The Inaugural: In The (Korean) News

I stayed up until about 3 AM last night, that's 1 PM or so EST, to watch the Inauguration on CNN. Well, to be perfectly honest, mainly I wanted to hear the phrase former President George W Bush. Mission Accomplished [smirk].

I have three theories about Dick Cheney in the wheelchair:
1) Yes, he injured his back moving boxes--but they were full of official documents he is taking to an undisclosed location;
2) He couldn't stand the idea of rising when these America-hating Democrats took their oaths--the only thing he wanted to lift was his middle finger;
3) He just hates trying to find a parking spot near The Mall.

The Korean media coverage of the Obama Inaugural was ... interesting. The Korea Herald simply provided the prepared text of the speech along with the first in what promises to be a series of analysis features on what his presidency will mean to Korea and the wider world. The feature is adorned with this peculiar montage image:


At least the Herald provides the text of the speech. The English version of Dong-A Ilbo does a piecemeal analysis under the headline Obama's Presidency Sets Sail in which the they apparently did a double-Babelfish: translation into Korean, then translating the resulting text back into English. The "quotes" produced simply do not appear in the text of the speech:

Obama said, “I will renew U.S. leadership through integrated power combining close relations with allies and diplomatic and military power.” ...
"We have a tougher time ahead of us, but we can definitely overcome it. Let us promise a new America by both the government and people doing all their responsibilities.”

Weird. The article ends with following incorrect factoid: "His administration has the highest approval rating in U.S. history of 78 percent."

The Korea Times' coverage is even stranger: the headline of their online story is: "Can Lee Become Great Persuader Like Obama?" While on the one hand praising Obama for condemning authoritarian governments that silence dissent, writer Choi Yearn-hong excoriates Korean citizens like Minerva (a blogger arrested for spreading rumors) and opposition lawmakers (who have shown their collective ass in recent legislative, um, maneuvers), for "irresponsible citizenship."

Choi argues that presidential power is "based on persuasive power. ... Obama has it. Not many presidents do." Out of order, he previously asked: "Could Lee become as persuasive as Obama? If Lee lacks his skill and power, let us help him acquire and wield such persuasive power."

Okay. But let us also call him to account when he doesn't persuade us. If *we* had done that in 2004, perhaps the world would be in a different place. A happy place. With licorice rainbows, and marshmallow teddy bears, and the Geneva Conventions.

Bonus Photograph: Cheonggye Stream. One of Lee Myung-bak's controversial projects when he was mayor of Seoul, this reconstructed canal is a popular landmark today.

Street Scenes II

Well, since I doubt I'll be able to stay awake until the Inaugural, I figured to upload a few pics for the benefit of all my stateside friends, to entertain you until our long national nightmare is over--again.

First up, a cuddly pic of a boy and his dog on the subway. Absolutely brilliant. No greater chick magnet than a cute puppy dog--several girls sort of maneuvered their way toward this young man, and even toward me, as the puppy climbed over the girl between us to lick my face and perform other affectionate puppy-type acts. Small children and animals have always found me irresistible, what can I say?


Next, a collection of crap for sale on the sidewalk, I think this is in Sillim, but I couldn't swear to it--people eke out a living, or don't, depending on the nexus of price point and popularity. Still, with a vacuum cleaner, a coffee maker and accordion within a three foot radius, it deserves credit for something.


Crazy Burger has taken the place of Grilwich, "The Best of Friend!", and I was not entirely impressed by the burger or its craziness. The fries, however, were excellent. Now, when you sound out the hangeul in the sign, what it literally says is this: kuh-rey-ee-gee baw-gaw.


The Crazy Burger shop is located under the pedestrian bridge about a block east of my school on the main road; sometimes I use this overpass to go to the market or the Family Mart. I used my cell phone to snap a shot of the view from this bridge (actually, I think all the pics in this post were taken with my cell phone):

Koreans, Calcutta and Curry

Three days to go until winter camp ends. But, I really shouldn't complain: I got paid to play Pictionary all morning long! And once they understood the concept, it went well. Our starting theme was cities of the world.

I learned today that the Korean word for fly (the nasty, disease-spreading insect) is pronounced par-ee. The No. 1 bakery chain here is called Paris Baguette, pronounced in the French fashion, i.e., par-ee bag-et. I am surprised at its popularity, considering this association.

Below is a photo of the Pictionary clue of the day, "Car Report". Can you guess what world city it represents? No? Hover your mouse on the picture to find out!


What's that you say? It's not a city? Yeah, I know. But that's like Objection #5 on my list. Strangely enough, another student guessed it right. Pretty quickly.

This was in 4th period, the advanced class. I did Calcutta at one point, but no one guessed it--not because of my artwork, but because none of them had ever heard of it. Calcutta (or Kolkata. Whatever.) is India's second-largest city with 15 million people.

Curiously, we had curry for lunch. Koreans love curry.

Lunch With the Smart Kids

First, allow me to gripe about lunch. But let me preface my remarks with the note that this is winter camp, and perhaps things will change once we enter full-blown school mode in March. The new food service blows. Chunks.

Apparently, there were complaints about the old food service, but they didn't come from me. They always had fish plus another meat, three or four veg, and usually something like desert--a banana, orange, yogurt drink, etc. Okay, strawberry jam and cheese sandwiches are weird, but I'm just a sojourner here.

And rice and kimchi. Of course. The new company--Dongwon, the folks who recently acquired Starkist--is similar, except for the part about "another meat." Today they had little odeng squares in hot sauce (odeng is, as Andy puts it, "fish SPAM") and what was announced on the menu as "breaded fried shrimp." It turned out to be a 2" X 4" flat patty which may have had mechanically separated shrimp and shrimp by-products in it somewhere, but it was so drenched in the sweet, liquidy catsup they use here that you would never know.

