation. Who owns a blade of grass? We can play. I truly believe that play is something we should never lose. Why climb a wall? Why not? I won't answer the hypothetical, I will answer the real. We live in too many boxes, so that we eventually have no room to breathe.

Give me back the openness
Or I will take it
So that I can offer it to you
Play with me
Or I will play alone
Why should I work
When I have all I need
I'll carry my load
When it's time to move
We used to move in amazing ways
I think I still can
Mind, body, heart

2010-06-09T21:19:00.004-04:00

You'll notice I'm starting to write more, and it's mostly out of enthusiasm for the things I'm doing and coming to an understanding of.
Generally, I feel a stronger presence of awareness in my day to day living. I notice that this right here is my life. There is no future or past that is as relevant as being where I am here and now. Mindfulness is a term I came across originally through the writings of Thich Nhat Hanh. In my own understanding, it is a practice of cultivating a mind and heart that lie anchored to the present moment. So there is no future to worry about or past to regret or be pained by when you can find yourself in the present. It would seem simple enough, but for me at least often proves very difficult. Meditation is a tool that helps me to come back to this mind and live more frequently in it. It's been a big part of my own evolution the past several years. Hopefully I'll find myself here more frequently. The Anthony De Mello link on the right is a great place to learn more if this sparks your interest. He is an amazing communicator.

Barefoot Running

2010-06-08T22:24:00.001-04:00

You could say that generally I have started to become more active. I bike, run and practice Parkour throughout the week. I find that the extended time outdoors in activity is helping me to be more relaxed and present throughout the day.
Running is now a barefoot activity for me. I have been building up the pads on feet for the past month or so and am advised that it is likely to be another two before I my feet are fully at ease. For resources on why one might want to run barefoot see below.
http://barefootkenbob.com
Born to Run
Christopher McDougall
The basic idea behind it all is that I want to run injury free for a long time(hours and decades) and I want running to be activity that I enjoy as a movement: to see it not as a means to an end but as an end in itself.

Parkour

2010-06-06T17:00:00.001-04:00

I've recently been getting into Parkour. I came across a local Harrsiburg Parkour club and that was all I needed. It is a lot of fun. And I've discovered that there is a lot more going on with Parkour than just an awesome way to move.

Class Pictures

2009-12-09T13:49:00.004-05:00

Here are two pictures from my class. Arzika and Samba are both from Niger. They are wonderful students. They are learning about blogs and currently adding similar pictures to their own.

2009-12-08T14:41:00.003-05:00

Time to start writing again. We are in the final weeks of my computer class. Learning about blogs and such. Hopefully I'll be putting up some new cycling info. Looking forward to a cross country trip in the near future. So this site will hopefully become a place to report exciting developments in the lead up and eventual process of that ride.

Inspired Bicycles - Danny MacAskill April 2009

2009-06-09T13:51:00.001-04:00

One day I'll be riding like this.

ESL and Computer Class

2009-06-02T14:12:00.003-04:00

Today I have three classes. In the morning I taught an intermediate class. This afternoon I am teaching a computer class. We are learning about blogs. Thus my post. Hopefully I will have more opportunity to write and post pictures as I model blogging for my class. I finish my day at 8:30 tonight with a class for beginners.

2008-09-16T12:42:00.000-04:00

I'm back in the States. Moving to Harrisburg, PA soon. On the verge of employment. Looking to buy a touring bike. Reading good books.

2008-06-05T07:03:00.000-04:00

So I have a month left in Egypt. I will flying into JFK on the 9th of July. I will happy to escape the heat, the crowds, the noise. Yet, will also be sad to leave many people. Yesterday we had a party at the school I've been teaching at for refugees. I've been able to spend a good amount of time with a number of students and other friends from the school and greatly appreciate the time I've been able to spend with them. It is always a learning experience to be with people from such different circumstances than yourself. And I always find I receive more than I could ever give. Above pictured with me are a few of the guys I've been able to spend a good bit of time getting to know. Most of the people I've worked with are coming from Darfur, but I've also met many people from a range of areas and circumstances. Spending time with them in class, at the church, and in the local Sudanese coffeeshop and restaurants, I've come to a greater appreciation of the struggles refugees face in a foreign country. Surely everyone knows of the problems in Africa. It's something different to meet the actual faces living the lives of refugees.

So outside that experience Arabic has been coming along. Less quickly than I would like, but I have reached a higher level of proficiency which allows me to converse more frequently and with greater confidence. The coming week I will finish my classes, both teaching and studying and do some traveling with friends. I'm very much looking forward to coming home. So see you all soon. Probably before I get up many more pictures. There are more at the album linked to this page.

2008-04-21T09:27:00.000-04:00

All has been a full schedule each day. Rest in the mornings and afternoons periodically, but I have been meeting many people at coffeeshops. This with other classes both in Arabic and English provides me with plenty to do. No complaints, I should be making use of my time and am glad for the time. This weekend I will go to the Red Sea to spend some time with some old friends and some new ones as well. I think it will be good to swim and be out of the city. I've gotten back into some soccer. My body still needs to make the transition back into athletics, but we're coming along. I had a header in the last game that gave me a crick in the neck that has lasted for some time. Still not in full range of motion.

I will hope to get some pictures up from the beach next week. It should be rather nice. But for now I need to get going to class.

2008-04-11T12:08:00.001-04:00

I moved into an apartment with two Italians last weekend...Marco and Donatella. They are fun. It's right back in the neighborhood I used to live in 4 years ago. So all is well in residential terms. I have also changed teachers and classes are much better now. I feel in a good place and situation these days. My English classes have also been going well, and I have been spending some time with some of my students, speaking both Arabic and English. And learning a few words in Amheric...the Ethiopian language.

Today is very windy. I didn't do much but laundry...by hand, and some food shopping. I have here some pictures from last month. I suppose i have been here over a month or so now. If you want to have a look more pictures should be up at the album i have linked at the side. I'm working on it now, so hopefully they will be up after a bit. Sorry if there are any problems.

My quest for kimchee is yet to succeed. I spent several hours yesterday searching for a korean restaurant and found it, only to be turned down in my request for goods sharing the nature of kimchee. I've met some Koreans since my arrival and actually attended a traditional Korean musical performance at the Opera house here in Cairo. Only 3 dollars quite a difference from anywhere else I would see such a show. Anyway that should be all for now. Trying to do many things on this computer.

2008-04-03T11:13:00.000-04:00

The weather has cooled. It has been more than nice for the past week and a half. I continue to teach at the refugee program and have spent several nights with the guys in my class. Last night we ate Sudanese fool...i.e. Sudanese refried beans. By far my favorite fool to date. Its been good to hang out with them and start to learn about their situations. I've met many interesting people. It's also been good practice in Arabic. They work on their English and then we fall into Arabic after a bit.

So my Arabic is improving, but I need more time out with people to practice speaking. I'm looking to move into an apartment, but presently I'm changing teachers at my Arabic school and waiting to see how that goes. Its been nice to live in a hostel, but I will soon like to be in a more set routine.

Tomorrow I have a four hour class from 8 to 12 with some teachers at my Arabic school, to help pay for the classes. This will be our third class. It's good because they are all very motivated.

Cairo life goes. It's nice. Not too fast not too slow. Thats it for now.

Cairo

2008-03-27T16:17:00.000-04:00

So I'm in Egypt. I have been here now for almost a month. It is good. It was very hot, but now it is cool. I am teaching English at a program for refugees two days and week. I am studying Arabic 4 days a week and working out English classes for some of the teachers there, as a sort of swap. Im making some progress in my Arabic. The food is good, the rhythm of life is good. Its a little noisy. But its Cairo so its life. Hopefully I will take more time to write later. But for now I must go. Hope everyone is well.

Jirisan

2008-02-15T05:41:00.001-05:00

From about a week ago...Joy and I climbed Jirisan for our Lunar New Year vacation. Its beauty was accentuated by the lack of any real traffic on the trails, which Korean parks are infamous for. Holiday hiking is the way to go. I'm also quite excited that my hip has ceased to cause pain to speak of. I wasn't sure, but I took a shorter hike the previous weekend, and have been feeling fine. Great news. Now I can start thinking more about backflips.
Anyway, two more weeks. My kids are ready for graduation, like I've never seen any class ready. We're good. It's going to be sad these last days, but I'm going to do my best to be mindful of the present moment, throughout. Hope everyone is well.

DMZ Panmungak

2008-01-14T09:13:00.001-05:00

Here. Sorry about my filming inadequacies. Still learning.

Korean Octopus

2008-01-14T06:50:00.001-05:00

I hope you like this video taken from our octopus meal last week. I will have more pictures up and also video from the DMZ hopefully soon. But you can find some new pictures on a link here http://picasaweb.google.com/lukebauer36
I just found I could do this and so I hope you can enjoy the pictures. More to come as time allows. The Octopus was not especially delicious nor grotesque, merely ill textured.

Seoul 2008

2008-01-02T09:52:00.000-05:00

As I said I was in Seoul with Joy and Matt for the first weekend of this break. Got a new camera for a decent price. And am now sharing the fruits of its first use. It looks like all i did was go to historic sites but the first few days were spent eating, walking and playing. We got reservations for a show called Nanta, which was awesome. A modern mix of traditional drumming, dance, and theater. (To any who might visit Seoul check it out.) We were mixed up on the show's time, so we waited it out in an arcade where we played games and sang a Cher song in a tiny karaoke booth. (Also highly recommended.) Of great pleasure early in the trip were shawarmas at a Turkish shawarma stand, also all you can eat curry at an Indian restaurant.
Still nursing a chronic injury, I have been limited in what I can do this break. I can rest and relax while finishing the last Harry Potter and begin organizing for my departure from Korea, less than two months away. It snowed the last two days, so I am debating whether to go out for a short hike or not. It could give me more pain in my hip, but how could I miss my last chance to be out in snow covered Korean mountains? Anyway I'm enjoying the time off and the snow. Though it has been dreadfully cold as of late. Hope you are all well.

