my mom is not subtle. during our Christmas day conversation she "hints" that she would like another blog entry. the "hint" went like this. "...and I'm still waiting for another blog." Like a brick in the head, but in a good way. message received mom, here's your blog.
I suppose my blog neglect is due to Facebook, which I won't describe because I think anyone who is reading my blog is firmly aware of what it is. If you're not, check it out, but only if you've got lots of time to spare. I resisted joining facebook, but kept getting invited by people and then one day got really bored. Now it keeps me somewhat sane as I'm whiling away my final hours of this school year. Yep, in t-minus 4 hours 4 minutes, I'm on vacation. w00t.
Christmas has come and gone quite quickly. This was my 3rd Christmas in Korea and the amount of hype leading up to it has grown exponentially, but Korea has yet to pick up on the commercial fervour of post-Christmas retail. That's right, no boxing day. It's good because there's enough push to consume here. It's bad because I had to go to work when every ounce of my white middle class Catholic upbringing told me I should be on vacation eating left over turkey. Thankfully, for the first time in Korea, I have leftover turkey, but only to be enjoyed after work *sigh*
Thanks to everyone who contributed to my Christmas Spirit:
Mom, Dad, Bern, Sam - thanks for the gifties
Uncle Steve, Aunt Donna, Jess and John - thanks for the card and gifties (Jess, I hope your thesis defense went well)
Aunt Kathy - Thanks for the card (And Heather for the endless Scrabulous games)
Matt, Vanessa, John and Emily (and other guests) - for a delicious Christmas dinner and fun Christmas get-together
Friday, December 28, 2007
Saturday, December 08, 2007
a long overdue photo show!
Hang Bin's Brother's Wedding!
HyeYeon (older sister), Dad, Mom, HangBinWhat a good lookin' family!
The Happy Couple, gettin' ready to seal the deal!
Group photo with all their friends. I got to stand in the "family" photo. Kinda freaky.
Don't you wish you had an all white tailcoat tux?
My man all decked out. *rawr*HALLOWE'EN HIGHLIGHTS (for those of you who don't ever visit my flickr page)
Funky Disco Man!
Disco man's Disco Ball!
no! no! too sexy!
the best partMy City Apartment
view from the window
view from the door.It's technically about 7 pyeong (1 pyeong = 3.3 m3). That equals SMALL.
My pink bathroom.Korean style - the shower is attached to the sink.
a pretty fall view of the uni campus near my place.A Recent Visit to the Dog Cafe
the afghan
yes. this dog is wearing both a diaper and a tail coat.
this guy's all decked out Mozart-style!
this cutie was all over me and I loved every minute of it!
Last but not least, this little guy who practically followed me out the door. I love this place. I felt so much more relaxed after some doggie therapy.
Thursday, December 06, 2007
eyebwallz update
i went in for a check-up yesterday. it's been about 2 months since the surgery, and sadly, my distance vision is not what it should be. I'm not all that worried because vision can fluctuate up to 6 months after the surgery. Anyway, here's the rundown of what the good doc told me:
When I got my eyes tested about a week after the surgery, they were almost perfect (-0.25 in both, I think. Note: my prescription was around -4.5 for both eyes before). YEsterday, my left eye was -0.75 and my right was -1.25! Shocking! Not that I didn't already know know this, as I'd been looking through these eyebwallz all day. Interestingly, my eyesight is significantly better in the morning than at night.
Anyway, the doc gave be two possibilities for what's going on.
1) Dry eyes (one of the stated side effects) can last up to 6 months and slightly affect vision. Keep going on the eye drops.
2) Corneal regeneration. Whenever they do the surgery, they adapt the laser for the average amount of corneal regeneration, but naturally, some people have more and some people have less. Doc says that I may have "very active corneas" (aren't you proud, mama?) but since it's only 2 months after, he can't know for sure. If this is the case, then he'll re-laser my eyes for free.
My theories about my eyes are that my left one is just dry, but my right one will need a second surgery. It hasn't been as good as the left one since the surgery. Such an underachiever.
*sigh*
Either way I'm not all that worried. This guy is the first doctor in Korea that I've actually fully trusted and it has a lot to do with the fact that I can talk to him without a translator.
When I got my eyes tested about a week after the surgery, they were almost perfect (-0.25 in both, I think. Note: my prescription was around -4.5 for both eyes before). YEsterday, my left eye was -0.75 and my right was -1.25! Shocking! Not that I didn't already know know this, as I'd been looking through these eyebwallz all day. Interestingly, my eyesight is significantly better in the morning than at night.
Anyway, the doc gave be two possibilities for what's going on.
1) Dry eyes (one of the stated side effects) can last up to 6 months and slightly affect vision. Keep going on the eye drops.
2) Corneal regeneration. Whenever they do the surgery, they adapt the laser for the average amount of corneal regeneration, but naturally, some people have more and some people have less. Doc says that I may have "very active corneas" (aren't you proud, mama?) but since it's only 2 months after, he can't know for sure. If this is the case, then he'll re-laser my eyes for free.
My theories about my eyes are that my left one is just dry, but my right one will need a second surgery. It hasn't been as good as the left one since the surgery. Such an underachiever.
*sigh*
Either way I'm not all that worried. This guy is the first doctor in Korea that I've actually fully trusted and it has a lot to do with the fact that I can talk to him without a translator.
Thursday, November 29, 2007
progress and observations
I like grade three students. they tend to listen a little better than the other grades (although generally they aren't much better at English). There is one particular student who is, to be honest, a terrible student, at least at English. He also has excess energy which he quite possibly stores up just for my class, making classroom management a little tricky. Despite these things, I like him because everytime I see him he has a huge smile on his face and he says "Nice to meet you!!" That phrase is a bone of contention with me and other foreigners because the correct phrase is "Nice to SEE you." ("Meet" only being used the first time). So dutifully, every time he said "nice to meet you" I replied emphatically, "Nice to SEE you!" Finally, after several months of this exchange, last week he saw me and proudly stated "Nice to SEE you!". I'm not gonna lie, I felt a little flutter of pride in my heart. If he learned nothing else in 3 years of middle school, at least he learned that.
--------------------------------------------
Along the same lines, there is another grade three student who is not particularly good at English, but has made a mark on me nonetheless. HAving quite possibly the most difficult Korean name I've ever encountered (익렬--> Ik Ryeol --> Ingnyeol), I firmly believe that he can't speak a lick of English, but for one phrase - You are so gorgeous. I can't really complain. Anyway, having summed up his repertoire as such, I was delighted to one day walk into school and have him greet me with "how are you feeling?" Before he asked me, his eyes bulged a little and he looked like he was going to throw up. Rather than toss his cookies, however, this glorious new Egnlish phrase came rushing out. And, to add to it, when I asked him in return how he was feeling, he didn't automatically respond (as all Koreans would) with "I'm fine, thank you". Instead, he paused thoughtfully and said "pretty good". Now, I can't take credit for this change, but I still felt very proud of him for his effort.
It's the little things that keep us foreign teachers going here in Korea. Without them, we might wither under the weight of perceived ineffectiveness. Thanks boys, for trying just a little.
------------------------------
There are a few students in my school who are labelled as "special". Maybe one day in class I accidentally call upon a certain student and the response from my co-teacher is "Oh, he's a special student". Alright, thanks for telling me. Anyway, the gentleness and care with which these students are treated by both the staff and other students is a great example for North American Schools. Just the other day I was leaving the cafeteria after my lunch and I saw two Gr 3 boys sitting with a Gr1 special student. I thought it was curious until I saw one of the older boys spoon feed the younger some of his own food. *sigh* sometimes this country tugs at the heartstrings.
------------------------------
On the flip side of that, I have discovered possibly the most useless and annoying job in history. In Korea, there are places called "Da Bangs" which are coffee houses. Men either go to the Da Bang or call for coffee delivery and are promised to be served by a scantily clad young lady, who is possibly made to bow to the ground as she serves it. This, surprisingly, is not the useless job I'm referring to. (Although it is one small step away from prostitution). The job I'm referring to is the dude on his scooter who drives rather recklessly on the sidewalks flinging Da Bang business cards ninja-star-style into any open doors along the way. a) slightly dangerous. I would not want to be hit by the corner or edge of one of these cards. b) his job is basically to litter. that makes me angry.
It's no secret that Korea is a dirty place and practices like these (which are very common in cities, especially near night clubs where the best method of advertisement is randomly throwing fliers on the ground expecting that people will read them) are a major part of the problem. A problem compounded by the extreme lack of public garbage cans. I heard an interesting explanation as to why there are no garbage cans anywhere. Apparently too many dudes mistake them for urinals. SERIOUSLY guys. i mean COME ON!!! but i digress...
--------------------------------
I guess what we can muster from this entry is that life in korea is full of annoyances and things incomprehensible to many westerners, but at the same time, if we pay attention to our situations and the little everyday things, there is much beauty to be found.
--------------------------------------------
Along the same lines, there is another grade three student who is not particularly good at English, but has made a mark on me nonetheless. HAving quite possibly the most difficult Korean name I've ever encountered (익렬--> Ik Ryeol --> Ingnyeol), I firmly believe that he can't speak a lick of English, but for one phrase - You are so gorgeous. I can't really complain. Anyway, having summed up his repertoire as such, I was delighted to one day walk into school and have him greet me with "how are you feeling?" Before he asked me, his eyes bulged a little and he looked like he was going to throw up. Rather than toss his cookies, however, this glorious new Egnlish phrase came rushing out. And, to add to it, when I asked him in return how he was feeling, he didn't automatically respond (as all Koreans would) with "I'm fine, thank you". Instead, he paused thoughtfully and said "pretty good". Now, I can't take credit for this change, but I still felt very proud of him for his effort.
It's the little things that keep us foreign teachers going here in Korea. Without them, we might wither under the weight of perceived ineffectiveness. Thanks boys, for trying just a little.
------------------------------
There are a few students in my school who are labelled as "special". Maybe one day in class I accidentally call upon a certain student and the response from my co-teacher is "Oh, he's a special student". Alright, thanks for telling me. Anyway, the gentleness and care with which these students are treated by both the staff and other students is a great example for North American Schools. Just the other day I was leaving the cafeteria after my lunch and I saw two Gr 3 boys sitting with a Gr1 special student. I thought it was curious until I saw one of the older boys spoon feed the younger some of his own food. *sigh* sometimes this country tugs at the heartstrings.
------------------------------
On the flip side of that, I have discovered possibly the most useless and annoying job in history. In Korea, there are places called "Da Bangs" which are coffee houses. Men either go to the Da Bang or call for coffee delivery and are promised to be served by a scantily clad young lady, who is possibly made to bow to the ground as she serves it. This, surprisingly, is not the useless job I'm referring to. (Although it is one small step away from prostitution). The job I'm referring to is the dude on his scooter who drives rather recklessly on the sidewalks flinging Da Bang business cards ninja-star-style into any open doors along the way. a) slightly dangerous. I would not want to be hit by the corner or edge of one of these cards. b) his job is basically to litter. that makes me angry.
It's no secret that Korea is a dirty place and practices like these (which are very common in cities, especially near night clubs where the best method of advertisement is randomly throwing fliers on the ground expecting that people will read them) are a major part of the problem. A problem compounded by the extreme lack of public garbage cans. I heard an interesting explanation as to why there are no garbage cans anywhere. Apparently too many dudes mistake them for urinals. SERIOUSLY guys. i mean COME ON!!! but i digress...
--------------------------------
I guess what we can muster from this entry is that life in korea is full of annoyances and things incomprehensible to many westerners, but at the same time, if we pay attention to our situations and the little everyday things, there is much beauty to be found.
Tuesday, November 27, 2007
step out of your comfort zone
and chances are, you'll end up in Weirdsville. But a good kinda weird. The kinda weird worth blogging about.
NOTE: this blog was meant to have been published on thursday November 22nd. Due to technical difficulties, it has been held in limbo until today. Huzzah!
A few weeks ago, I was asked to give a couple of lectures to a group of migrant women. Women from southeast asia (mostly the Philippines, but also Vietnam, Thailand, etc) come to Korea to marry Korean men. It's a crappy life, but apparently better than their lives in their home countries. Anyway, a section of the provincial government (Women's Welfare Bureau WWB) is dedicated to improving their quality of living and integrating them into Korean society. Many of these Women can speak English better than the average Korean, so it would follow that they be trained to teach English in countryside elementary schools for a little extra cash. The WWB is putting on a 2 month long workshop where every Tuesday and Thursday the women can attend a morning lecture. I was asked to be the opening act!
I was asked to teach about games, chants and songs as they may apply to the elementary classroom. I was a bit worried because although I'm a music major, really, my knowledge of classical forms and clarinet are in no way helpful in teaching little kids English. "Hey kids, today we're going to study Sonata form...Introduction, development, Recapitulation. Repeat after me RE-CAP-IT-U-LA-TION." Right. Anyhow, I scoured the internet and found a gold mine of information. My show was beginning to take form.
