Okay, okay!!
Resurrected due to constant needling and nagging popular
demand! This blog ain’t dead yet! Going by the date of the last posting….it’s
been a while (to put it simply). Let’s
try and get up to date smoothly, efficiently, and thoroughly.
During my stay in Korea, I enjoyed teaching my
students. Some were awesome and made me
really enjoy coming to work to see them, and some ended up on that list that
all teachers have but never talk about with other people (except fellow teacher
confidants). Regardless of my opinions
of some of my students, when it came time to say goodbye, I was given some of
the sweetest goodbye notes from the students.
Even those I thought for sure reviled my existence, gave me some of the
most heartwarming messages. It made it
really hard to leave, in the end.
Apart from my work, I also came to appreciate and embrace
the Korean pop music and entertainment industry. I gotta admit, Korea knows how to churn out
the pop idols. Being able to talk to my
students about something they knew and liked definitely fueled my
interest. Well, that and it’s just
really really catchy music that comes complete with slick dance moves,
attractive performers, and flashy concerts.
I learned the popular groups, the member names, fan club names, current
idol scandals, the major entertainment production companies, and so much
more. I also attend several concerts,
much the envy of many of my middle school female students. Here’s a list of the performers I've seen in
Korea:
Incheon
Korean Wave Festival-this was a concert I attended very soon after I
arrived. It was in the city I lived in
and it had about 15 of the top pop groups performing.
Rain- we caught his
farewell concert before he went to the army for mandatory service
2pm- this video is from
the Incheon Wave Festival I was at
YG Family-
this was a concert for the members of the YG production company, including
Big Bang, 2NE1, and PSY (pre-Gangnam Style fame)
FTIsland- best concert I
went to HANDS DOWN
BEAST- this group is
probably known as the group of throwaways that made it big. Several of the members tried out for other
groups and were rejected, then picked up by their production company and are
now a hit group.
Besides pop
music, I also ate a lot of new foods.
Korean food is AWESOME! Go eat
some Korean bbq and try and tell me differently. I dare you.
I learned to cook some of my favorite Korean meals and also continue to
make them outside of Korea. I also got
to travel. I went to Tokyo for a quick
weekend trip, Shanghai, Kuala Lumpur, and Singapore. I rode elephants, ate spicy curry, enjoyed
fresh sushi, watched Chinese acrobats, saw Muslim women sporting Chanel and
Dolce & Gabbana head coverings (they may be devout, but cheap they are
not!), and rode in special train cars reserved for women only (they were monitored
by train staff on occasion and they would forcibly remove any males that happened
to be in the car).
I was very
happy in Korea. I am glad that I got to
live there for a year. All I will say is
that if the school management happened to get a new director in my time, I
would have considered extending my contract.
If I ever get the opportunity to return in the future I will most
certainly consider it.
Now, moving
quickly up to the present time….I was excited to find an opportunity to teach
in Taiwan and was able to line up a new contract upon completion of my Korean
employment. I also returned home to the U.S. for about 1 month and then left for Taiwan, the next chapter in this
adventure……..(to be continued)