Additionally, and totally needlessly, they have changed the tray/utensil disposal procedure so that you can actually see the slop bucket into which you empty your leftovers. Not a very pleasant way to end your meal.

During the school year, students eat in their primary classrooms, and there is a system of carts and trays to get get the food onto each hall. But during camp, everyone is eating in the faculty lunchroom. And the lunch ladies determine portions. They don't seem to understand I may want extra of one thing, and/or not very much of something else. They're very sweet, but English isn't a requirement for their rating.

I swear I was going to limit my rant to two paragraphs. Sorry.

Moving on. One day last week, I sat across from young Mr Shin, who is the best English speaker in the school--except for Miss Cho. He is a student in the 4th period class. He was joined by a couple of his friends, who also speak well, and are very smart besides. We actually talked without the usual annoying questions about my age, etc--like about the news, American football, things to do in Seoul, the food. After that first lunch, one of the boys said to me, "Please, will you sit with us every time?" Touching, no?

Smart as they are, they are Korean, nonetheless. We had the following exchange on another day:
Che: Mr Oh [Korean teacher, who I've been out for drinks with a couple of times] tells us you are good at drinking maek-chu. You can drink all the beer.
Me: He said that?
Shin: I am not sure he said that.
Me: Well, maybe Mr Oh or someone will ask me, 'How much beer can you drink?' And I will answer them, 'How much do you have?'
All: Ooohh!
Me: Then I will say, 'However much you have, I will drink half!'
All: Aahhh!
Che: You are a real man!

Bonus Photograph: Standing in the lunch line today, I saw this slogan on the back of an Adidas jacket. Well, it makes as much sense as "ask Enquired" anyway (which is also a common jacket logo). And no, I didn't ask. Nor did I enquired.

DPRK Bares Its Claws

Apparently feeling more vulnerable and threatened than ever, backed into a corner by its own failed policies, North Korea has announced it is adopting an "all-out confrontational posture" with the South.

Since shooting unarmed middle-aged women in the back isn't quite aggressive enough, a Pyongyang army spokesman appeared on the television news to say:

Now that traitor Lee Myung Bak and his group opted for confrontation, denying national reconciliation and cooperation, backed by foreign forces, our revolutionary armed forces are compelled to take an all-out confrontational posture to shatter them.

This according to a Reuters wire report. Also yesterday, the New York Times carried a story that an American scholar familiar with DPRK nuclear proliferation issues has been told by officials there that had enough "weaponized" plutonium for roughly four to five nuclear bombs. However, as the article points out, understanding NK's sabre-rattling pronouncements is often complicated.

First, they often talk extra-tough just when the US and the South are nearing agreement on any kind of military-sharing or trade deal, hoping to throw a wrench in the works. Second, they're a bunch of big, fat liars. Also, affairs are particularly complicated at this juncture due to international questions about the health of Dear Leader, Kim Jung Il, who has not verifiably been seen in public for at least six months.

The scholar, Selig S Harrison, indicated that NK claims to have weaponized some 31 kg of what is thought to be a 37 kg stash of plutonium. Despite that, he said officials seemed open to the idea of talks with the incoming US administration. “All the statements about Obama were very helpful, very respectful,” he said.

It is worth remembering that when the current administration took office eight years ago, Kim's forces had ZERO kilograms of weaponized plutonium and the six-party talks were, if not productive, at least on-going. After over six years of the failure of Bush's "cowboy" diplomacy, he caved badly in a desperate attempt to salvage at least one foreign policy victory for his presidency. The US removed NK from its terrorist list on the promise that they would stop their weaponization program. Fat chance, as almost anyone could have told them--and as most experts did.

“We can live without normalizing ties with the United States, but we cannot live without a nuclear deterrent,” a spokesman for North Korea’s Foreign Ministry told its official news agency, KCNA, earlier in the week. Further, Xianhua News carried this report on Friday:

The United States is to blame for the deadlock in the six-party talks aimed at dismantling nuclear facilities on the Korean peninsula, an official daily newspaper of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) said Friday.
U.S. hardliners wielded a "big stick" against the DPRK, making bilateral relations "extremely tense," a commentary carried by the official Rodong Sinmun said.
The United States was preparing for an invasion of the DPRK behind the scenes of the dialogue, it alleged.
The latest round of the six-party talks ended earlier this month without a deal on nuclear verification, as the DPRK and the United States differed over related issues.

While it's clearly specious to blame the US for North Korea's aggressiveness, our foreign policy (or what has passed for foreign policy) in this decade hasn't helped matters. Try pointing out to the North Koreans that the US simply doesn't use military force to enact regime change. Or the US doesn't attack sovereign countries without iron-clad proof that they first attacked the US or have plans to do so in the very near future.

See what I mean?

A Freshly Fallen, Silent Shroud of Snow

Well, it was beginning to snow as I walked to work this morning, and it came down in flurries for most of the morning. As dismissal time neared, it slowed and stopped.

I took some pics with my cellphone, not because I think you don't know what snow looks like, dear reader, though if you live in Georgia, it's easy to forget. Here are some snow-coated shots of the area around my school.

Here is a view of the schoolyard from the second floor hallway of the main building:


The view from the window of my first period classroom:


... and my third period classroom:


The sidewalk as I'm walking toward Deungchon Market on my break:

[Insert Sarah Palin Joke Here]

Curiously, after pointing out variously the decline in my attendance rates, numbers were back up today, especially in 3rd period, which had 12, as compared to two. Remember, today's lesson is survival after a plane crash in the Alaska wilderness. Student groups are given a list of items they may use, from which they must select a certain number, and explain their reasoning. As I expected, there was little discussion in English within the groups (okay, virtually none). But after the relative success of the poetry thing the other day, I was disappointed with the failure of logic in their group decision-making.

