hostage

thought of a story that happened about a month ago that I wanted to share.  probably the funniest hostage situation ever to happen.  Wolfish (my friend) and I were leaving my apartment to get lunch, so we hopped in the elevator.  A grandma and her grandson entered the elevator but the lady forgot something in her apartment.  the little kid walked out of the elevator and stared at wolfish and me.  We thought it was kinda cute and so we waved to the little guy who immediately started to laugh.  Then, the kid started pushing the elevator button to hold the door open... essentially holding us hostage on the 15th floor.  we laughed the first time and the kid burst out into laughter.  I thought it would end there, but the kid wouldn't stop... we said bye to him and eventually, after about 20 seconds he let the door close.  FINALLY.  Unfortunately, this kid had the timing down so that as soon as the doors closed he would hit the button again and keep us on the 15th floor.  It was like an epic game of peek-a-boo for him and wolfish and I were stuck there for his entertainment.  He did this approximately 10 times... It was the funniest thing I've ever seen a kid do, and I couldn't really be mad at him.  At last the grandma showed up and apologized to us.  I didn't really care, I kinda got a kick out of it.
Not much one can do either... go kick the kid so he falls over??? nope.
yell at a kid in public for pushing a button?  nope... just a funny event.

Monday is a holiday to celebrate the founding of the current government after the japanese occupation.  This allows me to watch football w/o having the longest day of classes, so it's a welcomed holiday.  I suppose I'm happy that korea found its independence from japan, too.  congrats korea, ya did it!  (with a little help from the state of the world in 1945...)

Big week in wisconsin sports as well.  I think all brewers fans are relieved that we finally made it to the post season with the ability to make a splash... we've had quite a few good years with little ability to do much in the playoffs.  Badgers are playing Nebraska in Madison in a night game... I'm almost happy that I don't live there anymore because I'm not sure I could handle the day's activities.  notice the emphasis on almost.. there's nothing I'd like more than to be in madison on a cool fall day celebrating the badgers with all my friends.  maybe next year.  Last, the packers stand to start the season 4-0 with the majority of our team all healthy, CRAZY!  Prediction:  GBP 42 :  DB 13.

I also predict wins for the brewers and badgers in what ends up being one of the best weeks of wisconsin sports, EVER.

enjoy the games!

keith

awesome day

I found my old barber who I thought retired.  awesome.

ROK update

G'afternoon,

I'll catch you up on some of the recent events in Korea.  The end of August brought a mass exodus of friends and fellow English teachers.  It was both fun and sad at the same time as we celebrated everyone's successful year in Korea.  Now that is all over and I am left to adjust to my new social scene (or lack there of).  I have not noticed my sudden lack of friends so much due to my recent discovery of a partially torn labrum in my shoulder.  I had experienced quite a bit of pain while playing volleyball at my school which led me to visit the doctor to solve the issue.  Eight x-rays, an MRI, and several hundreds of dollars later we discovered the problem, and I have been told to take a rest for the next few weeks.  I'm also on a heavy concoction of pain killers and muscle relaxers that leave my shoulder feelin' reaaaalllyyy good.  So far the process has been pretty good thanks to an awesome doctor who speaks nearly perfect English.  We discussed his English ability as he stuck me with the biggest freakin' needle I've ever seen.  I don't think he was purposely taking a long time to administer the three shots, but he was clearly in no rush, either.  So, I'm poppin pills like they're tic-tacs every day, and that has thrown a kink in weekend plans as I can't drink while taking the pills.  I had a couple beers during a recent holiday ending with poor results, but that story is for another time.  

The weather in Korea has taken a turn for the better as the temperatures have been hovering around 70 during the day, and mid 50's at night.  Finally, I don't show up to school with a darker shirt than when I left my apartment...  Sweating balls and trying to hide it really sucks at a school full of kids that feel the need to point out every imperfection the teacher has.  I usually respond to their jabs with my ability to pronounce the letters 'l' 'j' and 'z'.  But I digress... the weather is beautiful leading to more time outside.  Throwing a frisbee has been doable w/ my shoulder, but a football/baseball/basketball has proven to be a bit painful.  Hopefully this weather sticks around for a few more weeks before jackets are needed.  

A new crop of UW grads has landed in Korea to teach, but Korea is in the midst of downsizing the number foreigners in public schools.  Last year I landed in Korea with 50 or 60 other UW grads, and this year there was 20 or so.  It's too bad that this opportunity will not be available to young graduates in the coming years, as I do believe it has been and continues to be a unique opportunity.  I suppose many other countries offer such opportunities, however for less pay/benefits.   

