~~ In Memoriam ~~

Of a life lost. Taken. Much too soon.


Without going into details that will actually turn this into the tarnishing of an already horrible situation, this is my personal solution.



I have been working as an English teacher in Korea for almost 10 months now. I've seen a lot. Some of it good, and some bad. I've learned a lot. About myself, and about the place I'm living. I've been PUT IN my place a lot. I have restrictions here I never imagined I'd face. I have disagreed with many things. But, after being shot down time after time I decided that the best way to get through it was just to let things go, even when I didn't necessarily agree with them. On this particular occasion I cannot just let it go...

Friday, one of my students was brutally murdered - beaten to death - by his father. The man he left our Center with only 15 minutes before it happened. Fifteen minutes after coming into my classroom and saying 'Goodbye teacher', something he had never done before.

And I want to know - where is the line? When does the line between respecting a culture and standing up for wrongdoing begin to blur?

We're supposed to 'keep quiet'. Tell the students he moved to another school. But the whispers of the truth have already started. The students know something... And they have no more an outlet for dealing with these wrongs than I. I am not Korean. I cannot bury this and let it fester. Things like that have a way of reappearing - and it usually isn't pleasant.

As of now, there is to be no funeral. No memorial for a boy of 8 whose life was cut short. How do you justify that? And how am I to deal with the horrible bruise which I enquired about, but was brushed off - by his homeroom teacher! - like it didn't matter. Someone should have made it matter. Someone should have asked the questions a language barrier prevented me from asking. And someone should have raised the alarm.

I've lost all respect for our principle. He's asked everyone to keep their mouths shut so that the school doesn't get into trouble. And I'll never be able to look my manager in the eye again as she was his homeroom teacher & refuses to come forward with any information she has, even though she failed this boy once already.

It is going to take a long time to come to terms with this. And how am I supposed to deal with the fact that the Korean reaction to a little boys murder is silence.

Accidently "Babo" Korean Shirts & More...

*Babo = 'stupid' in Korean
**This particular blog has not been censored.

To the Makers of Hilarious Korean shirts:

I had heard of the funny tshirts in Korea long before coming here. I had also heard that the less than perfect English with a little Korean thrown in (aka 'Konglish'), sometimes created humorous phrases..



...But some of the tshirts we've seen must have been created by with a motive - or an agenda!



They are beyond hysterical, but you have to wonder - Do the wearers have a clue what their chests are broadcasting? And who is behind the making of such shirts? A native Korean who lived in an English-speaking country? Or a foreigner who decided to get their kicks and make some money in the fashion world at the same time?



I've been promising this blog practically since I got here... And I've been saving these up from about day one. When context has added to the hilarity, it has been included. So here you go!:

(oh, and I've saved my favorites for last!)



Just Plain Funny:

On a man - "French Kisses ~ Paris"

"My common sense took the day off"

"Not first but best"

On the shirt of a woman wearing a skirt and heels - "Tomboy"

"BAPY Busy working lady

I'm texting you a baby"

"I went on vacation and came back on probation"

"Mom please buy me a elephant!"

"Waste Management #12"

On a baby - "Mom's love my "A" game"

On one of my students - "Little Playa"

"I Love Crap"

Also on a student - "Too Cool for School"

On a man in a bright purple baseball T & matching purple crocs - "I'm a Taurus - I'm stubborn"

"[NINI] Number Nine" -Most likely taken from [NIN] Nine Inch Nails

"Just give me some cream"

"My mummy and I agree: Daddy is charming"

In the Philippines - "When size matters - Think BIG!"

Also in the Philippines - "I have a big ?" (Big questions are important too!)

"The cold and the crazy"

"Love has failed me"

I saw this tshirt at Incheon airport on a guy also wearing a tweed suit jacket - "I love BBQ"

On my flight from Incheon to Narita, looking like the iPod logo but with a man sitting on the toilet - "iPOOD"

On a 5th grade student - "Hope, People need lovin' "

"Twenty but simply alone"

Misspellings:

A shirt with a pair of sneakers on the front -

"SNICKER"

"Cum Again"

"Feabless on the Field"

"Save the earth - change the furthur"

"Frankrin"

"In your carears

You will meet

many peeple.

