"It's good to see me, isn't it?"

Had an amazing time yesterday watching Wicked the musical at the Pantages in Hollywood. I've seen it once before, three years after I read the novel. In that time, my siblings also read the novel, so when it went on tour, it made perfect sense for all of us to go together. It was as great as ever and we had awesome orchestra seats. Right now I'm close to getting ready for Christmas Eve dinner with my family and about to pack the gifts into the car.

Seems like yesterday I was on a plane getting home to LA from South Korea taking a halfway break to see my family during my teaching abroad assignment. Now here I am at home with my life in LA. It's crazy how much can change in a year's time.

Well here I am, wishing you all happy holidays, a merry Christmas, and a prosperous 2012.

"Santa can you hear me? I have been so good this year"

I can't believe it was a year ago that I was at the halfway point of my teaching obligations in South Korea. I can't believe my friends' holiday party/my re-going away was a year ago. I can't believe that almost a year ago I was in the freezing cold in Las Vegas for New Year's Day and actually missing the snowy weather in Asia.

It's crazy to get people together with busy schedules, but I'm glad and blessed that my friends and I can still gather over the holidays and celebrate the important things this season represents.

A big thank you to Nancy and Phoebe (http://phoebejanesblog.blogspot.com/) for organizing great holiday parties. I also really enjoyed my work holiday party and feel extremely grateful for all the gifts I got from my students and their families. It was also great taking my niece to Toy Story 3's Disney on Ice and the family trip to see Wicked at the Pantages in Hollywood (my second showing).

Happy holidays everyone!

Death & Taxes

The wise and inventive Benjamin Franklin once said "The only two things guaranteed in life are death and taxes." He wasn't kidding.

However, what troubles me the most is when I pass by a fast food place (i.e. Jack in the Box) and see that they accept EBT. Then I think, isn't this a luxury and not a necessity? I know I can't go eat out for my meals all the time because I know I should by groceries and everything depends on my availability and budget. This is one of the major problems I have with government assistance.

In this economy and as a taxpayer, I am not opposed to helping those in need with what I earn. There are no sure fire plans in life security and like I've always heard, we are all one decision away from being in that type of situation. Given that, I would much rather my tax dollars not go to overpriced jalapeño poppers and go towards reasonably priced groceries like milk, eggs, and bread.

This brings me to my next topic, drug testing. I remember some time ago I saw a poll on Facebook saying that people who get public assistance should be drug tested on a regular basis. I agree. I feel assistance should go towards families that truly need it. I feel better when I see my deductions and think that a family somewhere that is struggling to make ends-meet is in the very least getting some help. It's one of the foundations of this great country of ours. I do not though approve of the hard working tax dollars my friends earn going towards helping people who cannot help themselves, and would be feeding into those downfalls. I think those in need have no need for drugs when they have bigger fish to fry. I wouldn't want to support anyone's inability to not prioritize.

It is about necessity over want.

"That's Future Osc's Problem"

December is here, BAM!

That came out of nowhere. This week has been a hard week. I've just been uber busy, and I'm sure that will seep into this weekend, it must. Where did November go? Did it go by fast because it involved two holiday long weekends? I'm still waiting, as Green Day puts it, for September to end.

The good thing about keeping as busy as I am is that time flies. I feel like my days are so short, especially because I have to squeeze in two jobs in every possible second possible within the same workplace.

I think, like a "How I Met Your Mother" episode states, in terms of future me. For example, I plan and I plan and I plan. That's just the way I've always been, ask anyone. Everything that is of importance that I have to do is written down somewhere, I guarantee it. When I write things down for a future date, I often see how the "future Osc" will handle it. Then it's kind of fun (my fun) to see how it plays out and how it contrasts how I pictured it in my head.

Well I know there are many things that need to get done in December. Because of the current level of time I have committed to for the following weeks, I feel that everything that is "future Osc" is coming up as "present Osc" mighty fast, too fast. So much needs to get done, but that's life, the never-ending to-do list.

On a non-related note I saw Sting live on Nov 30 (which is last month!). Past, present and future Osc highly appreciate and will continue to appreciate the genius behind the song "Stolen Car (Take Me Dancing)." That live performance made more than my day.

(my own recording btw)

San Guivi

Years ago I read a book from a news reporter I respect a lot, Jorge Ramos. The book, The Other Face of America, has immigrant accounts on their assimilation to American life. The one account that has always stood out to me was how one woman was getting ready to celebrate the day of San Guivi (San is Spanish for Saint) on a November Thursday. Without knowing she had heard wrong, it turned out in the end that she had confused the English word for Thanksgiving (sound it out) with the patron saint she was really to celebrate.

On that note, I want to say that I have a lot to be thankful for. I have an awesome family that always sticks together in the good and tough times. My family is happy and healthy and we're all growing together as a unit all the time. My dad always states that his favorite days are those when his whole family can get together and during grace this Thanksgiving, he mentioned that his birthday a week ago and this Thanksgiving were happy moments for him.

I also have awesome friends. They are people who are constantly growing and that I have had the privilege to watch growing for many years now. I also appreciate what I have learned from each one of them, and what I continue to learn from them.

Given that Father Chase, a Los Angeles holiday icon, recently passed away, and given the fact that he also used to teach at my current workplace, I feel especially appreciative about the freedoms and things I have.

Appreciate what you have, what you have had, and what you will have. Enjoy your long weekend America!

Writer's Time Block & All Hallow's Eve

So that last post I just published was actually something started, as the blogspot time stamp indicates, over a month ago. It's not that I haven't had anything to write about, because I have, it's just that time has not allowed me to be as dedicated to my writing as I tend to be. A lot of things have been changing and going on, all the while I'm still trying to maintain my constants constant. It's funny how something as relaxing and that allows me to vent, writing, has been pushed to the back burner. I'll do better.

I must say everything I have been able to control has been going well. Work is great, my family is doing well, and it's been nice reconnecting with my friends as if I had never left. I guess what's been keeping me the most busy has been making some adjustments to these changes. Three month bug I suppose? Now it's back to normality as I have created it.

I've been lucky in seeing a fellow teacher from Korea in the US when my friend Lexi had a layover in LA for a day on her way to Fiji. Exchanging stories from the land of the morning calm was a lot of fun. I'm also waiting to reconnect with Mel from http://melinsouthkorea.blogspot.com/ again. Having someone who lived in the same town as I did in Korea who now lives permanently in LA again will be interesting.

I'm also planning on traveling, currently working on some of those plans, so I'll keep you posted. Aside from a couple of fender benders this week (no joke), most of my time in the recent present has been really fun. I've celebrated Halloween (my second most favorite holiday of the year) with the students and teachers and my workplace, by spending time with my niece, spending time with friends at a party, and going to Halloween movie night with other friends. They've been good times. Actual Halloween is just a few hours away from now, so we'll see how that goes. Time to get a vibe for the candy consumption in my new neighborhood.

Okay, so I'm off. Have pleasant screams and sweet nightmares. Happy Halloween!


(my niece and I as our favorite storybook characters for Halloween 2011)

Trixie Koontz

Genio was my dog, and he was an awesome dog. He was a pit bull that was mixed with something else. We originally got him from someone my dad knew who could not keep pets anymore in her apartment. She had three, and luckily for us, our neighbors behind us took in Genio's mom and sister while we took him. I think there was piece of mind for everyone, including the dogs because they had to adjust to new homes yet they didn't have to feel separated.

