A sad, strange taste of home.

The summer after I graduated high school, several people I knew were murdered. I wasn't very close to them. We hadn't traveled in the same social circles since middle school. I probably would have never seen them again until my high school reunion in 2013. But I knew who they were, and they were good people.

The murder was a rare tragedy in the upper middle class suburb where I lived. The parents in the community were pretty shaken up. I knew some of the circumstances that led to their deaths and they didn't really apply to me. I didn't feel very personally threaten or affected, but I empathized with their families and was sad for their loss.

The crime went unsolved for years. I went off to college, then started working, and eventually wandered off to Korea, where I find myself now. I had all but forgotten about the murders, until September 24, 2009.

The news program 20/20 did a story about the murders, and through Facebook and contacts with old friends I found out about it and was able to watch it online. You can see it here.

20/20 Story

20/20 did a good job with story. I didn't feel it was sensationalized to any great extent. I learned a lot about the lives of these people, and the strange events and relationships that led to their murder. There were crime scene photos that were a bit upsetting for me. Before these people were just faces I had just passed in the hall way, but now I was being presented with in depth descriptions of their family lives and the brutal reality of their deaths.

It was strange to see my community this way. Frozen in pictures 7 years old. I saw my high school, my neighborhood, interviews with old friends all in the context of a sad strange event.

I spent last Saturday drinking coffee and watching a news story about my home town through the computer screen. It was weird to see these people and places I knew, in a context that had before only shown me anonymous faces in locations unknown to me.

The story ends as well as is possible I suppose. Feel free to watch it at the above link. If your a regular reader of this blog you can see where I came from and some examples of good people and loving families that I grew up around. I feel very fortunate that I grew up where I did, and more so that my story didn't end there.

A night of Korean TV

I thought about posting a big catch up about what I've been doing the last few months, but I don't really feel like it now. I need something simple to write about to ease my way back into blogging. I thought some of you might be interested in what they watch on TV in Korea. So here I've logged a night of TV watching for y'all.

9:00 pm - channel 2 "Guk Hi Bang Sang" - showing and discussing St. Louis, of all things. now they're showing a recreated native american village. the native americans are hunting now. some guy nailed a deer with an arrow

9:05 pm - channel 3 "ESB" - some Korean guy is climbing a large metal structure and working with ropes. ok, looks like they're constructing one of those golf driving ranges that are all over the place here. I need to check out one of these places sometime. I wonder if you have to bring your own club.

9:10 pm - channel 3 can't make out the station ID - some guy it talking into a microphone. a phone number is scrolling by the bottom of the screen. no idea what's going on

9:11 pm - channel 5 "Champ" - Champ is a cartoon channel. some cartoon is on. it takes place in a classroom. one girl just said something that blew the minds of all the other students. she said something about foreigners

9:13 pm - channel 6 "KNN SBS" - some Korean drama. two women are talking in a bank. now a girl is riding the bus. flashback. the girl is talking to another woman in a coffee shop. back to the bus. now some guy is in the hospital. one of the women from the bank is there crying.

9:16 pm - channel 7 "OShopping" - its a home shopping show. they're selling computers and playing some American rock music. this must be some hardcore computer. the animated film "Bee Movie" is playing on the computer monitor.

9:19 pm - channel 8 "KBS2" - because one KBS wasn't enough. I think this is sketch comedy show. maybe some variety show. there's a group of people on stage sitting at school desks. one man is running around and screaming. the audience is laughing. now another man is complaining about something. the other guy is running and screaming again. one guy has a twirly mustache drawn on his face and is wearing a sparkly shirt and is doing a magic trick. I think he's supposed to be portraying a Mexican, judging by how he rolls his R's.

9:26 pm - channel 9 "GS" - GS is a convenience store chain here, so I'm not sure why they have a TV station. it appears to be a home shopping channel. they're selling cosmetic products. apparently the make-up comes with stationary.

9:30 pm - channel 10 "KBS1" - you would think KBS1 would be lower on the dial than KBS2. looks like a news program. they're covering sports now. soccer is a pretty exciting sport when you just watch clips of goals being made. archery now. Koreans are pretty enthusiastic about archery. golf now. i can't tell, but it looks like there is a golf tour in Korea. I didn't know people here golfed outside those monster driving ranges. soccer again

9:37 pm - channel 11 "Hmall" - more home shopping. selling a Pontus navigation device. also there is a graphic in the corner promoting a some lotion.

