International Adventures

Hey there sports fans. I just rounded off my Constitution day vacation and am now back punching the clock. But, good news as I only have two more classes this week. How is that possible you ask? Well, Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday are reserved for Mid-term testing. That's right, the students will endure a grueling three day testing process meant to demotivate and crush their spirits. Because I don't give no grades, I ain't got no tests. Plus, my other co-teachers want to help some of their more struggly classes so they've asked me to sit some out while they tutor them. So I've only got two classes for the rest of the week. I still have to show up everyday, but it'll be fine. Hopefully if I'm productive I can plan my lesson plans for the next couple weeks. But to be honest, I'll probably squander the time reading the news and wishing I wasn't so bored.

This past weekend though was a hoot. I joined a gym with Danny. Ha, I couldn't believe it either. But I joined one and I've been running and lifting there. It's been rough, just because I've never used gym on a regular basis. So I'm still working out the kinks. They do have several ping pong tables which Danny and I do enjoy. It's across the street from his place and it's just down the road from my school. So that means a 20 minute walk home. Boo. I only got a one month membership thus far, so we'll see whether I renew it or not.

Also, this past weekend we made some new friends. Danny went to an extended temple visit all day Friday. So Tane and I went to this all you eat Korean barbecue, Jagalchi buffet or something like that. Afterwards, we met Danny and this Japanese girl at starbucks. She knew one of Danny's co-teachers and tagged along for his temple visit. Late in the eveing, all the oldies went to bed so Danny and Rie met up with us. We went boozing and quite the time. We went to a Noraebang and sang our hearts out.

The next day, we met Michelle, from South Africa, for dinner near Seomyeon. She knew of Italian restaurant called Garlic that was supposed to be good. It ended up being closed however, so we went someplace else that still served wine. Afterwards, she chose not to join us and we went and met the Japanese girls. Wait, rewind. Currently going on is the Pusan International Film Festival (PIFF) which is the largest film festival on this side of the planet. One of the main headquarters is a 10 minute bus ride away in Nampo-dong. So right now the place is insane. It's packed full of people from all over the world. There's elaborate stages and displays set up all over the place and neat little kiosks as well. So the place is for a lack of better terminology, bumpin'.

Play. Rie had a friend that was coming to visit her from Japan. Rie is currently teaching Japanese to Koreans, but has been selected by her government to go teach it in Indonesia. So she's enjoying her last month in Korea. So her friend came to join her and we wandered around together. Rie was hungry, so we went to "The PIFF Bar" for appetizers, beer, and soju. After that, we wandered around for a while until we found a Noraebang. We smuggled in some orangejuice and soju and proceeded to sing songs for the next 2 1/2 hours. Afterwards, Tane was feeling a bit hiccupy, so we stuffed him in a cab and sent him on his way.

We however, went to a little bar called the "Cool club." Only cool people allowed course. Naturally we got in. Prior to setting foot inside, Rie found a 10,000 won bill on the ground. How fortuitous. So we spent another few hours there and then left, having the great idea that we needed to get to a beach. Right this second. All the beaches were far away though. Except for the one right behind my apartment. So he hopped in a cab, told the driver Yeoung-do please and off we went. We chilled on the beach for about an hour and Rie got sick. She mentioned that the car ride have given her the spins and she didn't feel good. I think she barfed. Then, since all traffic had cesed, we went up to my apartment which was just behind us. We outfitted Rie with some water and my bed and then realized it was 5am. I was as shocked as you are. So, I gave the girls my room and Danny and I threw some blankets on the floor and camped out in the other room.

The next morning, I woke up early and watched some soccer and tennis from my balcony for about an hour. Everyone else started to wake up, stories were swapped an apologies were made. We decided breakfast was what we needed so I, Danny, and Rie walked to the local market and picked up some eggs. We made some omlettes, toast, and cut up some dragon fruit. Coffee was enjoyed by all, one of the girls showed us some magic tricks and Danny and I waxed philosophical on the balcony while they asked if they could do the dishes. Then they left.

Oh, also I've been having an infestation of fruit fries over the weekend. I cleaned all the dishes, the countertops, my laundry, and the floor and yet they still seemed to live there. Well, under a pile of plastic bags was a small bag of trash that I had forgotten about. I won't disgust you with the details, but I didn't have a white plastic bag. You can only dispose of that sort of trash in white specialty bags that I am currently out of and don't know where to buy. I tried to sneak another bag by the other and got stopped by the building guard. He made me fish it out of the trash and put it someplace else. So, I placed that bag in the corner outside and hope that someone else gets rid of it. Listen, I know what you're thinking and I'm ashamed of myself too. But I simply cannot have that bag inside my apartment anymore. I discover where I can buy those white plastic garbage bags and the trash is still there, I'll dispose of it. Even Danny and Tane don't know where to find them. So until then, the flies can hang out in the corner down the hall, out of my house. I went to Tae Jong Dae park this weekend too and I'll try to post the pictures from that.

And Yet More Questions are Answered

Yet again, here are more questions from the forums and their answers.

"this is amazing! How did you get this job?

-chrisb"

Easy. I found out about it from people on the Something Awful forums. There were a bunch of people teaching in Korea who frequented the forum and put themselves up for questions. I didn't know what I wanted to do after I graduated. I didn't have a career track in mind or know whether or where I wanted to go to grad school. So this is more a reflection time for me. I'm chilling out, it allows me to travel around in this part of the world for cheap. Plus, Korea spends the most on English education per capita than any other nation in the world.

