"Hymn to the Sea"

 

After a five day mourning period, the 46 lost sailors of the Naval frigate Cheonan were laid to rest today at the Daejeon National Cemetery.

South Korea's ROKS Cheonan (PCC-772) was sunk on March 26th, 2010 due to presently unknown reasons. However, at this point in time, it is believed to be an external explosion due to a torpedo or even a mine. The ship was on patrol on the hotly disputed Northern limit lines in the Yellow Sea. Since the area has been under dispute, and there is speculation of the North Korea's (the DPRK) involvement, as there have been multiple incidents over the last 10 years. In May of 2009 the "North stated that it 'will not guarantee the legal status' of five South Korean islands near the disputed inter-Korean border in the Yellow Sea." Specifically, claims have been made that this may be retaliation for the incident back in November of 2009 which caused a North Korean vessel to sustain damage. The DPRK's vessel allegedly was on routine patrol, crossed the Northern Limit Line, and was chased back over the line by the South. (Apparently a flexing of muscles preceding President Obama's visit at the time).

Also, rumors have been abound that the DPRK is not denying the incident, and even bragging about it, as it strengthens it's military image as a force to be reckoned with and instills some fear in the much more prosperous South. Even claims that "human torpedoes" were used to sink the Cheonan. Again, this is all rumors and isn't backed up by any facts except for reports from what I personally consider unreliable newspapers.

The reasoning for the torpedo theory is because the ship was recovered from the sea floor in 2 parts. The metal from the ship was folded inwards, making an internal explosion an impossibility.

Before

After

The BBC also reported the following:

After an initial examination the following observations and explanations have been announced to the public.

• The skin of the ship was bent inwards, pointing to an external rather than an internal explosion, a conclusion given further weight by the fact that the ship's weapons storage area is intact
• There are no signs of scraping, or of a collision, ruling out the possibility that the ship ran aground
• There is no evidence of soot or melting on the skin of the ship, suggesting that the external explosion took place some distance away from the hull

The sinking of the Cheonan is indeed tragic and heartbreaking for South Koreans. 46 young sailors have died, not including a naval rescue diver who died during the week-long salvage/rescue attempt. Of the 46 dead, "thirty-eight were found in the stern, one in the funnel of the stern, and the remaining one in the gyrocompass room in the bow that was salvaged on Saturday. The other six may have been thrown off the ship in the explosion or swept away by tides."

This incident also has international complications. If the DPRK is proven to be at fault, how should the South react? Further military escalation would only worsen relations. The ROK and USA are two countries who do not want to see escalation. Seoul lies only a short way from the DMZ and is easily in striking distance and an all out war would cost millions of lives - quite possibly my own! Although, the case for that is relatively slim. If the North full-out attacked, it would mean the end of their regime as they would be driven back at a high cost of lives on both sides. If for some reason the DPRK took over the South, reunification would have no hope, and resistance would be fierce. The DPRK seems itching for the South to attack first. Maybe as to not be seen as the aggressor in international light, or maybe because it has realized that it is a dying country with food shortages and economic difficulties among other issues..

Personally, I suspect that the incident to basically blow over but never be forgotten. Yet another strain on an already tense situation.

"Bang!"

I have no classes today, so I'm wasting time blogging about some cool videos on the web.

1. Tiny Apartment Transforms into 24 Rooms

2. Build a Tower, Build a Team

3. Why Couldn't The Girls In My Marching Band Look Like This?

After School - "BANG!"

4.Child Endangerment Has Never Been So Fun!

"Spring, Spring, Spring"

Me: Hey Spring, how's it going?
Spring: Not too bad. How about you?
Me: I'm good. Dude, where have you been?
Spring: Well, I was caught up in the States for a little while wreaking havoc with summer-like days, preceded by historic flooding.
Me: You jerk! Well it's good to have you here, it's been awfully cold here. We haven't been able to get out much and enjoy the weather.
Spring: Sorry bro, I made it as fast as I could.
Me: Ok, Ok...I'm just glad you're finally here. Let's have some fun!


Now that spring is here, I can finally get out of my apartment and start enjoying the outdoors! Last week's cherry blossom festival was nice, but still a bit cold. I've been wearing a winter jacket everywhere!

