25) Flower camouflage, gorgeous co-workers, legendary woman, r.p.s., and koala bears

Here a couple loose stories or little pieces of humor that I have seen in the last week or so. I don’t think any of them are strong enough to make an entry on their own, but together I think they are a good little cross section of one or two weeks in Korea.


One of my kindi students is extremely affectionate, and always wants to touch my hands, or be picked up, or during random times in the middle of class he will just come up and give me a hug (he did this today). I say thank you, but then have to ask him, “Sean, what the heck are you doing guy? Go back and sit down….and thanks for the hug!” The other day he comes up to me in class, and stands in front of me, and just looks at me. Then he gives me a hug, and looks at me again, and says “Teacher, I love you!” He has done this a couple times before, and the way he says it just makes my whole day good. On another occasion we colored camouflauge to make army uniforms in arts and crafts, and I helped him make his. When I came back over to his seat to check on his progress I noticed he flipped the shirt part of his uniform over to the blank side, and re-did the camo. It was now full of flowers and clouds and colored in red, blue, green, pink yellow and purple. When I asked him what he did, he just looked and smiled, and then jumped up and down a little bit in excitement.



I like most of my co-workers, and usually joke around with them. There is one co-worker, Irene, who I joke around with a lot at work. One time I wrote her an email, and signed it like this “-Kyle (you know, the really good looking one from work)” and when she replied she signed “Your gorgeous co-worker, Irene”. So the other day we where talking and I don’t know how we got on the topic, but that email got brought up, and she mentioned how she signed it. I told her, something to the affect of “Oh Irene, I think you are really confused at the meaning of “gorgeous” you seem to have it all wrong!” (it was a joke people, and it was understood as a joke). Her response to that was “How could you do this to me!” in this desperate voice that was trying to sound upset, but had trouble holding back the laughter. The whole thing was very funny, and I think that it brightened both of our days.

(picture taken from Billy's Blog (refer to links on the right))

I have been hearing the legends of how horrible the yells and screams of an angry Korean woman could be, but never saw or heard it first hand. So just the other day I am about to leave the building I work in, and I hear some pretty load yells- I hear this from inside the building. So when I step out, it is apparent what I was about to experience- a couple in which the woman is very, very upset. She was screaming at him like I have never heard before, and what’s more is she was about 6 inches from his ear, and what’s even more is that this is walking down the street, and it was pretty busy out. This scene passes right in front of me, and I am watching attentively, and trying to hold back the laughter that is now brewing up inside me. When I proceed to continue down the street, there is a group of school children walking my way (inadvertently following behind the scream scene). I made eye contact with one little boy, who was watching the whole thing from a safe distance, and he gives me a look that said something to the affect of “wow, I am a little bit scared, glad I’m not that guy!” And as I was looking at him I kinda shrugged my shoulders, and grinned- then we both started to laugh.

One day as I was walking up the stairs to my school, I saw two boys in the stairwell. One was about six stairs ahead of the other. As I got closer I realized they were playing a game. They were playing rock, paper scissors, and the winner got to go up to the next step. All of my students love to play rock, paper, scissors, and it can usually solve any type of problem in the classroom. If two kids get in an argument about something, and I have no idea what is going on, it is r,p,s and the argument is dropped, and both kids comply.

Lastly I got an unexpected surprise from one of my students today. When I walked in he clung to my lag, and informed me was a koala. I think he must have just learned about that animal. I thought it was pretty funny, and proceeded to go about getting everything ready for class with him still clinging to my leg. Then about one minute later, it occurred to every other kid in the class that Kyle teacher could be a jungle gym. I think all but two kids tried to make climb or hang on me. It was a great way to start a day!

24) Pictures Update

I have updated my blog of India photos. You can get to it by clicking on the "view my comlete profile" link on the right side of this screen. Then click on "People, Places, and Nature: India". There are some new pictures on there, but mostly the same shots as before. I think the format is much nicer though.

