Again, more pictures

This is my method of procrastination. Posting pictures, oh well, maybe someone will find it interesting.

Yet another cute toilet sign. I personally think this is a good idea. What better way to light up a trip to the washroom than with a cute sign. Maybe we should lobby the Canadian government.


Picture of a Buddhist temple with a monk. Self-explanatory.



Another one.


And this is a Buhdda. It was big.

Well, its time to work again. Two more classes and we are finished for the weekend. Shalom,

More pics and stuff

So I wanted to add another Mini-Bike video, but alas it did not work. I dont know why it did not work, but thats life sometimes. So here are some pictures that I like. Just raw, unedited photography.

More Mini-Bike, how I love these things.



These are foot things that appear at different places. They are different shaped rocks that you walk along. This one was fairly long, probably about 500m. It hurts at times, but I guess the idea is to get blood flowing. I'm convinced.



This was a clothing store. Hamburger: makes me think of dresses.


Vikings = Pirates, at least on this ride. I guess they both use boats.

Probably the cutest toilet sign I have ever seen. It was at a Buddhist temple.

There are more, I will have to post again. Shalom,

Video's of the trip

I realize Vanessa already wrote a bit about the trip, so I thought I would post some sweet videos I took and elaborate on a few things. The first one is of the Noraebong, here is some singing; enough told.



This one is of the excersize park at the top of the mountain. They have these in a lot of places in Korea. Its interesting all of the different equipment they have.



Here is a video of the minibikes we rented. Probably the sweetest experience I have had. It was only $5 for 30 minutes. There were no limits on where we could go, no rules they told us, just let it ride. I thought that was nice, too often when you rent things like this in Canada its A: too expensive and B: has too many rules. Here we could race, drive on the sidewalk/street, ride through parks, anywhere really and we could take them across town. I might have to go back so I can try it again.



Well thats all for now. It took a long time to upload these videos, but its fun so maybe more will come. Shalom,

Holiday!!!

We just got back from our wonderful holiday! It was really nice to have a break from the busy life of Seoul. And now we are back at work after three days off...and I can't do any work on my computer because I broke it! Last Friday evening I accidentally knocked it over...and now it won't work...I feel really terrible about it! I hope it can be fixed! My boss is on the phone right now about it...I'm crossing my fingers.

So, our trip....First we (Mark, and I, Joel, Heather, and Kevin) went to Chuncheon on Saturday where we met Ana and Will. We met them at a conference in Manitoba in July so they are also new in Korea. They are working for Jesus Village Church in Chuncheon also with Mennonite Church Canada Witness. So, first we climbed up a mountain which had a beautiful view of the city. At the top of the mountain there was this work out centre. We had fun hulahooping and testing out the equipment. I think Canada should invest in some gyms and put them in the forest. It is a nicer atmosphere to work out in!
Mark, Kevin, and I stayed with Kyoung Jung (he works here at KAC) and his family. His wife had lived in Canada for many years so they made us good Canadian breakfasts! On Sunday morning we went to the church service at Jesus Village Church which is the other Anabaptist/Mennonite church in Korea. It was interesting because most of us sat on the floor on cushions. I don't know how everyone does it for so long! I got so sore! It was still nice to be there. They were really welcoming to us.
For the rest of the day we all explored Chuncheon. It began with renting paddle boats that were in the shape of swans, then driving around the big lake that Chuncheon is located on. It is a beautiful area. Lots of mountains which were covered in trees, much smaller than the rockies. In the evening we went to a Norabong which is a Korean singing room. It is really popular in Korea. It is like karaoke but you get your own room!
Monday morning the 7 of us left for Sokcho which is on the east coast. We found our hotel that had a big plastic castle on the roof! It was pretty cool. We had quite the time trying to communicate with the owner...it was pretty funny. We had a Korean style room...which means you sleep on the floor. So, the first day we just explored, hung out at the beach, etc...
On Tuesday we hoped on a bus and went to Seorksan National Park, it was about 10 min bus ride. We saw a big Buddha statue, a cool temple, took a gondola ride up a mountain, hiked to some waterfalls, and tried some larva (which is gross!!!...people just sell them on the street!)
In the evening we all rented these little motorbikes! It was so much fun!!!!!...and really funny!!
The next day we hung out at the beach again and watched Mark and Joel swim in the waves! It was a beautiful day! It was a great trip! The end.

