mobile phone!

oh my travels...

week at a glance

Last sunday i left off with going to dinner with heather and danny for some great curry. it was an early night and all..

I am really glad i got to meet them and share great memories.

monday and wed classes (middleschool) sucked with not being able to give homework, only 50 minute classes, and "holding" meaning i can't teach a new lesson unless half the class is there...but even then only at a slow pace. Ah, horrible.

So Thursday was thanksgiving! we tested the elementary students and they did fine...regular grading etc...then that night we went to get chicken! (since its the only bird we could find...open after 11pm) It was delish, and ate until around 4am...haha. work on friday was all but a joke... :-x

Friday night i had some what of a get together with the foreign teachers. it turned into more going to a bar but they did come! and have good times and i enjoyed how the night turned out. It was Gia, Christine, and Hye Young. Gia sits next to me in our office, she has a bf and really is amused by me and my (failing) attempt to learn korean. Christine is shy but warms up to friends, and a great girl. hye young is my korean tutor. Then you had justin, angela, Alex, hyesung and I all the usual. So we just frankly broke the ice and i really hope they now take the initiative to make it happen again. All you can do is try.

Saturday...was not a good morning. haha. We spent 3 hours trying to get a phone...great deal and all but after it all he failed to mention he wouldn't have the phone until monday! So 10,000 won ($10) phone and 20,000 a month, and i even get to watch tv on it for free, and it has a 2.0 mpxl camera, and mp3 player, and korean/english dictionary. like whoah. so execellent..but i want it NOW! sooo, to make his customer happy, the guy gave me a poster of the My Sassy girl actress because i'm a kid and just had to ask for it, hahaha, oh me.

Sat night: wow, Jjimjilbang!!! this has got to be the greatest korean cultural glee ever. a hot bath, hot sauna, cold sauna, and salt sauna. like the room is HUGE and its just like 68C... and then a room that doesnt even TELL you how hot it is...just know that koreans seriously dont sweat...and this room made them sweat (a little) while i pretty much took a shower!!! wow, but my pores felt sooo good, and the cold room was -1 C so it was just...oddly felt really clear and crisp. then u top off with the salt rocks room. It has salt rocks on the ground that are way too hot...feels like daytona beach sand on a hot hot day...and i could barely lay down on it. but that air was the best and really healthy for you...not sure why though haha.
The hot bath, as you've heard probably, is not co-ed and so you get in the tub naked. huuuge room, 3 tubs (1 regular hot water, 1 greentea, 1 ginsing) and then a cold shallow pool and showers and ah, its a bath house but now luxery and comfort all rolled into one. SO yes, it was awkward for the first few minutes when 2 foreigners walk in...but once i got in that water---nothing matters! Alex (angela's bf) did well too of being comfortable, and just really a fantastic relaxing evening after such a horrible morning. Oh, it was Angela, hyesung, alex, and i...so we all were like little kids (among a wholelot of kids running arond the place...at about 1am!!!) and played uno and ate some great snack until around 2:30am and then called it quits. ah, how glorious. this is a place to be revisited.

sunday was moving day for hyesung, she is a korean girl that taught herself english as a hobby while she was in college. She's now teaching at a different hagwon and just moved to bucheon instead of commuting the 2 hours from her place near Seoul. Luckily it was not a bad task at all, just picked it all up in one load (the american champs we get it done!) and half scared her new housemate---she had never heard so much english spoken before! its a nice place and close by, so thats good. She's now moved in and now that she's closer she'll be able to hang out more. i got to admit i'm impressed.

That sums up my week. Some things to take away:

I so want an iTouch 32gig...That's my christmas gift to myself :-D

Asians see things in relationships, not in hard facts. they understand through context in language..not exact words. Such as: While i was eating, he called. This is very clear in english. In korean, time is not as important but implied through context. So it would be: you ate, he called. obviously u missed the call...u were busy eating. ah, fun lessons.

some other things is how much image means to these people...they would buy the same exact thing from the hyundai dept store because its all fancy stores and such...instead of buying it at emart because then they can say "i shop at hyundai" eh, can't blame 'em. In charlotte its like "i shop at nordstrom, southpark, etc... instead of walmart" ah, people are teh same everywehre!

