Shylock in Korea |
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Wherein I share my experiences teaching English and living in South Korea. Won't you please leave a comment so I'll know you've been here? visit and read
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Tuesday, October 08, 2002
Sunday, September 08, 2002
Saturday, September 07, 2002
09.07.02 | korea | day 186 | saturday Big changes are in store at shylockorea. Soon the address will change to shylockutah.blogspot.com (you may visit the site now though it's incomplete), everything will be centralized, and I'll post my pictures in a photo gallery. Hooray! Sunday, September 01, 2002
Friday, August 30, 2002
Thursday, August 29, 2002
08.30.2002 | korea | day 178 | friday Weight loss. What a great thing. The latest visit to the scale shows a loss of 2 kilos (4.4 lbs.) in just two weeks! I have expended considerable energy trying to understand just how did and does it continue to happen? I think it's the culmination of a hundred daily decisions, made consistently over a period of time. But specifically what about the areas people tend to focus on in the whole weight management equation? Such as...
Since the usual suspects don't explain it, here's my revolutionary thought as to what might be one if not THE biggest variable contributing to my plummeting body mass and the ruination of my extensive Big & Tall wardrobe: milk.
Yes, milk. That wonderful milky fluid, milk. For as long as I can remember, wait, what was I talking about? Oh, yeah, my new physique. Actually I was talking about milk. For as long as I can remember, I've managed to guzzle 2-3 gallons of skim milk a week. Consistently. Then I came to Korea where, unfortunately, it's not available in large containers and, though I've seen ads promoting civic responsibility in supporting Korea's two dairy farmers, I've managed to skate through the last six months (SIX MONTHS!) by drinking probably less than two gallons! This wasn't a conscious choice, just happenstance. I've always loved milk and I thought ,since I was drinking skim, that quantity wasn't an issue but now I wonder, because of all the variables I've considered, this represents perhaps the most dramatic departure from my previous habits. Is it possible this radical drop in my dairy intake could be responsible for my dramatic weight loss? Wednesday, August 28, 2002
08.29.2002 | korea | day 177 | thursday Some time ago I arranged to do a language exchange with a student at Kangwon University in town. His name is Yoon Hyun-sung but he goes by his family name of Yoon for short. A friend of an acquaintance works in the English Department on campus and she found Yoon for me based on his English language skills, which are superior, and his interest in improving them - he's studying to take the TOEFL test for the third time. This is an important English language benchmark test which is used, among other things, as a university placement tool in Korea. His scores have been excellent the previous two times he's taken it but he wants to take again to further improve his chances of transferring to a better school. Now for a list of things we have in common - they're spooky. Like I did, Yoon is majoring in English, and based on his appreciation for Ivanhoe by Sir Walter Scott, he adopted, long before we met, the English name of Richard! Wow! That's the list. I never said it was a long list, just a spooky list. S P O O K Y ! Our plan is to meet twice a week for an hour at a time - one hour studying Korean and the other studying English. I'm thrilled at our fortuitous meeting as we share the common interest of English literature and it appears our alliance is already bearing fruit: today he helped me find and register for a beginning Korean language course which will be taught on the Kangwon University campus twice a week, for 1 hour and 40 minutes at a time, for twelve weeks, for 140,000 won (about $112). I'm full of optimism. 08.28.2002 | korea | day 176 | wednesday If a tree in a forest falls and nobody is there to hear it, will the UN World Summit for Sustainable Development in Johannesburg still manage to blame it on American wealth? Tuesday, August 27, 2002
08.27.2002 | korea | day 175 | tuesday Is there a place alongside a pursuit of spiritual goals for assertive, even aggressive pursuit of temporal goals? Must one sacrifice such trivial things as charity to compete with others who appear to hold no such standards? After recently receiving a tougue-lashing from a co-worker over some problems that could have been rationally discussed and easily resolved, I found myself succumbing to self-doubt and realized I was at a crossroads. Should I grant a victory to the negative voices in my head, become immobile for fear of offending yet another poor, magnanimous soul, fade away, and acquiesce to those around me with harsher tongues and stronger wills? Or should I instead write such people off as jealous, self-centered hypocrites with nothing but destructive, ulterior motives? I choose neither. They aren't in my nature, contrary to what some might think. To allow others such dominion over my behavior grates on my nerves and while I acknowledge it may indicate a need for greater humility, I can't see past standing up to gross mischaracterizations of my behavior or personality. Rather I must conclude I have no choice if I am to remain faithful to my own mores but to filter out the harsh language and its symptomatic self-doubt, review my behavior and make necessary changes in light of divine principles, re-examine my long-term objectives, renew my efforts to obtain them, and alternate distracting voices be damned! Sunday, August 25, 2002
08.25.2002 | korea | day 173 | sunday What few entries I've written about my recent 12-day trip to China have been moved to a new blog at shylockchina. More posts to come soon, I promise. Friday, August 23, 2002
08.24.2002 | korea | day 172 | saturday On August 16 I penned the following: Let me take this opportunity to remind the Rupert-ian that it was a humble Provo boy, who only lives to serve others and bring happiness to the world, who was the David to his Backgammon Goliath and that said Provoan is still waiting, patiently, for his Championship t-shirt. :P Allow me to step out from behind the mask and tip my hat to said Rupert-ian for his retort which also follows. (I include it here as the comments on this blog have a habit of disappearing.) I'm aware that most people won't appreciate the genius buried within the text. That's most peoples' loss. The revised story of David and Goliath - as disillusionedly referred to by [Shylock], but truthfully penned by an Oremite with four kids: Priceless. Thursday, August 22, 2002
