Hello readers.

How is everyone? Things are still kind of stressful, right?

I actually talked to my Dad yesterday morning about what kind of things they were hearing over in the States about the North Korea-South Korea situation. My Dad is the first person who would be calling me and demanding that I come back home if anything even remotely bothered him about the current situation. He seemed pretty calm, and he wasn't asking me to pack my bags or anything.

Also , I got a nice e-mail from a friend of mine who is currently serving in the Korean army. Of course, he couldn't give me any kind of details but he let me know that no alert has been raised and he believes that there's no reason to be worried. He even went as far as to point out to me that I am predisposed to unease because I'm not used to the whole North Korea- South Korea relationship dynamic.

So as for now, I'm feeling less restless and more at ease about everything. I hope that the rest of you reading are starting to feel the same way.

Alright, moving on from that topic.

EXERCISE

I'm trying to get my rear into gear with this exercise thing. I've been doing a pretty good job, but lately I've had so much to do that exercise keeps being knocked to the back of the list. Right now "LAUNDRY" is at the peak of my list screaming at the top of its lungs for attention. I HATE doing laundry. Back home, I guess I didn't' mind it so much when it was actually time to do it. That's because I had a washer AND a dryer at my disposal. When I only have a washer and I have to hang up all my wet clothes in my one bedroom apartment to dry... laundry translates into "FRUSTRATING".

Anyway, I actually almost talked myself out of going jogging this evening. But I think that after this post is up I'm going to quit being lazy and actually go. If my brothers can run a combined 20 miles a day, I can jog 1.5 miles four times a week. Geez. (Don't laugh at me. I've just started this whole exercise thing. I can't exactly go for 5 miles yet, but I'm working on it. OFF MY CASE!).

Don't get me wrong, I like physical activities like biking, hiking, swimming, dancing (especially dancing) and all of that. But I don't get to do that on a regular basis. I wanted to start doing regular exercise, get into some kind of routine. So I chose jogging. Any of you exercise junkies out there want to give me some pointers on how to be more motivated?

A TYPICAL DAY AT SCHOOL

Whoever is curious about how interesting my days usually are, I'll give you a little peek into my life as a teacher.

"The flirting"

Woah there partner. Don't go thinking that I'm talking about ME when I refer to flirting. I'm not the one batting my eyelashes, and there's certainly no one posturing for my attention. I'm leaving that to the 6 year olds. That's right. You heard me...

In the morning until 12:40 I teach Kindergarten. I love my kindy class. Sometimes can really grate on the nerves, but the majority of the time they're just a great bunch of really intelligent, really sweet, kids.

Lilly and Benny

One of the girls, her name is Lilly, likes one of the boys in the class (his name is Benny). Lilly is the youngest, only 5 years old, but she's the biggest and she looks the oldest out of the others. Benny is a slim whip of a boy, who I'm sometimes afraid to hug because he's so skinny.

Today we were talking about the letter 'M'.

We thought of the word "MUSCLE". We all flexed our arms and had a great bit of fun. I pointed to Benny's arm (because he was closest to me) and showed everyone where we have muscle. Of course, Benny is mostly skin and bones but the kids got the picture. Anyway. Lilly reached out and grabbed Benny's arm and squeezed a bit here and there and then smiled and sat back, with her chin resting against the palm of her hand. It was one of the most adult looks I've ever seen on a kids face.

Benny kept flexing and finally Lilly looked up at me with that amused expression and motioned casually to Benny's arm and said "It's not muscle, I think."

Benny got all flustered and in an attempt to prove himself to Lilly he flexed again and said desperately "No! I'm strong!".

EunSung and HeeGwon

Another daily example of the flirting that goes on amongst the kindergartners is usually by HeeGwon and EunSung (I don't know their English names). HeeGwon is a big 6 year old. He's tall and a little chunky. EunSung is, my korean co-workers think, 'some kind of midget'.

EunSung is really tiny, and she's absolutely one of the cutest little girls at my school. You can see a photo of her with me if you go a few posts back.

Anyway. Where there is EunSung, there is HeeGown.

HeeGwon is constantly crowding EunSung. He's always holding her hand, keeping her from getting pushed, telling her to stop running, or demanding that she behave when she acts out. In Art and Science class he asks questions for her and makes sure that she's doing her project right before he concentrates on his. He also caries her things to class for her. Sometimes he even carries HER to class.

One day I walk out of the teacher's room in time to see HeeGwon holding EunSung under her arms like a kid with a puppy, walking off to class. EunSung seemed unsurprised and was just kind of hanging there obediently.

If they grow up and get married to each other, someone owes me money.

THE CASE OF THE SNAIL

Snail is not a metaphor for anything. When I say 'snail' I mean 'snail'.

Today was science class, and the project was 'examine snails'. So we got a bunch of plastic cups, some packets of dirt, and a tupperware container full of large brown snails.

My reaction: "Uh... why?"

