tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-89377857280754223812024-03-05T05:52:26.258-08:00Motown to SeoultownUnknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger66125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8937785728075422381.post-12104084093631388072013-05-20T08:38:00.002-07:002013-05-20T08:38:44.856-07:00Hey Fam and FriendsYou can check out my new blog/cartoon here:<br />
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www.domandhyo.com<br />
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I primarily post there now and you can enjoy the cartoon about my girlfriend and I :)<br />
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Auntie, you can print the cartoons out for grandma if you'd like :)Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8937785728075422381.post-26998049522009862712013-04-01T06:25:00.000-07:002013-04-01T06:25:33.566-07:00New BlogPlease check out my new blog with Hyo. It is a comic about us as well as some posts here and there about our trips. Check it out and share!^^<br />
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http://domandhyo.comUnknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8937785728075422381.post-81591185822830791522013-02-15T01:54:00.000-08:002013-02-15T01:55:15.936-08:00USA TripHere are some pictures from our USA trip.<br />
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<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8937785728075422381.post-16880723997360419692012-12-18T07:50:00.001-08:002012-12-18T07:50:35.515-08:00December UpdateHey all I'm here for a quick update. So the semester is almost finished. Only 2 more weeks, and then vacation.<br />
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This year I wil be going back to the states with my girlfriend to see my fam. I think it will be a good trip, and I haven't seen them since December and March.<br />
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My girlfriend is really looking forward to meeting everyone and experiencing some of my culture now. We will also be going to New York to see the sights, and visit some friends who I haven't seen in awhile. Can't wait!<br />
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Here are some pictures from the past couple of months:<br />
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Grandma, Aunt, Mom, Cousins, see you in 4 weeks!!Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8937785728075422381.post-65030219560414376032012-08-12T07:33:00.000-07:002012-08-12T07:33:20.898-07:00AugustIt's summer vacation now and after 2 weeks of summer camps at my school, I am now enjoying 2 weeks of rest and relaxation (and...being productive? haha). I'm really enjoying it this year because last year at my hagwon, I only had one week for the whole year and I was burned out by the time it came. If this was last year, I would still be slaving away from 2-10 while my friends in public school were enjoying their relatively stress free summer camps and summer vacation. I definitely made the right choice in coming back to public.<br />
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Anyways I went on an overnight trip with my language group this weekend and we had a good time. Barbeque, swimming, games, etc. Good short trip for the summer.<br />
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I came back to Incheon earlier today and me and Scooter hung out for a short while.<br />
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We are saving money right now so we can both take a trip to the states to visit New York and visit the fam in Detroit and West Virginia. Hopefully it all works out so we can enjoy it. Here are some pics from the past few months. Love you mom, auntie, grandma, and all my fam!!<br />
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<span id="goog_913043360"></span><span id="goog_913043361"></span><br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8937785728075422381.post-58105067848025967082012-08-12T07:26:00.001-07:002012-08-12T07:26:53.713-07:00<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8937785728075422381.post-39221610182299141372012-05-01T09:21:00.000-07:002012-05-01T09:22:29.535-07:00Start of Year 3So here I am one month into my 3rd year in Korea. How have things been going this time around? Well I can say with full confidence that my situation is much better than last year at my hagwon. Last year I finished work at 10pm and started work at 2/3pm. And even though sleeping in is always a favorite of mine, missing out on the majority of the day was not.<br />
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Now I start at 8:30 and finish at 4:30 which means I can do things after work like go to a movie/dinner/other things with friends/girlfriend. Last year I had 5 vacation days, this year I have 18 plus holidays. I taught 30 hours a week last year, this year I teach 22 with several days having classes cancelled for whatever reason. I am much less stressed so far, although I am still not where I wanna be career wise.<br />
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I couldn't have asked for a better situation this year. School pretty much lets me do what I want in terms of teaching. I guess they figured I've been here for 2 years already so they don't need to look over me constantly. And looking back at my first job, I really have learned a lot and my teaching compared to then is MUCH better.
My apartment is awesome. It has a little loft on top for sleeping which I have always wanted since being in Korea. I have a washer dryer combo and it's a pretty new place. My only complaint is that I face the wall of the same building I live in. I don't know how to explain it but whoever designed this building was on drugs because it makes no sense to have a whole side of apartments facing the wall of the same building.<br />
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I'm just now getting over a cold/bronchitis/tonsilitis in which I had to go to the hospital because my fever was so high. I also dislocated my finger 2 weeks ago when trying to catch a basketball. It came my way, hit my finger, and bent it straight back 90 degrees. I freaked out when I was it, but I guess it was pure instinct that I immediately bent it back into place (instead of waiting to go to the doctor). I go back to the doctor on Friday to see how it's healing.<br />
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I was a bit homesick last week but having some favorite home foods this week helped me out, and I'll be seeing a jazz concert featuring Earth, Wind, and Fire, Eric Benet, and George Benson on May 19th. Really looking forward to that.
The weather has gotten warm here quickly. Almost as if spring has been skipped completely. This summer looks to be a scorcher. Anyways that's pretty much been it for now. I'll try to write a more in depth post later this week about some other things on my mind.