The first day of the workshop was interesting. After a harrowing journey to the location (harrowing meaning I walked around aimlessly with a growing sense of panic), I finally found the place and proceeded to set up. There were about 20 shining faces (distinctly NOT Korean) waiting attentively.
Immediately they started in with questions and from then on I knew the experience would be a blast. These ladies were feisty, and I like feisty students. They were open to do anything in class, including a rousing round of the Hokey Pokey. The two days that I was there made me feel refreshed as an educator and, of course, made me wish I could keep teaching them.
Anyway, I happened to meet and chat with on woman from Thailand. she has been in Korea for 1 year and lives in Gokseong, a county small than my former home, Boseong. *yeesh* Anyway, I told her of my love for Thai food and her eyes brightened as she told me that she hadn't cooked Thai food once since being in Korea and she really missed it. Ah, a match made in heaven.
I really thought nothing of it. I honestly assumed I would never see her again. Two days later there was an email in my inbox from Bomb (that's her name...awesome) inviting me for lunch anytime. Usually I would just let something like that go. I barely know the woman, she lives in the country side, my weekends are busy blah blah blah. This time, however, I stepped outside of my normal routine and took a chance. Last Saturday I hopped on a bus for Gokseong and the adventure that followed was unexpected and very, very welcome.
I arrived at 11am to Bomb's smiling face. She is a petite woman (almost a head shorter than me) with sparkling eyes. She said we have to wait for the taxi to come. You see, she doesn't live in the town centre, she actually lives in a tiny village about 10 minutes away. She uses one particular taxi driver because he knows a speck of English and is very kind. The taxi driver arrived and off we went. He picked up another old woman who wanted to go to Gurye a county to the south. So there's me and Bomb in the back being taking on a countryside tour of Gokseong for free. We laughed and chatted the whole way in Korean and in English. The driver was hilarious. About 15 minutes into the ride he changes CDs. what came blaring out of the speakers? 80s retro pop. Oh mercy. A White lady, A Thai woman and a Korean Taxi Driver all jamming to 80s retro pop songs. RANDOM!
We got to Bomb's house about an hour later where she had already prepared a FEAST of Thai food. She's lives with her Korean mother-in-law who is, at my best guess, almost 80. Most Korean old people are standoffish when they see me, but she stepped off the porch and opened her little arms wide to me. It was a great feeling.
Ah lunch! Naturally, our taxi driver had to join us for lunch as there was enough food for about twelve people. It was heavenly. There were even mangoes sent straight from Thailand.
As I was leaving Gokseong, I thought my random afternoon was complete BUT as I was getting on the bus, Mr Son called me! Yep, I hadn't seen him since Chuseok (October), so it was quite a surprise. In turned out that he was on a trip and would be stopping in Gwangju bus terminal at about the same time my bus would be arriving from gokseong. Coincidence? You betcha! And a good one at that!
------------------------------------
Once again, today is my mom's birthday. This is the 3rd one I've missed (by being in a different country) and I promise - I will be there next year. We'll party. I'll bring some soju.
Happy Birthday Mama!
NOTE: this blog was meant to have been published on thursday November 22nd. Due to technical difficulties, it has been held in limbo until today. Huzzah!
A few weeks ago, I was asked to give a couple of lectures to a group of migrant women. Women from southeast asia (mostly the Philippines, but also Vietnam, Thailand, etc) come to Korea to marry Korean men. It's a crappy life, but apparently better than their lives in their home countries. Anyway, a section of the provincial government (Women's Welfare Bureau WWB) is dedicated to improving their quality of living and integrating them into Korean society. Many of these Women can speak English better than the average Korean, so it would follow that they be trained to teach English in countryside elementary schools for a little extra cash. The WWB is putting on a 2 month long workshop where every Tuesday and Thursday the women can attend a morning lecture. I was asked to be the opening act!
I was asked to teach about games, chants and songs as they may apply to the elementary classroom. I was a bit worried because although I'm a music major, really, my knowledge of classical forms and clarinet are in no way helpful in teaching little kids English. "Hey kids, today we're going to study Sonata form...Introduction, development, Recapitulation. Repeat after me RE-CAP-IT-U-LA-TION." Right. Anyhow, I scoured the internet and found a gold mine of information. My show was beginning to take form.
The first day of the workshop was interesting. After a harrowing journey to the location (harrowing meaning I walked around aimlessly with a growing sense of panic), I finally found the place and proceeded to set up. There were about 20 shining faces (distinctly NOT Korean) waiting attentively.
Immediately they started in with questions and from then on I knew the experience would be a blast. These ladies were feisty, and I like feisty students. They were open to do anything in class, including a rousing round of the Hokey Pokey. The two days that I was there made me feel refreshed as an educator and, of course, made me wish I could keep teaching them.
Anyway, I happened to meet and chat with on woman from Thailand. she has been in Korea for 1 year and lives in Gokseong, a county small than my former home, Boseong. *yeesh* Anyway, I told her of my love for Thai food and her eyes brightened as she told me that she hadn't cooked Thai food once since being in Korea and she really missed it. Ah, a match made in heaven.
I really thought nothing of it. I honestly assumed I would never see her again. Two days later there was an email in my inbox from Bomb (that's her name...awesome) inviting me for lunch anytime. Usually I would just let something like that go. I barely know the woman, she lives in the country side, my weekends are busy blah blah blah. This time, however, I stepped outside of my normal routine and took a chance. Last Saturday I hopped on a bus for Gokseong and the adventure that followed was unexpected and very, very welcome.
I arrived at 11am to Bomb's smiling face. She is a petite woman (almost a head shorter than me) with sparkling eyes. She said we have to wait for the taxi to come. You see, she doesn't live in the town centre, she actually lives in a tiny village about 10 minutes away. She uses one particular taxi driver because he knows a speck of English and is very kind. The taxi driver arrived and off we went. He picked up another old woman who wanted to go to Gurye a county to the south. So there's me and Bomb in the back being taking on a countryside tour of Gokseong for free. We laughed and chatted the whole way in Korean and in English. The driver was hilarious. About 15 minutes into the ride he changes CDs. what came blaring out of the speakers? 80s retro pop. Oh mercy. A White lady, A Thai woman and a Korean Taxi Driver all jamming to 80s retro pop songs. RANDOM!
We got to Bomb's house about an hour later where she had already prepared a FEAST of Thai food. She's lives with her Korean mother-in-law who is, at my best guess, almost 80. Most Korean old people are standoffish when they see me, but she stepped off the porch and opened her little arms wide to me. It was a great feeling.
Ah lunch! Naturally, our taxi driver had to join us for lunch as there was enough food for about twelve people. It was heavenly. There were even mangoes sent straight from Thailand.
As I was leaving Gokseong, I thought my random afternoon was complete BUT as I was getting on the bus, Mr Son called me! Yep, I hadn't seen him since Chuseok (October), so it was quite a surprise. In turned out that he was on a trip and would be stopping in Gwangju bus terminal at about the same time my bus would be arriving from gokseong. Coincidence? You betcha! And a good one at that!
------------------------------------
Once again, today is my mom's birthday. This is the 3rd one I've missed (by being in a different country) and I promise - I will be there next year. We'll party. I'll bring some soju.
Happy Birthday Mama!
Sunday, November 11, 2007
Upper Thigh is the New Cleavage
Wanna be in style this fall? Add the following items to your wardrobe and you can't go wrong!
1. short shorts and/or ass-cheek revealing mini skirt
2. opaque leggings OR thigh high socks (in a dark colour, usually maroon, black or heather gray, feel free to add sparkles)
3. a pair of high heeled Mary Jane Shoes in a colour that is unrelated to other items of the outfit. Think, black leggings/brown shoes or maroon leggings/white shoes. OR knees high boots. Heels optional.
4. Layered tops. Coloured shirt + knitted vest + oversized knitted cardigan.
All colours are general neutral earthtones.
One general rule: you can cover up as much as you want, but you gotta show at least a bit of upper thigh.
Here's a good example:
Anyway, I find it interesting that there are more mini shirts and short shorts on the racks now than during the summer when it was plenty warm enough to wear 'em.
In other news, for the first time ever, I found a pair of jeans in Korea that doesn't make me feel like a stuffed sausage. w00t! Finding a jacket that doesn't make me feel like a rower on steroids is a different issue. Oh Korea and your crazy fashions!!
___________________________
In other news, there is a brand new Krispy Kreme in downtown Gwangju. I've walked passed it a few times and it is BUSY! It seems to me that Korea, at least where I'm living, is only approaching it's adolescence as a "westernized" nation. More and more Western companies and concepts are filtering in and while I definitely feel a pull back from some people who hate it or resent it, most people react as a younger sibling who wants everything their older siblings have. Never mind that every Krispy Kreme donut you consume will probably shave years off your life, if my older sister has one, I want one REALLY BAD!! My sister got a perm and bangs in 4th grade, naturally I wanted it (but never got it). My brother and sister played soccer and once I overcame my fear, I hopped right on that train. The West is getting fatter, so Korea wants desperately to pack on a few pounds.
One of the funniest things is that something as garden variety as Krispy Kreme is more of a statement of being "cosmopolitan" in Gwangju City. I see lots of women in the aforementioned fashion attire carrying boxes of Krispy Kreme, waltzing across the street and purchasing Starbucks beverages and acting very "Sex and the City". I hope, for the health of Koreans, that this new fad passes quickly. Otherwise your short shorts aren't gonna look so hot any more.
____________________________________
Work has been crazy and all over the place. But it's work and it's OK. Basically, I'm looking far ahead to my vacation. It's tough when you feel the huge need for vacation before it even hits November. There are still two months left...get a grip!!
____________________________________
Twice last week I ate Kimchi with my dinner. The shocking thing was that I was home, alone and I chose to eat it. It was in my fridge. I was excited about it.
____________________________________
I was in a cab and the driver was asking me some questions. After the usual first one "Where are you from" he did something amazing. His follow up question was not even remotely close to the stock questions. He asked me (and I quote) "Canada is very cold now? [yes] You know short track? (speed skating). Korea, number 1. Canada, number 2. Why?"
wow. good question. In an effort to seem even remotely aware of the state of speed skating in Canada, I said. "In Canada, Ice Hockey is number 1". Well done, me, well done.
_____________________________________
I want to upload some photos, but my stolen wireless internet is currently at "Very low" so my connection isn't good enough to do it in a timely fashion. Maybe next time, eh?
1. short shorts and/or ass-cheek revealing mini skirt
2. opaque leggings OR thigh high socks (in a dark colour, usually maroon, black or heather gray, feel free to add sparkles)
3. a pair of high heeled Mary Jane Shoes in a colour that is unrelated to other items of the outfit. Think, black leggings/brown shoes or maroon leggings/white shoes. OR knees high boots. Heels optional.
4. Layered tops. Coloured shirt + knitted vest + oversized knitted cardigan.
All colours are general neutral earthtones.
One general rule: you can cover up as much as you want, but you gotta show at least a bit of upper thigh.
Here's a good example:
Anyway, I find it interesting that there are more mini shirts and short shorts on the racks now than during the summer when it was plenty warm enough to wear 'em.
In other news, for the first time ever, I found a pair of jeans in Korea that doesn't make me feel like a stuffed sausage. w00t! Finding a jacket that doesn't make me feel like a rower on steroids is a different issue. Oh Korea and your crazy fashions!!
___________________________
In other news, there is a brand new Krispy Kreme in downtown Gwangju. I've walked passed it a few times and it is BUSY! It seems to me that Korea, at least where I'm living, is only approaching it's adolescence as a "westernized" nation. More and more Western companies and concepts are filtering in and while I definitely feel a pull back from some people who hate it or resent it, most people react as a younger sibling who wants everything their older siblings have. Never mind that every Krispy Kreme donut you consume will probably shave years off your life, if my older sister has one, I want one REALLY BAD!! My sister got a perm and bangs in 4th grade, naturally I wanted it (but never got it). My brother and sister played soccer and once I overcame my fear, I hopped right on that train. The West is getting fatter, so Korea wants desperately to pack on a few pounds.
One of the funniest things is that something as garden variety as Krispy Kreme is more of a statement of being "cosmopolitan" in Gwangju City. I see lots of women in the aforementioned fashion attire carrying boxes of Krispy Kreme, waltzing across the street and purchasing Starbucks beverages and acting very "Sex and the City". I hope, for the health of Koreans, that this new fad passes quickly. Otherwise your short shorts aren't gonna look so hot any more.
____________________________________
Work has been crazy and all over the place. But it's work and it's OK. Basically, I'm looking far ahead to my vacation. It's tough when you feel the huge need for vacation before it even hits November. There are still two months left...get a grip!!
____________________________________
Twice last week I ate Kimchi with my dinner. The shocking thing was that I was home, alone and I chose to eat it. It was in my fridge. I was excited about it.