23) Right on cue

First a little background- Billy is the one person I am closest with in Korea. He used to work at the school I work at now, and we get along well, and share many of the same interests. Like me, his favorite age to teach is kindergarten, although at first look he may appear a bit intimidating (having some tattoos, and being solid built/ muscular). Basically not the type of person you would want to see really pissed off.

So we were sitting out in front of the Family Mart in his neighborhood the other evening, just talking and having some wine and snacks. We were talking about how sometimes it is necessary to raise your voice, or slam a desk, or just be pretty stern in certain business situations while here. I have never actually been able to picture him doing such a thing, because he is generally very laid back, and it just doesn’t seem to fit the personality I know of hi(especially taking into account how much little kids love him). So right as we are talking about this, some weirdo comes over and just stops at our table, and then proceeds to try to take some of our chips. Billy told him to leave, but the kid (maybe in his late teens) kept at it. I had no idea what was going on, and almost started to laugh. Billy having none of this got up, and told him in no gentle manor that he needed to leave. The kid not wanting to succumb to the wrath that is Billy wisely moved on. Right as he sits back down, a girl (maybe in her early teens) sitting further down (having not seen the incident) decided to work up the courage and come over and say “hi” to us. In the snap of a finger it was back to the gentle kindergarten teacher that I once new. We both started to laugh nearly immediately. It seemed as if the entire scene was scripted, and everyone was right on cue. Just one of those funny moments that Korea seems to be full of.

22) Central Park Pics

Central Park is a pretty great place to walk around, get some reading done, take a nap, or just chill.

21) Another bathhouse anecdote

Today I saw a “fight” in the locker room. A man who must have been in his mid to late sixties tried to choke one of the workers at the bathhouse. Not being able to understand Korean I had no idea what the dispute was about, but it went on for a while. It was broken up by a nude, middle-aged man. It was a bizarre, and fairly funny scene (I think the only real damage done was to peoples feelings- as I am sure the words they were yelling were not nice).

20) Breaking the peaceful monotony…

Sometimes there are some little things here that are absolutely hilarious… to me anyways. While enjoying myself at the baths today, a middle age man decides to break the peaceful monotony of no obnoxious noises, by making some obnoxious sounds.
In order to understand where I am trying to go with this, perhaps some history and info about me is needed at this point.

When I was in high school my closest friend, Willy, and I would do a lot of stupid stuff that we thought was funny. Looking back on it, a lot of it was experiments to see how people would react, and how far we could push things with people still thinking we were serious. Keeping a strait face was the name of the game in these things, and we were good (Will better than I- he could keep a strait and serious face no matter what). One of the things Will was best at was pushing the limits of where and when he could be naked. We would go to a health club by our house, and he would do everything he could naked, like brush his teeth, weigh himself, or just stand in front of the mirror and watch the people behind him. This is actually quite normal to see and do in the bath houses here, but in the health club we went to, it was very much out of the ordinary, as most everyone would quickly change in the corner, and be covered as fast as possible. You would occasionally get the old man who wouldn’t wear a swimsuit in the hot tub, but that was about it. Will was also a master at making regular things, such as a sneeze or cough completely obnoxious, and he could place it at a perfectly inappropriate time (any readers who know Willy know exactly what I mean- I hope).

So while I was at the baths today, and this guy starts making these weird, very loud grunting sounds (not an attempt to clear his throat, but just vocalizations), all the comedy of my past with Will comes up in my mind, and I just started laughing. This wasn’t the first time I heard this kind of thing, it is actually fairly common, and I usually laugh to myself, or break a smile. But today, just thinking about how much fun Will would have in this bath house (by himself, or with a friend) just put me over the edge, and I couldn’t stop laughing. The weird thing is, no one else in the entire bathhouse even turns their head- and it was loud enough that every person, and probably even those in the locker room could hear. But some of the stuff that I see and hear here, particularly in the bathhouses are some of the same things Willy and I did for comedic purposes back home. I think that I may need to start running some experiments here, just for old time sake, and to catch some reactions.

