Okay, I was mistaken when I said there weren't any good K-pop songs out right now. Shinee saved the day with their new single "Jo Jo." They haven't made a video yet, but my Winter Camp students showed me this live version of them sporting back-to-the-early-90's hip hop gear. I don't know how I feel about that, but the song, like any good K-pop song, is addicting.
Tae Min is the one in the purple hat and star tattoo next to his eye. I'm not sure what their stylist was on that day...
Wednesday, January 20, 2010
Monday, January 18, 2010
Letdown
Alas, I finally heard back from Westgate Corporation in Japan today, and I didn't get the job.
They said that the hiring pool was very competitive; and since I don't have experience working with adults or a CELTA certificate, they couldn't offer me a position at this time. They said to reapply when I had obtained one of the above. But the thing is; I like kids. I don't really want to teach adults, which is why I didn't get a CELTA certificate in the first place. The University students I would have taught are only a few years older than my current students.
I had a bad feeling when they said they would let me know their decision in about two weeks, and then I didn't hear from them until now, a month later. I shouldn't have banked on getting that job and looked into other options, but as a self-proclaimed commitment-phobe, I really liked the idea of a 3 month contract. Even though I'd be unemployed again in July, it gave me more time to figure out what to do in the fall. I was also over-confident that I would get it given my three years of experience and actual teaching degree and license; something a lot of my fellow ESL teachers don't have.
I'm kind of bummed because I was really excited about living in Japan, but I guess this is a good thing; I'll have more time at home with my friends and family and can spend some time thinking about what it is I really want to do next.
I know that I'm not ready to go home for good just yet. There is still a lot more world out there that I want to see. Stay tuned...
They said that the hiring pool was very competitive; and since I don't have experience working with adults or a CELTA certificate, they couldn't offer me a position at this time. They said to reapply when I had obtained one of the above. But the thing is; I like kids. I don't really want to teach adults, which is why I didn't get a CELTA certificate in the first place. The University students I would have taught are only a few years older than my current students.
I had a bad feeling when they said they would let me know their decision in about two weeks, and then I didn't hear from them until now, a month later. I shouldn't have banked on getting that job and looked into other options, but as a self-proclaimed commitment-phobe, I really liked the idea of a 3 month contract. Even though I'd be unemployed again in July, it gave me more time to figure out what to do in the fall. I was also over-confident that I would get it given my three years of experience and actual teaching degree and license; something a lot of my fellow ESL teachers don't have.
I'm kind of bummed because I was really excited about living in Japan, but I guess this is a good thing; I'll have more time at home with my friends and family and can spend some time thinking about what it is I really want to do next.
I know that I'm not ready to go home for good just yet. There is still a lot more world out there that I want to see. Stay tuned...
Thursday, January 14, 2010
January 15, 2010
Had a short chat in Korean with the 7-11 lady this morning. This always happens: just when I've reached a communicable level in a foreign language, I leave the country. (Happened when I lived in France too)
Pretty, fluffy snowflakes falling again this morning. As I was waiting for a cab in front of my neighborhood Paris Baguette watching them fall, I had a moment. A "damn; I'm going to miss this place" moment. I can't believe how fast these last 2 months are going.
Pretty, fluffy snowflakes falling again this morning. As I was waiting for a cab in front of my neighborhood Paris Baguette watching them fall, I had a moment. A "damn; I'm going to miss this place" moment. I can't believe how fast these last 2 months are going.
K-Pop 2010
I haven't been impressed with the K-pop charts these days. The number 3 song this week, "Bo Beep," by T'ara, is maddening actually. (The girls sing "Bo Beep Bo Beep Bo Beep over and over again) Some girl was listening to it on the bus the other day and I nearly lost it. Thank God for I-pods.
This is the one song out right now that I actually do like. "You and I" by 2ne1's Park Bom. Like most Korean music videos, it's super cheesy and melodramatic. And I don't want to be a hater, but I just want to point out a few unrealistic aspects of the video, lest people think that Korea is a Utopian land full of cupcakes and idyllic natural scenery. Just doing my part to shatter the Confucian ideal of keeping up appearances, one blog post at a time.