____________________________________
I was in a cab and the driver was asking me some questions. After the usual first one "Where are you from" he did something amazing. His follow up question was not even remotely close to the stock questions. He asked me (and I quote) "Canada is very cold now? [yes] You know short track? (speed skating). Korea, number 1. Canada, number 2. Why?"
wow. good question. In an effort to seem even remotely aware of the state of speed skating in Canada, I said. "In Canada, Ice Hockey is number 1". Well done, me, well done.
_____________________________________
I want to upload some photos, but my stolen wireless internet is currently at "Very low" so my connection isn't good enough to do it in a timely fashion. Maybe next time, eh?
Wednesday, October 17, 2007
gettin' flexy
Vanessa's new adventures in Yoga!
Today was my first day ever doing yoga..w00t! After a recent back (re)injury and the following 2 weeks of inactivity I realised a)I need to get back into it and b) I need to find something a little different from the Health Club. I'm a social animal, so a class is a bit more motivational for me. [And I already met a university student named Ji Song - her English is groovy!] Also I've come to admit to myself that my personal stretching habits are severely lacking, which was one of the major factors in the back f'ing up. Finally, the Yoga place ridiculously close to me, thus appealing to my lazy side.
When faced with a Korean stranger situation, I always need to psych myself up for the experience. It could go really well, or it could bomb completely. One thing is for sure...I have to assume that whoever I meet cannot speak English. Luckily for me, this time around my limited Korean and a whole lotta body language was good enough. I sat in on the Yoga class, awkwardly bending this way and that. My extreme lack of flexibility became painful apparent within about 5 minutes.
During the hour, there was a little bit of "Koreanness" (ie, fast, hard movements, usually unassociated with Yoga), but on the whole, it was what I was hoping for. I didn't break a sweat, which is unusual for me, as I'm generally a sweaty beast, but I still worked hard and felt it on my muscles.
I'm excited about my new adventure and hopefully after a month, I'll be able to put my legs behind my head and do the pretzel!
Today was my first day ever doing yoga..w00t! After a recent back (re)injury and the following 2 weeks of inactivity I realised a)I need to get back into it and b) I need to find something a little different from the Health Club. I'm a social animal, so a class is a bit more motivational for me. [And I already met a university student named Ji Song - her English is groovy!] Also I've come to admit to myself that my personal stretching habits are severely lacking, which was one of the major factors in the back f'ing up. Finally, the Yoga place ridiculously close to me, thus appealing to my lazy side.
When faced with a Korean stranger situation, I always need to psych myself up for the experience. It could go really well, or it could bomb completely. One thing is for sure...I have to assume that whoever I meet cannot speak English. Luckily for me, this time around my limited Korean and a whole lotta body language was good enough. I sat in on the Yoga class, awkwardly bending this way and that. My extreme lack of flexibility became painful apparent within about 5 minutes.
During the hour, there was a little bit of "Koreanness" (ie, fast, hard movements, usually unassociated with Yoga), but on the whole, it was what I was hoping for. I didn't break a sweat, which is unusual for me, as I'm generally a sweaty beast, but I still worked hard and felt it on my muscles.
I'm excited about my new adventure and hopefully after a month, I'll be able to put my legs behind my head and do the pretzel!
Monday, October 08, 2007
20/20 (ish)
I did it! I had my LASIK surgery on Saturday. w00t! I went in around 10am and had some preliminary tests. I like the fact that they check and recheck my eyesight so they know they're gonna get 'er done good. I wasn't really nervous. At least, not until I got into the chair. In the surgery room there was the Doctor and his understudy, both of whom could speak English, and also a nurse. The doctor's helper, Mr Lee, was very kind and told me every little thing that was going to happen, followed by "Don't get surprised".
The chair is moving back, don't get surprised.
Now, I will numb your eyes, don't get surprised.
She will open your eye and put water on it, don't get surprised.
and so on
He also gave me a stuffed toy of sorts (I think it was a moon, but I can't really remember). At any rate, my hands had a vise grip on that thing to a) try to keep the tension out of my face and b) to remind myself not to fidget at all. My family members can attest to how difficult that is for me to do.
"She will open your eye" was a little bit misleading, unfortunately. What he should've said is "She will put a cloth over your eye, cut a hole in it and then open your eye with a surgical tool that will make you resemble the dude from A Clockwork Orange." creepy. Anyway, I suppose that was the most uncomfortable part of the whole ordeal. Getting my eyes pried open with an eye vise was, in a word, unfun.
Next, the good Doc took over. He prewarned me about this part before the surgery started. "I will grab your eyeball firmly to cut the flap on your cornea." I never got a look at the device that did the grabbing (which is probably a good thing), but I assure you, it certainly grabbed my eyeball firmly. I think it may have been the end of a very tiny vacuum, but who knows. The pressure was enough that I actually lost vision in the eye, which was a good thing really, cuz then it just felt like my eye was closed.
Anyway, cornea flap cut complete! I regained my vision and helplessly watched as he peeled back the layer. Once the top of my cornea was not around, any detail in my vision was gone. Throughout the process I was told to focus on the flashing red light, which was surrounded by a solid ring of white light. Even though my natural eyesight is poor, i could see those two things quite distinctively. Minus a cornea, however, and all things kinda blur together.
Next, the laser shot at me for somewhere between 30-50 seconds. I couldn't see it, but I could hear it. It sounded kind of like a machine gun (like I've ever heard that before), that is to say, short, quick, staccatto bursts. Thankfully, prior to the surgery, the Doc's helper had demostrated the noise and told me "don't get surprised".
Finally, the Doc replaced my cornea, put a protective lens over top and squirted some more water in my eye. Then we repeated the process with my right eye. Laser. Rinse. Repeat.
All in all, the entire procedure was less than ten minutes, the least awesome part being when the nurse initially pried my eye open. Which wasn't really that bad, just kind of... unnatural.
As soon as I blinked my eyes open, I could see. I was a little fuzzy for a few hours afterwards, but I just went home, took a nap and woke up brand new. I'm on three kinds of eyedrops - tears, antibiotics, and steroids - for a while and for a week I have to tape clear plastic covers on my eyes when I sleep so I don't accidentally rub them while i slumber. I can't express to you how sexy these things are.
I was told not to read, watch TV or use the computer until the next day, but I cheated because life is so GD boring without them. So I turned on the TV, listened to it and glanced at it occasionally. I'm a bad girl.
Now I'm at work and I've got some really good vision. I would say that it's slightly better than my vision with contacts and worlds better than when I had to wear my glasses. w00t! w00t w000000t! I have yet to throw out my contact lens paraphernalia or glasses, but it'll be a celebration when I do!
happy thanksgiving everyone!
The chair is moving back, don't get surprised.
Now, I will numb your eyes, don't get surprised.
She will open your eye and put water on it, don't get surprised.
and so on
He also gave me a stuffed toy of sorts (I think it was a moon, but I can't really remember). At any rate, my hands had a vise grip on that thing to a) try to keep the tension out of my face and b) to remind myself not to fidget at all. My family members can attest to how difficult that is for me to do.
"She will open your eye" was a little bit misleading, unfortunately. What he should've said is "She will put a cloth over your eye, cut a hole in it and then open your eye with a surgical tool that will make you resemble the dude from A Clockwork Orange." creepy. Anyway, I suppose that was the most uncomfortable part of the whole ordeal. Getting my eyes pried open with an eye vise was, in a word, unfun.
Next, the good Doc took over. He prewarned me about this part before the surgery started. "I will grab your eyeball firmly to cut the flap on your cornea." I never got a look at the device that did the grabbing (which is probably a good thing), but I assure you, it certainly grabbed my eyeball firmly. I think it may have been the end of a very tiny vacuum, but who knows. The pressure was enough that I actually lost vision in the eye, which was a good thing really, cuz then it just felt like my eye was closed.
Anyway, cornea flap cut complete! I regained my vision and helplessly watched as he peeled back the layer. Once the top of my cornea was not around, any detail in my vision was gone. Throughout the process I was told to focus on the flashing red light, which was surrounded by a solid ring of white light. Even though my natural eyesight is poor, i could see those two things quite distinctively. Minus a cornea, however, and all things kinda blur together.
Next, the laser shot at me for somewhere between 30-50 seconds. I couldn't see it, but I could hear it. It sounded kind of like a machine gun (like I've ever heard that before), that is to say, short, quick, staccatto bursts. Thankfully, prior to the surgery, the Doc's helper had demostrated the noise and told me "don't get surprised".
Finally, the Doc replaced my cornea, put a protective lens over top and squirted some more water in my eye. Then we repeated the process with my right eye. Laser. Rinse. Repeat.
All in all, the entire procedure was less than ten minutes, the least awesome part being when the nurse initially pried my eye open. Which wasn't really that bad, just kind of... unnatural.
As soon as I blinked my eyes open, I could see. I was a little fuzzy for a few hours afterwards, but I just went home, took a nap and woke up brand new. I'm on three kinds of eyedrops - tears, antibiotics, and steroids - for a while and for a week I have to tape clear plastic covers on my eyes when I sleep so I don't accidentally rub them while i slumber. I can't express to you how sexy these things are.
I was told not to read, watch TV or use the computer until the next day, but I cheated because life is so GD boring without them. So I turned on the TV, listened to it and glanced at it occasionally. I'm a bad girl.
Now I'm at work and I've got some really good vision. I would say that it's slightly better than my vision with contacts and worlds better than when I had to wear my glasses. w00t! w00t w000000t! I have yet to throw out my contact lens paraphernalia or glasses, but it'll be a celebration when I do!
happy thanksgiving everyone!
Friday, September 28, 2007
A Traditional Korean Chuseok
This past weekend was Chuseok, Korean Thanksgiving. It is one of two major holidays in Korea, the other being Seolal, the Lunar New Year. Basically, it was like Christmas around here, except without the snow, or Jesus...or Santa. Yeah, that would be a little ridiculous. There were no elves either, which was disappointing. Unless you count little Korean children with big ears. But they can't make toys, so whatever.
Anyway, in the past I have spent my Chuseok either chilling with Carol in Suncheon (1st year) or stomping through Beijing (2nd year). This year I spent the holiday with HangBin and his family doing all the traditional things.
On Sunday we drove to Boseong and arrived around 2pm. After eating lunch, HangBin asked me "You don't want to go to the sauna, do you?" I had already prepared myself to go along with all things korean this weekend, so I replied, "I sure do!" I've been to the green tea bath before, and y'all have read about it (naked ladies, scrubbing, etc), but I have never been with Koreans before. And certainly not with my boyfriend's mother and sister. AWKWARD! Anyway, I didn't feel nervous about being naked with them, it's Korean culture after all, but I was worried about the bored factor as neither of them speak English and soaking mutely in a hot pool is fun for all of 5 minutes.
Anyway, we got there, we de-troused (read: took our pants off) and away we went. Now, as I said, I've been to the sauna before, but haven't really had a truly authentic experience, because I've never scrubbed or been scrubbed by someone I went with. Us foreigners keep our scrubbing to ourselves. The Korean ladies, however, basically sandpaper the skin off eachother and this time, I got to be a part of it. I scrubbed his mom's back, she scrubbed mine, I was part of the family! As for sitting in the hot pool, I was with is his sister (30 years old) and we actually had a really good conversation using the English words she knew and the Korean words I knew - it was so fun! I also ran into one of my former girl students who is now in high school. She was one of my best English students so we had a good chat also. All in all, the green tea bath was a great way to kick off the holiday.
The rest of the holiday was pretty relaxed and quiet, which surprised me at first, but then I remembered that it's kind of like that when I would go home for Christmas. Just go home, take a load off, sit around and enjoy being there. I'm now used to a go, go, go kind of attitude during holidays (do as much as possible!!), so I had some trouble adjusting.
On Monday (Chuseok eve), HangBin and I sat around and cooked "Jeon", traditional Korean holiday food. It's a bit time consuming, but easy. Basically, you take bits of food (fish fillets, beef slices, mushrooms, and so on), you batter them in flour, dip them in egg and fry 'em up good. It's pretty tasty.
At night, HangBin and I would go out and meet his friends, drink beer and be a little rowdy. It was a chance for him to see friends taht he hasn't seen in months or even years. This is the great thing about Chuseok. No matter where you are in the country, you return to your hometown to have this holiday. Nothing like that exists in Canada for two major reasons a) Canada is really big and b) Canada is so diverse that there is no central holiday that brings people back home. Too bad, methinks.
A couple of tough things for me were sleeping on the floor, eating Korean food for breakfast, and the language barrier. Curiously, Hangbin would not translate if someone made a comment about me. I was a little frustrated because I could never get involved in the conversation. In my mind, he didn't translate because he thought I could understand a little and was disappointed if I could understand. Finally, on Chuseok day, I learned the real reason.
