Hey! Those were my fries.

Nov 15-21, 2010

Another week of fair weather totally spoiled us as news from back home says it is getting colder by the week. This week started out with a sleep in before work and then a scramble to make my lunch and make it to work on time. Luckily this week is all review so my normal schedule of doing nothing before classes started was put off a bit by having to prepare review sheets. I live a troubled life as you can see. After work it was off to the gym, where I was greeted again by the enthusiastic trainers and a very full gym. I had a momentary freak out when I went into the weight section and saw the weights strewn about, and took it upon myself to curse out all those in ear shot and throw the weights into order so that everyone wasn't falling over them while trying to navigate the workout floor. Immediately following my outburst half the people in the area left, leaving me plenty of space to work out. As I began my workout I was introduced by the trainer to another Korean who has recently returned from studying in Canada named Jack, and so, spent my time bouncing between working out and talking with the two of them. It's nice to be treated so well at the gym, but there are times when it can be distracting from the task at hand. After my workout I headed home and threw on a football game while I got some cooking out of the way, and then whipped up my weekly email to Lauren. The game went a lot longer than I had anticipated, and I didn't end up going to bed until after 3am.

Waking up mid morning on Tuesday, I sat around watching internet videos before getting ready for work, and another day of review before the ids final tests. Once work was out it was straight home to catch another football game and try to get to sleep before 2am. Wednesday and Thursday were about the same only with a trip to the gym squeaked in before work on both days, and then while at work there was less review and more break time, because the kids were writing their tests.

Friday came and the end of the week was well appreciated around the school. The Korean teachers were stressing about the tests being over and the impending report cards and phone calls about the test results. As well, but to a much lesser extent, Mike and I were trying to finish up the rest of the report card sheets that we were given so that the Korean teachers could get everything input. After work I made for Sincheon to meet Alex and Louise, and Blake and Silvia (a friend of his from Busan who came up to visit before he leaves at the end of the month) at Gold Bar. I had told Blake I would come and help him keep Silvia entertained since her English is rather terrible and he would need a break from using his Korean from time to time. It was a success and she had a great time with us, and was happy we all made an attempt to include her. Since she had to leave early the next day for Busan they left around 130, while the rest of us stuck around until some time after 430 before we left to get some McDonald's and take cabs home. As luck would have it, I ended up with a hungry taxi driver who ended up eating more of my McDonald's than I did. When I got in the cab I offered him some of my french fires, of which he took the whole container. Thinking nothing of it and that he would give them back after having a few I went ahead and started devouring my McNuggets. Then after a few minutes I realized he hadn't given them back, and when I looked into the front seat her was chowing down like it was his first meal in weeks. Now usually I would say something, but the fries seemed to have him in a good mood, and to be honest I probably didn't need them anyways. That and he seemed to be trying to get me home extra quick, a little too quick in fact because his speedy driving started making my nauseous. Once I reached my destination I realized I hadn't touched my burger, and quickly forfeited it to the driver because I knew it would be a bad choice to eat it, and he looked like he needed something to wash down my fries. Home and in bed by 6, I quickly passed.

Saturday was a day of rest. Among several invites to go out to places like Kondae, Gangnam, and Hongdae my better judgment kicked in, and I decided to take a day off and stay in watching movies. It was a bit of a waste of a nice day, but I really didn't care. I woke up feeling alright and got some cleaning and groceries out of the way throughout the day, between football games and movies. I also had a chance to chat with Gavin for a bit on Skype, which I hadn't done for some time. Near the end of the night I grabbed a pizza for dinner, thus ending a good lazy day.

Sunday was a good day. Having rested all saturday, I got up early and headed for Brett's place on the other side of town to watch the UFC fights. I had gotten the invitation late saturday night and figured why not. I was a bit late getting to his place and missed the first fight, but it had me out of the house before I had a chance to slip into sloth mode.After the fights it was mid afternoon so i headed out to try and find some Christmas cards. I started out in Dongdaemun, but having no luck after a couple hours of walking around went over Insadong to see what they might have. In the end it was a bust, but there are a few more places yet to check. I found some last year, so I still have high hopes. After my shopping failure I went to meet Blake and a friend of his named Young for dinner at On The Border in the COEX mall at 630. After dinner we had a quick coffee before going our separate ways home. I grabbed the last few things I had forgotten at the grocery store after I got to my station, then went home to get some cooking and Sunday phone calls out of the way.

