POTPOURRI / OLDER PICS

I was just out for some coffee one day...

the necks on these Telecasters were your typical 24...centimeters!

these particularly animated little guys were on display on the Buddha's B-day

the recent torrential downpours inspired me to play with my new camera

a park near my hometown, 병점

TRUE LOVE

Precious Time

It was a tough start to Wednesday.

We seemingly started on a jovial note when we had a foreign/Korean luncheon in secret. For some reason, cross cultural meetings outside of work are not supported--it was brought to my attention, and it seems clear to me now, that this is due only to our Assistant Ass's paranoia that we will talk shit about him. If he only knew what we said about him within a stone's throw--luckily his English is not that great.

It was going well until the end, when a fellow American teacher got the most devastating phone call I could imagine from her step-father. A few days ago, a seemingly simple medical procedure soured a few days after Marquita's mother had stepped out of the OR. She had had surgery on her ankle, but unfortunately, passed away due to complications related to the surgery. I claim no clinical expertise, nor do I deny that these things don't ever happen, but I can't help but feel that malpractice may be a word uttered soon after the first wave of shock and pain wear off for the ones close to her.

Death is a subject that usually seems to escape us on a daily basis. I've been fortunate to have little experience with it, and likewise for many people my age, it is a concept not yet fully realized. With the wave of high-profile deaths as of late, it now seems to be an "it" word. But it never really hits home hard enough until it presents its wretched face in your neighborhood. It would be an understatement to say that it is never easy deal with the loss of a loved one. I can't imagine what it would be like if I lost someone so spontaneously when I was, literally, on the other side of the world.

NOW, WE TRAVEL BACK IN TIME:

Months after our first date (luckily, the non-blind variety), I feel it's necessary to finally share some photos of the person I see most in Korea. Her name is 박효원 (Bak Hyowon). Though she currently calls Suwon home, for the first couple of months I had to pleasure of walking her home every night in Byeongjeom...not only was it a nice stroll, I got at least half an hour of exercise everyday!

She is a few years my senior, but looks and behaves much like someone my age.

Beyond her looks ^^, one of Hyowon's endearing characteristics is her willingness to be somewhat flexible to the contrasts in behavior I've presented to her in a relationship. To whom I've vented my frustrations of my protective girlfriend, this may come as a surprise. But even though we may not always see eye-to-eye, she reasons with me and explicates the cause of her frustration when she is upset. I admit I was somewhat reluctant to believing she could harbor anger for some of the things I did or said but was ironically calmed by proof, through outside sources, that her anger was validated from a Korean's perspective. And to those of us who value honesty, this may not seem like such an alien behavior. My intentions are not to illustrate people here as lacking integrity. But being up front with emotional feelings doesn't come easy to many Koreans. Consequently, it has been a feat for her to do so, considering the way those feelings had been dealt with in her previous twenty-x years. I have not taken for granted that she aptly responded to my request to operate with more transparency (if only our last administration had done the same!).

In no way am I saying that a fundamental reason for my attraction is her being "westernized" and that I want to her to bend to every nuance of my sometimes very foreign personality--I've always taken some pride in knowing that, technically, my true homeland doesn't have a national language--Ideally, we could co-exist without imposing sort of standard on culture and speech. Wouldn't it be great if we didn't fearfully agonize but rejoice in our differences? This is an belief to which I fully subscribe and didn't intend on forgetting when I stepped on Korean soil.

I'm just glad that she's a bit open-minded.

Much like many Koreans, she only has one sibling; but, she has the misfortune of simultaneously being the eldest progeny and an unmarried woman. As in some places in the world, there is an immense pressure for women to be married. Economic development in the last few decades has helped shape some of the ways in which Koreans are becoming more Westernized. The process and weightiness of meeting parents, however, may not be one of those ways. From my experience, first contact with my gf's folks in the US may not have been taken lightly, but it didn't carry nearly the same significance as it does here, especially for someone of Hyowon's age (whoops...I'm making her sound like a senior citizen). For a while, I felt a small void because I had not met her parents in the numerous days we've been together. Moreover, I had not even been established as her significant other. I'd like to think that I've had healthy relationships with my previous girlfriends' families. So, not to pretend that a certain precedent should be set for all relationships, I had felt a little apprehensive to that facet of our relationship.