Trees and Chuseok

I am so happy!!! I had heard from some of the teachers that there was a park close to Connexus and only today did I take my first venture to the wonderful spot. It is a Seoul city park so nothing like Assinaboin Park. There was no grass but lots of big trees and benches...enough to make me very happy!

Since next week is Thanksgiving here in Korea we have a holiday! So tomorrow Mark and I (along with Heather, Joel and Kevin) will leave Seoul (for the first time since we arrived on Aug.24) and travel to the cities of Chunchon and Sokcho. This is very exciting! We will be gone until Wednesday evening. We hear the traffic can be pretty bad during this time because most Koreans go to their hometowns to see their families...so I anticipate the travel to be quite interesting.
Happy Chuseok!

To p FI ve Thin Gs About K O R E A thus far

Number Five: This is lame, but i will say it anyway, its a new and different country. Its always fun to experience new cultures and, well, this is one of them.

Number Four: Students journals/emails/text messages. I believe its important to approach learning a language in a lighthearted manner. When I was learning German I had to laugh at myself and all the awckward moments it created. One time i spent about 10 minutes trying to explain to a grade two class (and the teacher) how to play a game. But instead of saying "sagen" (say), i said "sehen" (see) and continually repeated this for ten minutes wondering what they were not understanding. Anyway, I think the same is here at Connexus, its important to have fun with translation and a lot of the messages and notes that students give us are rather humourous. I'm sure now you all want some examples of this, well its not going to happen. This is called a teaser. It just wouldnt be funny without context, sorry.

Number Three: Yes, this is basically the same as Number Five. I like being in an "Eastern" country, whatever that means. The difference being that when I was in Germany, my friends and I knew the same history. Greece-Rome-Karl der Grosse/Charlemagne-Napoleon-yada, yada, yada. Here in my English Classes I cant assume that if I mention a western historical figure my students will know who that is. I find this refreshing and challenges me on assumptions that I too easily make.

Number Two: Its exciting to learn about the Korean Anabaptist Church that is emerging. I don't know the entire history yet, I am supposed to go out for coffee with someone who will tell me a bit about Christianity and Anabaptism in Korea. But the church is an exciting and inspirational place. With it being so small, it almost reminds me of the radical reformation when the Anabaptist churches were full of people who "converted" to Anabaptism rather than grew up in Anabaptism. Please don't misunderstand me, I am so very thankful that I grew up in a Mennonite home and had the opportunity to participate in different Mennonite organizations. But I find it really interesting to see this community emerge and to see how they will develop Anabaptism in the Korean context where no significant tradition of Anabaptism is present.

Number One: Well this isnt really a top five, I was just a little bored and felt like writing some things down and sharing them with you. Hope thats ok. Shalom,

Newsworthy Points

Lunch Menu for Tuesday: Deep fried Squid, Deep fried Hard Boiled Egg

Weather: Yesterday we got the leftovers from the typhoon that hit China. The storm was downgraded to a tropical storm, which meant it rained alot but not alot of wind. Today's weather: hot and humid.

Two more days to Korean thanksgiving holiday, five days of now work = yeah.

Purchasing: My friends at Connexus walk by "The Beautiful Store" everyday on their way to work. Its a thrift store and they picked this up for me, only $2. Good buy.


Because i feel like adding more pictures to spice things up, here is a picture of my desk. Interesting eh?


That is all, shalom,

Experiences at the doctor

I have to share about my experiences with the Korean medical system. First I think it is pretty amazing. This afternoon I went to the doctor for my second time, but now at a different clinic. (I have this bad cough that I can't kick) First, I was amazed because at both clinics I didn't have to wait to see a doctor. In Canada this is unheard of...at least with my past experiences. Eun Kyong has been my translator at both of these visits; she is the receptionist for Connexus in the mornings and works for KAC in the afternoon. Today we didn't see one doctor but two, one specialized in more western medical practices and the other in eastern practices. So, I sat there in front of these two doctors as they spoke in Korean to Eun Kyong about my health. I wish I could understand!Eun Kyong was very helpful though and gave me the info...I might have minor bronchitis. Anyway, then I went into the hall where they did this treatment and I had to breath in this stuff (smelled kind of like Vicks products) for 10 minutes. Then we had to wait for a bit..I didn't totally understand..but because we were waiting the receptionist gave us this cool coffee drink! What nice service. Anyway, we left the doctors office and went to the pharmacy, and again I have all of these pills to take and this liquid to drink! Feels kind of funny because I don't really know what the pills are...In Korea the doctor usually only prescribes medicine for three days, seems short to me. I just hope they make me better!