Until next week.

G20 in Seoul -- Too Bad I Couldn't Make It

Nov 8-14, 2010

This week started out as any other week. I got up late on Monday and made some food for the day before heading off to work. Work was the same as usual, except in my free time I took the chance to start making some review sheets for my classes, as level tests begin next week. After work it was off to the gym, where I met up with the trainers, who again were thrilled to talk to me and discuss life. I find it quite endearing at times how enthusiastic some Koreans are to help and make foreigners feel comfortable. After the gym it was off to home to get off my weekly email, and watch one of Sunday's NFL games. I ended up being up until later than I had hoped but was well worth it to catch the Browns game.

After staying up until almost 4am, I slept Tuesday until 1130 before getting up and putting together my lunch and taking off for work. After work it was straight home to relax and watch another football game. Then it was the day everybody waits for. Payday. I was waiting for this day since the pay fiasco of last month and being don to my last 4000W. I got up and got to the gym before work, and then passed the day away at work wondering if my pay would be on the level this month. As it turned out, it was, and after work I hit up a bank machine to pull out money in an attempt to allocate my finances early and avoid any broke circumstances that might arise near the end of the month. I took out enough to set aside four envelopes of weekly grocery allowance, as well as half of what I owed to my director for the pay advance last month, and enough to get me through the rest of the week and weekend. Once I got home I sorted out the cash stack, then put on a football game and called it a day.

Thursday was another typical day in the life Mark Teacher. I got up and went to the gym before heading to work to deal out the punishment these kids never seem to get from other teachers. After lasts weeks failure to finish their homework, those kids who forgot to do it this week found themselves writing lines instead of participating in class. It seems as though I am the only teacher that deals out punishment around here, which is no wonder why the kids think they can get away with anything they want. There are only so many times you can threaten to call their moms, or actually call their moms, before they realize it's an idle threat. In between my classes I kept busy filling out "report cards" for the end of the semester. I use quotations because I was told by a few teachers that what I write or the score I give doesn't really matter, and that they will probably change what I put anyways. Well why bother I thought, but I was in no mood to rock the boat, and let it be.

Friday was about the same. Gym in the morning, off to work where I handed out some more sentences and filled out bogus report cards, and made plans for some evening fun. I heard from my coworker Mike that there was a bar in Gangnam offering a special on, all you can drink, for 10 000W. I asked Blake if him and Nate wanted to go and check it out, then after work headed out to meet them in Gangnam. Unfortunately we got some poor directions from Mike about going out exit 5 and taking the first two lefts, and ended up in some alley on a parallel street to the one with the actual bar. After a couple calls and some clarification we got to the bar 30 minutes later than we could have. Once in we got seated and ordered some beers, and Blake with his awesome Korean found out that they closed at 1am. This doesn't sound important but it played a roll as the night went on. We were a couple beers in when our bill was brought around, yet we were not asked if we wanted any more beers. A few minutes later when we tried to order another round, we were denied because it was after 1230. Immediately Blake got pretty angry because he takes pride in his Korean ability, and had asked what time we had to order until, and what time the bar closed. A Korean sitting next to us who spoke English validated that what Blake had said was correct, and we felt that since it was only 1235 we should be allowed to have another beer. The server still denied, making us all pretty pissed off. Blake got up and went to find the original person he talked to. Then explaining the situation to a disinterested person, we realized that it was a battle lost unless we were willing to cause a scene. Since we weren't we just left angry, grabbed a convenience store beer and walked back to Kyodae so I could catch a cab home. All in all it was the same price for two beers as it was for all you could drink so we broke even anyways. I was home by 2am, but watched the first half of another game before calling it a night.