Only about one group per class would survive more than a day or two in the wintry Alaskan wilderness. First of all, a few groups opted to bring along the cans of food, but not the can opener. All the groups brought the pistol, but many of them only for protection, with no mention of food procurement. Many also chose to bring the compass, virtually useless since they have no map and no idea where they are. But here's the kicker: virtually everyone would carry matches, but very few saw the value of bringing the Russian dictionary or the Sumo Magazine. Do you, dear reader?

Well, picture the scene: it's approaching darkness, you've constructed a shelter of the airline blankets and/or parachute, shot and dressed a hare, and gathered wood from the snow-covered wilderness surrounding you. I submit that you will find it well-nigh impossible to consistently catch light to wet wood and kindling with just a match or three. A crumpled piece of paper, however, could easily make a difference in this regard.

Not to belabor the point (too late, I realize) but these are sixteen or seventeen year old boys--if they don't know how to build a fire, it's high time they learned. Happily, no group would opt to carry the CD player, though they got a smile out of the visual image I presented of electric sockets conveniently located in trees and rocks. These are city boys, and I've been dealing with country boys my whole career--who, BTW, would bring along the paperwork even if the storyline was a nice spring day in semi-rural Georgia. For the latrine.

Bonus Photograph: Asian headquarters of asics, I cross the street at the traffic light then turn right just past this building on my way home.

Hump Day!

Yesterday was hump day, in reference to Winter Camp, meaning it was day 10 of the nineteen day camp. But who's counting?

Incidentally, you can head over to Literaryhero and Friends to find out how I celebrated.

Class attendance has been a real problem--not mine, the students'. Though it varies by class, attendance rates have declined as the days have passed, until now it's under 50%. For the last two days, my 3rd period--with 23 on the roll--has had two students. One Mr Yoon, who hardly ever speaks but writes quite well, has perfect attendance.

I've been doing a variety of activities, from games to vocabulary building to poetry-writing. Yes, poetry-writing. I used this activity yesterday: http://bogglesworldesl.com/ files/ BewareTheHumans1.jpg and it was surprisingly successful. I first read a few other of Prelutsky's poems (I am familiar with him, as he did a seminar at Heritage one time) then gave them the handout. We broke down the poem until they understood it well, and then moved on to discussing how humans are dangerous to crocodiles, and the environment in general.

I was impressed overall, and particularly with the work of a few students, who actually managed to get rhythm and rhyme. I wrote my own poem, which turned out pretty damn good, if I say so myself. In fact, I thought about typing up the best examples here on the blog, but that started to seem too much like actual work.

Tomorrow we'll play the plane crash game, where they pretend to have survived a crash in the middle of the frozen tundra. I give them a list of items and they have to work with their fellow survivors (in English, of course, he adds hopefully) to decide which eight objects to carry with them. Then they have to explain WHY. We'll see, eh?

Bonus Photograph: A package of rolls from Kirin Bakery.

The Lonesome Death of Billy Zanzinger

In case you missed it, William Devereaux Zantzinger died last week at the age of 69. According to his obit in the Washington Post:

"He's a regular old Southern Maryland boy," his friend Mike Sprague, then a delegate to the Maryland legislature, told The Washington Post in 1991. "Nicest guy you'd ever want to meet." The Rev. Arnold Taylor, Mr. Zantzinger's pastor at the time, told the newspaper, "Socially, he's a hale fellow well met."

Baltimore hotel barmaid Hattie Carroll would beg to differ. That is, if she were alive to do so; in a drunken stupor, he bludgeoned her with a cane when she was slow to fetch him a drink, back on Feb. 8, 1963--she died eight hours later.

Zantzinger was a wealthy (white) tobacco farmer from a socially prominent family, who was found guilty of manslaughter in the death of the 51-year-old mother of ten, but released during sentencing to harvest his tobacco crop. He was given a six-month prison term for taking her life.

Bob Dylan recorded "The Lonesome Death of Hattie Carroll" on the seminal The Times they Are A-Changin' LP. ObligatoryDisclosureInTheInterestOfHonesty: it's near the end of the B-side, so I've heard it about one-thousandth the number of times I ever listened to the title track or "The Ballad of Hollis Brown". But I always knew it was a true story, because you don't use that many weak rhymes if you're making it up.

In the courtroom of honor, the judge pounded his gavel
To show that all's equal and that the courts are on the level
And that the strings in the books ain't pulled and persuaded
And that even the nobles get properly handled
Once that the cops have chased after and caught 'em
And that the ladder of law has no top and no bottom,
Stared at the person who killed for no reason
Who just happened to be feelin' that way without warnin'.
And he spoke through his cloak, most deep and distinguished,
And handed out strongly, for penalty and repentance,
William Zanzinger with a six-month sentence.
Oh, but you who philosophize disgrace and criticize all fears,
Bury the rag deep in your face
For now's the time for your tears.

Now you might think from the kind words I've quoted up above, including from a minister, no less, that he lived an exemplary life after his release, but Zantzinger had still more sordidness and squalor in his soul. He eventually became a realtor.

But wait, it gets worse. (Only kidding, I'm just joshing my realtor friends--so stop reading this blog and sell my house!) Seriously, in addition to being a killer and a racist (he famously said during the trial, "Hell, you wouldn't want to go to school with Negroes any more than you would with French people"), he was a slumlord who lost his squalid shacks to the county due to tax arrears, but continued to collect rent on them for years and even hid the revenue stream they provided during his divorce from the mother of his children.

But you who philosophize disgrace and criticize all fears,
Take the rag away from your face.
Now ain't the time for your tears.

Seodaemun Prison

Not long after the turn of the last century, the Japanese Empire invaded and occupied the Korean peninsula. Although many Koreans shared Japanese ancestry, the invaders were less than surprised to find there was considerable resistance to their presence. It became not just expedient, but necessary, for the occupying force to treat the resistance as if it were a criminal popuation, rather than a political faction.