Good news

As i understand it (which is not always an accurate understanding), the issue of Conscientious Objection is a hot topic in Korea. Right now every healthy male is required to serve in the military for 24 months (this will be reduced to 18 months in 2014). Technically South Korea is still at war with North Korea and there is only a cease fire. Anyway. Today on the front page of the newspaper there is an article discussing how, and i quote, "The government decided Tuesday to allow conscientious objectors against mandatory military service to undertake alternative services such as caring for the disabled, instead of imprisoning them."
Up until this point any male who did not want to serve in the military was sent to prison. This is an important step for the government as they move to legally implement alternative services. In one of my discussion classes we discussed this issue and the class was not all in agreement and it remains a hot topic. Please remember Korea as this issue is not solved, and there are still many discussions to come.
Shalom,

Lesson Learned

Note to self: When its raining really hard and walking to work on a major street, dont walk near the street where large puddles form and cars driving fast go over them. Ooops. I guess its going to be a wet day.

Teaching

It's hard to believe that we have been teaching for two weeks already. I think the nervousness that I was feeling before my first few classes has died down a bit. Most of my students are at basic level. The classes are going fairly well and I'm enjoying getting to know my students. I love just comparing our different cultures... sometimes we can really get off topic in class...but as long as we continue in the English language it is all good practice. It's really funny because a lot of the students giggle all of the time for no real reason, particularly laughter follows a word or two of English. I don't really see the humor all of the time but it makes it fun.

Two of Mark's students offered to show us around Seoul so yesterday afternoon we met them and had a really great time. They are in one of the first level classes so the one guy had his electronic dictionary which was very helpful. They taught us some Korean as well! They took us to this area called Insadong, where a lot of tourists go because the traditional Korean shops and buildings. We went to a traditional tea house which was probably a highlight for us. Most of the seating was on the floor on pretty cushions. It was called the Bird Tea House because there were actually little birds flying around the place...and it was a pretty small place. I think a couple of birds almost touched our heads a few times. It was quite the experience.

Have a nice week and I hope who ever is reading this is doing well! Pyonghwa! (this means peace)

three things

here are a few things i want to s h a r e,

1) C h u r c h - We started attending Grace and Peace Mennonite Church in Seoul.
Its fun and different from my regular church experience. The congergation is Vanessa and myself, The pastor and his wife, a couple with four kids, Jae Young (our boss) and Joel and Heather (other Connexus workers). 4 people only speak english (that would be the connexus teachers), and the rest speak English and Korean. The church welcomed us and its fun to be part of such a small and intimate community. Sunday morning consists of church service, lunch together, bible study. From about 11am - 3pm.
Will write more later on this later.

2)C o m m e n t s - Being a westerner in an Eastern country, people often will try to talk to us when we are on the subway, or walking down the street. Sometimes its a quick "Hello", but the other day we were on the subway and i was looking at a map. A young man about my age comes up to me and asks, "do you need help?", I replied politely with "No thanks, i know where i'm going." The next thing he said to me was, "You very handsome i think." He then continued to comment on Vanessa's beauty, to which i agreed, and we continued talking for a bit. I've never really been complimented like that, it was nice.

3)B o s s - I have decided that our boss, Jae Young, may possibly be the funniest boss ever. I dont know what it is exactly, but 90% of what he says makes us laugh. Its nice to have a boss like that.
Here is a picture of the KAC/Connexus community. Jae Sung, one of the guys in the middle, left yesterday for America. He found a job in the States and moved there. So we took a picture before he left.