He was a strong puppy too, ripping through his leash on the first day at our home. That was an omen for the playfulness in him. And although playful, it was all done in a timely manner, which is something I could strongly relate to. As the years went by, he became a respected member of the family. A guard, who we knew would strike if he sense danger. A caretaker, as he was always as playful as a teddy bear when he was near children. A baby, and like any baby enjoyed having playtime with the belly and made "happy eyes" whenever that special area on his neck was rubbed. A gentleman, who always had to have his paw shaken by whoever was giving him his plate of food during that time, otherwise it would just be rude to not do so.
I saw these elements in him come alive for me during the reading of Dean Koontz's book, A Big Little Life. Koontz had a dog named Trixie who had such amazing qualities, that he could not help but write a book about her. Granted, I've been reading Koontz's works since high school (it all started with Sole Survivor) and if you know anything about the man, you know autobiographical tales are not his push. He's more into the second-supernatural-nature-door-portal-opening-while-someone-has-a-hidden-talent-the-world-is-trying-to-suppress type of author. I love his writing and I immediately rose to the challenge of giving this different genre of his a spin.

Although Genio is no longer with us, as Trixie is no longer with Dean, I always wonder how of how awesome it is to look at an animal and want to hear its story. Because animals have an innocence and because they are our closest link to true nature, there's a reason so many stories involve them.

I just wonder what kind of story my parents' current dog, Patches, will leave behind as her legacy.

X

I did something today as a continuation of something I did this past Friday. It's something that gives me sinking feeling all over, especially my heart. In a few weeks it will be the tenth anniversary of the September 11, 2011 attacks on the World Trade Center Twin Towers. Let's forget that this is the day of my birthday, this has nothing to do with that. What I've been doing is watching YouTube videos, one after the other, of the second plane hitting the WTC.

Why? Because it's been ten years, and it needs to be acknowledged. If YouTube was around during the Pearl Harbor attacks and that had happened during my lifetime, I'm sure I'd be doing the same thing for that event. The fact that we live in the post-modern era has allowed us to be bombarded with information about one topic. What that means for this is that I've been seeing a multitude of videos of the second plane hitting that tower because they're available to me. One video stuck out the most amongst the many I watched. The first plane had hit the tower and this woman was recording the wreckage because of it. Then her video, showed the second plane hitting the WTC. In that instant, after the yell of shock from her stunned feelings, she yelled out, "this is planned." And that's just it, it was then and there that this event was no longer and accident, it was an attack.

I always find it important to reflect. Some time ago, and I discussed on a previous blog post what I went through a decade ago the day of these attacks. Someone that was there with me on that day ten years ago, my friend Lizzy, recently referred me to a Washington DC radio station that is doing a special on individuals who have their birthdays on that day and what they went through. Regardless of it having been my birthday, I want to contribute as a young American who was on the opposite coast in order to provide a diverse perspective for the special.

I want to remember because I think people should not take that day or any day for granted. Those attacks could've easily happened to any of us within the American borders. But because they did not, we should not let those who lost their lives to have lost them in vain.

Rest in Peace those of you who lost your lives because of these attacks. My best wishes to their family and friends and anyone who has ever been heartbroken because of this day's aftermath.

Korean Homework

Thanks Lauren for the shoutout!
Lauren had given me a "homework" assignment during my going away party (from Korea) to describe the five things I will and will not miss about the Korean Peninsula and everyone/thing that inhabits it. She's now doing the same for herself, go for the gold!

She's doing well so far: http://laurenseoulsearching.blogspot.com/2011/08/day-359-august-14-2011.html

Penny Saved, Penny Earned

Granted, I'm not the most financially stable person, but I've been pretty lucky in that I've been able to do many of the things I've wanted to do with my life (thus far). I've had the freedom to travel, go to school, and see my friends on a regular basis all the while doing something fun at a place that's fun.


I acknowledge that there are people who aren't as well off as well as people who are waaaaay much better off than I am. But in reality I can't complain because I'm comfortable. I know I've just started this job and I don't know how long this comfort will stretch out for, but I'm happy at the moment. I also know people who don't earn much and didn't go to college who are happy too. I think happiness (like humor) is relative. For example, the day after I got a tour of my workplace I decided to go to the University Village by USC near where I grew up and got an Icee at the Burger King there (p.s. they're 99 cents!). While waiting for my Icee at the counter I saw a couple who must've just gotten out of work and were asking about the bargains on the wall posters. Though they weren't spending very much on what would be considered a dinner out, they seemed really happy. In turn, I was happy for them. There's something about seeing this type of event that most people would dismiss and trying to make meaning out of it. I found it funny too that something as simple as an Icee made me happy too (note: I couldn't find a decent Icee substitute in Korea) and that I wasn't out looking to buy some over-the-top food item at a place that's only good feature was its ambiance.

The moral here is that it's usually the simple things that make you truly happy. I think back to when I was a high school student sporadically working or a college student who was working part-time & paying bills and despite not making much money, I was truly happy. That's usually how it goes.

Lies We Told

“The books we read in class always seem to have a connection with some angsty adolescent drama that is going on. Except for Huckleberry Finn...cause I don't know any teenage boys who have run away with a hulking black guy." -Easy A

Although not a teenager or taking a class anymore, I found this quote from Emma Stone’s character (Olive) from this film to be fitting to something I finished reading last week. Last week I read Chelsea Handler’s Lies that Chelsea Handler Told Me, which is a book put together by her friends and relatives and is mixed with Chelsea’s insight about each person. This is her fourth book, and being an avid admirer of her other works (especially Are you there Vodka? It’s me, Chelsea) I knew I had to purchase this work and see if it lived up to my past expectations and it did.

While reading this book, I found myself relating a lot to the people that were writing their stories about Chelsea. I was relating so much that some of the excerpts could’ve easy been about me, my family, and friends (hence the Easy A quote). So I’ve decided to dedicate this entry to lies I’ve told and lies other have told me.

Let’s begin with a lie I’ve told. This was inspired by Josh Wolf’s chapter in the book titled “Go Lakers” (p 157) in which he described the following:

“I grew up with three older brothers who waged mental warfare on me my entire childhood. They had me convinced for years that I was adopted but that my parents would never admit it because they didn’t want to hurt my feelings.”

Well I did just that, well almost. When I would get frustrated with my sister or I wanted to win a battle with her, I would just blurt out that she was adopted. It was almost like arsenal on reserve. The only downside was that she would then tell on me to my parents, who would signal me to cut it out. On more than one occasion it would cause her to start tearing up, and instead of saying just kidding, I would go on to say something snide like “You see how you can’t stop crying? That’s exactly why your birth parents gave you up.” It’s not my proudest moment, but there’s something to be said for the way I would work to win.

Of course this didn’t affect the wonderful relationship we have, and continue to have. As a matter of fact, I made her read this section of Handler’s book and she started to crack up. In her opinion, there was comfort in knowing I wasn’t the only sibling out their executing this type of retaliation.

Next, a lie I’ve been told. This was inspired by Eva Magdalenski’s chapter titled “Eva is my Name, Comedy is my Game” (p 197) in which she says the following:

“If you need to go to the bathroom, grab a bagel, or have a desire for a drink on Margarita Thursdays, you’d better remember to lock your computer before you leave. If you have a laptop it’s better to just bring it with you. If you don’t, Chelsea will humiliate you.”

In the chapter Eva elaborates on how Chelsea goes about emailing people lies and sending them messages that are completely inappropriate or outside the real sender’s character. Enter my friend Sarey. Sarey, in my book, is now notorious for this type of behavior. Having the occasional inappropriate comment at an inappropriate time isn’t enough. I’ve made the foolish mistake, when we both happened to be in grad school at the same time, of being in the library studying for a good while, going to the bathroom, and leaving my Blackberry behind. Sarey didn’t see this as a “oh my friend is gone, I should still focus on my studies” moment, but used it to pounce onto my device like a tiger, and text away messages to people of something that hadn’t really happened.

