I love Japan 
I know, I know, the grass is always greener. I did have a wonderful time in Fukuoka and many of my friends are encouraging me to move their for work . . .Hummmm, interesting. I could actually see myself doing it.
The wedding was really nice. A very short but sweet ceremony (in Asia you sign all the papers weeks before so the ceremony is really just for show cause you are already married). A lavish party with numerous speeches on the hour every hour (the last ones were great cause they speakers tended to be shitfaced). My friend Rick, the groom, had the final speach and it was for his new mother-in-law and he had the room crying.
D’Angelo and I competed at the Sushi bar and managed to gorge ourselves on eleven and a half plates each for a mere 10 bucks. I love the conveyor belt sushi bars and Dave managed a few photos and a video of it for us.
We painted the town red one evening together and it ended with “Don’t touch me” D’Angelo calling “my god! you little freak! Where the hell do you put all that alcohol!?!” – I had more horns on for this trip^^
The night before the wedding I caught up with Jim Kim and he, Rick and I stayed up to the wee hours talking shit for shits and giggles. That night I finally hit the sheets at 9am for a few hours kip before rising to hit the beach. I was a little worse for wear for the ceremony but managed to be able to consume large amounts of festive alcohol for the midnight beach party that followed. The memory of drunk-asses Rick and D’Angelo on their bellies lighting off line upon line of firworks and shouting out military jargon will remain forever (to be fair Dave was a Peacekeeper for years and spent time in warzones).
I shopped the shit out of Fukuoka at any store that had sales and have almost completed my attempt to change my style from Hawaiin shirts to a more GQ look.
I had the best time traveling again with Rugby Boy. He and I are kindred spirits when it comes to a relaxed and easy going vacation. In fact this weekend we are hitting Seoul together to catch up with our buddy “Jamal” or Mousseaux or “Big Ian” who used to work at the Uni with us and is back in Korea from Canada just for the summer to do a children’s summer camp.
Will let you know all about the debauchery we get into in the big city next. – Positive vibes -
August 10th, 2006
Summer has reared its ugly head and it has become almost intolerably hot here. Simply sitting and not moving produces the same amount of sweat as running a marathon. Summer past-times for us foreign creatures have turned to anything that takes place indoors with air-con.
Tomorrow I am off for Japan and the wedding. A friend has returned to the orient this week from Canada to catch the ferry across to Fukuoka with us. It has been good to see “Don’t touch me” Dave D’Angelo again.
I finished the novel “Black Like me” and as discussed with Rugby Boy that it should be required reading in secondary school in Canada even though it is not literature, but the social importance of the book would be beneficial even though it speaks of an American based problem.
I have since worked my way through “All quiet on the western front” and I am now reading “Barometre rising”. Both of which take place during World War 1 although the first from a German soldier’s perspective and the other a Canadian.
I also took the time to watch the first season of an HBO series called “Carnival”. It revolves around a group of “Carnies” during the American depression of the 30’s, and the idea is that they really CAN do all the supernatural stuff they advertise. It goes on to infer they are pawns of Satan and God and that a holy battle will eventually come about. Quite good really, and it inspired a really interesting discussion on religion with my Korean friend, YooJeong, who is Christian.
Our classes keep going for another few weeks, but a new summer program has started here with other teachers and all the students are children. My work space has been over-run with tiny monsters! Well, to be fair it is somewhat gratefying to finally feel tall^^ They are very cute just so long as I don’t have to teach them^^
I will report back soon on the debauchery I got into in Japan – iain
August 2nd, 2006
Korea is just about to finish up its rainy season, which included a few typhoons to boot. Lots of flooding throughout the country which unfortunately did cause a list of deaths and missing person reports. In my city of Changwon however we rarely deal with that due to it being a planned city and a network of empty canals diverts much of the run-off from the mountains (Korea is 80% mountainous).
The spring and summers here are wet and humid causing the mountains to become lush and quite beautiful, especially when the tops are floating in fog – a great contrast to the bleak, dry and brown look they have all winter.
Today marks one of the hot days of summer and folks go off to eat one of several seasonal dishes aimed at cooling the system and refreshing the body. A chicken soup called “sang gay tang” is quite nummy and actually has a whole tiny chicken in it which has been stuffed with sticky rice, nuts and herbs. Another dish is the dog soup, actually quite an expensive dish here and mostly eaten by men for the libido enriching qualities it is said to have.
My summer of work is a far cry from the normal term here at the University. I am at a part time scheduel entirely blocked in the mornings which has left me lots of time to relax and play. This week alone I have been for darts, bowling and pool, out for a movie, dinner and a session of Korean language studies. Most of this has been done with a growing friendship between myself and a lovely Korean woman. I have also been spending my time reading and recently completed “Animal farm” and Orwell’s second novel “1984″. Currently I am working on “Black like me”.
