Gwangalli Fireworks and Field Trip

So everything is humming along smoothly here and its kind of hard to not notice how nicely the days pass here. Its really rather relaxing actually - I'm almost to the point where I'll need to do something in the evenings to spice things up a bit, which coincides nicely with the "Korean" lessons I'll soon be taking. I've just been saving money trying to keep everything paid, but by the next paycheck I should have enough to do a few things I've been planning to do for a bit. Keeping with the theme of exploring the city,

Recently I went to the Gwangalli fireworks show. It was spectactular. Gwangalli is a section of the city wherein there is this really beautiful bridge over the sea and a nice beach that looks out on it all. This is the 4th annual fireworks show as far as I know and really, they outdid themselves. Its by far the best session I've ever been too - it reminded me most of all of the waterworks show in front of the Belagio in Vegas. The choreographed moving water and song, thats exactly what it was like, except for instead of water there were fireworks. There was literally a fireworks waterfall off the bridge and in the air the exploding was choreographed to different music. There were even fireworks birds which were just incredible. It really is one of those things where the pictures don't do them justice. A nice thing to know is how many of those events/things/places exist in the world - places where the pictures don't do them justice. So I'm uploading a video -somehow videos always seem more honest.

Also this last Friday was my first field trip with the school and as such I snapped a few pics of the kids so all can see. I posted them on facebook but for those not on it - here we are

We went to a horse place - actually a horse race stadium, but of course we skipped the gambling part. All the kids got the chance to sit on a horse and get ridden around in a circle - and the really little kids got to pet a pony (Mom it was a really pretty pony, you'd have enjoyed it). It was about an hour by bus to get there and then an hour back, while there we also had lunch and the kids went on the slides, all in all a great time. This week we'll have a Halloween Party and yours truly has somehow become the defacto pinata builder. Its fun.

I continue to learn more about teaching, really its an ever learning process. I have this one class that mostly does exactly as I tell them, and this other class who mostly takes 10 minutes to do everything I tell them - so I had been enjoying the first class while always being regularly frustrated with the second. So I'm trying to change my approach - let go a little and embrace more the extra chaos of the second class - maybe as not necessarily a bad thing, but just how they operate. And in letting go a little, I'm having much more success getting things done. So somehow letting go has created more natural order. Its wierd, but still very much a work in progress.

Anyway this is a few pictures of the kids - I hope you guys enjoy and by picture can somehow see why I like them so much. And they come up at the top of the page for whatever reason. In anycase those are the kids and they are pretty darn cute! Hope all is well in the other hemisphere. Best wishes

The Subway and Haeundea

So this week has really been a week where I discover the subway. I've now traveled to the Seomyeon and the Haeundea areas of Busan. Both are big important business areas of the city, Seomyeon being the center of the city and Haeundea being a beach area. They are both really amazing and interesting places to osee, and in the process of visiting those areas throughout this week I declare myself as rather understanding the subway. It's a real valuable thing to figure out and I'm pretty thrilled. In honor I'm posting a video of Haeundea and a random music man in Haeundea. This first one is the video of Haeundea. Unfortunately I'm not technically adept enough to save this as right side up, but it gives one an idea anyway. This next video is one of a random music player at the beach - the singer and his guitar player. Just goes to show that no matter where you go some things never change - like crazy entertainment along side big beaches - and struggling musicians.

If you are on facebook you might also get a chance to see some random subway pictures.

On a cultural note -one thing I have noticed - S.Korea's differentness from the U.S. is alot more under the surface as compared to Zanzibar. There the surface differences were so overwhelming you sometimes missed the under the surface similarities. Here the surface similarities are so overwhelming you sometimes miss the under the surface differences. I don't claim to be any sort of expert, having only been here for 3 weeks, but my eyes are definitely opening to it a little more. I still think that this is a heck of a lot easier cultural jump than from U.S. to Zanzibar, and yet, I do think there is a jump.

But yea, life is good! I'm really enjoying Korea thus far - welcome to anyone who wants to come! I'd love to introduce you.