Because I was initially unaware of this, Sarey was in the background being coy and pretending that she had done nothing but study while I was away when she was indeed looking forward to how her recent actions were about to play out. I then got one text message after the other informing me of things I couldn’t quite wrap my head around. And it didn’t stop, those messages just kept on coming. One Blackberry ping sound after the other started to invade my phone. In suspicion of foul play, I looked at my outbox and saw what Sarey had sent out. She then confessed and went on laughing about while I had to deal with some damage control.

However, I’ve learned my lesson: lock my computer, phone, iPods, and messenger pigeons and I’ll be just fine. I did find it hilarious when Yaya and Jaz were over at Sarey’s and Sarey had left her Facebook page on her computer open. Yaya and Jaz went about their mischief posting things about Sarey in her voice. I so happened to be on Facebook during that time, and the real-time posts I would read had me cracking up. I already suspected the culprits and when they confirmed their actions, I applauded their efforts. Sarey, after finding out, deleted the posts, issued a Facebook clarification, and got over it. Why? Because it all stems from us trying to have fun in our friendships, which is what makes those relationships last.

Learning Pause

Though I haven't been able to see everyone I've been on a mission to see, I have been able to see some family members and friends during my +1 week in LA, which was spent car-less until two days ago (so that made it a tad difficult to get around). One of the questions I've gotten the most is how I feel now that I'm back. The response that pops right off the top of my head is that things have been too easy.

You see, from going from a country where I didn't know the language and I always had the need and drive to learn more and more each day , including cultural aspects that were unfamiliar to my upbringing. There are times when I'm like "Damn, everything's too easy, everything is in English." It was nice and I didn't realize how much time I would spend while walking the streets in Korea reading the signs and practicing my knowledge of the Korean alphabet and my vocabulary (even though I lived next to a US Air Base and its surrounding community). I even do this one thing while going around LA when I see a business I used to frequent and think to myself, "Oh, how cool, it's still there." (this one happens more than it should) My friend Nick gave me a quick reality check by reminding me "Dude, you were only gone a year." True, true.

Things are still sinking in, especially more so now seeing how I've regained my automobile independence. Once the job starts, as mentioned in the previous post, my stay here will really sink in. There's the assimilation that comes with any job anywhere: knowing your environment, the people you work with, and the expectations they have of you. For me, that's currently in the beginning (truly beginning) stages of this game.

I'm currently watching Korea TV (LA digital channel 44-5) and watching the weather in the Korean provinces, their current events, and interest stories. Why didn't I used to get this channel in Korea when I had cable TV over there? Hmmm.

Also, after going to Sumo Sushi on Friday, a restaurant in Gardena, and looking at the shopping center that housed it, it was like going into a near-past time machine. Every shop in that center is in Korean, and guess what it houses? A magic straight hair salon and a Jimjibang (찜질방)!!! Even while having dinner with my friend Yaya (from http://yayayaks.blogspot.com/) the waitress noticed the Won (Korean money) in my wallet and started testing my knowledge of Korean language. It was fun, and it made me feel more at ease at the restaurant. The transition is easing.

p.s. # 1- I've been approached by two (or more?, I forget) separate parties to join them for Kbbq. I guess I'm the first person they'll think of now. No worries, I do miss the daily kimchi serving.

p.s. #2- I miss not tipping

Full Circle

Wow, if it weren't for Phoebes (from http://phoebejanesblog.blogspot.com/) and Mel from (http://melinsouthkorea.blogspot.com/), I would have gone almost a whole month without blogging at all. Since the last blog I have left Korea and flown to the US. I had great final moments with the people who made my year in Korea fun, manageable, and fun again. I'm now in LA. So in the last blog I was explaining how I was looking forward to an array of things. Because of a current car situation though, I haven't had the chance to see all of my friends here since I've gotten back to LA. Granted, I haven't even been in LA full week yet so it's not as big of a deal. I spent that week prior to this in Kauai with some family members. My cousin Ana housed me and her husband, James, became my tour guides for my Hawaii vacation.

I got a few bug bites, but they were totally worth it. We went to the beach all the time and saw some great landmarks including Spouting Horn, Waimea Canyon (the largest canyon in Hawaii), multiple waterfalls, and I went snorkeling in Po'ipu Beach. It was all a ton of fun and snorkeling was even better because my cousin owns an underwater camera (which I now want as a next purchase).

I had so much fun on this trip and it makes me look forward to returning again (and again?).

The food was amazing too. It helps that my cousin's husband is a Le Cordon Blue graduate and that a daily Hawaiian dessert for me were large portions of shaved ice with a macadamia ice cream bottom. Again, I can't wait to go back.

The new job is starting to sink in. I went in yesterday for a tour of my new school and I'll be honest, I loved what I saw. However, what I loved more than what I saw was what I heard. The school's goals and what is to become of my new position just makes me want to press harder on the paper with my pen when I sign my contract next week. Good stuff.

Things are coming full circle, but there's still much to be done. I still have to settle into the new job, but I also have to rectify my car situation, and well as my living situation. I want to find a place closer to work, and am considering finding a place with my sister. We shall see.

For now, I'm still excited for what's to come and it is still sinking in. Whoop whoop!

"Un Año Mas" -Mecano

So I was talking with my coteacher, Mr. Lee, and he was talking about how a year had already gone by. I explained how I know I’m getting older, but I don’t feel like I’m getting older. It’s like time is passing by but at times I feel like I’m still seventeen. So I can’t process some of the things I’ve done. I sometimes can’t believe high school is already over for me, let alone having my degrees and spending a year of my life overseas.
A year ago I was excited about the following three major things...






Pati & Nick’s Wedding in May 2010:


My Master’s Graduation (and the passing of my COMPS) in May 2010:

Celebrating that I graduated and agreed to teach for a year in South Korea:

Today, at the end of May 2011, I’m now excited about the three following things:

Going to vacation in Hawaii

Going back to Los Angeles to be amongst my home friends and family

Starting a new job that will challenge me in new ways (I love learning)

Things come full circle I suppose, time for another cycle.

p.s. Seems like yesterday I was keeping me having been offered the job in Korea a secret from my friends because I wanted to wait for the wedding to be over. I’m not a thunder stealer.

Top 5

Today’s entry was inspired by one Miss Lauren (from: http://laurenseoulsearching.blogspot.com/). During my bon voyage dinner with my friends in South Korea, she told me that my assignment by the end of the night was to give her the top five things I won’t miss from South Korea and the top five things I will miss from South Korea.

So here we go, the top 5 things I won’t miss from South Korea:
1. The way the shower plumbing system is set up in the majority of apartments
2. The way trash on the street in handled
3. The extra syllable added to everything
4. Small tin cups of water (I consume like 80 of those a day)
5. A side of pickles with everything you order (and not the good kind)

However, every cloud has a silver lining, so in keeping a positive perspective on the last year, here are the top 5 things I will miss about South Korea:
1. Being called handsome so many times (throughout the course of a single day)
2. I like learning something new everyday, especially things that Osc from a year ago wouldn't think he could do
3. No need to worry about lunch at work
4. This is my easiest commute ever
5. The friends I've made

There you have it. Great task to complete, kudos Lauren.

As an added bonus, because this was my last dinner with the majority of my SK friends, here's our recreation of the Last Supper (Stephanie is clearly playing the role of Judas).

“it's a world of laughter, a world of tears, it's a world of hopes, it's a world of fear”

Sports Day

Well Korea doesn’t really have high school sports teams the way the US does. I was in the tennis team, and of course I had friends that played an array of sports as teens: soccer, basketball, football, etc. However, Korea does have PE classes with PE uniforms not unlike back home. But in order to commemorate students who excel in specialized sports, schools all over Korea have a Sports Day. Sports Day at my school is a two day event that includes a whole wide range of events so that every student can participate in something: soccer, relay races, three-legged races, dodge ball, and basketball. Here go another English teacher at my school, Heidi, and I with some students cheering on the teams:

This was my favorite shot from the whole event, the second grade relay race winner’s photo finish:

Can I just say that for a day that promotes physical activity, I’ve never eaten so much in my life? The parents contribute a lot to this event, food and their time. They buy the students A LOT of food: burgers, pizzas, ice cream, sodas, Gatorade, cookies, and any other foods that represent the polar-opposite of a sports day. Luckily, that basketball game I played helped burn off some (but definitely not all) of those delicious calories.