Well, let the new week begin! I get my phone tomorrow and next step...internet!!!!

This weekend was great!
Hyesung and I went to meet her best friend and had some tasty tasty curry! you can see pics of it here:

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2013612&l=36a3f&id=105600042

So that was that...the bus ride was rather long, but owell, it was fun!
hmm, then sunday it was the awesome time always had with danny and heather... we ate and laughed and danny is learning english! So we had some more convo than before..i was also able to use korean words... crazy how little communication u really need! shows you what's really important.

well, now its just tests for the lil kiddies, oh how tired they are! If they get a really good score...they get to go to an english school---and then in hopes of going to USA or europe for highschool/college! And thats like the ultimate dream! (then they end up there and realize it sucks...and never study..and just become american, lol)

me ahnn (sorry)

Oh Joy!

Greetings all, its 4:11 here. Just finished watching a fantastic korean film (again) My Sassy Girl. Angela, alex, hye sung and i enjoyed beer, pizza, and a movie. ah, felt like home life.

Lets review:

So after the hongdae...nothin happened sunday ...as well as the week of teaching.. i had a student get 2 detentions and he still misbehaved---korean teacher threated to expel him and wow, it was wild. but eh, now he's a good kid i suppose...better be this thursday because my boss is observing me teaching that class!

On to Friday!!! wow, only been a week, eh? Well, ROK for bucheon went down...at Rhythm and Booze so we went there, they did this amazing belly dancing (local girl named Rachel perfermed...she teaches classes) Gorgeous and it was hilarious seeing all the white guys stop everything and just gawk. oh priceless. So that went down, had quiz night---i knew very little but funny things!, then grabbed some 2am dinner? with hyesung and it was delish! hm, that was an excellent night.

Sat. i had the pleasure of grocery shopping with Heather! To see a woman in action, haha. but so we got a few random things, key thing was how to order meat ...how much, etc. now i feel confident to say 300g of sum geeup sal! Ahhh, and as payment for her patience and company, i fixed her dinner! it was simple since Danny was suppose to b there...and we were suppose to go to dinner and watch bond but we pushed it back to sunday since he was tied up with business. so it was hyesung and heather and i and yummy chicken stir fry sort...a little salty but given what i had, it worked. she brought a bottle of wine and that was grand. OOO, i tought them how to play UNO! We played for hours, hahaha, and i had to say the numbers in korean and oh what fun. Well, that was that. Another success.

Then you have sunday. Well, it was glorious from the start---i woke to a snow flurry! it did not stick but to watch from my window was enough! I enjoyed that and had some gorgeous lunch and managed to set up going to coffee with justin, heather, and hyesung---studied a little korean phrases, english phrases and then dinner---KALBI!!! mmm, pork ribs, finally! and then to see 007 james bond. Its wild, i watched casino royale in Ireland i realized and then now solace here. Tis my international flick.

So one thing about the movie...i totally had a moment when the movie finished that i thought i was in regal at stonecrest. It just was so weird, i stood up and was like...just everything was just like back home. ah well, so then it was goodnight and back to the work week. started the week off bad by staying up until 5ish....then monday going to get a little food celebration?

Tuesday angela and i went on a trip to Incheon to get our Alien card. will mail to us in 10 days...yay internet and phone one step closer!!! Um, def said it would take 4 hours...we finished in 1.5. team rocket, blast off! We get it DONE!

hmm, wed i grabbed coffee with hyesung.

friday, today i had my exciting chinese black noodle Joy has been talking about... She and i went for lunch and i was stuffed! So tasty!! so dinner i ate so little...so it was a good thing that we got pizza delivered and then enjoyed staying in with the movie on my laptop. haha. wow, would you believe you can get mcdonalds delivered to your room? And you don't pay tip, and its no extra charge!? same for chinese, pizza, icecream, etc. Wow, i gotta learn how to order on the phone!!

well, korean lessons r going strong. I had a little sickness of stopped up nose but just about everyone got it when it turned so cold so fast. hit 26F at one point. but now i'm use to it!

