Friday, March 30, 2007

Another one bites the dust.

Greetings

Sadly I have to report that we still haven't managed to find a cure for cancer or an end to the world's poverty, but we did manage to finish another Star Trek series. That's right baby, we came, we saw, and saw, and saw again, and conquered the beast that is known only as Star Trek: Deep Space Nine.

After 130 hours, or if you prefer 5.4 days, we've finally finished watching every episode of the show and we did so following the consecutive order that they were originally broadcast in. I know to many of you this makes us sound like we're even bigger nerds than you thought before, but in our defense Star Trek really is that damn good. Nobody is more surprised about this than I. Before coming to Ulsan I had never watched an episode of Deep Space Nine and wouldn't have known Captain Sisko from Quark (shame on you if you still don't know the difference).

It must be something in the Korean water that leads people to have a Star Trek epiphany.


(Ahhh, the family. I don't care what Todd thinks, Avery is a fine actor)


I just checked and we posted the last blog about Star Trek on the 11th of January. That means we watched all of Deep Space Nine in less than three months. A monumental task if I do say so myself. Combine that with the 133 hours we spent on Star Trek: The Next Generation and you really get one of those "dear god, how I've wasted my life" moments.

Now, to answer the question you're all dying to know, "what show did we like better"? We're a split house on the matter. Jo's remains a bigger fan of Next Gen but I think I have to go with Deep Space Nine. It had better character development, cooler storylines, better enemies, and a shape shifter. You just can't beat shape shifters.

That being said I think we're done with television for a while. It's time to get some reading done before we head home. Anyone have any good Star Trek novels they can send me?

Cheers

Shayne

Tuesday, March 27, 2007

Brad Pitt Eat Your Heart Out

Greetings

When Jo and I stepped off the plane last summer we were transformed from regular people into superstars. No really...it's true.

One minute we were Joe and Jane average and the next we were bigger than life, or at least we became D-list celebrities (like the guy from the Karate Kid).

You see, Korea is still a fairly isolated country and the number of non-native citizens living here is remarkably low in comparison to most other industrialised countries. Because of this, we are noticed wherever we go. You might say we stand out like sore thumbs, or bad kimchi (bada bing, bada boom).

It's more than just being stared at though. A lot of people approach us in order to practice their English on a couple of waygookins. It's pretty common to have someone walk up to us and say "hello" (usually it's children but adults do it every now and then too). In fact, it probably happens around 5 to 10 times per day. We'll just be walking and people will shout out "hello". The funny thing is 90 percent of the time when we respond they giggle and run away (usually the adults don't run away, it's more of a slow walk backwards).

We joke around that we're quasi-celebrities over here but somedays it can be a wee bit much. Once we were walking home and having what you might call a minor disagreement (it was more like Jo was bringing me up to speed on what I had done wrong), and a man walked over and tried to converse with us. We're still not sure if he was trying to help or practise the latest vocabulary from his English conversation class, for he asked us "are you serious?" repeatedly. Unfortunately we were not in the teaching mood, and he got a different lesson instead: don't get in between two angry Canadians. It turns out we were serious.

Some foreigners find it diffuicult to get used to all of the attention and come to loathe it over time. But other than when I'm having a really bad day I generally enjoy the attention. Somedays it's fun to mess around a little too. Like this coversation I had the other day:

Random child on the street: HELLO (they always yell)
Me: Hello
Random child on the street: HELLO
Me: Why yes, I do find most Marxists to be pedantic and full of postualtions
Random child on the street: HELLO

And there ya have it, a typical conversation one can have on any given day. It can be theraputic.

The place where we receive the most attention is in front of our place of work. Aside from all our students milling about, there's also a giant elementary school across the street where we're known by most of the students. Of course, our infamy is made worse by the advertisements our boss has outside of the academy. Check these out:

A nice shot of Jo and I from an English camp:


Here it is closer up:

And another great shot from a Speech Contest:


And again, closer up:


I suppose we should enjoy our fame because I predict that in a few more years it'll all be gone. As Korea expands its trading partners and opens the door to more foreigners, being different will stop being such a big deal.