On Chuseok morning, we woke up early (before 8, which was REALLY tough for HangBin^^). The women hung out in the parents room while the men (Hangbin, brother and father) performed some kind of bowing ceremony to a table laid out with a whole lot of traditional, ceremonial food. After that, we ate the traditional breakfast (including the Jeon we had made the day before). After breakfast, the men left to go to his father's ancestor's gravesite (probably grandfather or greatgrandfather) and perform another ritual there. Us women stayed back and cleaned up everything. That's the way it goes round these parts. For the rest of the day, I just hung around, reading a book until HangBin came back. In the afternoon, we went to his grandmother's house where all his relatives had congregated, even people who had come from as far away as Seoul.
One of HangBin's cousins (about 35 years old) works for an international company in Seoul and speaks English fluently. He and I chatted for some time and all of a sudden HangBin's parents started to ask questions about me through the cousin. Later, I asked Hangbin why his parents didn't ask the questions before, to him. He said it was because they didn't really believe that he could speak English. And there it is! There reason why he doesn't translate anything for me is because as soon as he gets around his immediate family, all his confidence goes out the window and he's too shy to speak. *sigh* I told him he'd better get over it pretty soon.
We drove back to Gwangju on Tuesday night and went to see The Bourne Ultimatum. I had seen it in Canada already, but I knew Hangbin would really enjoy it. The next day, was perfect!
We slept in late then went shopping. We were trying to think of what to do later, so we spontaneously bought badminton rackets and birdies. We drove out to a park and proceeded to play badminton for about an hour. It was so much fun! My arm is screaming at me now, two days later, but whatever...i'd do it again!!
Thus ends my rather low-key Chuseok weekend. I was a bit apprehensive about spending the entire time with HangBin's family, but in the end, it was totally worth it. His mother was very kind in her food selection, always trying to make something I would like. Most of the time I felt like a dismal failure, but she insisted "Chal mugeoseo" - "I ate very well"
Anyway, in the past I have spent my Chuseok either chilling with Carol in Suncheon (1st year) or stomping through Beijing (2nd year). This year I spent the holiday with HangBin and his family doing all the traditional things.
On Sunday we drove to Boseong and arrived around 2pm. After eating lunch, HangBin asked me "You don't want to go to the sauna, do you?" I had already prepared myself to go along with all things korean this weekend, so I replied, "I sure do!" I've been to the green tea bath before, and y'all have read about it (naked ladies, scrubbing, etc), but I have never been with Koreans before. And certainly not with my boyfriend's mother and sister. AWKWARD! Anyway, I didn't feel nervous about being naked with them, it's Korean culture after all, but I was worried about the bored factor as neither of them speak English and soaking mutely in a hot pool is fun for all of 5 minutes.
Anyway, we got there, we de-troused (read: took our pants off) and away we went. Now, as I said, I've been to the sauna before, but haven't really had a truly authentic experience, because I've never scrubbed or been scrubbed by someone I went with. Us foreigners keep our scrubbing to ourselves. The Korean ladies, however, basically sandpaper the skin off eachother and this time, I got to be a part of it. I scrubbed his mom's back, she scrubbed mine, I was part of the family! As for sitting in the hot pool, I was with is his sister (30 years old) and we actually had a really good conversation using the English words she knew and the Korean words I knew - it was so fun! I also ran into one of my former girl students who is now in high school. She was one of my best English students so we had a good chat also. All in all, the green tea bath was a great way to kick off the holiday.
The rest of the holiday was pretty relaxed and quiet, which surprised me at first, but then I remembered that it's kind of like that when I would go home for Christmas. Just go home, take a load off, sit around and enjoy being there. I'm now used to a go, go, go kind of attitude during holidays (do as much as possible!!), so I had some trouble adjusting.
On Monday (Chuseok eve), HangBin and I sat around and cooked "Jeon", traditional Korean holiday food. It's a bit time consuming, but easy. Basically, you take bits of food (fish fillets, beef slices, mushrooms, and so on), you batter them in flour, dip them in egg and fry 'em up good. It's pretty tasty.
At night, HangBin and I would go out and meet his friends, drink beer and be a little rowdy. It was a chance for him to see friends taht he hasn't seen in months or even years. This is the great thing about Chuseok. No matter where you are in the country, you return to your hometown to have this holiday. Nothing like that exists in Canada for two major reasons a) Canada is really big and b) Canada is so diverse that there is no central holiday that brings people back home. Too bad, methinks.
A couple of tough things for me were sleeping on the floor, eating Korean food for breakfast, and the language barrier. Curiously, Hangbin would not translate if someone made a comment about me. I was a little frustrated because I could never get involved in the conversation. In my mind, he didn't translate because he thought I could understand a little and was disappointed if I could understand. Finally, on Chuseok day, I learned the real reason.
On Chuseok morning, we woke up early (before 8, which was REALLY tough for HangBin^^). The women hung out in the parents room while the men (Hangbin, brother and father) performed some kind of bowing ceremony to a table laid out with a whole lot of traditional, ceremonial food. After that, we ate the traditional breakfast (including the Jeon we had made the day before). After breakfast, the men left to go to his father's ancestor's gravesite (probably grandfather or greatgrandfather) and perform another ritual there. Us women stayed back and cleaned up everything. That's the way it goes round these parts. For the rest of the day, I just hung around, reading a book until HangBin came back. In the afternoon, we went to his grandmother's house where all his relatives had congregated, even people who had come from as far away as Seoul.
One of HangBin's cousins (about 35 years old) works for an international company in Seoul and speaks English fluently. He and I chatted for some time and all of a sudden HangBin's parents started to ask questions about me through the cousin. Later, I asked Hangbin why his parents didn't ask the questions before, to him. He said it was because they didn't really believe that he could speak English. And there it is! There reason why he doesn't translate anything for me is because as soon as he gets around his immediate family, all his confidence goes out the window and he's too shy to speak. *sigh* I told him he'd better get over it pretty soon.
We drove back to Gwangju on Tuesday night and went to see The Bourne Ultimatum. I had seen it in Canada already, but I knew Hangbin would really enjoy it. The next day, was perfect!
We slept in late then went shopping. We were trying to think of what to do later, so we spontaneously bought badminton rackets and birdies. We drove out to a park and proceeded to play badminton for about an hour. It was so much fun! My arm is screaming at me now, two days later, but whatever...i'd do it again!!
Thus ends my rather low-key Chuseok weekend. I was a bit apprehensive about spending the entire time with HangBin's family, but in the end, it was totally worth it. His mother was very kind in her food selection, always trying to make something I would like. Most of the time I felt like a dismal failure, but she insisted "Chal mugeoseo" - "I ate very well"
Friday, September 21, 2007
frikken laser beams!
my pupils are dilated.
Yesterday was my school's birthday. This seems totally unrelated to both the title of the entry and my first statement, but I assure you, it'll all come together in the end.
So yeah. school's birthday. This means that everyone gets the day off of school. Awesome idear! I took the opportunity, having a free Thursday, to do some things I've been meaning to do, but never found the time. I sent some money to Canada. My bank account is fat and happy again after I debit'd it to death during vacation. I wandered around downtown picking up this and that. Finally, I made my way to the big destination: The Happy Eye Clinic.
During my stint at Summer English Camp I met a teacher, Carol (not the same Carol that I always talk about, a different one. An Irish one) who had LASIK surgery done right here in Gwangju. (See? All comin' together) She loves it, so naturally I was intrigued because I've heard tales from several of my friends in Canader about how arsome it is. I want it.
Anyway, I went to the clinic alone and was immediately put at ease by a fine young chap named MR Lee, who took me through the first stages of testing. By the way, the entire consultation test and process was FREE! yay Korea! They checked my night time pupil size, the extent of my myopia and the thickness of my cornea. After all that, I chatted with the doc, Mr Kim, who went through the whole thing with me.
I, apparently, am an excellent candidate for LASIK. People with thin corneas can't do it, because they risk getting a misshapen cornea after the surgery. I, however, have a nice thick cornea, something that I've decided to take personal pride in, as though I've been working my ass off for sexy corneas like these ones.
Here's a detailed description of the LASIK process (which occurs in about 10 minutes). First of all, because I'm near sighted, my contacts and glasses are biconcave shaped. During the surgery the laser would cut a thin flap away from the top of my cornea, then proceed to laser out part of my cornea, shaping it into a - you guessed it! - biconcave shape! Then the flap goes back over and voila! VISION!
There are 3 possible side effects.
1. dry eyes for 3-6 months. No probs!! just gimme some eye drops and I'm good to go!
2. Halo - some people experience halos around lights at night time. Sometimes it's temporary, some times it's permanent. According to Doc, my night pupils are 8mm, which is a little on the big side, so the chance of me getting the halo effect is higher.
3. In very rare cases, peoples' vision starts to deteriorate after a few years. He said if that happened to me, he'd do the surgery again, for free!
Anyway, the biggest concern is the halo, but there is a solution!! A few years ago a new type of LASIK was created...Wave Front LASIK. Wow, sounds high tech, space age-y. Anyway, normal LASIK works only to correct the cornea, however, there are other mechanisms involved in seeing, namely your lens and your retina. Apparently my lens is a little off which increases the possibility of halos. Wave Front lasik is actually (to the best of my knowledge, I have yet to properly research it) a cluster of even tinier lasers that also can effect the lens. Naturally, this new technique costs more. Here's the pricing (roughly speaking $1000=1million won)
Normal LASIK: 2 000 000 W
Normal LASIK (waygook discount): 1 500 000 W
Wave Front LASIK: 2 700 000 W
Wave Front LASIK (waygook discount): 2 100 000 W
Wow! nice guy with the discounting! Anyway, up until a few years ago, EVERYONE was getting only the normal lasik and that was fine. My thoughts are - these are my eyeballs, I should love them as much as my wallet allows me, and currently, my wallet allows me to love them "Wave Front" much. I'm gonna go in early October...exciting! Apparently I can go in and leave all by myself! There are no restrictions after the surgery..nice!
Oh yeah, and the last test he did yesterday was to EXACTLY document how bad my eyes are. To do this, I needed eyedrops to relax my eye (ie dilate my pupils). Unfortunately, the eyedrops are still in effect a little. All last night I could see distance no problem, but my eyes couldn't focus close-up with my glasses on, and my depth perception wasn't all that great. I still managed to go to the gym and run on the treadmill with no bodilt harm! This morning, my pupils are a bit smaller, but still big enough to look kinda freaky^^
One last note:
This happens to be my 100th BLOG entry!! w00t
took me long enough, eh?
Yesterday was my school's birthday. This seems totally unrelated to both the title of the entry and my first statement, but I assure you, it'll all come together in the end.
So yeah. school's birthday. This means that everyone gets the day off of school. Awesome idear! I took the opportunity, having a free Thursday, to do some things I've been meaning to do, but never found the time. I sent some money to Canada. My bank account is fat and happy again after I debit'd it to death during vacation. I wandered around downtown picking up this and that. Finally, I made my way to the big destination: The Happy Eye Clinic.
During my stint at Summer English Camp I met a teacher, Carol (not the same Carol that I always talk about, a different one. An Irish one) who had LASIK surgery done right here in Gwangju. (See? All comin' together) She loves it, so naturally I was intrigued because I've heard tales from several of my friends in Canader about how arsome it is. I want it.
Anyway, I went to the clinic alone and was immediately put at ease by a fine young chap named MR Lee, who took me through the first stages of testing. By the way, the entire consultation test and process was FREE! yay Korea! They checked my night time pupil size, the extent of my myopia and the thickness of my cornea. After all that, I chatted with the doc, Mr Kim, who went through the whole thing with me.
I, apparently, am an excellent candidate for LASIK. People with thin corneas can't do it, because they risk getting a misshapen cornea after the surgery. I, however, have a nice thick cornea, something that I've decided to take personal pride in, as though I've been working my ass off for sexy corneas like these ones.
Here's a detailed description of the LASIK process (which occurs in about 10 minutes). First of all, because I'm near sighted, my contacts and glasses are biconcave shaped. During the surgery the laser would cut a thin flap away from the top of my cornea, then proceed to laser out part of my cornea, shaping it into a - you guessed it! - biconcave shape! Then the flap goes back over and voila! VISION!
There are 3 possible side effects.
1. dry eyes for 3-6 months. No probs!! just gimme some eye drops and I'm good to go!
2. Halo - some people experience halos around lights at night time. Sometimes it's temporary, some times it's permanent. According to Doc, my night pupils are 8mm, which is a little on the big side, so the chance of me getting the halo effect is higher.
3. In very rare cases, peoples' vision starts to deteriorate after a few years. He said if that happened to me, he'd do the surgery again, for free!
