Saturday, March 29, 2008


Random Musings

-- What the hell is happening to the Korean won? I thought the United States was the one who was making all the financial blunders. How come it's the won that's getting rocked? I never enjoyed hearing that bad things were happening in America, but if she was going to make mistakes, I was always glad I was here to reap the financial rewards of government bungling. Now America is in the midst of a housing crisis and a rescission (don't keep deluding yourself, it's a rescission), but instead of coming out ahead I keep falling behind. What is the Korean government doing that's so bad that the dollar looks good in comparison? I can't keep from losing won. That's an odd sentence.

-- I have a Korean co-teacher who speaks very little English. I understand that I'm in Korea and it is me who should step up my Korean language studies to accommodate her, but we do teach English together. The other day we were walking to class and trying to make small talk. This is always painful because we usually have no idea what the other person is saying. Conversations about things as benign as the weather derail and get lost in mire that is translating Korean expressions into comprehensible English. On this day though I understood my co-teacher's English perfectly as she declared, "You look bad."
"What?"
"You look bad."
"I'm sorry, can you say that again?"
"Bad. It is you. You look bad."
"Oh, I thought that's what you said."
After some finagling I figured out my co-teacher was curious about my health. I had told her the day before that I was feeling sick. What she meant to say was that I still looked a little under the weather and she was curious if I still felt ill. This came out as, "You look bad." We'll work on that phrase.
I've learned to take these things lightly though. I've found that most phrases the Koreans say that are offensive are usually just translational mistakes. I've been told I look ugly and that I was stupid by one of my co-workers last year. I mean c'mon, that has to be a mistake, right?

-- Scott and Al left on Saturday. I'm happy for them as they get to do some Asian country hoping before they head back to the great white North, but I am sad for myself. I am in need of another Canadian couple who will plan trips, go to the no-re-bong, and put up with my shenanigans. I'm currently accepting applications.

-- The cast came off a week ago. I can't say that I'm sorry to see the thing go. I once heard that the stereotype many Koreans have of foreigners is we smell like beer and cheese. I've always been a little self-conscious about this, occasionally sniffing myself to see if I can detect this beer and cheese odor, but with the cast I became a walking personification of the stereotype. That dirty cast smell is fairly reminiscent of Gorgonzola cheese and feet. And the fact that I spilled beer on the cast didn't help either. Now the arm is free and smells a lot better. I also now have nothing to blame my odd waygook scent on either other than the fact that I do indeed consume large amounts of beer and cheese.

Wednesday, March 26, 2008

Man's Man


Man's Man
Originally uploaded by karmking1111.
He'll club you with the umbrella if you try and steal his purse.

The Band
Originally uploaded by karmking1111.
The Band

From left to right: Ken, Kat, Allison, Julie, and Scott. This was Scott and Al's last weekend in Korea (sniff). They're leaving again but this time I believe it is for good, never to return to the land of kimchi. They've had enough of teaching snot-nosed little punks in Korea; they now want to teach snot-nosed punks in Canada. Go figure. I usually follow them where ever they go, to different spots in Korea, to Thailand once, but Canada is a bit too far for right now. But look out Scott and Al, I'm like a bad rash-- just when you think you've gotten rid of me, Bam! I reappear. Expect me on your doorstep on day. We'll miss you lots.

Me and the Posse


Me and the Posse
Originally uploaded by karmking1111.
My big head and the band in the background.

Rockin Out 2


Rockin Out 2
Originally uploaded by karmking1111.
I can't remember if they were actually singing a Chili Peppers song or not.

Sour Face, One Eye, and Smiley


Refined


Refined
Originally uploaded by karmking1111.
Invite us to your dinner party.

Da Girls


Da Girls
Originally uploaded by karmking1111.

Da Guys


Da Guys
Originally uploaded by karmking1111.

110%


110%
Originally uploaded by karmking1111.
We don't hold anything back.

Saturday, March 22, 2008

The is one of my favorite Monty Python skits. I once went to a job interview workshop and the instructor showed us this video. I don't know if he was trying to loosen us up and make us laugh or if he was trying to scare the crap out of us. Enjoy.

North Korean Mushroom Absinth

Awhile ago Ken came back from a brief stint in North Korea and brought back a bottle of Mushroom absithe. North Korean mushroom absinthe-- funny how the cautious will stay miles away from this stuff while the curious will indulge. Tastes about how it sounds.

The People Your Parents Warned You About

I'm glad I came to Korea so I could get away from those crazy people back home.

Monkey Buckets


Monkey Buckets
Originally uploaded by karmking1111.
The drinks, not us.

Scott and Al Sharing


Scott and Al Sharing
Originally uploaded by karmking1111.
It's good to share with friends.

Suwon Baby, Suwon


Suwon Baby, Suwon
Originally uploaded by karmking1111.
Little Korean Vegas.

Sunday, March 09, 2008

Work Ethic

So a new school year is starting at all the public schools in Korea. Teachers are getting shuffled to different grades and different subjects, so the office I dwell in has had quite a shake up. All the Korean teachers I got to know so well last semester have moved on somewhere else, and a bunch of newbies have come in. That means that we had to rearrange the office to make space for more desks and such. That's where the Korean handymen came in. They are the guys who are supposed to take care of things around the school: making copies, doing minor repairs, smoking in front of the school. I've learned to duck and cover when I see these guys coming. They move with a reckless gusto that brings chaos and destruction to any task they set their minds to. A couple of days ago their task was help us rearrange the office.


Wingus and Dingus took full charge of the operation, attempting to move desks that still had computers on them, and rearrange bookcases full of books. At one point one of the handymen asked a Korean teacher to help him move a table, and the teacher had the audacity to start clearing things off the table. Here the handyman informed the teacher that it was not necessary to clear the table or remove the chairs from around it; all one had to do was move the table. The result was a clumsy and awkward dance performed by the teacher, handyman, and table. Chairs went crashing and debris littered the room. Eventually I left. Since I have next-to-no Korean language skills and a broken arm, I couldn't really do much-- plus I had no desire to be part of the three-ring circus that was going on.


I mention that story, only because this type of mentality is quite common over here, especially in the older generation. There's this attitude that if one attacks a task with enough gusto that foresite is not really needed. I don't think the States is exempt from this attitude; it just seems to be more of a way of life over here, from little old ladies trying to muscle their way on to the subway before people exit, to casual conversation--where old guys yell at each other, but that's just the way they speak. I even think the national liquor, soju, embodies this philosophy-- it'll do the job in a hurry, but the effects are devastating.

A few weeks after I first showed up in Korea, I was watching a construction project take place around the school I worked at. There was a guy digging a hole with a backhoe and a couple of guys around the hole making sure all was well. They were trying to excavate a tree when the tree got snagged on the machine. Rather than shutdown the backhoe and try to free the tree manually, the backhoe operator swung the backhoe's boom back and forth in an attempt to dislodge the tree. This sent the tree swinging back a forth in chaotic pendulum-like movements. Now it appeared like the tree was hanging on to the backhoe so it wouldn't be sent flying. It was rather odd to see a tree swinging back and forth like Tarzan. As entertaining as this fiasco was, it was a little dangerous as there were pedestrians around. I just shook my head and walked on, curious about the outcome but eventually too disgusted to watch.