One day English teachers will be as popular here as they are back home (ranked somewhere between Kevin Federline and the fat guy from Mad TV).

But hey, between now and then, I'm going to keep on enjoying my celebrity status.

Cheers

Shayne

Monday, March 19, 2007

Forget Letterman...It's time for the Korean Top Ten

Greetings

Being a major fan of the Top Ten list I thought that it was time for us at Shayne and Jo to bust out a new one. At first I contemplated doing a top ten list of why Deep Space Nine was underrated, or the top ten costumes to wear at a Star Trek convention, but in the end I settled upon this:

11 Things You Probably Don't Know About Korea

Sure it's not really a top ten list in the scientific sense but who's keeping track. So here ya go, 11 mostly mundane things that you probably don't know about the land of the morning calm.

#11 - Leave your checkmarks at the airport

Although it may seem shocking, the checkmark is about as popular over here as Kim Jong Il. The Koreans have instead embraced the circle as a means of indicating a job well done. I remember the puzzled look of a child last summer when I placed a check beside his work. At first he thought it was some sort of mysterious Canadian symbol and stared at it in utter amazement. For my part, I just assumed that it was the first time in his 7 year academic history that he had actually gotten something right (he ate a lot of paste, so it wouldn't have been that crazy).

#10 - Thumbtacks? What Thumbtacks?

As you can see from the picture above, the term "concrete jungle" applies nicely to Korea. In my time here I think I've seen drywall or wood less than ten times. Concrete is everywhere and as such most household walls are simply decorated with wallpaper. When we wanted to spruce up our place we had to resort to taping things to the walls, as we had no access to the tools needed to use nails and thumbtacks are useless. But it's ok because our Superman poster looks badass with the taped corners.

#09 - Japan won't be coming for dinner anytime soon.

Before we moved here I knew that Japan and Korea had a few issues to work out but I was pretty ignorant about how deep the actual problems ran. I'll save you the full history lesson but Japan annexed Korea as a colony in 1910 and then ruled over them for 35 years. During that time they didn't allow the Koreans to speak their own language in schools or businesses, or to learn about Korean history. In short, they worked pretty hard to obliterate Korean culture.

The Japanese also placed thousands of Koreans into forced labour and military conscription. But what probably stands out the most for modern Koreans is the fact that the Japanese also used hundred of thousands of Korean women as "comfort women". To make matters worse (if that's possible) the Japanese have tried to cover a lot of these things up and still haven't properly apologized to these women or given them any sort of financial remuneration.

As you can imagine the Koreans harbour a few feelings of resentment about all of this. I've seen it firsthand several times in my classes. More than once I've asked students what they want to be when they grow up and heard in response that they want to be soldiers so they can kill the Japanese. Students candidly talk about how they hate the Japanese, and last year when a film came out about Japan sinking into the ocean a lot of our students were really excited about that prospect.

This issue could fill a dozen blog entries, but I'll conclude this short section on it by saying that I think it will be a long time until the wounds are healed and these Asian neighbours become good friends again.

Anyway,on we go...

#08 - There's Crime Here?...Where?



When I first told family and friends that I was moving to South Korea you would have thought that I had said Somolia or Iraq instead, from the way they reacted. Some people were worried that I would be killed or that I would have to fight off robbers everyday on my way to work. Their worries always made me laugh but once I moved here I realized just how funny those fears truly were.

I don't think I've ever felt safer in a place than I usually do here. The threat of crime seems so minimal that sometimes you think you're living in a Norman Rockwell painting (albeit one with lots of kimchi and Koreans).

A lot of kids here don't even have to lock their bikes up (to be fair theft does happen, just nowhere near as much as back home). Here's a stat I found online that shows the low rate of robbery in Korea:

Robbery/Violent Theft per 100,000:
Spain 169.85
United States 169.02
France 144.10
Taiwan 14.35
South Korea 11.74
Japan 2.71

That's just theft, but from what I've found most serious crimes are lower here than in the western world. So for anyone who's ever worried about us in Korea....save the worrying for when we return home....No really...Rutland can be a tough hood to live in.