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZj-4r0fGQ23FdLrLJFbXJDgn4uK8LIL59pkgqqaZSV9TamECethNQP4D7Lnt1B66gvByHTZF7Tn3ckT3UYjrr-cEw5rENLYxT_1ZDA-uxcffEADr1ws5M-8VpRE1GPJqru06LPZEUbko/s1600/536640_805837313811_41000125_34206147_1298672078_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZj-4r0fGQ23FdLrLJFbXJDgn4uK8LIL59pkgqqaZSV9TamECethNQP4D7Lnt1B66gvByHTZF7Tn3ckT3UYjrr-cEw5rENLYxT_1ZDA-uxcffEADr1ws5M-8VpRE1GPJqru06LPZEUbko/s400/536640_805837313811_41000125_34206147_1298672078_n.jpg" width="300" /></a></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8937785728075422381.post-52887724453683180672012-02-12T16:57:00.000-08:002012-02-12T21:49:10.884-08:00Hawaii Reflections and MoreWell 2012 has been here for over a month now, and I'm preparing for my third trip back to the Land of the Morning Calm. ETA is 5 weeks. I finished at my last school in mid December and couldn't wait to get out of there. I will try my best to avoid a hagwon from here on out, or least do better research. I can't be too upset though because working there led me to meet my girlfriend whom I just spent a wonderful vacation iwth in Hawaii.<br /><br />It was an awesome trip and I could really see myself living there. I am absolutely tired of winter and even snow (though I have loved snow all my life). Being on the beaches with the sea breeze blowing at your face, and overlooking the ocean is something I think I wanna be able to do everyday. <br /><br />We truly enjoyed our time there and it was a good meetup for us since we hadn't seen each other since I let Korea in December. We went up the Diamond Head Crater for a short hike and an outlook over the ocean and Honolulu, and got some great pics from up there. The first day we were there had some pretty awesome...and scary adventures.<br /><br />First off, I got scammed by some bird lady. We were walking down the street and I saw these parrots. I decided to get some pictures. Before I knew it, the lady asked me if I wanted to hold the birds and quickly put them on my arms and shoulders and she put them on my girlfriend as well. It was fun at the time, and I got some great pics, however at the end of this little fiasco, she quickly said "10 dollars!".<br /><br />I was shocked. And my girlfriend laughed at me for being scammed in my own country. Good times.<br /><br />Next, we decided to take a drive to Pearl Harbor. After that we decide to go to the beach, and then it started to rain! Even through all this, we enjoyed the day, and went to the beach several times of the next few days. I even taught her to play mini golf. I was sad when she left and then I had to leave, but I'll be back in Korea in 5 weeks.<br /><br />While on the way to Hawaii, I picked up a book called "The Alchemist". I didn't know the book was popular until after I bought it. I kind of just felt like I hadn't read a novel in awhile, and I decided to pick it up. This book and this trip made me think about dreams and "Your Personal Legend". <br /><br />I think everyone has one, but for some reason or another many decide to settle for mediocrity and give up on their dreams because it gets difficult and we suffer many setbacks. Reading it (still not finished), only emphasized what I wanna do even more and focus more on what I've been working on for the past 4 years.<br /><br />My goals have always been to travel (with the one I love haha) and be able to do my art FREELY. Meaning not being tied down to a 9-5 job or to a company who tells me when I can take a vacation. I mean how crazy is that? I've been working on being able to do that (earning a living online which would allow me to do that), and although I've suffered many setbacks, I am slowly but surely getting to my goal. I've wanted to give up, but being on this trip made me realize what I want even more and to continue working towards that. And even something like the Law of Attraction, it seems like I have been traveling a lot the past few years. Went to Guam, Cali, and now Hawaii. Now I need to hit up some new countries this year. Anyways for my Aunt and grandma, here are some pictures from Hawaii. Enjoy!<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh45BlLfZHY6bNBE2pWTYUOR2NyncPQsU1eSaClHnBMj-9vIm9W3YRWZRhjfNYitYy4yhtkIX3KScDgw4N0ToZQxk93YHW_ma5Ei13xXmqNxKWmpfQf6Hxs7XjccXXRZmmYV2u27wGZSBk/s1600/DSC_0157.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 266px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh45BlLfZHY6bNBE2pWTYUOR2NyncPQsU1eSaClHnBMj-9vIm9W3YRWZRhjfNYitYy4yhtkIX3KScDgw4N0ToZQxk93YHW_ma5Ei13xXmqNxKWmpfQf6Hxs7XjccXXRZmmYV2u27wGZSBk/s400/DSC_0157.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5708429282107315106" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWysyKolggtyDHFZwlKJPQrMgD6bzE60aaW_T7TR0ato30XaCSNpWmEwHVza1fMrVH0J4Vz1i6tXkvZbbkBJNspmpP025jOK0MGSLTFgUJdNPTim7AS5TuQez50J44ttU7sQZief9A7uM/s1600/DSC_0112.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 266px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWysyKolggtyDHFZwlKJPQrMgD6bzE60aaW_T7TR0ato30XaCSNpWmEwHVza1fMrVH0J4Vz1i6tXkvZbbkBJNspmpP025jOK0MGSLTFgUJdNPTim7AS5TuQez50J44ttU7sQZief9A7uM/s400/DSC_0112.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5708429281626458642" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXsTcEydIImWj7DrZ-tx7RMeds6XlKxcxj9pJtXynKJnYL-pO2AQDuuH0LWW_A5kR_0DNDcuO2TUW6jVkW76obaAaLQ_uivv_0kEgCugGDX23Qj-m6uInVYMY0DcXBcz0nuAe8br34jhA/s1600/DSC_0108.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 266px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXsTcEydIImWj7DrZ-tx7RMeds6XlKxcxj9pJtXynKJnYL-pO2AQDuuH0LWW_A5kR_0DNDcuO2TUW6jVkW76obaAaLQ_uivv_0kEgCugGDX23Qj-m6uInVYMY0DcXBcz0nuAe8br34jhA/s400/DSC_0108.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5708429271772215186" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi39led7ndW5ifrrs7sxBa006BLlyQfDozKMah0-BhOTxwpnfCNlSuHKaFjDrTaP6fkpBl9d161YtJiOTpoTULOup6vPrjgLLurEY24JPLI3yzK9jO0OU94BYGlso-7NY3mIk08Rvm6Tts/s1600/DSC_0044.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 266px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi39led7ndW5ifrrs7sxBa006BLlyQfDozKMah0-BhOTxwpnfCNlSuHKaFjDrTaP6fkpBl9d161YtJiOTpoTULOup6vPrjgLLurEY24JPLI3yzK9jO0OU94BYGlso-7NY3mIk08Rvm6Tts/s400/DSC_0044.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5708429268902636034" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQI8XKW25m51fhvNOoXG4SKVV8ZcTGig_0mZlzPucfbi0qKVu6Peh_mXDXt-3ooReovI7h6QhcqjfaNj2o0bbX17hUukrB5Aj305BYEcGS-KrPJ8RrUfSLBe6nzyQLqqN1vgZ9WkEkV3I/s1600/DSC_0025.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 266px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQI8XKW25m51fhvNOoXG4SKVV8ZcTGig_0mZlzPucfbi0qKVu6Peh_mXDXt-3ooReovI7h6QhcqjfaNj2o0bbX17hUukrB5Aj305BYEcGS-KrPJ8RrUfSLBe6nzyQLqqN1vgZ9WkEkV3I/s400/DSC_0025.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5708429262057330898" /></a>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8937785728075422381.post-70998359797963901172011-09-16T07:23:00.000-07:002011-09-16T07:30:02.071-07:00September"Distance is to love what wind is to fire -- it extinguishes the small and enkindles the great." <br /><br />Almost 3 months left on this current contract. I can't wait for it to end. The job has steadily gotten more annoying and ridiculous. I'm currently looking forward to the 3 week to month long vacation I'll be taking at the end of this contract. My money has been saving up pretty nicely this whole year (though I could've saved more).<br /><br />My girlfriend will be going on her own trip for 20 days in October, so I'll miss her (though 20 days is short), but I'm excited for her to be doing this as it's her first time going abroad.