Seoul

2008-01-01T04:49:00.001-05:00

So I just got a new camera in Seoul. With it I can take videos such as this. It is vacation now and I spent the first few days in Seoul, eating shawarma, taking in a show and just walking around. This shrine was beautiful and cold. Luckily I came prepared. Hope you enjoy. More pictures to come.

October Korea

2007-10-28T09:02:00.001-04:00

It's a very exciting week... tests and evals are done for the month..halloween on Wednesday. Cool temperatures and snotty kids, ah.
This weekend Joy and I took a trip to the south coast, back to a town I had visited last year. This year there was much less rain and we were able to be at the temple on the cliff for the evening bell and chanting. My first official Korean sunrise also came at the chance of being woken up by loud ajummas (older women) making the trip. It was beautiful and complete with applause from the audience. Luckily another spot I've been meaning to see was on the way home today. We stopped by the green tea plantation in Boseong. It is a beautiful area, but more than that, an opportunity to take pictures like a Korean. If you ever travel through the country you'll come to find that generally Korean's love to pose in dramatic fashion. Thus Joy helped me begin my own album of glamour shots. See below.
The word is my aunt and cousins are headed here this month, so well have to get in touch again to check in on details, but that should be fun to see some familiar faces in a now somewhat familiar land. It should be exciting.
Unfortunately, they've missed out on all the huge fesitivals of the year. This month has been a festive month indeed. Plenty to see and eat. I finally found the kimchee i've been desiring to buy, at the Kimchee Festival. We also tasted some more wild boar there. I've seen Korean yodelers, breakdancers, drummers, and more. All in Gwangju: the place to be in October. Good news from the apartment: a new chair. The due return for my recently stolen bike. It doesn't get me from here to there, but it is a good reading space: leather and comfortable. That's all for now. Enjoy the pictures.

Kids are Funny

2007-10-06T11:40:00.000-04:00

So I will just give a few stories to validate my claim.

1. Dean- Sneezes a great sneeze...with this to his credit- he covers his nose with his hands...on the pullback he notices some remnants of mucus membranes...then proceeds to lick what had been projected onto his palms. (My reaction- amazement and disguised laughter)

2. Brien- After a somewhat frustrated warning to the class on their volume I overhear Brien explaining to Jay "Luke Teacher is very busy. Not only morning class. After morning class there is afternoon classes...two." Thank you Brien for your understanding.

3. Fred- As with any story from Very Easy Reading 1 I ask my normal comprehension questions. "What does the elephant use to pick up the woman?" Several hands go up. "Yes, Fred." Fred puts his hands together creating some kind of form I'm sure I've seen before..."Teacher...Dog!"... a moment of what is not clarity..."Yes, Fred...'dog'. Very good, thank you." (enjoyment of the moment) "Now can anyone tell me what the elephant uses to pick up the woman?" (his trunk)

4. An anonymous student of another teacher- In the midst of their childish energy set loose in the playroom a fierce game of scare the other person breaks out: growls, angry looks, and hand guns. Unnamed Student #1 approaches his teacher with a double barrel hand gun...stares with fierce eyes and shouts..."Kazakstan Police!" (a first year student mind you...the teacher surrendered, no negotiation)

5. Lance- Notorious throughout the school for his large skull...following the construction of a vest in one of our art projects, we proceeded in the fitting. Unknown to me Lance had proceeded on his own and one could only guess the outcome of his endeavor. As I made my way to his table I faced a broken vest and a defeated look. And the only appropriate response, which I have been waiting for for some time...perfectly spoken he informed me "Teacher my head is too big!" ( the vest was fixed)

Chusok 07

2007-09-24T00:44:00.000-04:00

It is now the Chusok holiday. I have off till Thursday, thus a little time to write. I was up in the center of the country for about a day and a half in the pictures that you see here. Some good and bad things happened on that trip. Bad- 1. My ongoing hip pain was exacerbated to the point of not being able to sleep on my side, or shift my left leg to the right or left. 2. The weight from my new backpack was bruising my hips. Good- 1. I got to see a lot of those cool spiders. 2. I got to see a lake. 3. * a possible reallignment of my hips as the pain has ceased (my hypothesis being that the weight on them from the pack added the pressure needed to shift back into place) We shall see if this conjecture holds true or perhaps the pain is just taking a short vacation. But right now I am home, hoping to make it through the day before I test my mobility with a bit of soccer.

One thing which came to attention again this week was the need for Korea to think up better names for their cities. In America it's pretty easy to get around in the sense that if you ask for a ticket to Chicago it's likely you can get there without too much confusion. But in the past week I have traveled through Chunju, Chongju, and Chungju. The latter two happen to be an hour apart so at least your not far off with a mispronunciation. But really who does this? It's like putting a Hauston in Texas. I couldn't have survived without my excellent Korean phonetic skills. I appreciate Korean community in many aspects, but this lack of indivualism when it comes to name is a bit of a nuisance.

I have been in a bit of a rut with the lack of physical activity but hope that the recent progress will result in a return to normalcy that will allow me to get out of the house a bit more now that I have the time. I hope you all like spiders.

2007-09-01T22:56:00.000-04:00

Well I am back in Korea after a wonderful time home with the family and a few friends. It was a great time of relaxation and time with my family. It was a bit of an adjustment coming back to the Korean heat, but it just broke two days ago and has been rainy with highs in the 70's: sweatshirt weather. I can't describe it, its sooo nice. Yesterday Joy and I were able to go to one of my old (her current) student's piano/violin recitals. It happened to be the same music school for several of my students. So I was able to witness Korean musical training. It is safe to say I was at a near to world class performance. It is unbelievable to see how quickly these kids learn. The student I went to see was an 8 year old girl and she was performing the first movement of Vivaldi's Concerto in a-minor on the violin...not a short piece by all reasonable judgments. This after a year and a half of lessons. After the recital we went out to dinner with her family. Sarah was too shy much to me, but I did get to talk to her 3 yr old brother as he ran through the restaurant.

Tomorrow will be the first day of my new schedule. We are doing a switch of afternoon classes for the last half of the year, and this means that I will not be working so late. A welcome shift. We also have a new teachers room on the 6th floor which is very nice. We have a little courtyard outside, which is the roof. Hopefully the transition to new classes will go smoothly. But I cannot express the relief shorter hours will be. Thats the latest news from Korea. I am also on the injured reserve. I went to the doctor to check out some hip pain I've been having for the past few months. I was able to get an x-ray for $40. It seems that I have an area of higher bone density caused by stress from overuse/poor posture, so I will be out for this soccer season and any possible racing opportunities. Not the best news, but at least I know what I need to do now.

2007-06-30T19:56:00.000-04:00

It is now July. The rainy season began about a week ago. Though we've had a day or two of sun. Yesterday was incredibly hot and humid. The sun here is more intense than the one I remember in America.
I'm just on the other side of one of my more busy two week stretches. I had parent conferences yesterday. They went very well. I was lacking the nervousness I had last year. I feel my teaching has improved dramatically since the time I have been here. Last year I wasn't as confident. So knowing more about teaching and being able to talk more confidently about the kids and what they can do to improve has made life a lot easier with regard to meeting with parents. I also feel a much better rhythm to my teaching this year and I can more easily sense the class and what I need to be doing to maintain their interest and make sure they understand what were learning.
After a hot day yesterday, it started raining at night. It was a very strong rain, and we had lighting and thunder...a rare occurance in this area. I slept wonderfully to the sound of drops on the window. I love the rain.
So the word is not certain yet, but the hopes are that I will be headed home at the end of the month for a little vacation. I should arrive late on July 28. My aim is to have a relaxing time mostly at home with my family. Though I'm sure a few days to visit Harrisburg won't hurt. I'm very excited. It will be very nice to not teach for more than two or three days. I also have a mind for fig newtons and beans. I trust they are both still available stateside. Hope to see some of you soon.

2007-06-03T09:24:00.000-04:00

It's been a while I've been wanting to visit Gyeongju, one of the biggest historical cities in Korea. It was very nice weather. They have bike rentals right outside the bus terminal so we were able to take some for Saturday and Sunday. Saturday we biked way out to Bulguksa, a very big famous temple; which took us long enough we spent the rest of the night in that area. This morning we road back into town and hit up some of the sights in the city. Of considerable enjoyment were an open field and a relatively clean river with snakes. On few occasions will you come across either of these in Korea in the foottracks I have made. We had two rather delicious meals for lunch yesterday and today...Ssam bap and Poori bap. Good things with rice. The large mounds above are burial sites for royalty. Not too exciting, but it was nice to see grass hills. There were a lot of random burial spots, temples, museums, etc. I thought the greatest idea was renting out bikes. That way we only spent 10 dollars on all of our travel the two days, rather than pay for buses and taxis that wouldn't afford us the flexibility or pace we were able to have. It was a very nice stay and a place to see if you ever do happen upon Korea. I hope I've offered enough pictures.

Kia Tigers

2007-05-17T10:55:00.000-04:00

Spring has been in full effect and is turning to its less compassionate feel, heavy sun with the promise of oncoming humidity. The yellow dust is something Ill try to get a picture of for everyone to see. If you remember from last year it this heinous dust from the Gobi desert which is constantly airborne in the Korean spring. My throat is once again a victim of the storm. Almost on cue like last year, I have lost my voice. But I am hitting up the doctor sooner this year. Tomorrow.

As you can see I took in my first Korean baseball game last weekend. It was much like baseball usually is. Long. At least we got to witness Korean cheering. A lot of singing and banging on drums. Our home team the Kia Tigers won. I believe the bases are a little closer than in MLB. I got to see three triples in one game. One was a grand slam...triple.

The days are beautiful. The kids are good. The bottom picture is taken just under a temple I was visiting with some friends. Another beautiful day.

2007-04-15T02:33:00.000-04:00

It was a nice weekend and a good time to travel. So we did. I really just want everyone to see a picture of my first fire in Korea. It works the same here, but we have the added luxury of bamboo. (it burns like paper but for a good 5-7 minutes) Four of us took the bus to a port on the southwest corner of Korea. We caught a ferry to an island the size of Messiah College. Nothing can speak to the joy of a fire in Korea on a near vacant island on a brisk and quiet Saturday night. The weeks continue to give me just enough exhaustion to recover from in two days. So fires are all the more in order, whether in my apartment or out. I find scent to be quite rejuvenating. I hope all is well with everyone. Enjoy the spring.

