Through a glass darkly

Beautiful Ilsan Beach in Ulsan, Korea

As I hiked along through pine forest on the edge of the East Sea I couldn't help but take a few pictures of where I had begun this hike. I had started on Ilsan Beach, the sand of which you can see in the picture to the right. I had come a long ways, and, though I wasn't aware of it at the time, I had a long ways to go. I was looking for a bridge I saw in travel guides and online. This bridge would take me to a rocky island at the tip of the peninsula I was currently trekking. I didn't know how long it would take nor did I know if I was even in the right place to find it. All I knew is that it was next to the beach. 

Often I feel more confident in where I am going and not so much in where I am in the moment. I know I will get to where I need to be eventually, but in the moment, I feel lacking, overwhelmed, or confused. Not quite sure what I'm doing here, but I just have to keep going because there is a place I need to be and this current place I'm in is not that place. 

I eventually found the bridge as well as the back door (or what was probably really the front door) into the pine forest. It was a beautiful place, that rock formation overlooking the sea. You can see it in the bottom photo. (You can see the rest of the pictures on my facebook page).

I am confident that one day I will find my real home. One day when I am no longer looking through a glass darkly. In the meantime, I have to continue on, using my time wisely, but stopping to take the occasional picture of where I was as a reminder to keep on.

Elby

It's hard to lose a pet. I just found out that Elby passed away. The only information I have is that it happened some time in the last 2 weeks, that she died from a skin disease, and that she was found lying peacfully next to a tree.

Elby, you were a great cat. There were many naysayers, and I was one of them for a while when you were young. I even remember a time when I thought about giving you away because you were so naughty all the time. But thank God I gave you a chance. You turned out to be the best cat that I ever knew. You loved keeping me company. Even though you liked your space, you always wanted to be in the same room as me. You rarely spoke, but when you did it was a pleasant sound. I remember when I would call you from another room, you would make a sound that "what did you say?" 

Your long hair was so soft and your bushy tale was so big. You were definitely the softest cat I ever touched. Your color pattern was unrivaled. You were a queen among cats as far as beauty goes. You loved to play games like fetch. You loved to sit in the window and watch the outside world. When you finally went outside, you were a chicken. But I know living on the ranch fixed that. I bet you had a great time out there. I only wish I could have seen you once more before I left. You died too young, but the suffering you experienced is over, so for that I am glad. I have many good memories, though I am sad there will be no more to be made.

Things happen in life that we cannot control. I had to give you up. Many years ago I had to give up another beloved pet. Her name was Sunny. Sunny was a dog, but funny thing is, she was like you in so many ways. She was sweet but very naughty; at the end of our time together she also had bladder problems!! I had to give her up. 

I hope to never give another animal up again. It is simply too painful. Even if it means never keeping a pet again. Rest in peace.
Elby 2008 - 2013

Elby was only an animal, but good animals are hard to find.

Ulsan - For You!

"Ulsan - For you"

This is the slogan for Ulsan. Every city in Korea has an English slogan. For a nicely compiled list, check this guys blog out: http://waegukin.com/english-slogans-korean-cities-the-complete-list.html

Is Ulsan for me? Honestly, no, Ulsan is not for me. But the reasons my answer is no are not legitimate. Ulsan is not for me because I do not have a car. Ulsan is not for me because it is too noisy. Ulsan is not for me because I feel very alone too often.

Yet, it is not fair for me to judge a city I have only lived in for two weeks. My reasons are not legit because I can get used to the noise (though I may always wish for the peace of a small town) and I will meet people as time goes on. I will, however, always miss having a car. Ha!

Perhaps the biggest reason I cannot judge this place is because Ulsan is so large....I may live here a year and never see all of it. It is, like you see in the picture, a global city. 1.1 million people crammed into a not-so-large area. What you see in the picture is actually somewhat of a slogan for the district of Ulsan that I live in called Buk-gu (meaning something like "northern part, as it sits in the northern part of Ulsan).

What I do find interesting is that Bukgu itself is big. Where I live is a good hour bus ride to the downtown part of the city of Ulsan. So I just assume stay in Bukgu. I have no need to go to the busiest part of the city. I have seen it several times already (during orientation and during several "business trips" with my co-teacher to get my cellphone working). I have never been a city kind of person. My Korean friends make fun of me for that. In fact, the other day I told one of my co-teacher's that its tough to live in the city because of the noise and the lights. She laughed and said, essentially, "You don't live in the city. Bukgu is the countryside."

I beg to differ, but I do understand. Our versions of "countryside" are entirely different from each other.

I can grow to love Ulsan. I was only in Beijing for 5 weeks, saw maybe less than 50% of the city, and would go back in a heartbeat (in fact, I plan on arranging a trip there during my vacation). So I'll give Ulsan a chance. Or maybe I should say, I'll give Bukgu a chance, though, as it turns out, I'm heading downtown next weekend...

Post

The time goes by so quickly here. I should do my best to make the most of it. Here in Korea, everyone, and I do mean everyone, in my social circle is Korean. Some of them speak English incredibly well, others cannot speak a word of it. Most of them fall somewhere in-between. So I find myself speaking classroom English everywhere I go.

