Winter's a-comin'

Well, I just got back from Itaewon. I was on a mission to pick up a winter coat. The one I got probably wouldn't survive the winter in Canada, but it'll do just fine here. It's a grey North Face jacket, (a brand name which I have always liked for their styles). It put me back a few clams, but I have felt less guilty recently about spending money... Maybe because I've paid down a huge portion of my visa bills and am pulling some nice coin...

I had the opportunity to head to Hongdae tonight to go dancing and what not... I wasn't up for it. An evening at home seems so much more comfortable... less noisy, and less tiring.

Speaking of tiring, all the teachers at our school had to get up early today to come into work (on a Saturday). I could have been pissed, but I knew that it was written into my contract and I was expecting it sooner or later - the reason that we had to come in was for a new student recruitment workshop thingy for the parents of new students. We had to dress up all fancy and what not and look like good teachers... appearance is everything! So, having said that, I'm tired. I usually sleep in on Saturdays and sometimes get up early on Sundays to go hashing - so here it is, 10:40, and I'm dozing off.

Well, that's about it. It may seem like my updates these days are pointless - they are really... I'm just trying to get into more of a routine in updating my blogs. What say you, folks? Quality over quantity? Or "it's good to be regular"?

Cheers!

Recently, we went to the Botanical Gardens. It wasn't very botanical, as all the trees, plants, and shrubbery (Yay, I used the word shrubbery) were all pretty much kaputz for the fall. There was a cool playground for the kids though and a cool hedge maze for the adults (er... kids). Here's my class! 

One of the helper teachers at the school. They don't actually teach though - they are support staff who look after the kids when the teachers are otherwise occupied. They also help at snack time and important things like that.  

A photo of Sophia, a teacher at our school. 

Here is Lois. She's my cooperating teacher. Lois is super nice.  

Erika partly unaware I'm taking pictures. Heh heh heh... 

This was the plant that was the most alive, as far as I could tell in the whole place. Whose idea was it anyway to come to a botanical garden near the end of fall? 

This is called an Angbuilgu. It's a concave sundial. It was super cool because it was all polished and space-age looking, while at the same time looking ancient. Apparently, not only does it tell time, but it also tracks seasons. Strangely, it measures time in 1-hour-and-10-minute intervals.  

Here is .... um... Alice (I think), checking the time. Alice is in Rob's class. Teacher - this isn't digital is it? Does it play MP3's? 

I dunno... I was taking a photo of the center of a poinsettia. This photo could have been better... 

A few days ago it was Rob's birthday. Happy Birthday, Rob! Nothing makes birthdays more fun than party hats... yessiree... 

Phone Testing, Part Deux

Yes, one more month and one more round of phone testing. Yay!

Answers this time around weren't as great, but as usual, Ally was a gem. :-) If she doesn't listen in class, steals from other kids, is cheeky, or anything else, I love her for her phone testing conversations. Here's this month's installment:

Ben: Hi, Ally! It's Ben Teacher.

Ally: Hi, Ben Teacher.

Ben: How are you today, Ally?

Ally: I am fine thank you. (** This is a pre-programmed response that all students employ - they could be bleeding heavily from their chest and they would respond "I am fine thank you".)

Ben: Good! Are you ready for phone testing?

Ally: Yes.

Ben: Alright! Great! Question one: What letter does the word "Tiger" start with?

Ally: T!

Ben: Good job Ally! Ok, do you remember the story "I like"? What do you like?

Ally: ................(silence)

Ben: Ally? Hello, Ally?

Ally: ................(silence)

Ben: Alright, Ally - remember: "I like oranges...." "I like grapes...." What do YOU like?

Ally: Oranges!

Ben: Ok, good!

Ally: Ben Teacher, I'm watching TV!

Ben: That's nice, Ally! Ok, do you remember the story "Hello"? What are some animals from "Hello"?

Ally: Oranges!

Ben: No, oranges aren't animals, Ally... Remember "Hello Lion"... "Hello Zebra"...

Ally: ..............(silence)

Ben: "Hello Hippo".... "Hello__________"...

Ally: ................(silence)

Ben: Ally? Remember "Hello Tiger".... "Hello ...."

Ally: ...................(silence)

Ben: (At this point, I realize I'm talking to myself - which to me, is rather amusing, because I'm reciting kindergarten books to myself)

Ally: *click*

Ben: Hello? Hello?

Ally has hung up the phone. I think I lost her to the TV... so I call back.

Ben: Hello, Ally?

Ally: *giggle*

Ben: Ok, Ally. Let's move on. Next question: Is Ben teacher funny?

Ally: Yeeessss.

Ben: Ok, good! Do you like to play in the gym?

Ally: Yessssss.

Ben: Who do you like to play with?

Ally: Yesssssss.

Ben: Who? Who do you like to play with?

Ally: Michelle.

Ben: Good. Ok, one last question, Ally! What is one S-word?

Ally: Goodbye Ben teacher!

Ben: Wait, no, Ally......*click*

I think Ally's catching on that she doesn't REALLY need to try. :-) I have another student named John who speaks fairly fluently in class and understands well, but when I talk to him on the phone, all he ever says is "huh?" Literally, I slow down to a crawl, enunciate, use simple words, and truncate my sentences to simple noun-verb pairs, and all he still says is "huh?". I think he's catching on too. I think it's a game for him. :-)

The only other interesting question responses came from the question "If you met an alien, what would you do?" Here's what they responded:

Jeff:"I'd kill him!"