2007-04-08T08:20:00.000-04:00

It is spring. As you can see the cherry blossom trees are in blossom. Its a wonderful thing to have weekends to go outside. Weekdays have been a long and tiresome with classes till 7:20 every day now. I feel much more prone to dancing...to shake off the stress of a day. And thus much of this weekend has been that...a birthday party and soccer dances. For me about 10 kids in every class is about as much as I can take. There's a lot to manage both in and out of class. Other stress relievers have been doing the dishes, folding clothes and watching Jackie Chan in Drunken Master.

It is a difficult time but a worthy challenge at this point in my life...to remain present in each moment and not let my attachment to class efficiency or well behaved classes get the best of me, and create a dependency on the future ie weekends, night. And kids have a great a ability to bring you back to where you are and enjoy the present moment. Even when they're throwing up on the floor or slamming their heads into walls.

I miss my kids from last year. Don't get to see too much of them as they are on the 4th floor and I am up on the 5th. At least Joy is their teacher, so she keeps me up to date on their recent sayings and activities.

The weather has been very nice. And the rain has been coming back slowly. I truly enjoy rainy days in Korea. Ill be traveling more soon hopefully. So hopefully I remember my camera and get some pictures. Ill just say Im sorry for those places I have missed recently by forgetting my camera. But enjoy the views of spring at the resevoir. And I leave you with this reminder of my face for those forgetting.

Seoul Marathon

2007-03-05T08:41:00.000-05:00

I ran my half marathon this weekend. Yesterday to be exact. I can give some credit to a magnificent pre-race meal at Ali Baba Restaurant which included falafel, shish tawouk and kosharee, ilhamdullilah. It was a grand event including but not limited to: a wedding ceremony, pre-race dancing/stretching, mass korean style stretching, rain, and hitting a guy in the face. It was a lot of fun. I was placed in the back of the pack after not entering a race time. That got me into the groove of passing. I felt good most of the way excluding some foot pain. I finished in 1:23:06. A surprise, and I am glad it was concluded sooner rather than later, as my legs were surely on the way to legendary pain. I was most proud that I was not passed the whole race, but that might surely have to do with my starting position. I was 23rd overall and 3rd in my age group. The race reminded me of running along the river in Harrisburg. I was surprised to come to a point with no city outstanding on the riverbanks. I think I like that distance, though my legs have little nice to say at the moment. Maybe Ill do it again someday. Hope you like the pictures.

Graduation

2007-02-24T20:51:00.000-05:00

I apologize for the long silence. These have been the crazy days of preparing for graduation, helping new teachers, saying goodbye to those leaving, and getting ready for the big switch at the end of the school year. Graduation was yesterday and I was very pleased with our performance. Unfortunately the people who were supposed to video it did not show up. So all I have is pictures. Sorry to disappoint so many, but know that you are the least of those dissappointed. But it was a wonderful graduation, the best the school has had, it was said. I was very proud of my kids. There weren't too many distractions. Ayoung broke the huge button off her costume and it bounced for a while. But it was nothing like Will Teacher's class where one kid fell on his butt after a pronounced trip and scuffle towards the floor. It was great.

My friend Joy, from home, is here now. She got in on monday and has been on the teacher training schedule. So she gets to watch other teachers and learn how to make tests, lesson plans, etc. I'm sure she's tired. I am ready to break the cycle of going out to eat. It has been every meal since lunch on Monday. Which means mostly more expensive and meaty meals. I have never eaten so much meat in a week. It must come to an end.

Next week is my half-marathon in Seoul. Im pretty excited, if my foot would get in line i would feel perfect. I think I strained it on monday from 10 miles and moving teachers to new apartments. I hope to get some good pictures from the race. It's been warmish here so it should be good for a long run.

Im sure theres more to tell, but at this moment Im just trying to get some time to do nothing, so I will finish this and do that. Hopefully more sooner than later.

2007-01-18T07:39:00.000-05:00

I meant to get these pictures up a while ago as they were taken only a few days after the last you see below. The one of me is vain attempt to make a cool picture with this picture program I found on my computer.
I think it looks cool anyway. These days have been stepping up in intensity with preparation for our graduation performance. My kids are so easy. They've pretty much learned all their lines in a week and a half. I'm impressed anyway, but it will take more than that I'm afraid. Korea is very much about productions if you remember my talk from this time last year. Yes I have been here for a full year as of earlier this month. Doesn't really feel like it, as I suppose shall be the case for most of the years with my aging bones. Speaking of bones, I'm considering my first marathon, just came up as a thought this week as I saw information on one this April. Well see what happens with that, but as for now its a romantic vision.

2007-01-03T21:14:00.000-05:00

Soraksan

2007-01-03T20:27:00.000-05:00

The 12 am toll struck in a cab in Seoul with 5 other people and a tolerant cab driver. I had a short stopover there for the New Year and then headed to the northern Sorak mountains. Hopefully the pictures will bring through some of the beauty. It started snowing as I started hiking Tuesday morning. The higher I got, the more thankful I was I had gotten some crampons with a gift certificate from one of the other teachers. I had never hiked with crampons before, but they proved essential. I got to the peak around noon and was able to borrow a gas stove from the shelter and purchase some ramien for nourishment. The way down on the other side was steep and covered in several feet of snow. I wasn't sure where I was going but had an idea I could reach a town on the opposite side of the range. Luckily at the next shelter I met up with a group of Korean's on their way down from a three day hike. They asked me to accompany them and we spent a bit of the descent on plastic bags, carefully sleding down the twisted and rock infested path. I was worried someone would get spiked with the crampons, but there were no incidents. As it was snowing the visibility had been less than showy. But the descent afforded some amazing views of towering peaks and a snow covered river valley. The lower altitude brought on less extreme temperatures but a less pleasing rain and slushy footing. We finished in the dark at about 7. The family of one of the guys (Mr. Lee) in the group lived in the neighboring town. They hooked us up with transportation to a sauna where we were able to warm up. I was taught the method of sauna going. First shower, then hot tub, then cold tub, sauna, and then over again several times. "Good for health." Afterwards we were taken to the family's apartment where an amazing dinner had been prepared. We ate and then I was helped to find a cheap hotel in town. Mr. Lee was an english teacher in Seoul and another guy, Jake, spoke pretty good english so I was able to converse a good bit with the group. It was a lot of fun. They were very hospitable.

The next day I went back up the mountain with fresh batteries so you all could enjoy some pictures that I missed with dead batteries. It was a beautiful day, just phenemonal views. Hiking in the snow is amazing. Quiet, bright, difficult, dangerous at points, but inspiring. So enjoy the pictures. Or maybe I can't fit them, so Ill try a new post.

2006-12-17T07:30:00.000-05:00

It snowed today and thus the pictures. It's almost Christmas. Which means this week Ill be dressing up as Santa Claus to deliver some presents to kids from the school. It should be fun. I'm not sure if Ill get pictures of that or not. But it should produce a good story. I just got a chair along with my bookshelve I've told some of you about. I wanted to show a picture here. The ugly picture is my street, but I was impressed by the size of the snowflakes. It will be a different Christmas. One thing I do miss from home are the lights. Theres not much in the way of Christmas lights in the city. So I'm going to a city in the south for Christmas weekend. But Ill be home for Christmas. The teachers will have a dinner together. Ill miss home. Mom's cookies will bring me closer. I hope you all have a good week, Christmas and New Years. I only have Christmas off, but then I have the next week off, so I plan to get up north to the DMZ and some mountains along the border. Enjoy the holidays.

A Wedding and A Hike

2006-12-10T06:00:00.000-05:00

Yesterday, I went to my first Korean wedding. One of the teachers I used to work with got married to a Korean girl. It was a lot of fun. I was laughing most of the service because of the informal style. There was a sort of MC who always said what was coming next. After a long bit of Korean he would break and say stuff like, "Ok, just say yes." A few of my kids were there running up and down the aisles hitting me. There was a lot of clapping. You could tell there wasn't a rehearsal as we understand it. But it was a lot of fun.

Then today I got inspired and went for a hike. I decided to climb to the top of our local mountain. I got off to a late start, leaving my apartment at 1:30. I got there around 2:15 and marched my way to the top. It's just under 4,000 feet so its a sufficient climb. I got to the top and took the can of tuna I had made it into a sandwich. It was nice and cold and beautiful as the pictures might tell. I'm up in the white that you can see far away in the first picture. Then I marched down at times running, to make sure I caught the bus home before they stopped running. I stopped for a bit to sit in the woods. I had to take the time to hear one of my favorite sounds...nothing. It was good and dark before I reached the bottom. Now I'm tired and will probably be walking like a duck tomorrow, but I like ducks.

2006-11-25T10:44:00.000-05:00

I wanted to show some pictures from last weekend's kimchee festival. There was some good kimchee. It was a festive time. Thanksgiving came and went with no turkey. But I have no complaints because I made some delicious rice and kimchee. Some women with the Church of God came over, and I must say I have difficulty turning away anyone who wants to talk. I've learned a bit about the last plagues and how I can escape them. They were nice ladies. And they have put a face to one religious group I can't agree with but now know as individuals. I'm working on my debating nature and trying to listen better to, how shall I say-- "difficult" messages. It has been fruitful for me at least. I can't speak for them, but I know I'm not yet a successful convert. On another topic, I did get to talk with some other teachers about time and space; which some may know I enjoy discussing. So that was a highlight last night.

A weekend in Seoul

2006-11-14T08:05:00.000-05:00

I spent last weekend in Seo
ul with some other teachers. It was a good time of walking, eating, smoking, etc. It was nice to travel with some friends again. We met up with a teacher who I used to work with, and he showed a nice used bookstore I will frequent on Seoul trips. We also some found some good stores where we found lentils, spices, and cheese. Thought I would share a few pictures.

