Korean co-worker wedding

I have written about Korean weddings before so won't bother this time. However this was much the same as many of the ones I've been to previously. The bride seemed to enjoy the day though more than the previous weddings I'd been to. Congratulations to the couple.

10 to go

A look at my calender and I realise I'm already two months into my new contract. That means there are just ten (scheduled) months left before packing up and leaving Korea perhaps forever. I say ten because there is a chance that I would try to extend for one more month depending on circumstances next year. We shall see. Signing for another year or even six more months would be the biggest mistake I could make. I'm not even entertaining such thoughts even though going through my mind constantly are thoughts like "Do I have enough money to last back home", "How difficult will life be back home without a job for while" amongst others.

We're over a third of the way into the month and I know it's December, I'm not blind, but apart from buying and talking about Christmas presents it doesn't feel like it. Is December supposed to feel differently? I have lost touch in things like this, living away for so long. This will be my fifth consecutive Christmas away from home and my family. At least I have my wife with me. We've/I've made the decision that I don't want to cook on Christmas Day so we'll be going to a hotel to have a three hour buffet. One hope is that the food is better than the restaurant we went to last year. It should be, judging by the price of our tickets. Despite a temporary mini-malaise there are plenty of things to look forward to over the next few months starting with tomorrow.

Slow day

Not very hungover, but hungover. Can't say I enjoyed today at all but perhaps that was the price I had to pay for last nights dinner with co-workers and drinks afterwards. I got back home at around 4am, I think. Drinking a deadly mix of Korean beers and Soju left me nursing a small headache, dodgy stomach and a lethargic body. I hate soju AND Korean lager so why I drank both last night I can't quite explain. I deserve my hangover for putting those two foul, alleged drinks into my bloodstream. Korean beer is the worst in the world. No exaggeration. Soju has all the taste of nail varnish.

Work dragged today. Predictably, but I tried to make the best of things. Being a bit more relaxed (tired) led me to enjoying class even more than I usually do. I seemed to have a lot more conversations with the students who by and large were funnier than usual. One of my more rambunctious classes were up to their old tricks. Acting stupidly, being noisy and leaving me dumbfounded at how some of them ended up at such a high level despite not being able to understand English so well. Random quote from one of the bigger, 'individualistic' boys to his friend next to him, when they were play fighting "Don't do gay. Don't be gay!" I couldn't help but laugh as he corrected his sentence. Maybe it doesn't read as funny as it was at the time. You had to be there I guess.


Above. Me hungover, letting the students use my camera to take as bad a photo as they could manage.

My Korean door

Every day I find an assortment of advertising plastered to my front door. Sometimes these are there at night, sometimes during the day. Usually these are adverts for new local restaurants, pizza places, the local supermarkets or education academies. Essentially a load of unwanted crap that I seldom take notice of these days. Today I woke up to an unusually large amount of paraphernalia taped on or stuck on with magnets. I count eight on my door as I write this. What an eyesore.



When I came home from work tonight they were all gone. Who is the mystery person who cleans up all the doors in my building?

My Canadian AM alarm clock won't turn off

I still have a noisy neighbour. After a week or two of relative peace and quiet last night saw a return to my megaphone voiced Canadian neighbour's usual ways. This girl is incapable of speaking in a normal voice. Is it possible she is part deaf? I feel sorry for her boyfriend. I'd hate to hear her shouting. Does this woman snore? Heaven forbid. I wonder how her students or co-workers view her. It's like living next to an amplifier.

Last night she was on the phone for well over two hours (no crime, obviously). How do I know? because I head most of her conversation. At five in the morning. It was that loud. I assume she used a telephone though she could probably be heard in Vancouver without one. One thing I don't understand is how can the people in the other apartments not hear her and why are they not complaining like I am? I should be moving out in about two weeks. It may be time to use the ear plugs.

Game, set and match?

Here is my latest student mistake photo. By mistake I mean another incorrect spelling of my name.


This is from one of my absolute favourite students. One who I help more than others, am nicer to, give more chances to AND try harder to help her because she is a great kid. She thinks my name reads Gȯvin. Is that supposed to be pronounced Goyvin, or maybe Govin. I am touched by the invention and use of the Ȯ but I shake my head and wonder.

태권도 & 합기도 can go together

Taking hapkido and taekwondo so far has gone well. Neither class has been too intense while both have been enjoyable. One thing I can say is that my legs are now sore, specifically my thighs. They are a bit sore and very stiff. I take this as a sign that I'm getting a much better workout than I've been used to recently. There is no real pain and the stiffness can be shaken off after some stretching. Apart from that I am not finding things too difficult, right now that is. I think the taekwondo will definitely, eventually help my hapkido kicks. I'm very pleased with how this is all going right now. Things should get more intense in a few weeks time as test times come closer.

Today in Korea. Random picture