Well it was an interesting week, I may have to jump hogwan's. After doing research into my contract and Korean labor law. I did my research before I got here, GnB is a reputable school but the franchises individual owners make the decisions. So that's been my week, training, writing, and all in all being good. Looking into my TESOL certifications. The expectation of me to be teaching in Korean has killed me the most. And according to my sources it shouldn't be happening.
When I get paid in May, negotiations with my boss. My services are in demand here.
As to the title of my blog, My students, the ten year olds are well behaved and adore me. They had an assignment to draw sports. My students drew a bunch of pictures of me in various action poses, punching submarines, killing sharks, jumping out of planes. Looks Like I've become Doc Savage. They are the ones that call me by my Korean name.
The weekend was fun
Saturday, April 18, 2009
Monday, April 13, 2009
Officially Extra Terrestrial
I finally got my alien registration card so I am not a registered alien. Feel like the mutants in Marvel comics protesting the mutant registration act. But now I at ;east have credible Korean ID and don't have to carry my passport with me.
Sunday, April 12, 2009
why-people, poison water and stickage
Well it's Monday, damn, back to invisibility but I managed to score two pair of escrima sticks so I can have my proper morning work out. After taping them up , reading and writing it was almnost like being back in Brooklyn.
Wei = why
Weigookin = foreigners or foreign people
We are now officially the Why People, and again some informational discrepencies have made my a little surly. Like just being told not to drink the tap water because there is ARSENIC in it. I've been drinking it for three months now and that may account to why I've been feeling like hell scrambled.
I'm also learning the Korean phrasing for "What can you do?" and "Minor" I guess I just miss my dad.
Wei = why
Weigookin = foreigners or foreign people
We are now officially the Why People, and again some informational discrepencies have made my a little surly. Like just being told not to drink the tap water because there is ARSENIC in it. I've been drinking it for three months now and that may account to why I've been feeling like hell scrambled.
I'm also learning the Korean phrasing for "What can you do?" and "Minor" I guess I just miss my dad.
Friday, April 10, 2009
full moon in hwaesong
The moon shines bright calling to the cannines tattooed on my soul. The fox, the wolf, the hound, the coyote - the cunning, the teacher, the loyalist and the trickster run through the Byeongjeom night. And for this night I run with the wild hunt. It is there where the mountain of glass that haunts my dreams stays, between the dreaming and the dead. My borderlands, my road of shadows.
Finally pay day and plans to go out to the Crazy Duck take form. I am very tired the week was exhausting. But things are taking shape. The Korean sword form is going well and helping me read/write the language. Been writing, finally have the letters ready to go out and the money to mail them. I have been looking into my post Korea plans and hope to save money if worse comes to worse. I resuced Soy who returned to us ( Tuesdays, Thursdays , Fridays ) after locking herself in one of the unused classrooms to get breast milk for her little one. The last few classes on Thursday and generally I can coast through Friday's none the worse for wear. I ran into Soy's mother who invited me to some grand picnic in the far future. I miss my family, my friends, the ramblin rovers and the circle. I have written a few poems since I've been here and I am planning on putting up bits of my new fiction. I am cleaning up a few plays for submission and I had to cannibalize an old group of stories to fit into the Glass Mountain. I may have to put a glossary in the back of it. The moon is full and I walk under the alien stars of the shadow road. Still wrestling with bad insomnia and I am missing the sorceress who has my heart the most. I had a long walk and talk with a few decades old ghosts and we came to terms. You can only hold onto memories so long before their sweetness turns to poison. The warrior poet stars to speak again, in fits and starts. But his parries, strikes and thrusts are clean even though his prose sometimes lacks definition.