2006-11-07T07:59:00.000-05:00

I think that you have favorite kids for different parts of yourself. Like there's your cute favorite, your surprising favorite, your laughing favorite, your smiling favorite, your whimpering favorite, etc. John is my bizarre favorite. He doesn't speak as much as he makes sound effects and crazy faces followed by explosions. But John got me again the other day. Every day we have show and tell. It can get quite monotonous from having it every day and objects ranging from stuffed animals to paper clips. We once had two beetles which I allowed the kids to take out and successfully send the girls into panicked squeals (one example of a good monotony breaker)
But this day as questions came to a close I was sure I had no idea what John had brought in. As we counted down for the exposure, John ran to the door. Once again unsure of his ultimate purpose I questioned him to tell me what it was he had brought in. With great pride John opened his bag to reveal two full body dried squids. This is not an uncommon sight in Korea, but I was never anticipating such a gift in my class. Also, as a show and tell item it poses quite a problem for distribution and consumption. Luckily John had solved this trivial issue for me, prearranging plans with a Korean teacher to cut up the jerky and offer it on plates. I obliged and we feasted on quite bland and tough squid jerky. The good kind is prepared differently. These boys were just hung out to dry, no seasoning or cutting. Just thought you might like to meet a story from John.

2006-11-04T08:38:00.000-05:00

And today was a good day. I decided to go downtown for some morning coffee as I started a new book. I couldn't have found a nicer chair to read in. Perhaps coffee will be a more common Saturday excursion. After a quick lunch I hung around the downtown area reading out on a wonderfully cool and breezy fall day.
Earlier, on my way to the subway I bumped into an older Korean man (Edward) I had met at the doctors this week. We talked for a bit before his stop. Then later I met another older man who started talking with me and invited me to the International meeting that is held once a week at the International Center. I was planning on stumbling in sometime this month, but needed the extra luxury of knowing the time and having someone to join. It was nice to connect with some new people, and hear a talk on Migrant Workers in Korea. Edward was there and he invited me to ride the subway back with him afterwards. We talked a bit and he invited me to his home. There he showed me his stamp and coin collection. They were quite impressive. Funny that I saw my first silver dollar today, and in Korea! But we had a good time just sitting on the floor. He talked about his passion for languages, coins, stamps and all his travels. It's good to have an elder contact in Korea. I was amazed to learn he is 69, when by appearance, as I suppose with all Koreans, he looks years younger. It must be the hiking and kimchee. So I promised to add some Egyptian coins to his collection, and we will meet again at the International Center on another Saturday.
Tomorrow I will go to Maisan, a nice looking place. Hopefully I can produce some pictures with that. But it will be a more eventful weekend than previous weekends of perpetual sickness. Hope you are all well.

2006-10-29T09:00:00.000-05:00

So many of you should know that I have decided to stay another year in Korea. It was a difficult decision to make, but I have decided that it is what I would like to do. A big part of reasoning is no doubt to continue to pay down my college debt. I have also enjoyed the past year, and can't think of too many reasons to look for a new workplace while I enjoy what I'm doing. Another year should help me improve a lot as a teacher. And I am looking forward to the experience of working with some different ages and levels. I wasn't planning on having to make a decision this early, but I suppose its easier now to have it made.

I have been sick the past week. I think it is a lack of comfortable chairs. Not the immediate cause, but I can't rest and recover comfortably without being in bed, which who wants to do when you just feel half-sick. Maybe one of the biggest frusterations with Korea is the lack of good chairs. I think if it weren't for sitting on the floor in class, my back would be in a twisted knot. It does hurt a bit.

Novels have returned to my primary reading. I have gotten into some good books by VS Naipaul and Chaim Potok. It's reason for celebration. A renewal in reading vigor. I also believe I am getting more into studying Korean now that I will be here a bit longer. Did some studying today, I remember a good bit of what I studied before, I just never use it. So I need to get into situations where my language is useful...usually not the case, the books I study are a bit impractical. So I'm sick, I need to get to bed, but I guess it's good to put up some words after a month or so. Ill try to be more frequent. Sorry.

2006-09-30T20:31:00.000-04:00

Good day. Im still in a daze. I've spent most of the last two days sleeping, trying to recover from jet lag and a busy week. It was a good week at home. It was a good wedding.

Good to see many of you. I thought I would just throw up some pictures from the wedding while I'm still awake. So here they are. It was a wonderful time, my sister and good friend are now married. Talk again later when my rest is satisfied.

2006-09-06T10:01:00.000-04:00

September...and it seems the weather patterns are already changing. We went from high humidity in relatively hot weather about two weeks ago to what feels like 50 degree nights. Today was the most beautiful day I've seen in a while. It's not so much the tempature drink, its the drop in humidity that you notice. I can now walk down the street without breaking out in a sweat. I don't even need my fan anymore. I don't mean to brag, if you happen to be stuck in the heat, wherever you are. I'm just loving the day.

I did some cleaning last night and am now feeling better about my apartment than ever. I got a new clean pillow too, so that's nice. This weekend I went back to the temple I did the retreat at. It was nice to be back among the mindful in a season of looser practice. Meaning I was able to talk more freely with those I had only known in silence the week of the retreat. The landscape and deep hum of cicadas and locusts was enough to bring me back for some solitude. But the conversations were inspiring as well. At the top are some pictures for those who want to put three views of this place in their mind. I find it to be helping me place my focus on the present moment and live each moment as it is...all there is. Or so I try to let it.

2006-08-29T08:48:00.000-04:00

There hasn't been too much documentable action the past month or so. Life is becoming more stable, routine, balanced. I go for walks at night at the park. On the weekends I've been going hiking at the local mountains. I watched a sweet documentary on lions this past sunday. So you might get the idea. Nothing outrageous, but I'm continuing to enjoy each day. I teach kids every day, so if you know that you might be able to understand my state. I love it, but it's a daily challenge.

So Ill be coming home in about three weeks for a wedding. That is my sisters wedding. I'm pretty excited about that. I have my ticket and flight information. It will be a long trip but Ill have about a week to visit with many of you. Hopefully Ill see many of you at the wedding. I would love to visit with everyone that I have been out of contact with for so long. But I realize a week is a long and short time. So I look forward to seeing some of you, but others forgive me as Im sure you understand many things will be on the table. That said I hope to be seeing many of you soon.

Tap

2006-08-13T08:27:00.000-04:00

One of the things I loved about the temple was the food and method of eating very mindfully. It made it even more simple and enjoyable to eat food. So the past week I have been cooking a lot trying to incorperate some of the methods of cooking they used at the temple. But my ventures culminated in an effort friday night that you can see above. Inside is brown rice, onions, tomatoes, red yellow and orange pepers, leaf lettuce, and cheese. Perhaps not the culinary masterpiece of a revered chef, but I was very happy with the flavors in my mouth. Cheese is something so rare in Gwangju. My friends went on a two hour train ride to track down some good colby jack for me, for which I am eternally grateful.

The Buddhist practice is to eat in silence. I've found it to be a very insightful practice. When you eat only eat. When you finish you wash your dishes, and then only wash your dishes. So my eating habits have been changing and my kitchen has maintained a cleanliness it rarely saw before. I wish to share this joy with you all, thus the picture below. With this practice I not only maintain cleanliness, but also find myself eating breakfast again, after about a three year period of abstention. And with a more regularly spanned eating schedule, along with full delicious meals, I find myself eating slim to none between meals. Needless to say I'm a fan. Im keeping a more regular schedule and finding it much easier to be when I need to.

Kyol Che

2006-08-06T07:57:00.000-04:00

For those unaware I just had a week vacation, which I chose to spend in the mountains at a Buddhist temple. I arrived last Saturday and caught a train back to Gwangju yesterday afternoon. The temple was at the end of a seasonal retreat called Kyol Che. The community was English speaking with two American Zen Masters. The monks and nuns were also a mix of nationalities from Malaysia, Russia, Israel, Czech Republic, Korea... Along with this set community were lay people who were spending three months/one month/ a week, like myself, in the temple.

It was a week. It wasn't good, wasn't bad...it just was. I wasn't so concerned with the vow of silence...that I could do. But eight hours sitting in meditation seemed like a daunting task after only the first day. Waking up at three in the morning sounded even less appealing. However, over the course of the week I began to focus my energies on the ever elusive everday mind. (That is to live moment to moment, entertaining no thoughts of what you have to do later or what mistakes/glorious actions you have made in the past./ The lack of thought...only being.) With this mind or search of it, time did not exist...eight hours became not too short, not too long. The beauty of the week was essential being. When I was hungry I ate...thirsty, I drank...when it was time to sit I only sat. When it was time to weed or pick corn, only that. I have always been attracted to the philosophy of Buddhist/Eastern traditions. The practice was only more to put my mind at ease and bring me back to this moment.

I could tell you many things that I learned but I'm sure it wouldn't translate. Some of you may have already left me at the word "Buddhist". No worries. I will try to live this moment and only that.

Ulleungdo

2006-07-17T06:19:00.000-04:00

Just a few sights from this weekend. I went with two other teachers to an island of the east coast called Ulleungdo. It was a long trip. Along the way we took a bus, a train, and a high speed ferry. Upon arrival we were met with heavy rain, that has continued through today. If you've seen the news maybe they've shown the flooding in Seoul? The island had a constant flow of water running down to the sea. It wasn't enough to keep us from getting out, but it did make it pretty cold along the way. We had a nice hike that wound its way up and around the cliffs on the coast. It was very nice. We took a small ferry around the island after we settled into a small minba- homestay/motel. So with that the hike and a long bus ride we got around the island twice in about a day and a half. We warmed up both days in a sauna after our long outings. A beautiful thing even if your clothes are wet for when you come out. I was a little upset that I couldn't be there this wednesday for the annual squid festival. I had to get a picture of this squid statue. And indeed there was a lot of squid. So it was a good weekend. We even hooked up with teachers from another city. And I got some practice with my Korean amongst some older Islanders who invited us to join them for lunch after our long hike. Peace.

