sort of the center of activity, even though it seems rather barren here.
5.07.2009
09.ansan.festival.3
the arts festival coincided with children's day. (which was why we had the extra time off work.) bubble machines were prevalent throughout the park.
09.ansan.festival.4
not exactly the festival food i am used to. there was 'meat on a stick', ice cream and some other familiar foods. . . but squid, snails, and silk worm? that's a new one for me.
09.ansan.festival.5
this is pretty clever. the steps/ seats had mirrored edges, so from the right angle it appeared that people were levitating as they sat.
09.ansan.festival.7
couldn't tell you what this was about. people wrote messages on the balloons and pinned them to her dress. two other dancer/ players emerged after, and some slow, overly dramatic story took place, but we got bored and moved on.
09.ansan.festival.10
this dude was too cool for school all pimped out in this styling suit. too bad the angle of my shot doesn't give you the full effect of his pompadour.
single.sushi
ever been wandering through the supermarket and think, damn, i could go for some sushi, but not a whole lot of sushi. . . maybe just some individually wrapped sushi. . . .
we have you covered.
nacho?
possibly the worst nachos EVER! i ordered nachos, since it was closing in on cinqo de mayo- and i was missing new mexico a bit. this is what came. some stale corn chips, the orange stuff is a cheez whiz substance only completely cold (not luke warm, but refrigerated cold), the middle (which we thought might be trying to look like sour cream) is tarter sauce, and the green (which we thought was trying to pass for guacamole or avocados) is chopped kiwi.
it makes one think that someone took a picture of 'nachos' and brought it back to south korea, without actually writing down what everything was. . . and this was the translation from the picture.
blues.bros
there was a set of these in virginia that my friends and i liked to pose with late at night, but they weren't wearing yellow there. i spotted these while checking out the market in namdaemun.
4.27.2009
buddhabday.1
so it was buddha's birthday this weekend. insadong is where you wanna be. luckily for me i was visiting swon, and she's only a ten minute walk from there.
swon ended up spending time with her dad at the hospital, but i met up with some co workers and friends for the festival. here's a shot of a cute shopping area in insadong all decked out for the festivities.
buddhabday.4
walking up to the jogyesa buddhist temple near the end of the festival street. all along the street there were craft tables and information tables about buddhism and such. there was also a stage where different performers were showing off their traditional dances and music.
it would've been nice to make my own lantern, but the weather probably would've damaged it. a little drizzly, and a little chilly. but totally worth it.
buddhabday.5
the lantern canopy outside the temple. something is spelled out in lanterns toward the center.
buddhabday.6
a nice calm moment inside the jogyesa buddhist temple while the festival ramps up outside.
buddhabday.13
lest we should forget, is it the LOTUS LANTERN FESTIVAL. this lotus opened and closed to reveal a buddha.
buddhabday.16
this one was animatronic. his tail flared up and down. . . oh yeah, and he spit out fire. coolest peacock ever!
buddhabday.17
i couldn't tell you what these were all about. . . but there were a lot of them throughout the parade.
buddhabday.19
the railing in front of us was a bit cursed. three people leaning on it, or reaching for it fell, or nearly fell. but it all changed once we were visited and blessed by the 'itty bitty buddha' seen here.
buddhabday.18
so many lanterns. some were battery operated too, and don't think for a minute that i wasn't planning out a better way to pack the batteries inside the holding sticks. i took a lot of shots, but most were blurry.
buddhabday.33
there were a few odd floats, including this one, which i am dubbing, the jet set buddha. yep, it's buddha in a helicopter.
buddhabday.29
it's not incredibly noticeable, but all the lanterns overhead are lit. they were having a ceremony after the parade.
buddhabday.32
leaving the temple. i had to run back to swon's to get my overnight bag before catching a train.
3.17.09.ansan.1
i was out with a group of teachers going for drinks when this caught my eye. i found it comforting that even the korean teachers were a little stunned. two patients out for a walk and a smoke, still hooked to their IV!