Think thats about it... sorry for so long a wait! I'm getting on well, big plans and hopefully update more often! Oh, a girl i talked to once in america...amanda stone's party...i told her about goin to Korea cuz she hated her job. so def she sent me a msg saying, hey guess what, i'll be there in dec. Crazy! And used james as the recruitor and everything. ahh good times. well, thats how it goes.

Monday will be 1 month i've been here.

mee chin (crazy)

Hongdae University!

Who's been to dublin? Trinity college? Temple bar area? well, this is what's what in Seoul too! Hongdae is the same set up of loads of people, poor college kids, ah the glorious adventures on a saturday! Justin and I had the invitation to enjoy the evening with Heather teacher and bf Danny. They are terrific people!

The train ride was really smooth, impressed that we didnt know where we were going, but we'd figure it out..and that we did! So it was about a 45minute ride. Haha, we met some mormons all the way from Utah doing their...mission. Ugh, go infect some other place! haha, Heather asked "have any problems getting here?" no, just some mormons. okee dah!

So as said, we went and enjoyed some fantastic japanese food! Really nice place he knew. He really gives me a glimpse of a korean friend. and how hard they work! And will spend it all on their friends! like its truly admirable.

A little aside is just heather wanted Justin and i to bring along a date...so i laughed too much that i actually found one cute korean the night before. This other weird guy from NYC told her that if we do end up going, to call him. I thought surely she would ditch that. wow, note to self---communication is fantastic, use it! haha, but owell, so that def downed the evening to me...here i was invited and i invited a "date" (she was cute, and spoke english..but eh, i'm picky) just to have her invite a guy (whichshe made clear was not a date, lol, burn). Long story short, awkward night in that area...but with Danny and Heather, fantastic!

Ok, so we enjoy our time, go to Noribang and sing some great classics! Love this culture! Sadly my camera died...so i only have like 3 pictures to show this time. As such, you should believe that these 2 have to be my favorite koreans thus far. So inviting and even though Danny doesn't speak a lot of korean, his delight is so profound in his action/gestures! So, hats off to Danny, and to a fantastic evening of friends and letting the little things figure themselves out!

make the most of these nights, for they're here now!

Korean Health Check

Thursday morning, I woke up and met up with my other new co-worker around 10am. Our mission: to find the hospital and get a health check.

11:20 we finally find hte place...we found a pregnancy care center and the nurse thought we were a couple and she was pregnant, it was priceless! Oh communication is funny, even without knowing the language you can gather so much!

Okeedah!

We made it to the hospital and wow, what a sight! All ages, all sorts, everything in one spot. We get a blood sample...multiple...and urine, and height and weight and eye sight---haha, it was korean characters... and then we did a dentist check haha, but very up to date, and then finally xray of our lungs. 67$...not too bad, eh? all in one spot too, great efficient way!

So, that's that. Oh and i also got a TV...hilarious old school. and a desk and 2 chairs...so i now can have company and such!

haha, there's an update!

nah sayo! (bad)

So I got an address you can send things to me! it will go to my school...which is bigger and easier to find than my apt... since i certainly don't understand how they find anything here! (always just say, draw me a map!")

it should get here..haha,

Joel Oliver
Avalon
1031-2 Golden Bell Tower 2nd Floor
Jung-4-dong Wonmigu
Bucheon Kyeonggi, South Korea 420-020

That's a mouth full.. and yah, putting me on there it will get to me...Agnus will take care of me. She got me a table and 2 chairs taken to my apt today. And tomorrow i get my physical at hte hospital. oh boy! Of course it costs 67$ though... guess its because i don't have insurance?? just way too much after the visa...and then ANOTHER visa charge for 45.. oh the small charges. But hey, nothing compared to the plane ticket over here! And I'm getting free dinner from the best home style cooking chef's the ladies ROCK! I might try to steal a picture of them! And today my tutor made me authentic rice...dough? Its like a chewy bread dough that is a tasty snack they eat for breakfast i suppose? With oranges? At least that's what she gave me as a joke because i skip breakfast for our lesson and such..