For one, Korean weddings don't take place in churches. Instead they have these huge wedding halls that people rent out for the afternoon. Secondly, where are all these big open fields and picket fences? I've never seen any in Korea. North and South Korea combined are about the size of the state of Minnesota, only with a bajillion more people. These idyllic nature scenes do not exist. Even the National Parks in Korea are overcrowded. They're like Disneyland with mountains.
Also, it seems like in Korean music videos, someone always has to die. The first Korean music video I ever saw was Big Bang's "Haru Haru," where two guys fight over this chic who ends up dying of some terminal illness. In this one, her new husband gets sick and dies. But if you've read past entries, you'll know that Koreans are sort of obsessed with health, and it carries over into pop culture.
Alright, I'll shut up now and post the video.
This is the one song out right now that I actually do like. "You and I" by 2ne1's Park Bom. Like most Korean music videos, it's super cheesy and melodramatic. And I don't want to be a hater, but I just want to point out a few unrealistic aspects of the video, lest people think that Korea is a Utopian land full of cupcakes and idyllic natural scenery. Just doing my part to shatter the Confucian ideal of keeping up appearances, one blog post at a time.
For one, Korean weddings don't take place in churches. Instead they have these huge wedding halls that people rent out for the afternoon. Secondly, where are all these big open fields and picket fences? I've never seen any in Korea. North and South Korea combined are about the size of the state of Minnesota, only with a bajillion more people. These idyllic nature scenes do not exist. Even the National Parks in Korea are overcrowded. They're like Disneyland with mountains.
Also, it seems like in Korean music videos, someone always has to die. The first Korean music video I ever saw was Big Bang's "Haru Haru," where two guys fight over this chic who ends up dying of some terminal illness. In this one, her new husband gets sick and dies. But if you've read past entries, you'll know that Koreans are sort of obsessed with health, and it carries over into pop culture.
Alright, I'll shut up now and post the video.
Tuesday, January 12, 2010
Guest blogger: My little sister :)
Thoughts on Korea
I just got home from spending almost two weeks in South Korea visiting my big sister Taryn. And as a self-acclaimed #1 reader of this blog (there are actual statistics to back up this claim) I offered to be a guest writer. Unfortunately for you, I am not as creative a writer as my big sis and words do not flow as eloquently from me. So, I have decided to make lists. It’s what I’m good at and, call me crazy, what I love doing. I must have taken all the organizational genes while Taryn got all the creative ones. As I list my likes and dislikes and general observations of my time in Korea… keep in mind that I was only there for 12 days and during a very cold streak. Therefore I did not get to see a whole lot or meet a ton of people to make my observations more generalized. I ask your forgiveness in advance.
Also, I add the question of whether I would come back to Korea if given the chance. I put this because when most people think about traveling to Asia—they think of the big cities of Tokyo, Beijing, Shanghai, and Hong Kong. No one really thinks of South Korea as a tourist “hot spot” or a “must see” when going to Asia. And really, I would have never gone there if it had not been for my sister living and working there. What I experienced in Korea made me fall in love with this place. It is difficult to describe exactly what it is about Seoul (or Korea in general) so I’m not even going to try. I would do it a great injustice. All I can do is this:
What I liked:
• #1 being the food: I even fell in love with kimchi
• The people: they were so polite and ready to offer a lost foreigner help and assistance
• Public transportation: how easy it was to get anywhere in the massive city of Seoul at a very cheap price (you will notice
it’s also one of my dislikes)
• That there was a coffee shop pretty much every other store on any block in Korea
• How much exercise I got from all the walking; I wish the US would encourage walking more
• All the shopping that you can find anywhere
• The language is so interesting and fun to listen to, yet extremely difficult to decipher the different sounds and words (it all
sounded the same to me because everything in the polite language ends the same way)
What I disliked:
• Most public restrooms were not heated
• Most public sinks did not have heated water
• Most public restrooms lacked either soap and/or toilet paper (or all of the above)
• The germs, due to lack of all of the above. Men hocking loogies all over the streets or subway stations—close quarters with people on the subways and buses—and the sudden changes from extreme cold weather outside to extreme heat on the subways….. makes any microbe want to have a party and multiply.