This weekend was pretty fun though, and we've made a lot of plans for most of the next few months.

On Friday I attended my friend Ashley's 23rd birthday at T.G.I.Friday's in Bucheon. She likes to make me feel old, as some of us in the older crowd were making fun that the Challenger explosion happened before she was born. To which she replied. "What's the Challenger?" (insert face-palm here)

Saturday, Hwayoung and I explored more of Boramae Park - the huge park near here apartment which we often go to. (see my October post here) We've picniced there, played badminton, and walked the track. This weekend we climbed nearby hills that were covered in cherry blossom petals which also closely resemble a light pink snowfall. I was also surprised at how large the park really was. There are multiple community centers; one for young children, one for teenagers, and one for seniors. They also have a small reading room building that was packed with people studying, and are building a new library next to it. A handful of gutted planes and helicopters are also propped up as a small aeronautical museum, as the property used to be an air force base from 1958 to 1985.

Sunday we caught an afternoon movie in Sindorim. We chose "Kick Ass" which I must say was disturbingly violent and only mediocre in it's comedy. It's definitely a 16-24 year old's kind of movie. But I couldn't help but laugh at how absurd it was at times.

After the movie we walked by a small outdoor theater which was rehearsing for a ComiCon style talent show. It was bizzare and corny, so we left.

 

Our plan for the day was to meet up with our friends Min-young and Song-un, as Song-un and I wanted to get together to see a baseball game. Song-un's favorite team is the Hanwha Eagles based out of Daejeon, and seeing as I have no affiliation or support towards any team besides by beloved Red Sox, I had to root for them as well! The Eagles were the away team, as they were playing in Jamsil (home to the LG Twins and Doosan Bears).

It was a fast game, as there was only about 10 hits in the entire game. The Twins scored 3 runs in the 7th or 8th inning, and the game was pretty much over. I must be bad luck.

 

 

Next weekend we're planning on going to The Jeonju International Film Festival. Hwayoung used to work as a film director and producer after college, and still has connections with some people in the business. We also plan on visiting a folk village. Stay tuned for more next week!

"Manly Men"

What a great Tuesday it was!

Due to the preparations for exams, I only had to teach 2 classes (we watched a Mr. Bean video for most of it too).

After school I had been invited to play in a male faculty vs. male student soccer game. I was actually looking forward to it a few weeks ago when they scheduled it, (even though I'm not very good at soccer). Since I injured my back, I decided it would be best not to play. I was a good spectator and got the students who were watching to do cheers in English.

Following the match, the male teachers all got together and set up an outdoor grill next to the school. A handful of guys brought out a slew of side dishes, and the main dish: grilled eel (구장어 이) and pork-neck (목살).

I was a bit wary at first about the eel, but it was FANTASTIC. If you add a little salt or some spicy pepper paste it's even better!

We even kicked back some beers and soju, while some of the men broke out their cigarettes for dessert. Add another reason I love Korea. If this happened in the US someone would be fired, and a parent would sue the school. Yet, the bad side of it -- some of the teachers were a little drunk and then started talking with the taekwondo students who got out of practice late. I'm sure the kids are used to seeing some teachers a little drunk - it's no better than the majority of their fathers.

Even my principal made a comment about how Koreans love to drink. He said: "Russia numbah-one drunken, then Korea, then Canada, then America."  He's pretty much right with that one.

After the dinner we piled into a van and drove the 1/4 mile to downtown Sanbon to a bar to finish off a couple pitchers. Surprisingly, I did not get drunk at all in this escapade like last year, but was probably the most sober person there.

It was really great to bond with some of the teachers, particularly a new teacher who is about my age and loves baseball. I have a feeling we'll be good friends, and can't wait to go to a game with him this spring.

My principal and one of the head teachers later challenged Jordan and I to a game of "pocketball" (pool) where the losing team would have to pay for the time. Luckily, I was the most sober and made a lot of my shots. We beat them both times and further proved how awesome us westerners are.