Okee dah! (joke)

Na say okee dah nikka?.

"I am funny?"

Ahh, my first sentence!

good times...

Halloween Weekend! Korean Style!

Ok, so first things... friday... I survived the week to face new classes I had not had before...ew...but Hey i only teach 2 classes---and only once a week! So friday's suck in difficulty, but rock in the "light teaching load". Sure once i get a system down, its easy cheezy.

That night I thought would be typical as every fri night...until Joy asked me if I would like to join them for a very spicy dinner! (Koreans believe the spicier it is, the more you sweat, the more stress you "release", perhaps its true...or maybe its the soju...) either way, I felt terrible for breaking my plans with Justin and the americans...but to experience spicy octopus??? I'm no fool! (and it was Joy's bday sunday...and she asked me, and again, i'm not a fool, lol). So it was her, her old friend that worked at avalon (got a better job), and this precious younger girl that works at the front desk. Its 11:30pm remember.

We found a place that gave it hot! frankly it wasnt as spicy as they made it out to be, but man was it delicious! That's the way i like my octopus, grilled and spicy! Had the best combination, frankly i find the foot delicious but no starches...so its no wonder I havnt seen a SINGLE "large" person here. Like literally...not a single one. Ok, so we ate, and ate and drank this girly soju ...like floral soju, and supposidly "healthy" and less calories i imagine. ahh, def was like, u all r beautiful, no worries! Oh, and then we ate beef...they had never had it before! wow, kind of like grilled steak strips, wasn't quite a nice juicy steak...but they loved it and beef from america has a bad name--all the hormones, etc. but that's changed in the past like..literally months. Ok, after eating around 1am, the 3 wanted to go to a noribang (karaoke private rooms) like the coolest thing, private singing room and like literally EVERY song! **Just for Brandon Turner, i sang Higher - Creed. made me laugh they had it! no dave matthews :( really could have gotten 'em with "crash"... mais, c'est la vie.

Pics of Joy's bday:
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2013318&l=2c817&id=105600042

We finished singing around 2am...yes, hours of it, glorious! But they are exhausted, had a great time with the drinks and singing and dancing and haha, my mickey mouse ears. We went our ways and then its on to Halloween costume party at Rhythm and booze*. I wore my shirt that reads "Mr. Right (now)" with minnie mouse ears for a wonderful action of i'm good, honest. lol, good times and played loads of pool, finally met some of the regulars/americans. I saw justin and he gave me a hard time...but understood why i stood him up. Again we enjoyed the evening just talking all night--good company, something around 6am. :-x This concludes Friday night

Saturday was 7:30 meet James at avalon to have dinner with americans. He's our Recruiter. we went to this amazing ...kind of like Melting pot, pot of boiling soup and veggies...and u drop meat in and it cooks in seconds. really good. didn't like using chopsticks on raw meat, but owell they're stainless steel (historic value, rice bowl is always metal, and chopsticks) also cleaner. but so we ate thatahhhh, so good. (sadly 2 koreans weres uppose to join us, but miscommunicated so they waited for us IN avalon, while we were outside...perhaps better because we were rude americans, lol, but the two girls went for me ^.^ le sigh). lol, jk. but did feel terrible, wrote a note on my desk and everything! So we finished dinner, and again R&B rhythm and booze is our home place. we talk and hang and I get to meet Jio ....a tall hispanic girl from miami that loves bleach and draws anime. haha, so, of course we just delve into all these deep convos about life and such and hit it off---instant friends. Again, finish talking around 6am? When you wake at 2pm, you really don't live the normal schedule! ahha (and buses close down from 12 - 5am so its agood thing)