I have picked up a new interest in jogging. I wake early and crawl out of bed and into the rain to do what is supposed to look like athletics but comes across more like an ambulatory epileptic fit due to the fact the last time I excercised was back in the eighties. It would probably help if I stopped running with a beer in one hand and a cigarrette in the other . . . just kidding mom .
In a couple of weeks I will be hitting Japan (Fukuoka) for a few days to see a friend get married. Japan is quite the fun place and should not be entirely stereotyped by the crazy porn they produce. . . though they can get a little freaky-deaky! Visiting Japan does cost an arm and a leg, though in reality it’s not much different in price compared to England or Canada when you visit the capital cities. Looking forward to the sushi bars – and yes they really do have the ones where you can eat your sushi off of naked women. Can you imagine trying to pull that off in an English speaking country? “Oi! I’ll take that there steak right off the barby and why don’t ya just slap it down on that fit bird over there that’s got nothing on, yeah, that’s it mate, and while your at it why not just wrap the lot between two peices of bread! That’s brilliant that is, got any chips to go with that?”
July 20th, 2006
As often happens here in Korea, as well as much of Asia, foreigners are asked a few specific questions by the local people they meet. How old are you is always a favorite because in Confuscian societies it aids in establishing hierarchy for social interaction. Other questions that function in a similar way are things like; Are you married? What is your job? How much money do you make? But there are some questions that are much more practical and what seem from an ethnocentric perspective more natural that do get asked, questions such as; Where are you from? Do you like Korean women? Do you like Korean food? And of course; How long have you been in Korea? Well, many of my friends will not be truthful when it comes to this last question. I will tell you why. Last night I went to the local expat pub to shoot darts with my buddy and owner of the pub, Austin of Ireland (rat bastard kicked my ass all freaking night too!), when I met briefly a Korean guy who asked me all these questions and finally the kicker; How long have you been in Korea? 6years I answer. He begins to tell me that my attitude is very bad because I should be able to speak Korean after six years. Keep in mind that most of this conversation is being translated through my friend and bartender, Suji, because the guy can’t speak English very well. I ask him how many years he spent learning English. He answers me 10. I tell him that my freshmen students have spent close to 15 years studying English not only in day school but also at night school and continue to work at a basic level. He says that it is different because I am living in the country. I reply that this is true, but that my job is speaking English to students, not Korean, and that everyone I meet (bar him) outside of class wants to practice their English with me. Not only that but my Korean is self taught and though not conversational it is practical and functional for my life in Korea. He continued however to say I was a bad person, and then tells me I should refer to him using the Korean expression “older brother” (pronounced hyoung-nim in Romanised), a title of respect and possibly familiarity though in Korea it is not common at all for two people of an age gap to be friends. I told him I will refer to him as Mr. Lee, respect enough for someone I do not know and to this point really did not deserve my respect for hounding and insulting me. He asked me several more times to refer to him as “older brother” but eventually gave up when I continued to say Mr. Lee. My friend Rugby-Boy (Jason) today said that we are hired here in Korea because we are foreigners and the students want to have English from the horses mouth, if we all become Korean in language and culture while we are here there was no point in importing us. We are here to do a job and learn about a culture, while at the same time sharing ours in order to better understand the changing globalized world we are living in. If we are not learning fast enough for some, well I am just glad those people are not teaching languages cause my poor students would break down in tears if I took that negative attitude with them. I feel language is about communication, not about fluency. Me home go now – you catch that alright?
February 21st, 2006
Hello all my fine feathered friends -
With great thanks again to my brother Dave I am further along the IT highway. I am still living in South Korea and this blog will let me keep all of you informed of my doings and goings on. At this moment I am on a vacation between terms here at Changwon University where I teach English conversation classes (yes, I know many of you who are stunned and startled that I can call myself “prof” but I do, and I like it alot!). I decided to stay in Korea this time rather than take a trip to South-East Asia as I usually do. I am spending my time relaxing and catching up with friends at the local pub. I have been doing some shopping as well, having decided to spend my usual travel money on toys rather than on an airplane ticket. As for Korea, the season changed literally overnight from winter to spring this week. Last week the High school students across the nation had graduation ceremonies and threw flour and eggs at each other . . . the idea being that they no longer require their school uniforms and can ruin them with great zeal. I look forward to greeting those same youngsters come March for their English freshmen courses – does it make me sound aged to say they seem to keep getting younger every year? Half the classes will be stuck in the headlights because I may be their first ever foreign teacher, the others will be slumped over their desks sleeping off the local fire-water called soju they all drank the night before for orientation, it is after all for many of them the first time ever living away from home. Ahhh – memories of my own university days. Another first semester in the Land of the Morning Calm.
February 20th, 2006