Retail therapy

Today Teresa and I went to Busan. We decided to check out one of the markets - and found it so good we never got any further... but it was retail therapy on the cheap and we came home tired but happy.

At first I thought the clothes hanging below were for babies or dolls or teddy bears - but no - it's for your dog!

There are a lot more foreigners in Busan - mostly American - and I don't think they are always too popular.

The market before the crowds - later when we came back down this street it was packed.
Place your Xmas orders now... socks
It's not that hot at the moment - probably only up to around 25 C today - but that didn't deter these kids...

Fairytale Restaurant - Friday night out

Here is Teresa deciding what to eat. It is an Italian restaurant - done out in a complete la-la fairyland style. Seems very incongruous. But the food is good.

If you click on the photos you get it enlarged - so you can really scrutinise it.

Then it was off to O'Brien's Irish bar for Open Mic(-rophone) Night - or is that Open Mike ?

I felt a bit like the odd one out - as it was a very young crowd. But the music was good - I'd say it was mostly multi-talented English teachers who were performing.

And I'd gone to meet up with someone who had an old mobile phone - that I can use as a Pre Pay - next step is to find out how to put money on it...

But I was lucky - it came with a manual - in Korean of course - but at the back is a section 'For Foreigners' and in English - so there is a fair chance I'll be able to work out how to use it!

Teaching

I keep meaning to write about teaching but never know where to start.

But here goes:

I don't hate it

Sometimes I feel like a fraud.

Occasionally I dislike the students.

More often they are really nice.

Occasionally I think I am doing ok.

Working with a co-teacher is weird - especially as I'm a fairly independent person and mine seems to like being about 10cm from me at all times.

Other foreign teachers are great - everyone shares their trials (many) - and also ideas for improving lessons, dealing with problems etc.

Slowly I'm picking up ideas to improve the lessons and hopefully aid their English learning.

My best discovery has been YouTube - it's useful for just about anything - but as this week is holiday programme I've been adding 10 mins every day of My Bean. There's not too much English but he seems to appeal to all ages and it makes me smile anyway.

The Good News

Once a month The Changwon Times is published. In English.

This month's one has the entire front page devoted to "Changwon Pushes to Host World Bicycle Festival" - so you can see it is pretty riveting reading.

But it was the following paragraph on Page 3 that I particularly liked:- "Changwon has the best bicycle policy among local governments according to a survey conducted by the Chosun Ilbo. Mayor Park Wan-su was also named the 5th hardest working chief in the results."

That's almost up there with the Fight of the Conchords' '4th most popular folk duo' claim.

The funny thing about the bicycles is that they have these bikes, like in Paris, that you can pick up and drop off etc - except that foreigners - even the officially registered aliens - can't register to use them. Obviously we are an untrustworthy bunch.

Some food

This is dinner Saturday night - 2 Kiwi teachers, Andy and Teresa, tuck into their meals.

And today's lunch - Teresa and I went for Gimbap/sushi after our morning walk up the hill/mountain. It comes with small bowl of miso style soup and some pickled radishes...
But my meal last night was the coolest - moving food. When it came to the table the top bit was moving- it was a bit like a mobile fine filo pastry. It stopped after a while. I forget what the dish was called - it wasn't actually that tasty - mainly noodles and the Korean equivalent of gnocchi - dokpoki - a rice cake thing.

Swine flu paranoia

There seems to be some concern here about swine flu. When I first said I was planning to go to Japan for my 10 day holiday in August I was told I would have to return 7 days early to allow for time for quarantine. That didn't go down so well - and I decided to ignore it and see how it panned out. There is another English teacher at school who has been there 3 years and he had planned his holiday in Greece - and he goes and returns before me so I figured I would see how they responded to him. Interestingly he didn't seem to get the same hassles...

Then I was told the holiday was approved, then I was told the Board of Education didn't want teachers or students to go overseas.....after the first time I stopped panic-ing (how do you spell that word?) and just thought I might lie about it all.

Finally last week I managed to get a better understanding - it turned out there had been a World Choir champs held here the previous week and a bunch of Indonesians had come in with H1N1 and were in quarantine and the choir champs cancelled and everyone else sent home.

By Thursday they were back to saying I should return a week early - all with no offer of compensation for airfares already paid for or alternate holiday times. And by Friday I was told I could have my whole 10 days in Japan and then the subsequent week I would stay away from school for quarantine...fine by me.