Everland

Something I really wanted to scratch off my Korea “bucket list” was going to an amusement park here.
I finally got the chance to go to Everland, about 40 minutes away from the Suwon station. It’s really convenient to get there too because there’s a shuttle that leaves every 30 minutes from the Suwon station (starting at 9am) to take people to Everland. I doubt we have anything like that for Disneyland back home. In typical theme park fashion it had its signature rollercoast, but my favorite was one in the rock and roll park that spun you in ways you wouldn’t expect. Here’s a picture from that ride:

All in all it was a lot of fun and Korean theme parks are reasonably priced with reasonably priced concessions (unlike theme parks at movie theaters back home). It was about $30 USD for admission at we had a good restaurant lunch for about $18. Also, Everland has many animal displays so we got to see tiny foxes, monkeys, sheep, tigers, seals, polar bears, skunks, and rabbits.

I think we were all surprised to see so many waygooks (foreigners) working in the theme park’s shows. Here we are with some of the performers after the show:

Speech Exam Week
So I am currently wrapping up my second to last week in Korea and it is currently speech exam week. This is the week I’ve also decided to let students know of my plans for departure. The big gasps of reactions I get each time make me appreciate my time here even more. The speeches have gone by well, and especially today, they really studied. The theme is what they would do if they only had a month to live. A lot of the responses are universal like spending more time with friends and family, writing thank you letters and donating their organs. Some are original, like one student would try to die a day before his diagnosis in order to prove doctors wrong, another said he would eat a long list of foods so he could die from overeating, while another noted that she would marry her boyfriend and travel the world.
I have one student though who is painfully shy. She couldn’t go through with her speech and cried in front of everyone. My co-teacher also told me later on that she also missed school the day following the exam. All I hope is that she’s well and that her classmates’ extrovert personalities rub off on her. Learning experience? Never being shy, and never having to come out of my shell because my shell has always been nonexistent, I can’t completely relate to reaching a level timidity where I would freeze, but I do have sympathy for all my students.

So here I am, another round of speech exams on the way from my second graders, the most seasoned of my students and the most prepared, so I’m looking forward to what they have to say. More blogging to come later...

Smarticles

I’ve heard this theory before and I completely agree, the way you can tell if your child is going to be smart is if they enjoy the company of adults. Allow me to explain. I read a study sometime ago (probably in grad school) and it has come up in conversations that children who get classified as gifted enjoy the company of adults rather than peers their own age.

This stems from something very simple: thinking kids your age are too childish and immature. From my own experience I can say I fully agree. I grew up with a sister five years my elder and we got along great. I really enjoyed her company, and I would hang on to every word teachers would say in hopes that I could be as eloquent as they were one day (most of the time) and I just thought adults were overall better people. I couldn’t wait to grow up, but yet again, who can’t? But it made me want to read more, know more about the world, and explore life outside of school so that I could hold conversations of substance with them in hopes that they would see me as their equal. Let’s fast forward now to high school. I still felt adults were better, and I still couldn’t relate to the average fifteen year old. Granted, I went to a magnet school in which I had the majority of my classes with students who had proven to be smart and all the friends I made were college-bound. I could definitely relate to them, so it’s not like I ever isolated myself from my age group seeing how we were “mini-adults.” In my high school program, our core classes were taken within the magnet school and we had to take electives from the regular high school. So in observing how the other students interacted, my friends and I always had our side commentaries as to how they conducted themselves and how at times there was a level of immaturity we couldn’t relate to. However, that’s not a blanket statement because that can’t be said about everyone; I definitely met a good amount of exceptions. But I digress, I think a big part of why I did pretty well for myself was because I had that mentality even at a young age.

Now there’s my brother. My brother is eight years younger than I am, which means my sister and him have a wide thirteen year gap in between them. My brother, being the youngest amongst my siblings, had no one but older people surrounding him. He had cousins his own age, but he only really interacted with adults on a daily basis. He also could not relate with kids his own age because he would view the world, even as a young age, that he could do better things with his time than play childish games like learn languages, learn about the world, and reach his potential. He did so exceptionally well for himself leaving middle school with a flawless 4.0 GPA and graduating high school with honors. Now as an adult, I think he’s content at a level I was when I reached that facet of my life.

Now we fast forward to my niece. She is a kindergarten student, and you may think it’s too early to tell how she’ll turn out. It’s not. Now being in a mostly “only child” situation, she’s had no choice but to interact with people who are nothing but grown-ups in her eyes. Kids will still be kids and she does enjoy playing with peers, but she also enjoys being challenged. I remember when that little girl was three and could work a DVD player like it was second nature. And then she would get entranced in my brother’s Nintendo DS, which made her require her own at some point. Her curiosity had also led her in learning much about reading before going into school, similar to how I was taught before stepping foot into a kindergarten classroom. Because of this, and because there’s nothing but adults who are looking to her to strive, she became the “student of the month” the first month of her school year. This was based on the fact that she learned all her sight words for the semester in about three weeks. She’ll now be enrolled in a gifted program in her elementary school, so the pattern continues.

The idea to blog about this came about a dinner I was having with fellow teachers here in Korea and thinking, “being an adult and talking about anything and everything rocks!”

Events...Broken Down

So a lot of stuff has been going on since the last blog, so allow me to catch you up on things.

Children’s Day & Buddha’s Birthday in South Korea
This is a major holiday, May 5th, in which the schools are closed in order to observe children and their immense contributions to society as well as their extraneous labor. This is actually not sarcasm. Many of my students stay at school on a nearly daily basis until 10 pm at night studying, Korean children deserve a Children’s Day more than any other children. I decided to go to a park here in Songtan that day and just take the nature in. Big ol’ mistake! The place was littered with picnics, and children, and children playing around picnics. I can say the same thing for Buddha’s birthday on May 10th. I understand going to the park on Buddha’s birthday, it’s a national holiday, what else are you supposed to be doing?

Korean Wedding
So I went to a Korean wedding, I can now scratch that off my list. The music teacher at my school got married and it was my opportunity to experience a Korean wedding in Korea. I will say that the experience was quite different to a Western-style wedding. There was a huge lunch buffet, I ate extremely well. They had everything: salads, a sushi bar, dessert bar, etc. However, the meal happened before the ceremony. Also, in order to get a ticket for the meal one had to give a gift, and the standard in Korea is to place some money (anywhere between 30-40,000 KRW) in an envelope to the couple. So it’s like they’re getting a return on their investment. The ceremony itself was actually brief. And because the bride is the music teacher, some students attended and sang a song during the ceremony, it was quite nice. The best part was that my school had a shuttle bus that took the staff from the school in Songtan to the wedding hall in the northern part of Seoul. That was very convenient. Speaking of the wedding hall, everything takes place there: reception, ceremony, and photographs. Quite interesting. Just pay the fee and let the hall staff do the work.

Teacher’s Day
Korea has a holiday to commemorate teachers, listen up USA, you could learn something. This year teacher’s day was on May 15th, a Sunday, but was observed at my school the Friday before. It was nice, there was an outside ceremony with the entire student body from both the middle in high school (only the second time since I’ve been here have I seen the HS interact with the MS). There were some speeches and some awards to long standing teachers at the school. Then, a student representative from each homeroom went up to the teachers and “pinned” them with a boutonniere of carnations, the flower symbolizing Korea’s Teacher’s Day. I also got a nice card from a student and a dress sock gift package from the PTA. The same day was also followed by another ceremony, the ribbon-cutting of the new school dormitory. I told ya, these kids stay here late, so the school decided to incorporate dorms onto its campus. They’re actually quite nice, and although its yet from being fully furnished, it’ll make student life here more bearable for the kids.