So the Gyeongseong Gamok was built in 1908, adding 500 cells to a penal infrastructure that consisted of only 300 cells across the whole country. Here, the Japanese colonization forces which ruled Korea from 1910 to 1945 used "enhanced interrogation techniques" on members of the resistance movement. Often, the cruel treatment of prisoners (usally referred to on the interpretive plaques as "patriotic ancestors") only strenghtened their resolve and recruited new members to the cause.

I took a trip to see it, now called Seodaemun Prison History Hall, on Saturday afternoon, planning to meet up with a couple of friends. This is the remaining watchtower and part of the perimeter wall, located at the main entrance. Built in 1923, it originally had a length of 1,161 m, but today only 287 m remains. Designed for 500, it held over 3000 at the height of the resistance movement.


Here is the main building; in the background, you can see apartments and the peak of Inwangsan. The main dioramas and displays are in this building.


Many of the facilities are currently receiving a facelift:


Below are some artifacts, shackles on the left, face masks, warder's batons and ID papers on the right.


Here are two mock-up solitary cells--one with a mannekin, the other available for photo ops by visitors. Below that are full-size mock-ups depicting water torture and brutal beating, in the rooms where they actually occured:





Some of the dioramas are animated, and include sound. Watch carefully, and you can see the bamboo shoots being shoved under the victims fingernails.
WARNING: incredibly squeamish persons might find this video mildly unsettling.

Below are photos from Prison Building No. 12, depicting detention cells.





There is a mock execution room, where you can sit on a wooden stool facing your judges and listen while they sentence you to death. Then, the stool drops about three inches and you scream. At least, this small boy did:


This is the entrance to the execution building; some 400 independence fighters were killed or otherwise died at Seodaemun. Photos were not permitted inside.


This is a cave with a secret exit which was used to carry corpses after execution to the public cemetery outside the prison.

Minerva: In the News

Minerva, Roman goddess who invented music, and was the patron of warriors, poetry, wisdom, crafts and commerce, has been big in the news here lately. Well, not that Minerva, actually, but a Korean blogger using that avatar.

It seems Minerva has been predicting--with great success--turmoil in the world economic markets. He predicted the bankruptcy of Lehman Bros., the collapse of the Korean stock market and the sharp devaluation of the won against foreign currencies.

So, they shot the messenger. Too bad they couldn’t do the same to the guy who updates the stock market numbers, which continue to sink like a lead balloon.
The Seoul Central Prosecutors’ Office has sought an arrest warrant for a 30-year-old man identified as Park, who confessed of being the real person behind famed Internet pundit, "Minerva," on charges of spreading "groundless" allegations about the country’s ailing economy.
Law enforcement officers are eager to punish Park, who they’ve searched for months, claiming that he deliberately created confusion in financial markets by distorting facts.
However, critics argue that Park’s detainment is the latest example of the government’s inability to handle online criticism properly, with authorities going overboard in efforts to abate the rabble in cyberspace.

The above is the opening of a Korea Times article written by Kim Tong-hyung, which points out the larger context of the arrest, unlike other stories, say, in the JoongAng Daily or Dong-A Ilbo.

The administration of Lee Myung-bak has been hammered by bloggers since its earliest days, first about the beef import situation, then about falling behind the economic curve as it failed to act decisively at the beginning of the downturn.

Further, bloggers and other online commenters have been blamed for at least contributing to a pair of high-profile celebrity suicides here. The government spearheaded an online courtesy educational initiative, a report on which is today's contribution on the Minerva affair from the Korea Herald.

Minerva gave prosecutors an opening on Dec. 29 when he posted a story that the government sent a memo to seven major banks and export companies urging them to cease purchasing US dollars beginning at 2:30 PM that day. Turns out, he had gotten bad information; the false story amounts to “spreading false rumors with an intention to harm the public” - a violation of telecommunications law, according to prosecutors. A jail term of up to five years or a fine of up to 50 million won is the punishment. Ouch.

Note to fellow bloggers: In our haste to scoop on the latest new restaurant find, or the infighting between the Geeky and Really Geeky factions of our second period class, or the newest political machinations of Dumpy Co-teacher, let us remember the moral of the story--Minerva is a sissy Internet nickname for a dude.

The Sad King and Other Stories

I've been feeling a little under the weather lately--low-grade fever, touch of bronchitis: a cold. Not bad enough to stay home, but enough to make me sleep for four or five hours when I get home. Fortunately, we're only working half-days during camp. And tonight I woke up tonight feeling much better, so I'm blogging at you from Chicken Mania with a cold ... beer.

About a block from school, a Hansot diner has opened up, which sells snacks and meals--with meat in them!--for cheap. So add it to the bakery, the Toast shop and kimbap nara as snack shacks. I thoughtfully photographed for you, dear readers, the lunch I picked up today: rice, hamburger, two small pieces of chicken, pork cutlet, spoonful of macaroni salad, pickled radish slices, kimchi, sauce, noodles (hidden under the meat), disposable wooden chakarak--all that for 3,000 W!


Camp is going okay. Today, I had each class draw their desks into a circle and played some circle games. To warm up:
1) 1st person names a country; second person must name a country whose first letter is the last letter of previous one; etc. Keep going until it's played out. Repeat with animals, movie stars, whatever you like.
2) "I'm fine. How are you?" Same idea except each player must think of a new adjective to describe himself/his mood. The best one was, "I'm refined." The most honest was, "I'm sleepy." All this is leading up to:
3) Story Circle: I start with a sentence that begins a story, e.g., "Once upon a time, there lived a king in a large castle who had a large kingdom with many subjects ... but he was very sad." Or, "The small boy hid shivering under the covers as the wind whistled outside his bedroom window." Each player must add a new sentence to the story. But not a sentence that could be a logical ending. As the leader, you have to be willing to step in and point out when a new line contradicts what has been established (in other words, the student was not listening or processing the information).