The rest of this week will be pretty slow. The 1st and 2nd graders are away for a 3 day field trip to go hiking and traveling to a traditional Korean village a couple hours away. I watched them load up the fleet of 10 buses and had to take a photo on my cell phone:

I wished I was going to see some amazing places, but then I remembered I would have to help babysit 500+ students on a field trip for 3 days! Now, I'm so happy I'm NOT going!

"Gift"

Here are a bunch of videos worth watching.

I'm refraining from only posting K-Pop as there are some other great videos out there:

Enjoy!

K.Will - Gift (ft. G-One, U-Kiss, B2ST, Mblaq)

Outsider - Acquaintance 

He is the fastest rapper in South Korea

Now for some amazing western singing:

AHMIR: The Climb (Miley Cyrus)

Sam Tsui - Nothin On You & Hey Soul Sister (ft. AHMIR)

And just for fun: 

Simon and Martina - Korean Subtitle Fail.

"Blossom Smile Some Sunshine Down My Way "

Wow, what an eventful week it has been!

We're gearing up for mid-terms in a week, and the Korean teachers have been hard at work. As for us conversation teachers, we are looking forward to the next few weeks. When exam time comes around, our classes are usually taken over by the co-teachers whose classes are less prepared for the exams. This is usually about half of them, and I get a lot more free time to do lesson planning and fool around online.

I've also taken on an extra 2 classes a week after school to earn some extra cash, but the student attendance has slowly been dwindling and I've actually had to cancel the next 2 weeks of classes because the kids told me they were not coming because the need to study. Thank you diligent students!

In other news...

I threw out my back about 3 weeks ago after a rather intense game of badminton. I have thrown my back out before, but I have usually just rested and the pain has dissipated into oblivion. Also, ever since my second year of college, I have had lower back pain which I mainly attributed to my being overweight. I've dropped about 30 pounds this year, and the pain is still there.

I also visited my girlfriend's blind acupuncture doctor (click here for my January post if you need a refresher) and he told me that my spine is twisting and should be fixed as soon as possible so I don't look like this guy when I'm older:

I thought about visiting her doctor for treatment, but his office is over an hour away on the subway, and I would have to visit 2-3 times a week. He also closes his office at 6pm, and I get out of work around 4:30-5:00. This would NOT be ideal...

Instead, we found a local chiropractor about a 1 minute walk from my apartment. (Top Chiropractor) The chiropractor is also blind, but handles only a small portion of the treatment. The main treatment is done by a physical therapist who has the hands of a God. I laid on a heated bed as this small Korean man worked miracles. I could feel the pain in my back being pushed out my shoulders, then my arms and out through my fingers. The treatment is not exactly cheap. Either $50 per visit, or $700 for 20 visits. (I have to do the 20 visits of course). I also have to do some small exercises every day to strenghten some muscles. Also, I am supposed to sleep straight like a corpse. This will not happen easily, as I tend to move a lot in my sleep and usually sleep on my side or stomach. The day after my first treatment I felt super sore from the massage, but hopefully it will go away as the treatments progress.

heated beds

 

This is my blind chiropractor (and obviously not me)

 

 

On Saturday night... 

We celebrated Hwayoung's birthday. She was away in Saipan with her company on her real birthday so I helped plan an outing at our new favorite restaurant - Pasha (the Turkish place we went for our 100 day anniversary a few months ago if you recall).

 

Good friends, good times.

and good food!

The food was amazing as usual, although it is overpriced and they are pretty strict on some of their policies. (like everyone at the table must order a main dish in order to be able to use the salad bar. Sorry, not everyone wants to pay $20 for a main dish!) All in all, it was still a good time, and I got to see our Korean friends, and meet some other friends of hers as well.

On Sunday...

We visited Yeoido, a spot known for it's park on the Han River which neighbors the National Assembly Building (Seoul's Capital building). This spot is also particularly known for it's cherry blossoms. And they were beautiful! Check out the photos!

Cherry blossoms

and more...

and more...

and more!

 

Just the two of us..

National Assembly Building

A Bridge Over River Han

A night view of Seoul and the National Assembly Building (far right)

"Paint it Black"

Happy Black Day!  (솔로부대) "solo boodae"

Black Day (opposite of White Day) is a day for single people to wallow in their loneliness and get together and eat jajangmyeon (A Chinese dish of noodles with black bean sauce - and is pretty good!).