Speech Competition
Today was the first annual English speech contest at my school. To be honest, I didn’t think many students would sign up, but it turned out to be quite an event. 23 students signed up, of which three winners are selected. I and four other English teachers were the judges. These kids worked hard all week as they came into my office hours asking for an array of advice. I was happy to oblige. These kids have real courage for being the first ones to participate and doing it in front of a large student body and their teachers can’t be easy, kudos to them. It brought this nice work day to a close.

Things I’m looking forward to: Sports Day (two days in this week), some dinner meetings with friends which I will enjoy to the max, and speech exam week in my class next week. Big happenings during my final moments here.

What I Know

An excerpt from one of probably four emails that have made me smile and happy dance to the extreme:

“I want to thank you also. We really enjoyed meeting you and after talking about it, we would like to offer you a full time position at our school. We think that you would be a great fit, that the students would love working with you and that you could help us go into the future with all of our goals.”

I was offered a job as a technology teacher for a great Catholic school in LA, how great is that? How perfect is that? EXTREMELY!

I’m so happy to be going home in a month, and even better is that now I can stay. It all pretty much aligned. In the last blog I posted how I had one of the best Skype conversations ever, well this was it. It was referring to the interview I had for this job, one of the best interviews in my life. I Skyped with the principal and vice-principal of the school and it went well and beyond anything I could have expected. I want to thank my family and friends for their support and well wishes on this new venture.

Point of order at the moment: Enjoy Korea.

Now that I know this, and now that it’s all laid out into impossible-to-believe perfection, I have to really make the most of my time here.

p.s. the other three jump for joy emails off the top of my head: Hispanic Scholarship Award recipient email, CSULB College of Education scholarship award email, and the email telling me I passed my comps for my master’s degree.

6 Days of Difference

Last Thursday- I Took Someone to Holland

I met a family via mutual friends here in Korea, whom I later found out (after they had suspected it) that their son has autism (very recent diagnosis). Having had much experience in the field of autism and its partners and because they had heard of my professional background, they were really interested in meeting with me. I met with them over dinner at their house, but before I could, some prep work had to be done. I could definitely speak as a relative (twice over) of someone who has autism and as an educator. But something is missing. I can't speak as a parent. So quite some time ago I decided to contact the moms in my life who have background knowledge (I wrote about this in a previous blog posts http://theoscblog.blogspot.com/2010/11/going-to-holland.html) because they can offer that parental advice, experience, and piece of mind. I went to this dinner with my handy-dandy notes and I'm glad it went better than I had expected. I was able to put their minds at ease, which I must say was a great feeling. The biggest piece of mind I think I could offer them just came from my own observation, "Remember, some of the things he's doing aren't because he's autistic, they're because he's three years old. That's the stuff three year olds do." I think I was able to get them to differentiate that not everything is autism, it's the genuine common thread in the human experience.

I feel they are now able to "go to Holland." http://www.child-autism-parent-cafe.com/welcome-to-holland.html

Want to help autism? You can help by downloading this fine piece of media. Everybody wins! http://theoscblog.blogspot.com/2010/11/sarah-silverman-legends-of-autism-award.html

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Last Friday - Cheonan

Last Friday was a lot of fun. After a half day of work (out of a series of 4 consecutive half work days, thank you midterms), the English department headed out for dinner in Cheonan. Cheonan is a city within Gyeonggi provice (where I live), but I'd never gone. It was strange because my friend Mel (from http://melinsouthkorea.blogspot.com/) had just told me about how she abruptly ended up in this city a couple days earlier. We went to this great restaurant inside a mountain by a couple of universities in Cheonan. The restaurant was great and the food (along with the makoli) was a plenty. After this, the "young teachers" went on a hike. That was tiring. Having eaten so much before was not such a good idea, but after it was done, I can now say I've hiked in South Korea. Afterwards there was a gathering at Mel's where she made an awesome vegetarian meal followed by rounds of Catchphrase (a game I MUST own when I get back to the US) and You Don't Know Jack (remember that one?).

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Saturday- Up & DoWn

This day started out fine. A great dinner for the "mayor of Korea", our friend Mr. Bruce Lee who celebrated the 10th anniversary of his 25th birthday. Moti Mahal Indian food, you can never go wrong with the restaurant. Another event followed after. Some stuff happened there which left some damages, but time heals all. I just hope things get better in that respect.

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Sunday - Blossoms

Sunday was new day. I had made plans to go to the Pyeongtaek Flower Festival in Anjung and it was a lot more than I had expected. It was fields and fields and more fields of wonderful plants from all over. There were exhibitions set-up, even animals too. I was thrilled when I saw the albino boa, I always wanted a snake as a kid but my mom had a phobia, so instead we compromised and I got smaller snakes with legs, or as the rest of you call them: lizards. I had a lot of fun there and a great meal soon followed.

Side note: this was my first experience taking a city bus in Korea, almost made it the whole year without it happening, but I will say that after being on it, it would have been fine if I had never rode it

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Monday- Damages

I had found out earlier that day that one of the foreign exchange students at our school (or as I lovingly call them, FESeseses), fell off a horse while going on a horse-back riding trip. Luckily it was nothing major and he only had some pain, nothing broken. Time to dust off and ride again.

Later in the afternoon I got some messages. I got an email from my brother, a Facebook message from my sister, and a status update from my cousin notifying me that my great-aunt Carmen has passed away. Of course I felt it, but I asked to leave school early because I needed to get home to use Skype and call my mom and she if she was okay, after all she was her niece. My mom was okay, as okay as you can be I suppose, but she was worried about what my grandmother's (my great-aunt's sister) reaction would be about the news. So I guess I was worried about my mom being worried about my grandmother. Everything is being arranged right now so that she is buried in her hometown of Mazatenango. You were a great woman aunt Carmen, loving, happy, fun, and hospitable, you will be missed and I feel fortunate and blessed to have been able to meet you. That three hour drive we took the last time I was in Guatemala keeps replaying in my head.

Rest in Peace to my great-aunt Carmen.

Later in the same day a few of us teacher friends in the area had some Mexican food together, it was good for us, we needed to get our minds off of some things if even for a brief moment.

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Tuesday- Three

Bad things happen in threes right? I hope they don't happen in eights, nines and tens. Well a problem arose with one of the FESeseses and another student at my school. Because the FES student came to me when the problem happened (drama between the two girls), solving this problem consumed most of my work day. I'm used to the FESs coming to me because as foreigners in South Korea, we tend to understand each other and I'm able to offer advice. Luckily, I only taught half of my classes this day, so I was able to be there for the FES and see that a solution be executed.

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Wednesday (today) - Skype Savior

Thank God Skype is around! That's all I have to say. This is helping this funk big time. I just had a great time in one of the best Skype conversations ever.

More info coming soon.

Hmmm....

This week just needs to be over.

California Dreamin' & the Last 24 Hours

"I'm California dreaming, on such a winter's day"

So I know it's spring, but come on, it's a pretty great line from a great song. Aside from the original The Mommas and the Poppas version, I enjoy Queen Latifah's jazzy reinterpretation of it.


So I have an anecdote that I totally left out of the last blog that I thought I'd share. On Easter Sunday, I was in Long Beach.