So it will be interesting to see what the next 3 weeks brings and how many more times they change the story...but I'd decided I'd probably go anyway and if necessary just wear a mask when I returned.

The Koreans have this thing about most foods they eat being beneficial to health - so I said that with all the kimchi I was eating (it boosts the immune system) I would be safe from Swine Flu anyway.

School's out

Well this was the last week of term. So I took my camera along to capture some of it.

There is often a section in the lessons where there is a song or 'role play'.

And the kids fight to come and perform in front of the class - even if they can't read the words...

This is my most junior class. The girl on the right is long-suffering amidst a bunch of noisy, boisterous boys - who usually (typically) grab all the attention.

Some of these kids are trying at times but they are also occasionally quite sweet - probably they are sweetest when asleep.

Anyway - by Wednesday we were ready for 'making a cake'. I had been completely cynical about Co-teacher's plan for this - and left her to the organising. 10 sponges and a huge plastic bag of imitation whipped cream turned up 10 minutes before class. I found Youtube clips on 'making a chocolate cake' and decorating a cake to look like a train - as a substitute for not actually making the cake. They seemed to quite like them. We put the cream in plastic bags, cut the corner and they commenced on the decorating. It was surprisingly orderly and non-messy - especially this class of the youngest (Level 1). The top was then covered with some canned fruit salad and then it was time to eat...



These are some of the Level 2 & 3 students - (Ali M)the boy on the left reminds me of a younger Zac
And the girl on the right has a bit of the Ugly Betty look going

And this is from Thursday's Closing Ceremony/Prizegiving - the top overall student.

The top students were decided on not by English ability but the number of stickers in their book - the stickers get given out for doing homework mostly I think. I had no say - none of the kids that are really good at English got a prize - but maybe it does encourage good behaviour ..

Anyway now that term is over we start on the holiday programmes - misleadingly called English Camp - no tents or sleeping bags are involved, and we don't go anyplace else or outdoors. It is back at school. The poor guys. And there was fierce competition for the 20 places in each class - with the exception of the class for parents which only has about 10 enrolments so far.

We have billed the camps as fun - and part of our job is to make up a programme - talk about the blind leading the blind. Co-teacher has no more idea than me. Anyway we seem to have come up with something that might work...the test will be next week.

After 3 weeks I get a break for 10 days and then there is more camp for another week or two - but that is another blog......

Jamie Oliver eat ya heart out

Today I taught 2 of my classes the meaning of TGIF

And now that I'm a working person I really get it.

And I wanted to show our school lunches.

They really are good - always the same format - the bowl of soup, the rice, and the wee extras - and always kimchi is one of the extras. Plus they put out more kimchi so you can help yourself to as much as you like.

This is co-teacher - we sit at kiddie-size tables in kiddie-size chairs...

And this it it. Eaten with combo of chopsticks and spoon. That's battered sausage in the upper middle, some grass stuff on the left and kimchi on the right.
And here is the menu plan for the week - with the calorie count and all. You may be able to click to enlarge ...

Then I took my first ever movie - and considering I hadn't actually read the manual I'm pretty pleased that it actually seemed to come out as a movie. I was really trying to capture the intense noise and haven't succeeded - but I'll work out the volume and try again sometime. However it can be pretty loud - and after lunch we retreat to our teachers' room (one for just me and co-teacher) for 45mins of peace before the afternoon's work starts.

Huge apologies

Like the cyber-techno dimwit that I am I have only just realised today that people have been sending comments to my blog. And there was me thinking no one was reading it...

Sorreeeeeee.

It is great to read the comments thank you.

We are now in the rainy season - and had heavy rain today. I'm not well equipped but do have a brolly and a $2 shop-type plastic raincoat. (They are more like 1000 Won shops here)

Anyway it was good because my sneakers had heaps of mud on the bottom from my Sunday walk up the 'mountain' - so I wore them and walked thru' all the shallow puddles. Hey presto - almost clean. With more rain forecast for every day this week they should be like new by Friday.

The other good thing is that we have special shoes that are only worn inside at school - all pupils and staff have them. I wear some cute silver jandal/flipflops I brought with me. So even if I get wet feet walking to school the sneakers etc get time to dry out before putting them on to come home. And then one just rolls up one's trousers. I must admit it's not too fashionable but too bad. No one seems to worry - all are intent on just keeping themselves dry.