So, let's continue... Sunday morning there is actually a church that is close to me...hopefully i'll get on amore stable schedule and perhaps attend! A few of the americans go and its in english...hm. but then go figure the jerk is the one that goes... so kinda makes me wonder. So sunday i woke at 2pm and met Jio to go to the coolest place EVER! Imagine...10 floor building, 1 floor of laptops, 1 floor of cameras, 1 floor of appliances, 1 floor of video games...etc. building the size of walmart. like HUGE. and soo much competition! And done RIGHT! So i'm thinking of getting a PSP for $170 hacked, every game, glorious. Researching it now, but i still love my DS LITE. just the value of watching movies on the go..yah, hottness. So Jio ( G - O) and i explored our way back on the train and bus....didnt get lost, pretty sweet. we talked about the fun times, and were tired so went our ways.

I then remembered i was suppose to meet Justin and Heather teacher for coffee at 5:30---it was def. 7pm. Owell, i show up and they're gone, i see a white guy so i ask him if he saw a redhead (of course he stands out). He remembers, lets me borrow his fone...no answer, we talk about life. He's swedish, name is thomas, 55ish and major position in a german company here....and he is married to a korean wife and has a daughter and we talked about obama and mccain... He spoke french, german, korean, and english! Ended up getting around 8:30 and we then decided to go to dinner! So random, so awesome! So we had a fantastic dinner, he showed me a new spot...i wanted korean short ribs but we couldnt find them...so go where the koreans eat! haha, and then he paid for it and it was seriously quite a salvaged night! So after the tasty dinner and tasteful dinner conversation, we parted our ways and again R&B was my "living room" is what i'm becoming to call it. Played a game of pool against JFK (korean guy that is a regular ...hilarious guy, not as good as Mr. Parks at pool tho) and then...surprised that I met a floor mate! This canadian lives literally 2 doors down from me and so we walked back from the bar and she showed me how to use the laundry machine! Exciting! Hopefully she'll get her E-2 visa renewed and stay longer, if not, she's leaving Korea... :( new found friend! nooo, haha, so we talked again until around eh...1am this time. I had to wake up early to go to my first Korean Lesson!

Korean lesson! My co-director asked the front desk lady if she wanted to learn english and teach me korean...so in me learning korean, she's learning a lot of english! We just exchanged words and it was great! I have a LONG way to go before i even understand the sentense structure, but i'm farther off than the other people...i already have a tutor. I'm sure nothing happens for coincidence, but eh, i'm just enjoying! Learning is fun. That's the way i see it. Keep it simple stupid. I thought there was a time zone change, so i was late....felt horrible (especially with sat, and sun messing up...3x a charm!) but all went well. now its every mon, wed, fri morning 10am. so i'll have to get to bed early..booo.

well, that brings us to classes. they went smooth, got a system down---my own system. works good for the classes i have. friday is a nother beast, figure that out when i get there. def good motto of "one day at a time" able to live in the present! dont worry bout past or worry about future.

So, here's to a truly good time with new found friends! Kampa!

Ch' upda! (cold) it was very cold tonight, i loved it!


*Rhythm and Booze: This has to be the best bar atmosphere! It is an american and korean partnership. It plays american music, has free pool, darts, really cheap beer and AMERICAN food, american breakfast (2 sausage, egg, hashbrowns, and toast ahhh!), regular "hamburger and fries" and other great "home foods". Its seriously your house...no one feels home sick with a place like that! They have poker night, wii, just can sit and no one bug you, at least one american in there...always. And everyone just chills, and some koreans come..those that are brave and those that wish to pwn us in pool (Mr. Park, this dude is like 60s and never drinks, just plays pool, total master).