Ban Ki-Moon has gone on record saying that Korea should scrap the mandatory HIV test for E-2 Visa English Teachers.
Yeah.
one expat's life in Korea
Tuesday, November 16, 2010
Saturday, November 13, 2010
Tribute to Evan, Kelly, and Matt: People Leave
"A Case of You" by Joni Mitchell: the line "I could drink a case of you, and still be on my feet" is one of the greatest lines in a pop/rock song ever. And other lyrics get quoted in the comments.
I always encourage my students not to ask the question "What's your least favorite thing about Korea" or "What's the worst thing about Korea?" when they first meet a new foreigner: do they really want to get the conversation off on such a negative note? And what if the answer to that question is something honest, or savage, rather than just another sideways compliment, the way it's often expected to be answered?
My "safe" answer to that question, for a long time, has been "The language barrier" -- it prompts a "fair enough" kind of reaction, and it shifts the onus from Koreans to "fix" something (for example, if I said "corruption") to me, who should really be studying the language harder.
Not long ago, my answer to that question changed: there's a new "worst thing about Korea" in town, and this is it.
People go home.
On facebook today, I discovered that it was Evan's birthday. Evan's one of my boys. Honestly, he's one of my favorite human beings. He's smart, but humble, he has a faith that is strong but realistic, that gives space for others to be who they are, without sending his own moral compass aswing. He was a loyal friend to me for about three years in Korea, and he was one of the few of my friends who'd call me instead of waiting for me to call them. And he always had something good to say, something on his mind, worth talking about.
Evan (on the left)
We never ran out of conversation once.
He's also handsome:
You've read about him here before, at this post (Do Make Say Think concert), this post (Christmas) and this post (his birthday party)
It's been a year of attrition in Roboseyoland: Evan the bum-chin is not the only one who left, either.
Kelly NameChangedForPrivacy, whom you first met way back in 2007, has also flown the kimchipot.
Kelly was another really nice lady: I knew her when we were both WAAAAAY younger, back when I lived in southern Ontario, and she was one of the first Canadian friends of mine whom Wifeoseyo met. Wifeoseyo was absolutely smitten with Kelly's warmth, down-to-earthiness, and sense of fun. Kelly's another one who never ran out of conversation: she always had a story or a joke, and while she was ready to laugh at a good one-liner, she was just as ready to shoot down a lame one.
When Kelly decided to go back to Canada to get her teaching career in Canada rolling, well, it was a sad day for me and Wifeoseyo. We got together and went to see the Rodin exhibit at the Seoul Art Museum by Deoksu Palace, ate the best Kongguksu I've ever eaten, and sent her off to church.
And now she's far away too.
Funnily enough, she and Evan were friends, too: you can see her here at Evan's party.
And last December, my best friend during my time in Korea, Matt, left as well.
This is the guy who not only pulled my fat out of the fire, but taught me how to recognize when my fat was in the fire, and how to avoid getting my fat in the fire for future reference. He backed me up across South China, in some skeezy streets of Yokohoma, and in a few shady situations here in Seoul, too. He and I shared some experiences that make great stories - stories of the type where people almost die - and also some stories that aren't dramatic at all, but involve things like grief, and heartbreak, and loyalty, and betrayal, and restoration. The kinds of stories that bond a friendship for life.
And that's Matt. He's my brother until I die.
Oh yeah... things got silly too.
And he left Korea, too.
Now I'm glad he's moving on to something bigger and better. I'm glad he's living out the life plan he'd formulated in his head. I'm glad he's busy loving the heck out of his fantastic wife (who happens to be another of my favorite people)... but that little, selfish, self-pitying part of me wishes he was still doing those things in Korea, you know?
So you know, life in Korea is good: it's a beautiful country with a bottomless well of things to enjoy, there's so much to learn about this place I barely know where to begin, and wifeoseyo is a stalwart, a wonderful support whom I love more and more...
people go home, though, and it's OK to stop for a bit, and remember them, and say "yeah. Those were good times."