08.22.2002 | korea | day 170 | thursday I made a crazy mad dash to Incheon this morning - no small feat - to meet Brian who was on his way home and return a duffel bag of extraneous items he didn't want to tote around the mainland for his last two weeks in the country. Generous guy that I am, I offered to do this to save him the hassle of yet another long train ride. What should have been a mere six hour round trip circuit on trains and subways grew to eight hours by the end because of a missed train in the morning and a wrong subway line taken from Seoul to Suwon instead of Incheon. Subsequently I missed two hours of class in the afternoon but the director was understanding and helpful enough to find a substitute and I returned in the nick of time to teach my remaining two hours. In Incheon we had time for a Koreanized Chinese meal in Chinatown across the street from the subway station - bokum-bop, mandu, and chow mein. We then wound our way up the steep granite steps on the hillside to two stunning monuments. The first was the Korea USA Centennial Monument dedicated in 1982 to commorate 100 of formal diplomatic relations between the two countries. Six flying steeples, angled inward and encased in steel shingles, sheltered the square, and two enormous, bronze circular abstractions, looped together stood in the center. Built overlooking the Incheon harbor, they seemed a fitting complement to the better known monument ensconced further up the hill, about ten minutes by foot: the statue of General Douglas MacArthur. After a bit of trouble we found the small park that serves as the grounds for this flattering monument. I failed to notice the dedication date of the site but the grounds were well kept and we encountered a small crowd of local old men under a small pavilion, likely engaged in a game of "badook" as they sought shelter from the steady rain that was pestering us with our one umbrella. The simple 12 foot granite column upon which the simple bronze statue of MacArthur stood, dressed casually in a windbreaker and hat and sporting binoculars, belies the grand language in the plaque at the base in which is explained the reason for this tribute to America's five star general and Korean War hero. Words like "genius," "inspired," and "eternal gratitude" described the man and the invasion he led at Incheon which led to the eventual liberation of South Korea as well as the way Koreans feel or should feel about the role the United States and other UN forces played in defending their liberties. Phrases like "the malignant scourge of Communism" and "the eventual reunification of Korea" offer commentary on the still existing division and hoped for resolution of atrocities that senselessly divided this small peninsula. Quite an approbation to a leader and his country. Tuesday, August 20, 2002
07.28.2002 | china | day three | sunday {This post has been moved to shylockchina. Thanks for your interest.} Monday, August 19, 2002
08.19.2002 | korea | day 167 | monday a china/korea gripe The worst thing about China: all the second-hand smoke I had to inhale! Korea is bad in contrast to the States but something about China makes Korea feel like a ward social. Although almost all men smoke in both countries (I've seen very few women smoke), China just seems worse. After 4 or 5 days in the country I lost the patience I've had over the last five months and became more than a little irrated whenever a cab driver or someone at a nearby table would light up. I've seen a t-shirt in Seoul that I'm tempted to buy: one man asks another man, "Mind if I smoke?" and the other responds, "Mind if I fart?" I'll admit to having more than my fair share of 'gastrointestinal pressures' but I do what I can to avoid giving offense to others. Is it too much to ask that smokers do the same? I advocate their freedom of choice and I am opposed to the tactics of the anti-smoking zealots in America in spite of my religion but enough is enough. I feel the need to rant because a day or two ago I was stuck next to a chain smoker in a PC room who felt the need to blare some annoying Korean music on his computer while I had to breath his smoke as I courteously listened to Rush Limbaugh with headphones! It's his right and no one was stopping me from leaving but I still got annoyed. So I unplugged the headphones, allowed Rush to blare from the speakers, and gave the green light to my 'repressed intestinal energy' and within five minutes he left, visibly annoyed. Hooray! Chalk one up to reciprocal rudeness as a solution to societal problems! Sunday, August 18, 2002
08.18.2002 | korea | day 166 | sunday When I was teaching my Housewives class on Friday I told them about my weight loss. They asked how much I'd lost. I had to tell them in kilograms and since one kilogram is about 2.2 pounds, I told them I'd lost 4 Kg which is 8.8 pounds (at the time I didn't realize I'd actually lost 10.4 pounds!). They were so impressed - one woman piped up and told me I'd lost a baby! Hilarious! I countered by saying I'd be happy if I could lose 2 or 3 more babies. I have a lot of fun teaching them - once a week for two hours. They show so much concern for my welfare that I often tell them they are my 12 Korean mothers. The topic of discussion for the day included a page in the textbook about a fortune teller. That led into a class discussion comparing American and Korean supersititions. Here are some of the more memorable ones I can remember:
Friday, August 16, 2002
08.17.2002 | korea | day 165 | saturday Today I enthusiastically and egocentrically announce that I have lost 10.4 pounds since arriving in Korea 5 1/2 months ago! Try in vain to imagine how ecstatic I am. 08.16.2002 | korea | day 164 | friday A certain BYU graduate living in Orem with four children, endless church callings, more coins than he knows what to do with, an affinity for a vampire named Buffy, a penchant for college football and volleyball, and the past holder of the title: BYU Intramural Backgammon Champion, recently disparaged the "Comments" on my blog. He noticed they all clump together and don't adhere to the entries they're meant to address. I'm working on the problem and should have it fixed soon. And let me take this opportunity to remind the above mentioned Rupert-ian that it was a humble Provo boy, who only lives to serve others and bring happiness to the world, who was the David to his Backgammon Goliath and that said Provoan is still waiting, patiently, for his Championship t-shirt. :P |
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