Anyway, the biggest concern is the halo, but there is a solution!! A few years ago a new type of LASIK was created...Wave Front LASIK. Wow, sounds high tech, space age-y. Anyway, normal LASIK works only to correct the cornea, however, there are other mechanisms involved in seeing, namely your lens and your retina. Apparently my lens is a little off which increases the possibility of halos. Wave Front lasik is actually (to the best of my knowledge, I have yet to properly research it) a cluster of even tinier lasers that also can effect the lens. Naturally, this new technique costs more. Here's the pricing (roughly speaking $1000=1million won)
Normal LASIK: 2 000 000 W
Normal LASIK (waygook discount): 1 500 000 W
Wave Front LASIK: 2 700 000 W
Wave Front LASIK (waygook discount): 2 100 000 W
Wow! nice guy with the discounting! Anyway, up until a few years ago, EVERYONE was getting only the normal lasik and that was fine. My thoughts are - these are my eyeballs, I should love them as much as my wallet allows me, and currently, my wallet allows me to love them "Wave Front" much. I'm gonna go in early October...exciting! Apparently I can go in and leave all by myself! There are no restrictions after the surgery..nice!
Oh yeah, and the last test he did yesterday was to EXACTLY document how bad my eyes are. To do this, I needed eyedrops to relax my eye (ie dilate my pupils). Unfortunately, the eyedrops are still in effect a little. All last night I could see distance no problem, but my eyes couldn't focus close-up with my glasses on, and my depth perception wasn't all that great. I still managed to go to the gym and run on the treadmill with no bodilt harm! This morning, my pupils are a bit smaller, but still big enough to look kinda freaky^^
One last note:
This happens to be my 100th BLOG entry!! w00t
took me long enough, eh?
Wednesday, September 12, 2007
choosing sides
i made pretty big decision this week regarding my job here in Korea. No, mom, I'm not coming home early, sorry! I knew that by taking this new job I would have to chose between staying at the boys' middle school, or going to work full time at the yeonsuwon (which is where I always teach teacher camps). The whole reason I took the gig was to work at the yeonsuwon fulltime because teaching teachers was really rewarding. Unfortunately, once I started the job I learned more about the fulltime program at the yeonsuwon and honestly speaking, it was not at all appealing. So the question became more difficult to answer: yeonsuwon or middle school. The benefits of staying at the school far outweigh those of the yeonsuwon, so in reality, the decision was an easy one to make. My only reservations were actually telling the supervisors, whom I respect and enjoy, at the yeonsuwon that I wasn't staying on fulltime. I crossed that bridge on Monday and it went surprisingly well. Here's the conversation:
"Mr Yang, I need to talk to you."
"Sure"
"I think I'm going to stay at the middle school fulltime in November"
"OK, no problem"
I was tempted to be insulted that he didn't even pretend to beg me to stay, but whatever, it's a huge weight off and I can continue my life in Gwangju and enjoy it to the fullest.
The boy students are warming to me now, which is really nice. I get a chorus of "hi" and "hello" as I walk down the hall, and this morning, as I was coming in the school driveway, some grade 3 students greeted me cheerily, asked me how I was, told me I was beautiful, then gave me candy. In a perfect world, everyone's day would start like this.
"Mr Yang, I need to talk to you."
"Sure"
"I think I'm going to stay at the middle school fulltime in November"
"OK, no problem"
I was tempted to be insulted that he didn't even pretend to beg me to stay, but whatever, it's a huge weight off and I can continue my life in Gwangju and enjoy it to the fullest.
The boy students are warming to me now, which is really nice. I get a chorus of "hi" and "hello" as I walk down the hall, and this morning, as I was coming in the school driveway, some grade 3 students greeted me cheerily, asked me how I was, told me I was beautiful, then gave me candy. In a perfect world, everyone's day would start like this.
Wednesday, September 05, 2007
sewiouswy guys...sewiouswy
why can't you just throw some food on a freakin' fire for a change?! I have now been out to two staff dinners with my new school and I'm batting 0.5/2. I'm not a completely failure because they did end up cooking some stuff by the end of last night's meal. The first dinner, a fairwell to the old principal, was and enormous smorgasborad of raw fish. This I've dealt with before and feel comfortable refusing HOWEVER, now that I'm a new place, I gotta put on a bit of a show. So, I ate something akin to a raw oyster and had that familiar gagging sensation as it was much, crunier and rubberier than I had expected. Blech. Anyway, I was pretty lucky as they brought out a chicken for my table (apparently some other folks don't like raw fish either).
Last night, a welcome dinner for the new principal, I was told we were having beef for dinner. w00t! or so I thought. Turns out the first two courses were raw beef. (Sidenote, when I got home, I caught part of Oprah on TV and it happened to be Dr Oz saying that raw meat is the main way to get tapeworms...awesome) First was a familiar site of a platter ladden with cow stomach (thin grey bumpy strips) and raw liver (very dark red shiny cubes) as well as some raw meat. I've got teachers on all sides telling me to eat and to try it, blah blah. HELLO!!! I've been in Korea for 2 years, i've tried most of this stuff and if you don't want vomit on you and the food, I suggest you leave me alone!
The second course was a platter laiden with small strips of beef, also raw. I gave into peer pressure and tried one. The taste was ok, but the texture was just so weird that that piece was my first and last. If I had chewed it any longer, the fact that it was raw would've infiltrated my brain overriding my senses and telling me to spit it out. in someone's face.
*sigh* salvation came with the 3rd course when they started cooking the meat. It was smooth sailing from then one for two reasons: a) I could eat something and b) people started being liberal with the soju. Alcohol certainly is a social lubricant.
Despite my bitching and moaning on here, I actually had a real good time. Teacher dinners have never been my favourite events (mostly because I have to deal people who don't understand why I don't eat some stuff), but last night was fun...once there was fire involved ^^
Last night, a welcome dinner for the new principal, I was told we were having beef for dinner. w00t! or so I thought. Turns out the first two courses were raw beef. (Sidenote, when I got home, I caught part of Oprah on TV and it happened to be Dr Oz saying that raw meat is the main way to get tapeworms...awesome) First was a familiar site of a platter ladden with cow stomach (thin grey bumpy strips) and raw liver (very dark red shiny cubes) as well as some raw meat. I've got teachers on all sides telling me to eat and to try it, blah blah. HELLO!!! I've been in Korea for 2 years, i've tried most of this stuff and if you don't want vomit on you and the food, I suggest you leave me alone!
The second course was a platter laiden with small strips of beef, also raw. I gave into peer pressure and tried one. The taste was ok, but the texture was just so weird that that piece was my first and last. If I had chewed it any longer, the fact that it was raw would've infiltrated my brain overriding my senses and telling me to spit it out. in someone's face.
*sigh* salvation came with the 3rd course when they started cooking the meat. It was smooth sailing from then one for two reasons: a) I could eat something and b) people started being liberal with the soju. Alcohol certainly is a social lubricant.
Despite my bitching and moaning on here, I actually had a real good time. Teacher dinners have never been my favourite events (mostly because I have to deal people who don't understand why I don't eat some stuff), but last night was fun...once there was fire involved ^^
Wednesday, August 29, 2007
musings after 2 days of teaching
**contrary to popular opinion, boy students do not give two shits about having a female teacher. The number of times I've been called beautiful in a day has fallen from about 20 all the way to 0. On the plus side, none of the students have called me ugly
**the "boys will be boys" way of dealing with their behaviour is more of a survival technique. Today I taught grade 1s (7). My co-teacher was not all over them about shutting up - she was just strict enough to make me at least audible to those who were listening. I realise that I'm going to have to adopt this attitude or lose my voice and go insane. So, ok boys, you can talk a little, but your leash is short, so don't test me.
** I have three female co-teachers and have taught with 2 of them. So far they = awesome!
I suppose i need to reserve my judgement until i've had a chance to settle in. I was, thankfully, far more nervous than I needed to be and I think my time here will be fine as long as I keep in mind that when girls don't care, they are quiet, but when boys don't care they talk and hit each other. That's the way it goes, and I'm cool with that.
**the "boys will be boys" way of dealing with their behaviour is more of a survival technique. Today I taught grade 1s (7). My co-teacher was not all over them about shutting up - she was just strict enough to make me at least audible to those who were listening. I realise that I'm going to have to adopt this attitude or lose my voice and go insane. So, ok boys, you can talk a little, but your leash is short, so don't test me.
** I have three female co-teachers and have taught with 2 of them. So far they = awesome!
I suppose i need to reserve my judgement until i've had a chance to settle in. I was, thankfully, far more nervous than I needed to be and I think my time here will be fine as long as I keep in mind that when girls don't care, they are quiet, but when boys don't care they talk and hit each other. That's the way it goes, and I'm cool with that.
Monday, August 27, 2007
Livin' in the shitty
hellooooooooo!
first of all, the title of my blog is not a reflection of how I feel about the city. nay! it is a less-than-subtle jab at the way Koreans pronounce the word "city". Tis true!
After a wonderful vacation in Canader (namely Grimsbaria, but also torannah, londonia and grand bend) I arrived back to a smiling gent with a bouquet of flowers. aaawwwww! he's a keeper.
The evening I arrived a storm blew in which basically kept me locked up until I had to go to camp the following monday. Yay for monsoons. With not much breathing room, I quickly packed a bag for camp and was off again with 48 hours of arrival.
The camp was...in a word...nope. it's no use. I can't possibly describe it in one word. I have been with this camp since March when I agreed to be 1 of 7 Native teachers involved in the curriculum development. Basically, the province gave over half a million dollars for the development and running of this brand new camp. After months of rather annoying work, we finally saw the fruits of our labors. Unfortunately it was within the context of 14 hour days...*yeesh*. Despite the gruelling schedule oversight the camp was fulfilling. One teacher said it right when he said that the best camps are the ones where the teachers are the most tired. The kids of course were wonderful and I was lucky to have one of the best classes there (out of 15 classes, 150 kids...yikes). I can't, however, say that I'm sorry it's over.
My first full weekend in the city was spent, naturally, with friends. Friday night I was reunited with Carol and Mel for one last hurrah before Mel went back to Canada *sigh*. We had dinner and eventually made our way to the noraebang where we belted out Bon Jovi tunes until our voices were hoarse. On Saturday I had lunch with Riann and EJ, and dinner with Hang Bin and Young Min. That was really nice because I didn't really have the chance to say much of a goodbye to her before leaving Boseong. Later I met up with a bunch of foreigners to celebrate my friend Christa's b-day. Christa is on of 4 teacher's I worked with during the camp. Once again, we found ourselves at the noraebang and this time, instead of Bon Jovi, we performed such classics as: You Oughta Know (Alanis Morrisette), Like a Virgin (Madonna), Killing in the name of (Rage against the machine) and Gold Digger (Kanye West) to name a few.
Needless to say, when Sunday rolled around and I had to give a lecture at the new orientation, I needed to use the microphone because my voice was comparable to that of a pubescent boy.
Now it's monday and I'm sitting at my new office job, fretting about school tomorrow (which I'm underprepared for) and wishing someone would give me something to do. HA! That's Korea, eh?
first of all, the title of my blog is not a reflection of how I feel about the city. nay! it is a less-than-subtle jab at the way Koreans pronounce the word "city". Tis true!
After a wonderful vacation in Canader (namely Grimsbaria, but also torannah, londonia and grand bend) I arrived back to a smiling gent with a bouquet of flowers. aaawwwww! he's a keeper.
The evening I arrived a storm blew in which basically kept me locked up until I had to go to camp the following monday. Yay for monsoons. With not much breathing room, I quickly packed a bag for camp and was off again with 48 hours of arrival.
The camp was...in a word...nope. it's no use. I can't possibly describe it in one word. I have been with this camp since March when I agreed to be 1 of 7 Native teachers involved in the curriculum development. Basically, the province gave over half a million dollars for the development and running of this brand new camp. After months of rather annoying work, we finally saw the fruits of our labors. Unfortunately it was within the context of 14 hour days...*yeesh*. Despite the gruelling schedule oversight the camp was fulfilling. One teacher said it right when he said that the best camps are the ones where the teachers are the most tired. The kids of course were wonderful and I was lucky to have one of the best classes there (out of 15 classes, 150 kids...yikes). I can't, however, say that I'm sorry it's over.
My first full weekend in the city was spent, naturally, with friends. Friday night I was reunited with Carol and Mel for one last hurrah before Mel went back to Canada *sigh*. We had dinner and eventually made our way to the noraebang where we belted out Bon Jovi tunes until our voices were hoarse. On Saturday I had lunch with Riann and EJ, and dinner with Hang Bin and Young Min. That was really nice because I didn't really have the chance to say much of a goodbye to her before leaving Boseong. Later I met up with a bunch of foreigners to celebrate my friend Christa's b-day. Christa is on of 4 teacher's I worked with during the camp. Once again, we found ourselves at the noraebang and this time, instead of Bon Jovi, we performed such classics as: You Oughta Know (Alanis Morrisette), Like a Virgin (Madonna), Killing in the name of (Rage against the machine) and Gold Digger (Kanye West) to name a few.