3.18.09.dongdaemun.2
last weekend a couple of co workers and i headed into the greater seoul area for some shopping. our final destination was itaewon, where i found vermont cheddar cheese (right next to a brick of extra sharp cheddar. . . talk about your deliberations!)
on our way we walked through dongdaemun, which is a massive market area. here's a nice walkway that i'd like to check out again sometime.
3.18.09.dongdaemun.3
we passed through an area that was nothing but fabric stores, and then came across an area dedicated to small pets. i guess here in south korea, chipmunks are kinda exotic!
3.15.09.zoo.3
part of our trek.
i thought for a while that we had brought a professional photographer from the school, or that the zoo had a few photographers planted throughout, since there were people taking shots of our students with massive lenses. . . following us from place to place.
turns out, it was just people taking pictures of our students. kinda creepy.
3.15.09.zoo.4
it was sort of a foggy day, but you could still see some of the blooming trees on the mountain side.
3.15.09.zoo.7
the dolphin show was pretty cute. saw a couple of tricks i hadn't seen before, like one of the trainers surfing on one of the dolphins.
good news, we didn't get lost going home from this trip.
4.23.2009
wallet, phone, keys
i say this before i leave for work every day. i figure, no matter what else i might forget, no matter what else might happen. . . if i have these three things, i have the ticket to getting almost everything else i need.
-keys can get me into my car (though not really anymore) so i can get somewhere else
-keys can get me back into my place to get what i maybe forgot
-wallet can get me a place to stay if i can’t get back to my place for some reason
-wallet can get me food if i forget to bring my lunch
-phone can get me in touch with help, whether professional or just friendly
-phone can get me information, ie, where can i stay if i can’t get home, and is there a good movie playing somewhere where i can waste some time
you get the idea.
i’ve said my little ‘leaving for work’ reminder mantra everyday. . . even when my wallet was empty. . . even when i didn’t need the keys. . . even when my phone didn’t have any signal.
this morning, as i left for work, i said my little reminder mantra. . . and it was the first time in a long time that i had all three objects, and all three could perform as i have become accustomed.
which means, yes. . . i finally have a phone. there was a lot of waiting, and a lot of finagling. there may still be some more, but it is already functioning. i’ve made and received calls. it’s a nice looking machine. . . not the iphone that i had hoped for. . . south korea isn’t open to the iphone. but this one has some pretty nice features. . .
i’ve missed my electronic leash, and i’m glad to have it back. i doubt i’ll be making tons of calls, but it’s nice to have the option. . . and now swon doesn’t have to worry so much if i get lost on the subway, or if i’m delayed in traffic. . . i’m just a few clicks away.
4.01.2009
4.1.09.prank.1
i wanted to do a prank. keep in mind, i have no crew at my beck and call, and i don't have keys to deal with anything large scale outside of work hours. . . plus i wasn't quite sure how it would translate culturally. . . so. . . the prank was small, something i could do quickly, and by myself.
i made these origami candy boxes for everyone, just in case the joke didn't go over well. the thought being that chocolate and candy would quell most irritations.
4.1.09.prank.2
told you it wasn't much. kinda lame actually, just wrapping all the board erasers and markers in tin foil. but it was just enough to catch people off guard.
4.1.09.prank.3
i saw this done with bean sprouts online somewhere. i didn't want to deal with anything perishable. i also didn't want anyone to be too upset about a possibly ruined keyboard. this computer's real keyboard is sitting on the side of the monitor. this was a spare keyboard i found in the office. it kinda worked. . .but at first, all the korean teachers thought it had been one of the kindy students. they didn't think it was funny till i told them it had been me.
my bar trivia quiz
as mentioned, i had to come up with some questions for a trivia night. just in case you are seriously bored and looking to exercise some brain cells. . . here are the questions i asked. (answers to come later, heh heh.)
- What song’s hook did John Williams play upside-down to create the theme to Star Wars?
- Of the upright and hoop antennas on the theremin, which controls the pitch?
- When reading the key signature, what are the first 4 flats, in order?
- In 1913, on it’s opening night, the music for Igor Stravinsky’s ballet incited a riot due to it’s bold new sound. What was the title of the music?
- What legendary blue musician supposedly sold his soul to the devil at the cross roads near Dockery Plantation?
