Relocated (Happy mother's day!)

So, BCM finally pulls through, and I move into the new apartment on the last day of April. The new place is modest in size; however, it's light years ahead in class compared to my old place. The nearest subway station, Hwarangdae, is right down the road, and it's only a 15 minute walk from there to Hwarang elementary. My third floor apartment boasts large windows, an air-conditioner (an absolute necessity for the hot, hot summer days to come), a quiet side-loading washing machine that doesn't bounce up and down like a thing possessed, a non-claustrophobic layout, a bathroom with a sink, mirror, and cabinet, lights that don't flicker, crack-free tilling, and a key-pad combination lock on the front door. BCM moved the old dresser, TV, and wooden cabinet into the place, but provided me with a smaller fridge, bed, and desk/dinning table, which I am thankful for. Also, the neighborhood is quieter, the sidewalks are broader, and there is far more greenery everywhere. Even the cats are less skittish and healthier looking. There are a few restaurants and couple of middle schools just down the block, which is a great improvement over an alley of brothels and shouting neighbors.




Notice the "Jordan Ave." sign stuck on the hallway frame. (thanks Oma- the kids at school cant get enough of those stickers you sent me)

Notice the location of the washing machine: right beneath the stove, where you would expect to find the oven in most western homes. Ha!

The view from my third floor window.

On the left is Hwarangdae station exit 3, partially obscured by the row of small trees. On the right is the escalator entrance to Kim's Mart the underground grocery store and food court, which boasts Korean-style Indian and Chinese dishes, in addition to the usual fare. Just beyond the frame, to the immediate right, is Pizza School, a popular joint where 8-slice pizzas sell for $5 - $9. Needless to say, I've succumbed on several occasions. Right next door are WOW (a little pork cutlet place), and Cafe Tiamo, with its impressive selection of coffees and gellato ice cream.

En route to Hwarang elementary. I'm thankful for shaded walkways.

Below is the road that cuts through the heart of Seoul Woman's University, just past the turnoff to Hwarang elementary:
It was a holiday weekend when I finished breaking in the new apartment, and the sun was doing its thing, so on Sunday I ambled about the carefully groomed (and surprisingly western looking) university grounds with Jeff, taking a few snapshots along the way:

April showers

On the first Friday of April, Jared and I decided to try our luck at the luxurious foreigners' casino near Coex mall, just south of the Han river running through central Seoul. It was Jared's first time at a casino, and my second time (the first time being in Canada). The place had motion-sensor escalators that moved only when you stepped on them, a free juice bar, and free pool tables (pocket ball! - rare in Korea, compared to all pervasive snooker tables). We had to show our passports at the door, to "prove" our foreigner status, as it is actually illeagal for Koreans to attend! Despite Jared's dictum that the house always wins (at least in the long run), we both came out on top after and hour or so of plunking coins into the slot machines, and wisely decided to call it a night early, and escape with our winnings. Final tally: me-$75; Jared-$30

I spent the the greater share of my winnings with Nick, Shannon, Kaitlin, and Jeff the same weekend. We went to Itaewon for dinner and drinks. There are more Caucasians and other foreigners walking the streets in Itaewon than anywhere else in Seoul, due to the presence of the American military and their families. Jeff knew I missed Rootbeer, so he showed me to only place he has ever seen it it all of Seoul: a middle-aged woman hocking cans of the precious stuff for $1.50 by the side of the street. I think I bought six. Then we ate a mouth watering dinner at a place called The All American Diner. They had fish & chips (halibut) burgers, ranch dressing: enough to satisfy the most demanding of western palates. (Koreans do all sorts of strange things to their fish, and their burgers are just not the same). We finished the night at Rocky Mountain Tavern, the token Canadian bar in Itaewon, with Hockey playing on all the screens all the time. It was a bittersweet evening, as we all knew that Nick and Shannon had already booked their tickets home to Halifax. They were planning to leave their job without warning, to escape one of the more monstrous employers that Korea had to offer.

Bunnies huddling in a basket on a street corner in Itaewon. Poor things. Happy Easter.

Quite the amazing contraption: A cotton candy maker on wheels!

Nick really enjoys a good roll

Above: The entrance of Seoul Woman's University. Below: two views of the teachers' office at Hwarang elementary school. That's my desk with the coffee mug and laminator.

On the banks of the river that runs through Uijeongbu, just a few minutes from Nick and Shanon's apartment.

The nine of us chilling by the river, enjoying the evening air.

Nick and Shannon wanted to go out with a bang at their local Noraebang.