Speaking classroom English is not necessarily a bad thing. It's just that I get tired of talking. So I try to say less and listen more. I only talk when I am spoken to and don't often start a conversation. The last time I started a conversation was actually on the way to my apartment after work yesterday. I was a little over the halfway mark of my 40 min trip when I realized another teacher was going in my direction. When we came to the freeway crossing I told her in Korean that my neighborhood was in Hogye and that I was headed that way. As chance would have it, she was going there too. She was on her way to Hogye Elementary School (which is right next to my apartment) to see her boyfriend who is also a teacher.

She asked me to walk with her and we had a nice conversation (in English, of course). Her English is far above average. Our conversation was very pleasant. I am glad I started this conversation. It turns out she is the youngest teacher in the school (there are some 50 teachers at my school). It was nice to have someone to walk home with. The walk seemed very quick. We never actually introduced ourselves that day, but she already knew my name...

...which brings me to an interesting point. All of the teachers in the school know my name. I stand out like a sore thumb and because I am such a novelty here, not just among the students, but the teachers as well, I hear my name being said ALL of the time. I walk down the hall and kids repeat it over and over again; not always to me, but to each other. I walk in a room full of teachers and there it is again.

I played volleyball with the teachers and staff yesterday. It seemed everyone in the stands who were not participating (about 40 or so people) were talking about me. It was quite distracting.
I guess I just have to get used to this. I think that, in time, I will become less of thing to talk about. It gets old hearing your name repeated over and over again. Don't ask me what they are talking about. I don't speak that level of Korean.

Back to the Blog

I cannot believe one week has gone by since I posted my last message.

Time sure flies when you're having......kimchi all the time. Yes, that's right, kimchi with every meal. Since I arrived in Korea, I have maybe had three meals that did NOT have kimchi on the side. I'm not saying that's a bad thing. I'm just saying it's a thing.

So I could spend an hour writing, catching you up on everything that's happened since last Wed, but I'm simply to tired and there is too much on my mind to do so. However, if you are one of the few that actually reads this (then surely you MUST be one of the ones who asked me to update them as often as I could; this blog is for you after all) then you have my word: If there is anything you want to know just email me and ask; I will answer.

In short, Korea life thus far is lonely. I go to work, I sit at a desk, I go home and clean my filthy apartment.
One of the highlights of my day is driving around with my wonderful co-teacher/mentor-teacher 재옥 to all of our appointments (setting up internet in my apartment for example). She is very kind and has made my experience a good one. The other co-teachers are all very nice.

Though I started work this past Monday, I do not start teaching until this coming Monday. In the meantime I am just preparing lessons and doing research. Nothing too exciting. I try to stay out of the way and let the real teachers do their job. I also try to fit in, though thats never been easy for a guy like me.

Hope to hear from some of you. Pardon the delay in my responses. Take care!

PS. There is much (and I do mean MUCH) I will absolutely not post on here for the same reasons as when I was in China. So please forgive the lack of detail and the sense of bore :)

Looking Ahead

Today was the first day I really "explored." I went for a walk/run around the campus after orientation. It didnt last long. The campus being on a hill makes traversing the area quite difficult. Before long I was drenched in sweat. Its hot here. Too hot.

Tomorrow we go to a middle school to practice teach. I have to teach a class for 10 minutes. I wonder what my actual school will be like and how my co-teachers will be. Co-teachers can make or break your experience.

I am really looking forward to settling into my apartment. I have been in limbo since I left my home in Superior to stay with Dad and Mom. That was over one week ago now. By the time I settle into my own place, it will have been two weeks total of "in-between" time. I also look forward to getting my Alien Resident Card which allows me access to many things I cannot have right now, such as a cell phone, my own internet (at my apartment), and other things that seem like essentials. It could take several weeks to get this (after I start my job on Monday). Pray this card comes quickly with no delays.

Some times I feel like I'm back in Beijing in quarantine again. We can't go off campus and we must follow some strict rules. But that all ends soon enough. Thanks for being patient. Ill update info when I get more info!

Just a few updates

Today at orientation I found out the name of my school: Nongseo Elementary. It is in the northern part of Ulsan, far from the city center, but in its own area of shops and businesses. Because there are several teachers in orientation who have taught in Ulsan in the past, they were able to give me a little info on the area, and though none of them taught at this particular school, they told me it is a large school. This means one thing for sure:

I will be working lots of overtime. This is a good thing though! One reason I came here is to work. There are many opportunities to teach extra classes and weekend activities. I will be working as much as I can. In other words, I will be working as much as they allow and as much as I can handle without losing my mind.

Which brings me to my last update: This will make studying Korean rather difficult. However, Ulsan University has evening conversational English classes that run almost every night of the week. The cost is $300 and lasts for 10 weeks. Because the next session begins September 2nd, I will have to wait for the session after that one (in November) as I will not have time to apply.

Pray I transition well into my school starting next week. I am looking for ways to bond with the teachers in the school by means other than drinking (as that is very popular here). One of those ways would be through volleyball, and apparently it is fairly common for teachers to have teams that compete against other school's teachers. 

Thanks for reading!