- Currently there is an organ in Germany playing a piece of music called, “As slow as possible.” It started in 2001 and will end 639 years later in 2640. What 20th century avant garde composer wrote the music?
- Which of Mozart’s operas is largely known as a masonic opera?
- There is a singing road in South Korea. What city is it in?
- What nobel prize winning physicist took a year sabbatical in Brazil, learned to play the bongos, and competed in a samba competition during Carnival in Rio?
- What gravely voiced singer/ songwriter/ composer appeared as Dr. A Heller in the 1999 movie, Mystery Men?
- What former Stray Cat now leads his own orchestra?
- Matt Stone and Trey Parker, creators of South Park, wrote and filmed a musical while attending college in Colorado. What is the name of the movie?
have fun.
- What song’s hook did John Williams play upside-down to create the theme to Star Wars?
- Of the upright and hoop antennas on the theremin, which controls the pitch?
- When reading the key signature, what are the first 4 flats, in order?
- In 1913, on it’s opening night, the music for Igor Stravinsky’s ballet incited a riot due to it’s bold new sound. What was the title of the music?
- What legendary blue musician supposedly sold his soul to the devil at the cross roads near Dockery Plantation?
- Currently there is an organ in Germany playing a piece of music called, “As slow as possible.” It started in 2001 and will end 639 years later in 2640. What 20th century avant garde composer wrote the music?
- Which of Mozart’s operas is largely known as a masonic opera?
- There is a singing road in South Korea. What city is it in?
- What nobel prize winning physicist took a year sabbatical in Brazil, learned to play the bongos, and competed in a samba competition during Carnival in Rio?
- What gravely voiced singer/ songwriter/ composer appeared as Dr. A Heller in the 1999 movie, Mystery Men?
- What former Stray Cat now leads his own orchestra?
- Matt Stone and Trey Parker, creators of South Park, wrote and filmed a musical while attending college in Colorado. What is the name of the movie?
have fun.
3.30.2009
anti.calculus?
i stopped to buy toothpaste and was completely confounded by this one. does this toothpaste actually fight calculus? is there calculus hiding in my gumline? maybe that's why i was never good at calculus, it was hiding in my gums and not in my brain!
3.22- 3.29
school is moving forward. i feel like i’m making progress on some days, and completely moving backwards on other days. there was a flooding problem in my kindy classroom, so that’s added a bit of drama to the week, and a new kindy student makes things more interesting as well. how do i catch this kid up while continuing to move forward with the other students?
i almost feel like i have the hang of the elementary classes, which feels nice. but somehow that makes me think that i should be looking out for some wrench shaped objects.
my internet connection in my apartment is becoming a larger headache. it’s sort of amazing, without the ethernet connected the light on the modem remains completely steady, yet, once i plug in my computer, i lose the interwebs within minutes.
thursday was trivia night again. . . and i had to bring questions. i also brought some more co-workers who ended up both winning the quiz, and having a really good time as well. looks like there may be a few more brighton faces at trivia night for a few weeks at least.
friday after classes ended i stayed behind to get some photocopying done, and when i left only my korean teaching partner and i were left. she asked if i was hungry, and we met up with two other korean teachers for dinner. oddly enough, we went to the same chicken place that i had been to with natalie and camille. one of the five for six restaurants i’ve been to in ansan.
OMG. . . i completely forgot that we had our field trip this past week. honestly, sometimes the weeks feel so long, i was convinced that the field trip had been two weeks ago.
we went to the samsung children’s science museum. it was actually pretty great. i had been so scared that without a wrist rope leash i would lose the kids, but we stayed together pretty well. the only real ridiculousness came from trying to round them up for class pictures.
well, and then there was another ridiculousness. for speed, on the way to the museum, all the teachers had been put on buses with students as they had been picked up from school. so hazel, my teaching partner and i, were on a bus with some of our students and some students from other classes. we were quite ok with that. to be honest, we took a little schadenfreude in the fact that some of our students were with other teachers.
however, on the way back we were piled into buses with our own students, and no helper teachers.