Needless to say, when Sunday rolled around and I had to give a lecture at the new orientation, I needed to use the microphone because my voice was comparable to that of a pubescent boy.
Now it's monday and I'm sitting at my new office job, fretting about school tomorrow (which I'm underprepared for) and wishing someone would give me something to do. HA! That's Korea, eh?
Wednesday, July 18, 2007
A Night at the Nite and a Day at the Beach
I will be in Canada in about 36 hours - w00t! I'm currently at school for my very last day. It's kinda weird because I actually have no classes. So, to spend the time, I'm blogging and reading my book. Altogether not a bad way to pass the hours. I had two fun stories from weekends past, I'll start with July 6th:
A Night at the Nite
In Korea, nightclubs are simply referred to as "nite", pronounced "nah-ee-tuh". There's a famous nite in Gwangju called DongYang. It's enormous and the roof opens up. Carol and Riann both missed eachothers' birthdays earlier in the year, so they decided to have some fun together to make it up. Neither Carol nor I had ever been to DongYang, however Riann is a seasoned vet, so we thought it's be an adventure. Mel, unfortunately couldn't join us because she was leaving for Japan the next day. All in all, there were about 10 of us.
After getting pretty at the motel, we headed over to the nite. Dudes in suits looking very important were everywhere. According to HangBin, niteclubs have lots of power because they are run by gangsters, and I don't doubt it. The first floor had too many tables to count, a sizeable dancefloor (which we took full advantage of) and an enormous stage complete with an obscene amount of lights.
Our table was on the 2nd floor, which was built like a mezzanine so much of the 1st floor and the stage were visible. Naturally, it was ear burstingly loud, but whatever, it was worth it. We all danced the night away (almost non-stop from about 12-3am) which, in the end, did not bode well for those of us in heels. But hey! we looked sexy, right Carol?
The musical venues were also very different from what I am used to in Canada. Instead of a DJ off in a booth somewhere spinning sick beats, the DJ's here were very much a stage act. They would leave their turntables and dance and get the crowd pumped up. Our group of foreigners were relatively close to the stage, so we got mentioned by the DJs a few times. Over the mic, we were subject to questions "Where are you from?" and "What time is it now?" HA!
They also had a male troupe of strippers which Carol and I found quite amusing. They were taking themselves rather seriously while we were laugh and whooping delightedly. They were not strippers in the sense that they take their close off for money, it was more of a choreographed dance where they happened to systematically take off their clothes. They all had dragon tatoos of some kind adorning their torsos which, apparently, is a clear symbol of being a gangster. Personally, I think they're trying to make their skinny bodies look a little more fierce. *rawr* gentlemen, *RAWR*.
They never actually got nudey, with the exception of one dude. What happened was the main guy was gyrating at the front of the stage in what looked like a leather diaper, he finally stripped to reveal a fancy thong. Meanwhile, behind him, some other dudes brought out a large white sheet behind which another guy completely shed his knickers and started dancing. Shadows don't lie, my friends, he was flapping everywhere. And of course, in the end, they dropped the sheets and we got a glimspe of the family jewels for a second before the lights went out. awesome.
They opened the roof a few times throughout the night, and as cool as it is, it's also very practicaly as it let out all the smokey air the aerated the place a bit. As for the lights, I don't know too much about programming a light show, but I'm fairly certain there was a dial and it was set to "seizure inducing". I'm not complain, though, because doing the robot always looks better under strobe lights ;)
All in all, the night was awesome. I made it to sleep by 5am, which isn't so bad. My feet were mad at me for a while, but I sat down and gave them a talking to about sometimes having to sacrifice comfort for fashion. They begrudgingly ascented.
_________________________________________________________
A Day at the Beach - MudFest 2007
This past weekend, we took a roadtrip to Boryeong for their annual mudfestival. HangBin was kind enough to offer his car, so it was him and four ladies: me, Carol, Mel and her friends Drea who is visiting from Canada. We said "HangBin and his bitches" but he was slightly uncomfortable with that :D
After 3 weeks of cloudy skies and rain, the gods smiled upon us and offered us two perfect days of weather. It was clearer than it has been here in months, sunny and hot, hot, hot!
We arrived Friday night, had a few beers at the beach then headed back to our digs for the weekend. HangBin's borther's girlfriend (follow that?) works in Boryeong, so she offered up for apt for the weekend. nice!! (reason number #431 why Korea is awesome). The next day we headed out around 10:30 to get muddy. Once there, we noticed it was beer o'clock so we acquired some. After finishing the first drink, we decided it was time to get serious. We went down to the beach where there were table set up with buckets of mud and paint brushes. Within minutes, we were covered. Somehow, my handprints found their way into several bosoms and buttocks.
A Night at the Nite
In Korea, nightclubs are simply referred to as "nite", pronounced "nah-ee-tuh". There's a famous nite in Gwangju called DongYang. It's enormous and the roof opens up. Carol and Riann both missed eachothers' birthdays earlier in the year, so they decided to have some fun together to make it up. Neither Carol nor I had ever been to DongYang, however Riann is a seasoned vet, so we thought it's be an adventure. Mel, unfortunately couldn't join us because she was leaving for Japan the next day. All in all, there were about 10 of us.
After getting pretty at the motel, we headed over to the nite. Dudes in suits looking very important were everywhere. According to HangBin, niteclubs have lots of power because they are run by gangsters, and I don't doubt it. The first floor had too many tables to count, a sizeable dancefloor (which we took full advantage of) and an enormous stage complete with an obscene amount of lights.
Our table was on the 2nd floor, which was built like a mezzanine so much of the 1st floor and the stage were visible. Naturally, it was ear burstingly loud, but whatever, it was worth it. We all danced the night away (almost non-stop from about 12-3am) which, in the end, did not bode well for those of us in heels. But hey! we looked sexy, right Carol?
The musical venues were also very different from what I am used to in Canada. Instead of a DJ off in a booth somewhere spinning sick beats, the DJ's here were very much a stage act. They would leave their turntables and dance and get the crowd pumped up. Our group of foreigners were relatively close to the stage, so we got mentioned by the DJs a few times. Over the mic, we were subject to questions "Where are you from?" and "What time is it now?" HA!
They also had a male troupe of strippers which Carol and I found quite amusing. They were taking themselves rather seriously while we were laugh and whooping delightedly. They were not strippers in the sense that they take their close off for money, it was more of a choreographed dance where they happened to systematically take off their clothes. They all had dragon tatoos of some kind adorning their torsos which, apparently, is a clear symbol of being a gangster. Personally, I think they're trying to make their skinny bodies look a little more fierce. *rawr* gentlemen, *RAWR*.
They never actually got nudey, with the exception of one dude. What happened was the main guy was gyrating at the front of the stage in what looked like a leather diaper, he finally stripped to reveal a fancy thong. Meanwhile, behind him, some other dudes brought out a large white sheet behind which another guy completely shed his knickers and started dancing. Shadows don't lie, my friends, he was flapping everywhere. And of course, in the end, they dropped the sheets and we got a glimspe of the family jewels for a second before the lights went out. awesome.
They opened the roof a few times throughout the night, and as cool as it is, it's also very practicaly as it let out all the smokey air the aerated the place a bit. As for the lights, I don't know too much about programming a light show, but I'm fairly certain there was a dial and it was set to "seizure inducing". I'm not complain, though, because doing the robot always looks better under strobe lights ;)
All in all, the night was awesome. I made it to sleep by 5am, which isn't so bad. My feet were mad at me for a while, but I sat down and gave them a talking to about sometimes having to sacrifice comfort for fashion. They begrudgingly ascented.
_________________________________________________________
A Day at the Beach - MudFest 2007
This past weekend, we took a roadtrip to Boryeong for their annual mudfestival. HangBin was kind enough to offer his car, so it was him and four ladies: me, Carol, Mel and her friends Drea who is visiting from Canada. We said "HangBin and his bitches" but he was slightly uncomfortable with that :D
After 3 weeks of cloudy skies and rain, the gods smiled upon us and offered us two perfect days of weather. It was clearer than it has been here in months, sunny and hot, hot, hot!
We arrived Friday night, had a few beers at the beach then headed back to our digs for the weekend. HangBin's borther's girlfriend (follow that?) works in Boryeong, so she offered up for apt for the weekend. nice!! (reason number #431 why Korea is awesome). The next day we headed out around 10:30 to get muddy. Once there, we noticed it was beer o'clock so we acquired some. After finishing the first drink, we decided it was time to get serious. We went down to the beach where there were table set up with buckets of mud and paint brushes. Within minutes, we were covered. Somehow, my handprints found their way into several bosoms and buttocks.
BERFORE
AFTER
HANGBIN AND HIS BITCHES
So, after mud wrestling for a while, we went back the beach to frolick in the ocean and de-mud ourselves (all the while with a beer in hand, naturally). A grumbly in our respective tumblies told that yes, it was about time to eat lunch. We indulged in over priced club sandwiches. Delish! We also thought it would be a good time to reapply the sunblock. But alas! the damage was already done. Scrubbing off the mud in the ocean also took off our first layer of sunscreen, then we lazed around the beach before lunch. The result: several lobsters. It's now 4 days later and I'm still a little pink in the shoulders...not good.
Anyway, the rest of the afternoon was spent lazing under the shade of a tiny tree and swimming. Once we realised our sunscreen folly, we were pretty sore and tired so we went back to our abode, showered and went out for dinner - Sam Gyeop Sal (Korean BBQ) - yummy!
I declined going back to the beach as I had, almost certainly, a touch of sunstroke. The other girls went out for a while. Apparently the beach was even busier at night time - wall to wall people. YIKES!
Anyway, I had a great time with my man and my ladies. Drea is pretty awesome, so I'm happy she came along. As I type, Drea and Mel are in Bali, draped on a beach, drink from a coconut. jerks. I think HangBin is slightly scarred, however from spending a weekend with 4 foreign women. poor guy.
If you want to see more pictures of MudFest and the Nite, click on the link to my Flickr photos!
To those of you in Canader...see you soon!!!
Wednesday, July 04, 2007
lately
I've been lazy reporting the haps...I'm sorry. The thing is, little things happen everywhere and I think "I should blog about it" and then I forget. I blame old age - not necessarily mine, but just in general - seems like a worthy scapegoat.
Anyway, here are snippets:
Matt's Live Music Party in Sajik Park!
On June 23rd, my good friend Matt held his second open mic night at a community center in a park in Gwangju. The weather was atrocious, but we were indoors so party on!
Now, for those of you who don't know the dude, I met Matt last year as he was part of the same Canadian Connection program. I basically instantly thought he was cool, but had no idea of the extent of his awesomeness. At the start of my second year here, he left, but quickly came back to start working at a Hagwon (private academy) in Gwangju (the big city). He is a very talented musician and in Gwangju found many things to inspire writing, composing and experimenting. Along his journey, he met all manner of aspiring musicians in Gwangju. There is a music scene available for electric rock bands, but he quickly discovered that there weren't many (or ANY) venues for accoustic musicians (and interesting breed of which he is a member). Instead of trying to fit a square peg in a round hole, he decided to make himself a square hole. He's the type of guy to go exploring and along the way he has met some very interesting "off the beaten path" Koreans. One was a dude who runs a small community center and I believe also has a love for music. The community centre has a piano, drums, a stage and a noraebang machine. Thus the idea for his first live accoustic music party was conceived. His second of such parties was on a much grander scale and, despite the weather, was an enormous success. Matt hosted, playing the odd song here and there in between sets of other musicians who hailed from Gwangju as well as other areas in Jeollanamdo. Over the course of the night upwards of 60 people came and went. The sets were eclectic including folk, country, piano, instrumental guitar, and some good old classic rock. Not only was it fantastic to immerse myself in live music, but it's also great that these musicians now have an outlet for their talents beyond the living room.
I just want to say thanks to Matt. I've told you before, but here it is on the internet - you should be proud of what you're doing. You're opening doors and starting something in Korea that will hopefully go on for a long, long time!
__________________________________________
MBC TV...Look out!
While I was at my last teacher camp, the national TV station, MBC, visited us to film parts of the speech contest we held. I guess the English language program for Korean English teachers in Jeollanamdo is second to none in Korea, therefore worthy of national TV.
Anyway, after the Koreans did their bit, the foreigners were surprised with a short stint on TV. I happened to be the Head Teacher at the camp, so I was beckoned to the front to speak to the trainees. I asked what I should talk about - the answer was "everything". Awesome. Anyway, I went up and started yammering on about something. I think I gave my "no apologies" speech. Anyway, after about 2 or 3 minutes I ran out of material but the camera was still rolling. The director said "Just repeat what you said". aaaaahahahahaha!! sure, no problem. By the way, the second time through my speil, the camera was no less than 30cm from my face. distracting? mayhaps.
After that was over, some other instrustors and trainees were filmed while having a group conversation. contrived? possibly.
