Weekend retreat/ advance thing

This past weekend our whole school staff, teachers (Korean and Foreign) bus drivers everybody took a early morning five hour drive across the Korean peninsula to Sokcho; a strand of beach along the east coast. Along the way we visited the birthplace of a family of scholars Korean heroes immortalized on the W 5000 bill. (house pictured above)
We had a wonderful lunch of Chigae at an apparently famous restaurant. Outside was a little pond filled with Lotus flowers. It was very nice but at about that time it started to rain; notice the first drop forming in the leaf. It rained all day on and off.

I'm a little taller than average in most places but here its really marked this is a few of the Korean staff and teachers from the school getting a head up. The food in the restaurant who's porch we are standing on served an excellent dinner topped with Italian coffee with Real Cream! Maybe its not the rarity that I think here but I certainly miss it.
I am reading Salman Rushdie's "Midnight's Children" right now. This photo is both for the sake of the view but also because for the literary hilarity of snot-face's father falling prey to tetra-pod schemes. apparently its much more profitable to be in quadra-pod schemes. If you have no idea what I'm talking about then read the book. I will be sad to finish it in the next few days.
Morgan and Christine two of my colleagues enjoying the rain . It actually was quite lovely. I spent alot of the day playing my camera and guitar and listening to Neil Young's "On the Beach". "See the sky about to rain" never meant so much.

This is how Alex, one of my students sees me.
This is the Egg man; lots of Beatles in our class.
This is him watching Iron Giant. He's my favorite new artist.

A Taste of the City

I bought a camera. Its a nice little Samsung pocket camera. see what you think.

View from a mountain
And this doesn't even really capture it all

Laundry Day
Sunrise through Hongdae
Sunday Night in Myong Dong
Building or Sculpture?

Guui-dong shopping street
Guui-dong market
fish
Kiddie-Arcade
mountain in the city

Potter Street Philadelphia

Maybe you read it maybe you didn't but in January I wrote a blog noting strange coincidences that crossed my path with Shane Claibourne author of "the irresistible revolution" and revolutionary worker for "the simple way" in Philadelphia. Shane's whole block, simple way and all recently burned to the ground. Check out his blog through the link or through my "others" link "Shane and the simples." Help if you can.

http://thesimpleway.org/

getting OLD, or is it just growing up?

Its funny what makes you see it.
did you see my hair in those pictures.
i don't really make my hair look like that do I?
oh and zoom in on my shirt pocket. Can you see it.
I was given that pen today by Rose. She got it for me while in Guam.
I thought it a lovely gift. Then I slipped it in my pocket... In that instant I felt what my Dad must have felt like. I have no idea what he felt like when he got his first pen.
Maybe he bought his first teacher pocket pen himself. He's always had one.
I mean maybe he actually went through the doors of proffesional teacherdom of his own accord. I backed into them and realized as I slipped pen to pocket I was through. Its funny the
sweeps of emotion one can swing in a day.
It was only in the sand that I forgot about it again.
I don't mean to suggest that Dad is old but to me the 24 year old that was already teaching when I was born was old to me.
well I have to go teach a class.

I just looked at the photo again I don't think the pen is visible. But can't you just tell that I have a good teacher pen in my pocket.

the doctor

edumacation at its funnerest

What else would I have done with my life? It reminds me of the song "lather" by the Jefferson Airplane. check it out its a good strange song about the improtant things, like drawing pictures and playin in the sand.

I hear rumour that quite a few people are checking up on this blog. Its always nice to know your audience, so please let me know if you peek in. Nathan, that especially goes for you. I hear you look in everyday. It is hard to post everyday but I will try.

Gwanngan Bridge against the city

Pusan

This weekend I traveled south on the KTX Bullet train three and a half hours to Pusan. Pusan is the second largest city in Korea, a mere 3 million. Set on the edge of the southern coast it is a bit of what I imagine Miami to be like except with Koreans. This means no bikinis, people wearing jeans and shirts in the water. I actually have no idea what Miami is like, maybe they wear jeans instead of trunks. Anyway the water was lovely.
I was able to visit my friends Remco and Kim Delmeijer. It was good to see them before they head back to Canada in a few weeks. They were good company as we checked out some of the night lights, ate Wei (raw fish) and hung out on the beach. I played some Volleyball on which has burned up my muscles in my legs and turned them into smoldering firewood instead of working appendages. (its been a while).
The bridge in Pusan was one of the highlights. A giant snaking span across the bay of the Gwang-Alli beach front. I was able to ride across it three times. Remco parked illegally and the car was towed so we had to cab over the bridge to get it and then back over. quite a lovely scene.
anyway I am back at school and need to get ready to teach.

friday ok maybe that was a little heavy

Its friday. I have one more class to teach. The kids will write a test and then if theyre done early we will play scrabble. I used to play scrabble at home and hated it because Mom and Rueben would kick my ass. I hated it because of course I only ever play to win. Just kidding. But I thought that I was terrible and kind of stupid. Then I played other people besides them and i realized that I was not that terrible. That either means Im as stupid as evryone else or my Mom and Rueben are genius'. Anyway I am talking about people at college not my 10 year old students who speak english as a second language. But I sure can kick ass in those games. ah teaching is such a great ego trip.
today my kinderkids were all singing this song that is about loving kimchi but they changed the words to be that they loved me. its a bit much so I will leave here today and shave my head and wear sackcloth and ashes to humble myself. Actually Im going to find a corner store and buy a beer and sit on the stoop and people watch till im really hungry.