9:39 pm - channel 12 "Lotte" - still more home shopping. i think they're selling an anti-wrinkle cream. which they are now pouring into a wine glass

9:42 pm - channel 13 "MBC" - just caught the close of a sports show. commercials commercials commercials. when you don't know the language, commercials can be as interesting as actual programing. looks like a family sitcom is starting up. nope false start. more commercials. there are a lot of white people in Korean commercials. haha, the baby in this commercial is hilarious. commercial was for a water cooler. a Regina Spektor song is being played over footage of soccer to advertise a vitamin drink. Sitcom just started. maybe this is a drama actually. lots of awkward silence and yelling. the room they're in reminds me of my boss's home. where I lived for about a month in their guest bedroom. I'll have to write a little about that sometime.

9:51 pm - channel 14 "NS" - Jesus there are a lot of home shopping channels here. this one is selling cell phones.

9:52 pm - channel 15 "Comedy" - a goat is eating flowers. now a monk is petting him. now the goat and the monk are walking around. this is all being narrated and a laugh track is being played. the goat keeps rearing up to head butt the monk and the monk kind of kicks him in the head. not maliciously, just so the goat impacts the sole of his shoes when he rams. now an old lady is chasing the goat out of a house. now the goat is shitting and chasing another goat. goats really might be the funniest animals.

9:58 pm - channel 16 "KTV" - some old American movie is playing. Audrey Hepburn is in it. she plays a princess.

10:00 pm - channel 17 "ESB1" - it's an educational program. a woman is in front of a chalk board explaining something in Korean. there's a lot of shows like this that teach English. not sure what this one is about.

10:03 pm - channel 18 "ESB2" - this one is teaching English. "She is __________ a letter to her friend." what's the answer? did you guess writing? you are correct.

10:06 pm - channel 19 "Tooniverse" - I wonder if Korean kids appreciate that clever word play. looks like a pretty dramatic cartoon. anime characters are having an intense discussion in a hospital. the Simpsons airs on this channel. Korean kids are big fans of the Simpsons.

10:10 pm - channel 20 "tvN" - maybe my favorite thing to see on TV is the local commercials for restaurants. every restaurant has the spiciest soup in town. looks like this is a music channel. a very androgynous male pop star is singing a song called "HeartBreaker". jeez this guy is femmy. OH HEY! ITS G-Dragon! of Big Bang fame. I once asked a student how she felt. She said she was very happy. I asked her why and she said it was because it was G-Dragon's birthday. if a guy accidentally had sex with G-Dragon I wouldn't count it as gay. that's how girly G-Dragon looks. the ladies love him though. maybe I should think about throwing on some eye make up next time I go out.

10:19 pm - channel 21 "MBN" - looks like a 24 hour news format. they're talking about something involving North Korea and Pakistan. no good can come of this. looks like a good day for the stock market. now they're covering some protest. someone will have to let me know why Koreans always wear red head bands when they protest.

10:23 pm - channel 22 "YTN" - more news. a bunch of big shot Koreans are really happy about something.

10:23 pm - channel 23 "FX" - that's the same FX as in the states. a "Most Shocking Videos" type of show is on. a bunch of race car crashes being narrated in Korean. a rocket boat just ate it. a graphic of a shirtless man in in the corner of the screen. looks like the boat racer made it. good for him.

10:29 pm - channel 24 "FoxLife" - the show "According the Jim" is on. i don't enjoy this show, but sometimes I want to watch ugly Americans make bad jokes in English for a little bit.

10:32 pm - channel 25 "Fox" - the show "Medium" is on. I don't enjoy this show either.

10:33 pm - channel 26 "OCN" - this is a English language action movie channel. the movie "Jumper" is on. it's about a young man that can teleport. I watched it when I took a ferry to Japan. not a lot to it but it was nice of them to show something to eat up some of the 4 hours it took to get there.

10:37 pm - channel 27 "Echannel" - don't be confused with the American TV station "E!" which also broadcasts here. some people are catching some huge snakes that are crawling around the streets. looks like they're in Thailand of something. now some monks are playing with a bear.

10:40 pm - channel 28 "Screen" - an American movie is playing. people in medieval costumes are sword fighting. one lady can control plants and is wrapping people up in vines. Jason Stratham is in it. AND BURT REYNOLDS! these guys should stick to movies where they drive awesome cars.

10:45 pm - channel 29 "CGV" - wait, this channel 31. looks like I missed some stations. screw it. some Korean movie is playing.

10:47 pm - channel 32 "OnStyle" - the American show "The Biggest Loser" is on. the blue team just lost the dramatic weigh in. wow this one guy lost 13 pounds this week. oh good, one guy on the blue team was really homesick so the choice of who to send home was really easy and no one's feeling get hurt. oh no, there was a double cross! looks like the mom is going home. man, i'm hungry. i think i'm going to swing by McDonald's.

