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I just wanted to show you some pictures that I have come to treasure. These photos were taken while on one of my many hikes. I just didn't want to take these while walking on the streets because I felt like getting above the tree line and rewarding you with some Fall Foliage. Enjoy!







Thank you for checking me out. If you want to see the other photos go to the "Photo's Tab" and scroll through them. Sending Love from South Korea!

Joe - OUT!!

The rules of disciplining students has extremely changed and many of Foreign teachers may not be aware of this. The Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education has announced a decree issuing a Complete Halt of Student Corporal Punishment of Any Kind. Before I get into this topic I want give you a brief synopsis of South Korean schools and their previous disciplinary tactic's.

Before in South Korea Corporal punishment was seen as lawful and necessary tool to effectively teach students in high occupant classrooms. This act of South Korean school discipline usually took the form of smacking with a stick that was small, too rigid and too thick to be considered a cane.

The areas where disciplined was administered were: the buttocks (fully clothed),the calves, the soles of the feet, or the front and back of the thighs. The reasons why students are punished were for offences such as: failure to complete homework, speaking in class when the teacher has requested silence, when a student strikes another student, when a student disrespects a teacher, and failing to achieve a good exam score.

Now on the other side of this issue there are those that will make a stance around Human Rights. They feel that the extreme situations where students who are being hurt from overly forceful discipline needs to be halted. Also those who support Korean Educational Law feel that corporal punishment is not a legitimate way to discipline students. This sentiment I completely agree with namely because whoever gets enjoyment from beating up abusing little kids, without any intent to correct misbehavior for their individual betterment, should not be allowed to work with youth. However this Human Rights focuses on the extreme cases of abuse, not misbehavior. Thus it falls short of a pragmatic approach to addressing the growing stresses of the teachers responsibility to teach too many students with too little resources. So this now becomes an issue of shifting the dynamic of responsibility from all on the teacher to a mutual responsibility of the student and the teacher.


Coming back to my point about high occupant classrooms is where my attitude about discipline changes. When you have a classroom of ANY size, why should the education of the majority be slighted over the shenanigans of a few? This behavior, if not confronted, will translate into future time-consuming malfeasance in the workplace. For instance have you ever worked at a job where, even though you put your full earnest effort into a good days work, there was one or two employees who either slacked off or couldn't get their act together so everyone had to suffer and work harder? The same thing apply's here. At least with the latter situation you had a supervisor or a boss who had a list of protocol to follow in order to correct the employees behavior before terminating the individual. In the former situation is the reality of what many Foreign teachers have to deal with. There truly are little to none actions to take when dealing with students who are disrespectful of your authority or who are continuously noisy in class.

Unfortunately working in South Korea or any foreign country comes with a lot of hardships on top of teaching rowdy students. Since many expat teachers either work at Hagwons (private schools) or work without a Korean co-teacher there is very little recourse to keep your classroom quiet and keep your lesson plans effective. Just like any other student they fidget for a number of reasons:

- Students are often tired from attending school all day.
- Many are under motivated to learn your subject.
- The material may seem daunting and redundant,
- Honestly, some students love the attention from acting out
- They are Children!

There are many other reasons why kids slack off but many of them are so consumed with pre-adolescent thoughts and desires that it is hard to constantly break through the white noise and make sure that everyone learns something.


Because what this now means for foreign teachers, like myself, is that our hands are completely tied. Oftentimes school directors will say that in order to deal with a rowdy student is just to stand them up in the front of your class in continue teaching, because the child will feel shame standing in front of their peers. This, however, does not happen. Since many students act out to be recognized putting them in front of your class gives them the stage to make silly faces and distract the other students from your lesson.

Since the "Stand in front" idea never works I usually have them hold up one or two books over their head and tell them in a stern voice to "Be Quiet." It works for me because even my baddest of students can't hold a book forever. Now other teachers may yell at there students but it's not in my teaching style to yell at anyone. I don't even yell to get a taxi. I've never liked anyone yelling at me so I respectfully don't yell at others, especially my students. So the last thing to consider is to send little Mr. or Miss Trouble Maker to the Principles Office. But wait! We don't have one of those, oftentimes the Directors are conducting class themselves and don't have time to deal with students behaving badly.