No joke. I left my apartment headed towards an Easter gathering and I was on the corner of my block when I saw a Hummer (H3) go by. A Hummer in Korea? Not a likely sight at all. I might get struck by lightning now. Then what came after the Hummer driving right behind it? A Ford Mustang! A Mustang in Korea? Now I'm really going to get struck by lightning. Then what followed the Mustang? A too familiar sound did. Skateboards. Not once since I've been here have I seen skateboards. And of course the sound didn't originate from Koreans, but it was two blonde Caucasian guys skating in typical surfer-Cali clothing. The "piece de resistance?" Me overhearing a bit of their conversation while they skate past my block while saying "Whoa dude!" in a totally Malibu-esque way. So for a weird paralleled-universe of a second I honestly thought I was in Long Beach. Pinching self commencing.

"Stopped into a church, I passed along the way"

So because it's midterm exam week, I've been working half-days this week, which give me a flood of free time to run errands. So I've been meaning to go to this one landmark I always go by whenever I'm at the Seojeong-ri Station in Songtan, and that's the Catholic church a block away. It's a huge cathedral, and in typical Western style, houses a Catholic school. What has caught my attention since I've been here is its beauty. You have to give architectural kudos to Catholics, you can't deny that. So I went in thinking what an appropriate time seeing how lent and Easter just went past us. I was taken back. The church was very beautiful inside and out. I did some soul searching because I honestly believe there is a lot to be said for prayer (BUT, I'm from the school of prayer combined with "God doesn't help those who don't help themselves"). So I did my thing. And as my mind and body had both gained satisfaction today (I had my vanilla latte fix from Starbucks right before, hence the mention of body), I was very content.

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As a matter of fact, I've been extremely content with the last 24 hours. Aside from the excitement that's builds up day by day knowing I'll be home soon, a lot happened that made me very happy. It made me look forward to what's coming up. I'm pretty stoked about it.


p.s. I think I've avoided getting struck by lightning for a while

Easter Weekend

I must say I had one of the best Easters I’ve had in a while. Went to two gatherings, and they were both great with great people who attended each of them. The first one was hosted by Julie & Jason (who have access to the base). You know what they made? Turkey! An over 20-pounder! It was really good along with all of the other dishes everyone else brought. The entire thing was really fun, filling, and it all ended with a round of Apples to Apples. Round two was over at Jaudrey’s where they had a nice gathering of people, but even better, home-made truffles. Hallelujah for the commencement of lent and the celebration thereafter. A nice round of "chubby bunny" followed. Ate lots of sweets and lots of good food, I really can’t complain.

The day before I went to Seoul Tower, which is the main landmark in Seoul and I’m pretty sure one of the main landmarks in all of Korea. It was great despite some initial meeting “technical difficulties.” You take a cable car up to where the tower is and when you’re walking towards it there’s a big stage. Since there was still time before the martial arts performance, I headed up to the top of the tower towards the observatory. It was a really nice and clear day, and therefore you could see all of Seoul bow before your feet. After that, I watched the performance of martial artists, which was pretty neat alongside traditional Korean dancers, which was reminiscent of what I had seen during my visit to the Pyeongtaek Cultural Center. I then took the hike down from the tower and the hike was beautiful. The entire hills and mountains were just filled with cherry blossoms. The foliage was quite nice and I just took it all in. Seeing how I’m leaving SK in a little over a month, I started thinking during that walk of how much I’m going to miss this place. Living somewhere so far and foreign to what I consider home, I started to think in that moment of how far I had come from when I first got off that plane and into Korea about 11 months ago. It’s crazy.

Happy Easter to everyone!
Yaya, hope you enjoyed your birthday, Lisette, hope you enjoy your birthday, and Scott, happy upcoming birthday! Whooooo!

Dynamic Busan, Aloha Hawaii, & Comtemplative Comments

Busan (부산)

Why Dynamic Busan? Well that’s because that’s the city’s slogan. Every city in Korea has a slogan, for example, Super Pyeongtaek, Happy Suwon, Seoul of Asia, and Fast Cheonan. Well I was in Busan this past weekend at it was AWESOME. Why have I not been there every weekend?! Busan is on the other end of Korea, the south part of South Korea. After a friend’s 80s birthday party on Friday, a couple of us headed over to Busan on the overnight train. We left 11:40pm and got to Busan at 4am on the midnight train (no, not to Georgia). Getting to the station was just, well it was breathtaking. Because the holiday that commemorates Buddha’s birthday is coming up, the entire station was lit up by different types of sculptures, like Rose Parade floats. They were awesome and then we proceeded to head to our hotel.
After our cab driver found our hotel, the Dawn Beach Hotel where we had a reservation, we saw the hotel doors were closed, and it wasn’t lit. We were worried. Aren't hotels open 24/7? After we went to a neighboring hotel, they informed us that our hotel was in a fire the day before. So then we panicked and began looking for hotels in Busan. Do you know how difficult it is to find a beachside hotel in Busan on a Saturday when it’s cherry blossom season?! Extremely difficult! So we found a hotel, and it was a gold mine. Great room, great price, great service. We wandered around the area then headed to the Busan Tower area, which alone is very beautiful. After some time doing that, we then headed to the beaches for food, more food, and some beachside cocktails. We spent the nighttime around our hotel’s area, which has an arcade district and countless blocks of restaurants. I now equate Busan as if it were Los Angeles’ and Las Vegas’ lovechild. Sunday was spent in Chinatown, the only Chinatown I’ve ever seen that has a strong Russian presence. The food there was great, reminded of the Seafood Port restaurants in Torrance. Coming back on the express bus was a breeze too. It baffles me that in four hours one can go from one end of a country to another. In California, four hours later, and you’re still in California!

Side notes: we almost got killed by the taxi driver from hell who had way too many driving close calls. We made him drop us off in some obscure location by a police station. I mean, who lets their tire get hit by a two-by-four on the freeway and doesn’t pull over to see if they have a flat or not? I mean, Come on! Btw, I’ve never heard my friend Josh swear so much before (i.e. “We need to get the F out of this cab!” Also, we almost missed our bus terminal stop because the driver decided to make a “California Roll” style stop where he opened the door for a whopping two seconds. That’s not enough time for us to grab our bags and jet. That’s the complaint list. Nothing about Busan though, I loved that place!

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Aloha
So my school is planning & paying my ticket home. In my contract it states that my school is responsible for paying for my ticket to my “home country.” This is where I had an amazing idea, why not get my school to pay for me to go back to my home country, but not my home city? So I’ve decided to go to Hawaii. I have family in Hawaii, so I’ll be staying with them. Free lodging PLUS my cousin’s husband is a La Cordon Bleu chef, what could be better? So I’ll be in Kauai for a few days before I return to LA on June 9th to visit my family and friends. I’m really stoked about these trips, and hopefully the LA trip converts into an LA (or at least So Cal) stay. Summer in Hawaii!! Whoop whoop! Funny because as my plans were coming into fruition I later found out my friends Phoebe, Pati, and Nick are also going to be in Hawaii this summer around the same time, but unfortunately not the same days. Phoebe will be going first, then Pati & Nick, then it’s my turn to hit up America’s Busan.

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Contemplative Comments

So in the span of three days I’ve heard from two different people that they got a comment from a student about them. They are both in different schools and these are two completely different people, so I was thrown back not only these comments happened, but that they happened within a short window of time. I won’t mention the comments because they’re not worth repeating, but worth noting. Both people were hurt and it put them in a crummy mood, I just hope that those around them and the people who made these comments put away their ignorance before it creates escalating and unnecessary problems and prejudices. Comments like these definitely won't help in others seeing you in a positive light. Although this didn’t happen to me, I can’t help but to think about it and its effects.

Lesson: Think before you speak. On that note, I bid you ado.