Hopefully I meet some of these new UW people soon.  Perhaps we can watch a badger game or two.  

And lastly, this weekend is the big Oktoberfest weekend in La Crosse (probably Germany too) and I am jealous of everyone who gets to celebrate.  Hopefully the weather is nice, and the parade is sunny.  

over & out. 

keith

some vids of the kids

My first few weeks back from the US were a bit easier than regular classes.  I taught summer classes that lasted only 1/2 the day, then I got to go home.  That was a treat, and it was a bit difficult to get back into the swing of things once the days went to 5 O' clock opposed to 12.  

I thought I'd share a few videos that my kids did during the summer camp.  The students spent part of an hour making their own scripts, then they practiced, and finally we video taped them doing a morning news show.  Overall I was VERY impressed with the kids' abilities and composure.  Here are some videos from my 3rd and 4th graders.

If I get time I'll post a few more from different grades.  

In other news, everyone I know in Korea is departing in the coming days.  It's hard to believe that it has been a full year since I came to Korea, but indeed it has been.  It's a bit sad to see everyone go, however I'm sure the coming year will be good and full of surprises (it is korea, after all).  The last week or so we've tried to get together as much as possible, and had a solid day/night in Seoul yesterday.  

The weather has also gotten better.  It has actually been really sunny and a bit less humid, but still REALLY hot.  Anything is better than what we had for the entire month of July... that was simply torture.  

That is all for now.  I'll try to think of more things to say next time.

-keith

Walk to Work

Sometimes when it is raining so hard I try to take a bus, even though my walk is about 20 minutes.  I figure it's faster and dryer, so why not?

I was waiting for the bus today and a car did this in front of the bus stop.  Everyone screamed and acted dramatic, I was too pissed off to say or do anything.

When I got to work the co-teachers told me they have never seen a typhoon season like this, and that it usually lasts between one or two weeks.

Here is an article (English) about the typhoon season from the Korea Herald.

I also just realized I could use hyperlinks and thus the three links in the last two posts.  COOL.

stay dry,

keith

typhoon season

It's been over two months since I've blogged and I'm afraid if I don't use it I'll lose it.

A variety of things have happened since I last wrote and I'll try to touch on a few of them.
First, typhoon season is in full effect and it is quite possibly the most depressing thing I've ever encountered.  The rain is unrelenting and sometimes unpredictable.  Looking at the 5 or 10 day forecast is useless because every day it just says a 90% chance of rain and sometimes thunderstorms.  Initially the rain was welcomed because the humidity was brutal, however some how the rain doesn't reduce the humidity to a manageable level... I'm still sweating an absurd amount and the kids think I'm a monster.  The walk to school is the worst because I will sweat through a clean shirt by the time I get to school and I have to either change shirts or dry out with a fan quickly before the students arrive.  Also, the mornings of heavy rain make for a difficult walk to school because my pants are soaked and usually parts of my shirt are too by the time I get to school... Umbrellas are no match for this weather!!!  I've killed 4 or 5 umbrellas in the last two weeks, and the most recent one (bought it yesterday) doesn't seem like it'll last much longer, either.
This sums up typhoon season rather well.
The rain has been SO ridiculous that we had landslides near Seoul and it derailed a subway on line 1 (my line).  I don't think anyone died, but a handful of injuries I'm sure.  The initial storm that kicked off the season was particularly brutal as it killed 7 and a handful more were missing for quite some time.  Luckily, I slept through the typhoon and woke up to clear skies.
I'm certainly looking forward to the Wisconsin weather when I get back in late July!  I suppose it'll be the dog days of summer, but hopefully we have a few hot/dry days so I can get a few rounds of golf in with friends.  Warm weather and the ability to hangout outside while grilling has been one of the more common daydreams I've used to get myself through the long afternoons of doing nearly nothing.

Classes are somewhat over for the semester, which has been kind of nice.  For some unknown reason the students have their finals day two weeks before the end of the semester... this leads to two problems.  1- students do not care about anything and thus are the most unmotivated/horrible creatures on Earth.  This is scientific fact... they're worthless.  2- my curriculum is finished and now I have to babysit/teach for a week and a half... movies have been my most effective weapon against the monsters.  Luckily, I have not shown many movies (none actually) to them, so I've been picking out pixar movies to show each class.  This has essentially ruined all pixar movies for me since I watch the same 40 minute clip 2 or 3 times in a row and repeated for the next 40 minute segment the following day...  Oh well, I'm just trying to survive until next friday.