Anyway, out of fear for the snails lives I inform my kids that they are not to touch the snails, blow on the snails, pokes the snails with anything, or even speak loudly at the snails. They are to keep their hands to themselves and pay attention with their eyes.

Each kid gets a snail, so I have to put on some nice little kitchen gloves and distribute them out. I wasn't grossed out, but I wasn't exactly thrilled either. However, as time passed I actually started to get interested in those little creatures. I held one of them out over my hand to see if he would come out for the kids to see.

After a while his shyness went away and he slowly unfolded himself from his shell. I discovered, staring into the face of that little thing, that snails are cute. Snails are very cute. I got attached to the one I was holding for the kids to see. He got attached to me too. Literally.

The snail must have felt comfortable because he came all the way out of his shell and started looking around, craning his little head this way and that way to see what there was to see. He explored my finger for a while and then settled down a bit and just wiggled his little eyes around. That's about the time I realized that I could get him off of me.

There was no panicking, but I knew that I was in a predicament. How do I get a snail off of my hand without hurting it? I poked at him a little bit to see if he would retreat back into his shell. He folded his eyes away, but didn't move otherwise. I might as well have been tickling him for the amount of fear he showed at being poked at.

After distributing the rest of the snails to the students I head out of the classroom and to the kitchen to ask for help. After amusing some of the other teachers with the "Look, he's upside down and still holding on!" trick, we finally figured that water was the best idea. We sprayed some water on him and I wiggled at him to get him unglued from me. Finally the water did the work and with a little "thuck' he came unstuck from my hand.

I experienced a little separation anxiety at first, and I still fear for his little life in the hands of that 5 year old kindergartner. You know you lack some kind of important companionship when a snail becomes your best friend in the span of 5 minutes.

Quotes of the Day

Me: This is the baby chair!
My Students: Baby chair?!
Me: That's right. If you do something bad you have to sit in this chair
so that you can be laughed at and ridiculed by your peers.

Student: (Trying to describe himself) "I have a black hair."
Me: "Really? Only one?"
Student: "Uh....?"

THE HOLIDAY (that we don't get)

Well everyone. Tomorrow is some kind of holiday (election day or something like that), and public schools and some work places get a little vacation. That does not include my school. Nope. We'll be working that day, teaching kids who are going to be 10 shades of ticked off to be at private school when they have a holiday from public school.

I wonder how many just won't show up tomorrow.

DANGER LIVE: CLUB WOMB JUNE 19th

For those of you who don't know, there's going to be this really big shindig down at Club WOMB at Gwangali on the 19th of June.

Here's the event info: DANGER LIVE

Club WOMB is pretty great, so I suspect that this event will also be awesome.

Pre-sale tickets - 13,000₩

Before midnight June 19th - 15,000₩

Anytime after midnight - 19,000₩

Contact email : [email protected]

Subject header : Danger

>First and Last name:
>Ticket amount:
>phone number:
>email:
>total cost:

(Information provided by "EVERY EXPAT IN KOREA" on Facebook)

Alright now, that's about it for this blog entry.

For those of you who work at public schools, enjoy your time off!
For those of you working tomorrow, take it easy!
And for those of you state-side and elsewhere, have a great day!

Until next blog,

~Auggie.

It’s always chilling to know that your president wants you to shut up, so that he can get his yes-minions elected. Is there something authoritarian about today’s Korea?

…polls showed Lee’s uncompromising stand against the North has helped keep support ratings for him near the 50 percent mark in recent weeks.

…”We are not going to tolerate activities that harm public interest and undermine national integrity through the spread of false information,” Seoul police commissioner Cho Hyun-oh said in a message to officers, vowing to punish offenders.

The crackdown on Internet rumor mongering is likely to resurrect a frequent opposition complaint that the government is trampling on democracy and free speech.

Police are on their highest security alert ahead of Wednesday’s voting to choose nearly 4,000 mayors, governors and local representatives, seen as a gauge of support for Lee and his ruling Grand National Party.

Lee is trying to avoid a repeat of massive protests that consumed the first months of his term in 2008 when he failed to contain the spread of information on television and the Internet that experts said hugely exaggerated the health risks of eating U.S. beef amid a mad cow disease scare.

At least, we can enjoy the burlesque outside as the candidates’ trucks go by. So, here’s some subversive fun and a video from the Coalition of Concerned Koreans and Organizations in the U.S.:

Our Demands:

South Korean government should reveal the complete TOD visual record of the Cheonan sinking.

South Korean government should release all communication and navigation records of the Cheonan.

South Korean government should reveal the complete ship wreck to independent inspectors and allow independent investigations of the incident by experts.

North and South Korea should not engage in any militray provocation or activity that will impair peace on the Korean Peninsula.

The U.S. should stop antagonistic policy towards North Korea based on confrontation and pursue a policy of engagement and co-existence.