<br /><br />It seems this year has been a year of change and really finding out who I am this year. I'm a radically different person than I was just at the beginning of this year, and many things have transpired. I look forward to what these next 3 months hold as I finish out this contract.<br /><br />This blog has really fallen by the wayside....I suck for this. Sorry Auntie and grandma. I try to write more on real paper nowadays though.<br /><br />Anyways, good weekend coming up hopefully. I've been struggling with insomnia lately so I hope I can finally get some rest tonight.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8937785728075422381.post-12810303875042444492011-07-21T07:13:00.001-07:002011-07-21T07:28:53.796-07:007 Months!So it's been 7 months now. Time flies. Despite my many gripes about my job this year, time has really flown by.<br /><br />And things with the job have not gotten worse to the point where I think I need to leave, but I was really considering it there for a minute. I figure I can definitely stick it out the last 5 months, and then look for something more up my alley....after a nice vacation ^^<br /><br />So how has summer been? Well for starters, I'm no longer single^^ Things have been going well so far and I'll just leave it at that :)<br /><br />I took a trip out to Gapyeong about 3 weeks ago with a language group I'm apart of. It was an awesome trip. Clean fresh air, swimming, drinking games haha, and cool people.<br /><br />This week has been a nice break weather wise. Since Monday, it has been nothing but sunshine after nothing but rain for weeks. It's hot, but I don't care. I was tired of grey skies and forgetting what the sun looked like.<br /><br />Vacation for me is in one week. I get one week of vacay and I'll be going to Sokcho with you know who. I've been wanting to go there for awhile, so it should be a nice trip.<br /><br />Anyways, that's all for tonight. Just posting a brief update. I've pretty much given up trying to keep this thing updated lol. Be back soon!Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8937785728075422381.post-28515952042917989712011-06-14T07:17:00.000-07:002011-06-14T07:57:08.421-07:00Summer is Almost HereSo as we approach the summer season, thought I'd throw a few updates out here.<br /><br />First things first, I'm a little concerned about my hagwon. Pay was late this month, and most teachers still haven't been paid. The school has been losing students and classes are combining. Aigoooo...<br /><br />Next...I know I need to do some more traveling around this country. There are still some places I haven't seen.<br /><br />On my list:<br /><br />Jeju<br />Busan (again)<br />Seokcho<br />Daejeon<br />Jeonju<br />Daecheon<br />DMZ<br />Jinhae<br /><br />I don't know if I can get all of those covered this summer, but it's worth a try. <br /><br />Anyways I feel myself not writing as much simply because everything is not as new as it was my first time around. I'm used to everything, and my weekends are pretty much spent meeting with friends. Although I have made new friends the past few months, I seriously need to get out of Seoul for a weekend. Well actually I don't live in Seoul, but I go there every weekend.<br /><br />And while I'm on that, it actually was refreshing to not go to Seoul for one day this past weekend. I ended up going to the beach with my new friend. As it turns out, the island where Incheon airport is located has a nice beach area along with tons of seafood restaurants. For the first time I had some 칼국수 with clams. It was delicious and it was a great way to finish off the day.<br /><br />So I'm looking forward to more great days during the summer and chillin out with old and new friends along the way. Here are some pics of recent activities:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1rTXOAAyvdoSvkEzC72jJjAPtczTjs2TRity47weeuq62kUF-9k1nfwKcls-gvmkGnBlJf-zJEBax9kUI-ryN7hfYnx8Gzo9KM47YkirhyphenhyphenexT89R8rYqzL_k4zP2drx4-UgrFU1DA88k/s1600/DSC_0146.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 266px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1rTXOAAyvdoSvkEzC72jJjAPtczTjs2TRity47weeuq62kUF-9k1nfwKcls-gvmkGnBlJf-zJEBax9kUI-ryN7hfYnx8Gzo9KM47YkirhyphenhyphenexT89R8rYqzL_k4zP2drx4-UgrFU1DA88k/s400/DSC_0146.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5618088510726537714" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgP3Q3tQ4-Evq_vz6EEzC0IXr4K-rNeweAZEeI3OKTEuCqVGCrclck-XfVbgfUZ4dGrzap2k7pm7-EUuvH5lGWPVLmZLMHIkrYl3Yo-t-p_J7-xdLbpF2nYk1lzlvVKpLasW-Y2953XANQ/s1600/DSC_0134.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 266px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgP3Q3tQ4-Evq_vz6EEzC0IXr4K-rNeweAZEeI3OKTEuCqVGCrclck-XfVbgfUZ4dGrzap2k7pm7-EUuvH5lGWPVLmZLMHIkrYl3Yo-t-p_J7-xdLbpF2nYk1lzlvVKpLasW-Y2953XANQ/s400/DSC_0134.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5618088504180221618" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJtHGrbfHgYAbepnqoJa2_He3JZU-KrUPzwjXdEJszkbew2815v4eQl1CWfYXT99nJUiSRcpm65g8erhkNcJC3o_i-7CGPxeWH_Ac3hDFM3oC5aKxUEzU_CVIk2l3NqWOMAMCo7EB3mAY/s1600/DSC_0095.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 266px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJtHGrbfHgYAbepnqoJa2_He3JZU-KrUPzwjXdEJszkbew2815v4eQl1CWfYXT99nJUiSRcpm65g8erhkNcJC3o_i-7CGPxeWH_Ac3hDFM3oC5aKxUEzU_CVIk2l3NqWOMAMCo7EB3mAY/s400/DSC_0095.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5618088495812751138" /></a>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8937785728075422381.post-18468225533239175972011-05-26T09:18:00.001-07:002011-05-26T09:26:21.215-07:00Spring is here...summer right around the cornerSo I'm sitting here chillin in my apartment. I've got the old school music on with Law and Order in the background. Friday is here and I'm in the writing mood.<br /><br />I'm almost at the halfway point of my second contract here in Korea. Things have been going pretty good and the time is flying as usual. I'm glad it's warming up, but I can already feel the humidity driven summers of Korea are right around the corner.<br /><br />Work has been up and down. My schedule changes every month and I'm hoping one of these days I can finish consistently around 9pm. That would be EARLY for me. It really sucks having your whole day gone. Something to think about if I decide to stay another year (I think I will)<br /><br />This past weekend, I enjoyed being the groomsmen at a friend's wedding in Daegu. It was a great wedding and although I'm gonna miss my friend (she's moving to NYC), you can't help but be happy on a day like that. Congrats again!<br /><br />I've also gotta hit up Daegu again. It seemed like a nice city. Much cleaner than Seoul.<br /><br />My goal for saving money for travel is going pretty well so far. I got a raise (not much) at my job because I basically have to come in earlier than everyone else for 4 out of 5 days of the week. It's helping a lot. I'm running TWO websites now. I still have my Detroit site which is coming along nicely and I also started a weather one last July. <br /><br />This whole year has been a year of change and I plan to keep on growing. That's it for tonight. Peace.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8937785728075422381.post-60715982179116120802011-03-06T05:35:00.000-08:002011-03-06T05:47:50.241-08:00Quick UpdatesCan't believe the 3 month mark is almost here already. I have no idea why time goes by so fast here.<br /><br />Anyways, first....work. Things are still pretty good...in some ways. Our director recently changed our schedules this week having me basically come in and do straight classes from 3/4 to 10. Not gonna happen. I had to point out to him the EFL law that states that there must be a 30 minute break for every 4 hours of work. To his credit, he changed it and said "I value your opinion and you are apart of this family".