Here are the reasons, I had thought, that prevented her telling her parents.

A) I'm a few years younger than she is. The perception of this status in Korea may be changing, but social change doesn't occur overnight.

B) Accordingly, I am not at very financially stable point in my life.

C) I'm not Korean. Really.

I used to ask, It's not like I'm a brainless, pennyless leper on the verge of death, right? But after she told her mother about my existence, I'm not singing the same tune. Turns out that in light of the above facts, there would be pressure for me to propose to some 원 (won...pardon my pun) of her age and position.

the grass is always greener

i've had so many feelings in the last few days. i intentionally avoided words "emotions" and "meloncholy" because i'm not sure if i'm exactly attached to the sentiments yet. i know i had made a vow to myself not to be so touchy-feely around my free-access publisher (especially considering all the real shit that's been goin in the world), but i'm not sure if there'd be anyone to identify with me or lend an ear at this hour. i've realized that being a politician may be in the works as much as i've gone back on what i've said. months and months ago, i had pined for the simple conversation that had dominated a greater portion of my life. now i feel like that has created a bit of a void...

see mark sanford (gov. of south carolina and self proclaimed family man who was just caught globe-trotting w/former love interest [not his wife])

see pres. obama (in an isolated case of going back on his word, to some extent, the closing of gitmo)

and...see joseph. (though not a politician, a man that wears a suit. the vice president/god-for-bid-call-him-a-teacher-although-he-is-one-only-as-a-formality/or what i like to call him, "assistant ass")

we've come upon the perpetual turnstile, and this time, i'm not the one physically passing through. the "CCs" to whom i've referenced, are in their final hours in seouland, and i have to admit, it's played with my psyche more than i was expecting. for some reason, big changes conspicuously sneak up on me as if i'm the blond in a slasher film, oblivious to my imminent demise.

their soon departure has made me reflect on my time here. and the little time i have left.

for the longest time, i've harbored not-so-great feelings because of their arrogance. i'll have to admit, though, they've both seemed to come around a bit in the past few months. and despite their ability to overcome a little personal obstacle, only now that they are leaving, do i recognize or admit some of their finer traits.

they are sincerely intelligent people. and as opinionated as they are, it's been nice to have fellow foreigners around that have something to say about our world. and as open minded as i proclaim and wish to be, my pride got in the way of letting them into my life. i've never been very good at taking advice or criticism, but there was snide nature to their treatment of everyone that i had difficulty dealing with.

i feel like i've taken granted their minds, nonetheless--especially at a point in my relationship where i'm kinda craving a challenge. this is not to say that the person to whom i'm referring isn't intelligent in her own right nor that i am not currently trying to fulfill any of her demands-quite the contrary. however, i don't know if motivation is really a byproduct of our relationship's aura--in the same way that i didn't take advantage of living with really talented musicians because i was a bit off put by their occasional musical snobbery and coveted abilities.

in addition to their cognitive abilities, as i've learned in the past few weeks, they're not so too bad to party with. at the same time they know how to put you down, they also know how to flatter a guy. they have traveled and are traveling with the same vigor and passion as i had once envisioned myself capable. they are well-versed in media/culture/literature. all areas that i've had interest, but lacked a circle to nuture it.

i've always said you only die once, and i say that not because i'm a pessimistic person, but because i've always wanted to live like someone who understands that our time here is limited. with this attitude i came to korea, and i have begun to feel like i'm losing grip on it.

and from them i've learned a lesson better late than never. during the times i've had reservations about doing something to my benefit that could potentially hurt me, i've been either too blind or scared to act. having others protect you from the world because of insecurity is one thing, but being your own barricade is another.

this week i received two more gold stars on my teaching resume. as disheartening as its been teaching in the environment i've previously described, there are a few glints that manage to twinkle through the murky cloud of bullshit.

