The exact same reason I had for coming here, is what is sending me back.

Korea isn't easy. This is part of why:

31 kids, 5 days, 4 hours....vs.....me

I'm blogging at a coffee shop and I just got bit about 129 times by mosquitoes. This apparently doesn't kill the damn things.

So, having explained the last few days with pictures instead of a tedious and confusing read through my mind, I choose to bore you now. Mwahah.

Jon and I always talk about how lucky we are and how easy it is to lose focus of what Korea really means for us. This isn't a career for either of us, much less any white person in Korea as of now. Most of us are in search of a fun, eye-popping experience, and in a desperate struggle to combine work and play. Its a struggle that sends me home by 10:00 on week nights and gets me up at 6. It is a cognitive fuck everyday, you want to try new things, go to new restaurants or bars but you're exhausted from the previous work day.

Nanta is a pizza shop in Mokpo that sells 5 dollar medium pizzas, I go there about twice a week and, dissonance aside, I beg for a new "nanta" but frankly am too exhausted to look for it.

To any waygookin reading this, or understanding the last 10 months of my life. Korea isn't easy. You want to travel, you need to try new things. But there comes a point where 5:00 comes too soon and you just go home to watch Entourage or Son's of Anarchy. Two great shoes granted, but limiting in the inordinate growth gained by traveling.

Every morning I bounce out of my plywood bed, and hustle to my 'coffee' for 2 hours with JB and Sandy, irregardless of the poor quality my computer records it on. I then walk about a half hour to school, sweating the entire way, change at school and teach alone for 3 hours. By then, the 2 hour coffee break of life I named my "introduction" has created the most debilitating coffee-crash and I'm just ready for TV. Usually, my perfunctory habits in the morning leave me with 20 minutes to kill while I download an episode of TV.

Thank god pre-season football starts in just a little.

The weekdays are full of professional possibilities; studying (and apparently failing) the GRE, publishing articles, finding Notre Dame in Fremantle. The weekends full of personal and every other kind of possibility you could imagine in Korea. Flying down a black diamond in Muju, stealing the hat of a dude from Georgia (the country), eating live octopus. Getting hammered, singing "Let it Steve" in a bogota next to a famous bridge in Jindo. Seeing some of the most amazing people I've ever met or drinking mock-o-lee in a tent with agashis. Sleeping. Ferrying 40 minutes to one of the most beautiful places in the world, or taking a cab 15 minutes to another gorgeous place called "Yudalson."

As awesome as the weekends sound, the weekdays have their bad-assery associated with them too. I came here to do two things: do something I've never done before and have fun. I get to do both everyday I go to 'work.' As shitty as it sounds to wait to watch TV, or to listen to a horrible recording of a morning show, or to be away from the fam or anything else associated with living abroad...(like the lack of Dr. Pepper)...It is exactly what I love about Korea.

I've got 2 months left and chances are I'll leave 3 weeks after my contract is over. Giving me all sorts of chances to finish what I've started. The fun and the novel experiences will come, all I need is patience.

GO NOTRE DAME!!!!!

한국어 모르겠

Those are from a seafood market across from my school, i had this for dinner that night:

Bahah, ok. So I go to a place called Angels-in-us to blog and study. Well, study not anymore, I'm supposed to get my scores back in 3 days. I sat down and started and this old man (akashi in korean, use 'g' for 'k.') came up and started hangeling to me and I had no clue as to what he was saying.

So i just said "hangel mal, mo-ly-o." (korean language I don't know) : featured in Korean in my title, as I've been working on writing and reading it.

His granddaughter (prolly 12) came up to me and asked me a few questions, regardless of her nervous and diffident giggling, she said:

what's your name
where are you from: seoul (haha, she laughed and said, 'really??')
how are you?

It was pretty funny, I love this country. This is part of why:

We left for Waydaldo Saturday and caught the 2:20 ferry out there, it took about 40 minutes and runs until 6:30 for anyone who is in Korea and needs that info. It was amazing.

Mokpo has 1000 islands surrounding it, some inhabited, some not...

Carlo was not impressed with our minibok:

Carlo and I shared it, and one MASSIVE dude named Chris.

Hey Chris, I found your sleeping bag...

They had a water park on the island, filled with chlorinated saltwater, that was a bit different from the water park I'm used to seeing...haha.

2 weekends ago we celebrated Steve's 213rd birthday, on Jindo Island. In a bogata.





Marie did good with Steve's birthday


haha, i love these pics

"let it be" quickly turned into 'let it steve' (which really made no sense)

Monday through Friday its a job, Friday at 5:30 til Sunday at 11:00...its a vacation

Monday was a bit odd. I found out that I've got 31 3rd grade munchkins, 19 4th graders, 19 5th graders and 7 6th graders for my 4 week English camp. It wouldn't be Korea with out an odd one week 'preparation-teaching-time.' Haha, I've got all my lesson plans on google docs and all the games ready to go. I'm set.