deep breath, ok. . . we’ll be ok. all the kids will fall asleep right? wrong.
they took naps, in shifts. what could make this better? how about the bus getting lost. there were 5 other buses for this guy to follow, but somehow he missed a turn. hazel listened to the bus driver grumble under his breath. we decided not to scare the head teacher till we knew we would be late for our elementary classes, and late for the parents to pick up our kindy kids.
well, a half hour passed, then an hour. we started to make phone calls- or hazel started to make phone calls. then our first kid needed to pee- a lot apparently.
an hour and a half passed. more kids had to pee. hazel and i split the kids up boy girl on the side of the road.
hazel started to remember a bus route from seoul that she used to take to work. without her, we would’ve been so much later. the bus driver reluctantly took her advice, and we got home. while she directed the driver i entertained the kids.
i might regret teaching them ‘wheels on the bus.’
when we got in, two hours late, i had missed my first elementary class, and there were a lot of angry parents. the kids didn’t seem to know the difference. needless to say, there was soju to drink that night.
i almost feel like i have the hang of the elementary classes, which feels nice. but somehow that makes me think that i should be looking out for some wrench shaped objects.
my internet connection in my apartment is becoming a larger headache. it’s sort of amazing, without the ethernet connected the light on the modem remains completely steady, yet, once i plug in my computer, i lose the interwebs within minutes.
thursday was trivia night again. . . and i had to bring questions. i also brought some more co-workers who ended up both winning the quiz, and having a really good time as well. looks like there may be a few more brighton faces at trivia night for a few weeks at least.
friday after classes ended i stayed behind to get some photocopying done, and when i left only my korean teaching partner and i were left. she asked if i was hungry, and we met up with two other korean teachers for dinner. oddly enough, we went to the same chicken place that i had been to with natalie and camille. one of the five for six restaurants i’ve been to in ansan.
OMG. . . i completely forgot that we had our field trip this past week. honestly, sometimes the weeks feel so long, i was convinced that the field trip had been two weeks ago.
we went to the samsung children’s science museum. it was actually pretty great. i had been so scared that without a wrist rope leash i would lose the kids, but we stayed together pretty well. the only real ridiculousness came from trying to round them up for class pictures.
well, and then there was another ridiculousness. for speed, on the way to the museum, all the teachers had been put on buses with students as they had been picked up from school. so hazel, my teaching partner and i, were on a bus with some of our students and some students from other classes. we were quite ok with that. to be honest, we took a little schadenfreude in the fact that some of our students were with other teachers.
however, on the way back we were piled into buses with our own students, and no helper teachers.
deep breath, ok. . . we’ll be ok. all the kids will fall asleep right? wrong.
they took naps, in shifts. what could make this better? how about the bus getting lost. there were 5 other buses for this guy to follow, but somehow he missed a turn. hazel listened to the bus driver grumble under his breath. we decided not to scare the head teacher till we knew we would be late for our elementary classes, and late for the parents to pick up our kindy kids.
well, a half hour passed, then an hour. we started to make phone calls- or hazel started to make phone calls. then our first kid needed to pee- a lot apparently.
an hour and a half passed. more kids had to pee. hazel and i split the kids up boy girl on the side of the road.
hazel started to remember a bus route from seoul that she used to take to work. without her, we would’ve been so much later. the bus driver reluctantly took her advice, and we got home. while she directed the driver i entertained the kids.
i might regret teaching them ‘wheels on the bus.’
when we got in, two hours late, i had missed my first elementary class, and there were a lot of angry parents. the kids didn’t seem to know the difference. needless to say, there was soju to drink that night.
samsung.museum.1
we had our first field trip. there were about 3 or 4 other kindy schools there at the same time. a couple of them had foreign teachers as well. i shared a couple of knowing nods, and glances of sympathy with a couple of them as we all chased our students around the building.
samsung.museum.2
in one of the first sections of the museum there was a lot of plastic balls and air power. balls were flying around the room and bouncing all over the floor. i would really dig going to this place without a large number of kindy kids sometime.
samsung.museum.6
in the last section of the museum, the kids got to put on hardhats and reflection vests and used foam materials to play construction.
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