Cheering up

Being from the UK I am honour bound to talk about the weather far too much. Summer is over now, temperatures are down and from last week people are walking around in shirts, jackets and coats. In fact for weeks and weeks now to my dismay my students have been almost begging me to turn off the air conditioner.

It's amazing how much the weather affects my mood here. I'm more used to it than newcomers but Summers heat is much too intense for my North European disposition. Temperatures of 35/36°C are all too common in those nightmare weeks with the Feels like temperature sometimes being over 40°C. I don't know how the locals in Daegu put up with it all their lives. It's over and I feel like I've survived something.

Now the air is cool and the temperature is what it is and it's perfect for me. Being outside is not a burden now and work is less of a chore. There is no discomfort moving. No air conditioner on at home nor fan. There are no two or three showers a day (due to taekwondo), no sweating and no outrageous night time humidity that makes you feel like you can actually touch it, so thick it is because of pollution.

If the weather was like this all year round I could stay longer but it's not and I'm not going to do. I can enjoy the rest of my time in Korea and I'm really looking forward to the remaining months. One of my ex co-workers is leaving in a matter of days and it reminds me that my time will be up sooner rather than later - though I keep saying that! Time to enjoy the good things about Korea rather than dwell on what I don't like.

Chamchi jjigae, Korean comfort food

I'm at home as I write this, getting better but sick and have been for the past 36 hours. Of course I can't take the day off work - my employers really don't like that to the extent that they sometimes send out emails telling us that even if we are sick we must go to work.

I have a cold, not flu. I'm not dying but still it's never a nice feeling is it. I am convinced that my students have passed it onto me once again. They openly sneeze and cough without covering their mouths no matter how much I tell them off. I find their hygiene awareness disappointingly bad. Some of my students even need to be reminded by me to wash their hands after using the bathroom.

Right now I am eating my wife's Chamchi jjigae (참치찌개) which is a dish you can find available on many many street corners. My wife didn't really cook much before we started dating but she now cooks more and more and is getting better. Her Chamchi jjigae is my favourite. It's not too difficult to make but you need the right kimchi, which we get from my mother in law. My wife makes it without tofu. What is Chamchi jjigae? My wife's is basically tuna, kimchi, water, leeks and sometimes chilli peppers plus some secret seasoning which she doesn't know the English translation for. It really hits the spot and hopefully will help me feel better. You know Summer is ending when you get a cold like this.

Taekwondo doesn't get any easier

Motivation, where art thou? Back in the dojang again for the first time in four weeks due to holidays. The Summer break was more than necessary for all of us and it's still almost too hot to practice, but practice we did. After the inactivity I found that although I remembered a lot of the things we did my muscles were asleep and I was I'm still very stiff as I write this.

Everyone was back at taekwondo and there was a new face too. A Korean housewife has joined the class. She is a friend of the Master's wife. She is starting at white belt as today was her first day. I hope she enjoys it and sticks with it even when she is busy or finds it difficult. The dynamics have now changed and the Master will have to give her a lot of attention. Like hapkido after my first dan, there will probably be a lot of self training. Strange again to be watching someone new and of lower ability.

Turning my attention to the future I don't know how long I will stick with taekwondo. I'm committed to going until the end of the year. After that who knows. After signing my contract I know I'll be staying in Korea till the end of April but as I've mentioned before I won't be eligible for the 2nd dan test which would be in June. I need to do more exercise so I may stick with this until I stop enjoying it.

Watching the rain

As the last of our classes came to an end the downpour began. I'm sure the river that runs through Daegu is going to overflow tonight. I've never seen rain like it here over the past twenty four hours. A bunch of the teachers and students waited outside for the rain to ease but it never did. Perhaps I'd still be there now if I hadn't cycled home and chanced my arm. Thank god for my umbrella. Watching the rain come down was relaxing and in truth I could have stayed there much longer. Time standing still for a moment.

Lots of rain

I don't even need to look outside my window to see it's hot and sunny. The cicadas are in full swing and in full voice but I look outside and although a little overcast it is very bright. Set for another hot Summers day. But this Summer is a bit different.