Finally pay day and plans to go out to the Crazy Duck take form. I am very tired the week was exhausting. But things are taking shape. The Korean sword form is going well and helping me read/write the language. Been writing, finally have the letters ready to go out and the money to mail them. I have been looking into my post Korea plans and hope to save money if worse comes to worse. I resuced Soy who returned to us ( Tuesdays, Thursdays , Fridays ) after locking herself in one of the unused classrooms to get breast milk for her little one. The last few classes on Thursday and generally I can coast through Friday's none the worse for wear. I ran into Soy's mother who invited me to some grand picnic in the far future. I miss my family, my friends, the ramblin rovers and the circle. I have written a few poems since I've been here and I am planning on putting up bits of my new fiction. I am cleaning up a few plays for submission and I had to cannibalize an old group of stories to fit into the Glass Mountain. I may have to put a glossary in the back of it. The moon is full and I walk under the alien stars of the shadow road. Still wrestling with bad insomnia and I am missing the sorceress who has my heart the most. I had a long walk and talk with a few decades old ghosts and we came to terms. You can only hold onto memories so long before their sweetness turns to poison. The warrior poet stars to speak again, in fits and starts. But his parries, strikes and thrusts are clean even though his prose sometimes lacks definition.
Wednesday, April 8, 2009
favorites and folktales
Well I had a few moments between the waves of chaos to write a few notes.
One was the revelation of some Korean superstitions around the word Sa, Sa=death, it is also the number 4, which is why four is considered unlucky.
My students keep changing their English names. One asked me for my full name. So now some want middle names as well. I was playing favorites today.
I've been reading many Korean folktales and they have been finding their way into my thoughts. Many tales of lost love, hauntings, valiant deeds and monsters. Pretty much my taste.
I was teaching a fable based on the old chinese fable of the woman who lived a good life and wanted to see heaven and hell. So death takes her to hell first. The is a sumptuous feast but all those seated at the table were starving, monaing and miserable. To thier hands were bound twenty foot long chopsticks and the couldn't reach their mouths and were fighting and poking each other with the sticks. Then she asked to see heaven, And much to her suprise she saw a table, with a great feast, but all those at the table were bubbly and happy. When she asked why heaven and hell looked the same Death answered. Look closer. And those at the table in heaven were feeding each other. The definition of goodness and kindness.
I had a good day of classes, My 3 favorites are Anna, Cindy and Alice. Anna always try to speak english with me and always finds words like smart and respect to use in reference to me. Cindy just adores me and likes to hug my legs. And Alice her partner in crime has a better vocabulary than I do.
I been working on Glass Mountain (my adventure novel ) and what is probably my last play Slayin Dragons. The two may become one and create the live radio theatre piece I always wanted to do.
One was the revelation of some Korean superstitions around the word Sa, Sa=death, it is also the number 4, which is why four is considered unlucky.
My students keep changing their English names. One asked me for my full name. So now some want middle names as well. I was playing favorites today.
I've been reading many Korean folktales and they have been finding their way into my thoughts. Many tales of lost love, hauntings, valiant deeds and monsters. Pretty much my taste.
I was teaching a fable based on the old chinese fable of the woman who lived a good life and wanted to see heaven and hell. So death takes her to hell first. The is a sumptuous feast but all those seated at the table were starving, monaing and miserable. To thier hands were bound twenty foot long chopsticks and the couldn't reach their mouths and were fighting and poking each other with the sticks. Then she asked to see heaven, And much to her suprise she saw a table, with a great feast, but all those at the table were bubbly and happy. When she asked why heaven and hell looked the same Death answered. Look closer. And those at the table in heaven were feeding each other. The definition of goodness and kindness.
I had a good day of classes, My 3 favorites are Anna, Cindy and Alice. Anna always try to speak english with me and always finds words like smart and respect to use in reference to me. Cindy just adores me and likes to hug my legs. And Alice her partner in crime has a better vocabulary than I do.
I been working on Glass Mountain (my adventure novel ) and what is probably my last play Slayin Dragons. The two may become one and create the live radio theatre piece I always wanted to do.
