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It has been my primary concern to establish and maintain a good social network with living in South Korea. Namely because things happen well outside of my control on a daily basis and not having fully mastered the Korean language I am at the mercy of inference. And while I am wasting time playing the Guessing Game attempting to decipher a news clip or understand an imperative statement you can come up short even with your best "A-Game."

So in an effort to make lots of new friends to hang out with or meet really cool local Koreans who will show you around the area I have decided to share my secret. Keep in mind that while using these tools you can also develop a friendship with locals or different foreigners to do what's called a "Language Exchange." Where you meet for a coffee, lunch, etc. and you practice a target language. I have done this before and it has proven to be very effective. Plus the site is really fun to use. If you have ever used Facebook it operates similar to that. The best part is that in order for you to match you with other people you just answer quick personality questions. And for every question you answer the closer you get to meeting people that you share similar tests with. So get out there and make some friends; and don't say that I never gave you anything...because I am quick to slap an ungrateful SOB! ;)

Link: http://www.okcupid.com



Joe - OUT!!

As of August 29th I am officially the only English teacher at my employers hagwon (private school). I really don't know what to say about the recent change in the work schedule, namely because I saw it coming a mile away. While I stay fairly nonchalant about most things I will say that my next 6 months of work cut out for me. With the budget being tight and the potential of hiring new staff virtually zero it is turning out to be more and more of a challenge. Usually classes at hagwons have a small number of students to maximize the amount of efficient instruction. Now that there are only 3 teachers available our classes rival that of a public school.

Again no big deal, we would just agree to change our approach and teach in a more lecture type style instead of revolving one-on-one sessions. But with limited physical classroom space and no over head projectors, power points, or video equipment to aid in the mission the gauntlet seems to be quite a formidable one. Plus all the vacation time I have not used is completely null and void. For the reason that since I am the only English teacher present my classes would not be covered. So "Goodbye" to my dream of going to Busan, China and the Philippines.

If I have not depleted all of my good karma in my first months staying in South Korea, my only wish is that my last few months go by quickly :/
P.S. - I kind of wanted to wait for about a month to see if my attitude would change about the situation before I spoke on it. The verdict is out..Yep this is some Bull-ish!

Joe - OUT!!

I recently asked my employer how to get rid of some clothes and she immediately asked me "Why?" I told her that since I moved out here I have lost so much weight I am now not able to fit into a majority of my clothes anymore. Although this is a really great feeling; it is instantly capped when I think about shopping for new clothes at trendy Korean Outlets:





Yikes!!

Well while I try to figure out how to avoid this catastrophe I am going to show you how to properly get rid of some extra clothes. Below is a picture of a blue (sometimes they are green) receptacle that are pretty common around Korea. At first I couldn't find mine, but as soon as I knew what I was looking for I realized that I pass about two of these things a day...yeah I'm observant when I want to be ;)




Joe - OUT!!

Sometimes I forget that not all of my posts have to be of an Earth shattering magnitude. I was frantically weaving in and out a busy crowd while riding the subway when I felt really thirsty. By some clear stroke of luck I saw of the silhouette of a vending machine out of my peripheral. As I was taking out my wallet to purchase a drink I quickly began to realize what I was standing in front of.





It was a instant coffee machine. How awesome is that?! It figures that the nonstop hardworking Korean culture would adopt such an idea. What was even more amazing was the prices of cup of coffee (300 won is like .26 cents USD) A big Two Thumbs Up for SK and this cool little Pick Me Up Station.

Joe - OUT!!

So I wanted to apologize for my long hiatus from writing. I have been away learning the many lessons of life while traveling around South Korea. At first I didn't want to write because I didn't think that I could truly articulate the awesome magnitude of how I felt when I went to Gyeonggondo Beach and laid on the sand at night. And how I felt both Still and Calm while thinking of the many friends that I would have loved to have shared that moment with. To hear them laugh while I cracked a joke or two or take a moment to dream recklessly about our futures like I used to do as a freshmen in college. I held on to that fleeting memory for dear life because I wanted to remember what it felt like to not only think but BELIEVE that Anything and Everything was possible.


As I laid in the back in the sand I dug my toes deeper into the sand. "Have I become jaded or have I just accepted of the world's ills?" I would have loved to have had another person present with English as their first language to discuss that more in detail. Then one of the children's feet rippled my thoughts until the night sky returned to a solid navy blue. As he came near me to share his newfound fascination of playing with sparklers in the darkness I laughed loudly at the sight of their wide eyes.





Then at that moment I realized something; I was truly happy for the first time in a long time. Not because of the children themselves but seeing them outside of the classroom setting discovering life on their own was beautiful for them and it was the exact same thing that I am doing currently. Putting it into perspective I quickly thought of how my life WOULD have been had I not come to South Korea several months ago. I shuttered at the reality. I knew that I would have felt a deep emptiness inside of me that yearned for both answers and adventure.

So people can go their whole lives living in one area and be comfortable. When faced with the same scenario I have shortened breath and I clench my teeth at just the thought. Although I respect those who don't want to travel I am finding out that the path toward finding my Personal Solace had to be this way. I would not have been satisfied learning the same lesson close to home.

And as I left the beach to turn in for the night I realized that I had stumbled upon the true depth of my potential. I am at awe at how deep the well runs. That night I thanked the stars because I had finally found what I had lost as a child so long ago.