Now, the "advanced class" excelled at this. The King had a contest to find a wife, and the tale was humming along until one kid decided that the beautiful woman who won the contest was really a man. I mean, where do you go from there? Well, the next guy had to make him into a burglar with designs on the king's fortune, but it went downhill. Then the bell rang.

On the tube right now, here in the hof, is the Korean version of The Gong Show. Only there's no gong. And not much show.

Stay Away From The Cans!

I'm as excited as Navin R. Johnson when the new phonebook arrived.

I came home from school, recounted the 54,500 W I had set aside, and waited for the doorbell to ring. Which it did, 45 minutes early. Fine. The guy said, yook man, oh chun won, 65,000 W. Not fine. I had spent about my last few bills at the bakery getting a snack, and could scrounge up 61,000.

The guy started folding up the paperwork as I called Hwang. "Tell the guy I'm gonna run down to the cash machine." I put them on together, but he walked down the hall to the elevator with my jacket, growling into my phone. I followed him, watching it slip through my fingers for want of a few thousand won.

Yeah, I know that sounds like a lot, but it's around three bucks. I ran to the cash machine in the Family Mart in my building, but it wouldn't read my card. I cursed, loud and long. Not to worry, though, it's not like anyone can understand a word I was saying. Well, not the words, anyway.

I have mentioned how great my location is before. Two doors down is a bank, where I had no card troubles; but by the time I get back, the little man, his motorcycle, and my box, are gone. But Hwang has appeared. He assures me he'll be right back. Meanwhile I realize I'm standing in the breezeway in a pair of shorts and undershirt.

Don't care, I'm not budging until he gets back with my stuff. Which he finally does. And so the saga of the heavy coat and the Korean postal service finally comes to an end.

Look on the Bright Side

TB assured me on Skype that my warm coat will soon arrive (my current one--the blue and white Adidas--is okay, but really doesn't get the job done for single digit Fahrenheit weather and below), that winter camp will soon be over, my house will sell (or if it doesn't--so what, it's only money), and that Beijing beckons. Or similar sentiments.

Not that I was feeling down, really, but it does get frustrating--Life, I mean, with a capital L. I am aware that some Korea blogs are relentlessly negative, a few are annoyingly positive. Frankly, both are in my Blogroll. I hope to chart a course between Scylla and Charybdis, recognizing the bad things about living here, but also aware that "things" aren't perfect anywhere one may live.

If I have to choose (and I do have to choose), I would rather err in seeing the bright side, by noting humorous miscommunications rather than droning on about office politics, by picking up cultural foibles rather than human failings, by observing our common proclivities rather than our ingrained prejudices. Like that time the Beverly Hillbillies set up their own company, I'm with Granny--she changed a V to an N with the stroke of a marker to become Nice-President instead of Vice-President!

Tuttle News Update

So, let's see, what's been going on around here? Well ...
1) Three days of winter camp down, only sixteen to go! Today we played "Twenty Questions" and the "advanced class" really sucked! Tomorrow we're playing "Who Am I?" where I will put names on the back on PostIt notes and they have to ask Y/N questions of random classmates to figure out who they are. I'm guessing Aristarchus of Samos will be the ball-buster ...

2) Still no winter coat. Hwang assured me it was to be delivered Monday afternoon, but when I got home circa 1 PM on Saturday, there was a sticker on my door that a delivery attempt had already been made. So, he called the number on the notice this morning, and was assured it will come tomorrow between 4 and 5. Imagine my chagrin when I got home today and found a second delivery attempt had been made this morning.

The Korean postal service: what it lacks in inefficiency, it makes up in miscommunication.

3) Korean politics is even crazier than usual, as a sit-in by the loyal opposition has reached epic proportions. Of what, I can't say. The ruling GNP (Grand National Party) of Lee Myung-bak wants to push through about 80 bills that formed much of their platform in the last election, including the FTA with the US that sparked the beef protests this summer.


Dozens of lawmakers have been arrested and numerous skirmishes and melees have marred attempts to reach compromise. There were rumors today of an agreement to end the unpleasantness, but we're not holding our breath. Other issues include massive tax breaks for the wealthy, relaxing antitrust laws for news conglomerates and privatizing the Korean trade bank.

4) Relocating US military units from Yongsan base in central Seoul may be postponed from 2014 to 2016, apparently on US concerns over costs. This could throw a wrench into the works of President Lee's plan to build 5 million homes in Seoul over the next ten years, as at least some of the real estate in that plan was to be in what is presently Yongsan. Remember, South Korea is still technically at war. With the North.

5) There is no number five.

6) Young Koreans place a high priority on their looks are the most vain people on planet earth. They probably think this blog is about them. Don't they, don't they? Elevators, subway stations, building lobbies, etc., are decorated with mirrors more often than public art so Koreans can check their look every three minutes. You doubt me? In this IHT article about the ramifications of the worldwide economic downturn, we get this:

From a luxury limited to the wealthy a decade ago, according to ARA, plastic surgery has become so common that an estimated 30 percent of Korean women aged 20 to 50, or about 2.4 million women, had surgical or nonsurgical cosmetic procedures last year, with many having more than one procedure.

While fewer Koreans can now afford rhinoplasty due to the current economic crisis, there is an upside, at least for plastic surgeons: "South Korea's currency has fallen so far that procedures here are now cheap when calculated in dollars and other currencies. This has led to growing numbers of Japanese, Chinese and Korean-Americans coming to Seoul for relatively inexpensive cosmetic procedures," according to the story.