<br /><br />Whatever you say man as long as I get a break in there sometime. <br /><br />I've also been slightly worried about the school's future as it has been losing students over the past few years. We will see what happens with that.<br /><br />Birthday....was awesome. My friend's sister came to visit, and since her bday is the same as mine, we decided to do a joint party. Started off with some Thai food in Itaewon, and then headed to a club afterwards.<br /><br />Now...I NEVER dance. I call myself a black man with no rhythm. But I was dancing like a madman. Yes some alcohol played a part in that.<br /><br />The next day, some friends hosted us for dinner which was an awesome end to a great birthday weekend. I can't believe I'm 26 years old. I was thinking about how 10 years ago I was in high school and could've never predicted I would end up teaching in Korea. <br /><br />March has started off pretty well and it's finally starting to stay above freezing for consecutive days at a time. Spring is near.<br /><br />I've been slacking with the writing here. Will try to post more.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8937785728075422381.post-38240734154732498872011-01-02T18:29:00.000-08:002011-01-02T18:46:42.690-08:00A New Year...Welcome to 2011Happy New Year everyone!<br /><br />I hope everyone enjoyed it. <br /><br />I didn't do much on New Year's Eve. I got off work at 10, and didn't feel like traveling into Seoul, so I just stayed in Incheon and hit up the Bupyeong area for a little while.<br /><br />On New Year's Day, I had planned to go hiking, but I must have been out of my mind thinking I was going to feel like getting up at 8 to go hiking in 10 degree weather.<br /><br />Fail.<br /><br />So since I had no other plans, I decided to see if a few friends wanted to meetup for dinner. We set it up and it was a great way to spend the 1st day of the new year. We headed to Hongdae and went to this Indian restaurant I found out about last year. Then we found some random sake place. But seriously, it was refreshing to talk with some other art savvy people. Probably the best convo I've had in awhile.<br /><br />Sunday, I met up with a friend in Insadong to discuss a graphic deisgn project I'm gonna be working on for a play. Had some Korean food afterwards, then we found this chocolate place which charged us out the wazoo for a chocolate the size of a lego. It was good but cmon now.<br /><br />It seems 2010 went by fast. A lot happened in my life during 2010. I grew a lot, and I expect the same to happen in 2011.<br /><br />I'm ready to get the first week of the new year going.<br /><br />Random:<br /><br />I use to love these snacks called "Koala Yummies" when I was little. My dad would bring them for me every week from the import store.<br /><br />When I came to Korea, I expected to find them since Lotte seemed to be pretty prominent here (Lotte is the company that makes them)<br /><br />I didn't have any luck last year, but this year, I found them ^^.<br /><br />I think part of the...well THE problem was that I looked in Homeplus last year instead of LOTTEMart...duh. They're actually Japanese instead of Korean too.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6EBybJA4wtxhm6T5kK4gTOQtd34w56cyB4weDIDS1D91JwsDJSF_9I9f5IDWt481DPW1W88PXF2tzZhtdMRaExx1HMnHi9Z1hH-JOI3-YVnO_-EUH0ordBYTb18PpyQgwmJdlzsPLoUE/s1600/DSC_1499.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 266px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6EBybJA4wtxhm6T5kK4gTOQtd34w56cyB4weDIDS1D91JwsDJSF_9I9f5IDWt481DPW1W88PXF2tzZhtdMRaExx1HMnHi9Z1hH-JOI3-YVnO_-EUH0ordBYTb18PpyQgwmJdlzsPLoUE/s400/DSC_1499.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5557785239681028546" /></a><br /><br />Alright then I've got work in a few so I'm out.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8937785728075422381.post-66836684593946285262010-12-29T07:32:00.000-08:002010-12-29T08:26:56.603-08:00Hagwon LifeLast year I was in a public school. Large classes (30-40 kids), waking up early, and I had a co-teacher in the classroom.<br /><br />Now I'm at a hagwon where my largest class 10 students, I have no co-teacher, and I get to sleep in (and watch the bowl games muwahahaha)<br /><br />In the foreigner community here, the age old debate of which is better, hagwon or public school, rages on forever. I'm not going rehash this argument again (but probably will lol), but I'm only going to talk about it from my perspective and what I like about each.<br /><br />In public school I liked having 20 days of vacation along with random classes being cancelled. Although I am still not a morning person, I liked finishing at 4:30 and being able to use the rest of the day to meet up with friends for dinner, exercise, etc.<br /><br />Here at my hagwon now, I only have 10 vacation days (+ national holidays), and although I start anywhere from 2-4 pm, I finish anywhere from 8:30-10:05 pm. <br /><br />There are positives and negatives to this. Like I said I am still not a morning person, so sleeping until 9,10,11 is nice. So if I want to watch some of the bowl games this year, I can do it before work. Or if I want to catch a Pistons game, I can do the same.<br /><br />The only reason I don't like finishing late is because it leaves little time to hang out with people afterwards (excluding the other two foreign teachers at my hagwon).<br /><br />But it's all good. I get some downtime after work, and I'm making it a point to do something every weekend (Saturday and Sunday)<br /><br />Not having a coteacher is nice. And the curriculum is pretty much set. I follow the book, and then play a game the last 10-15 minutes of class. I also have freedom to deviate a bit from the book (ask questions/discuss topics further). My favorite classes are the screen classes where the kids learn by watching an English movie. They answer questions, fill in certain phrases, etc. The kids chose Dr. Dolittle the other day and were pretty entertained by Eddie Murphy.<br /><br />My school also pays for my dinner. And I don't mean they provide a generic dinner. I mean we can all choose something off one of the many menus, order it, and it's paid for. This is going to save me tons of money. I can also eat in peace without fear of offending someone because I didn't eat a certain dish (seemed all to common at public school)<br /><br />All in all, despite the many horror stories you hear about hagwons, there are good ones out there. It looks like I've found one and if I had to have a gripe, it would only be my apartment which is a little older (but lots of space), and the kids above my apartment me who feel the need to stomp, pound, and jump constantly on the floor in the mornings and at night before bed haha.<br /><br />But it all depends on you and what you want. There are good and bad public schools. There are bad and good hagwons. There are positives and negatives with each. I like the smaller classes, but I also know I will be envious of my public school friends who have that longer vacation LOL. I think I researched my school pretty well, and so far my experience here is showing that. I'm learning the ropes of this job pretty quickly (it was a little confusing at first), and I will definitely try my best to do an excellent job here.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8937785728075422381.post-73551266514150994822010-12-24T17:41:00.000-08:002010-12-24T18:02:10.753-08:00Incheon is my new homeI boarded the plane for my second journey in Korea. As I checked in, went through security and said my last goodbyes to my mother, I couldn't help but feel a bit more sad than last time that I was leaving home again. Yet at the same time I still felt the excitement of living abroad for a second year.