Yes it's been hot, very hot but things don't feel the same. The rainy season is supposedly over (from my experience it lasts 2/3/4 weeks) but still it continues to rain on and off. Last week there was a typhoon which ended up having little effect on Daegu but it brought with it more rain. Perhaps nothing abnormal there but anything that shakes up this heat is welcome.

Yesterday it rained a lot. I nipped out to the shop and saw for myself how much it was raining. It rained for hours. This morning about 4:30am I awoke to another downpour and then thunder and lightning. I don't think I've ever heard thunder so loud it felt like I was in the centre of it all, though I did enjoy the 'light show'. I'm thankful I wasn't trapped outside in that thunder storm. Looking at my calender, maybe five more weeks of Summer to go.

When something is missing

Today was so hot that I took my bike to work. I cycled in on the hope that I would feel better than the five minute trek from my apartment to my academy. The five minute walk to work is extremely convenient for me. I can roll out of bed or whatever I'm doing or dash out if I'm busy and easily make it in without getting into any trouble. But in Summer those five minutes make you sweat and sweat and sweat. The worst five minutes of the day.

I was already running late. I was busy doing some house chores so I was still cooling off from my shower as I peddled my way in. No bother, the air conditioner would soothe my pain. But no. Not today. To my horror I found and I'm sure to everyone else' too I arrived with no sign of air con working. I checked the teachers room, reception and the study room and nothing. Bugger. Surely it was hot enough for the air con today?

I asked teachers, the receptionist and the jaeshi teachers and no one could give me a great answer. Eventually I found out that everything was off. All the rooms including the classrooms had their air con off because they were cleaning them. What a great time to clean everything, just before classes start. That's great planning. Oh and our manager was not in today which did not help the situation. Why not clean them last night, this morning or god forbid tonight after work?

I nipped into the coffee shop below and bought a drink. As I waited, the cool air surrounded me and the feeling was one of relief but I headed back upstairs to more pain. Just before the classes started the air con came in the teachers room but in the classrooms, nope. Not happening yet. Without the air con, rooms become like saunas here. It's not a nice feeling. How do Koreans not sweat in this weather?

I turned off the lights in the first class just to make me feel cooler. Ten seconds in and I feel saturated with sweat. Take it easy I think but that's easier said than done when you're trying to entertain ten kids who barely speak English. Ten minutes in and the air con starts up and is working for the rest of the day but the damage had already been done. Yes today was my wrst day at work in a long, long time. Oh Korea, why do you play with me with days like today? Curse this infernal heat.

Red faced

First day back. Relatively painless and at times enjoyable. On the stairs I see a former and one time favourite student. I say with a smile, "Hello, how are you?" She says, "Teacher your face is red. Have you been drinking beer?" Back just over twenty four hours and have sunburn already.

When swearing is the only option

Rain and ever present grey skies practically every day of my week long jaunt back home in England left me missing both sunshine and an actual Summer. Of dear. Be careful what you wish for. Arriving at Incheon airport was OK. It was 9am when we got through immigration and customs before getting onto our bus. We got off the bus in Daegu at 1:30pm and I could only swear at what met us.

As I write this it is, quite frankly, too hot to do anything. The mid-day sun is amplifying things a bit so it won't be as hot all day but it's a bit of a come down from the jacket wearing weather of Greater Manchester. Going back to work tomorrow is going to be difficult isn't it? I'll be wearing my fake 'glad to be back' smile for a while.

I guess seven weeks left of this heat. Looking at the bright side, we're probably half way or more through Summer and then onto weather that actually makes you feel good and want to do things. The heat, in just the split second it took to come into affect instantly clarified the mind and confirmed that going home next year is 100% on.

What the duck

I nipped into the local supermarket to buy a beer (to combat the heat, I swear!) and what greets me on the way home? Why, but two ducks in a pen. No idea what they were doing in the local playground. Perhaps pets, perhaps dinner. Judging by the dirty water and their food - some lettuce leaves - they weren't too well looked after. Random stuff in Korea. I'm off to drink my beer, this heat drives you quackers.