Weekends have been a mix of dinners, drinks, and rec team sports.  My attendance to frisbee was poor, but I had one good excuse and a handful of other excuses that pass in my book but not for nearly anyone else.  However, my attendance to volleyball league has been perfect and I've thoroughly enjoyed my time playing with my new team.  The whole team is a good group of people who enjoy the games and make a point to laugh along the way... I can't say the same for some of the other teams so far.

Next Friday I'll be finishing up my first week of English Summer Camp 2011, and I'll be high-tailing it to Incheon Int'l Airport to make the long trek home.  Excited would be an understatement, but I'm sure the time will fly before my vacation.  It'll be nice to see the family all together which seems to be hard to do for many reasons.  This may be a good time to also mention and congratulate my brother, Josh, and his girlfriend/fiancee, Angela, on their engagement and recent move!  Couldn't be happier for them, and I couldn't have asked for a better family as a whole... now I just need to get out to Wyoming to visit them! (more travel!!!)

This year is quickly coming to an end, and although I'll be here for another year after I return from the US in August, it definitely is a bit sad to see this year come to a close.  I've made a few great friends and I'm positive we'll be good friends when I return back to the US permanently.  It'll be sad to see those people go back to the US while I stay here for a whole year alone.  Of course those are the same words I said about leaving my friends in Madison to come to Korea, so I'm certain I'll make new friends and be more than fine.

Well this post was going to be a quick rant about typhoons and it quickly got out of hand.  Semi-sorry about that.  Not really though.

Best regards to those who've made it through all my blathering,

Keith

things I've laughed at recently

The students got a much needed breather this week due to our school's sports day followed by Children's Day (national holiday).  Last week was their midterms, and clearly the students were running on fumes the last few days.  Wednesday was sports day and the entire school was out on the playground to cheer on their team.  It was a good mix of running events and random games that I had never seen before, so I got a kick out of the whole thing.  Koreans have a warmup routine that is used before every gym class or sporting event to loosen up the body, so the students lined up by class and went through the motions of the 'national stretching song' while I laughed and tried to take pictures.  It reminded me of George Orwell's 'Nineteen Eighty-four' as teachers scoped out the crowd for the rebels who were unwilling to bend all the way, and the heavy usage of the term 'big brother' strengthens the comparison.  

hana, dul, set, net

Next up were some running/relay events.  The little kids race was hilarious as they haven't quite developed their running skills enough to do a whole race without a lot of falling over.  They're too concerned with where their neighbor is to focus on not face planting.  Those races ended in a fair amount of tears, luckily there was an ice cream stand near the school to quell the sobs.  Also I found it funny how the kids would run with their heads pointed up/chin first. 

Next up were some of the games.  I'll share just a few that stuck out to me.  One involved a large ball that was perhaps 4 feet tall.  They had little kids (1st grade?  2nd perhaps?) push the ball to the middle of the field and turn around and push it back where they would give it to the next group to do the same thing.  The kids got a big kick out of pushing the ball as fast as they could, but they didn't put much thought to how they should stop the ball.  This led to a lot of casualties in the waiting line as the ball would come barreling in and the kids weren't paying attention.  The ball won that battle every time, launching kids a few feet and into tears.  

some kid is donebar

Another event was quite similar to a piñata, except instead of using a stick the kids were given a bunch of hackysacks to throw at the ball.  A few unfortunate teachers were tasked with holding the pole that held the ball, needless to say they were pelted over and over again.  The students were too weak so parents rushed the field to take care of business... the teachers were none too pleased.  

sooo much homework was given out after this event

Two events that went over really well were the adult races and tug-of-war, more commonly known as pull the rope in korea...  Nothing better than moms running as hard as they can in street clothes and flimsy shoes or high heels.  The mens races were impressive with one dude wiping out pretty hard.  

winners

losers

other things that have recently made me laugh...

Nate and I were at a local watering hole the other evening, throwin darts and sippin on some barley water when an open mic session started up.  The MC was rockin out his first song, Wonderwall, by Oasis and when he got to the line 'after all, you're my wonderwall' it came out as 'and afterawrrrrr, you're my wonderwarrrrrr' and i couldn't keep it together.  South Park's interpretation of a korean accent is spot on!

That'll do it for now, hope all is well with whoever reads this.

-keith