Lamb and Makkuli in Bongcheon

Bongcheon is one of the poorest areas of Seoul, near Seoul National University, but it has a nice Chinatown area with lots of small restaurants. Friend Andy showed me a little hole-in-the-wall joint which serves lamb kebabs. Cooked over coals at your table, in typical Korean fine dining style. Ten skewers were 8,000 W. You can see the trio of dry seasonings for dipping in the photo below. Once the lamb is cooked, you can warm the skewers on the rack:

Delicious! We were met by Nick and Greg, fellow EFL dudes, from Nebraska, and eventually made our way to Andy's much heralded makkuli bar. Despite the build-up, it did not disappoint! First, makkuli, makoli, makkulli, or something, is this traditional Korean milky-white rice liquor, usually served in a bowl. It is slightly sweet but deceptively strong. I have only had it three times, but so far, I quite like it. Anyway, Andy has the ins in this local bar where the owner serves the real thing, country-style, and cheap, too. The conversation was lively and interesting, trending toward inebriated. Below left, Greg, owner dude, Andy; below right, me, owner dude, Nick:




The bar itself is small, but has an interesting decor, all designed by owner dude, who is a retired teacher. Notice the nose of the carving at bottom right.







But, hands down, the best thing about this joint was the character below, who serenaded us with "Led Liver Valley" similar to a song popularized by Slim Whitman. And the best, best thing about him was he sang to us and then left soon afterward.


As is my habit, I left in time to catch the subway and avoid the enormous taxi fare. Or so I thought. For some reason, when the train got to Sindorim (green line), it just stopped and everyone had to get off and leave the station. I had to share a taxi with three other people, though we all paid full fare. A young girl spent five miles hanging her head out the window being violently ill. A colorful end to a full night here in the Big City.

40 sec = 1 yr

One year in 40 seconds from Eirik Solheim on Vimeo.
The stills are shot with a Canon 400D and a Canon EF-S 10-22 lens @10mm
The audio was recorded with a Canon S2 IS and a Canon HF10.
The details: http://eirikso.com/2008/12/27/one-year-worth-of-images-give-some-amazing-videos/

Monthly Email from US Embassy

Just thought my stateside friends might like to see their tax dollars at work. I'm not complaining--indeed I'm marginally grateful for the service. I know I'm glad there is a full representation of the US government here, even if they probably can't help me with my LL Bean jacket!

So, below, I am quoting the monthly email from the US Embassy in Seoul for the perusal of my stateside readers (plus any in Korea that don't receive it). Incidentally, I added the 'legal info in English' site to my "Useful Information" sidebar about a week ago--at the same time I added GRE word-of-the-day and AskAWord gadgets. Check 'em out! OTOH, I'll have to seek out the medical booklet, as it's news to me!

U.S. State Department, U.S. Embassy Seoul
Consular Section, American Citizen Services (ACS) Newsletter
January 2009

The U.S. Embassy is transmitting the following monthly newsletter via its warden system as a public service to U.S. citizens in the Republic of Korea. Please feel free to disseminate this message to U.S. citizens in your organizations or to other Americans you know.

In this issue:

1. Have a Safe and Healthy Lunar New Year
2. Add Blank Pages to Your Passport
3. Korean Guidebook for Foreign Patients Published
4. Korea Launches English-Language Legal Information Website
5. U.S. Government Web Portal
6. South Pacific Cyclone Season
7. Recent Travel Warnings and Alerts
8. Upcoming Holidays: January 19, 26-27
9. Embassy Contact Information

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1. Have a Safe and Healthy Lunar New Year
-----------------------------------------

If international travel is part of your plan to ring in the Year of the Water Buffalo (January 26, 2009), the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) provides the information below to help you learn how to stay healthy when traveling in Asia.

--Health Issues to Be Aware of--

Every destination, even in different areas of the same country, has unique health issues that travelers need to know about. To find specific information about the areas you plan to visit, see the East Asia, South Asia, and Southeast Asia regional pages on the CDC Travelers’ Health website, or click on the country or countries you will be visiting at http://wwwn.cdc.gov/travel/destinationList.aspx.

Mosquito-borne illnesses, such as malaria, dengue fever, and Japanese encephalitis are common throughout Asia, so it is very important to take steps to prevent insect bites. In addition, you may need to take prescription medicine to protect yourself from malaria or get a vaccine to protect yourself from Japanese encephalitis. Talk to your doctor about which prevention measures are right for you and your destination.

Eating contaminated food and drinking contaminated water can cause illnesses such as hepatitis A, typhoid fever, and travelers’ diarrhea. Learn more about these diseases and how you can prevent them by visiting the Safe Food and Water page of the Travelers’ Health website at http://wwwn.cdc.gov/travel/contentSafeFoodWater.aspx.

Influenza (also called the flu or seasonal flu) is a common illness in travelers, which is why it is important for you to get this season’s flu shot before your trip. A different type of flu called avian influenza ("bird flu" or H5N1) has been found in poultry and wild birds in Asia, Europe, and Africa. While rare, human infection and death from H5N1 have been reported. Most of these human cases have occurred through contact with H5N1-infected poultry or birds, but a small number of cases may have occurred following close and prolonged contact with a person who was sick with the H5N1 virus. To learn more about H5N1 virus, see the outbreak notice Human Infection with Avian Influenza A (H5N1) Virus: Advice for Travelers at http://wwwn.cdc.gov/travel/contentAvianFluAsia.aspx.

--What to Do Before Your Trip--

It is important to prepare for your health before you leave. Learn how by visiting Your Survival Guide to Safe and Healthy Travel at http://wwwn.cdc.gov/travel/contentSurvivalGuide.aspx. Make an appointment to see a doctor familiar with travel medicine. At the appointment, make sure to get all the vaccinations and medicines you need for your trip and discuss any allergies, current medications, or other health concerns with the doctor. Be sure that you are up-to-date with all of your routine vaccinations, including this season’s flu shot. Pack health items that you and your family may need on your trip.