Bittersweet

2006-06-27T06:38:00.000-04:00

Funny things happen. The other day a bee flew into me on my bike to plant a stinging kiss on my sweet lips. I don't know why bees like my face so much. I've had a nose sting, several neck stings and now we're moving a little more intimate. I don't appreciate being stung on the move...its pretty hazardous to be stung riding through the city on a bike. But escaped with only a fat lip to tell the story.

It can be said that laryngitis is a difficult thing to teach with. So Ill say it. But not out loud. These evenings are my time of rest. I try to spend the whole night in silence to rest my ailing larynx. Today it got so bad I went on my first trip to the doctors office in Korea. I've been feeling not so good for the past 4 or 5 days. But the loss of speaking power has been gone for about two. Today was ridiculous. Hopefully the medication will work fast so I can speak. I'm not quite down to a whisper but I feel that coming late in the day after so much talking. Who would of thought I would get a job where I have to speak so much. At least I have kids... who make it alright. Today one of my morning girls made it alright by explaining a night club to me. (Its one of our vocab words) She told me that's where you go on a date. I asked what else happens there and pointed at the picture on the flashcard(the people were dancing). She says "Jump rope!"

I only wish, we could jump rope at night clubs. There's a good entreprenurial idea for anyone who wants to run with it.

2006-06-20T08:45:00.000-04:00

Went to a conference this weekend hosted by Mikail Gorbachev and Kim Dae Jung. A bunch of Nobel Peace Laureates came out to Gwangju to the conference center I used to live right beside. They talked about the nuclear problem on the peninsula and how to move towards reunification. It was refreshing to be in the mist of conversations of the sort. It also happened that I made my first appearance on Korean TV through that event. I knew they were filming but I wasn't sure I had made the cut until a bunch of my kids said they saw me on the news Monday. They had some fun emulating the stare I apparently held. I regret to report that I failed to take my camera with me so I didn't get any pictures during the conference.

An impressive show by the Korean National team against France on Sunday. It was 4 am here, when everyone woke up for the party...if they went to sleep. I decided to wake up 5 to see the last half and was glad to catch the tieing goal. We are in position. We just need to beat Switzerland. Ill probably be headed to the Gwangju World Cup Stadium on Saturday morning to see the game, another 4 am game. I've heard its been packed the last two games.

I have included here a picture of my bike to bring you closer to my Korean experience. (We share a lot of time together) I've told some of you Im searching for a name...(you should always name your bike) So I'm open to receiving any recommendations. Also here is a picture of a routinely visited site. Soccer courts, where I work on my skills for my World Cup debut. It has been my source of exercise and meditation in a country a little too cramped for free/thoughtless runs. And I think I can say I have improved enough to now compete with the 3 year olds who used to school me in Cairo.

I'm enjoying the world cup, Im about to get into the busy week or two of school, followed by Parent conferences in another week. So some new experiences there, but it should be fun. Peace.

A Midweek Break

2006-05-31T05:28:00.000-04:00

Today was municipal election day in Korea, so we had a wonderful midweek break. A bunch of the teachers and I decided to take a hike. So we went to Jiri national park better known as Jirisan. It was very nice to have some time to relax. I am little sad we had to spend so much time on the bus. But we hiked up a little bit...I took a swim, visited a hermitage, saw a bug, listened to the stream. It was a nice little trip. Here are some pictures. The water was amazingly clear. I even took a picture of myself for those who always complain for the lack of my face on this blog. Beautiful Im sure. Im back, ready to go back for two days to finish out the week, then I'm heading to Seoul this weekend.

Im starting to feel the warmth of the sun. Its getting humid and hot. Its nice for the evenings when its just beautiful and I can go to the park and kick the soccer ball around. I'm also trying to do some more running along the river. (So many new possiblities with a bike)

The Post Office

2006-05-19T08:03:00.000-04:00

Thursday was our second school field trip. We went to the post office. Now hopes were high because I told my kids we were going to the moon. That I have learned can be a mistake. And nothing against post offices here, but for 3 to 6 year olds, if all they're going to see is empty rooms where mail is supposed to go and an occasional stamping...there's a little room for boredom. Even my most curious student, Joon, above in the blue, wasn't scoping each crack out like he usually does. Here are some of my boys making up for the lost excitement. Eventually we went to the park for a little food and play time. Field trips are great because your kids get to get outside and play. It was a little crazy keeping an eye a bunch of kids flying around a playground, but I did my time spotting kids on the caterpillar and flying them down when they got to high.
Monday was teachers day and all the teachers where gifted with presents. The best byfar was most of what I got...thank you notes. My favorite from Andy..."Luke Teacher Don't Do it crazy i like u from mussle man" Andy is becoming my class "mussle man" he loves to flex and scream to show his amazing strength. He also likes to bring in gigantic beetles to class. That was Tuesday I believe. He said his mom suggested he bring in this enormous beetle they found somewhere. It was great, even though most of my kids are scared of flies.

Its the weekend again. Weeks go by so fast. I have a bike now, so its great to get around the city. I'm always looking to increase my range within the city.
Last weekend I spent some good time cleaning and scrubbing mold off my kitchen ceiling. It's so nice now. We're getting a lot of rain from that tropical storm over here. And the yellow dust(Very fine sand blown in from the Gobi Desert) is still incredible. I should get a picture. After the rain the streets are just lined with yellow. I lost my voice for a few days last week because of it. That was fun.
Nothing too new. A new teacher should be on the way in a month or so. The World Cup starts soon. Everyone is getting ready for it. I even got a shirt for the Korean National team. Well see what response I get wearing it around.

And this is my favorite picture

2006-05-08T07:41:00.000-04:00

Yeosu or somewhere thereabouts

2006-05-08T07:14:00.000-04:00

Here's a number of pictures from my trip to Yeosu on Friday. It was only about a two or three hour trip. And we only stayed till Sat morning. It happened that Saturday brought a squall that I will call ultimate rain. But Friday was enough of a treat. I went with two other teachers you will see below. It happened that a majestic temple was built on a cliff in this small sea town. The climb up was fantastic. Theres one picture of it below. Some of these pictures give you an idea of the beauty around, but it was amazing...beyond words. With the oncoming rain clouds,the sea and sky ceased to declare their borders and melted into an infinite blue abyss that made it look the edge of the earth. But it gets better. It just happened to be Buddha's birthday that day and we were thus invited by these beautiful lanterns and a crowd of people that never seemed to form a crowd. As we looked around we were spotted by some monks who made sure we didn't leave without a big bag of fruit, Korean bread and some kind of green gew. We were also invited to eat dinner down in their mess hall. We had already eaten, but how can you turn down Buddhist monks offering Bi Bim Bap (good stuff). It was a good day. We finished it at a hotel. Just a plain room with a mat and a blanket and a view out to sea. And I just have to say...I love rain. I have no complaints.

Pictures from Dinner

2006-05-06T03:34:00.000-04:00

Here are two pictures from a staff dinner we had on thursday. Yesterday was Childrens Day so we have a three day weekend. I just got back from a coastal town called Yeosu...Ill put up some pictures from that trip soon. Here I just wanted to show you the some pictures of the staff. I got most of us...excluding myself and maybe two other teachers. Its a diverse group. We have a lot of fun. The food was good. We weren't as loud as the first dinner(we were kicked out) ...I decided to not be as loud.

To My Parents

2006-05-01T09:17:00.000-04:00

No I didn't forget. Would this face forget? ...almost...but my morning kids reminded me when they informed me that it was a new month. So to my parents I would like to say Happy Anniversary. Thirty years can seem like a long time...but its really only 10,950 days. Which if you're travelling at the speed of light can seem like only a few minutes. Perhaps you haven't been travelling at the speed of light, but you can appreciate the metaphor. My leg would also like to wish you a better day than it's had. Anniversaries bring a lot of hope...I believe that thirty years from now my leg will be healed. Essential traditions during anniversaries I know are kisses. And I believe that they should be shared with the children that can thank the anniversary for their existence. Because I happen to be away I would ask that you pass my kisses to my dear sister Abigail. Nothing would please her more I know than to receive kisses in my stead. Enjoy your day.
And by "old" in that picture I mean blessed, wise, and crowned with grey locks.

A Concert

2006-04-30T08:02:00.000-04:00

One of my first community cultural events took place tonight at the park right next to my neighborhood. I had been walking around the park earlier today and saw that something was being prepared at the buddhist temple on the top of the hill. I heard the music start around 6. They had a Native American band come and play and the picture right here was the intermission- a Korean Choir. It was a beautiful day, and to end it with an outdoor concert in the cool evening at a temple with some good music just made my week. I only wish the people would have started dancing. There are those terrible moments when its not quite appropriate to start dancing but the music just calls to you, and you think can't anyone else hear that? They didn't or at least didn't show it. Oh well.

Humor

2006-04-26T08:31:00.000-04:00

Funny things are bound to happen when you work with kids all day. One of my favorite moments thusfar took place yesterday. Well I walked into my 3 o'clock class just like any other day only to my confusion this day three little nine year old middle fingers were raised to my entry. I knew as I stepped further into to class that more than the immediate appearance was to be understood. That was apparent in the girls smiling faces. It was my to great relief and laughter to find that they were showing me their new fingernail decorations. Strange that they didn't show their whole hand but for some reason only a few fingers were decorated and the middle was the obvious star of the show. Kids. I've found a weakness in my moody kindergartener, Sarah...Knock knock jokes. And so it goes.

Some Sights from Spring

2006-04-22T00:30:00.000-04:00

Saturday

2006-04-21T23:54:00.000-04:00

I apologize now as it has come to my attention that people could not post comments unless they have a blogger account. I have changed it so that anyone may post a comment. I hope this will encourage you to respond to any thoughts or to tell me how cute my kids are.