Filed under: East Asia, Korea, Maritime, Military, Politics, USA, YouTube Tagged: cheonan, Coalition of Concerned Koreans and Organizations in the U.S., dprk, lee myung bak, nort korea, rok

Last weekend when I was hanging out with my office colleagues for drinks, and one of my colleague was asking me about my blood type.

She said: What is your blood type?
I said: O +ve. Why?
She said: You are very ‘friendly’.
I said: Well. Yes, I know that but what my blood type got to do with that?
She said: Your blood type says  that you are friendly.
I said: Ahh.. That is interesting. So what about other types.
She said: Guys with type B are considered as Playboys. Type AB are very practical. And Tye A are creative but shy.

So the next day I had to run this query on ‘Blood Type Personality’ to get some interesting results on Google. From what I read and understand guys with Blood Type B have a bad reputation. They are considered Playboys, Players, Stingy, Irresponsible etc. and as a word of caution, gals try to stay away from guys with blood group B.

There is also a romantic comedy movie in Korean with the title – My Boyfriend is Type B. (B형 남자친구) based on this Japanese theory of Blood Type Personality.

So here are the Blood Type Personalities in brief (source: sites like korea4expats, bellaonline).

Blood Type A:
Positive Traits: Conservative, introverted, reserved, patient, punctual and inclined to be perfectionists.
Worst Traits: Obsessive, stubborn, self conscious and uptight.
Referred as ‘farmers’ in some descriptions, Type A’s are said to be considerate of others and loyal to a fault. They can also be secretive and reluctant to share their feelings. Apparently they don’t hold their liquor well, either.

While outwardly calm, they have such high standards (perfectionists) that they tend to be balls of nerves on the inside. Type A’s are the most artistic of the blood groups. They can be shy, are conscientious, trustworthy, and sensitive.

Blood Type B:
Best Traits: Animal-loving, creative, flexible, individualistic, optimistic and passionate.
Worst Traits: Forgetful, irresponsible and self-centered.
Referred to as ‘hunters’, Type B’s have very independent natures and tend not to be concerned about what other people think of them. Although often described as shallow and lazy, they can be quite passionate about the things they hold dear. Patience is not their strong suit either.

Type B men have acquired a very negative reputation in Korea and are not considered by many to be good husband material. Often described as ‘players’, they are perceived as being selfish and mercurial, quick to anger and not terribly reliable. That said, their bad boy image makes them very attractive to women, but not for the long term. (Type B women do not share in this bad rep, for some unexplained reason).

Goal oriented and strong minded, type B’s will start a task and continue it until completed, and completed well. Type B’s are the individualists of the blood group categories and find their own way in life.

Blood Type AB:
Best Traits: Cool, controlled, empathic, introverted and rational.
Worst Traits: Aloof, critical, indecisive and unforgiving.
Referred to as ‘humanists’, Type AB’s are said to be controlled more by their heads, than by their hearts. They are rational, good with money, but unpredictable. Although inclined to be distant, they prefer harmony and as such, work well with mediators. Some consider them two-faced, and therefore untrustworthy.

Type AB’s are the split personalities of the blood groups. They can be both outgoing and shy, confident and timid. While responsible, too much responsibility will cause a problem. They are trustworthy and like to help others.

Blood Type O:
Best Traits: Ambitious, athletic, robust and self-confident.
Worst Traits: Arrogant, insensitive, ruthless and vain.
Referred to as ‘warriors’, Type O’s are viewed as natural leaders and are often, also, natural athletes. They tend to be outgoing, expressive and passionate, but can also bore others to death with their obsessive drive for success coupled with their absolute convictions that they are winners. This certainty that they will always win explains why they aren’t afraid to take risks or gamble. They have a strong physical presence and are unlikely to ever be overlooked.

Type O’s are outgoing, and very social. They are initiators, although they don’t always finish what they start. Creative and popular, they love to be the center of attention and appear very self confident. (Thats me^^).

And here is the interesting part – compatibility chart:

• A is most compatible with A and AB
• B is most compatible with B and AB
• AB is most compatible with AB, B, A and O
• O is most compatible with O, and AB

You can read more about it over here.

I’ve always liked brick.  But sometimes you need an afternoon wander through a big-city village North of the stream to discover doors intrigue you too.  And door knockers. 

Thanks, Bukchon.  You were my favourite part of Seoul.   

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Okay, so this isn’t a door, or a door knocker.  But I love that it’s a mailbox that looks kind of like a bird house.  Because I also love birds…

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This knocker was spotted the same day (you know, that ’once you start noticing something, you see it everywhere’ thing…), but in the subway station, of all places.

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I wished I could sneak inside this old hanok house, slip back in time for the afternoon, and share a pot of tea with someone Korean and wise.

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Up next…a timely tidbit on my trip to the DMZ–the barbed-wire land buffer that separates North and South Korea.  Glad I saw it when I did–things are getting a little tense up there.

Then it’s back to reporting on life in Busan, where I’ve been back for over a week already.  Three months in now…new home, same girl.

Thanks for reading, everyone!