11:35 pm - just got back from McDonalds and now I'm sleepy. all this watching TV and eating hamburgers is hard work. check back later y'all.

Back

Back to the blog.

Been away so long I don't know what to say.

Situation changed.

Don't know what I want to say, or what I can.

Just gotta post something.

Break the seal and the good stuff will follow.

New posts to come.

A Picnic and Pics of the Kiddos

Last week, the whole morning crew at Little Campus went on a picnic. Basically, I get paid for 3 hours of playing with Korean kindergartners. Some job I have, isn't.


Every kid wore either a hat or visor. Pictured here are Katy and Iris. Iris is in the back, with a visor that kept slipping down and made it look like she was wearing a welding mask. At least she didn't get a sunburn.


I let the kids try on my sunglasses. Lucas here was reluctant to give them back.


Lewis was trying to communicate something to me here.


Then he just stuffed some kimbap in his mouth mid-sentence.


"Ya, we're havin' a picnic. You got somethin' you wanna fuckin' say bout it?"


The kids offered me kimbap after kimbap. They fed me so much I couldn't eat much of the food provided for the teachers. The kids' food was better anyways.


Katy, with a mouth full of kimbap.


I was only really able to take pictures when we sat down to eat. The rest of the time my hands were pretty full. They were literally full, because every kid in my classes wanted to hold my hand whenever we walked any where. When they had their playtime I was inundated with requests to be picked up and spun around. I made the mistake of doing that thing where you hold onto a kids hands and spin them around until centripetal force lifts their feet of of the ground and they go airborne. The kids got such a kick out of that I ended up spending most of my time spinning around in circles with little Korean kids laughing maniacally at the end of my reach. It was hilarious to see but I got pretty dizzy after a while and the kids wouldn't let me stop.

So, that was a pretty good day.

How to make Korean children cry

It's an unavoidable fact that, when in the company of children for any significant period of time, they will cry, and you will sometimes be the catalyst of this reaction. Having not spent much time with children prior to becoming an English teacher, I didn't expect the frequency and spontaneous nature of this occurrence. By now, I've come to accept it as a fact of life, and have begun to apply a measure of intellectual curiosity to the matter.

Here I will lay out the hierarchy of stimuli which will cause Korean children to cry. Note that, with a very different social frame of reference than a child growing up in America, the strength of stimuli may contrast greatly from your expectations.

Physical Discipline: It may surprise you to know that as a teacher in Korea, I am allowed, and sometimes encouraged to hit my children. This isn't meant to inflict pain, much less injury. It is simply meant to catch the attention of the student and show disapproval of his or her actions. When I say hit, I refer to a gentle slap to the back of the head with an open hand or a smack to the forehead with a stack of paper. There are even objects manufactured specifically for the purpose of hitting children and they are employed by most of the Korean teachers at my school. (pictured below)


I rarely hit a student, and when I do, it is in a playfully exasperated manner. I've seen Korean teacher discipline students to the extent I felt uncomfortable. The children themselves inflict a level of violence upon one another to a ridiculous degree, and by now I think I could pass as a Taekwondo referee at the amateur level.

With all this, there has only been one occasion where I've seen a tear shed as a result of physical contact. That was the result of a well placed elbow of a 12 year old girl into the back of a twelve year old boy. Everyone present knew he had it coming. His reaction was to place his head down on his desk, drop a couple tears, and resume his studies.

Verbal Discipline:I'm probably the most mellow, laid back teacher my students have ever encountered. Korean education seems to be very regimented and strict, with every spare moment filled with instruction and recitation. My classes are pretty casual and as long as we get through the lesson plan I don't mind a little little off topic discourse or activity.

So, when I see behavior warranting correction, I can address it with a quick and simple change in demeanor. Imagine getting yelled at by Hitler for throwing your pencil across the room. Judging by historical footage, he seemed to maintain a conversational tone a few decibels outside the comfort zone, so it would seem your infraction wasn't too far out of bounds normal behavior. Now imagine getting the same tongue lashing from Santa Claus. You would know you screwed up pretty bad.

I was surprised at first by the response my change in volume and expression elicited. There have been a few occasions where a student has been brought to tears by my verbal reprimands. Again, I'm not freaking out on them, it's the juxtaposition of demeanor that startles them. Even then, I rarely cause a student to cry.

Confiscation of Possessions: There are some kids that you could probably beat in the head with a brick while screaming the ugly truths of the world into their faces, and they would still think it is a good idea to throw you the old dong chim every time your up at the board, showing them how to conjugate a verb.