MOMENT 1:

our core curriculum consists of two sessions that last 3 months. prior to my completion of the whole sh'bang, i had taught one particularly...i'll say...animated student (pictured right). outstanding, at least academically, would not be a word i would use to describe this girl. words i would undoubtedly use would be charismatic and enthusiastic. so, upon finishing an 8-class marathon monday, i finally got to cushion my cheeks for more than a few seconds. one of our favorite pastimes during our final hour of prep work is reviewing some of the "hits of the day"--as in the best written work--be it comical, endearing, or just awkward in translation. today, a colleague's student was assigned a brief writing exercise with the instructions to "write about yourself." it was filled with your standard i like kimchi many and in the summer i like go to pool and then to the my home responses. but, she did include a brief passage about her favorite teachers. when laura (my co-worker) read her name along with mine, i felt as if sacrificing my pee breaks to share a couple moments with my students outside of class had been worth it that day.

MOMENT 2:

in the last few weeks, the temperature in korea has been climbing at a rate that would surely peak everest, and i have taken asylum in the seminar room. normally, this would be avoided at all costs, as that would be cause for more headache with the wild crew that assembles there after hours (that is where "detaashion" is held). surprisingly on this particular day, a student, that had previously deemed me unfit to be in her presence, finally came around. before, every time i met heidi in the hallway, she would stop, aghast that i had a korean face but didn't have the tongue to back it up. though i had heard that this was only a ploy, it still was like a little knife gently tearing the fresh scab of identity crisis. however, on this day...she extended a sign of kinship through sharing a prized chocolate bar from thailand. it almost made me feel as if i was sort of korean...

i know i haven't been getting the same feeling as tutoring students--expatriates who may actually have a chance at providing themselves with a better life by refining their communication skills--who eagerly await my assistance in their english studies; yet, i still feel as if i am making somewhat of an impact on their brief lives.

so, although i may not be saving the world here and though they may seem few and far between, these kinds of moments make my days semi-worth it.

THE BUCK STOPS HERE, AND SO DOES ANDREW

Khaled Hosseini's narrator in The Kite Runner on cliches--

"I always thought that cliches got a bum rap. Because, often, they're dead-on. But the aptness of the cliched saying is overshadowed by the nature of the saying as a cliche."

그래, as you get older, time seems to skip a gear. What seems like yesterday, now 3 weeks ago, was the midpoint of my first year in Korea. There would be no halftime show worthy of a nipple-slip, here. I've already admitted that I may have been somewhat distracted...But honestly, the weeks seem to taunt me with the same smirk that my kids get when they think they've pulled one over my head with their 한국말 in class, as if they're leaving me behind. The only difference is, the pace of the weeks are coming to give me that feeling more than the kids are. 

At the same time, I've gone in and out of certain routines, with the most recent making me feel like I haven't experienced anything new, in terms of my job. Most people have already endured my raucous desire to hear "a certain somebody's" swan song. And, most people have heard that the turnover rate of my current place of employment is probably higher than that of a fast food joint. So other than a) passing off the ridiculousness that is my boss as normalcy, and b) seeing the routine of personnel changes, I've felt like I've been coasting for a while.

But a few days ago, I came upon another first--something that I haven't seen in months. 

With the obligatory business attire I have to wear each day, among an abundance of other indicators, it didn't take long for me to become hip to the fact that all hogwans, especially ones like mine, are foremost BUSINESSES. Matthew teacher reminded us of that as he used an anecdote from his other life. 