Unfortunately, I missed the airing because I was playing volleyball, but I heard I was on there for about a minute - nice!
The funniest thing was, about a week later, I was stopped outside the grocery store in lil ol Boseong where a woman grabbed my arm, stopped me and said "TB!!" it took me a second, but she was actually saying "TV". Huh, that's kinda cool...I was recognised by a stranger!
_____________________________________________
Ways in Which I have Become Korean
Anyway, here are snippets:
Matt's Live Music Party in Sajik Park!
On June 23rd, my good friend Matt held his second open mic night at a community center in a park in Gwangju. The weather was atrocious, but we were indoors so party on!
Now, for those of you who don't know the dude, I met Matt last year as he was part of the same Canadian Connection program. I basically instantly thought he was cool, but had no idea of the extent of his awesomeness. At the start of my second year here, he left, but quickly came back to start working at a Hagwon (private academy) in Gwangju (the big city). He is a very talented musician and in Gwangju found many things to inspire writing, composing and experimenting. Along his journey, he met all manner of aspiring musicians in Gwangju. There is a music scene available for electric rock bands, but he quickly discovered that there weren't many (or ANY) venues for accoustic musicians (and interesting breed of which he is a member). Instead of trying to fit a square peg in a round hole, he decided to make himself a square hole. He's the type of guy to go exploring and along the way he has met some very interesting "off the beaten path" Koreans. One was a dude who runs a small community center and I believe also has a love for music. The community centre has a piano, drums, a stage and a noraebang machine. Thus the idea for his first live accoustic music party was conceived. His second of such parties was on a much grander scale and, despite the weather, was an enormous success. Matt hosted, playing the odd song here and there in between sets of other musicians who hailed from Gwangju as well as other areas in Jeollanamdo. Over the course of the night upwards of 60 people came and went. The sets were eclectic including folk, country, piano, instrumental guitar, and some good old classic rock. Not only was it fantastic to immerse myself in live music, but it's also great that these musicians now have an outlet for their talents beyond the living room.
I just want to say thanks to Matt. I've told you before, but here it is on the internet - you should be proud of what you're doing. You're opening doors and starting something in Korea that will hopefully go on for a long, long time!
__________________________________________
MBC TV...Look out!
While I was at my last teacher camp, the national TV station, MBC, visited us to film parts of the speech contest we held. I guess the English language program for Korean English teachers in Jeollanamdo is second to none in Korea, therefore worthy of national TV.
Anyway, after the Koreans did their bit, the foreigners were surprised with a short stint on TV. I happened to be the Head Teacher at the camp, so I was beckoned to the front to speak to the trainees. I asked what I should talk about - the answer was "everything". Awesome. Anyway, I went up and started yammering on about something. I think I gave my "no apologies" speech. Anyway, after about 2 or 3 minutes I ran out of material but the camera was still rolling. The director said "Just repeat what you said". aaaaahahahahaha!! sure, no problem. By the way, the second time through my speil, the camera was no less than 30cm from my face. distracting? mayhaps.
After that was over, some other instrustors and trainees were filmed while having a group conversation. contrived? possibly.
Unfortunately, I missed the airing because I was playing volleyball, but I heard I was on there for about a minute - nice!
The funniest thing was, about a week later, I was stopped outside the grocery store in lil ol Boseong where a woman grabbed my arm, stopped me and said "TB!!" it took me a second, but she was actually saying "TV". Huh, that's kinda cool...I was recognised by a stranger!
_____________________________________________
Ways in Which I have Become Korean
- Korean boyfriend
- Regarding the above: I no longer feeling ashamed to wear "couple style", except for if I'm around other foreigners
- I answer negative question the Korean way (ie, I answer yes when in Canada, I would answer no)
- I burp whenever, wherever (it's liberating, and some of you may wonder "how's that different from before?)
- I crave spicy hot soup when feeling nauseous
- I pass things only with my right hand
- I bow when I first meet someone
- I suck air in through my teeth when I'm thinking about the answer to a question
- I say "unh" instead of "uh-huh" or "yeah"
- I say all manner of Konglish phrases including "Take a rest"
- I have, on occasion, taken a nap at my desk at work
- When kids are talking in my class I say "YAH!" to get their attention.
- When gesturing for someone to "come here" I do it Korean style - palm facing the floor
- I text message on my phone more often than actually calling someone
__________________________________________
I'm coming home a few days early!! Instead of July 22, I'm coming July 19th. w00000t! For those of you at home who read this, watch carefully and you'll notice my Koreanisms^^
Saturday, June 23, 2007
A must-read for the Ladies
WARNING (for the DUDES): In this entry, I'm going to be talking about things like PERIODS, TAMPONS and PADS. My advice is to skip it altogether. You can try reading it, but if you throw up in your mouth a little, you can't blame me, because you had fair warning. onwards...
Ok ladies, this entry is dedicated to the promotion of a little something called The DIVA Cup. If you know what it is and are current;y enjoying it's role in your life, then CUDOS! If you know what it is, but aren't using it: What are you waiting for?!? And finally, for you clueless folk, here's word:
The DIVA Cup is an amazing alternative to pads and tampons. We all know the disadvantages to using pads - they basically feel like diapers and you're constantly aware of the fact that you're leaking through your vagina. Not a pretty or sexy feeling, eh? As for tampons, which admittedly are more convenient than pads, have their own set of problems. The most obvious one is the fact that you're shoving bleached, packed cotton up your hoo-hoo. Your body absorbs some of that bleach which, evidently, is not a health benefit. (No, Asian ladies, it's doesn't help to bleach your skin. and it won't steal your virginity either.)
And now I shall sing the praises of The DIVA Cup.
It's a silicone cup that you insert into your va-jay-jay. Over the course of up to 10 hours (12 if you want push it), it collects the blood, then you take it out, empty it, wash it, and put it back in.
Success story!
When I went on vacation last winter i was expecting to get my period while in Cambodia. From what I'd read, it's not the best place to be on the rag. To Cambodia's defence, however, the public washrooms there were comparable to those Korea and well beyond those of Beijing. Anyway, Those 5-6 days of periods were barely a blip on the radar. I was able to go out, tour around and not even think about it. Had I been wearing tampons, I would've had to worry about leakage and changing the tampon every few hours. It was truly liberating. (not that your period is something you need liberation from...it's the tampons you need liberation from :D)
In closing, I hope this blog has inspired some, if not all, of my female (younger than menopause) readers to at least look into getting a DIVA Cup.
here's a website for further reading!
www.divacup.com
Ok ladies, this entry is dedicated to the promotion of a little something called The DIVA Cup. If you know what it is and are current;y enjoying it's role in your life, then CUDOS! If you know what it is, but aren't using it: What are you waiting for?!? And finally, for you clueless folk, here's word:
The DIVA Cup is an amazing alternative to pads and tampons. We all know the disadvantages to using pads - they basically feel like diapers and you're constantly aware of the fact that you're leaking through your vagina. Not a pretty or sexy feeling, eh? As for tampons, which admittedly are more convenient than pads, have their own set of problems. The most obvious one is the fact that you're shoving bleached, packed cotton up your hoo-hoo. Your body absorbs some of that bleach which, evidently, is not a health benefit. (No, Asian ladies, it's doesn't help to bleach your skin. and it won't steal your virginity either.)
And now I shall sing the praises of The DIVA Cup.
It's a silicone cup that you insert into your va-jay-jay. Over the course of up to 10 hours (12 if you want push it), it collects the blood, then you take it out, empty it, wash it, and put it back in.
- It's completely fine for your body, as it is made from soft medical grade silicone.
- In certain cases it can ease cramps.
- It's good for the enviroment because there's no icky, bloody waste of the wad of cotton variety. (sidenote: an OBSCENE amount of waste is create every year due to used pads and tampons.)
- It's good for the pocktebook as you undoubtedly pay about $30/month on pads and/or tampons, whereas you spend about $40 on one DIVA Cup which will last for about 2 years.
- People with heavy flows can use it (just empty it more often).
Success story!
When I went on vacation last winter i was expecting to get my period while in Cambodia. From what I'd read, it's not the best place to be on the rag. To Cambodia's defence, however, the public washrooms there were comparable to those Korea and well beyond those of Beijing. Anyway, Those 5-6 days of periods were barely a blip on the radar. I was able to go out, tour around and not even think about it. Had I been wearing tampons, I would've had to worry about leakage and changing the tampon every few hours. It was truly liberating. (not that your period is something you need liberation from...it's the tampons you need liberation from :D)
In closing, I hope this blog has inspired some, if not all, of my female (younger than menopause) readers to at least look into getting a DIVA Cup.
here's a website for further reading!
www.divacup.com
Sunday, June 17, 2007
Ch-ch-ch-ch-changes
Turn and face the strange ch-ch-changes!
Hey y'all! The news is in...I'm changing my gig!
As of the end of August, I'm leaving Boseong and moving to the big city! I decided to take the job of coordinator at the Yeonsuwon (educational training centre). Mike, a super cool guy, realised he wanted to go back to only teaching. He is really well respected and loved at his job, so I gots me some big shoes to fill *yeesh*. Anyway, here's a run down of my new life:
Mondays and Fridays I'll be in an office at the Yeonsuwon in Tamyang. If you're confused, it's the same place I go to when I'm at the teacher camps. It's a lot like Boseong in that it's in the middle of nowhere.
Tuesday-Thursday I'll be teaching at Tamyang Boys' Middle School. BOYS! That'll be a change, eh?
Anyway, I'm currently in the middle of a teacher camp, so not much else has been happening. This past week we went on a field trip to Seoul, so naturally, everyone was beat by the time the weekend rolled around. This gave Carol and I the perfect excuse to have a weekend we've been talking about for a long time. Yesterday and today, she, Mel and I did nothing but sit around and watch all three Lord of The Rings movies (extended versions). Wowsers, it was a feat, but let me tell ya, it was nice!
Forth Eorlingas!!!
Hey y'all! The news is in...I'm changing my gig!
As of the end of August, I'm leaving Boseong and moving to the big city! I decided to take the job of coordinator at the Yeonsuwon (educational training centre). Mike, a super cool guy, realised he wanted to go back to only teaching. He is really well respected and loved at his job, so I gots me some big shoes to fill *yeesh*. Anyway, here's a run down of my new life:
Mondays and Fridays I'll be in an office at the Yeonsuwon in Tamyang. If you're confused, it's the same place I go to when I'm at the teacher camps. It's a lot like Boseong in that it's in the middle of nowhere.
Tuesday-Thursday I'll be teaching at Tamyang Boys' Middle School. BOYS! That'll be a change, eh?
Anyway, I'm currently in the middle of a teacher camp, so not much else has been happening. This past week we went on a field trip to Seoul, so naturally, everyone was beat by the time the weekend rolled around. This gave Carol and I the perfect excuse to have a weekend we've been talking about for a long time. Yesterday and today, she, Mel and I did nothing but sit around and watch all three Lord of The Rings movies (extended versions). Wowsers, it was a feat, but let me tell ya, it was nice!
Forth Eorlingas!!!
Tuesday, May 29, 2007
Roadtrip: BUSAN!!
What makes this sojourn out of Jeollanamdo different so as to label it a "roadtrip"? Well, for once, I was able to travel in the luxury of a car. Oh mercy!
the man and I took off around 4pm on Friday afternoon and 5 hours later we found ourselves in the lovely city of Busan. Busan (which many people first confuse with Boseong...trust me, they are worlds apart) is the second largest city in South Korea - Seoul is the largest - and has what Seoul does not...beaches. Beautiful beaches.
the man and I took off around 4pm on Friday afternoon and 5 hours later we found ourselves in the lovely city of Busan. Busan (which many people first confuse with Boseong...trust me, they are worlds apart) is the second largest city in South Korea - Seoul is the largest - and has what Seoul does not...beaches. Beautiful beaches.
We got a motel room in HaeUnDae area and grabbed a few beers to take to the beach. Yes, we went to the beach at 10pm. [sidenote: thanks to the insight of my dear friend Carol, who forwarded me an email, I was able to purchase CANADIAN beer at a grocery store in Suncheon. Not only was it Canadian, but it was also my fave...MOOSEHEAD. so delicious. Thanks for the heads up Carol. You are, indeed, a good friend.]
Anyway, we sat on the Beach, which was lit well considering it was night time, drank beer and talked for a few hours. Not exciting for you readers, but definitely a good time for us.
On Saturday we started the day with a lovely seashore drive to the next beach, which was Song Jeong. We stopped a few times along the way where there were strategically placed viewing points.
Nice, no? That's a view of HaeUnDae. The beach is on the other side of the buildings.
When we arrived in SongJeong area, we quickly got a hotel for the night and then went to the beach. The weather was perfect - hot and sunny with a cool breeze by the water. We walked along the beach with our toes in the sand and water, taking pictures and people watching. When the mood struck us (that's what's so great about traveling with a car) we found a restaurant and went out for lunch. The lunch was so great and we were so sun drenched that immediately after we went to the hotel for the world's greatest nap.