<br /><br />I boarded the plane, got settled in and watched Despicable Me, The Other Guys, Cyrus, and part of Going the Distance before I decided that the movie was trash. After 15 hours, in the air, I landed, went to get my baggage, and met my director.<br /><br />We talked for a bit, introducing ourselves, talking about our lives, my future workplace etc, and stopped to get a takeout pizza since I was starving.<br /><br />We arrived at my new digs soon afterwards and I thought the apartment was a bit of an anomaly. Bigger than my last apartment with 2 rooms, a dresser, bathtub, and a bigger closet...yet much older with dirt and grime in the toilet and bathtub along with depressing wallpaper LOL.<br /><br />Upon further inspection, the bathroom light did not seem to work, and it would be fixed later on in the week. After my director explained some of the things in the apartment, he left and I would see him at work the next day.<br /><br />Before I decided to crash, I decided to dig into my delicious pizza. I took a bite, and I remembered that Korea still cannot make even a simple pepperoni pizza. Onions and some other sauce that I couldn't identify were prevalent and after taking little bites off multiple slices, I decided I had had enough and put the pizza in the refrigerator.<br /><br />The next day was my first day of work. Seems like I found a good hagwon (let's talk 3 months from now lol). Dinners are paid for by the school (can order off the myriad of menus on the refrigerator), classes are small, and although I get off work between 830 and 10, I get to sleep in most days. Coworkers are cool (only 2 other foreign teachers and 3 Korean teachers) and the neighborhood is pretty busy.<br /><br />So let's see what this second experience has in store for me. What will I learn this time? Who knows, but I'm ready to find out.<br /><br />Today is Christmas and it is a friend's birthday, so we will be headed to TGIFridays in Jamsil followed by ice skating and possibly...the noraebang!!<br /><br />Merry Christmas everyone!!Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8937785728075422381.post-64404932002996230612010-12-17T22:47:00.000-08:002010-12-17T22:50:51.159-08:00Korea Pt. II is officially onI only say officially because the last step is finally complete. Got my passport back today from the Korean Consulate in Chicago with the new visa stamped. All that's left to do is to pack (which I hate) and board the plane on Monday.<br /><br />I'm so glad I got a direct flight straight from the D to ICN. Anyways, I'll probably be back Monday with another post before I leave. Really interested to see how this next year turns out. <br /><br />1Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8937785728075422381.post-18147366954378903852010-11-27T17:24:00.000-08:002010-11-27T18:25:20.449-08:00Headed Back to Korea, Regional Tensions, and More(*Note this may turn into a long post...you have been warned)<br /><br />So it finally looks like I'm headed back to Korea!<br /><br />It's been a long process, but I finally found a good hagwon (I think haha) in Incheon and I should be headed out on December 16th.<br /><br />So a couple of things. Like I said, it's been a long process. I was even thinking of going to China, but the pay wasn't enough for me. Although going with a hagwon wasn't out of the question, I was primarily holding out for a public school position. Now there is always a debate as to which one is better, but it really depends on the person. Let me just say that I have met people who have been in good hagwons along with people who have been in bad public schools (and vice versa) <br /><br />I actually had an interview with one public school, but I guess I got beat out by other candidates. Recruiters also sent me public school job leads, but after I said I was interested, I never heard back after the fact.<br /><br />Also, I actually didn't mind going for a good hagwon. The vacation is shorter, but you start later in the day, classes are smaller, and I feel like I would actually be teaching. I'm a night owl. My bedtime is regularly between midnight and 4am. Maybe I'll grow out of it, but I don't see that happening soon. <br /><br />Anyways, there are a few things I regret. First, it was just sticking with one recruiter up until about August. I didn't start looking with other recruiters until then and I definitely got a bit more people looking for jobs for me. That's four months where I should've been casting my net wide. Chalk it up to being naive about the tighter job market.<br /><br />Second, I only stuck with recruiters. A recruiter is not necessary for finding a job in Korea and posting your resume to job boards or jobs on Craiglist can increase your chances too. A lot of these jobs are posted directly by the schools, so you cut out the middle man. You apply directly to the school, and if they are interested, they will contact you, if not, you can move on. Quicker communication.<br /><br />Third, I was self sabotaging myself. I hate that I did this, but I was reluctant to apply directly to a hagwon because I had heard that they really weren't fond of hiring people of color (which is true for a lot). I also think some recruiters play a part in this as well as they are looking to fill jobs as quick as possible (some didn't even respond after I sent in a picture). <br /><br />So after reading a post on Dave's of all places about a fellow brotha finding a job at a hagwon, I said screw it and just started applying to any job on ESLcafe or Craigslist that I felt I qualified for. I started doing this around October instead of applying to even more recruiters (I had applied with at least 20-25), and all of a sudden I started getting more job leads. If you are a person of color (esp male), will you have a tougher time? Yes. Should you shoot yourself in the foot and just give up or not even try? NO. Take it in stride and know that a school will see your abilities and won't think about that. <br /><br />Now here is how funny life is. Two schools I applied with directly decided to interview me within two days of each other and then they both offered me jobs on the same day this week. No job offers for over 6 months, and now I've got to decide between two haha. I decided to go with the one in Incheon because the contract had everything I wanted and the other one didn't (like pension) and I also did TONS of research on it and liked what I had read from former teachers. Location was a big factor too. The other one was in Icheon (without the "N" haha), which is at least an hour by bus to Seoul (which I still wouldn't mind if I had a good job offer there), but the area of Incheon I would be living in is right near a subway station. Being only a half hour to an hour within my favorite places like Hongdae, Insadong, etc would be nice.<br /><br />So yeah I had to decline the other job and they actually were trying to negotiate a higher salary, but again the big thing for me was there was no pension in the contract (which is illegal).<br /><br />So I have to send my docs off on Monday and hopefully everything goes smoothly and I'll be back in ROK by mid December.<br /><br />Now here's the next issue. It seems North Korea is feeling kinda mighty right now. As you may or may not know, North Korea fired on an island of South Korea this week and there have been talks of it escalating into war.<br /><br />I, like many people were pretty pissed at North Korea, but I think South Korea/US has to take at least a small part of the blame as well. The US/South Korea were doing military drills right near the border firing into disputed waters. This of course provoked the response by North Korea.