"I was once asked, in a questionnaire upon entering the world of sales, if it mattered whether or not my clients liked me on a personal level. Though at the time I knew the answer they were looking for was "no", in this atmosphere, it does matter."

It's not such a distant memory that I was forewarned of the power parents and their children have on our positions, but I've failed to really keep that in the foreground of my daily thought process.

I may be giving kids a little too much credit for being perceptive, but I would go as far as to think that some students are aware of this matter and exploit their position, so to do as they please. Furthermore, they bring what little motivation they have after hours of studying all day long with the mindset that they are being pawned off.

I've seen the kids wandering the halls because their parents know that THIS daycare has the upside of making them look like guardians concerned with education. While I know that statistically, Koreans spend a great deal more on education than much of the world, often it is more about the appearance of progress than actually learning. Theses business-schools (I would've said "school-business", but it would've have been disingenuous to put "school" before "business") know this all too well, and the teachers often end up pandering to parents instead of sticking to what little substance lies in their provided curriculum.1 For example, shitty "middle school prep courses" are established because OTHER hogwans are doing it.2 Then we end up piling on inappropriate assignments that value quantity of quality3 because, well, I'm not quite sure. In any case, the point is that it's hard to come across a student that stays engaged long enough to pin a tail on, let alone share a lesson with.

Students come and go. The ebb and flow of enrollment is at a pivotal moment in late spring '09 (i.e. this wavering economic 3rd quarter, although I'm not exactly sure when the fiscal year starts in Korea) as parents are deciding whether or not to keep their mini-clones in for the summer, or jump ship to try out another hogwan. It's slightly ironic that I am currently in the market for a new gym. It seems that my thought process isn't much different than these parents. Ideally, so I may naively have once thought, these two spheres would be completely different--it would be too destabilizing to toss kids around schools as if it were merely a choice as insignificant as which gym to enroll, without regard to how children adjust to their peers and teachers--but I am now more informed.

Now that I've scratched my ass to get to my elbow...the point. I was sitting in my M-W-F class with one of my favorite students, one of the few who doesn't come to class with the attitude one might assume from the given conditions, the other day. I had the good fortune of having one child in one of my classes, or in other words, a rare opportunity to sit during teaching hours. But they benefits weren't completely selfish. Andrew was a legit student, and I genuinely enjoyed spending time with this kid. He had the greatest imagination and came up with some really original stories with a little push. We had some interesting discussions of his travels to the Phillipines, his grandmother's house, drawing contests in which he was involved (he was an excellent little artist as many of my students are), and the like. 

So when he told me that he was quitting, I found myself, for the first time, emotionally challenged by one of these little humans. I had developed several little attachments leading up to this point but had not yet felt a ping such as this. I would sincerely miss this dude. First number...?

1 - if i had a dime for every mistake i sawed in readingTown book...
2 - if i had a quarter for every time i've seen the apathetic stares of the kids who've been dragged from school to school, having to endure the pitches made by directors, at some point falling under the spell of the king of car salesmen...
3 - vocab quizzes: either too many/not enough...
as I like to say, I would have at least three...MILLION...drum roll... . . .won.(approximately $2.40)

My, oh my--How the winds of change seem to blow in and out of my neck of the woods so frequently. I've decided I've done enough "soul searching" for the time being and should pick up where I once started. Before moving on, I'll just say this (and no, the CD didn't skip):

Korea is great. It's often been overwhelming in many ways. Just living in a foreign country would be enough to keep my mind occupied, but adjusting to a whole life that I wasn't aware of--being part of a whole new family--and developing new relationships with people here while trying to maintain ones back home have been sometimes more than what I can process. It will take awhile for me to truly understand how my life has changed, and I may never recognize the effects; but it hasn't, nor should I let it, become the road block in my personal growth. In effect, I'm admitting that I'm a bit of a flip-flopper. I'll try to share less of "the deeper and darker parts of my soul", and more of "the brighter and less-whiny-parts" of my seoul" ;)