So virtually all of my discipline options are null. Because something as small as a tap on the hand can end up in a lawsuit, a fine, and/or a trip back home. So with that being said don't ever say that I never warned you. Keep your hands to yourself and lets hope that your bad students will act better.

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!!

This weekend a good friend and I took a little detour away from both of our towns and ended up somewhere a little unexpected. For the record, I need to hire someone to slap my face when I reach to put on jeans. It's summer time out here and the humidity does NOT play. But it never fails though, I wake up in the morning and I look outside to see that it's cloudy. I my 3 second assessment of the sky convinces my inner weather-person that ,"Yes Joey, you need to wear shorts or you will be cold or you will look all the more foolish."

Instead it always seems to either clear up or stay cloudy throughout the majority of the day. Thus making my weekend excursions on foot a miserable montage of stringing together as many curse words as I can think in order to spite the heat. Fortunately my frustration brought me to check out the Cheonggyecheon River located in Seoul. This was a beautiful walk encompassed everything from small street performances to historical vignettes in stone which were all experienced to the serene sound of the river water.

Here we have the entrance of this attraction. As well as several shots of the immediate surrounding environment:







This walk is pretty long but chances are that you wont complain too much. There were many students and couples walking up and down the river. And if you are tired just do as the locals and take your shoes off and play in the water. It's a very relaxing and a nice get away from a tense work week.



I would recommend visiting this place at night when all the lights come out. In each of these stones there is an individual light that turns on. Plus there are many shops around the area so if you ever need to grab a refreshment or use the restroom you will not have to travel far. I actually ate fresh seafood and drank makkolli (Korean Rice Wine) in a traditional fish market next to the river, which only cost me 7,000 won ($5.72 USD).



All in all I would recommend making the trip if you find the time. I will definately go again at night and better prepared (by wearing shorts!). The exact address is:
31, Taepyeongno 1-ga, Jung-gu, Seoul

I got there by traveling to Gwanghwamun(Stop 533) on Line 5 and taking exit 6 to the street. If you guys do decide to go or have already have gone, leave me a comment. Since I'm going again I would like to hear of other fun things to do in that area.

Joe - OUT!!

Someone please just shoot me! What asshole let me get this sick? I've been here in South Korea for a little while now and I'm tired of being sick. As the record stands I have been sick 5 times in last 4 months. These antigens out here in SK are straight up disrespecting my immune system.

"So what?" you might be asking in the midst of my rant. Let me assure you that I am the captain of this damn flight and we are going to get there when we get there; now sit your ass down! Anyways this aggression is meant for my recruiters that gave me the wrong impression about what I should bring overseas with me. When I asked them if I should bring medicine they told me that they had many Korean brands and other traditional medicines but there were no American brands of medicines out here.

So I did what I do best. I listened and did the exact opposite. Seriously the only thing I didn't stock up on was medicine. I brought a small supply of throat lozenge's, a bottle of cough syrup, and half empty bag of cough drops. Now I realize that my half-assed attempt of trying to pack a suitcase shifts the blame to me. But after the second time I got sick I had depleted my entire supply of medicine. Afterwards every time that I had gotten sick since I laid in bed and suffered in macabre hopelessness because I was under the impression there was no familiar medicine that would be available to me. My bouts of sickness have gotten so bad that at one point I had lost my voice for an entire week.

Now fast forward to today. I had to go to a local grocery store to pick up a new sponge in order to replace the one that I left soaking in the sink over the weekend (yeah my level of "jack-ass" is permanently stuck on High). After I bought my items I proceeded to walk past a drug store in order to head to the bus stop and make my way home. Then from my peripheral vision I saw what seemed to be a very familiar packaging.



I honestly kind of half-walked half-ran over the counter and used my Korean to ask him "Ego moe ya yo?" -What is this? He flipped the package around and said, "Tea."