Jessie:"I'd kill him and take his pet!"

Billy:"I'd talk to him"
Ben: "What would you say to him?"
Billy: "onweiunceikrjnfiuwhty!"

Well, that's about it for this round of phone testing... I can't wait for next month. I think I'm going to start tailoring my testing questions to maximize the humourous responses. I used to dread phone testing - now I love it.

The Coffee Fairies have Smiled Upon Me

Well, it seems like I had a decent weekend, from my vantage point...

On Friday, I was planning on having a quiet evening by myself at home, but got dragged out to the bar. Similarily, on Saturday, I was planning on having a quiet day at home, but got dragged out to the bar. Nonetheless, I was glad to get dragged, masochist that I am... Sunday was the much-anticipated hash that Jammies, Duck, and I had scouted the weekend before. It was a great hash, but I also felt like a tool because I was late waking up (my alarm didn't go off), and consequently, Terri and Chantal bailed because I was 15 minutes late. Sounds like they had a pretty eventful Saturday evening and were pretty tired. The hash started really late, but got underway with bells on, and the hike was great. The weather was a tad chilly, but HEY, it's November... Afterwards, we had the down-downs at Jammies' place and finished up with a fabulous BBQ - I think I ate more meat that night than I have so far over 5 months in Korea. It was delicious. :-) Good on ya, Jammies!

Since then, I've been taking it easy at home. I am enjoying my time alone... well, alone with my PS2 that I bought a while back in Yongsan... I know, I know - I'm in Korea and not taking advantage of my time abroad - well, I have 12 months here... I can take a week or two to veg. So sue me! :-)

Speaking of spending time alone, I've been hanging out at a local coffee shop in Migeum that totally rules. I haven't been able to find many decent coffee places that serve strong, black, brewed coffee. The place that I found is called "Cafe the Leafy". It serves mostly espresso-based drinks, but upon special request, they will make up a small pot of drip coffee. Coffee in Korea is... well... not that good (except for this place I found). Generally, they adhere to instant coffees and coffee in... (wait for it)... YES, CANS. I never thought that I would drink coffee from a can, and was opposed to it (and wouldn't have drunk it if it were my choice), but someone bought me a can so I had to drink it. It tasted somewhat like hot chocolate what with all the sugar and cream included automatically. Non-instant black coffee is super rare. But having said all of that, Cafe the Leafy is a great place, where they really know how to make it right and take lots of care to prepare it properly. The other day, they served me a mochacino that had a picture of a cat dusted into the foam with cocoa... talk about presentation! The owner is really nice and I'm recognized as a regular now - there is even a special that if you buy a coffee, you get a slice of cake added for free. Mmmmmm.

My private lesson didn't show up again - for about the 3rd time. It's nice to have the time off, but spending the subway fare to get there and find out they're not around isn't fun, and neither is foregoing the cash. It makes me worried that meeting with them again tonight isn't going to turn out...

Strange things have been happening over the past few months - uncanny unconscious predictions of future events - I will be thinking about a particular person and they will call minutes later. I would normally just pass this off as coincidence (and heck, it probably is), but it's really strange. I have even dreamt about my parents and then woken up minutes before they call. I dunno what to think of all this... ;-)

Well, here are some more pictures of South Korea in the fall. I have had a special request to make this edition of the blog update "extra funny"... perhaps I should include reference to whoopie cushions? Or maybe slipping on a banana peel? Strangely, I feel somewhat like Strongbad when he was asked to draw a "ka-raaaaaaazzy cartoon"... 

A tree that jumped the gun when Mother Nature said "Get Naked - GO!" 

So pretty...*sigh* 

Look how HUGE these leaves are, man! I mean, they're bigger than my hand! And believe me, I have BIG HANDS... nudge nudge, wink wink. 

This leaf is even bigger! 

Some trees. And some building. And some gate. And some sky. But no elephants. 

On the way to work. The days are shorter and the weather is colder... The leaves are changing colour, and my heart is struck asunder by the... oops sorry (I lapse into poetry sometimes)... 

For some reason, I was really impressed by this sight. It was so... monolithic. Was that a period of dinosaur history? In any case, the white always stands out against the night sky and makes this building look very...um... monolithic. 

Fruit vendors set up their wares on the streets (Is fruit a "ware"? Or does "wares" only refer to products you make yourself?)... pictured here are yummy fruits... as well as not-so-yummy fruits. The prices are "per-basket". 

This... is Jude. Jude is refined... sophisticated... debonaire. Some call him a Cassanova - a lady's man, if you will ................................. What the heck are the ladies THINKING?!?!?!

Charlie IS the Queen of Kindness!.....

...And here's the "Queen of Kindness" beating up a little kid... 

In case you can't make out the writing on this garbage can that Terri bought, it reads: "Beauty IS the eye of the beholder. The most luxury HOUSEWRE." (emphasis added). Apparently, the beholder is pretty handsome... or beautiful, I suppose. 

The sunset from the top of the mountain that I climbed this past Sunday with Jammies and Duck.  

Overlooking a huge portion of Bundang... there's a left and right portion to this picture, and I will stitch them together to make a great panoramic picture some night when I get the software figured out... tonight is not that night.