Saturday, April 4, 2009
no longer illiterate
Well had my first hardcore lessons in reading Korean. Thanks Ed, Mira, and Samantha. All are part of a joint effort to get me reading which has been vastly improving my korean. The rest of the week turned to plans of a coup de etat with the teachers under the Big Nym finally organizing to make conditions better. Anytime you throw an american in the mix we form a union. Been trying to make my apartment liveable. It's looking more like a dojong than a place to live. Need to put something on the walls. Mostly my walls are covered with maps and korean language lesson. Can't wait for my certifications, just to have a ranking here. Soon escrima sticks. And Scott happy.
Wednesday, April 1, 2009
the feral hobbit workout
Long hard April babbo(fools) day
It was a long slog through the trenches of Mordor. My students were good. My problem class calmed down after a scolding from Captain Scott ( the Big Nim , cause I can't for the life of me remember the proper Korean for his title.) Been in the nasty habit of pluralizing Korean. Weygooks as opposed to Weygookin. And a weird English suffix brought about by the 7 months of seven day weeks working with Kevin Carlson, the interior designer . The suffix -age. If you need curtains you need curtainage, blinds blindage, a dresser dresserage. That an my own old slang Golden ( very good ) have worked their way back into my speak. 9 days and counting until I get paid. I have been saving but very little. I hope to do better this coming month.
As for the title of this blog entry. I was contemplating a gym membership. But it occured to me between the pass ball game I play at the end of classes, dodging korean drivers, ducking landmines of innuendo, I have kept in good form. And with the training as well as hitting a plateau in my current Korean studies. Learning to read soon. I understnad more than I can speak. Which comes out in the weirdest of situations. I am studying hard. Looking into my certifications. But the biggest workout is the kids.
The hobbit curl - where the kids want my to life them and fly them around the room like superman.
The hanging hobbit - when groups of them grab onto my elbows as I lift them off the ground.
The hobbit press - the pushing up and off of a mob of candy deprived Sacksville Bagginses
The Treebeard shuffle - When I walk with them clinging to my legs.
The Hobbit/Troll ultimate megasonic wrestling - when an entire class of the ferals tries to arm wrestle me "at once"
The Uruk drag - when a few refuse to budge and with cries of Andei ( No way/No ) and I am forced to drag them and my poor passball around class
Such is my life as it is.
I miss my girl so much.
It was a long slog through the trenches of Mordor. My students were good. My problem class calmed down after a scolding from Captain Scott ( the Big Nim , cause I can't for the life of me remember the proper Korean for his title.) Been in the nasty habit of pluralizing Korean. Weygooks as opposed to Weygookin. And a weird English suffix brought about by the 7 months of seven day weeks working with Kevin Carlson, the interior designer . The suffix -age. If you need curtains you need curtainage, blinds blindage, a dresser dresserage. That an my own old slang Golden ( very good ) have worked their way back into my speak. 9 days and counting until I get paid. I have been saving but very little. I hope to do better this coming month.
As for the title of this blog entry. I was contemplating a gym membership. But it occured to me between the pass ball game I play at the end of classes, dodging korean drivers, ducking landmines of innuendo, I have kept in good form. And with the training as well as hitting a plateau in my current Korean studies. Learning to read soon. I understnad more than I can speak. Which comes out in the weirdest of situations. I am studying hard. Looking into my certifications. But the biggest workout is the kids.
The hobbit curl - where the kids want my to life them and fly them around the room like superman.
The hanging hobbit - when groups of them grab onto my elbows as I lift them off the ground.
The hobbit press - the pushing up and off of a mob of candy deprived Sacksville Bagginses
The Treebeard shuffle - When I walk with them clinging to my legs.
The Hobbit/Troll ultimate megasonic wrestling - when an entire class of the ferals tries to arm wrestle me "at once"
The Uruk drag - when a few refuse to budge and with cries of Andei ( No way/No ) and I am forced to drag them and my poor passball around class
Such is my life as it is.
I miss my girl so much.
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