Back in Nowon, recovering from my case of pneumonia, I went to a cafe with my girlfriend called Dr. Fish. Not just another funny name. It took me a while to suppress the giggling.

Seoul Best Toilet, 2003. Clean, nice art, classical music, fresh aroma: you can't go wrong.

March: new beginnings

Let the new school year begin! This month, Jared and I started our new teaching job at Hwarang Elementary, while Ty returned to teach exclusively at BCM, with a new lineup of adult classes. We met our new staff members (6 Korean English teachers and 9 foreigners, including us) as well as the staff coordinator, Lisa. For the first week we administered speaking tests to every student from the grades we would be teaching. Each day after school, we sat in on interminable meetings with management (both Hwarang and BCM) to address school protocol, watch presentations by P.R. reps of the new text books, listen to BCM and Hwarang give subsequent criticisms and tell us what they wanted us to do with the text books instead, practice applying lesson plans in front of our co-teachers, watch a presentation on teaching philosophy, sit in on the classes of former teachers and fill out observation reports, write a test on school protocol... you get the picture.
Classes started the following week, and things settled into a state of normality. I have to be at the school every day from 8:00am - 4:00pm, though my classes always finish at either 2:oopm or 3:00pm each day. The remaining time is for planning and prep, as well as weekly meetings with our Korean co-teachers. Like at Kwangwoon, regular classes are divided into three groups of 10 students each, according to their ability: Sun (high) Star (middle) Sky (low). I teach two grades: grade 4 Sky and grade 1 Sun. I was fortunate enough to have a break this month: Though I'm teaching some unruly grade 4 students, the start of English classes is delayed for all the grade ones untill April, in order to give them a chance to warm up to the rest of their curriculum first.

After the second week of classes, Ty, Jared, and I met Nick and Shannon in the square down the road from Hyewa station, near CulCom. It turned out that every foreigner in Seoul had decided to visit the same spot, drink Guiness, wear green, and gripe about their jobs. Of course, the fact that it happened to be St. Patrick's day might have had something to do with it... In any case, it was a sight to behold. I was flabbergasted to see that many caucasions in one place. We toyed with the idea of starting an impromptu English teacher's union on the spot. And to paraphrase Jared's immortal words, "you are looking at the people responsible for the dissemination of the English language in this country."

Jared and Ty, with the massive tower of free Guiness on the left, mostly obscurred. Unlike most of his pictures, Ty couldn't help smilling.

An hour or so later...

They even had Koreans doing river-dance, or Celtic-hopscotch, as I like to call it.

A few snapshots of Hwarang Elementary:

Outside the front entrance. (For staff use only - students have to use the doors on the far right!)

Just inside the main lobby.

The entrance to the Hwarang English "Edu" Center located on the fourth floor of the building. All of the English staff's classrooms are located here. I was told by BCM I would have my own classroom, but it turns out that they were short a room, and Jessica and I were the unlucky ones. We were given the smallest room to share at opposite times. While one of us is using the "Shadow Live Zone", the other teaches downstairs in the students' homerooms.

Taerung subway station, line 7 . Returning from work. Strangely quiet. Usually these places are bustling. At rush hour, its an organized stampede.

There was a large diorama on display at Nowon station when I arrived one day after school. A bunch of professors and students were being photographed in the lobby outside, for one of the local newspapers. I inquired about the project and was told by a student representative that the government had commissioned the engineering students of S.N.U.T. (Seoul National University of Technology) to design a plan for a greener, pedestrian friendly space soon to be vacated by the pending demolition of an old train track running through Gongneug district. I pass by this University (and through this district) everyday on my way to work, just before arriving at Seoul Women's University and Hwarang. It was encouraging to see the support for the project, though whether the government adopts it as their game plan for 2010 is still in question. And on a completely irrelevant side note, S.N.U.T. is the funniest sounding acronym I've heard in a long time.

Another galbi joint successfully ransacked by a large group of hungry foreigners. Booya!

On the last weekend of March, Ty, Jared, and I went up to Uijeongbu to meet Sean and his girlfriend, whom we had not seen or heard from since he left BCM two months ago. It was encouraging to hear that he had successfully negotiated his new position for a satisfying after-school program in a public school just south of Seoul, despite leaving BCM on bad terms. Since Nick, Shannon, and Kaitlin also lived in the vicinity, they joined the party as well, inviting their friend Jeff, a Korean-American teaching English in Seoul. After galbi, they took us to one of their favorite haunts, a little place called Radio Clock.