19) "I don't know how to put this, but I am kind of a big deal"

OK, I know this is a lot in the last few days, but I had to get this one on here too. Today I was just thinking about the differences between here and Japan, mostly in the context of how open and friendly the people are. I was in Central Park today, just reading, and taking pictures, and basically just hanging out by myself. And I pretty much knew that if I was in Japan I would have met half a dozen cool people to talk to.

When I was on my way back from Bundang, when I got off the bus in Suji, a lady came running up behind me and tapped me on the shoulder. I could tell she was a little nervous talking to me. She wanted to know if I would be interested in meeting some of her students. I was pretty confused as to what was going on, but it turns out she is a piano teacher, and she once talked to a white guy in Dunkin Donuts when she was with her students (because they were daring each other to talk to him). And when she did, they students freaked out. So she wanted me to come up and meet her students, because she said they would be shocked. So I said I would, not having anything else to do tonight. So we got up to her apartment, and talked for a little bit, and waited for the students to show up. It turns out her plan was to have me wait behind the sliding door in her room, and come out and surprise the kids when they got there. So this was a bit different than the meeting I had in mind, but I thought it was funny. So when the moment finally comes, and she slides the door and girls catch a glimpse of me they completely freak out. I actually felt kinda bad, I thought one girl was going to cry.

The girls are 16 and 19, and the teacher, Sarah is 36 (but Korean ages are a little different, I think they are actually 15 and 18 by our standards). So eventually we went to Dunkin Donuts and sat and talked (and man were they nervous/ shy- they couldnÂ’t even look me in the eye most of the time, and very afraid to speak English and risk messing up). They invited me to their piano concert in Seoul, sometime in September, and when I said I would try to make it, they were so happy, and honored. Then, before we left, they asked me I liked donuts, and I said yes, but I try not to eat them because I have a horrible sweet tooth, and shouldnÂ’t eat so much of that food. And as we left they surprised me with a bag full of donuts, for breakfast tomorrow. As we parted ways I could hear the two girls running off screaming. Sarah said they wouldn't be able to sleep tonight. So I don't know how to put this, but.....
(actually I was almost as embarrassed as them- the only other time things approached this was in India)

18) Japan Part IV: in photos (continued)

17) Japan Part III: in photos

16) Japan Part II: the beauty of this land

One of the first things that really struck me when I got in Japan was what many of the woman around my age were wearing; absolutely beautiful kimonos (which are a type of traditional dress). I would see these women looking just stunning, walking all over the city. I thought to myself that I was going to be able to get some great pictures of this, as there was such a beautiful contrast between the ancient and traditions, and the fashions and technology that Japan is right on the cutting edge of. So I planned to get pictures the next day, after having some time to formulate what I wanted to go for in these pictures. It turns out that this was a one-day thing, because of some sort of summer festival. What I was planning on trying to show in the pictures was the contrast between the modern and the traditions, but also how it works, and is common in Japan. One golden missed opportunity was a couple on the beach, at sunset. The guy was wearing typical American hip-hop type clothing, and his girl friend was dressed in a beautiful flower kimono with her hair all done up. I only really got one shot worth posting, although I am not very satisfied with it.


Fukuoka has all sorts of beautiful temples and shrines scattered throughout the city. They stand shoulder to shoulder with modern buildings, and have seen as much as 1,249 years of change go by. I saw as many of these beautiful buildings and statues and shrines and graves and gardens as possible. I was never disappointed by what I saw, or learned.




These first four are from the Kashida Shrine, constructed in 757.




When I finally got to the zoo and botanical gardens I was happy I was there, and felt it was worth the hour-long journey the previous day (only to find that it was closed) and the expensive taxi ride back. These gardens boasted the biggest greenhouse in Asia, and had beautiful rooms full of just orchids.

