"L" words and going native

Hmmm, where to begin. My computer has gone native the " L " key is working only after I type an "R" . Very strange. Today got accosted by a Korean gentleman. And the realization hit me. I was thinking in 25% Korean. It really hurt my brain. The migraines are getting worse. But this whole keyboard fiasco helped me realize how vital one piece is to the full puzzle, "L" is key to some of my favorite words. Live, Love, Like, Lonely, Real, Visualize, Laughter, Half, Letter, Loquacious, Gods it's a fantastic letter.
News about the North and it's missile tests, and the suicide of a former Korean president just hit the locals hard.

W -T you get the idea

It's amazing how when you have been teaching kids long enough, you talk slower, I tend to get down on one knee to make eye contact. You also start getting into the arguing mindset of a ten year old. "You're ugly." a student will say. And even though I am not hurt by it part of me wants to stick out my tongue and go " Well you're short." Luckily I'm not that childish. My Hogwan owner asked me to stop using Korean in my classes. I told him I have to use a little. Especially the booming stonebreaking voice yelling Hajima (stop that). But after all these months of using Korean in class I have to stop, and I still can't get an English only policy. Louie one of my better speakers has been really acting up and being disruptive. He actually kicked me. I blocked it and that shocked him. Just was a hard day.

little bits of both

For some odd reason a Korean Dunkin Donuts driver who I talk to everymorning as I wait for my bus decided to drive me to work. It was totally random act.

Then went to Subway for my big Tuesday/Thursday lunch. Where I met Ed. Ed's mother is visiting from London and I have faint twinges of envy. Ed has been a good friend to me here. And since I put the crew together the loneliness has abated for many of them.

Master Kim also wants to spar me hardcore, An evil grin erupts on my face. Between Master Kim, Chul Hee and the Kumdo master my preparations for Dragon slaying are going ahead full force.

Today had it's up and downs. My boys class was well behaved and I was teaching a section of comic books. A new hero was invented Jhang Gun Man. We decided his superpowers were invulnerability and super strength. SO basically I am a tank. Not too far from the truth.

The sad news today is that my best speaker Dolphin is having problems and is leaving the Hogwon. She has been being rebellious recently. Wearing earrings and make up etc. But she spit on the seats today. Something very bad is going on and I don't have the authority or the language to find out why. If I were teaching in public schools back in the states, I wouls at least have options and some legal recourse to help her. It saddens me.

nouns and confusion

well back at work, I hit a certain level of confusion. I am loading up on basic nouns. I still can't remeber the words for basics like door, window etc. I keep confusing Nam Ja ( man ) and Nam o ( tree ) it's very interesting calling a man you just met a tree. But I have a ton of phrases adjective and adverbs. So nouns and verys are my next hit. Had a good day with the feral hobbits. Reading the language has been helping but many of vowells throw me because they look alike. If I had it to do over again. I would have learned to read first.

swordfights and piracy

Had my first really swordmatch in Korea with a Kumdo master. It was about to pour rain and I was training of few of my friends in escrima. It was light sparring but damn it felt good to fight someone of equal or better skill. I've been training on and off with Master Kim and CHul Hee but Tae Kwon Do is not a style I am particularly fond of. We fought to a tie. I'll be contacting him to get my combat fix. I am walking on air. Then the rain came.
I recieved another Korean name Pae Jok last week that loosely translates into Pirate. I was asked to do some Shakespeare and improvise a few sonnets. English speakers lapping up the poetry like hungry sponges. I'm helping a club owner in Suwon with his promotions in English for his new foreigner friendly club. And my Korean which has hit a plateau is progressing again. The glass mountain is in sight. Soon i'll be since months in and halfway home. I now have a full legitimate Korean name that I can write in Korean. Kang Jhang Gun ( Powerful General ) and I started my deeper studies into Korean folktales and warrior culture. The Seonbi ( Scholar ) culture mixed with the knightly warrior spirit. Ki Sa Do , meaning Chivalry. Next month I want to do more cultural exploring. Trying to get further south to Soraksam.

Someone taught my students about "flipping the bird" and asking me to explain it. That I left to the Korean teachers. I do not have enough Korean to explain that in kid's language. But the kids who discovered it had a grand old time flipping each other off. It spread like a disease of misunderstanding.


