Video Smorgasbord

December has come and we all know what that means - time to post a few videos! That's what December means to me, anyway. This first little clip has a big bang. This is the B-Boy group, whom we had never heard of but are now crazy about. (to the extent that I will post this on my blog.) Our boss notified us that we had to attend a mandatory foreign language teacher seminar in Seoul last weekend. 9 am Saturday morning rolled around, and we stumbled up the stairs from the subway station and followed the "hey, you American idiots, walk this way" signs to a nice auditorium somewhere near Yeouido. We weren't thrilled about being there, but it was our curiosity that kept us somewhat alert. We were all sitting slumped in our seats until the cheerful Korean MC announced in English that we were about to watch a dance show of sorts by the B-Boy group. My ears perked up, my eyes focused from the red velvet seat in front of me to the brightly lit stage. A handful of Korean dudes were bouncing around the stage and swinging their arms in hiphop style. The music started to thump, and then the formerly sleepy foreigners were in for an incredible display of Korean breakdancing. I particularly liked the guy with the long, flowing hair. He seemed to incarnate an anime character... see for yourself!

Next... though the quality of the video is less than professional, listen carefully to the conversation the students are having with Dan. Really funny... basically the students are helping Brian come up with ways to threaten the lives of all of Dan's family (including me, 'his Julie'). This video shows the escalation of a three-minute session. It started with, "My mother will kill your mother"... "My grandfather will kill your mother" ... "My dog will kill your cat"... to chickens and octopi. Watch it to believe me.





Our friend and former colleague, Kate, got married a couple of weeks ago. As a surprise for her brand new husband, she broke out into song right on stage in front of all the guests. It was priceless, really. I couldn't resist posting it.

Did you go to the hospital?

"So did you go to the hospital?" asks the Korean. (Julie just taught direct speech and knew exactly how to punctuate that.) And also Julie just remarked how our room is starting to look like a slum again, but fortunately I have a wife that also sees the four fingers pointing back at her and so she doesn't get on my nerves :). Anyway... ... ... ... ... I went to the doctor today, ... not the 'hospital' as Koreans call everything medical... and I received a prescription that I conveniently filled on the bottom floor of the same building. I left the building with seven dollars less than when I entered, which is a small but excellent testament to socialized medicine. I wish it would be like this when I return home. High hopes I guess. I am on a thorough regiment of pills... about 7 to be exact, that I take 3 times a day. These koreans like to add all of the symptomatic stuff in with the prescription so you don't have to go out and buy advil cold and sinus etc. ( I just figured this out today). So Dan (me ) is on the up n up and I love all you whom I have left on the right side of the world... as opposed to the wrong side. I drank some soju to help the pills go down well and now I feel a bit sleepy so I will sign off give good morning to you and a nite nite to those that are on my wrong side of the world. love you all..

dan

Hiking and Halloween

At the close of October and the onset of November, Dan and I find ourselves enjoying life in Korea more and more. It has become more than a routine and I know that I have settled into a very content attitude here (one I feel is hard to come by when living away from home). I hope it lasts a while. Last weekend, we hiked up to the peak of a nearby mountain with our friends who are teaching in Sanbon (Seoul), which is a 1.5 hour subway ride away. The sunshine and freshness of nature cured me from the week's weariness.

The last few pictures are from last Friday (Halloween). It isn't celebrated here, so it's hard to come by a costume, and that's my excuse for not dressing up. That didn't stop one class I had, who were beyond excited to come to academy that day! We watched "It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown!" and had snacks, drew and colored Jack-o-laterns, and made origami ghosts. Pretty good for a 50-min class! (I confess, we did the drawings earlier that week...)

Here you are, more pictures than you could ever ask for:

Not the most comforting way to start a hike...

Dobongsan Peak, Bukhansan National Park

Hiking is super popular in Korea - so we bravely faced the crowds on the mountain,
remember we're the tourists, we're the tourists... this type of reminder helps to keep the sanity on the mountain.

Meditation?

Christina and me at the top.

The building with the blue top right in the middle is the hospital across the street from our apartment in Nowon!

Jared and Tina

Korea would not be Korea without its cute trail mascots!

Seoul/Namsan Tower in the distance.

The perfect place to rest one's legs after a long hike. >_<

I was definitely underdressed for one of my classes on Halloween!

The reason I go to work sometimes (besides the money): these kids.
Rose, Berry, Iris, Bruno (aka alien), Harry, Veronica, Julie