School, school, and more school

I'm not going to lie; I've been too busy to blog recently. I do the occasional tweet and Facebook status because those take mere seconds. A blog on the other hand requires some premeditation, and I’ve gotten in the habit of having them mean something. The overall umbrella of “school” has been covering my head for some time now. I’m in the midst of trying to find a job back home, all the while planning my trip back home. This was also my last week of my extra classes alongside planning this weekend in Busan, and since I’ll be gone I have to be assured that next week’s lesson is done. I will say that I’m blogging now because I’ve obtained some breathing room. Busan is pretty much planned for, the lesson is done, my extra class came to a close yesterday, and the trip(s) back home are moving along nicely (especially today).

As such, I wanted to note that in my school, my students have had speech exams this entire week. It’s the best week for someone in my position because the students shower you with compliments in thinking that flattery will get them everywhere. The theme for their first speech exam of the school year is to tell me what they would do if they were either the principal of this school or the president of South Korea. Here are some snippets from their replies that I found noteworthy:

IF I WERE THE PRINCIPAL OF OUR SCHOOL….

...I would have a siesta time.

...teachers would be made to wear uniforms.

...I would make all electronic textbooks.

...parents may not support me because I won’t focus on studying.

...if teachers are late, then they have to write standards.

...I would change the school statue from an eagle to my face.

...I would increase Mr. Navarro’s salary. 

...I would switch to the American school system.

...I would make a Christmas party.

...and if you sleep in my classrooms, well you shouldn’t, because I would get very angry. …I’d change the design of our school skirts, it’s terrible!

...I’ll extend Mr. Navarro’s contract period because he makes students understand very well.

...(and my personal favorite) Finally, Hey, Mr. Navarro! Look at me. I'll would give you a lot of money in your paycheck this month because you decide my score. You cool with that?

IF I WERE THE PRESIDENT OF SOUTH KOREA…

...I would have reunification of South and North Korea, there are many separated families. (This was a common theme in many)

...I would have more trash cans in South Korea.

...well in Sweden education, healthcare, insurance, and elderly welfare is free, but the people pay 50% tax.

...and if people wanted alcohol or cigarettes, they would have to give evidence that they work like my father.

...I would leave a lot for my husband.

...my mom and dad would live like a king and queen!

...I would enlist my brother in military service.

...I would invite Lady GaGa to my inauguration.

...I would get Barack Obama’s autograph.

They’re pretty good, right?

While on the subject of school I got an update from my mother about my niece Jujubeans. She said my sister (her mom) had a conversation with the teacher and that they want to enlist her in gifted classes. The teacher said she observed something in my niece’s behavior. That is that Julie talks a lot in class, but when asked a question about the material, she’ll ace it. Well right off the bat the level of familiarity in that statement caught all of my attention. I vividly remember Ms. Arabe, my first grade teacher, telling my mom, “Oscar is smart, and he understands everything, but he’s just too social.” Blast from the past! Isn’t it funny how history just repeats itself? I expect nothing but great things from that kid.

Well on those positive notes, I’m off. Though my load has been lightened there is much to do still, especially today. Big happenings.

Decision: Made

Hello,

Talk about a week of getting asked about my decision by my friends, it's been pretty huge in comparison to other weeks when I get asked the question about me coming home or staying in SK. It's been a long time coming, but it's done, dunzo, it's made!

So is Osc coming home for good now, finally? No.

So is Osc staying renewing his contract to stay in Korea? No.

Before I tell you my decision, here's a little back story (haha, I'm making you read!). So GEPIK, the program that has allowed me to teach in Korea, is going through a reconstruction. This remake of the program would allow teachers to come into Korea only two times within a year, in March and in September. At first I heard this as rumors on the Facebook walls of different fellow teachers and emails, including one I got from the guy I replaced at my school. Well what would this mean for me? This means that if I wanted to renew my contract and that if my school wanted to keep me, that a lot of meetings would have to take place because since GEPIK won't pay for me to stay in the months between my contract's finish (June) and the next start-up date for teachers (September), then my school would need to find the funding to hire me that summer. I spoke with the teacher who's job is to be "in charge" of me and the happenings in my program, and she indeed confirmed that these rumors were true. I was prepared for these rumors to be true and I proposed a resolution that I think will make all parties involved VERY happy.

So in June I'll be going home when my contract is over. Ideally I'll be back home looking for a local job to keep me home. However, if I don't find a teaching job in that time, then I will lean towards reapplying at my school to teach again in Korea. So all in all, I will in the very least spend three months back home. I'll be home all summer long, and is there any better time to be in LA?

The teachers in the English department conferred for a whopping two minutes about my proposition, and it's a go.

That's all. I'll be in this employment purgatory back in LA in hopes to make one of those prior questions into a yes. Hope you enjoyed reading about my decision.

-oscar

p.s. Summer......whoop whoop!

Soar, No....Sore, Yes

Hello! (Lionel Richie voice)

Soar, No.

Yesterday the travel agent told me I would be able to cancel my then scheduled trip to Japan for a full refund. This is mostly influenced by embassy warnings that are posted about traveling, especially to countries recently hit by natural disasters. It's not primo time to go given all the damage that is still present there, maybe sometime in the future. I had decided to allot the funds somewhere else and have reallocated them in a threefold solution: digital toy for myself, trip to Busan, and donate some to the Japan relief efforts. So there's that.

Sore, Yes.

So I've been fighting a sore throat the past couple of days, and when I went into work on Monday it got a lot worse. So I opted for a sick day today in order to go a clinic and get to the bottom of this. I found a great clinic here in Songtan where the staff were helpful and the doctor spoke perfect English. He told me my tonsils were swollen, which isn't a surprise to me because it used to happen to me all the time as a kid. So he prescribed his meds, I picked them up, and I must say that after two doses I'm feeling a lot better. Can I just now take time to give major kudos to the Korean health system? It baffles me how the US always claims to be number one in this or that, and don't take it to sound unpatriotic, but can't they get their business together enough to care for the wellbeing of people's health? If Korea, Canada, and many other countries can offer their residents quality health care, why can't America? The insurance foreign teachers get here is excellent and everything went smoothly. I hope work will be okay tomorrow, we'll see how much better this situation gets by then.

30 Days

I stole this idea from someone's Facebook and I decided to take it to another level, make its own Tumblr site for it. The idea is a continuous 30 days of different posts about different aspects of one's life.


http://theoscblog.tumblr.com/

Limbo

The upcoming days are going to be really weird, and changing. So as many of you know, I’m down to how many days (yes, DAYS) I have to decide whether I’m staying in Korea or not. To be honest, I would LOVE to be back in LA, but realistically (as stated before), a job is a nice thing to have. We’ll see.
Also, the tragic happenings in Japan have affected how I’m going about this supposed vacation. I find out next week whether or not I get to go, or if I get to cancel. The embassy still has travel warnings to Japan, and if they stay until next week then my flight gets cancelled. In that instance, I would get my money back. I’ve decided if that happens I’ll just go to Busan for that weekend, buy myself something nice, and then donate some of the money I would have spent on the trip to the Red Cross relief effort. I think it sounds like win-win.
I have a class to teach in ten minutes, so I’ll end this stream of consciousness here.



p.s. It's going to suck to see Lizelle, one of my coworkers and first friends I made in Korea, leave this week, but happy she's moving on.

OMG Japan, DMZ South Korea

A lot has been happening in the last week and it would be crazy for me not to write about it. As some of you know, I am planning a trip to Japan in exactly one month where I will be in Tokyo for three days. Well at least that’s still the plan. There are still travel warnings for Americans on the US Embassy website, so I’m pretty much trying to keep positive and hope those warnings are lifted before my travel times arrive. If not, I’ve already considered reinvesting the Japan funds on another trip, so I guess I’m just waiting now. The devastating earthquakes and tsunami that struck Japan are tragic, and therefore it fuels me to still go because during this time I feel they could use my tourism dollars (much like tourism helped the post-Katrina New Orleans recovery) to help a bit in stimulating their economy.