After seeing this I couldn't keep my hand from shooting for my wallet. He seriously could have said that this was the last box on the island and I would have paid him 70 bucks for this magical elixir. Thank goodness this was only 6,000 won (4.90 USD).
And here I was counting my lucky stars and praying that I would somehow stumble across a suitcase full of Tylenol and NyQuil when I could have just walked right on in and enjoyed BREATHING like a normal person. Grrr!!

Joe - OUT!!

Last weekend I was fortunate enough to go to one of Korea's most famous restaurants the Songchoo Gamagoll(click for link). This particular restaurant specializes in Galbi, which are short savory butterfly thin beef ribs are served raw but you can cook them quickly on the table grill. Normally I try to stay away from eating meat on a daily basis but every time I eat Galbi it's soo good that I end up eating way too much.



Of course this meal could not have been complete without the thirteen side dishes that came with it. Among these were Korean style mashed potatoes, two types of salad, garlic, stew, rice, lettuce (for wraps) and a traditional sauce to dip your cooked meat in after grilling.




The Menu-------------------------
Gamagoll Galbi (Marinated and Grilled Beef Ribs): 32,000 won / $26 USD
Cheonhaeyeom Galbi (Grilled Beef Ribs Marinated in Mineral Salt): 38,000 won /$31 USD
Teukseon Yukhoe (Sliced Raw Beef): 35,000 won / $29 USD
Naengmyeon (Cold Buckwheat Noodles): 6,000 won / $5 USD

Now at first this might seem a little step but considering the service that you get with your meal is simply amazing. There are many tables throughout this establishment and their is about one waitress to every 3-4 tables. So as are meal was cooking our waitress either came to fill our glasses, flip the meat for us, cut our meat for us, or bring us more side dishes. Which is A LOT for an American like myself who isn't used to seeing this extra effort in a restaurant. And to clarify, when I say 'us' there were nine people in our party that sat down for a meal and we each were tended to. Since the food was replenished after eating (with no charge) you can easily see why I was stuffed :)


How to get there-------------------------
Now the particular restaurant I went to was in Yangju-Si. The address is Gyeonggi-do Yangju Jangheung-myeon Bugok-ri 624-34. To get there you can take the Seoul Ring Expressway, get off at Songchu IC, and go towards Uijeongbu on National Road No. 39.

Local Transportation-------------------------
Bus: Take Bus No. 23 at Uijeongbu Station, Bus No. 360 or 34 at Uijeongbu Ganeung Station, or Bus No. 23, 34, 360, 7724, or 704 at Gupabal Station, and get off at Songchu Elementary School or in front of a Zelkova Tree

Lastly our evening was concluded with some ice cream for the kids and so Soju for the adults. There outside seating is also gorgeous. Where those who would like to enjoy a casual first date might consider moving their meals outside.


When I took this picture I laughed because it greatly identifies the two most important parts of the South Korean diet. The great majority of all the food I have tried has had a spicy option. They will serve Jalapeños or chili peppers as a side dish. While that is easier to pass up if you know the proper phrase you can always enjoy a nice glass of Soju. At first I couldn't stand this drink but I think it has grown on me. It is the equivalent of drinking a sweet vodka.

With that I'm off. I will write again soon. So until then, stay well, be healthy and Thanks for reading!

Joe - OUT!!

So this blog goes out to all of you out there who are either teachers, have kids, or have small infantile siblings. I have noticed that since I've been living and working abroad I've gotten sicker on more occasions than normal. Taking into account my new diet and my new environment I wasn't too quick to point any fingers. However, after some investigating I am confident on whom to blame. It's because of my students!

Understand that children are not the most cleanliest of creatures. They like to wipe their hands and give you a Hi-five in the same motion and think nothing of it. Maybe it's because I am a germophobe but I honestly cringe every time a little kid sneeze's and asks me for a hug. UGH!! It makes me queasy just thinking about it.


As a result of this never ending waves of sickness, that my students pass off to me, I had to make a video about what had happened to me the other day while I was teaching class. It was a moment where all speculation of "I wonder if I'm sick" turned into "Yeah, I know I'm sick." And since I've been spending some quality time with my friends Chicken Noodle Soup, Vitamin C and The Bed I thought I would make a short video for ya!