I'm off to my Korean classes shortly - meeting up with another Kiwi teacher first for dinner.

Fortunately it has stopped raining - as we then have to walk 10-15 mins to get to the classes.

Anyway...keep those cards and letters rolling in folks - as Dean Martin (I think) used to say.

Was it him that used to slide down the pole/always had a drink in his hand?

To iron or not to iron...

Well I guess this is what one gets when one buys an ironing board based on its dual role of ironing board and decoration.

When I went to use it it turned out to have very short legs.

Should I iron on the floor?

Or put it on my (small) table where it is too high?
Or perhaps do it sitting in bed - where it could have another use as a bed table.

Spot the difference

I've decided what makes going to a new country interesting is all the little things that are a bit different. Of course some of those differences can also be annoying but mostly I just enjoy them.

I was walking back from my 'cold noodle soup' lunch and saw how these painters (this is my building) deal with working at height. They each have their own rope, with wee seat. They must descend from the top of the building because I have seen them trudging up the stairs with their paint pails (and drips on the stairs)

I liked the car covers too - so thoughtful..

An awfully big adventure

Saturday dawned and I didn't think it would rain too much - so I headed off for the Big Walk.

First the local bus, then a walk about a kilometre to the Bus Station and an hour on the intercity bus to Busan. Then it was get the subway/train and then locate another bus to Beomeosa Temple. The first pic is from a display - to give you an idea of the size of the complex/number of buildings etc.

Sorry if some of the photos are a bit washed out - I only discovered after I got home that I had the camera on the wrong setting (duh!)

Then I headed up the hill - saw this cat and after I had taken its photo and talked to it - it decided I must be good for food or something and followed me meowing...
I liked this hiker - carrying his shopping bag too
There were lots of people out walking - which is very handy for checking that one is on the right track. After a big uphill trek - finally reached the South Gate of this fortress.
There isn't an actual fortress per se - just a long wall - a little like a mini version of the Great Wall of China.

So then it was a big walk along to the East Gate and the North Gate - about 2 hours. Somewhere along the way, after the track dropped down into the trees I realised it was getting quite misty, then moist, then wet, then raining...and my Goretex jacket back in NZ.

The easiest solution was to use my umbrella - which was good but felt weird as it's not a NZ sort of thing. Eventually it eased and, instead of just heading back via the cable car, I decided to continue to what was probably going to be the best bit of the trip. By now the sun was out and when I heard the cracks of thunder I thought/hoped it was from the last rain and passing by...

That was pretty stupid but I managed to arrive at this place (Seokbulsa Temple) just as the next downpour was starting. This was a pretty small place compared to the earlier temple - but it was stunning. Lonely Planet describes it as a "hermitage carved into rock. Two massive boulders stretching 40m in height jut out from the mountainside to form a U-shaped enclave with three rock facings that is now a place of worship. Inside the enclave, enormous Buddhist images have been meticulously etched into stone"


I took these pics then it seriously bucketed down - so I put my camera away and sheltered for about 45mins...and finally, as it eased off, I headed back to find the cable car

I was told by an American I met near the South Gate that it is often a lot clearer than this - but yesterday was not one for great view shots.

From the bottom of the cable car I walked back to find the Changwon bus...then another walk to my local bus and home. I wore my pedometer - approx 25km for the day.

Size really does matter

OK - after the promises - finally the apartment/shoebox pics.

I even got out my wee paper tape measure - it is 4m x 5.2m = 21.3 sq.m

Is that big?

So here we are as I enter my home - on the left is my wardrobe and to the right is the back of my fridge and microwave. It's not too attractive but I decided I'd be mostly looking at it from the other side...

To the right as I come in is the bathroom...
Yep -that's pretty much it - there's the shower - gaily showering over the loo and basin. And above the loo is my clothes line/rack for drying stuff.

It is a good idea to remove the toilet paper to a higher location before showering.
But wait - here's the bathroom cabinet !
And now - looking back to the front (and only) door. My baby vacuum cleaner and baby ironing board. I chose the board by its cover - thinking it would be an additional artwork - and it is.
Now, another step and you are in my bedroom/
dining room/

TV Room
laundry/
kitchen
and now you are facing back to the front (and only) door
Exciting huh?

The good news is the washing machine is pretty quiet - except when it finishes ... but that's an other blog ...