Saturday, feeling great when I got up since I hadn't been drinking late Friday, I got up around 11 and sat around watching internet videos and doing dishes until the early afternoon. Eventually i got ready and headed out to Namdaemun to see if I could find any arts and crafts booths carrying necklace making items so that I can make some necklaces out of my shark teeth for the kids. I was unable to find any, but did run into and have a conversation with a friend of mine from Waterloo, Wes, and will have to get out with him in the coming months. After Namdaemun, I walked over to the downtown area where there is a stream called Cheonggyecheon that was host to a lantern display during the G20 Summit that took place in Seoul this month. I never made it, due to my schedule, to the G20 Summit at COEX, but I heard it was pretty packed with protesters and the likes. I walked up and down the stream a few times, taking pictures and enjoying the lanterns as the sun went down and the lights came on. Not wanting to go all the way home just to go back out, I headed to Olympic Park to grab a hot chocolate while I waited to meet Alex and Louise, and Mike Stopp and his fiancée for a shabu-shabu dinner at Bangi station at 7pm. It had been a long time since I had had shabu-shabu and really enjoyed my diner. After dinner Alex, Louise, and I went over to Sincheon because I had told Nate that I would meet him there around 1030 for drinks at Gold Bar. We started not at a bar, but at an arcade where we played the super popular bunching bag game. I can see now why Koreans like it so much. It's a really cheap form of entertainment that everyone can play. We started with the pull down bag, which is much easier on the hands before moving to the pop-up bag game, which is a little more like punching a static medicine ball. After having our fun, we moved along to the newly opened Ho Bar for a couple of drinks before making our way to Gold Bar, where we continued to party until some time after 5am. A good contingent of friends even showed up, including Frank, Brady, Matei, and Alex B. I don't remember much after 4am until I was eating McDonald's breakfast and getting in a cab. Home some time after 6am I went to bed where I would stay for some time.
Sunday was a day of rest all around. I didn't get up until after 2pm, and even after that I just laid around watching football, and then eventually went and got some groceries before the stores closed.

Well another week of great weather gone, and hopefully another few to come. Good news from home that Nan was released from the hospital to Uncle Rod and Aunt Kim's place until further treatment.