Sick...Again from Joey Johnson on Vimeo.

While living and working abroad I have noticed that I've been getting sick at a higher rate that usual. This video is about kids and germs...enjoy!

I'm back! Please hold all of you applause until the end, please. I'm switching it up in this post. Instead of writing a boring article for you to read I decided to make a boring video....(See? I told you to hold your applause).

But seriously I had a great time at this drum performance regardless of how random it was. And to commemorate this day I have hired a new staff member on the minimalist of wage $0.00 Take that OSHA! The character, Kevin Steel, will be played by myself on my Expat News show. So without further ado lets watch the embodiment of my neurosis fly out of control in: KIDNAPPED!

Everyones favorite neurotic news anchor, Kevin Steel, has returned for another installment of Expat News. While Joe describes a recent drum performance it is ruined by Kevin's interpretation of Joe's story.

So there has been a lot of discussion about South and North Korea's ongoing dialectic that seems to be escalating by the day.

Before I proceed with this tale of "How this began" I assure you all that I AM SAFE and sound.

On March 26th 2010 South Korea lost a naval ship, the Cheonan, after an unexpected torpedo attack. This incident claimed the lives of 46 South Korean sailors and was tied to a North Korean vessel. Mind you that this has been the deadliest attack on this country in the last 2 decades. Needless to say that North Korea's recklessness act has upset many of the local people.

Many of South Korean individuals are insisting that North Korea issue an apology. Instead North Korea has retorted by claiming that if the United Nations continues to tighten sanctions they will have no choice but to have an "all-out war" with South Korea.

Annnnd PAUSE! Now if you read my last blog "Two Sandboxes One Playground" you can probably guess what I am going to say next. Neither I nor the people of South Korea are responsive to such a threat. North Korea is a country that needs help, economic funding and aid. Their country's cries for war are null in its potency when considering that the country of North Korea is suffering from crop failure and mass hunger.



Lee Myung-bak of South Korea (seen above) is the president of South Korea. He often comes under a lot of scrutiny by North Koreans; calling him a "traitor" and "a pawn of the hostile United States."

He really taken off the Christmas Card List when Lee recently made a statement saying that North Korea "should stop wasting money on grand displays and spend the money on its near-starving population."

There's a novel idea. Instead of using all the millions of dollars in aid money that South Korea gives to North Korea for nuclear tests, why don't you play nice and open up some restaurants? And they wonder why President Lee shut off the aid.

In the end I feel that I am directly affected by North Korea's actions. They have managed to do two things that has really rubbing me the wrong way:

1st - They have my messed around and upset my mom. You NEVER mess with a mans mom!

2nd - They broke a very important commandment: "Thou shalt not play with my money!"

After their shenanigans the value of the Korean Won has fallen. That means that when I move my money from South Korea to the U.S. I am taking a literal pay cut. SONOFABI@#$!!

Alright guys...Be Good, Stay Healthy, I'll check back in with you in a couple of days.

Joe - OUT!!

No, no jokes this time guys. I gotta play this one straight. I went to the Demilitarized Neutral Zone (hereby referred to as the DMZ) a couple of weeks ago. I just really had a hard time putting the whole experience into words. When I pull up the pictures on my computer and I get ready to write the words just never came until now. None of the pictures are graphic or anything, but they just leave me asking "Why?"

Looking back, before I had went, I really didn't know what to expect. As a Sociologist you get your fair share of watching and observing Realistic, Gritty and Violent exhibits of human cruelty and exploitation against other human beings. So I felt like I was ready...



I remember that we couldn't get directly to the DMZ but we could go the observatories and see the gate which seals off the main bridge (The Bridge of Freedom) which spans across the Han River and extends from North Korea to South Korea.

While approaching the gate you feel a sort of presence. Not very strong but you automatically feel very small in relation to your significance. I know that's not an easy thing to hear , but it's not an easy thing to say. I felt like an ant in terms of the progression and the hardships that I have endured in my life. Everywhere you look there are ribbons that have either a message written in Korean or English that expressed a thoughtful sentiment or a prayer for unification.





