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.

a memory of childhood

One of the sadder posts to date, but it ends well. I try to keep the blog relatively upbeat. Harry one of my younger students was beaten up by an older boy and was crying. He's a little awkward and heavy for his age. Very shy and always a little sad. He reminded me of a kid long ago, who was shy and awkward. A kid who used to get picked on and beaten up. I comforted him as best I could in Korean and he just gave my legs this huge hug. I gave him / his parents Master Kim's number and offered to help him with his studies. The big problem kid in the hogwan now has the fear of god when I scolded him in korean. I could never abide by bullies. Unfortunately the competitive nature of Korea pushes the kids very hard. Kids here go to school, then academies. They are always hungry and tired. I thought back to the huck finn adventures of my childhood playing in the ocean, running in the swamps, climbing trees. I wouldn't trade those memories for anything. Today is also parents day in Korea. So thanks Mom and Pop, for giving me all those great memories, giving me a foundation to build from and freedom to fly, freedom to make mistakes and have victories. I hope I am half the parents you are.

stuff for walls

This weekend was fun, went to SOngtan for a new pipe. A bit pricey but worth it. Had mexican food, actually made by Mexicans. There is an airbase near there, the Airmen are fun. They saw me speaking Korean and asked me a ton of questions. some were genuiniely interested in being polite, then went to a nightclub in Suwon called Shampoo, danced my legs off. Let the hair out. Had good Galbi (pork ) and pretty much chilled with the Surly crew. Saturday we went back to Suwon and get a gaggle of foreigners.

ALso met a trio of military guys hell bent for trouble. I sent them to the pink light district and was hoping the MP's would find them.

Well, I finally broke down and got some more things to put on my walls, they are laminated korean maps and language lessons that break down the syllable blocks . Not quite the decorating I wanted to do and my old interior decorating boss would break into hives. But the cell is looking a little less transitory. I spent the day in. I was going to go to the lantern festival inSeoul but my back was killing me so I decided to stay in a be a slugabed. I also got floor sitting mats just in case I invite one of Byeongjeomers to eat here. It can be civilized. Going to do a little food shopping.

Be safe

S.E.T.I. or all alone in the night

On my way to the family mart to get a soda, I was stopped by a group of kids yelling "WEYGOOKIN !!!" I responded Ai Ni yo, Hangeukin, ha susuisunida chalheyo ( I am Korean and I speak Korean very well ) I left them stunned. But I learned a long time ago what it was like to be an alien. I still think about what's out there, what our planetary community it like. With ex astronauts saying we are not alone. I wonder what would happen if they did come. Would we as a species act the same way as the Koreans do. Would we embrace them, would they enslave us, would we turn on ourselves. Human nature is predictable. I would still like to be alive if we ever do meet them and say " I was there the day we were no longer all alone in the night."

my pet and Aesop's revenge

As you know I have been considering a pet, so today I asked the students what kind of pet I should get. They suggested

koala
crocodile
shark
elephant
pig
tiger - Ana suggested a baby tiger
horse
fox
lion
eagle
bear
wolf

I was thining of a cat, I explained my chip(home) was chokum(small)

The old tales of the lion and the big wind, the mole and the seed, the fox and the crow, the tiger and the rabbit. Are in some of the units I have been teaching. The younger students like it when I change voices and punch the stories up a bit. I got to explain about fables. How all stories wherever they are from have similar themes. They got it. I hope if I leave them with anything it's that something different is not to be feared. I know many of my kids will never leave Korea and after so many years of compulsory English in public school they'll grow to resent it. I got to do a little Shakespeare today too. Good day overall.

quick update

A few good things

David one of my best students I met his parents. I said in ok Korean, he is smart and polite. David replied so are you teacher.

Cindy another on my gems, always hugs my legs. Gave me another little note saying Thank you teacher.

My interview/test are going well. Thinks are chrping along. Brought a pair of escrima sticks Master Kim found for me to the hogwan, they may prove useful. ( Sardonic laughter )