The same but different

Change at work. The atmosphere is different. The two men who I sat next to in the teachers room are not there now. One, my partner teacher for nearly one and a half years has moved onto a similar position in his home town, the other has been given a temporary (I think) promotion to assistant manager so he won't be teaching.

My new partner teacher seems to be nice. No complaints but we're in a getting to know you situation. Regardless, it won't make much difference to my work life, apart from being a little bit quieter. There won't be much banter any more. She bought a Baskin Robbins ice cream cake today and everybody loved it, a nice touch. The other new face next to me seems to be a little shy. That's OK too. Hopefully she will open up a bit more as the weeks roll on.

One day down, four to go before my holiday. Today was a normal day but my mind is just not thinking about work. I keep falling asleep at around 4am because I am genuinely happy about going home. It's been over one year since I was back in England. At times I miss it and at others I am fine about being away. Right now I am really enjoying the process of getting ready for my trip, packing, deciding what to take, getting information ready. It won't be long.

One thing that clarifies the mind is the heat. We are in the core of Summer. This particular heat lasts around four weeks or so. Todays forecast wasn't for very hot temperatures but the five minute walk to work was, I have to say, tough. I got to my second class, the room I have dubbed the Greenhouse and I noticed a new face. For some reason there was a fan. for a minute my heart sank and I thought the air conditioner was broken but no, I had air con AND a fan. Now that was fun.

My new best friend

Cicada season

Today I heard cicadas for the first time this year. This means two things - imminent hot temperatures and a noise that can be compared to live electricity. Perversely, I kind of enjoy the sound. It comes right out of nowhere and within seconds is gone. It is a far superior sound than the truck that woke me up again today as it slowly made its way around the neighbourhood with its loudspeaker on. I have never thought such violent thoughts as I did a few hours ago.

I recently read a riveting book about a woman growing up in communist China. During the Summertime of her childhood she used to capture these insects and roast them, so limited was food in her region at that period. At times such as these I truly do think I am lucky to have grown up in England, bland food and all. My summer mission is to find a cicada and take a photo to post on this blog. I think I will pass on eating one though.

Favourite summer sound

We're smack bang in the middle of rainy season here. It isn't monsoon weather, not by a long chalk but today the heavens have started to open. Up until now the rain had been limited to a little here and there, and more of a nuisance due to the effect it had on the air quality.

A welcome respite from the heat, today is set to reach 25°C maximum. What a shame it couldn't be like this on a work day. The forecast says we're in for a few more days of similar showers. What great weather in my opinion. We had planned to make it to Busan but don't feel like walking around getting wet. Instead we'll just lounge around and have another lazy day.

The only dampener (ho, ho) is a hole in one of our walls. We recently had a new air conditioner fitted and there is a small leak where a pipe lets the water run out but today the water is slowly dripping in. Luckily we've noticed this and have attended to the matter. Just under two weeks now till our vacation starts. I fully expect to be seeing more downpours when back home. The sound of rain is very soothing, don't you think?

Waiting to fly

Yesterday we finally managed to buy tickets for our Summer vacation. We're heading back to my home in England for one week, spending some time in London as well as in the North. And it can't come soon enough. I've also booked train tickets for a the trip down South and am looking into hotels for our short stay in the Capital.

While most ESL teachers in Korea will be heading off to more exotic climbs we certainly wouldn't swap places with them. Firstly, I'll be able to see my family who I haven't seen in well over a year. Secondly we can catch up with some good friends. Thirdly I will be able to stock up on essential supplies for the coming months and lastly we will both be able to drop off some stuff that we intend to keep but would have to mail back to England otherwise, thus saving us a little money. Finally, oh yes indeed, good food and great beer awaits us.