A Beautiful Week for a Stroll

Nov 1-7, 2010

This week was a beautiful fall week. the weather was cool but not so clod that you couldn't be outside uncomfortably. On Monday I skipped the gym in the morning, opting to get a bit of extra sleep and then make some food before work. After work it was off to the gym to make sure I got my workout in, and while I was there I met the two night shift trainers who were super happy to meet me, and very eager to talk with me about my workout. One's English was better than the others but it was one of the many endearing moments I've gotten to have during my time here. They even got me to hop on the health check machine, which determines body percentages like fat, muscle, etc. Turns out I was about 17% fat. After the gym I came home and put on a football game before I called it a night.
Having worked out hard the night before, I slept in on Tuesday. Luckily I woke up with enough time before work to pack up my lunch and get off. While at work everything was pretty status quo, and after work I came home and threw on another football game while I put together my weekly email to Lauren. Before the game was even over I was dozing off, but I made it to the end and then called it a night.
Wednesday morning I was back in the gym before heading of to work, and after work being the middle of the week I came home to catch another game and clean up a bit before calling it a night. Thursday morning I got up and went to the gym again, then after the gym I decided to ride my bike to work while the weather was still nice. Then, while I was at work I got a call from Blake about going to Sincheon after work to finish up the bottles he had stared on his birthday. At first I wasn't sure if I wanted to, but immediately after talking to Blake about possibly doing it Friday I had two classes that pushed me into angry teacher mode for not doing their work, and when the classes were over I confirmed with Blake that I would be there. I took my bike home after work before hopping on the subway for Sincheon. I got to Gold Bar by 11, where I met Blake, Frank, and Garrett, and made quick work of the last of the bottle we had stored there. I was sure we had stored some whiskey and vodka, but the staff was only able to locate the vodka, which was probably for the best. We played some darts and pool, and had a few more drinks before calling it a night around 2am. After a stop at McDonald's, Blake and I split a cab on our way home, and I was home by 230.
After having a later night than I would have if I had just come home, I slept in and skipped my trip to the gym Friday morning. Luckily with all the water I have been drinking lately I felt great when I got up and could get ready for work with ease. While at work I had an amazing moment when one of my kids who is way out of place in his placement level, and who can barely understand what is going, finally open up and participate as a member of the class. It was great to finally see him interacting with a few of the other boys, and take joy in the memory game we were playing. I'm sure his mom will be thrilled when the Korean teacher relays the information. After work it was off to the gym to get in my workout. I had decided not to go out Friday night since I had gone out Thursday, and going to the gym was a good way to use up my time, as well as make a healthy move instead of an unhealthy one on a Friday night. The trainers were happy to see me again, and I was happy to see that my weight training was starting to pay of with a jump from 71 to 72kg. After the gym I grabbed some water at the store and came home to watch another football game and get some rest before Saturday.
I had great plans for Saturday, and even though I did get them accomplished, it was done in a much slower fashion than originally planned. I had planned to get up before 930, but slept in until 1030, and go for a hike among some of the numerous mountains around the city. I got up and watched some internet videos between making some sandwiches and eating breakfast before I got ready and left for some nature walking. I chose Bukansan, located behind the large Gyungbuk palace, but didn't get there until shortly after 1pm. Time wasn't an issue since it isn't a huge hike but it would have been nicer to be out there a bit earlier. The hike was nice and the weather was perfect, I was able to take off my sweater until I got to the top and took a break to eat my sandwiches, where it was a bit cooler since I wasn't on the move. The trees have started changing colours so the view from the mountain was very nice, and after a short break I walked back down getting only a little lost when I decided to take what turned out to be a non-trail. It all worked out in the end and by 3 I was back at the bottom, wandering the streets looking for the subway station. I eventually found one and made my way home to take a shower and relax before finding something to do for the night. Around 530 Blake called me and said him and SaeJin were going to the wine buffet and said if I wanted to come I was welcome. I quickly got ready and left for Samsung station to get to COEX Mall and the Intercontinental Hotel for the buffet by 630. At the buffet we ran into Thomas and Jeanne, and their coworkers who were all out for Jeanne's birthday, and who invited us out for some noraebang when we were all finished. We thought that was a great idea and swung over to Sincheon after the wine buffet to find a noraebang and get our sing on. We had a couple more drinks at the noraebang and had a great time singing for a couple hours before our time ran out around 130am. Blake and SaeJin had left around 1245, but I stayed since I was having a good time. After we were all finished I suggested hitting Gold Bar for one more drink and to say hi to the usual, which everyone seemed down for. We hit up the bar, but everyone but me only stayed one drink before it was time to take Thomas home. I saw them off and grabbed another drink and chatted with some of the staff and other regulars. Then out of nowhere I found myself getting involved in bar safety. It started with a Korean and foreigner getting a little pushy and the bartenders breaking it up and taking the Korean outside. While they were getting him calmed down the foreigner came over close to me and continued to provoke the fight from afar. I quickly told him not to be an asshole, to which he agreed and when things had settled down apologized to the bartenders for causing any trouble. When he decided to leave a few minutes later was when I got involved. Apparently the Korean group had not yet cleared the street and when he went up, tempers flared. One bartender went up right away to make sure things stayed cool, and when the other went to go up, about five guys cornered him and wouldn't let him up the stairs. Since they are all friends of mine at the bar, I got pretty upset, put my coat and drink down, then went over and pushed the entire entourage over, grabbing two of them by the front of the shirt and dragging them up the stairs. They were apologetic as I dragged them up the stairs, and their English was pretty good as they explained to me that they didn't want any trouble. I told them not to touch the bar staff then went back downstairs to make sure the rest of them got the hell out, which they all did with haste. I am not the fighting type, or at least not the type that goes out to start fights, but I will stick up for what is right if I have to. After that everything was cool and in appreciation hooked me up with a couple of shots that I really didn't need, but accepted on account of our friendship. While the ruckus was going on JungHun showed up, so we had a couple drinks before heading out together to split a cab. I was home by 5, and went quickly to bed to get some much needed rest.
I woke up a few hours after putting my head to my pillow to drink some water and take some Advil, then went back to sleep until 1pm when Blake called me. I still didn't feel 100% but had told him that I wanted to go to the last of the FC Seoul soccer games since I had Lauren's season pass. Blake met me at the field and we grabbed a couple of tickets and went in only to find that we were both hungry by half time, but the food stands were low on reserves so there wasn't enough food by the time we got to the front of the line. Starving we watched the rest of the game with FC Seoul winning. After the game we hit up Sillim for some kalmaegisal, and out of no where met up with Mike from work and his friend George who joined us for dinner. After dinner Blake and I headed to our respective homes, but not before I could borrow a few bucks off Blake to get some groceries for the week, since my pay problems from the start of the month left me down to about a dollar in my account and payday wasn't until Wednesday. Once home I made my weekly call home to mom and found out that the problems my Nan had been having lately were from a cancerous tumour they removed during the week and that some other results regarding lymph node cancer were still pending, but that she has already agreed to go forward with chemo therapy if needed.

Well there it is another week. I hope the best for my Nan and am looking forward to getting all the news and choices in the future go or bad so that I know the situation.