<br /><br />As I'm typing this, the drills have started once again along with the enormous US aircraft carrier, the George Washington, so everyone is on edge a bit to see if something will happen. <br /><br />China plays a big role as well and I wish they would keep their little dog in North Korea in check. THEY ARE ENABLING the crazy man.<br /><br />Usually nothing comes from these things and it settles down pretty quickly, but a lot of people in South Korea are tired of just turning the other cheek and letting North Korea act as they please. <br /><br />I also can't shake this feeling that something will happen, though I hope nothing does of course. I'm a little concerned this time around about heading back, but if things settle down after this week, then I'd be cool.<br /><br />So yeah a few friends wonder why I want to go back, and truthfully, I like the country and I have a lot of good friends that I made that I'd like to see again. I don't plan on staying forever, but it's a good fit for me right now and a for a few other goals I have. I think the biggest difference for me this time around is that I actually HAVE a plan for when I am done there. My first year I thought I would just go there for a year, come back, and head right back into graphic design (thinking the job market would recover).<br /><br />Well, it turned out that I wanted to stay a second year, I'm not too fond of graphic design anymore, I like photography, I like traveling, I have a few websites/business that I know can succeed, and the prospect of sitting at a desk all day is boring to me.<br /><br />Hmm so maybe this post wasn't that long after all. I'll be back with more updates.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8937785728075422381.post-27201959559583613072010-09-20T07:01:00.000-07:002010-09-20T07:03:38.081-07:00HmmBeen thinking about going to China instead. Easier to get hired. Errbody and they momma aren't trying to go there like Korea...yet. Will keep you up to date.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8937785728075422381.post-10482619180464333712010-09-03T22:34:00.000-07:002010-09-03T23:14:40.439-07:00Long time...So whatsup people. Been a long time since I've written on here.<br /><br />Let's see...it's been about 5 months since my time ended in Korea. This summer has truly flown by. One of the shortest summers that I can remember. It's funny I always get that "schooltime" feeling around this time of the year no matter how old I get.<br /><br />So what's been the deal here in Detroit? Well a lot of things.<br /><br />For one, I have been trying to get another teaching job in Korea, but I've come up bone dry so far. The market is very flooded right now. I've also got three things going against me.<br /><br />I'm not in Korea.<br /><br />I'm not white.<br /><br />I'm not a female.<br /><br />The first one could be dealt with easily...the other two not a choice. <br /><br />It's literally been absurd. I started off by applying with my recruiter that got me my first job. I applied with them way back in April and since then only about 4 jobs have been sent my way, and they never got to an interview. They have my docs and said they would send them to another school or recruiter if I found something.<br /><br />I've almost lost track of the number of recruiters I've applied with and emails I've sent.<br /><br />Ordinarily applying with multiple recruiters is frowned upon, but when nearly 80% of them don't even respond to your application, it makes sense to keep trying. I would say out of the at least 20 recruiters I've sent apps to only about 5 have responded with only 2 actually seeming like they were actually trying to place me.<br /><br />I placed my resume on Dave's, got tons of emails. After I sent my picture, no replies! haha.<br /><br />I sent an app to CDI...nothing. (I heard from Aclipse they weren't hiring again until Jnauary/February)<br /><br />I sent an app to POLY...nothing.<br /><br />I've asked people to look at my resume and photo. All seems fine.<br /><br />It also gets tricky because my statewide criminal background check expires after October. They are only valid for 6 months. After that, I might as well get the FBI check because that is what will be required in 2011, and that check takes 1-3 months to get.<br /><br />I'm now questioning whether I want to even go back now. I mean there is a big part of me that wants to go back. I had an enjoyable year last year. I never expected to WANT to come back for another year or two. Also going back there can make the process of achieving some of my future plans and goals much easier (I want to travel and work in photography). Plus it kills two birds with one stone. I get to travel on my breaks and work and make money.<br /><br />At the same time, I could definitely keep looking for work here in Michigan (HA! I'd still be in the same boat) or elsewhere and accomplish my same goals, only it would be a bit harder.<br /><br />Right now, the only thing keeping me afloat, is my website which I run. I've also done a bit of freelancing on the design side. I'm also sending out job apps to companies here in Michigan.<br /><br />So...we will see what happens as I always say. If I can't find something in Korea by October, I may just wait until 2011 and try again. Or I may wait until the year after that. Or I may just say forget it LOL. I definitely don't like just giving up, but it's frustrating when you KNOW people are not looking to hire you or place you.<br /><br />Either way, I will survive. I'm taking a photography class late this month which is another step. My website continues to grow. It's funny...I've heard comments here and there from frie...people who want to doubt me and judge me for being where I am right now. No one starts off on top, and like a friend of mine says, if you really want to motivate me, doubt me, and say I can't do something. <br /><br />Which is one reason why even though I'm talking about saying "fuck it" about Korea, it seems just can't let it go because it does motivate me to find that job and show that I can do the job just as well as anyone else. Also I do know that not all recruiters or schools are just looking for that white face in the classroom. So it's just a matter of searching.<br /><br />Anyways...rant done for the night. It is a great weekend in Detroit. Michigan football starts tomorrow against Uconn...I'm going to listen to one of my favorite artists tomorrow at the free jazz fest all weekend in downtown Detroit (and get some pictures), and the Eminem/Jay Z concert was going on tonight.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8937785728075422381.post-82161913638972477742010-06-30T20:05:00.001-07:002010-06-30T20:05:29.545-07:00HiHey.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8937785728075422381.post-55518205779866726792010-05-05T22:25:00.000-07:002010-05-05T22:46:41.597-07:00Hey WorldSo hey people whatsup?<br /><br />So I'm back in the states. My one year adventure in Korea is over and it was a good experience. I'm in the middle of the process of applying for another job over there so I hope to be back over there by June.<br /><br />I really miss that place. Hongdae...Insadong...the hiking...the people. I think another year is needed over there. There are still some places I haven't seen and I still have money to save hehe.<br /><br />Anyways, life has been pretty boring since I've been back. I did go to California for 5 days one week after I returned though. I figured since I have some extra money, it was time to finally see the west coast. I met up with a Korean friend over there which was cool too.<br /><br />Sand Diego is very nice, and I think that's the place where I want to move. Beaches...sun (most of the time...toni toni is a liar)...palm trees. Lovely. I also drove up to LA and went to a lot of things there. Finally saw the Hollywood sign, and went to Korea Town there. Also hit up Santa Monica Beach and saw the famous pier.