School and Cultural Tidbits

So I'm learning alot lately. These past few weeks I've been really happy though, even when I say or do stupid things its all kinda cool. I'm blessed to be working with really good people. They've been more than welcoming and helpful as I try to learn the ropes and get the hang of all of this. The kids at my school are great too. Its an a hagwon~private school in Korean~ and more specifically an English immersion school, which means inside the doors we speak only English. Of course, the kids are anywhere from 3-7 yrs old so alittle Korean sometimes gets spoken to help explain things (especially for the youngest ones) but remarkably about 90 - 95% of the time in English only, even in the halls. The Korean teachers at the school are great English speakers and in the kindergarten grades the three foreign teachers are me, a girl from Alaska, and a guy from Wales. We usually have about 7 kids per class - except for Afternoon Activities time when classes work together for different things. My day of teaching lasts till 9:30 - 5:30 though the preparing ~especially now~ is going to take longer. But thats ok!I'll get the hang of it.

Some things I know now about Korean culture include the fact that they are very hard workers, dedicated to education and lots of it from a very young age. It is not at all surprising that in 40 yrs South Korea has moved from a 3rd world economy to a 1st world one. The kids start school at like 3 or 4 "American years" ~I'll explain what Korean years are in a minute~ and they usually from a young age have alot of extra after school Activities - like when they get out of public school they often go to night classes for English or other things, often up to 9 at night. Crazy eh?

Also, Koreans count age from the when you were conceived, not born...so a 7 year old kid in Korea is often 6 yrs old in Western terms. Also they don't have separate birthdays, they all advance a year in age when the Korean New Year roles around. so a 7 year old kid hear, actually could be 5 years old American too.

When addressing letters in Korea one starts from the most general thing and then goes specific, unlike starting specific and then moving to general (like my address in US written Korean style would be Jane Doe, USA, Michigan, St. Ignace, 193 Portage Street)

As well Koreans do not go "dutch" so to speak. When you are a guest, you are 100% the guest, not paying for anything. (Not totally unlike Tanzanians view of the situation). They just expect that you will return the favor in like kind another day.

They LOVE Karaoke. Not Karaoke bars, but Karaoke in its unadultered, not drunken, but singing soberly the best you can glory! I think it might be an Asian thing. Josh told me it was big in Taiwan too, and Eriko mentioned it being big in Japan as well. I'm not kidding, there's a booming business in renting out different themed suites to people who want to go singing. You go into the building and they show you around their different rooms and ask you which one you'd like - be it the "disco" room, or the "underwater" room, or the "modern" room or the "pretty pretty princess" room. Whichever. I love it when people geek out about something and are unashamed of it! Its so thoroughly cool.

Also there are phone booths everywhere around here despite the fact that almost everyone has a telephone! I'm not kidding real honest to God kinda phone booths where Clark Kent can change into Superman. Its cool.

Anyway, thats just some random things I've learned about Korea. Happy Chusak too everyone! It's the festival to honor our ancestors this weekend. Sort of a Thanksgiving equivalent. So yea, 3 day weekend. Pretty cool.

Busan on a Rainy Sunday Morning

So just a video of the Busan area on a rainy Sunday Morning. This is the University area near to my house. Its like a mixture of the liveliness of African markets with the modern day inside store thing. Its a wonderful place for people watching. Anyway, so far so good here. I don't have a video of the school, but its a little hard to do while I'm still trying to get everything straight, which day for weekly lesson plans and which papers to copy and when the speaking tests and progress reports are do etc. I really like it there though so far - I knew the school would be better than most just based on the interview, but its really delightful to discover that what I at first considered a job to be done, is well on its way to becoming something I thoroughly enjoy. Also after all my screwups these past 3 years with teaching, its rather fascinating to realize that along the way I seem to have learned something after all, and I might just be good at it given the proper circumstances.

So all in all, despite a really tight budget and struggling to stay afloat with all the new things, I'm really just skipping with happiness underneath. Also this highspeed connection for the first time ever doesn't hurt anything. The apartment is small but really might be perfect when I get the right things for it - which will come in time. Life is good!

The kids though at my school, really really are kind of great! Just so you guys know. I'll have about 7 kids in a class, except for the one class where they are combined with another smaller class for about 12. They are really young...maybe 4-5 by U.S. age standards so its a challenge to keep them still but they are SOOOO cute. SO cute. Its fun to hear them learn!