What does that mean? That means I get paid bank. They cover my basic costs of living. I've got to play utilities, but find suitable housing for me and furnish my apartment with anything I need. They supplied a bed, wardrobe, TV, a couple of desks, pots/pans, utensils, rice cooker, dishes, glasses, washer, drying rack, easy chair, hot water pot, coffee maker, refrigerator, toaster, oven, gas stove, iron and board, chairs, shelves, racks, and more. They also give me health and dental insurance. Because I live in Busan, I get 1,800,000 won a month (I don't have an accurate adjustment to dollars because there's a lot of inflation) I just posted some pictures of where I live on www.grooveoninbusan.blogspot.com. The view and scenic area is a million dollar view.

As far as getting the job, I went through EPIK (English Program in Korea). This is one of the Ministry of Education organizations. EPIK is specific to Seoul, Daegu, Jeju Island, Busan, etc. Other organizations such as GEPIK are in charge of other areas. Other options include Hagwons (private schools) and Universities. The requirements to teach English in Korea aren't strict. I can only speak authoritatively about the public schools, but all you need is a degree and not be an insane criminal. I went through a recruiter, Footprints, which did a lot of the work for me. I submitted documents and talked them first. Think of a recruiter as a pimp. You jump through their hoops and then they shop you around. Pimp is perhaps the wrong word, maybe Agent is better. Their job is to get you hired because then they get a finders fee.

So I applied last February and did a lot of phone interviews and submitted all the necessary documentation. So that means copies of my passport, background checks, my degree, letters of recommendation, transcripts, and blah blah blah. Then I went through some phone interviews with people in Korea and you're in. You then apply for a Visa at an embassy and then buy your plane ticket (which they reimburse, there and back).

Dude, those PC gaming areas sound so rad. It is weird how that business model works so well in that country and refuses to spawn in this one. Then again, I don't think that I will ever grab my friends and head to Des Moines to ever use a service like that.

What other things can you pull out of the vending machines?

Also, I bought Vice Guide to Travel, what did you think of it?

-rempresent

They really are. They're extremely convenient too. While walking around the Nampo-dong city center one evening, we weren't sure where we were supposed to meet some people. So, we went to a PC Bang, paid a dollar, and looked up their emails and found the spot on google maps. Sure, you could get an iPhone and pay several hundred dollars for spotty service and glitchy software, but we just went upstairs and paid a buck. They're really nice places and I know they have PC Bangs in some larger cities in the US. They're more gaming centers though and offer consoles as well. I don't know how much they cost, but I'm sure they don't even touch the Korean prices. The other day when I bought some saltines at a GS-25 (just a corner shop, gas station without the gas) the attendant was grinding away on World of Warcraft. The whole centralized model of MMO's I think can be attributed to Korea. It doesn't work for people to save their information locally on the machine because they may not play on that same computer next time. It works better to log in and have your info on a server.

It's weird that you said drive to Des Moines to use one. I guess because there's so many here. I could go downtown and spot three just standing in an alley. They're across the street from each other and I must admit it is pretty cool to see giant Night Elves or Hydralisks drape the side of a building, advertising their wares. A few weeks ago Danny, Tane, and I went to one after dinner and brought a flask with us. We bought some OJ inside and just gamed online while swigging back every now and then.

I haven't really been to many arcades here. I did spend some time in one after going to the Busan Aquarium. House of the Dead 4 and Time Crisis 3 for $0.40 a play is really cheap. The other places I've stayed away from though. I looked in one arcade and it was 40 machines that were all the same. They only had this Aereo Fighters style game, but some people loved it.

As far as vending machines go, most of the time it's the standard crap. fake guns, light up toys, bouncy balls, or candy. But in some locations it's impressive as to what they have. One machine I saw sold Pokemon style DS styluses. Another sold DS skins and others had power ranger action figures. I need to go to more high class areas to see more vending machines. I haven't seen any that make Ramen, just beverages. I haven't seen any "Japanese" style vending machines, if you catch my drift, nor have I seen vending machines big enough to sell vending machines. Lots of coffee machines have pictures of football tackles on them. Go figure.

In reference to the Vice Guide to Travel, I liked it. Some bits were a lot better than others though. I feel that in too many of them, they promised the moon and didn't deliver. The hunting of radioactive warthogs sucked. Not only did they not get one, you couldn't even see them. It was just a giant let down. The same thing with the dinosaur. I'm not sure what they expected with that one. I loved the Brazillian favela one and thought it was hilarious. "The last man that filmed was put into a tower of tires and set on fire." "So, what do you think of us going to film it. (As he smiled, fighting back the laughter)" Genius. The Nazi one was interesting and not bad, but it would have been better if they met Nazis. The suicide boyscouts was fascinating and sad at the same time. The arms bazar was really cool. I did feel it was far too short though. I think I've seen different videos online. I remember watching a series of youtube videos where they went to North Korea and that was amazing. I can't find them anymore though. They also had one where they go to this South American region where supposedly all the men lose their virginity to donkeys in order to prepare them for marriage. Really funny. So I'd give it 3 stars. It was good, but disappointing as well.

"Right now, 1 Won = .000862 Dollars. That is awesome.

-chrisb"

It used to be a lot better. Last year, it was around 1 Won = .001400 Dollars and when I bought my plane ticket it was hovering around 1000 Won = 1 Dollar. Now, it's hovering around 1140 Won = 1 US Dollar. It's not much on a day to day level, but at the end of this when I send several grand home it's going to hurt to the tune of several hundred dollars.