#07 - Swastikas are Hella Popular.


Coming from a place where the only people who wear swastikas are the chair throwers on Jerry Springer, I was a little taken aback when I moved here and saw one on every corner. They usually indicate a religious place but a lot of people have them on their cars or windows as well.

The version embraced here has nothing to do with Nazis but instead is a Buddhist symbol that basically means "well being" (if you look closely they are actually pretty different anyway).

Still though, being a westerner it takes a little while to get used to seeing them everywhere. There's probably over 50 in our neighborhood alone. Hopefully the one Jo had tattooed on her forehead doesn't cause any problems back home.

#06 - When in Doubt, Add an E.

My friend Jason and I used to joke that you could speak Spanish simply by adding an "O" to the end of word. In Korea it's the letter "E" that holds that honour.

In Konglish (the mixture of English and Korean spoken widely in Korea) words aren't proper unless an E sound is added.

For instance:

Beach becomes Beachie

Church becomes churchie

Finish becomes finish-ie

And so on and so on. So the next time you need to speak Korean in a pinch just drop a few E's and you'll be fine.

#05 - They're a trusting bunch.


We've actually mentioned this one a few times so hopefully some of you were paying attention. In Korea when you get delivery the restaurant brings the food in real plates and bowls. When you finish the food you simply leave the plates on your steps or front door and voila, it's picked up the next day. When I first moved here I just assumed that Koreans hated their plates and would just toss them out as soon as they were finished with them. It was like the scene in "The Jerk" as I sat puzzled on the curb exclaiming "it's the plates...they hate the plates".

Being Canadian this whole practice seems marvelously bizarre to me. I wonder what would happen if someone refused to give back the bowls or even better, what would happen if someone were to rise ubber-early and go through the entire neighborhood stealing plate after plate. It might set the entire Korean economy into a state of shock.

This is definitely something that wouldn't work back home.

#04 - Their Sinks Kickass....But They Sure Smell.

Every sink in Korea must contain a sink trap, it's the law under section 32, article 5, line 3.

Well, I don't know if it's the law or not but it does seem that every house has one. They're actually pretty useful and make cleaning the sink a lot easier than back home. Except, of course, that for lazy people like us it often means that food sits rotting in them for weeks on end.

The sinks also don't have those wonderful U-shaped devices that we have back home. Those lovely little fellows help keep out gasses and funky smells from traveling into your house via the drain. For some reason they never caught on over here. So if any young entrepreneurs are reading this...there's the way to make your billions, plumbing supplies in Korea.

#03 - Western Food Sucks


For some reason the dish above is the epitome of western cuisine. It's called Dang-gus and is a combination of fried pork and a creamy BBQ type sauce. I'm not sure where Koreans got the idea that we enjoy this dish, or if it's just some sort of archetype for western food, but most Koreans seem shocked when they find out that not only do I not like it, but that I've never seen it back home or anywhere in North America for that matter.

I suppose that's what it's like for the Chinese who try "Chinese" food in Canada and discover Chop Suey, etc, for the first time.

#02 - Public Drinking is A-OK

You may be wondering why I chose this photo to convey that drinking in public is acceptable but look closely and you'll see why. That brown stoop/table thingy in the middle of the sidewalk is a familiar sight in Korea. It's a drinking platform and most corner stores and Ma 'n Pa pubs have one out front.

Imagine back home if you could walk into 711, buy a case of Molson Canadian, and then sit outside drinking it on a provided platform. Well, that's the reality over here. What's more, is that that even being completely gooned in public is ok. We see people (usually men) walking drunk through the streets practically every other day. It's just not a big deal over here. That's largely due to lax laws and the fact that Korean culture holds drinking very dearly.

My advice for anyone reading this is to never get into a drinking contest with a Korean. They can usually more than hold their own in such matters.

And finally...

#01 - Squatters have rights



You see little community-type gardens like this all over the place. Even in downtown areas or industrial hubs it's not uncommon to see small gardens between buildings.

