What gives, whitey? Where's the post?

My apologies for not posting this week. It has been a whirlwind week at work and I had anticipated writing an entry this evening. However, I wasn't able to get the pictures I needed from Pam and I am hopping on a plane first thing tomorrow morning.

Last Saturday Pam and I went to Seoul Tower, which is a 237 meter tall structure located on top of a mountain in the middle of Seoul. The view from this mountain was absolutely phenomenal, and I promise the pictures will be worth the wait. I regret to inform that it won't happen next week, however, as I will be soaking up sunshine in Thailand.

I was asked Thursday evening if I would take the hogwan's designated vacation time next week. Don't worry--I'm not in trouble. We just have a surplus of teachers for the next week, so the bosses decided I should work on my tan. I spent the last evening and today scrambling for deals and scored a plane ticket to Bangkok for one week. While I would love to post a blog next week, I doubt that desire will be strong enough to pry me from the beach. On the bright side, I will have plenty of pretty pictures to share with my most beloved readers, and I will also fill everyone in on last Saturday. See ya in a week!

Kalbi 101

Pictured here is my neighbor Buddy and his lovely girlfriend Hyeo Min, aka Minnie. Pam was also present, but I convinced her that the camera could not do her beauty justice, so she begrudgingly opted not to be in the photo. Look at how cute these two are... kinda makes me wanna puke. I'll tell you what doesn't make me want to puke: Kalbi! On an aside, I'd like to think that my old Shakespeare professor, Dr. Kerwin would be really proud of this introduction.

Kalbi is one of our favorite activities. This is group dining at its best, and we like to partake in this feast at least once a week. We'll either have kalbi or sam gib sau, the former being beef and the latter being pork. What happens is we order food for at least two people, usually more,and the servers (who are extremely gracious and helpful unlike the help I grew accustomed to) bring an array of sides and fire up the grill.

As you may have noticed, there is a grill in the middle of the table. We start the feast by throwing the meat, garlic, onions, and mushrooms on the grill and letting it all fry. In the meantime, we munch on the soup provided, usually in two varieties. In this case we have gimchi jiggae (kimchi soup), which is a spicy red soup with cabbage and tofu, and egg soup (Korean name unknown), which is basically a big scrambled egg with some various flavoring. Both are delicious... and nutritious. We also munch on the sprouts and vegetables on the table.

I have to take a moment to describe the sprouts, which are incredibly tasty. The sprouts are very fresh and crunchy, and they pop delightfully when I bite into them. They are a little salty and are seasoned with crushed chilis and some sort of red sauce/paste. There is also a green grasslike veggie with a really fresh cucumbery taste that I could eat all day. I have no idea what this is and I don't really care, as long as it's within reach of my chopsticks.

When the meat is cooked, we pick pieces off the grill with our chopsticks and put them in a lettuce leaf, or sesame leaf if preferred. Pam hates sesame leaves, while I don't mind them. I prefer lettuce, but it's good either way. After securing the meat and possibly a garlic clove or piece of onion in the lettuce, I put a big dollup of chili paste on, just to make everything stick. The chili paste isn't overly spicy, but rather a little sweet. Honestly, I'm not sure how to describe it except that it is enormously savory. With the paste in place (to make everything stick together), I'll then add sprouts or grasslike stuff--sometimes both, and a little bit of rice. Then I wrap it up and scarf it down. I also forgot to mention the individual saucers of oil and seasoning to dip our meat into. I'll use these ever other leaf or so often.

Also on the table is kimchi (of course) and macaroni salad, which goes largely ignored. I have no idea how macaroni salad made it onto this menu, alas there's always one thing (at least) out of place in Korea. I'm not a huge fan of regular kimchi, but I like to grill it. Sometimes I'll thow a pile of kimchi on the grill and use it to supplement my gourmet lettuce wraps.

I can stuff one after another of these things into my face, and I always feel good afterwards. Tasty and nutritious, kalbi might be the ideal food. I already can sense one thing I'll miss when I come home, and it's this delectable style of eating.

Awwww, Just look at them

As promised, here are the youngins. From left to right there is Gina, Stella, Sally, Laura (eyes closed), Rachel, Paul, Sarah, Sky, Max, and Tom. This is one of my largest classes and one of my favorites as well.

The kids just moved on to a higher level book, and they are more than up to the challenge. Not only are these kids sponges, but they are really enthusiastic, sometimes to the point of aggravation. Some of my classes sit there like lumps when I ask a question or ask for a reader. Not these kids... they're all over it. When I ask for a reader their hands shoot up and they yell "Me! me! me!". They're a teachers fondest dream.

