Baseball Game+Teacher Training

Jamsil Baseball Park, home of the Doosan Bears and the LG Twins.

Me and my friends

This stadium has a great feel because it is not huge. I do miss the roar of a 45,000+ crowd, but it is really an intimate experience when you see a game at Jamsil.

Me and Mr. Kang, the social studies teacher at my school. He has season tickets, so he brought me to one game. Every time I've gone separately since, he has also been there. Unfortunately, the LG Twins will get 5th or 6th this season. You need to get 4th to make the playoffs. Mr. Kang said he was interviewed by a Korean Baseball Association reporter and in that interview he mentioned me. He said it was due to our discussion about the long-term struggles of the LG Twins and Seattle Mariners. When it comes down to it, you can not leave your team in spite of inability to win consistently. "Once a fan, always a fan," we agreed.

Teacher Training

Pork Ribs 돼지갈비. Mr. Kang and I ate to our hearts' (or stomachs') content. This was the second-highest grade of pork ribs, I believe, so we had a good time.

Our School's teachers. We went on a trip together to a lake close to the border with North Korea.

Here we are having lunch, everyone's favorite part of the trip.

Notice the side dishes (반찬). They are very fundamental in Korean cuisine.

Ms. Oh Hi Gyun

Me and Mr. Kang Seong woo

May 2011 pictures

My first ascent of Donbongsan. It is relatively close to my house, so I enjoyed coming here during the hot summer evenings. On this day in May, I decided on the spur of the moment to climb to the top without any supplies and only wearing a T-shirt and shorts. That's quite easy for you and me, but it goes against the grain of most Korean hikers, who wear brand name hiking gear and bring snacks. Needless to say, I suppose many were shocked by my casual attire.

On the way down, I thought I heard someone say "Nowon Middle School" (in Korean), so I turned around and said, "Nowon Middle School? That's my school!" In the long run, it turned out they had mentioned a different school (Nohan?) but I formed a friendship with the man I spoke to. I have not contacted Mr. Jung recently, so I think I should very soon.

Mr. Jung's elementary school friends

I believe this is 파전 (pajeon), green onion pancake.

Mr. Jung himself.

Sports day at my school

Heats

Relays

The most memorable event of this day for me was running in the 1500m race. I ran as a pacemaker, but the kids ran out way to fast. I pushed to reach them, finally passed them, and then had to bring them across the line. The fastest kid has since been expelled from our school, but I saw him today. I wonder if he remembers running with me.

부산 Busan

Korea's second-largest city lies just across the Tsushima Strait from Japan. Busan is famous for its beaches and seafood. This dish is called Ho-eh, but its difficult to pronounce. Imagine you were Canadian, but added the pretentious 'wh-' sound to beginning of 'eh?" Or, you could just read it in Korean as '회.'

I believe Busan's relationship with Seoul is similar to that of Osaka and Tokyo. The people of Busan have a different dialect (사투리) and seem to have a different culture from those in Seoul. As opposed to many people from the countryside these days, Busanians are proud of where they come from. Let's take a look at some pictures!

Inside Shinsegae Department store with my friend Hyeona from Busan.

Inside Shinsegae Department store is an ice rink!

In front of the largest department store in the world, Shinsegae in Busan.

Busan is a port city and it has a lovely seaside atmosphere. I enjoyed the green mountains and the turquoise sea. The feel of the wind and the colors of the city reminded me of Okinawa.

It was near here that the UN troops were able to hold out against the North Korean Army, saving Korea from unification under Kim Il Sung.

Thank you, Eunyeong, for this meal!

Hi there! I'm back to show you what spring looked like in Seoul this year.

At the moment it's humid and almost 30 degrees, so looking at these photos makes me a little nostalgic for these days in April.

The view from Namsan (남산). This mountain is just north of the Han River (한강) and overlooks the heart of Seoul.

On top of Namsan, there is Seoul Tower. I've never been to the top, but I hear it's good to go at night.

As you can see, this was a little earlier on in the day, when we started climbing from Myeongdong to the top of Namsan. The cherry trees were still blossoming at this time in April.

The only picture from my trip to Chuncheon (춘천), capital of Gangwon-do. It might be most famous for talk-kalbi (닭갈비), which is what you see in the picture. "Talk" means chicken and kalbi/galbi we discussed before. As you can see, it is cooked on a big metal plate and you just eat directly from it with your chopsticks.

Ichon (이촌), where the National Museum is, lies just north of the Han River. It had some great examples of cherry trees outside of the local elementary and middle schools.

A somewhat traditional Korean house. This is outside of 대전 (Daejeon) during our tour of a village. Notice the mud bricks and how large they are.

명동 Myeongdong 明洞

A small, shopping area at the foot of Namsan. I am told that it was a center of Japanese commerce during the colonial period. Now, Japanese tourists flock here to buy consumer goods. If you enjoy neon, hawkers, crowds and consumerism, Myeongdong is the place for you!

갈비 (Galbi) is a popular food in Korea. "Galbi" means "rib." Back home, we might just call it Korean BBQ. In most places in Korea, including butcher shops, beef and pork are very expensive, but also very delicious. Does this mean that it is a higher-quality than most American meat? I'm not sure, but I'd like to think it is better for you than our corn-fed livestock.

My Living Quarters

The apartment across from mine...don't worry, it looks exactly the same as mine. In fact, there are 16 blocks of these apartments. My school, which is about a 30-minute walk away, is near apartment block number 2. Each block has 5-6 apartment complexes. Are you getting the idea?

My kitchen. Please notice the lack of counter space and a stove. My apartment is rather spacious for one person, so I like that.

My bedroom. Ahhh, I remember the days when my radio worked and I would wake up every morning to English lessons in Korean. I lived for 1 month without internet or a phone. Although it sounds strange, I miss those days already. I was a little bit lonely when I came home, but there was a simpleness to my life that I now miss. Hey, without internet at my home, I wouldn't be writing this, would I?

찜닭

찜닭=Steamed Chicken; one of my first meals in a restaurant in Korea.

Here is a wikipedia link, if you are curious:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Andong_jjimdak

Girls tend to like it because it is low in calories and is delicious (I think).

Pictures

My desk and my office at Nowon Middle School, circa March, 2011.

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Mic Check...This is Michael. Over the next few posts, I will try to explain my experience here in Seoul. I arrived on March 1st and began working as a Guest English Teacher at a public school. This blog will be your portal into my world and my thoughts on various things that I find interesting, scary, delicious and pertinent. Thanks for reading~

MPT