Maybe some long-term expats start to hunker down, and only hang out with other long-termers, because we get tired of the comers-and-goers. Maybe that's what it boils down to... I hope that I never completely detach from the newcomers, I hope that I never become one of those smirking snarkburgers who makes fun of Johnny two-month and his "You know, I've noticed that Koreans are very competitive! Especially in school!"... but then, every time another friend goes home, it gets a little harder to invest in then next Johnny two-month that comes along, lest he also leave after twelve.
Is this the sound of an expat turning into a lifer? Maybe. Maybe this is why many of the lifers I know mostly roll with Koreans, and the occasional other lifer.
I'm trying not to let that happen: one of my favorite poems in the world is Rainer Maria Rilke's "Be ahead of all parting, as if it were already behind you" -- and I think it's fine, well and good, to have some friends who come and go, as long as you can spot and lock onto the ones who are friends for life...
but it's still sad when someone goes.
Evan: happy birthday.
Kelly: we miss you.
Matt: brother, you'll always have a home wherever I am.
Hope you're all well.
I always encourage my students not to ask the question "What's your least favorite thing about Korea" or "What's the worst thing about Korea?" when they first meet a new foreigner: do they really want to get the conversation off on such a negative note? And what if the answer to that question is something honest, or savage, rather than just another sideways compliment, the way it's often expected to be answered?
My "safe" answer to that question, for a long time, has been "The language barrier" -- it prompts a "fair enough" kind of reaction, and it shifts the onus from Koreans to "fix" something (for example, if I said "corruption") to me, who should really be studying the language harder.
Not long ago, my answer to that question changed: there's a new "worst thing about Korea" in town, and this is it.
People go home.
On facebook today, I discovered that it was Evan's birthday. Evan's one of my boys. Honestly, he's one of my favorite human beings. He's smart, but humble, he has a faith that is strong but realistic, that gives space for others to be who they are, without sending his own moral compass aswing. He was a loyal friend to me for about three years in Korea, and he was one of the few of my friends who'd call me instead of waiting for me to call them. And he always had something good to say, something on his mind, worth talking about.
Evan (on the left)
We never ran out of conversation once.
He's also handsome:
You've read about him here before, at this post (Do Make Say Think concert), this post (Christmas) and this post (his birthday party)
It's been a year of attrition in Roboseyoland: Evan the bum-chin is not the only one who left, either.
Kelly NameChangedForPrivacy, whom you first met way back in 2007, has also flown the kimchipot.
Kelly was another really nice lady: I knew her when we were both WAAAAAY younger, back when I lived in southern Ontario, and she was one of the first Canadian friends of mine whom Wifeoseyo met. Wifeoseyo was absolutely smitten with Kelly's warmth, down-to-earthiness, and sense of fun. Kelly's another one who never ran out of conversation: she always had a story or a joke, and while she was ready to laugh at a good one-liner, she was just as ready to shoot down a lame one.
When Kelly decided to go back to Canada to get her teaching career in Canada rolling, well, it was a sad day for me and Wifeoseyo. We got together and went to see the Rodin exhibit at the Seoul Art Museum by Deoksu Palace, ate the best Kongguksu I've ever eaten, and sent her off to church.
And now she's far away too.
Funnily enough, she and Evan were friends, too: you can see her here at Evan's party.
And last December, my best friend during my time in Korea, Matt, left as well.
This is the guy who not only pulled my fat out of the fire, but taught me how to recognize when my fat was in the fire, and how to avoid getting my fat in the fire for future reference. He backed me up across South China, in some skeezy streets of Yokohoma, and in a few shady situations here in Seoul, too. He and I shared some experiences that make great stories - stories of the type where people almost die - and also some stories that aren't dramatic at all, but involve things like grief, and heartbreak, and loyalty, and betrayal, and restoration. The kinds of stories that bond a friendship for life.
And that's Matt. He's my brother until I die.
Oh yeah... things got silly too.
And he left Korea, too.
Now I'm glad he's moving on to something bigger and better. I'm glad he's living out the life plan he'd formulated in his head. I'm glad he's busy loving the heck out of his fantastic wife (who happens to be another of my favorite people)... but that little, selfish, self-pitying part of me wishes he was still doing those things in Korea, you know?