I found out that it's because squatters have rights in Korea. If someone owns a plot of land but isn't using it for anything (ie building on it) then it's ok for someone to farm on it. In fact, not only is it ok but it appears that the landowner has no legal recourse to remove the person unless they begin building on the land. It's an interesting concept that has certainly added a lot of needed green space in Korea.

Anyway, there ya have it, eleven facts about Korea. Sure some were a little useless (the sink traps etc..) but don't you feel that much smarter knowing so much more about this great country?

It was kind of a long post but I figured I owed you guys something decent after the small number of posts lately.

Anyway,

Cheers

Shayne

Monday, March 12, 2007

It's a Beautiful Day in the Neighbourhood

Last Sunday was a beautiful sunny (if chilly) day, so Shayne and I thought we'd finally get off our butts and take some pictures of our neighbourhood. Grab a seat and get some popcorn, because this whirlwind tour's gonna change your life. ...But if it doesn't do that, it might at least keep you remotely interested for about 5 minutes of your day.


We begin our tour at our front door, looking up our driveway to the street (our's is the pink building on the left). Note the scooters on the right...one of the more popular ways of getting around Ulsan's narrow streets.

Now, I think it would get pretty boring showing you our neighbourhood frame-by-frame, so instead I'm going to show you what you would typically see walking around...

A typical house, with a typical Hyundai car (very typical actually...they barely drive anything else here in Ulsan).


A typical pile of melamine take-out dishes waiting to be picked up again (we thought this was a good alternative to styrofoam, although I doubt it would work in Canada.). You see these little piles everywhere.


A typical street (note the narrowness), with a lady wearing a typical face mask. The face masks deserve their own post one day.


A typical corner store. There's one on every corner...no, really. (Shayne's note - If only they sold slurpees....sweet sweet slurpees)


A typical fortune teller's shop, complete with welcoming swastikas. If you want to have your fortune told Korea's the place to be. There's probably five or six of these places in our small neighborhood alone.


A typical bus.

Okay...this is starting to get a little ridiculous. Anyways, on our walk-about we came across some other, maybe not so typical things too.


Like these little fellas. Yes, they were as soft and fluffy as they look. Shayne refused to pet them, as he fears that all unknown dogs are rabid. I'm willing to take my chances though. (Shayne's note - Can you blame me? Look at those things; they're one growl away from starring in the sequel to CUJO)


And here's another sight you see every once in a while: boys playing video games outside of a convenience store. They have plenty of arcades around town, but these mini-numbers seem to be popular too. Not quite sure what the other kid's doing. I should note that the "quarter" machines are only ten cents over here. It really is one of the many financial perks of living in Korea.


Up by the temple (see last July's blog entries), there's a well that many, many locals use for drinking water. Apparently it's clean (unlike tap water), and some think it has medicinal qualities. There's always a few cars parked here with their owners filling up water tanks.

On our walk, we also took the opportunity to go to parts hitherto unexplored. Namely, the science college up the hill from our neighbourhood.

(The street view.)


From appearances, you might think this was a prestigious university, but most people we've talked to consider this college second-rate. I think it looks better than most Canadian institutions, though.


Here's another shot of the "first classroom building". Looks like a courthouse or a legislature.


I've included this picture at the request of Shayne. Apparently it looks just like something at UBC-Okanagan.


One of the benefits of hiking all the way up to the college is the view from the top. Here's Dong-Gu, Ulsan in all of its glory. You can just make out the shipyard in the distance. Note the apartment buildings...there are many.



I thought it would be fitting to throw in a shot of our place at the end...just to draw the whole theme of the walking tour to a close. Our place is the fourth one up at the end. For all those who will never make it out for a visit to see all this first-hand, there you have it.

Until we meet again,
Jo

Monday, March 05, 2007

Paradise Found

Paradise [par-uh-dahys] noun: (1) a place of extreme beauty, delight, or happiness; (2) a state of supreme happiness; bliss; (3) seven days on Boracay Island.