Yesterday was test day for April. Fridays are always wonderful. I have two breaks in the afternoon and on test day all I do is give a test. Its a nice change of pace after a week of consistent teaching. That and only working till 6 lets me feel a bit more relaxed. After class yesterday I went out with two other teachers to play some soccer. It is always a great thing to get out and do something active after teaching all week. We played at a local middle school where there is a dirt field with some goals and basketball hoops. Some Korean pastors joined us midway through our time. They were still in their suits, but they had no qualms letting us take some shots on them in goal. It was a lot of fun. I made the best shot I have ever taken...a left footed drop shot that hit up in the left top corner. Had to share that moment of glory with all of you.

Here is a picture of my most...excentric student, Andy. I have told stories of him before. All said and done he is a fun kid. He has a way about him of always seeming aloof. He is usually aware of things going on around him, he just sees it in an interesting light. All the kids here like to look at the teacher's arms because we have hair on them. Andy always grabs my arm when he can to feel the hair. He also takes a liking to my neck and could be seen to be choking me but he really just exploring. Here he is on our field trip last friday with his rally cap. I love it. More pictures to come.

2006-04-16T02:17:00.000-04:00

Here are some more pictures. The first two are views in both directions from my old apartment. They can give you a little feel for the edge of town. This one shows a middle school and its field. You can see a little hill right below the mountain range in the distance...beyond that a ways is the center of town. A common theme throughout the city and I suppose Korea is the presence of high rise apartment buildings. Obviously the picture is taken from one. You see the three on the left and one on the right. Building up rather than out.

This view is to the left out towards the airport.
I used to watch planes take off and trains cross the horizon. The big convention center is pretty new. This is basically the edge of Gwangju. The city just seems to stop right on the other side of the center. I ran to the hill on the left one day. You can get a pretty good view of the city from there.
Below are two pictures from the mountains. One view of the city and another in the other direction towards more mountains.
Enjoy.

Pictures...finally

2006-04-15T07:58:00.000-04:00

So I finally got a usb cable that fits the camera my friend gave me. And thus here are some pictures from the past few months. Ill put more on later to stretch out the effect.
This is a picture from my first apartment that I lived in for the first two months. Two other teachers live there now. Its a nice spacious place with a good view. Ill put pictures of the view up later. I hang out over there every once in a while. Its a long walk. I made it last night and it took me about a half an hour. Its nice and quiet at night except in the bar areas. Every once in a while you see a random guy relieving himself on the sidewalk. Its not a big thing here. The first few times I wasn't sure where I was...yes a city with 1.5 mil people, but yeah its cool to just go on the side of the sidewalk .

This is my new apartment. I am currently sitting at the computer you see typing for you. The sliding door opens up into a little kitchen and if I were to turn the camera to the side you would see a little door for a bathroom. Its not too bad. I've hosted two people at a time before. Its difficult seating but you can work it out. Its a little bigger than it looks, Im standing a few feet in to take the shot. I just got the computer desk, i was using the little table to its right, which was very wobbly so I am happy about that.

This is my morning class. Seated from l-r: Thomas, Vincent, James, Joon, Jenny..Top Chad, Andy, John, Cassie, Ayoung, Sarah, and Hannah. I love them all. This picture is from the field trip we took on Friday. Rain kept us from going on Thursday. It was fun even though we were only there for maybe an hour or two. It was good, because all we really did was look at big rocks like the one you see. Apparently there are people buried under them or in them... something historical. Andy fell in the mud and got his pants all soiled. Sarah didn't smile like usual. Joon lost himself in the grand sights of the ground. It was fun.

This is a picture of Gwangju from Mudeung mountain. Its a big city. I live on the far side towards the other mountain range. There are plenty of mountains to climb and look around. I went a week ago and saw some nice sights. I can catch the bus to the base of the mountain and hike for the day. And then catch another bus right back home. Its really nice to have an escape from the city right on its edge. Thats all for now. More pictures to come. Hope you enjoy them. Peace.

4/09

2006-04-09T10:45:00.000-04:00

This was a fun weekend. I spent friday night with two other teachers. I've started to have some good conversations with these two. They are a couple from New Mexico. We've been talking about a trip to China for our break, but thats a ways away. It's nice to have some good friends here to sit and chat with during lunch and go hiking with on the weekends. That was yesterday. Then last night at around 12 my friend texted me and told me to come to his new place. I decided to forsake the wisdom of regulated sleep and make it a night on the west side of town. I ended up spending the night there after some amazing kalbi- meat wrapped in leaves with some spicy red sauce. Then I hung out there with my friend and his wife. This afternoon we were looking for something to do, so we ended up buying a baseball bat and some balls and gloves. We had a little batting practice with some other friends and realized that the baseballs we bought were less than quality. That or we're all on steriods. Both of them lost their covers after a few quality hits. It was a good time.

Im looking forward to my first field trip on Thursday. It could be really fun or it could be very stressful with a few less than focused kids. Lets just pray they can keep their eyes on our group half of the time. It would be a dream come true. That's all for now. It's getting late and I should crash. Peace

4/05

2006-04-05T10:27:00.000-04:00

Starting my fourth month now. I think I'm starting to get into a grove. This week has been good. Weeks pass by like nothing. Its alway friday before I can change my pants. Then its alway monday before I can put them back on...not literally. But it flies by. I am happy to say I have a real desk now. I am here typing in the corner of my apartment. This has been my night... 1. rearranging the room with the new furniture, 2.making and eating a nice bowl of spaghetti, 3. typing up a worksheet for my 3 oclock class, 4. preparing for other classes, 5. wtching the daily show, 6. writing a small composition for my new online Arabic class. In case your wondering some things I get into on weeknights. Its really nice with this desk. I feel like i have much more room, and that its being effeciently utilized. Today was Korea's arbor day. I planted seeds with all my students and got many pictures. Its pretty crazy how many trees have been going in at the nearby park. It looks funny with all the stabilizing poles.

Most mornings the past few weeks as I walk to work I have passed groups of old ladies who seem to be hand airating the ground. Its an interesting sight at 8 in the morning. I'm wondering where they're from and how they come upon such an activity. How are they paid... is this a yearly deal? I don't know. I don't have a lot of cultural advisors to teach me about the bottom of the Korean economic system.

I am starting to be recognized as a regular at several shops/ markets/ restaurants. If I could speak better Korean I would feel better about these relationships. There's a lady at one restaurant I visit at least twice or thrice weekly who I might call my Korean mother. She always goes out of her way to take care of me and two other teachers who frequent her place with me. She knows what we want and always gives us an extra roll of gimbap...basically sushi. I'm also a weekly regular at a stand for these little rice cakes. Two weeks ago the lady there had my order ready before I walked to her stand. Its a good feel. No matter how strange you are (myself a tall, big nosed miguk saram[american]) its always nice to be known and familiar to someone.

Ill try to be more on the ball here. Hope you are all doing well. Thanks for reading. Im not sure who is, but its flattering that you do. Peace.

3/24

2006-03-24T04:54:00.000-05:00

Sorry again. It can be a challenge to make myself sit down to write cohesive thoughts. I suppose much time has passed since my last post. Well what's to report? Day to day life. Kids are crazy. I have this one 7 yr old, Andy. He is my funniest kid. He always wears this striped blazer with other oddly colored pants. He's a bigger kid, not fat, but as one teacher remarked, he has a sort of "old man stomach" that is just always out in front of the rest of his body. He's got one of those personalities that is always aloof. Like today he was my special helper, and he would hand each workbook out to his friends with an outstretched arm as he looked off in the other direction, as though he was striking a pose. But that's just Andy. I can't help but lose it in the middle of teaching sometimes.

Last weekend I went to a dance club with some friends and saw some of the best dancers I have ever seen. We were there for about and hour when about 5 Korean guys took the floor and had a classic dance off. They had some moves, and I can say that one rose above the others. For those of you into dancing, I wish you could have seen it. Its hard to understand where they learned to dance so well. Maybe theres a subculture Im not aware of here. Quite possible.

So tonight all the staff was taken out to eat by the director and we had sangupso- or grilled pork...they bring it out and cook it on your table and you wrap it in leaves with different sauces. It was very good. I've had it a few times before. But this was the full out Korean experience. Most bosses take out their staff and they eat sangupso and get drunk. No Im not smashed, I could be. I had a few drinks. It was interesting to see the dynamics of many drunk co-workers. It was a good time. After we went to a nori bong- karayoke room. I had fun. It was a fun cultural experience. Tomorrow I'm going to a Korean class we're having at the school. Hopefully I'll learn how to ask how to say things in Korean. I definetely think I could take much better advantage of many situations in learning Korean if I mastered that. I think I might go on a run tomorrow afternoon. Its time to test the knee and enjoy the warm weather. Its starting to turn green.

I had a girl throw up today. That was an event. We were about ready to have our snack... luckily she didn't make it to the table. It's awful because parents will always send their kids sick to school. I've had one girl who's basically been sick all week. Its likely she got Jenny sick. At first I though she just had a really bad sneeze, but she was crying and I realized it was wet all along the wall. So i have officially been initiated in the area of bodily fluids. Some of the 4 yr olds from other classes often need help with their pants also... so many days Im an official pants puller up-er. Its a funny business, working with kids. I suppose it keeps you down to earth. No wetting of the pants yet, but we've come as close as tears. Thats all for now. Peace.

3/12

2006-03-11T22:49:00.000-05:00

Sorry for the long spell of quiet. Much has transpired since I last wrote. Its a new school year with new students and many new teachers. I have a new morning class with 12 students. They are third year students, so they have a better grasp than most in the school. They are seven years old. I also have about 20 afternoon students. Its been really busy trying to get organized for this semester. We didn't learn what classes we were teaching until Monday morning when we came to school. That was fun. Im very glad I've been here for a while now. I feel like I have a grasp of the schedule, and how to attend to kids. 12 kids is a big change from 5, but I think its a nice dynamic.

Its been funny as the third most experienced teacher at the school. Everyone asks me questions and for the most part I feel like a veteran, usually i am able to assist with things. Yesterday I went with some new teachers to the city market, to get some produce and become better acquainted with the downtown area. It was nice to lead the Korean speaking, even though my Korean is quite sparce. My best area is reading right now. Im picking up spead with reading, even though I still don't know what it means. But it helps for menu's, directions, etc.