So you know, life in Korea is good: it's a beautiful country with a bottomless well of things to enjoy, there's so much to learn about this place I barely know where to begin, and wifeoseyo is a stalwart, a wonderful support whom I love more and more...
people go home, though, and it's OK to stop for a bit, and remember them, and say "yeah. Those were good times."
Maybe some long-term expats start to hunker down, and only hang out with other long-termers, because we get tired of the comers-and-goers. Maybe that's what it boils down to... I hope that I never completely detach from the newcomers, I hope that I never become one of those smirking snarkburgers who makes fun of Johnny two-month and his "You know, I've noticed that Koreans are very competitive! Especially in school!"... but then, every time another friend goes home, it gets a little harder to invest in then next Johnny two-month that comes along, lest he also leave after twelve.
Is this the sound of an expat turning into a lifer? Maybe. Maybe this is why many of the lifers I know mostly roll with Koreans, and the occasional other lifer.
I'm trying not to let that happen: one of my favorite poems in the world is Rainer Maria Rilke's "Be ahead of all parting, as if it were already behind you" -- and I think it's fine, well and good, to have some friends who come and go, as long as you can spot and lock onto the ones who are friends for life...
but it's still sad when someone goes.
Evan: happy birthday.
Kelly: we miss you.
Matt: brother, you'll always have a home wherever I am.
Hope you're all well.
Thursday, November 11, 2010
G20 In Gwanghwamun
F rom the Nanoomi Party: I liked the bathroom.
The cute older folks holding up signs are cute...
Finally, I don't know what this guy's deal was, but I'm sure glad he drove by while I had my camera out.
In other news: ATEK sent out an e-mail recently:
Recently, some of you have received messages from your countries’ embassies regarding the approaching G20 Seoul Summit (November 11-12). These bulletins have cautioned that often, G20 meetings are accompanied by demonstrations, and extra police security, in different parts of the city. Previous G20 Summits have been met with demonstrations in their host cities, including outbreaks of violence.
To begin with, in Seoul, please be prepared for restrictions on pedestrian and driving traffic around the COEX complex around the time of the summit, from November 11-12, and before and after. Also, prepare for transportation delays if you live or work in that area.
Also, at the last major demonstrations in Seoul, the 2008 U.S. Beef/FTA protests, an English teacher was injured during a demonstration, not for provoking the police, but for being in the wrong place at the wrong time, during an outbreak of violence. ATEK would like to alert English teachers in Seoul to use common sense in the COEX area, where the conference will be held, as well as around City Hall and downtown Seoul. Please exercise caution and around large gatherings, or areas of increased police presence.
ATEK has sent communications to the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency expressing our confidence that police officers will do their utmost to ensure the safety of English teachers caught up in protest sites, whether out of curiosity or intent to demonstrate.
However, we would also like to inform ATEK’s non-Korean members of parts 2 and 3 of Article 17 in The Immigration Control Act (see source here) which states,
(2) No foreigner sojourning in the Republic of Korea shall engage in any political activity with the exception of cases as provided by this Act or other statutes[1]
(3) If a foreigner sojourning in the Republic of Korea is engaged in any political activity, the Minister of Justice may order him in writing to suspend such activity or may take other necessary measures.
Please exercise prudence in the type and level of involvement you choose, if you attend demonstrations. Do this for your own physical safety, and also because the Immigration Control Act indicates the possibility of consequences for political action: this could put your working visa in jeopardy. Please make informed decisions about participating in demonstrations, and be aware of the situation at demonstrations, even if you are only there out of curiosity, to observe or take pictures.
For more information about your rights, and how to act during an assembly or demonstration, the NGO (Non-Governmental Organization) MINBYUN, or “Lawyers for a Democratic Society,” has published two document, titled the “G20 Summit Manuals for Foreign Activists,” and "Demonstrating the G20 in Seoul this November?" which provides information about Korean laws and codes regarding assemblies and demonstrations. If you plan on attending demonstrations, either for observation or participation, we recommend looking through these two documents. First point: do not participate in violence.