• Thus, public transportation (because of germs, and the snowstorm) is also one of my dislikes!
What I found pretty hilarious:
• Most of the Koreans were scared of us foreigners because we seem to be the root of the spread of swine flu (aka H1N1)
• That you have to take your shoes off to go into a dressing room at any clothing store (they’re pretty good at saying “shoes off!”)
• The language of “Konglish,” aka direct translations from Korean to English
Would I go back to Korea?
Answer: YES!!! I loved it there, despite the germs. The “likes” definitely outweighed the “dislikes.” Next time I go I will be more prepared with better walking shoes, more hand sanitizer, and I won’t go during the flu season.
In conclusion, (not to sound like an advertisement or anything…) if any of you are planning a trip to Asia ever in your life… do not overlook Korea. I hear in the summertime it is quite beautiful. Even in the wintertime there were moments that I was caught up in the beauty of the place (granted, I am a Minnesotan and do love snowy weather). If you never make it there, that’s ok. Chicago I hear has some great Korean restaurants. At least try the food!
I just got home from spending almost two weeks in South Korea visiting my big sister Taryn. And as a self-acclaimed #1 reader of this blog (there are actual statistics to back up this claim) I offered to be a guest writer. Unfortunately for you, I am not as creative a writer as my big sis and words do not flow as eloquently from me. So, I have decided to make lists. It’s what I’m good at and, call me crazy, what I love doing. I must have taken all the organizational genes while Taryn got all the creative ones. As I list my likes and dislikes and general observations of my time in Korea… keep in mind that I was only there for 12 days and during a very cold streak. Therefore I did not get to see a whole lot or meet a ton of people to make my observations more generalized. I ask your forgiveness in advance.
Also, I add the question of whether I would come back to Korea if given the chance. I put this because when most people think about traveling to Asia—they think of the big cities of Tokyo, Beijing, Shanghai, and Hong Kong. No one really thinks of South Korea as a tourist “hot spot” or a “must see” when going to Asia. And really, I would have never gone there if it had not been for my sister living and working there. What I experienced in Korea made me fall in love with this place. It is difficult to describe exactly what it is about Seoul (or Korea in general) so I’m not even going to try. I would do it a great injustice. All I can do is this:
What I liked:
• #1 being the food: I even fell in love with kimchi
• The people: they were so polite and ready to offer a lost foreigner help and assistance
• Public transportation: how easy it was to get anywhere in the massive city of Seoul at a very cheap price (you will notice
it’s also one of my dislikes)
• That there was a coffee shop pretty much every other store on any block in Korea
• How much exercise I got from all the walking; I wish the US would encourage walking more
• All the shopping that you can find anywhere
• The language is so interesting and fun to listen to, yet extremely difficult to decipher the different sounds and words (it all
sounded the same to me because everything in the polite language ends the same way)
What I disliked:
• Most public restrooms were not heated
• Most public sinks did not have heated water
• Most public restrooms lacked either soap and/or toilet paper (or all of the above)
• The germs, due to lack of all of the above. Men hocking loogies all over the streets or subway stations—close quarters with people on the subways and buses—and the sudden changes from extreme cold weather outside to extreme heat on the subways….. makes any microbe want to have a party and multiply.
• Thus, public transportation (because of germs, and the snowstorm) is also one of my dislikes!
What I found pretty hilarious:
• Most of the Koreans were scared of us foreigners because we seem to be the root of the spread of swine flu (aka H1N1)
• That you have to take your shoes off to go into a dressing room at any clothing store (they’re pretty good at saying “shoes off!”)