Last weekend I went to Seoul. I went without a map, book, or any helpful guide--thinking I would find one when I got there. No such luck. So my weekend was basically just a big random walk around the city, looking for interesting things. I had gotten direction to the sole Middle Eastern restaurant in Seoul...a nice place owned by a Palestinian, Yassir, and his brother. I had some falafel and opted out of the sheesha, seeing that I was alone and would have to shell out 14000 won-$14. Next time. I talked with the owner briefly in a sort of introduction, and promised to come back to talk over some sheesha on my next Seoul trip. He directed me to a cheap place to stay- a sauna.

Staying at a sauna. So if you've ever been to a sportsclub/turkish bath/sauna you will know that you can go there for to sit in a sauna, take a bath, get a massage, etc. I was somewhat familiar from past experiences, but I never knew you could sleep in such a place. There's a small room with a four foot ceiling above the baths where you can come if your really into relaxing and sweating or just being too drunk to go home to sleep. For myself, I was not in either state at the time. I just wanted a cheap place to sleep, and I suppose thats what I found, just with discounted sleep also. I don't know how long I slept, but it wasn't long. So it was good that I got a good start to my day, at about 6:30. But I spent the whole day taking many of the 8 subway lines around the city and walking in search of interesting sights. I did know about Namdamun market,( a big market downtown). So thats where I ended my day. In between I just looked at the map in the subway station and saw some pictures of traditional Korean temples and palaces. They were nice, I suppose, still in the tourist vein and thus slightly against my taste, yet something to do. At the "big palace" as I shall call it, two Korean guys about my age asked to come along with me wherever I was going (which was a mystery to me). They spoke decent English and wanted to practice their speaking. So we walked around and they explained the sights more clearly to than the tour guide I was following -with a group of eastern Europeans. We went out to eat and then had some tea at a tea shop. Oddly enough you can have Chrysanthemum tea, and yes it tastes just like the flowers smell. I had decided to go home sat night so as to get a good night of sleep and a day of relaxation before school. So after a nice afternoon with my new friends I departed for Gwangju.

Sunday was a magnificent day. I went to the park to read. There I met and old man with whom I exchanged my Korean knowledge as he shared his English skills. He taught me some words and reviewed the days of the week, and alphabet. I hope to meet him again. He said that he works at the park. He used to be the headmaster of a school. It is a beautiful park on a hill, where from the top of a pagoda you can see most of the city. When it gets warm I plan on spending more evenings there reading, and enjoying the sound the Korean recorder, played occasionally by a man with skill enough to inspire me to buy one. Yes, I bought a bamboo recorder, and have yet to produce a sound, but I plan on working on it. Maybe Ill ask the man for lessons.

Thats enough writing for now. If you're interested I have decided to start another blog...basically my thoughts on current events, politics, life, etc. I feel the need not so much to vent but to create any dialogue I can about issues that I understand to be more critical than people seem to notice. So if you like http://responsibilityandreverence.blogspot.com/ I welcome any comments, questions of clarification, condemnation.

2/25

2006-02-24T22:42:00.000-05:00

Graduation is on Monday. Finally! I was told to cease all other activities to practice our graduation performance. It was absolutely treacherous to force my kids to do absolutely nothing but repeat their lines, sing, and dance to the song. Well see how it turns out.

There are a lot of changes coming. Korean schools start their new year the first week of March. So some schools finished this week and will have a week of vacation. We have Graduation on Monday and then one day of school on Tuesday and then we get a little break. Thursday and maybe friday all the new teachers, me too, will have a sort of training period. Three new teachers have come in the past week. I think we have 2 or 3 more coming. Three of the "veteran teachers" contracts' run out this week so they are leaving. Then I found out yesterday that another quit and will be finished on Tuesday. And now another teacher is saying he's going to quit. There is a lot of frustration among the teachers about the work. I guess there's just a lot of little things that we have to do that most teachers in Korea don't have to think about.

Anyway, things are changing. Ill be getting my own apartment this Wednesday. Ill also be inheriting a computer from another teacher. So email and this should be easier.

The new teacher I've been living with the past week or so, Brandon, is a pretty cool guy. He's from Southern CA, but has been living in Tennessee since school I guess. He and I have some similar interests. He's was a history major. We've had some long talks about the big three: Politics, Economics, and Religion. He's in to Wendell Berry so there's some common ground to be shared. It was pretty exciting to hear that name in the midst of one of our earier conversations.

So my latest fun experience came last weekend outside the big convention center next to my apartment building. Competitive team jump rope! Yes, three teams of about 14 men all decked out in full uniform. I watched them each go through 2 times. They were being video taped with two announcers, cheerleaders, smoke...the whole deal. There was a small crowd. I couldn't figure out what it was all about. I was thinking maybe Church teams, maybe intermural, but I can't piece those together with the full production. It was great. Good times in Korea.

I've done a bit more reading this week. For those interested check out Kahlil Gibran Secrets of the Heart. Good stuff.

Well Im thinking I might look for a bus to jump on today, just to get around the city or state. I don't know, I just need to see some different scenery. Talk to you again soon. Happy Birthday to my sister Kate. A quarter century! Wow! Just a little public announcement for anyone who forgot, take her out partying.

New Life

2006-02-17T23:25:00.000-05:00

So it only makes sense that if you have your worst day on Monday...it should be followed by your best day on Friday. This whole week has been a sort of progression towards discipline and student-teacher understanding. Yesterday I was able to give all my students their 3 stars for the day. I believe they all had fun in science, and there were less than the usual amount of disturbances. The best part of my day was at the end of the morning class when my most troublesome student Alex raised his hand with something very exciting to share with me. I knelt down to listen and he told me that his dad was coming home. His face was as bright and sincere as I have seen it. It was a beautiful moment. Besides my best behaved student, Christine, trying to "dung-chi"* me it was a wonderfull day.

*The Dung-chi- a classic Korean move where the index fingers are put together like the classic sunday-school steeple position, the fingers then seek your posterior.

The most difficult task on hand is preparing for the kindergarden graduation in two Monday's. Basically the kids have to memorize all these lines, songs and dances and perform them in front of the whole school and their parents at this big celebration. Mind you these kids are 6 and under. My kids are doing farely well in my opinion but they must be perfectly prepared. So most days we go through the whole performance 3-5 times. It is very monotonous and my kids easily lose interest. But I have been instructed to cease several activities until graduation to make sure they are prepared.

On Tuesday I got a new student, Joshua. It is very difficult trying to include him as we practice for graduation. I basically let him sit and play with puzzles and do all sorts of things students are never allowed to do. You encouraged to be lenient with new students so they stay.

After graduation it seems I will get a new class with probably 10 or 11 kids. I might get my original 5 but it will be different regardless.

Yesterday a new teacher, Brandon, arrived so for the next week or two he will be my roomate until I move into another apartment. Everything is getting mixed up as new teachers come and old teachers leave. Another teacher and I will be getting singles closer to the other teachers and the new teachers will get our doubles. Im glad to be moving closer to the other teachers. And I will have a place to myself where I can do my work in solitude. Brandon is a smoker and so was Ben, it hasn't been bad, I don't mind too much. But it will be nice to not have that smell.

I will get a cell phone this weekend. There have been many complications for my friend whose wife has tried to set it up for me. But it sounds like today or tomorrow I will be able to receive calls and get in touch with people when I need to.

I just got a haircut. I was looking a bit scraggly but i think im good now. That was only my 3rd time to a real barber. Usually I take care of my own hair with my mom's help. But I guess I have a job now. I hope you are all well.

Salaam

2006-02-15T07:48:00.000-05:00

Note to self: Teaching is demanding and exhausting. This I knew only in words before this Monday. Monday I felt physical pain from teaching. My head was like a mellon shell containing a bowling ball. So I decided to take what proved to be the best medication...9 full hours of sleep. So its just tough to control 5 and now 6 five year olds. I need to find better ways to harness their energy into positive ordered energy that is conducive to learning. A buddhist monk was talking about teaching on TV last night and he had some good insights. Im learning. Thats all I can do right now. So I am giving my first test this Friday. And evaluations are due next week, so its a busy time. I just hope that I am giving my best. Several aspects of being a teacher do not come naturally to me but I do believe in committing myself to figure out how to make up for those weaknesses.

Yobeoseyo

2006-02-10T23:57:00.000-05:00

So I'm learning more and more about my job. I had been wasting a bit of time in class because I wasn't exactly sure what I was supposed to be doing. After I was thrown into my afternoon classes, I was basically concerned with getting through the scheduled things they put before me, and I wasn't so much focused on adding much commentary(teaching). Now Im feeling a little more loose to teach and explain rather than just run through the schedule. So things are getting better.

This week we got a good bit of snow, its basically all melted now, but it was snowing all day on Monday and Tuesday, fairly hard. I got to watch the Super Bowl with the other teachers on Monday night. It was on at 8 in the morning before I went to work but one of the teachers taped it so we had a party that night. I must say...the Steelers? Come on now.

Ill be getting a cell phone today. My friend is selling me his so that I will be able to be in touch with people. I don't have a phone at the apartment so if I ever need to call anyone I have to go down 15 floors outside to a pay phone, and no one can ever reach me. So Its a pay as you go deal and doesn't sound too expensive. Right now its a necessity. And if anyone is dying to talk to me you can probably reach me there for an unknown fee.

Right now Im downtown with my friend Kyle, we tried to go to an orphanage for the second time, but the people we were going to meet didn't show up. I guess we should email them next time. Ill be opening a bank account next week so I can have my paycheck sent there. Payday was yesterday, but unfortunately I didn't have an account set up . Banks are closed on the weekends and the hours are such that the only time I can go is during my lunch or afternoon break.

I would just like to say congratulations to Egypt for winning the African Cup yesterday. Unfortunatly they have not shown any of the Cup here. They only show English, Korean, or French League and World Cup reruns from 2002...Soccer for those unaware. To win in Cairo...ah I wish I could have been celebrating on the streets last night!

Not too much new. Its just a constant process of learning my job and getting to know the kids. Thanks to all who have sent mail I love it. I miss you all very much.