If you are not a Korean, please also consider registering with your embassy, to be updated on important news or alerts concerning citizens of your country.
Following are some embassy websites (if your embassy is not listed below, you will likely find it here:
Australia: http://www.southkorea.embassy.gov.au/seol/home.html
Canada: http://www.canadainternational.gc.ca/korea-coree/index.aspx
Ireland: http://www.dfa.ie/home/index.aspx?id=44447
India: http://www.indembassy.or.kr/
Indonesia: http://www.indonesiaseoul.org/indexs.php
Nepal: http://www.nepembseoul.gov.np/en/
New Zealand: http://www.nzembassy.com/korea
Philippines: http://www.philembassy-seoul.com/
South Africa: http://www.southafrica-embassy.or.kr/eng/index_eng.php
United Kingdom: http://ukinrok.fco.gov.uk/en/
USA: http://seoul.usembassy.gov/Other embassy websites: http://korea4expats.com/Embassies-service.html
Finally, just in case you were wondering:
Wifeoseyo's dogs like me. And I like them.
Monday, November 08, 2010
Nanoomi Party... Rocked!
So on Saturday night, I got in trouble with my wife.
I stayed out way late, and didn't have the consideration to call her and let her know where I'd be, or what I was doing.
Poor form, Roboseyo. I cooked her pancakes the next day, and we biked around Samchungdong on our new bikes (more about that later) and things are all cool now...
But the party I was at...
oooh boy.
So Nanoomi.net is a website called a "bridge blog" - a blog attempting to bridge the cultural gap between the English language and Korean language bloggers in Korea. They're affiliated with Tatter & Media, a group that syndicates a lot of power bloggers in Korea, and helps them connect with the kinds of promotional materials companies like to offer to bloggers, now that they've figured out that blogs have influence. So if Samsung is looking for a super sexy, curly-haired blogger who likes dumb youtube clips, in order to give him a really sweet digital video camera, they'd be able to say "Oh. You should call Roboseyo, and give your free stuff to him!"
I contribute to the Nanoomi.net meta-blog, which is a kind of a who's who of the K-bloggers you've been reading on my sidebar. I think it's a great, and actually a very important project: anything that's on its way to building understanding across the expat cultural divide is worth it in my book. Once the blog is going strong, group translation will be the next step. Awesome. You can read about the party here, at Lee's Korea Blog (one of the people I met for the first time: looks way different than I expected), the first blogger on my sidebar to write about it so far (though it was mentioned by one of the co-posters at The Marmot's Hole: Mr. K himself attended as well).
Check out a write-up of the event, with tons of great pictures, at "my jimin story"
Now, it's a funny thing when bloggers get together: we go around the circle:
"I'm Rob. I'm Matt. I'm Mike. I'm Anna. I'm Simon and this is my wife Martina." and so forth. And everybody nods politely, with slightly glazed eyes. Then we go around the circle again:
"Roboseyo. Popular Gusts. Metropolitician. Indieful ROK. Eat Your Kimchi," and everybody goes "aaaAAAAAaaaaahhh!" and the party's on.
Who was there?
ooh boy... the ones I saw were...
and those are just the ones I spoke to/recognized. Many of them, I met for the first time.
The author of the book "secret diet"
Indieful ROK
Seoul SubUrban
Mental Poo
The Marmot (and Robert Neff, one of his co-posters)
Lee's Korea Blog
Seoul Eats
Gusts of Popular Opinion
Fatman Seoul
KT Lit (Korean Literature in Translation)
Zenkimchi
Metropolitician
Eat Your Kimchi
Paul Ajosshi (who performed magic tricks for some bloggers' kids who came)
ArtPoli
... and if I missed you, pipe up in the comments!
sorry Stafford.
I liked most of them quite a bit.
And of course, there was trouble... started by yours truly.
Did you know my first Korean nickname was "troublemaker"?
It's true.
There were a few I wish had been there, and you know, I had to put up with my nemesis, Dan Gray, from Seoul Eats. We even traded insults for a while. Then we settled down and chatted: had an illuminating conversation. Did you know his nose looks that way because of an inherited family genetic defect? It's true. I'm not just making that up right now. He's also the only person in his extended family who snores at a volume below 60 decibels (55 decibels) because of this time when he was 23 and a little girl beat him up by punching him in the nose. All true facts. Serious.