These students require a more lasting form of discipline. Something to hold their attention for the duration of class. I find it very effective to take their pencil case or book and withhold it from them until they modify their behavior.

Korean students place great value on their school supplies, so their reaction to this is immediate and severe. The will first try to physically stop you. Then they will either display perfect behavior or escalate their protest. Should they choose the latter approach, they will scream at you their perspective on the unjust nature of your actions. Then, more often than not, they will break down into tears. When they reach this level it is time to solicit a guarantee of good behavior. If they agree, you are lucky if their promise holds until the end of the class period.

Subtracting from an allocation of points in an arbitrary reward system: The first teachers probably dipped their hands in horse blood, wrote their students names on a cave wall, and started writing tally marks next to their names for good behavior. I remember a point system of discipline being utilized throughout my elementary school years, with varying degrees of success. In Korea it's no different. Each students name is up on the board, and a mark is placed next to it when the teach feels the student is deserving. Likewise, a mark is erased when the student has committed some infraction of classroom etiquette.

Korea is a very competitive culture. Material reward seems to come second to knowledge that one has performed better than others. So the point system is a very useful visual representation of my opinion of the students' performance.

When a student has particularly disappointed me, I sometimes see fit to erase the entirety of the points they have accumulated throughout the day. This immediately serves to gain heir attention. I rarely resort to this tactic, and only for behavior offenses, because it doesn't simply cause the student to modify their behavior. It completely neutralizes them.

The student will stop whatever they are doing, sit down, and hope that you immediately return their points to the board. They will then make a humble plea that you rethink your course of action. When that doesn't work, the student will become withdrawn and depressed. They are inconsolable and unable to participate in the lesson. They begin processing the series of events that have just unfolded, and they almost always begin to cry. I often offer them a chance to regain points through displays of English comprehension, but usually the shock is to great and they are unable to process outside stimuli.

This method has the added affect of startling the rest of the class, who enthusiastically participate in the lesson and intermittently make statements of sympathy and support for the disciplined student.

Usually, the emotional response of the student is so great I feel the discipline is out of proportion to the offense and I end up reallocating the entirety of the students points once they have displayed a satisfactory level of remorse. Even then, the student is hardly consoled and can hardly make eye contact with me for the duration of the class period. (T_T)

So, that's my disciplinary strategy. It's a work in progress and I hope one day to be able to control a class completely by means of positive reinforcement. But, until I am able to do so, or I send a student to the psych ward for "point deficiency", my methods will remain the same.

I won so much money I threw up blood!

Don't be troubled by the title of this post. I really had a lovely weekend with some interesting twists. Quite a nice change of pace from the state of mind in which my last entry found me.

Lauren had a bit of a going away party last night, in conjunction with a birthday party thrown for a couple other lovely ladies. The festivities were held at happening little spot, in Seomyeon, called 'Guri Bar'. I had actually been under the mistaken impression Lauren had left earlier in the week, so I was surprised and delighted to have the opportunity to see her again. Lauren is one of my favorite people to talk to. She has a certain way of thinking and expressing herself I find endlessly entertaining. Here's hoping she finds her way back to Korea sometime soon.

Not only was I treated to the unexpected presence of Lauren but a good mix of many of the people I've come to enjoy and appreciate here. I got to add a good many numbers to my newly acquired cellphone. Hearty drink and conversation was had by all. Dances were danced. Korean people were met. It was one of those nights you couldn't ask more from.

There was one nasty bit about 'Guri Bar'. The bathroom had the most terrible, permeating stench I've encountered in some time. It had all the regular smells you'll usually find in a public restroom, but layered upon that was something similar to rotting meat and vomit. After my second visit, my gag reflex could handle no more and I lost the contents of my dinner to the toilet. After conferring with others I found I wasn't the only one made sick by the bathroom smell. I mention this disgusting anecdote because the effects of stomach acid of my throat comes into play later.

So after a fun while at Guri Bar I was filled with beer and happiness. Guri Bar is conveniently located behind the Lotte Hotel, home of the 7 Luck Casino, my inevitable final destination for the night. I convinced a couple other folks to come with me, but for some reason I was in a hurry and headed out before the others. I didn't realize these particular guys were new in town and didn't know exactly where the casino was located. At this point in the night I wasn't realizing a lot of things. I don't really remember walking into the casino or what happened for the first hour or so after I got there. Eventually my head cleared and I found myself at a blackjack table with a big stack of chips and a bad case of the hiccups.

