Korean Quickie – Sex, smiles, and dating in Korea (vol. 2)
So this is the second, shorter, and less sexual segment of the three volume series of shorts under the title Sex, Smiles and Dating in Korea. Though no sex actually happens it’s still a great/fun read. I hope you enjoy, and leave a comment if you do.
____________________________
It was a totally new building with glass walls and a wonderful view of the woodsy campus behind the main school building. I sat inside this new cafeteria with six other teachers who, because of the new lunch schedule that accompanied the new building, weren’t used to eating with me – the foreigner. I ate kimchi and occasionally sniffed the queer smelling chemical scents given off by the building materials.
…[CLICK TITLE TO READ MORE]…
Korean Quickie – Sex, Smiles, and Dating in Korea (Vol. 1)
This is the first part in a series of shorts about, you guessed it, sex, smiles and dating in Korea. I only have one other story in mind, but I may add others. These stories are real, but I make no apologies for the lies that they contain. Writers are lies and can’t be trusted.
____________________________
Me and a co-worker of mine started taking Muay Thai classes in April. His name is Mr. 김(Kim) and since I arrived last December he’s taken to the idea of being my older brother – my 형님. He wants to give me advice and expose me to Korean culture. It was Mr. 김(Kim) who told me about the Muay Thai gym.
I find the relationship to be a bit overwhelming sometimes, but he means well and I’m thankful for the attention and the free dinners he sometimes takes me out to.
…[CLICK TITLE TO READ MORE]…
Student Q and A – “I get the money”
Some time ago I had to give my students a speaking test. It consisted of me asking them a series of questions to test there fluency in English. These are some of the questions – and some of the more interesting answers I received:
___________
QUESTION: Who is your favorite music artist? Why do you like them?
Answer: You know Hip-Hop? I like Nas because… he is very famous.
Answer: I like Lonely Island because they have very sexual content songs like “dick in a box,” “Jizz my pants” and whatever.
Answer: I like Girls Generation because they so cute. Ahh… [he adjusted himself in his seat and smiled] Yes, they are so cute.
Answer: My favorite artist is Kanye West, because his voice is very charming.
QUESTION: What school subject are you interested in? Why are you interested in it?
Answer: I like science because teacher is girl.
…[CLICK TITLE TO READ MORE]…
Korean Quickie – Japanese pornography
The class topic for today was Travel. I gave my students vocabulary like “Sightseeing,” and “Backpacking.” They learned the phrase, “The food here is exotic.”
After this I asked several of them to tell me what country they would like to go to and why. This is the exchange between me and a Mr. 백. With both of us smiling pleasantly I began.
Me: Okay, Mr. 백 so tell me what country you would like to go to and tell me why? For example, I would like to travel to Australia to go sightseeing. Now you.
Mr. 백: I would like to travel to Japan to see the porno.
Me: Porno… You want to go to Japan to see their porno?
Mr. 백: Yes teacher.
Me: … Porno?
…[CLICK TITLE TO READ MORE]…
Korean Quickie – Bad Teacher
I went to work a few weeks ago and saw a print out of my name near the front door entrance. The sheet of paper had some Korean characters on it. Not being able to read Korean I asked one of the school staff members about it: “Why is my name on this poster? Did I do something wrong?”
Based on stories I’ve heard about private academies (hagwons) in Koreaas, well as some of my recent experiences, I was concerned for my job. Jinny, the staff member, seemed pleasantly surprised however and said, “Really. Wow. You won the Cross Cafe contest.”
“The what?”
I had won a contest that honored the teacher who had most students participate in my Academy’s new project – an attempt to get kids to do more work outside of the classroom. Cross Cafe was an online platform that allowed students to post presentations and projects. They were also able to comment on the posts of other students…
I didn’t know I was even in a contest. Nodding at Jinny I said “okay,” and walked toward my classroom, quickly forgetting the sign and my temporary fear of joblessness.
…[CLICK TITLE TO READ MORE]…
Korean Quickie – There is hope
The things in this story happened to me as I was beginning to come to terms with the fact that I lived in another country. It was an understanding that was great, but saddening at the same time. The kindness of many random Korean people was the great part. If you enjoy this story please use the social media tools below. Thanks.
____________________________
Throughout most of my life I’ve kept a relatively pessimistic perspective on things. A glance at my childhood pictures show cold stares sprinkled with regret. There was never a specific reason, and though I abhor the idea of blaming it on “my nature” (whatever that is), happiness was, and is, a elusive thing to me. The things I desired didn’t desire to be around me, so I grew up always expecting very little out of the life that I counted everyday of.
Moving to South Korea was an extension of that phenomenon. I wanted to be in the publishing industry just as mergers were allowing companies to fire their staff, and print media in general was walking the path worn out years ago by the Tasmanian tiger, the Bermuda Ern, and the eight track tape. During my internship as Farrar Straus and Giroux an assistant editor talked to me:
…[CLICK TITLE TO READ MORE]…