So check out Nanoomi.net. It's got an interesting thing going, it's building momentum, and I think it's going to keep getting better.
I stayed out way late, and didn't have the consideration to call her and let her know where I'd be, or what I was doing.
Poor form, Roboseyo. I cooked her pancakes the next day, and we biked around Samchungdong on our new bikes (more about that later) and things are all cool now...
But the party I was at...
oooh boy.
So Nanoomi.net is a website called a "bridge blog" - a blog attempting to bridge the cultural gap between the English language and Korean language bloggers in Korea. They're affiliated with Tatter & Media, a group that syndicates a lot of power bloggers in Korea, and helps them connect with the kinds of promotional materials companies like to offer to bloggers, now that they've figured out that blogs have influence. So if Samsung is looking for a super sexy, curly-haired blogger who likes dumb youtube clips, in order to give him a really sweet digital video camera, they'd be able to say "Oh. You should call Roboseyo, and give your free stuff to him!"
I contribute to the Nanoomi.net meta-blog, which is a kind of a who's who of the K-bloggers you've been reading on my sidebar. I think it's a great, and actually a very important project: anything that's on its way to building understanding across the expat cultural divide is worth it in my book. Once the blog is going strong, group translation will be the next step. Awesome. You can read about the party here, at Lee's Korea Blog (one of the people I met for the first time: looks way different than I expected), the first blogger on my sidebar to write about it so far (though it was mentioned by one of the co-posters at The Marmot's Hole: Mr. K himself attended as well).
Check out a write-up of the event, with tons of great pictures, at "my jimin story"
Now, it's a funny thing when bloggers get together: we go around the circle:
"I'm Rob. I'm Matt. I'm Mike. I'm Anna. I'm Simon and this is my wife Martina." and so forth. And everybody nods politely, with slightly glazed eyes. Then we go around the circle again:
"Roboseyo. Popular Gusts. Metropolitician. Indieful ROK. Eat Your Kimchi," and everybody goes "aaaAAAAAaaaaahhh!" and the party's on.
Who was there?
ooh boy... the ones I saw were...
and those are just the ones I spoke to/recognized. Many of them, I met for the first time.
The author of the book "secret diet"
Indieful ROK
Seoul SubUrban
Mental Poo
The Marmot (and Robert Neff, one of his co-posters)
Lee's Korea Blog
Seoul Eats
Gusts of Popular Opinion
Fatman Seoul
KT Lit (Korean Literature in Translation)
Zenkimchi
Metropolitician
Eat Your Kimchi
Paul Ajosshi (who performed magic tricks for some bloggers' kids who came)
ArtPoli
... and if I missed you, pipe up in the comments!
sorry Stafford.
I liked most of them quite a bit.
And of course, there was trouble... started by yours truly.
Did you know my first Korean nickname was "troublemaker"?
It's true.
There were a few I wish had been there, and you know, I had to put up with my nemesis, Dan Gray, from Seoul Eats. We even traded insults for a while. Then we settled down and chatted: had an illuminating conversation. Did you know his nose looks that way because of an inherited family genetic defect? It's true. I'm not just making that up right now. He's also the only person in his extended family who snores at a volume below 60 decibels (55 decibels) because of this time when he was 23 and a little girl beat him up by punching him in the nose. All true facts. Serious.
So check out Nanoomi.net. It's got an interesting thing going, it's building momentum, and I think it's going to keep getting better.
Friday, November 05, 2010
Sorry about the light posting
I know: the first death-knell of a blog is usually posts that start with "Sorry for the light posting"
don't worry, readers, I'm still in it for the long haul... thinking about what direction the blog will take next...
and things have been hectic. I started my first Korean language class this week...
but this was just too awesome not to post:
don't worry, readers, I'm still in it for the long haul... thinking about what direction the blog will take next...
and things have been hectic. I started my first Korean language class this week...
but this was just too awesome not to post:
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)