All are signillcant

They deserve you allantion.

Hello Mouse! 1976"

Bold Statements:

"World Religions Destroy Innocent Minds"

"Tell your boobies to stop staring at my eyes"

"I can make you happy. Trust me. You won't regret it"

On a man in bright purple - "I'm a love junky and he's my heroin"

On a student's sweatpants - "Take me to bed or lose me forever"

What were they thinking?!:

"Some of my best friends are white"

"Mickey Mouse Sweet of Friend"

"Rabbit Don's Eat Candy"

"Clean Vintage Junior / Basic House / Get Reade for summer"

"Juror run away from Murderer"

"Dreams so real

Naturology

Edit - Some"

"Company

Big Pig

Union made work brand

Coalminer"

On Daily Planners in a bookstore:

Be careful, these might hurt your head...



"Life is travel

Me is becoming the preparation for leaving any time.

If the travel which is a life will be the possibility of doing with you together and thing example will be better"



"Odd story:

This odd story is a fictional story that a young girl follows a hoping rabbit and goes to a wunderland"



"Romantic Europe

Love is not time's fool

Though rosy lips and cheeks

Within his bending sickle's compass come.

Love alters not with his brief hours and weeks.

But bears it out even to the edge of doom"



Signs:

Seoil University

Coffee Mama

Jesus Dentist

My Favorites:

On a tiny first grader -

"Wafflish Waffle"

Seen in E-mart on a woman -

"I'm a tosser for wearing this design"

On a woman's HUGE grey sweatshirt/dress (w/heels!) -

"Ain't nothing but a G Thang"

On a student's pencil case -

"Love has to be made like bread"

Seen on a woman walking down the road holding a man's hand -

"Morning Wood Supplier"

I will continue to add to these for the remainder of my time here, or perhaps as long as I travel & see funny things in English! Just a few weeks ago Fran & I took home a salad & hours later I realized the take home container read "Salad - Fresh Grandma Style". What on earth?! Anything to keep us in good humour! xx

The Complexities of Stone Soup

Dear 5th Graders,

I never thought that in a country where all jeans are unisex and men wear just as much makeup as their female counterparts, that a 5th grade boy playing a girl in a school play would be an issue. Oh the drama of 5th grade drama!

Let me explain... One of my students couldn't speak up enough for anyone to hear him, so characters had to be changed. Which meant one boy got stuck playing a girl. And then Ms. Judy became Mr. Judy - and the character of Andrew suddenly had to talk about his father in the play instead of his mother, somehow an uncle and a neighbor got thrown in as well... And so on until my head was spinning.

I've never had any of the kids throw such a fit over something like this before - usually they enjoy it! And if you're among this small percentage of 5th grade boys you may want to rethink your geographic location...

~ The Art of War ~

Dear Sun Tzu,

Thank you for writing so many things that are not only proving helpful to me at this point in my life, but may very well drive me away from the cliffs of insanity...

(I have to brush up on the rules as it seems I'll be in battle for the next 3 months or until I'm free of this school.)

Good points to remember:



"All men can see these tactics whereby I conquer, but what none can see is the strategy out of which the victory is evolved."



"All war is based on deception."



"Be extremely subtle, even to the point of formlessness. Be extremely mysterious, even to the point of soundlessness. Thereby you can be the director of the opponent's fate."



"Pretend inferiority and encourage his arrogance."



"Supreme excellence consists in breaking the enemy's resistance without fighting."

Escape to the Philippines ~ Pt.1

Dear Family and Friends who have been patiently waiting for three months,

Better late than never...