Just some images of the architecture in the area I live. The one above is a golfing cage set straight in the middle of the city. When I first walked by the netting with the tall steel borders I thought it was under construction - but no. It's a golfing cage for the city golfers who want to practice there swing, and the netting catches all balls - so it won't hit the many buildings and sky scrapers nearby. See South Korea, as I can plainly see is a country that doesn't sprawl outwards, like in the U.S., but builds up. Everything is very compactly put together and I have yet to see any evidence of suburbs, instead the whole population in the cities live in apartments (though granted my experience is extremely limited thus far). Anyway as they say, they have many people and a small land mass area. It makes sense
This is a rather beautiful landscape from the top floor of the parking garage at the local hospital. Aparently hiking and climbing are passions of many Koreans...as is - fun fact- baseball. Koreans love climbing and baseball, and I gather, they are rather good at both. In anycase with landscape like this its not hard to imagine why many people take up hiking.
Just I thought a fun picture of the grocery store. Thats my cart I'm holding, the grocery store is on the bottom floor of the GS Mart, sort of a Walmart of Korea, as I'm finding out. Anyway all the shopping carts have little "grippies" on the bottom which stick tight when you are riding one of these escalator/moving walkway "thingies" up or downstairs.
Just a street view of the intersection that you come too when walking away from my school
And this is a view of the street my school is on. Pretty neat eh? I'm definately smack dab in the middle of a city of 3.5 million people. It's a new experience and its really working thus far.

Hey all, can't write too much sorry, still figuring a few things out and don't want to update people of one thing if things change, but I just thought I'd post some pictures and video (if it works) of my apartment thus far. Also if I can make it work, some pictures of the area I'm living. This video is a video of my apartment on the first night I arrived. It's about 3 rooms smaller than my apartment overseas - but also way better equipped. It's a 2 room apartment, one for bathroom, which has washer, sink, toilet and shower all together. The other room encompasses the bed, tv, and kitchen area. Since I made this video I've grown more and more attached to my tiny apartment- even my frilly pink comforter - it's not at all my style, but its very warm and well, comfortable. Plus as I mentioned, its pretty cool of the school to give it to me. Enjoy

Things I'll Miss Part 3

17) Tropical Beaches and the winding streets of Stonetown - yep. The scenery here is be-AUtiful! The beaches are postcard perfect and stonetown is totally exotic. I feel interesting just knowing how to get around here. I'll miss it
18)Juice - tamarind, mango,passion, sugarcane, etc. etc. It's awesome awesome awesome. Fresh juice all the time, dirt cheap. Infact in Swahili my school Mkwajuni is "The Place of the Tamarind trees". Heaven~


And I'm leaving tomorrow! And I'm an RPCV now. A Returned Peace Corps Volunteer. Boo-ya! I'll see you fools in a few weeks!

Things I'l miss continued

12) The chickens! - I gotta say it'll be wierd to be walking everywhere, to school, around the house etc, without tripping over chickens. Chickens are everywhere here, mainland, zanzibar, school town, village whatever. A number of times I've had to kick a stray goat or chicken out of my classroom when they've wandered in while I was teaching...so I guess goats and cows get an honorable mention inthis one too. Although to be fair chickens still win out. As eaters of gardens they aren't often a favorite of local volunteers however when no more rooster crows wake me up in the morning you know I'll be feeling like somethin is missing

13) Monkeys! - all the wild monkeys here I will miss you, with bushbaby's gettin an honorable mention. Where would the night be without your hooting my funny looking friends! Monkeys are the local deer here, everyone gets annoyed cause they eat food, cause havoc with crops and carry off bits and pieces every now and then but for me the novelty never wore off. First visit to Pemba the locals tried to sell me a baby monkey in diapers and I gotta say...I was tempted. If but for the Peace Corps rule prohibiting us to own primates...who knows Shujaa you mighta had company!
14)Cheap movies and tv shows - yup the chinese have cornered the market on ripping dvds and tv shows onto video and for a scant 2-5 dollars you too can have a 24 pack of new movies- some good -My friend got "The Dark Knight" before it had left the theatre - some junk like Steven Seigal or Jean Claude van damn movies. Myself I've watched 5 seasons of prison break, 4 seasons of lost and 1 season of desperate housewives and 1 season of heroes (soon 2 as I've just bought another for when I get home). Good times
15) The peace corps floating library - This is that library that all PCVS contribute too when they come. GIven as how we're mostly in the land of few book choices whenever there is a good book it almost always gets passed along, from region to region throughout the country as different volunteers burrow it. A book may travel from Moshi to Zbar all the way down to Mbeya and then back again. Its a well known fact that the actual library in Dar at the PC office that PCVs can donate too has generally nothing good in it cause if it were good, it wouldn't be in there, it would be somewhere else being read!
16) Street food - delicious! Where else to get octopus, calamari, fries and a soda for a few dollars at most. I know it chances being dirtier than the u.s. style food, but its delicious and almost free. Here's to street food