 

This is day is reserved for those who did not give or receive gifts on Valentine's Day or White Day - (the holiday held on March 14 where men give candy to women).

"The Easter Parade"

I've never been the type of person who is comfortable in doctor offices. (those who are practicing internal medicine that is.) I've spent plenty of time around MD/PhD's!

I had come down with some symptoms last week, and was afraid I was going to catch the flu. (Low energy, felt feverish, sore throat, and congestion.) After talking with my girlfriend on my way home from work Friday, she asked, "Are you finished at work? I got off early and am taking you to the doctor. I already made an appointment and you have no choice!" About an hour later, I was sitting in a clinic across from my apartment. I met with the doctor, who simply asked my symptoms as he typed them into his database. He examined my temperature, breathing and throat, and after about 30 seconds told me, "You have no fever but your throat is inflamed. I'm writing you a prescription for these following drugs: Sudafed, Tylenol, and another decongestant."

In Korea you can't buy any of this stuff in the local store. You have to go to a pharmacy. You don't need a prescription for my drugs though. You can get them over the counter. I think he was just making sure I got what I needed by writing it down.

I was interested to see how much this cost though. 3 drugs for a cold? What's my co-pay in Korea since I have National Health Insurance?

Here's the rundown:
5-10 minute exam by the doctor: 1,700won
Sudafed, Tylenol and other drug: 3,600won
Total: 5,300won

Let's convert that...

$4.71

Take that America! National Health Insurance rules!

********************************************************************************************************

This weekend wasn't too exciting due to my taking it easy with my cold.

Here's a quick rundown:

First off, my girlfriend and I celebrated 6 months - couldn't be happier! We even bought a citron and pumpkin rice cake to celebrate. The bakery even gives you a big plastic knife, matches, and as many candles as you need.

We also walked around town just to get some fresh air. I found some dollar stores (finally!) and a cheaper market to buy fresh fruit and veggies. However, it opens at 9am, closes at 6pm, and isn't open on weekends. What kind of crap is that?

Also, Easter was celebrated around Sanbon. I could tell because as we were walking around we kept seeing bits and pieces of boiled eggs around. It seems the local churches give out the eggs to the parish, and then they walk around town eating them and discarding the shells in the streets -- sometimes along with the white and yolk too. I thought the Easter Bunny exploded there were pieces of egg everywhere!

That's it for now. Happy holidays all!

"What Kind of Fool Am I?"

오늘은 만우절!

(O-nul un manojul!)

Translated: Today is April Fool's Day!

Korean children do celebrate April Fool's Day, (만우절) - or simply put: Liar day.
One of my co-teachers warned me beforehand that my students may try to play a prank on me. I was surprised because they were relatively tame. Only a handful of kids tried anything. I had a couple of students try the classic: What's on your shirt? look-down-boinks-nose bit. It doesn't work on me because: 1. I'm not 8 years old, and B. It's the oldest, lamest prank in the book.

Which is why I wasn't surprised when some students tried this highly original gem: "Teacher!....pants zipper!...down!"

They, on the other hand, were surprised when I had a PowerPoint slide on the board that said:

TEST DAY!

Did you remember to study?

I told them some crap about how I informed them last class to study for a test. They were worried and asked how difficult and how many questions it would be.

April Fool's suckers!

Some of the 3rd grade boys played a good little prank. They stole some of the classroom number signs that hang above the doorways and switched them around with other classrooms in the building. This would have confused the hell out of me as I don't remember where all the rooms are still. Neither did some of the Korean teachers - especially the new ones, so it caused a little confusion. 

The school's janitor wasn't happy about it. When he discovered who one of the students was, he apparently hit him in the face and gave him a bloody nose. They sent the poor boy to the hospital because he kept bleeding.

Also, some boys played some more pranks on each other and they started horsing around that 2 more boys got hurt.

I'm serious.



.....or am I?


No, I really am. Sad but true.

I'm pretty sure this is staged, but maybe you'll still enjoy it:

Korean Girls Creepy Synchronized Disobedience