On the 5th of September I had my 24th birthday. Actually I know there is no cultural or custumary significance toward achieving this milestone but it served to be a very important day for me. Since the beginning of this year I set my New Years Resolutions pretty high and after I moved to South Korea I have completed the entire checklist:

2010 New Years Resolutions
- Read 10 new books
- Lose 20 pounds by December
- Start eating healthier
- Find a new job
- Move out of Las Cruces
- Brush up on your French
- Start studying a new Language

Thanks to the fact that I live in an isolated area within South Korea I have made great leaps and bounds toward achieving every goal on the list. So as to deter any regression in my behavior I wanted my birthday to signify the start of a new list. While I am still editing the list currently I won't post what I already have. Because if I did it would spoil the whole movie and you would stop reading ;) Seriously though, my new list focuses on honing my new resolve and making sure that I purge anything out of my life which will serve as a hindrance toward claiming my bright future. I used the word "purge" not to be abrasive but to show that I am committed to develop a positive environment around me at all times to let others feel the change that elusively dodges description.



I also had a chance to read "The Alchemist" by Paulo Coelho. Why didn't anyone tell me how amazing this book was?! This book has changed my life PERIOD. I think that the reason that this book continues to be successful is because of the authors' ability to give relatable anecdotes throughout his writing. Honestly there is bound to be some part of the book that you will say "Oh man, I can totally relate to this character." Although the book is packed full of memorable quotes this was my favorite:

"You must understand that love never keeps a man from pursing his Personal Legend. If he abandons that pursuit, it's because it wasn't true love...the Love that speaks the Language of the World" Coelho 120).

All in all I thought this book came into my life at precisely the right time. I have always felt that I have been a focused and ambitious person. But that was nothing in comparison to how I feel after I read this piece of literature. It's like I went to bed when I was 23 and woke up to be 24 and suddenly Anything and Everything was possible. It's funny because I am constantly trying to shake this feeling to see if it's just a temporary state of mind but it's not going away. So I am happy to announce that my original plan of staying in South Korea has been cancelled. Instead I am making my way back home in March. Not because I don't want to be here anymore, but my heart is telling me that what I am looking for is back in the states.

I was going to write a more introspective blog today but ohhh no! Some crazy loose K-9 put an end to that. Normally I keep a pretty strict regiment of running outside several times a week. Yesterday I didn't really want to run but I had some aggro built up from work (A quick shout out to all the bad kids who make my job close to impossible Yay!)

I should have listened to my inside voice but I just thought I was being lazy so I forced myself to hit the streets. During my jog there is this one particular part that is tucked away in a back street and is void of any street lights before I come to main road. And of course it would be fitting for this particular incident to happen while I was in this shoddy little area.

As I was coming up this little "T-Section" I saw two things moving in front of me. The first thing I could make out was a woman, who had just walked into her house. And the second was the silhouette of a large dog. Now being that I am from Los Angeles, being chased by dogs was a part of my school curriculum.

So after I confirmed that it was a dog I immediately stopped running, took my headphones out of my ears, turned, and quietly walked in the other direction. Namely, because I wasn't interested in being filmed in the Korean version of "Cops" by proving this dog up and having it chase me. No as I walking back from the direction from whence I came, I turned my head to see if the dog was following me. Taking a hard swallow I said "Yep, it's right there."



To give this creature its proper respect I took the time do some research and find out more it. The dog that chased me a Jindo dog, this Korean breed of dog looks like a half wolf and half dog. The Jindo is known to be very fierce, strong, agile, loyal and ridiculously territorial. This would seem to be a perfect dog that I would honestly consider purchasing when I return to the states but I realized yesterday two big huge flaws in my inability to read dogs.

Mistake #1 - I forgot that these dogs have ears that rarely ever go down. So you can't really know how they feel until it is too late.

Mistake #2 - I also forgot that even if this dog enters YOUR immediate surroundings it is now THEIR surroundings and your new name is "Kibbles and Bits" - YIKES!

Back to the story...



While I was slowly retreating back down the alley I honestly wanted to give this little fella a chance. I slowed my pace down to a stop and put my hands out. With palms exposed I wanted the dog to understand I meant it no harm so he could smell me and be on its way. But as I extended my hands the dog quickly went from a playfully panting to snarling and growling. At this moment I could have kicked myself for letting this dog come even closer to me but now all I could to do was ease backwards and figure out what to do next.

My options were simple: Fight or Run. I hated the thought of running because I didn't want to be in a situation where I was slower than the dog and all my energy would be wasted from my frantic escape with nothing left to defend myself. However since I didn't see any rocks, large sticks, baseball bats or katanas lying around I resorted to my orginal plan of chancing a foot race with the Jindo. The first thing I thought while trying to set a new Olympic speed record was to try and lose the dog by running up some stairs. I quickly tossed the idea after thinking that the dog would be smart enough to chase me up the stairs and corner me.



I remember very vividly that the only thing that I wanted to do was yell for Help. But I thought that was stupid because I was in South Korea where they speak a different language. I might as well have screamed out "Chicken Sandwich, Chicken Sandwich, Chicken Sandwich!" while being chased by this super wolf-dog. So in a literal mad dash of desperation I jumped on top of a car and then jumped onto the roof of a house. After that I made my way to the next street via roof top and ran home.

Sorry Fido, but I am way too broke for Rabies Shots.

Granted that I am happy that I got away unscathed it is unfortunate that I didn't really learn anything from this. Because knowing myself I will probably get bored running a shorter track and end up meeting this dog again sometime in the near future. What I did learn, however, is never deplete yourself while working out because you never know when you'll need that last little bit to get you out of a jam!

Joe - OUT!!