--Stay Healthy During Your Trip--

Wash your hands often with soap and clean water. Use an alcohol-based hand gel with at least 60% alcohol if soap and clean water are not available and your hands do not look dirty. Remember to cover your cough: Cover your mouth and nose when you cough or sneeze. Clean your hands after coughing or sneezing by washing them with soap and water (or by using an alcohol-based hand gel). Go to the doctor if you have a fever with a cough or sore throat, are having difficulty breathing, or feel very sick. Tell the doctor if you may have been around a sick person or an animal that looked sick. Avoid traveling when you are sick, unless it is to get local medical care.

Do not go to bird farms or live bird markets. Make sure the meat and other foods from birds that you eat, like eggs and poultry blood, are fully cooked. Egg yolks should not be runny or liquid. Use insect repellent to prevent bites from insects and mosquitoes that can transmit malaria, dengue, and other infections. If you are visiting an area with malaria, take your malaria prevention medicine. Use sunscreen (at least SPF 15). Be sure to apply sunscreen before applying insect repellent. Road traffic injuries are the leading cause of injury-related deaths worldwide, so it is important to take precautions.

--Pay Attention to Your Health After Your Trip--

Pay very close attention to how you feel for at least ten days after you get home. Go to the doctor right away if you have a fever with a cough or sore throat, or have trouble breathing; or have a fever, chills, headache, muscle aches, tiredness, or flu-like illness and visited an area with a risk for malaria. When you go to the doctor, tell your doctor about your recent travel. Malaria can develop up to one year after travel, so stay alert for fever or other signs of illness.

-----------------------------------
2. Add Blank Pages to Your Passport
-----------------------------------

The L.A. Times recently ran the article linked below, "Add Blank Pages to Your Passport to Be on the Safe Side:"

"Question: My adult son, traveling with his wife and child, was recently refused permission to board a flight from England to South Africa because he had only one blank page in his passport. How do you know which country wants more than one blank page?" http://travel.latimes.com/articles/la-tr-spot9mar09

For information about how to add extra pages to your passport, see the Embassy website at: http://seoul.usembassy.gov/add_pages.html.

--------------------------------------------------
3. Korean Guidebook for Foreign Patients Published
--------------------------------------------------

The Korea Times reports that the Seoul Metropolitan Government has published a guidebook for Korean medical and rescue staff on how to treat foreign patients.

Frequently-used phrases are written both in English and Korean for various scenarios - from situations in emergency rooms to fire and health checkups. Phrases for internal medicines, surgery, family practice, dentistry, ophthalmology, and nine other departments are included. The guidebook was edited by Dr. John Linton of Yonsei University-Severance Hospital. The booklet is to be made available to local fire departments, 119 emergency rescue units, international clinics, and general hospitals with more than 300 sickbeds. The city plans to add Japanese and Chinese versions in 2009.

------------------------------------------------------------
4. Korea Launches English-Language Legal Information Website
------------------------------------------------------------

The Korean Ministry of Government Legislation (MOLEG) has launched an English-language website to provide foreign investors, workers, students, and married immigrants in Korea with legal information. The site was established to help foreigners with little or no understanding of the Korean language. The site offers details on foreign investment, employment, marriage in Korea, and other topics. The website address is http://oneclick.moleg.go.kr.

-----------------------------
5. U.S. Government Web Portal
-----------------------------

The U.S. Government's official web portal, http://www.usa.gov/, contains information related to local, state, and federal governments. You will find information on contacting elected officials, receiving government benefits, renewing a driver's license, checking the status of an immigration case, and many more topics.

-------------------------------
6. South Pacific Cyclone Season
-------------------------------

American citizens residing in or traveling to the South Pacific region should be aware that the South Pacific cyclone season runs from November 1, 2008, through April 30, 2009. Countries in the South Pacific region covered by this alert include Australia, Fiji, Kiribati, the Marshall Islands, Micronesia, Nauru, New Zealand, Palau, Papua New Guinea, Samoa, the Solomon Islands, Tonga, Tuvalu, and Vanuatu, as well as the territories of French Polynesia, New Caledonia, and Wallis and Futuna islands. American citizens in this region during the cyclone season should monitor local weather reports and take other appropriate action as further discussed below. This travel alert expires on April 30, 2009.

Each season, the South Pacific region experiences approximately nine tropical cyclones, about half of which reach Category 3 intensity or above and have the potential to cause severe destruction.

American citizens have often encountered uncomfortable and sometimes dangerous conditions after storms have passed while they awaited transportation back to the United States. Many U.S. citizens traveling abroad in affected regions have been forced to delay their returns to the United States because of infrastructure damage to airports and limited flight availability. Damage to roads can limit access to airports and land routes out of affected areas. Flights can be suspended and passengers may face long delays before normal airport
operations and flight schedules resume. U.S. embassies and consulates may be required to limit hours or temporarily suspend non-emergency services. Looting and sporadic violence have occurred after natural disasters. Security personnel may not be readily available to assist at all times.

Should a situation require an evacuation from an overseas location, the State Department will work with commercial airlines to ensure that U.S. citizens are repatriated as safely and efficiently as possible. Commercial airlines are the Department's primary source of transportation in an evacuation and evacuees are responsible for the cost of these flights. Other means of transport are used only as a last resort.

The Department of State does not provide no-cost transportation, but it has the authority to provide repatriation loans to those in financial need. U.S. citizens should always obtain travel insurance to cover unexpected expenses during an emergency.

U.S. citizens living in or traveling to storm-prone regions should prepare an emergency kit containing a supply of bottled water, non-perishable food items, a battery-powered or hand-crank radio, and vital documents (especially passport and identification) in a waterproof container. Emergency shelters often have access only to basic resources and limited medical and food supplies.