We're just excited in general. I've been planning things to do, things to buy, things to take back for months because I had initially intended to go back on my own in May. I feel like all I do is plan half the time. It's now just three weeks away and receiving our tickets make it all the more real. We waited as long as we could to buy the tickets though we reserved them some time ago. We waited because there was a chance that the price would come down, and it did buy around 5%. Not bad but we are still paying ₩1,600,000 each which is steep in the extreme. That translates into £860 as things stand.

The logic of going home rather than going somewhere cultural or tropical may seem odd to some but it will be a welcome break from the intense Summer heat we'll be having here in Daegu. Away from the humidity I can enjoy life as it should be for me. A pint in a beer garden on a sunny day - can't wait. I also cannot wait to be away from teaching. The break will be good for both me and my students as hopefully I will return refreshed and re-enthused. Though right now work is the last thing on my mind.

Summer bites

Noticeably more humid at night time now. We leave work at ten and are often hit by a have of humidity upon leaving the workplace, like last night. We are apparently at the beginning of the rainy season now so things may cool off a touch but the air is uncomfortable and thick. It makes you feel as if you can actually touch the air. Truly we are in Summer.

Last night it was a touch warm and I feel asleep on top of the covers. I woke up feeling OK but walking around I noticed marks on my leg. I was bitten five times on my thigh. Luckily it's not itchy and is not painful but being bit by mosquitoes is no fun. Just now I have noticed a bite on my right wrist. This is particularly itchy. In previous Summers it has been my wife that has been attacked more but she has been left alone thus far. I look forward to next Summer back home, away from these terrible creatures. My revised estimate, twelve more weeks of this left.

Korean food delights: Part 3 삼 계탕

It's been a long time since I wrote about trying out some new food here. The other week, after talking about having some for over a year I finally got to try out some samgyetang. For those of you who don't know, samgyetang is essentially a chicken based soup containing ginseng, rice and other ingredients. It's mostly a full chicken without the insides, boiled in broth with some vegetables and of course, ginseng.

Samgyetang is a popular dish in Korea and can be eaten all year round but is famous for being eaten by many in Summer. It is said to boost stamina during those very hot months by replacing lost nutrients that you may be sweating out. Many Koreans eat this dish at Chobok, Jungbok, and Malbok. Chobok traditionally represents what is thought to be the first really hot day of the year, Junbok the peak and Malbok the ending of the intense Korean Summer.


I can't say for sure if it did boost my stamina but the first thing I noticed when I walked into one famous place in down town Daegu was the smell. The aroma of ginseng was striking but not overbearing. It took some time to get used to it but it was never unpleasant.


The price of the meal was ₩10,000, roughly £9 and the portion was quite large, indeed I didn't manage to finish all of mine. My wife happily wolfed down all of hers though. My initial impression was that it was a little bland but after adding some much needed salt it tasted surprisingly refreshing. Of course it is always nice to have chicken soup, wherever it's from.


For me there was a little too much rice in my portion to really enjoy it fully. I like rice but this took on a consistency similar to the Korean dish juk, which is a porridge like meal. When I was ill here in 2006 I had to eat that for about five days and the memory is not so pleasant and I think this prevented me from enjoying my meal to the fullest.

Overall I would really recommend anyone here trying samgyetang. It's tasty, cheap and refreshing on a Summer day. I know I will try it again. You can learn more about samgyetang by checking out Wikipedia.

5 day self-challenge

Lately I've not been looking after myself as much as I should though I've actually lost weight recently so can't be doing myself too much harm. I haven't been treating my body badly at all but considering I have a black belt test on Saturday I need to be in peak condition so need to make a few last minute changes.

Firstly, stop drinking beer. I've been having a beer or two - no big amounts - as I watch the World Cup games. This has to stop for this week. I need to drink water or juice and only those two. I can't believe I've lost weight so cutting down on the booze would really help keep the weight down, for now. If I can couple this with eating some healthy food then that would be great too.

Secondly I need to try and sleep a but more than I have been. That's easier said than done because it's s humid at night that sleeping is just plain difficult. There have been a few late nights watching England so I need to limit these for now too.