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1CdGN-5RqBk8PKv6s3_93U-dy1-fnrrv16hX4ht7KKL99cyz0XFjmQzCQhjMkasWWphukIgWxsQBVxqJmev2dQxcRMdL2QMX3MJ1g5_64XSBrvlvTBrvhFFYPqQbgp_r-7gfh4qQmcsY/s1600/DSC_0830.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 266px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1CdGN-5RqBk8PKv6s3_93U-dy1-fnrrv16hX4ht7KKL99cyz0XFjmQzCQhjMkasWWphukIgWxsQBVxqJmev2dQxcRMdL2QMX3MJ1g5_64XSBrvlvTBrvhFFYPqQbgp_r-7gfh4qQmcsY/s400/DSC_0830.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5468029283006688098" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEkcKTx_BPsAC1vtC7ztIbmCvz0rR6Fx6QQN-TplmNrBDNdy_vrjk5_W4amOlb6M_M6K_Bzl7fCTvz3tGpzXRzl8c1gyGJ5zJA6HHmWMbDFSP4noe1ELdH9fGUvr2c5cBhtbiPtOg2KII/s1600/DSC_0902.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 266px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEkcKTx_BPsAC1vtC7ztIbmCvz0rR6Fx6QQN-TplmNrBDNdy_vrjk5_W4amOlb6M_M6K_Bzl7fCTvz3tGpzXRzl8c1gyGJ5zJA6HHmWMbDFSP4noe1ELdH9fGUvr2c5cBhtbiPtOg2KII/s400/DSC_0902.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5468029273102062322" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTpmTiT04DVGvkSvEXtKYCf69HFD-SO8TDUVOQ-neyfiVWf6hyi0nFg3aIrZWDdDfUoCG2M0FKgeiLddwwy7nfEhooWaHBEAQg7dAJ3Z9WLb5MFHiJVYXjegeTkiDmZok8_lecF5VlB_Y/s1600/DSC_0872.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 266px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTpmTiT04DVGvkSvEXtKYCf69HFD-SO8TDUVOQ-neyfiVWf6hyi0nFg3aIrZWDdDfUoCG2M0FKgeiLddwwy7nfEhooWaHBEAQg7dAJ3Z9WLb5MFHiJVYXjegeTkiDmZok8_lecF5VlB_Y/s400/DSC_0872.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5468028837168526002" /></a><br /><br />There is definitely a lot to see and I will definitely return soon...hopefully.<br /><br />It was also funny that the morning I was leaving to return back to Detroit, I felt an earthquake. It wasn't a weak one either lol.<br /><br />Anyways, since then life has been pretty normal and boring. I try to go out most days and take pictures for my website on Detroit that I run. And I also just go to random things around the city. My social life here pretty much sucks because well, almost all of my good friends are all spread out throughout the country now (mostly from college). Cali, Maryland, Florida, Pennsylvania, etc etc. I feel like a person who moves to a new city for a job and has to build their social network all over again. So annoying.<br /><br />From how I use to be, I'm pretty proactive in trying to meet people, but I haven't here for some reason. No meetup groups interest me, but I may head to the cultural district and just hangout as that's where the more "Artsy" people hang out and just randomly talk to people. I'm also thinking about volunteering somewhere. Been looking at some Craigslist ads so hopefully I can find somewhere.<br /><br />But yeah other than that, just working on my website business, working out, driving around, doing some reading, and just patiently waiting on the whole teaching process again.<br /><br />But I just have this NEED to travel now. I've been in Detroit all my life and although it's my home, I am sick of it in a way. I've seen everything, the same things all my life. I feel like I'm, going to be a type of person that cannot stay in one place for too long.<br /><br />The only problem with the passion of traveling is....money. Meh.<br /><br />Oh yeah the NBA playoffs have been keeping me busy as well. Been pretty good overall so far.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8937785728075422381.post-81991091296499131632010-04-14T21:56:00.000-07:002010-04-15T17:17:05.702-07:00Headed Home...Missed FlightSo I missed my flight back home!<br /><br />First time I've done this. I know many people don't ever want to take the blame, but seriously this wasn't my fault. Here's how it went down.<br /><br />My flight was scheduled to leave at 1020 in the morning. I knew I had to be at the airport by 8/830. I took the airport shuttle from Suwon at around 645am.<br /><br />Traffic was brutal coming in and I got to Incheon at about 815. I get inside and ask I proceed to go to check-in, and the lady asks me where my destination is. I tell her, and she says I'm at the wrong check-in line. So I go to the one she tells me to go to, stand there for 40 minutes, get to the front, only to hear that this was the wrong one, and that the one I was at originally was the correct one.<br /><br />:/<br /><br />So I go back there, and luckily there's no line. The lady starts checking me in, but then tells me I have to go to immigration first. I knew I would have to go there so no problem. I wait for about 15 minutes, and then the lady tells me that the lady at check in should've given me my ticket first. Well by this time, there's a half hour left before I leave and it's pretty much a lost cause.<br /><br />And I take what I said in the first few sentences back. Perhaps I could've left a bit earlier considering it is a weekday and traffic would've been worse.<br /><br />Also I was VERY frustrated at first. I'm not the person that goes "ghetto", but I was quite close for the first time in a long time. The ebonics was starting to come out a bit. But I afterwards, I figured I can't do anything about it now. Might as well enjoy another day here in Korea. I'm going to try to find a hotel and get some rest.<br /><br />I'm now on stand by for the same flight just tomorrow morning. Hopefully I'll get on! Update later.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">UPDATE:</span><br /><br />So I stayed in a nice hotel last night...got some rest. Woke up this morning and thankfully I was able to get a seat on the flight this morning. I'm to Detroit! Hopefully be back in the ROK this summer. Peace yall.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8937785728075422381.post-4654406668068385292010-04-07T06:17:00.001-07:002010-04-07T06:45:19.882-07:00About a week leftSo just about a week left until I complete my 1 year contract here in Korea.<br /><br />Still can't believe time flew by so quickly. This time last year I was sitting in my room back home wondering wow am I really about to do this? Haha awesome.<br /><br />This week has been going by surprisingly fast. Tuesday the English teachers all had a dinner for me. I got to choose the place and I chose to go to a Bossam restaurant which has become one of my new favorite dishes here. I don't eat kimchi, but the sweet kimchi that is served with Bossam is delicious and I nearly ate it all.<br /><br />They gave me a present as well. Some face/wash thingamajig which I insisted that is was for women, but they insisted that it wasn't. Meh...I appreciate the gift and I'll see what it is.<br /><br />I said goodbye to the teachers at the meeting today. I got to talk with very few of them because of the language barrier of course, but nonetheless I got some good greetings goodbye in Korean.<br /><br />My friend gave me the idea of taking pictures of all my classes, so I plant to do that in the next two days.<br /><br />Tomorrow i Thursday which is my longest day....5 classes...but thankfully the last busy Thursday I'll have in awhile.<br /><br />Last weekend, my friend Wu who left this Tuesday had his going away dinner. Pretty awesome night.<br /><br />We went to this Indian food place in Hongdae (Which has become one of my favorite places in Seoul) called Yeti. Awesome place. I want to try to go there at least one more time with some friends before I leave. Afterwards, the big group of 12 decided to head to the Noraebang!