I just found out I've been using fabric softener instead of detergent for 7 months. There are 3 tee shirts in my freezer. Before you judge me for writing unrelated sentences, watch this surprisingly useful video.
Ok you can judge me now.
Cookie Day is the best made up western holiday.. Putting clothes in the freezer was my last attempt at salvaging a now mostly Korean wardrobe, that hasn't been washed with detergent for a long time. If you ever come to Korea in the summer, don't expect to bring any of your clothes home. I've never experienced weather like this year's monsoon season and the heat and humidity caused a mold epidemic among my favorite tee shirts.
Thankfully, summer and monsoon season came to a close with the passing of typhoon Bolaven, and while I won't miss the summertime weather, I will miss the amount of free time I had. I used this time to improve classroom materials. The English room at school might have plenty of resources, but they aren't the best quality. Well I'll let you be the judge since you seem to be judging everything today.
The Disease Song Lyrics (From a Textbook)
"I have no appetite. I have a stomach virus. Face this way and don't move, take a deep breath and hold it. I stretched a muscle. My face is breaking out. I have a growth, it's leaking. Put this cream on it. Take one dose between meals. 30 minutes after meal. Do you have mosquito repellent? Do you carry Merthiolate? Have you any cotton swabs? Do you carry lozenges? Give me band-aids."
Thankfully, summer and monsoon season came to a close with the passing of typhoon Bolaven, and while I won't miss the summertime weather, I will miss the amount of free time I had. I used this time to improve classroom materials. The English room at school might have plenty of resources, but they aren't the best quality. Well I'll let you be the judge since you seem to be judging everything today.
The Disease Song Lyrics (From a Textbook)
"I have no appetite. I have a stomach virus. Face this way and don't move, take a deep breath and hold it. I stretched a muscle. My face is breaking out. I have a growth, it's leaking. Put this cream on it. Take one dose between meals. 30 minutes after meal. Do you have mosquito repellent? Do you carry Merthiolate? Have you any cotton swabs? Do you carry lozenges? Give me band-aids."
What were you really doing Tuesday at 6 p.m.? During the summer months I'd usually work on materials like these for half of the day, then come home to my solitary confinement sentence and watch late night television. Every now and again it's nice to watch something in English, but this guy is on every channel so Korean shows are better.
Luckily the Olympics broadened my entertainment options. Viewing the games from a new coverage perspective was an interesting experience. It seemed like the only sports televised were judo, taekwondo, shooting and archery. Koreans appear to be good at all things violent.
If a Korean male wins an Olympic medal, he is exempt from the otherwise mandatory 2-year military term. Perhaps this incentive was the source of motivation needed Korea needed to defeat Japan in the bronze medal soccer match.
Luckily the Olympics broadened my entertainment options. Viewing the games from a new coverage perspective was an interesting experience. It seemed like the only sports televised were judo, taekwondo, shooting and archery. Koreans appear to be good at all things violent.
If a Korean male wins an Olympic medal, he is exempt from the otherwise mandatory 2-year military term. Perhaps this incentive was the source of motivation needed Korea needed to defeat Japan in the bronze medal soccer match.
Some controversy followed Korea's victory, when a South Korean player decided to incorporate a "political statement" into his celebration; suggesting that Dokdo island belongs to Korea rather than Japan.
Dokdo, or "Takeshima" to the Japanese, is basically a pile of rocks off the eastern coast of Korea, that both countries claim to own. It's not as much about the rocks as it is the economic potential of surrounding fishing areas.
The only residents on the island are South Korean, the only police officers on the island are South Korean, and the only lighthouse keepers on the island are South Korean. By looking at the facts it's pretty obvious that Dokdo belongs to America.
I'm not completely up to date on the issue but to the best of my knowledge the player never received his medal, but is still exempt from military duty.
As the Olympics wound down so did August, and sometimes the end of August means the beginning of September. The beginning of September meant a new principal at Maehwa Elementary School.
The only residents on the island are South Korean, the only police officers on the island are South Korean, and the only lighthouse keepers on the island are South Korean. By looking at the facts it's pretty obvious that Dokdo belongs to America.
I'm not completely up to date on the issue but to the best of my knowledge the player never received his medal, but is still exempt from military duty.
As the Olympics wound down so did August, and sometimes the end of August means the beginning of September. The beginning of September meant a new principal at Maehwa Elementary School.
Kimbap, photo courtesy of "Nash-e" I tried to make a good first impression on the new man in charge, who was a student at Maehwa himself many years ago. Things didn't go as planned. I showed up severely swollen on his first day of school, making him think I was hungover. I wasn't, my swelling was just the result of a high sodium kimbap eating contest the night before.
You can't have a new principal without saying goodbye to an old one, and on his last day our formal principal, Mr. No, was dressed in his finest attire. He gave a tearful speech that shook up everyone in the room. Although I didn't understand much, it was unsettling to see such emotion from generally stoic people.
Mr. No then marched down the hall and for some reason everyone started following him with their heads bowed and hands folded. It was like being at a funeral for someone living. He is not a flashy man, but Mr. No did have one last trick for us.
He walked past the parking lot where his car usually rests, then behind a building, before seemingly vanishing into thin air, never to be seen again. It was a dramatic exit, but Mr. No didn't account for one thing. He lives four blocks from me so I'll probably see him tonight.
You can't have a new principal without saying goodbye to an old one, and on his last day our formal principal, Mr. No, was dressed in his finest attire. He gave a tearful speech that shook up everyone in the room. Although I didn't understand much, it was unsettling to see such emotion from generally stoic people.
Mr. No then marched down the hall and for some reason everyone started following him with their heads bowed and hands folded. It was like being at a funeral for someone living. He is not a flashy man, but Mr. No did have one last trick for us.
He walked past the parking lot where his car usually rests, then behind a building, before seemingly vanishing into thin air, never to be seen again. It was a dramatic exit, but Mr. No didn't account for one thing. He lives four blocks from me so I'll probably see him tonight.