Its Friday here in Korea, I like the weekend. Tomorrow Vanessa and I will be meeting some of my students who are going to take us sightseeing. Hope you have a good weekend,
Shalom,

Confessions of a Western Imperialist

I like to think of myself as a "worldly" person, whatever that means. Open to new things, alternative understandings, different traditions, etc. I have enjoyed learning different languages as a means to understand cultural idiosyncrasies and perhaps most importantly I am uncomfortable with the mass export of American/Western culture throughout the world. I didn't like seeing McDonalds and Pizza Hut throughout Europe and I see the same influence in Seoul. Perhaps even more so in Seoul where on almost every sign there is some English phrase. Anyway, this is all to say that I confess to thee today that I enjoyed going to Subway last week, the North American sandwich chain. I have really enjoyed the Korean food thus far, but it was a welcome break to enjoy a filling footlong sub. Korean food is spicy, which i enjoy, but sometimes the smell of seafood at 9am is not the most welcoming since for breakfast I prefer cereal or toast to eel or kimchi. Its not that bad, it will take a bit of time to get used to, but I thought I would share this anyway.
On a related note, because of the influence of English here in Korea, i have decided to start documenting English signs that i find interesting . Here is the beginning of my research.
More to come, hopefully,
Shalom,

Heavy Metal & Ultimate

On Saturday night we had the pleasure of attending a concert. Jae Sung, many of you may know him from CMU (he works at Connexus...well only until next Thursday and then he is moving to the states, we will miss him!), anyway he invited us to the show because his band performed. He played drums in this heavy metal cover band. Three other bands played as well. It was not really my style of music but it was still a lot of fun to be there.

The Subway was super full on the way back.....

Here are some pictures of Ultimate in Korea....it was such a clear day and it was lovely to see the sky and the mountains! (this was yesterday afternoon)

Gyeongbokgung

Our first weekend in Seoul we went to this really cool palace called Gyeongbokgung and we never got around to posting any pictures so...
In this structure there was the National Folk Museum which we also explored.

the longest birthday ever

So i just experienced probably the longest birthday ever. It has been fun to continue to get birthday greetings a day after my birthday, even though it was still my birthday in Canada. Besides that it was the first time I ate birthday cake with chopsticks.



Things at Connexus are continuing to go well. We have now officially started to teach. Yesterday and today are the first classes for the month. Class rotations work on a monthly basis at Connexus. It will be nice to be done with our first week of teaching and hopefully learn from our mistakes. So far the students have responded well and I feel positive about our role here.
Thank you to everyone for all the birthday greetings! I really appreciate all your thoughts.
Shalom,

Ramblings

So, we have now been in Korea for over a week and I think things are going pretty well. I am a little nervous because we begin teaching today. Technically the next session only starts tomorrow but since the teachers we are replacing finished on Friday we are taking over their last class today. The last class is usually going out or playing games so I think today will be good. Each session or semester is only a month long. Usually students stay for more than a month and continue in their level in the next month. I will be teaching more earlier level classes. Pretty much we follow a textbook and go through three chapters a month. I hope our first month will go okay....like I said, I am a bit nervous...but it is also really nice to begin and to have our own desks. Last week we just kind of floated around the office and now we have a spot so that feels good.

This weekend was pretty good...somewhat relaxing. On Saturday we explored a bunch of markets. It was raining which made it kind of uncomfortable but we went any way. Our apartment is so small (like we have said) so we really couldn't stay there all day.

Yesterday we went out for brunch with a few friends from Connexus. The restaurant is called Big Rock Brewery. The man who owns it lived in Calgary for a while and when he got back to Seoul he opened this restaurant. On the walls he had license plates from different Canadian provinces and a bunch of pictures of Canada, as well Calgary flames stuff. It was kind of sureal to see all of these things in Korea. It was also nice to have a "north-american" style brunch...

After lunch we took the subway and met up with some people and played Ulitmate Frisbee. It was really exciting!!! We hadn't seen a field of grass since we had arrived in Seoul and it was great to play again. A friend of ours from Winnipeg hooked us up with the league here in Seoul. Yesterday people were only playing pick-up but a league is going to be starting next Sunday. So, it looks like we might buy some cleats....I guess we should have packed those.
Anyway, that's all. Take care everyone!