<br /><br />Now I hadn't been to the Noraebang since last summer with friends up in Pocheon, where we stayed for about 8 hours. Thankfully this session lasted only about an hour and a half. I sang two songs even though I suck, but it was cool anyways.<br /><br />After the Noraebang, it was time to head to the ever so popular Zen Bar. I saw pretty much everyone I knew in Korea (not everyone, but you get the picture). It was pretty awesome. I saw friends who had just returned to Korea, and friends who were leaving.<br /><br />I usually hate the dance/club thing so I basically sat and chilled and talked with a couple of friends. <br /><br />I also guess friends think I'm lonely because they kept trying to set me up with random girls there. First as I said above, I hate the bar/club scene. Second, I'm not dancing because I HAVE NO RHYTHM. Yes it's true. A black man with no rhythm...how could that be? <br /><br />Third, even though I don't mind talking to people, how can I with loud music? I don't want to have to shout everything. Eh.<br /><br />It reminded me of an episode of How I Met Your Mother where Ted basically said the same thing. If anyone watches that show, I guess you could say my outlook on relationships pretty much resembles his. Guess you could call me a bit of a romantic.<br /><br />Anyways, after that, the group of 12, was down to 6, and at around 4am, we decided to go to the coffee shop to wait for the trains to start running again. By this time everyone is tired, I'm eating chocolate ice cream of course, and we just sit and talk. Good times.<br /><br />Anyways, this weekend I plan to head to game 5 of the KBL Finals with my friend Mike who I haven't seen in awhile. I also want to try to hang with some other friends before I leave. So little time.<br /><br />I'm looking forward to my time back home and to do a bit of traveling. I also CANNOT WAIT to see some NBA playoff basketball again. The playoffs start the Saturday I get back and I'm so ready. I seriously hope the Cavs lose. I literally cannot stand that team. I'm getting off track here.<br /><br />Well, I hope everyone has an enjoyable week and my advice which I've been trying to follow lately is don't worry about the future, and let the past stay in the past. Enjoy the present as best you can. <br /><br />Holla.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8937785728075422381.post-49039831304980500112010-03-16T02:47:00.000-07:002010-03-16T03:08:42.189-07:00One month to go!Whatsup people!<br /><br />So one month to go here on my contract here in Korea. I really can't believe almost a whole year has passed by. When I first came here I said I would only do one year, now I find myself searching for another job here so I can experience another year here. Funny how life works.<br /><br />So what has happened during the past month or so? <br /><br />Well February featured the last days of desk warming at school and at the end of the month I celebrated my first birthday in a foreign country which was kinda weird. I invited several friends out and we had some dinner, then headed to Sinchon for a get together which was funded by a Women's Rights group or something like that. Anyways there was music, spoken word, and a large crowd. I enjoyed it.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiicwMmk95_oxAYe6L8bsBThQTpf7PKla0Epit_5sFX6yTeDdOnAa2R-G16U7VmV5YhyphenhyphenCpjmxOd8Ib6FfzAkM_8f9iLQxotZ9APSL2MSh1Yy5vPtzw_zwSSFtWtCyJtc-nilU2i7_FnZDs/s1600-h/DSC_0137.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 266px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiicwMmk95_oxAYe6L8bsBThQTpf7PKla0Epit_5sFX6yTeDdOnAa2R-G16U7VmV5YhyphenhyphenCpjmxOd8Ib6FfzAkM_8f9iLQxotZ9APSL2MSh1Yy5vPtzw_zwSSFtWtCyJtc-nilU2i7_FnZDs/s400/DSC_0137.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5449170541845907666" /></a><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjqT6K7aXqoHdBKpL6qmqLZZxIxAgy1L5zbhaZRt0xgRHZu-wjgO4KEmWd0XYGvvINv76Dl1WE8Uow_FAXThpDojHAkZsGlce-ibyrksaeammDdhzYYBgYJKFdqIWKUGGVAqfdbeXZTt0/s1600-h/DSC_0167.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 266px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjqT6K7aXqoHdBKpL6qmqLZZxIxAgy1L5zbhaZRt0xgRHZu-wjgO4KEmWd0XYGvvINv76Dl1WE8Uow_FAXThpDojHAkZsGlce-ibyrksaeammDdhzYYBgYJKFdqIWKUGGVAqfdbeXZTt0/s400/DSC_0167.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5449170859170924738" /></a><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSoUr_oBWRFo5dJQdgIrXiottBQXfRlvpfkMDKRozha7TmBO_PgZ8L8p0dDuOKqX1WB4uH5sjUxHsmr5S6ibPJ8V0ozv6Ihi1pd5hRMJufBk5odqErlsqfdPokYEs8NSds0MSg6Lj4PBI/s1600-h/DSC_0171.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 266px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSoUr_oBWRFo5dJQdgIrXiottBQXfRlvpfkMDKRozha7TmBO_PgZ8L8p0dDuOKqX1WB4uH5sjUxHsmr5S6ibPJ8V0ozv6Ihi1pd5hRMJufBk5odqErlsqfdPokYEs8NSds0MSg6Lj4PBI/s400/DSC_0171.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5449171120795802786" /></a><br /><br /><br />Next we headed over to Hongdae which was basically right next door and stayed out the whole night. I did have a bit too much Soju that night, but it was a fun night. Talked to many people (a lot of characters) and proceeded to leave the area at around 8 am.<br /><br />The very next day I headed up to Pocheon for Leonard and Khiana's going away dinenr. They left about a week ago and it was really sad seeing them go as they've been some of the coolest people I've met out here. That dinner also turned into an all night affair with food, drinks, and taboo which always gets out of control. It was guys against the girls and of course the guys won ;)<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2ay6Gt9_FNuuYM2lGeYdIhDFofTGEV-GeR2e6B5W6EVWoAxq4ktPZki77rAd26eW-Kowr8N6C4aRqeEmmvzs6-eCV0tQRlLeliGEQgvtGVF8XHVLebOZuDSbj38vDEn_mrrwIzMGR8V4/s1600-h/DSC_0183.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 266px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2ay6Gt9_FNuuYM2lGeYdIhDFofTGEV-GeR2e6B5W6EVWoAxq4ktPZki77rAd26eW-Kowr8N6C4aRqeEmmvzs6-eCV0tQRlLeliGEQgvtGVF8XHVLebOZuDSbj38vDEn_mrrwIzMGR8V4/s400/DSC_0183.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5449171332952649506" /></a><br /><br />So I headed into March ready to knock out the last month or so of my contract. Job hunting has been going, so to speak. More than likely I won't find one until I go back home. Theoretically I could find one here and just transfer my visa but I actually would like a bit of a break back home (plus I need to take pictures and other things for the website I'm working on). Also a Korean friend of mine who's doing an exchange program back in Cali gave me the idea of traveling out there to visit so I plan to do that. I also have another friend out there and I've never been to Cali, so I'm making plans for that right now.<br /><br />One of the best things about finishing a contract is the pension, severance, last months pay, and room deposit money that you receive. Altogether it adds up to a pretty nice amount which will definitely hold me over back home until I find another job back here.<br /><br />So have I grown since I've been out here? Definitely. Could I grow some more? Definitely. A friend pointed something out over dinner the other night, which other people have pointed out many times, but I really need to work on my planning.<br /><br />Basically my biggest problems are procrastination and looking for the easiest way to do something. Tow horrible things I know, but I still manage to get important things done in my life while having these problems, so I never really address them as I should, though I think I made some big strides this year. <br /><br />Anyways it's still cold here. I'm waiting for spring to come. I have no idea where it is. We actually had a bit of snow last week. <br /><br />I'm out.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0