After taking this all in we traveled to the main observatory that hosted a film that discussed the division of the country and the current state of North Korea. And to put it bluntly, these North Koreans really need help. Their farming methods are not adequate to satiate the demand that is produced from its growing population. There are little to no irrigation systems for farming crops or producing a good yield. Hence the massive hunger crises that continue to affect them.



After the film I got up and walked silently around the theater peering out of the its glass windows. Then I saw something that will be burned in my mind forever, and I would like to share it with you. Look at the following pictures and say to yourself 'What do I see?':





- To the left I saw production, prosperity, advancement and growth.

- And to the right I saw emptiness, solitude, desolation, nothing...

Unfortunately that is EXACTLY what I see when I bring up a mental recollection of North Korea and South Korea. Or until they decide to change. That's not to say that they are not trying but I see South Korea continuously lending a helping hand however I see North Korea pushing it away. Now I can understand South Koreans disposition to love them no matter how much North Korea pushes the envelope. When they see other North Koreans they do not see them as an enemy. Instead they see them as brothers that have simply gone astray.



On the car ride back home I could see the Han River on my right. The entirety of its borders are protected by hundreds of individual watch towers that are equidistantly placed and manned by South Korean military. Not to mention their are several fences that are layered on the beaches to ensure any trespasser would have to face a formidable gauntlet. I just had vivid images of my trips to Jaurez, Mexico and witnessing the maquiladoras coming to mind. I didn't feel cold, mad or upset. I was just blank and I simply wanted to know "Why?"

Hello to all my readers out there. I wanted to drop in briefly for a quick post. Today my students gave me a small token of their appreciation. They came in and said "Teacher Joey. You know that you are the greatest thing that has ever happened to us?" - No not really! Not because they wouldn't say it but is was mainly due to the fact that my students only know the following three phrases by heart:

1) "May I play please?"
2) "May I use the bathroom?"
3) "May I have some water?"


All of these equivocate to, "Joey can we just leave the class please?!" I should know because I was one of those kids ;)

Even though my awesomeness often goes unnoticed I was delightfully surprised when they bought me a gift for Teachers Day. I was given an awesome batch of Honey Castella Cakes that were gift wrapped.


To be honest, I was really touched by the whole thing. I guess I don't identify myself as an educator completely yet, but I am starting to understand a lot of my shortcomings as I work with the students. Since I've been here time has surely flown by, but its events like this that forces you to push PAUSE on the soundtrack we call Life.

Joe - OUT!!

Now I'm not actually in Busan, unfortunately, but I did have a chance last weekend to taste what the food would be like if I ever decided to go. Considering that Busan is a beautiful port city in Southeastern Korea and Galbi refers to traditional Korean dishes which usually require grilling, I thought "How could this get any better?!"

To begin, I had the opportunity to go to lunch with my good friend Sarah. This was cool because since she has taught longer than I have, is part Korean and speaks Korean I used this as a chance to ask a lot of questions about types of food and etiquette. She should be given a medal, because normally my inquisitiveness is bad enough for even Mary Poppins to tell me to "take a teaspoon of sugar, and shut the Hell up!"



Since this restaurant was located in Itaewon I was comfortable navigating my way around. After attempting to find a good spot for lunch Sarah and I came across 3 potentials after walking down a busy alley. Each of us were feeling pretty indecisive at the time so we chose this particular restaurant by playing a very sophisticated game of Rock, Paper, Scissors (which I lost).

Once inside I ordered a bowl of Mixed Noodles while Sarah ordered the Bulgogi. Bulgogi is typically made of thin slices of sirloin or cuts of beef. The meat is usually pre-marinated marinated in soy sauce, sesame seed oil, garlic and sugar before it is grilled. What you have in the end is this tender meat mixed with vegetables and served with.....




....you guessed it, Side dishes! Coming to understanding that all restaurants in South Korea offer you side dishes I still get excited when I see them come out with a tray of bowls for you. They really do spoil you with food and side dishes out here. In this picture we have some spinach, lettuce, coleslaw, kimchi, garlic, bean dip, sliced radish and bean sprouts.



And this is Sarah showing me how it's done.