Things went well at the casino and in the early hours of the morning I was taking the table alongside another American English teacher. I was making big bets and drinking coffee to keep myself going. Eventually the stress of the game and the strong coffee started upsetting my stomach. I got sick in the restroom. The hiccups had been putting quite a strain on my already weakened esophagus and I was startled to find blood in the toilet bowl. If you've ever thrown up blood, or even if you haven't you can probably imagine, it's quite a disturbing experience. Someone with more sense and caution may have headed home right then, but I was on quite a roll and was otherwise enjoying myself, so I sat back down at the table, ordered a bottle of water, and continued to win money.

I finally accomplished a goal of mine. Ever since I won ₩3,000,000 at the casino, I've had one ambition: to win ₩5,000,000 at the casino. I finally pulled it off. With the sun already high in the sky, I picked up my chips and cashed in. The weird thing is, when I checked my wallet to pull out money for a cab home, I found the ₩100,000 I had originally withdrawn to gamble with. Where the hell did my initial bet come from? I don't think I'll never know.

Sunday has been spent in recovery. My throat still hurts and it is uncomfortable to eat, but I can already feel it has healed a great deal. After researching the possible causes of blood in vomit, I've decided I just went a little hard on my body and ended up with something like a blister on my esophagus.

This ailment notwithstanding, I had a pretty great weekend and I'm glad to spread the good word of GeorgeGoesKorean once again.

3 month doldrums

I've been a bit down lately. It's a mix of things. Homesickness, boredom, lack of health and wellness. This is a pretty common feeling among expats around the 3, 6, and 9 month marks. Fortunately I knew this ahead of time so I was able to anticipate and recognize it when it happened. I guess it's natural to feel a little low when the initial excitement of a new country wears off and the list of things you miss about home starts to pile up.

I miss driving. I miss Jack in the Box. I miss my friends. I miss my family. I miss being able to read the ingredients on the foods I eat. I miss American grocery stores. I miss being able to pick up a magazine in English at the gas station. I miss big movie theaters with predictable show times. I would kill for a really good sandwich.

I'm not saying I'm changing my mind about Korea. I still like being here and I want to experiences the lows along with the highs. Somethings have changed for the worse here though, and it has only exacerbated my condition.

Frank and Lauren left. They brought me into this world and now they're gone. I'm thankful for the aid they rendered and wish them best luck as they continue their journeys.

My fellow foreign teachers are gone. Mary made a "midnight run" last Sunday afternoon. She never really settled in well here at Little Campus and she had an opportunity elsewhere. It's kind of reassuring to know that if things get to bad, you can just keep moving.

We've started a new term here at Little Campus. A couple things kind of suck about this. I have several classes with absolutely no English experience at all. That in itself doesn't suck, but 2 weeks into the term I still don't have a textbook to teach them from. I can wing it. It's not too hard to start from step 1, just go slow and goof off enough to keep the kids engaged. But the director of Little Campus,
Mrs. Yoon, sees fit to come into class and show me how to teach them, which would be fine if I knew how to scream instructions to them in Korean and bang a stick on the table as they hammer out memory sentences. I guess I can do the stick thing, but her Korean instruction really just makes my attempts to communicate with the kids seem irrelevant.

So work has been a drag lately. That, along with my distaste for the particular area of town I'm in is making me think about finding a job elsewhere. I want to stay in Busan, and I have some good ideas about where I'd like to be, but I don't know what complications may arise from the contract I signed with Little Campus. The contract lays out conditions for breaking the contract early. Right now I would just have to pay half my airfare over here. After 6 months I wouldn't owe anything but I would need the new school to pay for my flight back to the States in December. I'm fine with these things but I don't know how much leverage Mrs. Yoon has over releasing me from the contract and allowing me to work elsewhere. I guess if she's uncooperative I can just hop a flight to Bejing and start teaching little Chinese kids. Mandarin would be a more useful language to learn anyway. I think if type the words Little Campus enough times in this blog Google will recognize me as the leading authority on the school and I'll be able to spread the word to potential foreign teachers. Let's see how this all works out.

As long as I'm complaining about everything else I might as well mention the exchange rate. Right now, it's 1564 KRW to 1 USD. Last time I went to the bank to transfer money home the teller gave a worried look and said, "But, the rate is lowest ever." I told here I was aware and to go ahead with the transaction. So, debts are being paid down more slowly than anticipated, but at least they're still getting paid down.

Ok, hopefully that's all the complaining I will need to do for a while. I don't know how interesting it is to read about, and I know I don't like writing about it, but I want to give a full picture of my time here. Korea isn't always a land of cupcakes and rainbows, no matter what their national anthem says.