Just look at how anxious they were to be photographed. I asked them if they'd pose for a picture and they jumped out of their seats and shot to the back of the classroom. Notice how the boys are on one side and the girls on the other--This never changes. The boys always sit on my right, with Sky always sitting next to me, while the girls are always on my left, with Rachel and Laura alternately sitting by my side. I think it comes down to whoever gets there first, but it doesn't matter to me as they're both really sweet. Little Laura sat next to me today and I realized that her reading and speaking skills have improved markedly over the past two months. Even though it probably had more to do with her extremely smart classmates than yours truly, I can't help feeling gratification because of the tangible results.

This classroom is on the top floor of the building, and the entire hogwan knows when I'm coming. I'm usually met by one of them at the bottom of the steps, and they take off upstairs yelling "Chris teacher! Chris teacher!" They then will relay the information to the kids waiting at the third floor steps for me, and they run to the classroom as soon as they see me, yelling the same "Chris teacher!" Of course, I get a big kick out of this, and it is a great way to start my Tuesdays and Thursdays. It's too bad the rest of my T-Tr classes can't be like this, as the day gets tougher after that. On these days I've taken to bribing my later classes (more on that later), and they're starting to get a little better. This class, however, requires no arm twisting and is a blast to be around.

A fist full of 'bucks

Okay, I have a really great picture of my favorite Tuesday-Thursday class... and I left the memory card in the office, which is locked up for the weekend. Sorry, but please look forward to the next entry as these kids are ridiculously cute.

In the meantime, I think it's time for another Starbucks rant. I've discovered that Starbucks coffee is my crack. I'm totally hooked and I can't go a week without it. Luckily, there is a Starbucks in every city in the world, so the Seattle born juggernaut can keep me as its slave even on the other side of the world. I was watching Austin Stevens on the discovery channel the other day and I could have sworn I saw a Starbucks in the middle of the jungle. I believe there's also a Starbucks on the moon. Starbucks.

I just purchased a couple of bags at Suwon station, which is basically a gigantic shopping mall/depot. I rarely see other whities in Suwon, but I always see at least one at Starbucks. It's without fail. I saw one today, and we gave each other the obligatory white person's nod. Whenever two white people see each other (two or three times a month), they always nod at each other, as if to say "I see you, whitey.". I did this ritual with a whitey today, and then started laughing. One of my favorite things to do is to try to spot white people in crowds. I do this thing with my neighbor Pam where I nudge her whenever I see a white person and proceed to subtly point at them. Yeah, it's stupid and kind of juvenile, yet I find it endlessly entertaining.
By the way, Starbucks.

This week I found coffee mate at the local Lotte Mart, so my life is now complete. I'm not a purist like my neighbor Buddy, who will only drink Starbucks from a press. Not me, baby. I brew a pot every morning and drink it with coffee mate. It really can't be beat. A couple of weeks ago I ventured out and tried something other than the house blend, only to realize when I got home that it was decaf. NOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!! It took about half a day for me to discover how addicted I am to my morning cup, as the headache and general edginess nearly cost my 5 o'clock boys their lives. I corrected my mistake that evening by purchasing a bag of House, and have lived happily since. Starbucks.

Starbucks.

And the rockets red glare...

Nice view, eh? I've recently added the word "eh" to my vocabulary thanks to my association with numerous Canadians. Beauty, eh? Take off. As you can see, I spent my New Year's Eve watching fireworks from the rooftop. I wasn't alone this time, as my friends and neighbors Buddy and Haji were with me. We brought a cd boom box with us and listened to Mozart's 40th symphony as a background to the fantastic fireworks show.

I have to say that I've never had this great a view of a fireworks display without dealing with crowds, traffic, and view obstructions. All we had to do was walk upstairs and climb onto the roof. In order to get on the roof we merely have to step out of the fourth floor window onto a narrow ledge where we walk about fifteen feet and climb a rope to the top. Just kidding, mom... there's a ladder inside that leads to the roof. No more laughing in the face of danger.

In addition to the music, we also brought some bubbly with us and toasted the new year. I'm happy that I opted to stay home instead of going into Seoul. I've never been a fan of going out on New Year's Eve, and I have to say that I had a great time last night with the view and the company. The general feeling among us is that 2006 is going to be a great year, but then again it would be kind of stupid to say: "You know, guys... this upcoming year might really suck. I just have that feeling."

I'm truly excited to be where I am, although I really miss everyone. I look forward to sharing more with everyone this year, as I resolve to keep up with the blogs. I'd like to thank all who've read and commented for their support and encouragement as it motivates me to keep writing. Who knows? A little more practice and these things might actually get interesting. Happy New Year and God bless us, everyone.