Thirdly and most importantly, exercise as hard as I can when at my taekwondo dojang. Really push myself to my limits and give everything. I still don't know if it will be enough but I've got to give it a go. My memory seems to serving me well right now, it's certainly better on the poomsaes but my technique, well it need a lot of work.

What I put into this week will be what I get out of it eventually. Hopefully it will be a nice new black belt and not something to be disappointed about.

Ready for Summer

Last night I cleaned our two fans and put up some blinds so that we can have our windows open as long as we want without neighbours being able to look in. Having already sorted out the air conditioner we are now ready for the Summer onslaught. The air conditioner isn't particularly strong but ANYTHING is better than my apartment in 2006.

Then, my first Summer in Korea, my air con was in the kitchen and effectively useless because the air would not circulate through the rest of the place. On top of that during one week where everyone was off work my fan broke. Unable to contact my manager I lived miserably which led me to head to bars and cafes in search of cool places. Why didn't I just buy myself a new fan and charge work later? At the time it felt like I was living in a volcano but I am much more used to the temperatures now and how to deal with them.

Later on we put our feet up and had some beers and enjoyed the football. This is perhaps as good as it's going to get for me in Korea this Summer so I better make the most of it. My weather resource says temperatures will get to 34°C this week. It can only get hotter and I wonder if we will get close to 40°C this time round. I estimate twelve more weeks of this left.

Buddha's Birthday hot dog

Another day and another National holiday here in Korea (Buddha's Birthday) so that means I'm working again and the kids at my academy will not be up for doing much in the classroom. Anyway, it's 32°C outside right now and my neighbours are dumb. They have a dog which to be fair has not been yapping so much lately and they've taken it outside to play with it. Their son has a bike with a basket at the front and they've put the dog in it so he can ride around with it. Fingers crossed this little boy does not fall off his bike like kids often do, eh. Oh and they've just wrapped the dog in a blanket. Do they serious think this is a good idea for the dog in this heat? Sometimes I cannot believe what I'm seeing. Poor dog.

Summer starts here

It reached 30°C today as Summer officially started for me. There's no backing off now for say three months or so. I am comforted by the knowledge that however hot it gets outside my workplace is quite cool and so far I haven't even had my fan on at home or had the windows open at night. The air conditioner was on in the staff room for the first time today and nobody was complaining. It's 11pm and I've had to buy some beer to cool off, at least that's my excuse.

And what will Summer bring for me? I've been checking out prices for a plane ticket for a trip back home and have found one that has good arrival and departure times. It comes at a cost though, some ₩1.68million, some ₩380,000 higher than quoted to me for May. Still it's worth paying to go home especially as this time my wife is coming with me. A week at home in July at the height of Summer, sounds good to me.

And turning to more sobering events on this peninsula as International investigators have officially blamed North Korea for the sinking of the South Korean warship Cheonan. My take is this, I don't see how South Korea can win this one. If they attack then can they really win? North Korea is so unpredictable to this casual observer. If they do nothing then they look very week, to their countrymen and to other countries. They are stuck it would appear to me. International sanctions being tightened will only work if China co-operates and is that really likely? Perhaps it is time for China to decide what country they want to actually be. Time to finish this glass of beer.

May 5th in Korea

Today is Children's Day in Korea. It's a National holiday and one of my students favourite days of the year. Often parents spend more time with their kids today and give them presents but from talking to students over the years a significant amount just want to spend their day playing computer games and not outside in the 'fresh' air. As per usual it's a day that I'll be working but I'm going to ignore any negative feelings and just try to enjoy the day and think of how much money my academy pays me to work for them.

It's already a great start to the day, my neighbours kids didn't wake me up which these days is a minor miracle. The temperature is a little cooler and I'm ready for whatever happens in the classroom. I expect quite a lot of my kids to not attend but I know there will be no cancelled classes. On a side note yesterday my school put on the air conditioning - one month ahead of when I was expecting. It makes a huge difference. Anyway because it's Children's Day here is a photo of one of my students who smiles all class long.