Hopyeong - Roxas

After four months straight in South Korea Fran & I were very ready to embark on our holidays to the Philippines on December 23rd. We left immediately from school and grabbed our packed bags then hopped on a bus to Pyeongnae where we waited for the airport bus. We were lucky it wasn't incredibly cold as we knew we were headed for warmer weather and didn't want to take up all the space in our bags with jackets and jumpers. I'm always anxious when going somewhere; Did I bring everything? Are we going to get there on time? Fran remains cool-headed & sometimes I wonder if he's laughing internally, as he reminds me that even if we've forgotten something, we have the essentials & we've made more than one train/bus/plane through some good old fashioned running.

He was right. We made the flight without a single problem, finding ourselves sitting in Cebu airport at 3am. None of the shops were open. No food. Nothing to drink. I found myself wondering if maybe I should have grabbed that huge bottle of Absolut for $16 and what was pretty much a lifetime supply of Cadburys (the real stuff, from the U.K.) for $22 at Duty Free. Then we could have been drunk with a sugar rush at three in the morning. Hmm.

Roxas - Boracay

Eventually we found ourselves in Roxas airport. Its kind of like a shed. And it was a bit unnerving to see at first. But by the time we came back through it at the end of the trip, used to the Filipino ways, I found myself thinking, 'you'd never be able to arrive for your flight this late, meet people this helpful, and board with so few problems at JFK!'

Our taxi driver's name was Larry. He owned the first metered taxi in Roxas. We paid $60 for a 4 hour taxi ride. (And if you include the fact that once he dropped us in Caticlan, he had to drive all the way back to Roxas making his an 8 hour journey, you will realize that most of you spend at LEAST $60 on gas/petrol alone for a journey like that.) I very much enjoyed the views from the windows of the taxi on our journey.
All the time there were dogs, chickens and cows crossing the road. And so many churches. Some crumbling, some new, all a testament to time when the Spanish ruled here. There were rice paddies which seemed to go on for miles until the stopped at the foot of the palm-tree covered mountains. It seemed almost every road we drove on was being worked on; filling in pot-holes, building new bridges. Larry pointed out cockfighting farms, and Fran tried to count the masses of people that always seemed to be hanging off every trike we passed. (Usually 15 or so on the really full ones!)

I remember being filled with so many sensations as this new country opened up before me. There was the innocence of the children. Something I've come to recognize the more I travel is that innocence which binds all children together, regardless of their background or circumstances. There was a little boy, no more than three, who was walking his dog on the sidewalk alongside us one day. The dog was absolutely tiny - fitting, for a boy so small. And he had only a piece of string to tie around the dog's neck and hold onto.

I was a little intimidated by a vision of paradise I'd only ever seen on TV, or in other's photos, but I quickly found myself relaxing into $1 beers, the warm sun & crystal clear waters.

Christmas colors are there on Boracay year round; the whitest sand I've ever seen, the greens of the palms and their coconuts and the red of the bodies soaking up the sun. It was refreshing to leave the Koreans who pride themselves on making their skin so white, for bodies of all shades and shapes. I will never forget their smiles. The smiling faces of the Filipinos will always be with me. They are the jolliest people I've ever met - even in the face of tragedy. And it is contagious. Before we knew it, we were joining in, smiling always, and suddenly more at ease than we'd been in months.

Our first night on Boracay was Christmas Eve. After dinner we found ourselves a nice table on the beach across the footpath from a place called Nigi Nigi Nu Noos. We were taking in the sights and sounds, sometimes remembering that we wouldn't have to set an alarm to get up in the morning... And then there was a blackout. The whole island was left without music and lights and all we had left was the crashing of the waves and the reflection of the moon on the water.

Day 1: Merry Christmas!

We woke up and slathered ourselves in a bottle of sunscreen, (as we've been living in winter) enquired about the ant problem in our room & whether or not we could get some towels - yes and no respectively- and then we hit the beach!

"Ma'am, Sir, Massage?" "Boat ride?" "Diving?'' "Sunglasses?" "Pearls?" Was the call we heard all along the beach. But it was worth it. For breakfast we met up with some of Fran's countrymen & watched rugby. Our o.j. was in fact Tang - and not a very good version of it - and the iced coffee was instant. But we soon learned what to ask for. Nor did we mind too much as we set ourselves up with some beach chairs, San Miguel and an umbrella.

