It's a bird, it's a plane no it's...

A green cross signal! Yes friends, I was walking around today and noticed people running in the opposite direction for no apparent reason. They were running like a flock of gazells being chased by a pugnacious lion snapping on their heels but when I looked back, I discovered the answer: the walk signal had turned green. Those things don't last long.

I wandered around the area known as Gwanghwamun and discovered a new pretty section which was nice. That is the fun of being in a large new city: so much to see, I couldn't see it all if I stayed only a few days.

It's gettin ga lot colder. Tomorrow is monday, which I don't dread, because I have two periods free in the morning to prepare for lessons. I will play the softball game with the teachers tomorrow too. we practiced a few times last week. Even the principal came out and hit a few balls around.

Karaoke is noraebang in Korean

And yes I did noraebang(NB) on Friday for the first time. It was a little different from the Japanese version I was used to. Despite Seoul being much larger than Kobe, the rooms at the NB place were large. I would think real estate would dictate the opposite. I was wrong. But the machine blasts this ridiculous music in the middle of songs which it's japanese cousins never did. I guess its an incentive to quickly load another song in. I brough two friends with me and as is customary these days, left at 3 am . Taxis are way cheaper in Korea so the cab fare is not a big hit. Trains run till 12 or so, which is really when things get rolling in Seoul.

BTW please feel free to post your comments.

I'd walk a long way to get to McDonalds

.. Because near my work, it has the only Western toilet. At my school, there is one bathroom next to the teacher's room which is shared by students and teachers. It's not that clean and the toilets are "the other kind" meaning they are squat toilets. I would not advise recruiters of bomber pilots to work at this school. Not much talent here.
Another thing about McDonald's: they actually use a roster in English for scheduling the bathroom clean times. What a great thing!

Halloween Fun

I skipped a class at the free Korean school that I usually go to on Tuesdays to go to a Halloween club. It was pretty nice. I dressed up as a cowboy (a very easy thing for me to do, since I have a cowboy hat). It was pretty nice. I met a few people, and got back at around 1 am. What a crazy life style. Someone asked "how do you stay awake after going out so late?" and I answered: " I don't drink caffeine" She was obviously puzzled by what would seem to be a contradiction but really, I think caffeine makes people more sleepy. Me at least. I've been off caffeine for a year (since last nov). No cola, tea, coffee etc for me. I even limit chocolate considerably. I feel great! I would recommend this to anyone. Caffeine is actually addictive according to Wikipedia because it contains some withdrawal symptoms. Some health articles I read online speculate that soft drink makers include them as ingredients, not because the taste is better ( I can 't tell the difference) but because people are addicted to caffeine.

Agent Molder runs..

In Sports day, which was today, Friday. Sports day is an all day event where students compete in sports such as basketball, soccer and volletyball. There are also tons of relay races, and tug of war competitions. There was a race with students and teachers running against each other. I ran in it and everyone cheered like I was a rock star! Afterwards everyone said I was a fast runner. Well, who needs the NBA, or the NFL? I've got my middle school job and 700 students cheering me on on my little stretch of running along the track.

Some of the students displayed their artwork during Sports Day. You can see the pictures.

A class invited me to their room for a party after the fesitivites were over. Naturally, I accepted and I mingled with the students while eating some dongbukgi (pictured). Afterwards, the principal ate dinner with me and drank soju (almost exactly like sake in taste, alcoholic beverage). I left and ran to my Korean class which started at 7. Then I went out with a girl who is in the class with me till midnight and stumbled home.

the windy thursday,

In Korea there are no lines. There might be some sort of formation that looks liek a line, but it just ends up being a mass of people. For example, getting on a subway. You may be right up in front, but when the doors open you have several chances of being left behind. People do one of those moves in football where they come from behind the linemen and break through (thats one thing that happens), another is that you actually wait to let the people get off the train before getting on. That is good and all but at the same time, the people onthe otehr side of the door, start to get on even while the people are getting off. By the time everone gets off and you start to get on, your the last one left outside. Yes I know what your thinking, but no, they don't allow guns in korea. So that won;t work! The only other option is to put my 7 th grade basketball weaving skills to good use.Someone nudges me from behind, what do I do: I turn my body around so all the end up doing is rubbing into me. It's very subtle, but I really don't like the idea of walking into an oncoming group of people who are trying to get off.
That's one thing I miss about Japan. The orderly formations. I had a friend come visit me from Japan. He said that when he first came, people cut in front of him. As this was happening, a Japanese man tapped him on the shoulder and said in Enlgish : "welcome to korea!". Anotehr thing i miss about Japan: plastic bananas, or plastic food rather. You walk by a restaurant in Japan, you know what youre getting because there is a display model (plastic of course) waiting for you oustide.
ONe good thing that happened: I arrived at my bus stop just as the bus was arriving.

I noticed two big headlines in the news: Walls being built in the Sun Belt and Gay marriage or "unions" rather. I got to thinking: Some day, theres going to be walls between pro gay marriage states and anti. I guess it just means that I won't be able to stand on the states border and proclaim that I'm standing on two states at once, unless I get really tall.

The day before, I had a class with my students (it was an elective conversation class) and I talked about North Korea with them. I asked them what they felt about people in the North and they said that they are Koreans just like they are. Also, they are angry at the North because they are really rude to the South. Even though they have given them lots of food, the North continues to threaten them. When asked about the US requesting them to stop visits to a North Korean tourist spot which gives lots of money to the NK government, they said that the tours should continue. They didn't want any war, just peace.

The day the music tried...

.. To fall out of my Ipod. And land on my foot. But I caught it in time, so its fine. I have Korean class on MWF so I went to class and then to a random bar afterwards and talked to the owner for about 3 hours. Hes a nice guy. He was convinced i was a gentleman.

Class was the busiest (like all wednesdays) but i dont mind it. The sutdents are the best and so the classes go faster. NOt like tuesdays (which are the opposite situation). At least I don't get students poking their fingers up my butt like in Japan! I still have the defensive crouch when students move too fast towarsd me!

I'm getting good at this english teaching stuff. Too bad I can't spell tomorrow (i spelled it tommorow unitl just recently) and hapiness. I'm getting better every day.