• The language of “Konglish,” aka direct translations from Korean to English
Would I go back to Korea?
Answer: YES!!! I loved it there, despite the germs. The “likes” definitely outweighed the “dislikes.” Next time I go I will be more prepared with better walking shoes, more hand sanitizer, and I won’t go during the flu season.
In conclusion, (not to sound like an advertisement or anything…) if any of you are planning a trip to Asia ever in your life… do not overlook Korea. I hear in the summertime it is quite beautiful. Even in the wintertime there were moments that I was caught up in the beauty of the place (granted, I am a Minnesotan and do love snowy weather). If you never make it there, that’s ok. Chicago I hear has some great Korean restaurants. At least try the food!
Monday, January 4, 2010
An open letter to Seoul Metro Users
Dearest Fellow Commuters,
We all know that getting to and fro in Seoul is, more often than not, a pain in the arse. It's been even worse the past few days with the unusual amount of snow we've been getting. People who normally drive are flocking to the already over-crowded subways.
On my commute home today, I found myself wanted to strangle the nearest living thing at least three times. Thus, I have compiled a list of suggestions to users of the Seoul Metro, although many could be applied to people just walking on sidewalks.
1. How about we learn how to walk? Let me be more specific. What if we adhered to a ground-breaking system in which walkers stayed to the right, allowing a two-way flow of traffic? Oh wait! There are stickers and signs all over the metro telling you do this; you just don't!
2. On a related note, how about stepping to the side when you are texting/using your cell phone instead of stopping right in front of me? This too, allows for a continuous flow of traffic.
3. When someone in front of you is walking a little too slowly for your liking, what about walking around them rather than plowing into them? Seems to me like it would require less physical exertion.
4. When the train is full, what about simply waiting for the next one rather than shoving yourself and the people in front of you inside, nearly crushing people to death in the process? Where on earth are you going that is so important?
5. When people are lining up to get on the train, how about allowing the first person in line to also be the first person on the train, rather than plowing them out of your way? Ajummas, I'm talking to you. People don't stand in line because it looks cool.
Look, I know we're all in a hurry to get where we need to go, but I just don't think that trampling and shoving are a necessary part of the daily commute. Maybe that's just the Minnesota nice in me.
I can't wait for all this snow to melt, so that the drivers among us can go back to nearly running me over with their cars instead.
Cordially yours,
Annoyed Commuter
We all know that getting to and fro in Seoul is, more often than not, a pain in the arse. It's been even worse the past few days with the unusual amount of snow we've been getting. People who normally drive are flocking to the already over-crowded subways.
On my commute home today, I found myself wanted to strangle the nearest living thing at least three times. Thus, I have compiled a list of suggestions to users of the Seoul Metro, although many could be applied to people just walking on sidewalks.
1. How about we learn how to walk? Let me be more specific. What if we adhered to a ground-breaking system in which walkers stayed to the right, allowing a two-way flow of traffic? Oh wait! There are stickers and signs all over the metro telling you do this; you just don't!
2. On a related note, how about stepping to the side when you are texting/using your cell phone instead of stopping right in front of me? This too, allows for a continuous flow of traffic.
3. When someone in front of you is walking a little too slowly for your liking, what about walking around them rather than plowing into them? Seems to me like it would require less physical exertion.
4. When the train is full, what about simply waiting for the next one rather than shoving yourself and the people in front of you inside, nearly crushing people to death in the process? Where on earth are you going that is so important?
5. When people are lining up to get on the train, how about allowing the first person in line to also be the first person on the train, rather than plowing them out of your way? Ajummas, I'm talking to you. People don't stand in line because it looks cool.
Look, I know we're all in a hurry to get where we need to go, but I just don't think that trampling and shoving are a necessary part of the daily commute. Maybe that's just the Minnesota nice in me.
I can't wait for all this snow to melt, so that the drivers among us can go back to nearly running me over with their cars instead.
Cordially yours,
Annoyed Commuter
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