Dinner was Friday's special Christmas buffet - known as the best on the island. We were also entertained as we ate but traditional Filipino dancers. Fran discovered his favorite drink that night, it's called 'Go Coconut!' and is a tropical blend served in an actual coconut. He enjoyed many of these over the course of our three Fridays visits. We decided to walk down the beach that night. It was gorgeous & we had the opportunity to watch people celebrating (it took over 2 hours). We also were able to stop and try to contact some people from home to wish them a Merry Christmas & pass on our good feelings as it was just turning midnight & the day ending for us.

Day 2:

Consisted of Jess hunting for a bathing suit which fit, swimming lots, exploring talipapa (the market), and enjoying the slowly setting sun. The only downfall was our horrible dinner at a place called Coco Locos. We'd ordered Blue Marlin with lemon butter - which was tough and took over 35 minutes - how could you mess up a dish that simple? Oh well, the mash were amazing.

Day 3: ATVs, Explorations & Trouble in Paradise

Headed out early and flagged down a trike to take us to find some ATVs we could rent after having breakfast at a German restaurant on the main strip. After trying numerous places for a reasonable price, we donned our gladiator gear (spent 10 minutes trying to find a helmet to fit Jess' peanut head - the 4th one finally worked thanks to the chin strap) and took a spin on our new rides.

We followed our guide, Roger up to Mt. Luho and took in the spectacular views overlooking Puka Beach and a few other beaches as well as checking out the interesting animals (something related to the Tasmanian devil, some monkeys, peacocks & dead/dried snakes). It was a lot of fun & the most 'driving' I'd done in 6 months!

Afterwards we took a trike to Bulabog beach to see the kite/windsurfers and take a walk down the beach that runs parallel to White Beach. We found a beautiful cove beach which we had all to ourselves - we couldn't believe it! And then we saw the millions of jellyfish on the shoreline. Ew! We tried to climb a huge rock and look out at the sea but someone up there was charging! (I have no idea if it is legal, but I can't really begrudge them their income now can I?) So, we spent the next 30-45 minutes picking up rubbish on the beach of the cove we found. It seems to be a party spot even if it's not great for swimming. I wish someone would convince all tourists to even commit 20 minutes of their vacation to doing something as simple as picking up some trash & depositing it where it belongs. Imagine what a difference it would make!

For dinner we went back to Nigi Nigi Nu Noo's. I had a Greek salad and fish sticks. Fran had a fish platter. I met a girl named Lana outside the bathroom and invited her and her boyfriend, Peter to come sit with us. They're a couple from Sweden on holiday. Fran went to the bathroom a little while later and met another lady (who's name we've forgotten) and invited her over as well. She's a Filipino from just outside Roxas City who lived in England and is now living in Switzerland. I listened to her stories of her 3 Internet boyfriends for a little too long & then finally, the bar closed & we were 'forced' to head back to our room.

That night Jess had trouble sleeping due to the wildlife. Outside one window was the rooster who didn't know when to crow (so he did it always), there were monkey's fighting on our "balcony", sheep bleating somewhere in the distance (yet close enough to be loud! And Fran unfortunately got food poisoning from his fish platter dinner. :(

To be continued...

Giggling at My Desk

Dear Fellow desk-job Friends,


We actually have this week off from teaching... And a friend of mine posted what happened to his name when using an anagram maker.





Favorites from mine:


Cajoles Lips Own



Jalapeno Clown Sins



Collapse Ninja Snow



Go ahead, have a laugh: http://wordsmith.org/anagram/

The Countdown is ON!

Dear Korea,

I have just come back from the U.S. & a visit to my family. It was nice to see them after being away for so long & I believe it gave me the energy I need to make it through the rest of my time here. Today means 16 weeks left. It also means we've almost lived in Korea 9 months...

We got our school calendars today (FINALLY). We made some changes & at the end of the day we came out with only 12 weeks left actually teaching. And only 55 days left of classes. Wow! I'm excited about where life will take us next?!