An inspiration

The cyclists in Daegu are a real inspiration to me... because, well... I'll just show you.



Now imagine swerving in and out of traffic with this thing.

Stylefile

Dog owners everywhere take note of the fab styles emanating out of East Asia.

Just another day at the office

I've taught these guys all the insects, so if none of them become entomologists, I'm going to be seriously pissed. They know them all: locust, cockchafer beetle, ciccada, mite, bowl weavel. All the basic ones. They're actually my pride and joy, because even the dimwitted ones have learned them all after months and months of serious drilling. In case you're wondering where this lunacy comes from, its the Insect poster in the front of the classroom, and the need to kill the last two minutes of class.

An Easy Week

Work seems a LOT easier now that I don't have to teach Orda from 1-1.30 MWF. It really spreads out the work load having a really long break 3 days a week instead of 2. Plus the fact that I now get off at 6.10 on Fridays. Its a pretty sweet schedule now. It'll be really nice for Corie when she takes it over in December (presuming they don't screw it up between now and then). All the girls have been chased out of the baby class. Jenny left this week, I don't know why, and Leah is going to be home schooled now! Crap. Now its just 6 hyperactive little boys. Not that I mind Jack and Josh's attempts to constantly act out the vocabulary... its all good as long as the decibels are kept below a certain level. Of the 6 pioneers in that class, all but 1 are now gone. Its been by far my most active class. Columbia class, in the 12 months since I started, has lost only a few people, including a year change. With a just a few transients like the long mouned Brent. He was awesome.

Ahh the ascetic lifestyle

My slight illness couldn't keep me from hiking. I went out for a super long hike yesterday, soI got some Kyochon and muffins and headed up the hill. I got pretty tired by the time I got to the top of our local hill, so I read some of "The Interpreter" which
is getting to the intense part now. I moved on and took a nap in some long grass some place further on. It was really nice in the warm sun just lying there with no Koreans rambling by or at me. Continued on, and unfortunately had too much Kyochon, so I had to use the woods for some business. The first time that's been necessary in Korea. Kept going, pretty far down the hill's spine and I saw a lot of those sort of pheasant/quayle birds they have. I eventually turned back, and wound going home through that dog eating village. It hasn't changed at all (not since the stupendous day they introduced neon signs I imagine). The chicken farm still plays techno for them for whatever reason. By the time I got home I was tired and lay down for another rest.

돌고래

The kids have, pretty much since the first day, called me dolphin, because they can't manage Th, r, or f. so hence DoLPHin. Anway, my Monday evening class has now decided to give me a real Korean name, not like gimchi-hi, or anything like that, but a name than fits with my real name, which is the Korean for dolphin, or dolgorae, 돌고래. I kind of like it!

That class is awesome, at least when Ricky isn't there. He would be awesome as a tutoring student, but he's so disruptive in a classroom setting. That class cracks me up because the girls are so collosally smarter than the boys. They aren't idiots, but they just postively, absolutely do not give a flying crap about learning English. Anyway, Maisy and Sally are excellent students, so much potential it brings a tear to my eye.

Driving

Everyone says Korean drivers are crazy, but I don't find the hype is vastly overblown. Not that they aren't aggressive in their own way, but, as usual, the rumours are greatly exaggerated. They are about as aggressive as drivers in many large cities. The main difference is that they follow several different standards.

*First, honking is far more pre-emptive than reacitve. This has its merits, as it keeps people from having to slow down in order not to kill each other.
*Second, they do actually drive on the sidewalks. Not at full speed, but they do drive up there sometimes as a short cut, or to get to better parking.
*Third, parking is much more ad-hoc. People specifically leave their numbers on their dash, so drivers they are blocking can call their mobile phones to get them to move. That's why double parking actually works. As does parking on the sidewalk.
*Fourthly, U-turns which are a great innovation. Any road has a designated U-turn area, to avoid the long drive around to switch direction. Excellent traffic planning. This needs to come to Canada.