U.S. citizens should monitor local media to stay aware of any weather developments. For further information on cyclone warnings in the South Pacific region, please consult the Joint Typhoon Warning Center (US military site) in Honolulu at http://metocph.nmci.navy.mil/jtwc.php,
as well as Fiji's regional meteorological center responsible for cyclone warnings in the South Pacific region at http://www.met.gov.fj/index.php-id=53. Minor tropical storms can develop into cyclones very quickly, limiting the time available for a safe evacuation. Travelers should apprise family and friends in the United States of their whereabouts, and keep in close contact with their tour operator, hotel staff, and local officials for evacuation instructions in the event of a weather emergency. Travelers should protect their travel and identity documents against loss or damage, as the need to replace lost documentation could hamper or delay return to the United States.

Additional information on cyclones and storm preparedness may be found on the Cyclone Season 2008-2009 page of the Bureau of Consular Affairs' website at:
http://travel.state.gov/travel/cis_pa_tw/cyclone_season/cyclone_season_4395.html. Updated
information on travel in cyclone-prone regions may be obtained from the Department of State by calling 1-888-407-4747 within the United States and Canada, or from other areas, 1-202-501-4444. Travelers to the region are encouraged to check the internet site of the U.S. Embassy or
Consulate with consular responsibilities for the territory they will be visiting (accessible at http://usembassy.state.gov). For further information please consult the Country Specific Information webpage for the country or territory in question, available at http://travel.state.gov.

------------------------------------
7. Recent Travel Warnings and Alerts
------------------------------------

The U.S. Department of State has recently issued travel warnings or travel alerts for the following countries and regions:

Bangladesh 12/23/2008
Cote d'Ivoire 12/15/2008
India 12/24/2008
Mali 12/10/2008
South Pacific Cyclone Season 12/10/2008
Sri Lanka 12/22/2008

For additional information about these travel warnings and alerts, please go to this site:

http://travel.state.gov/travel/cis_pa_tw/tw/tw_1764.html


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8. Upcoming Holidays: January 19, 26-27
---------------------------------------

The U.S. Embassy will be closed on the following dates:

January 19 (Monday) Martin Luther King, Jr.'s Birthday
January 26-27 (Monday-Tuesday) Seol Nal (Lunar New Year's Days)

Please be advised that the days just before and after a holiday are usually exceptionally busy in the American Citizen Services Unit of the Embassy. Do not be surprised at a significantly longer wait for consular services on those days. If you visit us outside those times, you should have a shorter wait.

A complete list of all of our holiday closings for 2009 is available on-line at http://seoul.usembassy.gov/holidays.html.

-------------------------------
9. Embassy Contact Information
-------------------------------

American Citizen Services
U.S. Embassy Seoul
32, Sejongno, Jongno-gu
Seoul 110-710, Korea

- or -

American Citizen Services
U.S. Embassy, Seoul
Unit #15550
APO AP 96205-5550

Tel: 02-397-4114
Fax: 02-397-4101
DSN: 721-4114
English: http://www.asktheconsul.org/
Korean: http://www.usavisas.org/
E-mail: seoul_acs@state.gov

End of newsletter text.

The Saga of the Winter Coat

Despite Mr Hwang's assurances that retrieving my heavy coat, which I ordered from LL Bean over a month ago now, would be no problem and wouldn't require money, while it has languished (warming no one) in customs at Incheon Airport since Dec 27, turns out it's a hassle.

Partly, this is my fault, as I filled out the form honestly (the one that came in the mail from the Korean postal service). We faxed the form this morning, and Hwang heard back this afternoon--duty fees were 80,000 W and necessitated a trip to Incheon. I had a shit-fit on the phone. With Hwang. Not his fault, but he's the one who got it. Sorry pal, price of being the messenger, when I'm just getting out of the shower after going to the gym for about the first time in two weeks.

80,000 W is a lot of money ($60-70), adding over a third to the price I paid for the jacket plus a pair of jeans. I'm not a penny-pinching miser (shut up!) but that is an absurd tariff!

Well, apparently, Hwang turned it around on the folks at the post office, and it now turns out they are delivering it to my apartment door. For (only?) 54,500 W. On Monday afternoon. He wouldn't tell me, but my guess is he told them I misunderstood the form and it was a gift/worth a lot less/etc. Good on you, Hwang.

Nothing Changes on New Year's Day

And so we are told this is the golden age
And gold is the reason for the wars we wage
Though I want to be with you
Be with you night and day
Nothing changes on New Year's day

I went to Mr Hwang's house for a New Year's lunch with his family, where we had a traditional New Year's ddok guk, which is rice dumpling soup. It had sliced rice dumplings, leeks, thin-sliced beef, seaweed and a fried egg. We also had samgyupsal.

I told him about the traditional Southern dinner of pork chops (for health), black eyed peas (for luck) and collard greens (for money). The ddok guk is for "health and well-being" he tells me; though it's really for Lunar New Year, coming at the end of January.

I got a letter from the Korean Postal Service yesterday, dated the 27th, telling me (in Korean) that I had a package at customs. My jacket. So I took Hwang the letter and hopefully he will help me rescue my package tomorrow after school--er, camp. Whatever.

He also told me that my classrooms will NOT have a computer in them--even though I was repeatedly assured I would have a computer, projector and screen for all my classes. Nothing changes on New Year's Day. I'm supposed to bring in my laptop. Well, I didn't get this laptop to lug back and forth to school, it's too heavy; it's got a big screen because it's my permanent home computer, it's a laptop so I could bring it to Korea with me.

I also received a package of letters from my mail forwarding service. Two actual bills and four credit card offers. So what, you say, four credit card offers isn't unusual. Well, considering the ONLY people who have this address for me are people to whom I owe money, and my bank, I think it's made its way into the junk mail stream pretty fast. Nothing changes on New Year's Day.