This was my main dish Mixed Noodles! They weren't spicy at all, but the noodles tasted kinda funky. They were very thin and chewy, not my favorite. After about 4 bites I returned to the side dishes and the Bulgogi.



Regrettably my fixation with the city of Busan was not enough to deter the veraciousness of my taste buds. I will have to rate this restaurant as FAIR. Although the food was cheap and the helpings were plentiful, it doesn't really matter if you can't enjoy the food. But hey if your don't believe me go check it out for yourselves.

Its Itaewon, located near the Hard Rock Cafe. Its to the left of the this building...



... and down this alley short alley way.



Thanks for reading, take care of yourselves and until the next blog....

Joe - OUT!!

A couple of weeks ago I had the opportunity of doing two really neat things. The first was meeting some really cool people that are friends of my coworker. And the second was that I had the chance to experience the Korean rendition of American foods.

Both of these were novel to me because since this was my first month here in South Korea I jumped at the chance to meet new English speaking Foreigners. Plus making new friends is the equivalent of finding a 50 dollar bill in your couch (kinda gives you that warm and fuzzy feeling on the inside). Plus I was curious to see how this American style breakfast tasted and if it would bring back any memories of home.

I first made sure to hike up Bulgosan mountain prior to meeting up with everyone, so that way I would have an healthy appetite. Once I finally arrived in Itaewon it was still relatively early in the day. After we all met up at a local Starbucks (yeah, go figure) we headed to the All American Diner for a midday breakfast.

I know, I know what you're thinking. Joey just shut the hell up and tell us what you ate. Now I had this delightful little dish:



Two words....Simply Amazing!! I'm serious, I've been to Canada so I know what a good pancake tastes like. Even the sausages were up to par. Plump, juicy, and not burnt. My only complaint was that there could have been a wheat toast option then it would have been perfect.

Now the best thing about this place is that it doesn't just serve breakfast. It also prepares sandwiches, burgers and the like. All of which, I am sure, are as delicious as their breakfast menu. On that note I rated this place as EXCELLENT because of it's diverse array of foods that they serve at any meal time. A case and point; this monstrous dessert was only $5 USD. Unfortunately I didn't pick one up. If I weren't making so much headway with this new diet I would have definitely picked up two....what? One for now and one for later Baby! ;)



Now these great folks were cool enough to waste some of their day hanging out with me. It was really good to chat it up with these kats (From left to right: Sarah, Clint, Alec, Leana and yours truly).




Another good weekend for the books. As far as I'm concerned everybody wins. I get to eat great food and meet new people while you get the inside scoop. Before you run off and pick up some food yourself (because I know that you're hungry now) don't forget to leave a comment. Take care of yourselves and until the next blog....

Joe - OUT!!

So all my hard work has finally paid off. Just in time too! My poor refrigerator was over here making threats. It was crying about something like "Child Protective Services" I don't know?




Enough about my refrigerators emotional outbursts; I once ate Ramen for an entire week and I didn't cry about it! (It's called College). But seriously, I was getting anxious about when I would be getting paid. Although everything is quite cheap in Korea I would like to open a bank account, set up a direct deposit, and get a cell phone as quickly as possible with the money that I had been working for. Besides the world needs me mobile!



Above is a what you could expect from your employer for your first paycheck. Since I am still waiting for my Alien Registration Card I will have to wait a little longer until I can set up a direct deposit with my employer. This green note is 10,000 Won which is the equivalent to about the U.S. 10 dollar bill. I put the iPod nano in the picture for scale.

In all honesty I don't plan to go out clubbin' or blow it on frivolous things. Instead I plan to save up and pay down these college loans. I previously tried to pay off my debts by offering my Loan Lender a Hi-5 and a hug for each dollar that I owe but they still only take "legal tender" pssh!

This is my very 1st published/posted video. I actually have 4 in the works but they need a lot of editing so keep your eyes peeled for them. Now before you play it, just remember that I haven't lost my mind. This was a request that my friends Luc and Darnell who gave me the concept and then I decided, meh- "why not?" Prepare to laugh~

Payday!! from Joey Johnson on Vimeo.