KOREA Day 68

Friday, July 2009

Happenings this week:

Wednesday was a school holiday so no classes. I used this opportunity to sleep until 9am and meet Jessica, Korean teacher from my hagwon, for day trip to the Museum of Contemporary Art. The museum is located in Daegongwon, twenty-five minute train ride from Sanbon, and next to Seoul Grand Park, the zoo, and Seoul Land, another amusement park. Sadly, I have yet to visit the zoo or Seoul Land Amusement Park. The museum, however, was most enjoyable and is filled with works by famous Korean artists spread over three floors. The featured exhibit is a four story pagoda made up of 1,000 flickering televisions created by famous Korean artist Nam June Paik. There is a spiral ramp surrounding the exhibit, and very similar to the Guggenheim. Best part of the museum: admission is free.

After the museum we traveled to Beomgye, neighboring city to Sanbon and only two stations away, for bibimbap lunch. Bibambap is one of the most famous Korean dishes made of rice, a variety of sliced vegetables, and meat of your choice. Spicy red pepper paste can, and was, added for taste. It was delicious. Beomgye is a cool city, perhaps twice the size of Sanbon, with many apartments, and a large downtown with many stores and restaurants. Beomgye is also home to Hagwon Ga, (Ga=street), as many academies are located here. Wednesday was only my second time here, and I swore I must return more often. It's only a ten minute train ride from my home, and has lots to offer. The trip to Grand Park and the art museum also made me realize there is so much to see, and I have not even begun to scratch the surface of my neighboring city's offerings. Shame on me.

Thursday night I played darts at Jacks Bar with Marcus and Alvin until 2am, followed by late night barbeque and a shared bottle of soju at 3am. This made for a difficult Friday morning, but I have become accustomed to the limited sleep, so it was no big deal and nothing a four hour nap Friday afternoon didn't cure. The biggest difficulty for me was the severe heartburn the garlic and salty meat caused prior to bed. Regardless, the meal was delicious, and both Marcus and Alvin remain impressed with my improved dart game.

Favorite student and good friend B.H. is interviewing this week for an engineering position, and he asked for my assistance with his resume and mock interview since a portion of the interview will be in English. So, Wednesday night he treated me to delicious beef (bulgogi) barbeque dinner followed by coffee at Starbucks, where we rehearsed sample interview questions and I provided suggestions to help distinguish himself from the other candidates. Because his experience in the automotive industry is significant; spanning nearly four decades with Hyundai Motor Corporation, Daewoo, and Delphi, and he possesses an MBA, he fears he is overqualified for the position and they cannot match his salary requirements. I tried to help him spin these negative perceptions into positive selling points for himself, and to focus on how he can use his experience to benefit the company and it's growth. It was fun to watch his excitement grow as our discussions progressed, and he became really focused on reworking his resume, and perfecting his English interview skills. Aiding his preparation, we rehearsed again Thursday night and Friday morning before his important weekend interview. He is a smart guy and I'm sure will do well with the interview. His English skills, I also must admit, have improved during our two month relationship as student/teacher and friends. I truly hope he does well in his interview and succeeds with this job opportunity.

Since Thursday was the first of the month, we started new classes with a new schedule and new students for July. I am now teaching four classes per day Monday/Wednesday/Friday, and five classes per day Tuesday/Thursday. Between this, reading children's books at the Sanbon library every Thursday afternoon, my busy napping schedule, delicious Korean meals, exercise, learning the Korean language, juggling many new friendships, etc., I am starting to feel busy. But that's how I function best. The number of students in each class also continues to grow. Their ages vary between 12 and 60 years. Currently, July is summer vacation for university and high school students, so many have registered with the school to improve their English skills over their brief vacation. Korean students are among the most dedicated in the world. Amazingly, elementary, middle, and high school students take classes from 8am until 6pm Monday through Friday, and have study sessions each night 6pm until 12am. Seriously, most Korean children average less than 6 hours sleep each night. It's crazy ridiculous.

As many of you know, the internet connection in my apartment continues to suck. In spite of this, I resist subscribing to an internet service. Why, I'm not not sure. Perhaps it's the 30,000 Won per month, or I am reluctant to subscribe to a one year contract, and I am cheap. Instead, I have been carrying my notebook computer around to many restaurants and coffee houses searching for a successful internet connection. This past week, many friends and family members have "skyped" with me in the local restaurants, and I hope this is entertaining for you. It is, of course, great to speak with you.

And soon, I hope to purchase a video camera and provide you all with a more intimate glimpse of Korean life. Patience, my dear friends. Patience..

This message is written and sent with love from the Korean Peninsula.