But after some soul searching I have been letting go, letting go of hurts done to me, and hurts I've caused. I forgive and sometimes hope I am forgiven. Such is the way of things. As I meditate on my pagoda feeling the May heat pour on me I smile. Such is the way of the flow.

the braii or God has a South African accent

A weekend of wonders started , thursday was finally to ill to work. on friday is when I finally called in sick. Dr. Kim saw me on thursday and told me I had a touch of the flu and was suffering from exhaustion. Being an American I rarely go to the hospital unless I am in the process of bleeding out from multiple gn shot wounds and even then I think it can be fixed by Advil. But constant concerned harassment from people, and a voice in Leonine's Saffer accent saying in the back of my head "Go to hospital!!" finally pushed me there. So I became convinced God has a south African accent.
Saturday I took Taryn to a South African Braii ( basically a big cookout ) the food was fantastic. I got to dance. CHill out to good African music. I was often approached and questioned in Africanne being big and blonde. I would respond in Korean. I was just glad to take Taryn who has been so lonely as of late. To be surrounded by her coutrymen and women. She was in heaven. Sunday I brought the coveted screen over to Tanya's and generally took it easy. As Aidn one of my Korean froend says. "You are in Korea, it's a different sky, a different stars, ( said with a small chuckle ) a different God. "
The gods are hard, often cruel, but they aren't blind and sometimes kind.

a walk through the other central park

In Dongtan, there is another big(well big for Korea) Park, called Central Park. Walked home from the Hogwan trying to break through some writers block. My head full of Korean, Swordwork, and Poetry. The Park intself is more of a public recreation center. Soccer fields, Rollerblading rinks , golf course. But there is an artificial stream that runs through the park with some pagados. You can hear the frogs serenading each other in the stream. I sat watched the kids play. I've had some great times in my central park. The one back home. Near another artifical pond. Where I was rescued once upon a time, by my sorceress.I am going to need a nature fix soon. Growing up near several parks and the ocean. I think of the haven they provide.

babysitting

The first Monday back is lng and hard after a short week. My kids were mostly well behaved but my boss is still fighting me with my English only policy. Sice I don't have a Korean co-teacher to fall back on. I am also a little sick. I have been here five months and worked sick through most of that time. I have sick days but I haven't taken them. I just want to get to my sixth month. Then I can make decisions of wehter or not to jump schools because my airfare here will have been paid. If I ever do come back here I'm teaching in public school or one of the adult schools in Seoul. I had a real case of the blues on Sunday missing home and my family and friends. But little blessings like my crew here help. Today in class I had to teach a 40 minutes class with about 30 seconds worth of material. Thank the gods I can improvise.

good times

had a good weekend, relaxed killed time reading. Trained Ed and established the routes of escrima here. I'm a little tired. But wanted to get back into my flow as it were. I had a bout of extreme loneliness but got passed it. Took care of friends for a few weeks. And felt again like the hero. I missed being the go to guy in emergencies. Probably a glorius side effect from cop DNA. I'll keep this post relatively short. Be safe all.

a very long short week

Well, the days dragged till Friday. The lonliness got really bad for me. I sent out e mails and texts and got some of the vintage commeraderie I was missing. The story is going well. My Korean is going well. It's just constant work to keep it up. My Korean friends say I am doing well and for a guy who has only been here since January I am doing really well.

Missing time lost in rhyme
A sharpened blade and inked quill
Fall into rhythym as patterns chime
Forcing myself with time to kill

A vintage laugh a remeberence
of friends and lovers past
heals the little hurts of severence
for only one thing will ever last

so in this stanza I write of things
so close and deep in mind
for the poet word oft stings
when to the past he's kind

the long weekend

Well I am back to the grind after a four day siesta. I went to the Dragon Jewel Bhuddist temple with Sam and Tanya. The temple is beautiful and is just screaming for a prolonged fight scene. I hope soon to get my pics up from my camera. Where you can all see bits of the places I have roamed to. Chin Teh had his second child. A boy, So I may be without him for the rest of this week. Picked up a few things and just relaxed. I also started to teach some of the local Why-people escrima. Really missed home on Tuesday night. But I got a crew and folks who look out for each ohter. People needed places to crash, emergency cash. I like being the paladin. Poetry is coming slowly. Still miss the sky, my sorceress and ease in speaking. I got to go "Once more into the fray" but will add more as things come to me.