seoul searching.

here are some portraits of students and artists taken while i was in seoul for the lunar new year. if you ever go to seoul visit the hongik university area. it is without a doubt the best part of seoul. more photos will be added later.

postcards.

i had a nice surprise upon walking to my desk last night. in from the mail was a surprise postcard. a surprise in that i

a) was not expecting it
b) did not know the sender prior to reading it
c) the front side showcased a photo from slovakia; i mean, slovakia? need i say more?

it is a part of a cool website postcardx.net in which users can input as little as their address. the website really has two benefits in my eyes: creating penpals and promoting and sharing postcards as graphic art (both purchased and homemade). the former is a nice thought, clearly, but when i was entering my information, it was the latter that really drew me in. then, the simplicity in the websites design takes off from there. three buttons await at the homepage. 1) a forum to discuss 2) add yourself and my favorite 3) select a random address to whom to send a postcard

and that is how i was found. so what began as a simple moment of "hey, i think i'll input my address" has now turned into a full-fledged pen-palship.

out of sight, not mind.

i have crossed over the abroad-transition bump. my first few days were filled with question marks. i was placed first into a small hotel while the former teacher was moving out. i spent three nights in a small hotel with nothing but my bags (not wanting to unpack and pack again) some books, and a television. and what did i find on that television? korean cable is programmed by my friend dave. the following is a list i compiled in my journal of the films aired within the first few days:

con air, cocktail, home alone, jumanji, minority report, return of the king, starship troopers, the usual suspects.

i did not watch them all, but it brought a smile to my face to know that no matter how far i may travel, i can easily be brought back. dave might as well have been in the room with me telling me, "going to the store for food is overrated; the battle of minas tirith is beginning." shortly, i would sit back down if i had even been lucky enough to get up in the first place.

however, as mentioned, life was not so easy. i was teaching english in english only to people not fluent in english; and well, as the echo of the words within the former phrase illustrate a sense of madness, the discord is palpable. but i realized the source was less the location or work, but more so my own doing. i had to find a way to keep the work stimulating and effective. and more so than that, i am realizing that i am offering myself a year to explore and grow as was my original intent. granted, i know what i want to do for a career, and yes, am eager to begin that path, i see no rush. i need this distraction-free time.

the other day while walking with nick, a friend from home, the epiphany fell. in a country with so many lights, signs, loud cars, and bizarre advertisements, i find myself focused. i have the fortune of not being able to decipher the sign for a grocer from the sign for a hardwood supply store (yet, please do not fear my eating habits) because they are all in a foreign language and alphabet. i could not try to read the sign if i wanted. it all becomes background noise. i instead can focus my time with patience. and with that my days now are filled with ellipses...

travel solipsism.

there is something exciting and revealing about travel. traveling is a vast adventure in self-reflection. and there may be no greater revelation of this than with a language barrier. as someone without the native tongue you are forced to find yourself pantomiming to a complete stranger that, "yes, you can shave a mohawk on my head; no, i understand it isn't customary, but i do want it." but at this point the respondent has a tendency to run his or her mouth off in with a torrent of words and possibly sounds you find difficult mimic.

yet, you still do leave with an impression of the person and situation. you must completely invent the other person's character. were they happy, angry, confused, or just tormenting you with small-talk? unfortunately, finding out is difficult, if not impossible. but it really doesn't matter. what does is that you have completely created a person out of nothing but the situation and non-verbal help given. this new character is a manifestation of your thoughts, desires and perception. and really, who doesn't want a foreigner telling you what's wrong with you?

jon brion.

i finally saw jon brion at largo back in october. his power and ability to deconstruct music and perform was far beyond what i had ever seen before. he performs with both intelligence and humor. todd carlin provided an incredible stand-up opening set. oh and ben gibbard (death cab for cutie, the postal service) showed up and played a few songs. here is the set-list. photograph of jon brion by annie leibowitz.


Setlist for October 6, 2007

--Todd Carlin opener

Set 1
--Take 5
--Same Thing
--Eternal Sunshine theme
--Meaningless
--Didn't Think It Would Turn Out Bad
--Excuse to Cry
--Knock Yourself Out
--Star Trek theme
--Better You Than Me [new song]
--The Way It Went
--Please Stay Away from Me [new song]
--They Don't Know *
--All I Have to Do Is Dream *
--One Fast Move or I'm Gone *
--Heroes
--Nowhere Man [Les Paul style]

Set 2
--ragtime piano
--Duke Ellington piano instrumental
--Flight of the Bumblebee
--This Is Where I Belong
--After the Gold Rush
--Hook Line and Sinker
--Lock My Heart and Throw Away the Key
--Wild Thing [sort of]
--Star Spangled Banner
--That's Just What You Are
--Same Old Scene

* = with Ben Gibbard

finding my korean legs.

despite being a professional teacher of english, i still have my struggles with the language (see: tonight's scrabble drawing on, yes, a homemade board). and the greatest shame is i never got to unleash the powerful torrent of points that is the word "quiz" during the game. despite using the pieces, i came in a somber last.

but my fight over english teaching has been more successful.

so two weeks down. the kids that had not adjusted to a new teacher from the start are now more or less doing so. and i too am figuring out my abilities as an english teacher to foreigners.

following the book page by page, lesson by lesson can be dull and boring (and difficult due to the books typically being designed for native english learners, not english as a second language students); i instead, now glance at the topic and further an exercise in conversation about said subject.

so i am feel that this ship will not throw me off nor i jump overboard just yet.


for an interesting look into the goals and to-dos of others, check out a newly found blog: to-do list blog: from buying milk to finding a soul mate. what our lists reveal about us. it is also now a book.

turning japanese in korea.

so it took going all the way the way to a mid-range city in korea to find the best japanese sashimi i have ever had. following a long tutoring lesson preparing my school's director's daughter for her ssat and a top american high school admission interview, the director treated nathan (the other native english teacher) and the vice director to dinner at a nearby japanese restaurant.

in all, it was an incredible meal. dish after dish played with my palette in texture, taste and temperature (my god, those peppers were spicy). and the sashimi was a wonderful firm and cold cut of fish. next came the sweetest and most moist steamed fish i have ever had.

dessert followed of a large slab of toasted bread with a single scoop of vanilla ice cream on top. the ice cream slowly melted its way though every crack in the crust and made for one of the best ways to end a nice meal.