So, during the week of being at work from 9 to 5 not teaching or lesson planning...I will apply to grad school at:

THE University of Houston,
Texas State University,
Florida Atlantic University,
Pepperdine University,
Chaminade University (in hawaii),
Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis. haha, IUPUI. I love saying that one

Next week will decide if I will apply to the University of Notre Dame Australia, in Freemantle...If they have the same accreditation as the other schools, I'll prolly go there...for REAL!!!

A year ago I graduated college, and a year later I'm deciding on graduate schools stretching from Hawaii to Florida. What am i doing with my LIFE?!?!? haha

I said no to re-signing: WHY?!? I LOVE IT HERE!

No really, I need to go to grad school. Its a good idea.

So, I guess we'll start with this: The way it is in Korea, is you say hello to EVERYONE. Its so simple, I don't know why people bitch about it. Anyong-ha-sayo. Simple. To friends is simply anyong. In which the VP did to me the other day.

We'll start with this lady:

I've been excused from one of the basic professional needs, knowing names. You've met my co-teachers, Mrs. Park and Hanna. Now we'll meet some more. The lady above is called 'morning' as that is all the knows in English. Every morning I say "morning" and she just finally got it. One of the nicest ladies ever! She pulled me in real close for this shot. On my birthday she sang: "Oh say can you see" in the happy birthday rhythm. She's awesome, no sarcasm!

Oddly enough this is Hanguel (which is the Korean word for...Korean). He's a buddy, he's a P.E teacher who majored in English and will most likely take over for when Mrs. Park has her kid.

This, is Mrs. Park. My illusive 3rd co-teacher who is normally late. She's 5 mths pregnant now and is a bit of a tyro English speaker. Though, as any Korean is to me, one of the nicest ever.

This is the boss. El presidente as I secretly call him, the principal of Seoukhyung Elementary. Bit of an awkward picture, he really had me there....He's a great guy though.



Speaking of nice people, here's Hundizzly. AKA, homegirl. She's teaching 2nd gradas now.



Caught me a bit off guard there Hunni, she took the pic too quick!

This is the Vice Principal and he pretty much runs the school. He's a hell of a guy, who gave my Dad one of the biggest most classiest bows ever. He's an interesting guy, he's got logic. Something that lacks in South Korea.

For instance, the story over Summer is that instead of July 18th to Sept. 3rd off, I've got 4 weeks worth of teaching from 9 to 12. Then 'desk warming' until 5. Ideal for a potential graduate student yes, but also a bit odd to force someone to stay at work until 5. Regardless of what they may do...

- Play Call of Duty 4
- NOT study for the fallacy that is the GRE (see facebook note, in 1753 studies...its works 43% of the time, EVERY TIME)
- Not blog, as I've been kicked out of blogger.
- Email every institution in America about their Psychology programs
- Work on publishing work on the cognition of quarterbacks
- Apply (to the 7th power) to graduate schools. yes i'm applying to 7 schools.
- Facebook
- Mess with the kids (seriously its a goal of mine everyday to make a korean say "really?!?")

I mean it, I"M NOT COMPLAINING, but, I could do that from a coppee shop.

Well, I'm glad you asked. A few things I've gotten kids saying 'really' about:
1. I know Barack Obama.
2. I'm 55 (born in 1965, ah crap, I gotta change that to 1955....damn math) bahha
3. I have 4 girlfriends (gwangju, seoul, texas-uh, mokpo)
4. I know 'sarah-teacher' (a hagwon friend of mine)
5. Many, many many many many more. they're kids!

Speaking of kids: here's Lukey and I on my cowboy themed birthday:

...longest I've ever worn a cowboy hat.

The weekend before the craziness that was June 5th, 2010 (we celebrated saturday night - and confused by Koreans as a Canadian holiday cause there were so many foreigners out). We went to a baseball game in Gwangju. About 45 minutes up the road, Kwangju is. Korean am I.

Hanguel (korean) is spoken in Yoda form: and there is no G, P, B, V, L, and a few others dictated by the word. (ladio = radio for instance). the L and R confusion thing.

Meju hana juice say o. (one beer please).
Odie, guy o? (where are you going?).
Je sagin juice say o (please give me those pictures)
Kesung hi-plus ca juice say o (please take me to kesung hi-plus)
Hanguel mal, mo ly o (i don't know korean language)

Notice the lack of articles, big toughie in teaching.








These explain themselves. They're shouting KIA, KIA, KIA!!! And yes, that is live. octopus.