Here's something

2006-02-05T03:51:00.000-05:00

I think this is a speech worth looking at if you have time to look at it. http://www.americanrhetoric.com/speeches/bononationalprayerbreakfast.htm

New Year's Day

2006-01-29T06:49:00.000-05:00

Today is Sunday, January29-- the Lunar New Year. I started celebrating this morning with a bowl of ramien, and a book. I moved one of my couches out onto my back porch and soaked in the morning sun. One of my favorite things thusfar has been my porch. As it was in Cairo, here in Gwangju I have an apartment with an amazing view of my immediate neighborhood. To my left I can look in the direction of downtown. Off in the distance is Mudongsang Mountain. I went there yesterday for some hiking with another teacher. Im not sure how tall it stands, but it is impressive, taller than anything on the Atlantic Coast. To my right I can see probably twenty miles out. In that space are a mixture of apartment buildings, the convention center nextdoor, open fields, Gwangju International Airport and large byways. My two favorite things to sit and watch are planes taking off from the airport, and a long stretch of train tracks way out in the distance that eventually passes behind a small mountain range.

Yesterday as I said I went with my friend to the mountains. It was quite a relief to find a place where people are not stacked on top of each other. We stopped in a small Buddhist temple that brought back to mind numerous religious sancturies with the powerful smell of incence. It was one of of three small temples- basically rooms- built in a square with an open front. The colors and artistry of the buildings were amazing. After our short stop there we went for a short hike. The best thing was coming upon the sound of running water in a small stream running down the mountain. The sound of running water remains for me a beautiful sustaining presence I cannot imagine living without. That and the sound of birds (blue, black of a likeness I have never seen) were all I needed to know that I will be spending more than a few weekends there.

So on Friday all the kids came to school in traditional Korean dress. It is a tradition here that on the Lunar New Year, the children and youth dress in this way and visit their family to bow before their elders (grandparents, aunts, uncles) and then receive money in turn. So for school the director came into each of the classes and sat with the teachers as the kids bowed before us and the director then gave them 1,000 won ($1) . So apparently thats one tradition that is taking place today. Most stores are closed, and it was very quite as I went for a walk around dinner time. Many families go to visit graves of elders on this day which are mostly found in the mountains or on small hills throughout the city.

Friday I was also gifted with a gift-card from my morning classes parents. Apparently this is something I should expect as a perk of teaching. Kid's often come to school with candy or other foods as gifts for their teachers. I was taken a little aback in that the certificate was 100,000 won ($100). But it is for a big department store that I get my groceries at. $100 dollars of groceries is very nice. The director also gave all the teachers socks for the New Year. And let me tell you they are the nicest socks I have ever worn.

So its been fun teaching afternoon classes. I don't know if I talked about them last time. The kids are great. They're not the complete handful 5 kindergardeners are. I get to choose songs to sing in class with my 4 oclock class. Last week was U2. I haven't decided on this week. But it will be fun to break out some Matisyahu, maybe Bob Marley, etc. Last week was very stressful because I wasn't going into class with much instruction. I had to ask the students what I was supposed to be teaching most of the time. It's not too bad, a lot of the kids are very trustworthy, obviously going against natural impulses to get out of work.

So I still have one more day of rest. I suppose I might take the metro out the mountains again. It's a struggle to study my Korean in the apartment. Last night I went downtown to a coffeeshop to study. I need a place where I can't be distracted by soccer matches, world news, or MacGuyver on the TV. These are common themes on Korean TV, along with Friends, Ghostbusters, Tom Cruise, Arnold Swartzeneger, and reality shows.

So for now I have the apartment to myself. Ben gave the dog to a Korean friend. I can't say Im all that disappointed. Though it was nice to have someone waiting for you when you come home. I might be moving to a single apartment when new teachers start to arrive sometime in February. I'm not too sure I'll prefer that option(its hard to beat the space and view I have), but it is a gift to have my rent covered and any place to live in.

I think I've given you enough to read for now. It's nice to sit down and just write for a while. Hope you're all doing well.

Ha

2006-01-25T04:43:00.000-05:00

Ok, so I just wanted to send something out quick to say that Im still here. Life has picked up at a rapid pace the past few days. On Saturday I went for a morning walk and when I came back, my roomate, Ben, was about to leave to go home to NY. His brother has fallen very sick and his parents wanted him to come home. So he took a taxi to Incheon and flew out for NY on Sunday morning. So after my shock settled, I found myself alone in a two bedroom apartment. A day later I found myself with all his afternoon classes. Thus the past few days I have been trying to figure out what he's been teaching from other teachers, as well as my classes.

Despite the sudden shock of being thrown into new classes and expected to teach material I can't prepare for usually until Im in class, I love these classes. The students are relatively advanced, aged 10-12. Yesterday, I found out we are supposed to listen to and sing a song in my 4 oclock, so I printed out the lyrics for a song on the only cd I have here at school- U2 -Vertigo. I love it! Its even better than singing The Monster Mash in my morning class.

So with all this new work Im getting home around 7:45, cooking a quick dinner, and doing evaluations/preparation/ and grading until 11pm. And then I get up a half an hour early to come in and get what I didn't done. I don't think it will last too much longer, but it is very stressful for the time being.

Im doing well otherwise, just going a little crazy with so many things spinning around my head. I got around a bit this weekend seeing more of the city. Still played soccer on sunday, but I should definately give my knee more time. Weekend soon, and three days for the Chinese New Year. So I hope to find some time to email soon. Sorry for those waiting for replies.

Alright Im going to go cook some dinner and try to get done this work before 10. Not as much tonight. Peace.

Finally Sitting Still

2006-01-17T07:56:00.000-05:00

Ok, so now that I have some time, I am at an internet cafe. Please feel free to email. I do have time to send some replies, its just very hard for me to start new correspondence, especially doing most of my emailing from work.

So Korea is interesting. I am able to stay inside a foreigner bubble. Its really hard to practice any Korean out on the street. Its just not like Egypt where people are running up to you from left and right. And being in the school all day Im expected to focus on English, obviously.

I have had some time to get to know my fellow teachers. They're pretty cool people. 6 other guys and one girl. A few teachers will leave in a month or so and well get some more, maybe well have 10 in all then.

I like waking up at 8 for work every day. Its nice to sleep in a bit but not too late. My roomate and I walk to school- maybe a ten minute walk. Every day we walk by Dunkin Donuts and Im always tempted to go for a Chocolate Glazed. I haven't yet. We start class at 10 after doing some prep for class or working on our lesson plans for next week. Im learning all that fast. I get my kids from a room upstairs and do my best to help them walk slowly and quietly. Everyday the two girls in my class, Angelina and Christine, show me their missing teeth and the new loose ones. Angelina has lost one of her bottom teeth and has two more loose ones. Christine has lost her two bottom middle teeth and has 3 more loose. Every day that is the first thing I see. All morning I try to keep Alex, a hyperactive 5 yr old, quiet and still. Only a few threats phase him. I have an hour lunch break from 1230-130. The teachers always eat out at local restaurants. Cheese Ramien and Pibimbap are my favorite thusfar. In the afternoons we have art, or games, or science. Science is the best. Then after 230- two days a week I tutor a 5 yr old named Lenny. He has a hard time with f,v,th, and l/r sounds. The first day I just tried to get him to speak. But today he livened up a bit. Its crazy because kids are worked hard here. They come to our school, then they go study Chinese, they take piano lessons, math, etc. They pack it in early. So its kind of hard to want to be strict with kids who are tired or restless.

When I don't tutor Lenny I write word explanations for flash cards were making. They don't have an afternoon class for me yet, so I fill in with that and other miscellaneous prep work.

I go home at 7:30 sometimes 6 and then I make dinner, watch CNN, soccer matches, other interesting Korean TV. Ill read a book, sit with my dog-Gus and drink tea. Thats a regular day thusfar. Today I decided to come to this cafe. My first time in one, its not so much for internet, but games. Im hearing a lot of gun shots right now...my favorite.

Hopefully this is giving you all something to read. Its nice to be able to write for more than 5-10 minutes. Hopefully your all doing well. Thanks for reading. Peace.

Tuesday

2006-01-16T23:21:00.000-05:00

So this weekend I went downtown and walked around with another teacher. We went through a big market with lots of clothes, fish, squid, and rays for sale. I thought that would be interesting to cook up a ray sometime. Well see. Then on Sunday my roomate and I went to play soccer at a university. A group of foreigners have a team. I think Ill play pretty regularly when my knee feels better. Ive had some more trouble with my IT band. But it was pretty cool. There were a lot of guys from the UK, some from Canada, Belarus, Australia and a few other places. I had a good time. This week Im on my own with the students. So I should get going to class. Ill try to sit down when I don't have to be somewhere, soon. Peace.

First Week

2006-01-11T19:27:00.000-05:00

Its been an interesting, learning first week. I arrived last Wed night in Gwangju at about 1 am. Since then I have been training under other teachers, basically just observing their classes. Right now I only have a morning class, which I started teaching yesterday under another teachers supervision. Ill probably do that again today, and then tomorrow I will teach on my own. My kids are so cute. I have five 5 year olds (William, Christine, Alex, Angelina, and Charles-given english names). In Korea they count age differently so they say they are seven.

There is still snow on the ground from about a month ago. They don't have plows here so they removed the snow from the road with backhoes and other tractors, but a lot of the sidewalks are still iced over. So I slip my way to work every day.

I like Korean food, but kimchee will have to grow on me. Its interesting learning Korean customs, like taking your shoes off in restaurants and every other public space. Exchanging money with your right hand exchanged while your left hand holds your right elbow. I've definately broken my share of rules already, but those mistakes prevent future ones. So Im really just trying to get something on this blog. Ill give it a try now. Most of the page Im looking at is in Korean so its hard to know what to click. Here we go.

Hello

2005-12-21T10:52:00.000-05:00

Hello. My hope is that this provides a way for those interested in my experiences to have some information, and for those with already enough to read to be mass email free. I will be leaving for South Korea on Jan. 3rd.