15) Japan Part I: the people

I have been thinking for a while on how to go about posting about Japan. I think the only way is to split it up into at least two posts. This one will be mostly about what I loved the most about Japan, the people.

I have had a couple friends from Japan at school, and I still keep in touch with one of them (Hiro, pictured below). Even knowing them could not have prepared me for how awesome the people as a whole would be there (not meaning that my friends were not awesome- they are, but they were a foreigner in my country, and I can only hope now, that I showed them a fraction of the kindness that I was shown in their country).


Every day in Japan I met at least a couple people that would have made my whole week great in ordinary circumstances. So every day I was there was really great. There were a couple of people that really stick out in my mind right now for various reasons, and their stories will be in the coming paragraphs.

I met a chick from the US while getting my visa, and I had mentioned that I wanted to go to a big market that I saw on the map. She said she was down with going, so we walked around for like 2 hours trying to find this place- and eventually she got tired and bailed out. So when I finally got there, I realized it was not what I had in my mind at all, and not open to the public. So as this was being explained to my by a security guard, 3 people come over and try to help me out, as the spoke good English. Moriko and her friend (who I have forgotten the name of) are from Japan, and their friend Harry is Korean. So they were showing Harry around Japan, and about to get some food when they ran into me. So they invited me to go with them to a restaurant where a certain type of ramen was developed. It was very good. Then they took me shopping, and out for coffee, and eventually back to the subway station. The whole time they were just as happy as I was to have met them, and be able to hang out with them. They really showed me a great time, and we hung out most of that day.



The next day while at the beach trying to get some pictures of the sunset, I met a group of 15 year old boys. I knew right away that they were going to want to talk to me. As I started to approach where they were, I could see them quickly turn and talk to each other, then when I walked by, one of them said “hi, how are you?”, the phrase they had just discussed and decided was best. So is stayed and talked to them about all sorts of stuff. One topic they were particularly interested was woman in the US, and I told them that they had it pretty darn good here in Japan- which is true for those of you who have not been there. One of the highlights of this meeting was the video that they showed me of one of the kids there trying to do a flip over a hand rail, and stalling out in mid-air, and landing with the rail right across mid back- the video was great quality, and on one of the kids phone. As we left the beach that evening we saw the last on of them jumping off of the highway bridge into water 30 feet below. A group of adults were watching and cheering as they jumped in. When they saw me leaning over they all shouted “see ya!” a phrase I told them was better than good bye just a couple minutes earlier.


On another occasion I asked some kids about the same age which way it was to the zoo and botanical gardens. They conferred with each other for a minute, and eventually just said, “follow me”. It turned out to be about an hour out of the way, and they took me all the way there. They were in track, so we talked about that for a while. It was two boys, and a girl, but the girl was too shy to talk to me. Along they way I saw that she was shooting video on her phone of me walking with her friends. When we finally got there I had to almost force them to accept something to drink- I had tried earlier, but they just wouldn’t accept anything, and insisted that it was their pleasure to have taken me.

One day I was at a museum, and looking at a big city map they had there, when one of the workers started up a conversation. Eventually it got on the topic of temples and shrines in the city. Eventually she talked to her co-worker, and just said, “lets go!” I thought she was just going to show me which way to go, but instead she took me on a 45 minute tour of local temples and shrines. We talked about all sorts of stuff, and she told me about local history aswell.

The last guy I have to mention I met in a mall at the store he was working at. It is funny to see how happy people get when you visit their store (and also how much they will go out of their way for the customer- both foreign and Japanese). So eventually I started to talk to this guy, and I hung out there for a while, just talking, and laughing. I told him I wanted to get a shirt, but had to buy a gift first, and then I will spend the left over money in his store (which was about 20 dollars). So I got the gift (met more people along that side trip) and came back. When he got back from lunch he was overjoyed to see me again. He helped me pick out a shirt, and then we just talked and laughed some more. He was an awesome guy, and didn’t want me to forget about him, I said I would write about him, and tell my friends and family. He was very happy to hear that.