Well, after three days of recovering from sunburns, coral wounds, and a few too many margaritas, we're finally ready to post about Boracay. Because this post includes almost 30 photos, we're going to keep it text-light, in the hope that the majority of you will make it to the end!

Two Fridays ago we boarded the midnight train to Georgia....err, I mean the midnight bus to Seoul (doesn't quite have the same ring to it, methinks), and a mere 15 hours later we were boarding this....

Half boat, half spider...all Filipino. The ferries between Panay and Boracay islands are like a catamaran's second counsin-twice removed. There's about 50 of them tangled at the Caticlan port at any given time, and they leave about every 5 minutes.

(View from the ferry, with Boracay in the distance.)


No this isn't a snapshot from the wild jungles of Africa...it's our hotel. We don't usually give free plugs, but if any of you ever make it to Boracay, we definitely recommend Dave's Straw Hat Inn. It's located on the quieter end of the beach, has a super-friendly staff, and it's surrounded by lush tropical gardens.


Boracay has a lot of lizards and we were lucky enough to have quite a few of them visit us. They eat flies and spiders and look pretty cute (which is a lot more than most house guests can claim).

But enough about the hotel and lizards - we know what you want to see. Ladies and gentlemen, without further ado, we bring you the white sand beaches of Boracay...

(It sure beats Ilsan Beachee.)


(This is where we spent the majority of our trip.)


(Another view up the beach. It stretches just over four kilometres.)


(Jo enjoying the swimming pool-clear water.)


("Beachfront Path" which is littered with dozens of restaurants, shops, and hundreds of vendors. This is a quieter section, though.)

After a few days of lazing on the beach, we were ready for some exciting activities. Thankfully, that feeling passed and we went horse-back riding instead.


It was Jo's first time on a horse, and as such they gave her a half-dead pony circa the 1980's. Not included in this photo is Jo's adolescent lead, who trotted (okay, let's face it, he strolled) alongside Old Smokey for the whole hour and a half. Good God, that horse was slower than a pair of Christian high school sweethearts.


Shayne, on the other hand, was given "Dirty Red", a bad mamajama if there ever was one. He outpaced Old Smokie by enough that the only view Jo ever had on the trip was Dirty Red's ass. (Shayne's note: if you're wondering why I'm wearing trackpants, it's because the stable owners made me, not because I've reverted back to the grade 10 me.)


Strangely enough, when we got to the top of Boracay's highest peak, we were greeted by monkeys. We can't tell what they're doing, but it looks like they're having fun doing it...especially the one on the bottom.


(A view of the island. That is all.)

Humans can't live on lounging and horse-back riding alone; they need boat cruises and snorkeling as well. And dammit, we weren't going to miss out on either. The next day we signed up for an all-day snorkeling cruise that took us all around the island.


(El Capitano holding on for dear life.)


(The happy couple. And in the front, the two of us. Mwa-wa-wa-waaaa.)


(One of the cuter vendors on the far end of the island. This pic cost us a fair few pesos, so you'd better enjoy it.)


(Filipino boys flipping off of our boat as we docked for lunch.)



(A photo of us enjoying our favourite evening pastime: drinking San Miguel and listening to local music.)

Of course, the problem with too many San Miguels is you wake up the next morning a few thousand pesos poorer and with one of these on your shoulder...


(Surprise Mom!)


That first cruise made us long for the open seas once more, and so we found ourselves a sexy boat captain with his very own sailboat (balangay) for hire.

(Kickin' back on the high seas: the captain and some other guy.)


(A beautiful photo that Jo managed to capture without dropping the camera overboard.)


(As testament to our budget cruise - and Shayne's manliness - he helped the captain push the boat back ashore after the trip.)


(Coming soon to a Corona ad near you.)

Well, the worst part about this trip was that it had to end. But at least we left in style....

(No doors, no windows, no seatbelts, no problem.)


(Rush hour in Boracay.)


(Shayne in the back of the taxi-trike, guarding our suitcase full of seashells. Good old Shayne.)


It's a bit out of sequence, but we couldn't think of a better image to leave you with. Here's the sunset on Boracay, taken by Shayne...


Cheers,
Shayne and Jo