Post nap we jumped in the car to check out the Museum of Modern Art. There was some pretty awesome stuff in there. The two things that jumped out to me most were enormous black and white photos of trees and an oil painting of water, reeds and rocks that looked so real that I thought it coulsn't possibly be an oil painting. Of course describing these to you is kinda pointless, but you know art galleries...no pictures allowed :P
The time was going on sunset, so we headed to the Busan Yacht Harbour. There we grumbled about the richness of some people and how much boats cost. The richest boat in the place was easy to find. it was sleek. It was black. It was shiny. We were in awe.
In the distance, I spyied a giant ferris wheel. It was obvious where our next destination would be. I have never been on a Ferris Wheel before and this fact confounds me when I think about it. I don't like roller coasters, but I'm certainly not afraid of heights and there's nothing G-Force about a Ferris Wheel. Anyway, "Go big or go home" as they say. This Ferris wheel was GIANT.
With a full day under our belts, we ate some din-dins and then went back to the hotel for some good sleepin'.
A trip to Busan would not be complete without a trip to the Busan Aquarium! Despite the "koreanness" of this tourist attraction, it was still fun to see! [by Koreanness, I mean the tendency for people to push and shove to get where they want to go, completely disregarding everything in their path...it's a cultural thing, it's not that they actually hate me or don't care about me]
Of course, we had to walk through the gift shop to get out of the aquarium, so we had a few silly moments before we left.
Our final stop was DongBaek Park, another lovely scenic area of Busan, home to the 2005 APEC building. APEC was a gathering of world leaders in economy to talk about...well...economics? Anyway, this beautiful big building is now a tourist attraction.
After lunch we hit the raod and arrived back in Boseong around 8pm. What a great weekend! But wait, I'm not finished! I would be remiss if I didn't mention our culinary experiences! According to Geography and my tastebuds, we visited 4 different countries - America, Vietnam, Thailand and Indian.
Koreans are notorious for not being very diverse in their diets (where's the Kimchi?!), so I was delighted when HangBin said "Let's eat Indian food." I think that part of the reason was because he didn't want to eat Korean food that was from that particular province. Any self-respecting Jeollanamdo-ian will declare that food from Gyeongsangnamdo (Busan's province) is cardboard compared to their own food.
At any rate, the food was deeeeelish!
For a full look at the trip, check out my brand new link! I made a Flickr account so I don't have to mess around with yahoo photo albums. Enjoy!
Wednesday, May 23, 2007
Sports Day!
Today was sports day at my school. No classes, instead, as the clever name suggests, the kids play sports all day. Now, to be honest, the girls don't really have much time for sports outside of PE class because of the time they spend studying, playing on the computer, talking on the phone, going to hagwons and looking at themselves in the mirror. This made watching them play sports pretty funny. But, I will say this, they are tops when it comes to team spirit. I've never seen so much enthusiam for teams at school!! Bangin' on drums, cymbals, chanting, cheering, screaming...these girls were all in.
Anyway, I realise that I have never actually shown any pictures of my students, so I'm happy that I finaly remembered to bring my carmera to school!
It's go time!!
Warm up dance time. The music: YMCA
The finish line for a 100m dash
She's ahead by a mile!
Korean dodge ball. A little different rules, same basic idea - ping someone with a ball.
Mr Na, one of the English Teachers
They are smiling underneath their hands, I swear!
They are smiling underneath the masks, I swear!
Some of my lovely Grade 3s.
Cheering on a basketball game. Yes, it was a loud as it looks.
The "basket" for basketball. I'm not kidding.
Some of my fave Grade 2 students: Chae Yun and Na Rae
Anyway, I realise that I have never actually shown any pictures of my students, so I'm happy that I finaly remembered to bring my carmera to school!
It's go time!!
Warm up dance time. The music: YMCA
The finish line for a 100m dash
She's ahead by a mile!
Korean dodge ball. A little different rules, same basic idea - ping someone with a ball.
Mr Na, one of the English Teachers
They are smiling underneath their hands, I swear!
They are smiling underneath the masks, I swear!
Some of my lovely Grade 3s.
Cheering on a basketball game. Yes, it was a loud as it looks.
The "basket" for basketball. I'm not kidding.
Some of my fave Grade 2 students: Chae Yun and Na Rae______________________________________________________
In other news:
I got another pair of glasses..this time orange!
I got a new motorbike...Champ is now a motorbike organ donor *sigh* He was a good ride.
I sold my piano. I was neglecting him too much, so now I found him a better piano. Goodbye Dr Zaius!
The price of the bike equals the selling price of my piano...w00t!
Carol, Mel and I finally went to one of those fun photo booth stores. Here is a scan of our prints:
In other news:
I got another pair of glasses..this time orange!
I got a new motorbike...Champ is now a motorbike organ donor *sigh* He was a good ride.
I sold my piano. I was neglecting him too much, so now I found him a better piano. Goodbye Dr Zaius!
The price of the bike equals the selling price of my piano...w00t!
Carol, Mel and I finally went to one of those fun photo booth stores. Here is a scan of our prints:
Wednesday, May 16, 2007
for the teachers!
ahoy! yesterday (May 15th) was the wonderful holiday called "Teacher's Day". Lot's of public school get the day off, mostly to avoid parents trying to bride teachers with expensive gifts in hopes that they will raise their childrens' grades.
I, myself, got one gift, but not from any of my girls at school. I happen to give free english lesson to my friends Eric (Yun-seok) and Young-Min, so Eric was very thoughtful and bought me a really nice clock for my wall. I feel well-loved! ^^
Anyway, below is a brief ode to all the teachers that influenced me in a positive way!
Elementary School
Mrs Sipple: kindergarten. I don't remember much about her besides the fact that I adored her.
Mrs Hunter: Gr 2. This was the woman who was partially responsible for sending me into Gr 3 a year early. Thanks! I appreciate it!
Mrs Soulberger: Gr 4. Mentioned for no other reason than her powerful name. Also, I remember she introduced me to one of my favourite books - A Wrinkle in Time. I was the only kid in class who giggled when she said "tentacle". My mom was obviously ahead of the game on sex ed.
Mrs Head: Gr 5. This woman was a tell-it-like-it-is kinda gal and I dug that about her. I was warned she was a witch so on the first day of class I was terrified, but it worked out in the end!
Mrs Tacoma: Gr 8. Another piss-and-vinegar lady with whom I got along grandly! She didn't take any bullshit when it came to pubescent 8th grader antics. Right on, sista!
High School (in no particular order)
Mr Restivo: Gr 9 English/Religion. A sweetheart of a man who looked like super mario and was not ashamed to dress up like him for halloween. He dealt out tough love where needed, but always respected those who respected him.
Mrs Furbacher: (Gr 9, 11 Math, Calc, Algebra). This woman is a goddess among insects when it comes to teaching math. consistent, efficient, helpful and a no-nonsense exterior with a mischevous twinkle in her eye.
Mr Buffalino: (Gr 9 history). Funny guy, sometimes swore in class which obviously gained the respect of his still-pubescent students.
Mr Cino: (Gr 10 math, Data processing, Gr 12 law) A man who knew when he was out of his element. He was the teacher who had the unfortunate job of teaching anything put on his plate. He was patient enough to deal with the attitude I dished out when I was bored in class. how did he deal? "Sure Vanessa, you can leave class. See you next week."
Mr DiFranco: (Gr 10 Science, Gr 11 Chem, OAC Chem) This is the man who began his class by annoucing that he was a really big jerk. Right, you got my attention now. He always played up the difficulty of his class which would motivate several students to drop it after the first day. wusses. his catch phrase was "Gob Bless" and he would ever so often exchange academic learning for some talk about life and life lessons. One particular day when I was freaking out about failed titrations, he came to me as I was on the verge of tears and said wisely, "Relax, Vanessa. It doesn't matter. High school doesn't matter." I scoffed inwardly at the time, but oh how true it is.
Mr Weber: (Physics) I have no inclination towards physics, but Mr Weber's attitude and comforting voice enticed me to do my best. Also, he leant me a book on Forensics which I really enjoyed. He was the first teacher to tell me that even though he had been teaching for 5 years, he still wasn't sure that it was what he wanted to do as a career. That opened my eyes to the possibility of change and the fact that it's ok to be unsure, as long as you don't do nothing while you make a decision!
Mr DiFlavio: (Western Civ) This man challenged me more than any other teacher both in my methods of research and writing and in my thoughts about history and philosophy in general. I attribute his pushing to my essay writing success in university. Very few teachers pushed me and challenged me like he did.
Ms Maccaroni: (Gr 11-OAC Music) Possibly my most influential teacher in high school, she encouraged my musical ability and helped me to realise that it was ok to change my major from science to music. Before I met her, my mind was very focussed on science, but her enthusiasm, fresh mind and passion opened my eyes to a very different world. Partly because of her, I had the greatest university experience possible. That's sayin' somethin', eh?
I'll leave it at that. Tackling university professors would be too daunting, methinks!
Thanks to all the teachers out there who still believe in the potential of students!
I, myself, got one gift, but not from any of my girls at school. I happen to give free english lesson to my friends Eric (Yun-seok) and Young-Min, so Eric was very thoughtful and bought me a really nice clock for my wall. I feel well-loved! ^^
Anyway, below is a brief ode to all the teachers that influenced me in a positive way!
Elementary School
Mrs Sipple: kindergarten. I don't remember much about her besides the fact that I adored her.
Mrs Hunter: Gr 2. This was the woman who was partially responsible for sending me into Gr 3 a year early. Thanks! I appreciate it!
Mrs Soulberger: Gr 4. Mentioned for no other reason than her powerful name. Also, I remember she introduced me to one of my favourite books - A Wrinkle in Time. I was the only kid in class who giggled when she said "tentacle". My mom was obviously ahead of the game on sex ed.
Mrs Head: Gr 5. This woman was a tell-it-like-it-is kinda gal and I dug that about her. I was warned she was a witch so on the first day of class I was terrified, but it worked out in the end!
Mrs Tacoma: Gr 8. Another piss-and-vinegar lady with whom I got along grandly! She didn't take any bullshit when it came to pubescent 8th grader antics. Right on, sista!
High School (in no particular order)
Mr Restivo: Gr 9 English/Religion. A sweetheart of a man who looked like super mario and was not ashamed to dress up like him for halloween. He dealt out tough love where needed, but always respected those who respected him.
Mrs Furbacher: (Gr 9, 11 Math, Calc, Algebra). This woman is a goddess among insects when it comes to teaching math. consistent, efficient, helpful and a no-nonsense exterior with a mischevous twinkle in her eye.
Mr Buffalino: (Gr 9 history). Funny guy, sometimes swore in class which obviously gained the respect of his still-pubescent students.
Mr Cino: (Gr 10 math, Data processing, Gr 12 law) A man who knew when he was out of his element. He was the teacher who had the unfortunate job of teaching anything put on his plate. He was patient enough to deal with the attitude I dished out when I was bored in class. how did he deal? "Sure Vanessa, you can leave class. See you next week."
Mr DiFranco: (Gr 10 Science, Gr 11 Chem, OAC Chem) This is the man who began his class by annoucing that he was a really big jerk. Right, you got my attention now. He always played up the difficulty of his class which would motivate several students to drop it after the first day. wusses. his catch phrase was "Gob Bless" and he would ever so often exchange academic learning for some talk about life and life lessons. One particular day when I was freaking out about failed titrations, he came to me as I was on the verge of tears and said wisely, "Relax, Vanessa. It doesn't matter. High school doesn't matter." I scoffed inwardly at the time, but oh how true it is.
Mr Weber: (Physics) I have no inclination towards physics, but Mr Weber's attitude and comforting voice enticed me to do my best. Also, he leant me a book on Forensics which I really enjoyed. He was the first teacher to tell me that even though he had been teaching for 5 years, he still wasn't sure that it was what he wanted to do as a career. That opened my eyes to the possibility of change and the fact that it's ok to be unsure, as long as you don't do nothing while you make a decision!
Mr DiFlavio: (Western Civ) This man challenged me more than any other teacher both in my methods of research and writing and in my thoughts about history and philosophy in general. I attribute his pushing to my essay writing success in university. Very few teachers pushed me and challenged me like he did.
Ms Maccaroni: (Gr 11-OAC Music) Possibly my most influential teacher in high school, she encouraged my musical ability and helped me to realise that it was ok to change my major from science to music. Before I met her, my mind was very focussed on science, but her enthusiasm, fresh mind and passion opened my eyes to a very different world. Partly because of her, I had the greatest university experience possible. That's sayin' somethin', eh?
I'll leave it at that. Tackling university professors would be too daunting, methinks!
Thanks to all the teachers out there who still believe in the potential of students!
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