I was touched to receive emails, tweets, and Facebook messages indicating concern from my family and friends, thank you. I, however, was not affected at all. It’s bittersweet, but Japan takes the fall for any turbulence that may occur along the Pacific Ocean because it cocoons over South Korea and there is a sea in between as Figure 1 depicts below:

This weekend was also personally eventful for me. Some things happened with some friends that are now comedic, and I got to go to Hooters in Seoul for a birthday. Hooters is not something most foreigners know about in terms of finding one in South Korea, but their entire clientele is just that, foreigners. Weird paradox I suppose.

The next day was entirely devoted to Korea, and I mean Korea, both ends. I took a trip with some friends to the DMZ (DeMilitarized Zone) on Sunday. The DMZ is the border between North and South Korea. The trip was great and we did it through a great company called Adventure Korea (www.adventurekorea.com) and that is also the company that my friends and I went white-water rafting through. The trip consisted of going to a bridge, the Freedom Bridge, that connects both countries, going into an infiltrated tunnel North Koreans tried to dig in order to sneak into South Korea, watching a DMZ film, going through the DMZ museum, looking through various souvenir shops, getting to see North Korea through a periscope, and going to the train station of the only rail that connects Seoul (South Korea’s capital) to Pyongyang (North Korea’s capital). Needless to say that I learned a lot from each part of the tour, and I mostly enjoyed the film they showed us about the DMZ (I want to look into where I can get a copy) and that I got to see North Koreans going about their day through the periscope. Also, I got to buy DMZ chocolate, North Korean-made soju, and North Korean postage stamps. To be honest, this trip to the DMZ has now lit a curiosity fire in me in wanting to visit North Korea at some point in my lifetime. A big part of me also wants the reunification of both parts to be imminent.

It still baffles my mind that the world allowed this country’s policies to happen. How does everyone in a country just “agree” that they will be isolated and allowed to be told what to do at all hours with no way out? It’s almost magical and I cannot wrap my head around that process at all. The thing that is now engrained in my head came from the DMZ film I watched where the fourth infiltration tunnel (and the last one to be discovered) was found in 1990. That’s crazy! That’s during my lifetime!

So those are the thoughts running through my head about that event. I’m still in the lent process of not eating chocolate, so I guess those DMZ chocolates are safe…for now. Also, happy birthday Jaz!

Moral of the story: Be grateful.

A Ling Thing

It was the about two days before I left for South Korea last year in June that I was packing and catching up on my podcasts via my Apple TV. One of my favorite ones, and a shame that he decided to cut his run on CNN, was the Larry King Show. As I was packing I decided to play my podcasts as background noise and images to get myself moving. I hadn’t noticed the title of the episode I was playing and when the interview began it was Lisa Ling (reporter, she used to be on The View) and her sister Laura Ling talking to Larry about Laura’s North Korea capture. A little background info: Laura was reporting in China near the North Korean border when a tour guide led her the wrong way and North Korean guards captured her and told her she had crossed into North Korean territory. Also, Lisa Ling had once been granted access to North Korea to take pictures and video of the wildlife there for an assignment, something that made the North Korean government suspicious as the family now had a history with the country. Laura was captured for some months and held in a cell when a former president came to her rescue, Bill Clinton. Kim Jong-Il had negotiated to let Laura go if Clinton would go and get her. As it turned out, Clinton was one of a scarce number of country leaders who sent his condolences to Kim Jong-Il during his father’s passing some-odd years ago. Kim Jong-Il wanted to thank Bill for his gesture and in turn return Laura to her family.

As I’m watching this intense interview and hearing Lisa and Laura talk about letters they exchanged during the capture, I must say that I gave every article of clothing I was packing a second look before placing it in the luggage. Now it’s comical, but at the moment I gave each shirt, sweater, and pair of pants the same look you give someone when they tell you that you are wrong.

It was all coincidental and decided to look at it just like that, a coincidence and not as a sign that I should keep my butt in LA. Okay, now fast forward to nine months later. I’m going to the DMZ (Demilitarized Zone) that borders South and North Korea on a tour this weekend. I must say I’m really excited because hear of people going and it is right along my quest do more actually Korean things during my stay here. Well like clockwork, the Lings do it again and find a way to give me information as I’m about to embark on another Korean destination. This Monday, I came across this op-ed piece that Laura Ling wrote for the LA Times:

http://www.latimes.com/news/opinion/commentary/la-oe-ling-north-korea-20110304,0,1805224.story

To think that I come from one of the most technologically driven nations and I move to another one that compares well to it, it’s hard to think that some of the things she wrote about are actually happening at this very moment just miles away from where I am. I must say that I appreciate the work Laura and Lisa Ling do, I appreciate their experiences, and how they go about informing the world of the happenings in parts we would never know about otherwise.

"When we free ourselves, we are freeing humanity"

So thanks to Phoebes who gave me another unbiased token of advice. We recently had an AIM conversation where I told her about my lenience towards staying in South Korea versus my wanting of going home. She told me almost the same thing my mother did (as stated in the last post) that as much as it would be cool to be home with all the people I miss and vice versa, maybe staying in Korea wouldn’t be the worst thing because of the stability I would have here. That makes three pieces of unbiased feedback. My coworkers, other SK teachers, and the occasional “COME HOME OSCAR!” comment are not included in this tally.

So we’ve made no progress in this field. However the quote from the title comes from something I saw on someone's Facebook wall about World Book Day. And I quote, “Find the book nearest to you, turn to page 56 then find sentence 5 and write it as your status. Needs to be the book nearest to you, not your favorite.” Well the book nearest to me is in my desk drawer and it’s Paulo Coelho’s The Witch of Portobello. Coelho wrote one of my favorite books of all time, The Alchemist, however I couldn’t really get into this book, but when I did the whole search-the-quote thing, and I found it fitting. I’m sure once I make a decision it will be freeing to me and freeing to other, and the world will keep on turning.

Los Angeles Mom Theory on Education

I just got off the phone with my mother.

I spoke with her last week, and to paraphrase that past conversation quite frankly I think she'd feel better if I were to renew to my contract here in South Korea. I still don't know. Time is literally of the essence and I have about 3 weeks to decide if I'm staying another year or not. Granted, if I decide to stay in SK, I would still spend my summer vacation in LA (which would be longer than this past visit during my holiday vacation).

Back to my mother. A week ago she has filled me in on a rolling layoff update LAUSD did recently. How bad is it? It's really bad. Take a look:

http://www.contracostatimes.com/california/ci_17434726?nclick_check=1

This past weekend a couple of friends and I got together just to hang out and I ran into Jaime. Jaime is a teacher in Pyeongtaek who is from LA, and she actually taught at my school during my winter camp. We started talking about the situation back home, and it actually turned out that both of our mothers are on the same boat when it comes to informing us and trying to sway us into the rational decision of staying. After comparing conversational notes, it's like in the same parallel universe we had the same mirror conversation with them. They both gave us the stats on the So Cal teaching situation along with having to look at the big picture. Cue to Twilight Zone music.

Although I'd love to come back home, things are looking grim, and to be honest it would suck for me to be up for a job against someone who used to teach me or someone who has light years ahead of more experience than I do.

I even had a Facebook chat convo with someone who used to serve in Circle K e-board with me back in CSUDH who I hadn't heard from in years and I got the same token of advice. I think it's the type of stuff I need to hear, the outsider looking in. I, my friends, and my family (mother exempted) are sometimes biased and would love for me to come back. In an ideal world that would be great, but I have no intention of asking for change under the 110 freeway on-ramp.

Seems like a negative blog, but let's be realistic about this. There's lots of thinking ahead of me.