New Contract

So a third and final year at Moonkkang is a go. I'll get a raise, and everything else is the same.

I was debating a third year, but with dissertation coming and the opportunity to save for that and work for the year it just makes sense. As far as cram schools go it really is the best one out there.

With this done, I am thinking ahead to October 2015 with anticipation, sometimes too much anticipation.

I have a habit of looking at jobs that I will be ready for by 2016. University of Macau. British Council in Malaysia, Rangoon and Taipei. Chiba University in Tokyo. Athabasca College in Edmonton. Chulalongkorn University Bangkok. Joongbu University in Daejeon, Korea. I need to stop, mostly because it has stopped being motivational and become a series of missed opportunities. They'll be there in 2016.

I want to think more about this year, which I think this blog will help me do. Christmas is coming quickly. I'll be home for two weeks in February. Yen and I want to get down to the Philippines soon. Will is now living in Saigon. School will come to dominate my life this year. Yen and I have some adult decisions to make in 2015, and I can state right now that I'll be looking to extend my contract with her as well :P Probably for a while.

It will also be my last year in Daegu, a city that has, for better or worse, been my home for five years. I'll miss it when I am gone, I am sure. Better to enjoy as much of it as I can before I go.

But for the rest of 2014, fall is here, and while October will be great, November and December will be cold. Brace yourself.

Chuseok Week

A bit late I admit, but anyway here it is.

Chuseok this year fell on Monday, giving me a four day weekend. The weather was great and I spent the time exploring a few restaurants and parks in daegu, in particular Dalseong Park, which I have only been to once before, way back in 2010. It has a zoo, though animal lovers may want to avoid it, plus lots of open space. Here are a few pics:

We also spent some time around Daegok, trying a few new restaurants and enjoying our neighbourhood. 

After my three days back at work I went up to Daejeon to visit Mike and Darren, see the new downtown of Daejeon, and hang out.

Four Day Weekend

With summer here I decided to book a four day weekend and relax, get some studying done, and visit Darren in Daejeon.

On Saturday I made my way up there, rode the Daejeon subway for the first time, and met Darren in West Daejeon.

When Darren said how much he liked Daejeon I was a bit surprised to say the least. I've been to Daejeon 4-5 times before, but have always been to the east and south of the city. What is called the old downtown. Or more precisely Donggu and Chungu. I had always thought of it as just a bit of a poor/ run down Daegu. More working class but also quite poorly maintained. West Daejeon, the Seogu/Yuseonggu area is, however, more like parts of east Daegu and a bit like the nicer parts of Sangin. Actually it reminded me a lot of the Beomeo area of Daegu by the river. Large parks, a river, tall apartment buildings and very well maintained. I instantly took back everything negative I said about Daejeon (which admittedly isn't much, I like the old downtown. It has a charm). But I see how Darren is happy there and can talk about a few years there. I could. Anyway, here are a few pics:

We went around the neighbourhood for a while before meeting his friend Greg and heading out to a place called Weizenhaus. It reminded me a bit of Ariana Hotel, minus the live band but with much, much better beer and great food. We hung out there most of the night. 

I booked tickets on the midnight KTX home, so got in around 2am.

Sunday and Monday were a mix of chores, our regular Sunday date, and schoolwork.... plus too much Civ 5. With Yen working graveyards this week it has thrown my own schedule off a lot. Both of us are getting up later and sleeping later, with the result that Sunday is the only day we can hang out, at least until the end of this week.

Tuesday I met Zeke at Lake Park for outdoor BBQ and a few beers. Probably my favourite place for a casual beer (non-restuarant/bar) in Daegu.

New Curriculum

On Thursday I had to make my way down to Beomeo to get orientation for out new curriculum. I met with Matt (who is a sub/office guy at Moonkkang and lives in Sangin, and who is also quickly becoming a great guy to hang out with) and met Jarrod (who I would see weekly if he didn't live across town).

We went to Starbucks to see our options were decaf or ice coffee.

We sat down at Dunkin Donuts and chatted for a while before going to orientation.

The curriculum seems very "fun". More group work and less studying. Part of me likes it, as it will be more communicative. The kids may actually learn to use English to talk. Part of me questions how many parents will agree to pay for less test and more communication, especially since the Korean MOE has decided that studying English to communicate is silly, and so has brought back the old CSAT testing (looks like a math test, multiple choice etc.). Also, it is all material that was meant for China, and includes science and history for, I assume, older learners (I wrote some of it actually). I'm not sure how a presentation on peasant revolts in early modern France can be made fun (or how much relevance it will have to the students - when will they use vocabulary such as 'monarch' or 'peasant' in their day-to-day lives?), but I guess I'll find out in the coming weeks. For now I am keeping an open mind, the new speaking classes introduced two months ago are great (although they looked great from the beginning). On the plus side I can burn the A6 writing books and never look at them again.

I guess we'll see if parents value communication over testing, and whether the kids do find it as fun as it is claimed that they will. If it iworks out well, it will be a great change actually..... if it works out well.

Seoul Summer

Last Saturday I made a run up to Seoul to meet Mike to discuss school and get a burger at a place in La Festa in Goyang. Great American food with San Miguel on tap. Good late lunch. We also wanted to watch The Room with Jon, who hadn't seen it. He brought the beer he makes at home, which could rival anything in Korea. It was great and it made the Room even better. Oh hai beer.

But the main reason I went up was to meet Ange, who I hadn't seen since she left Korea last February, rthe same weekend I turned 31. She went off to SE Asia before winding up in Cambodia, Victoria and back in Cambodia. Now she is back to Vancouver for good, but on her way back took a two day stopover in Seoul, as she was on Korean Air. We went down to Hongdae for a bit but Mike and I were back in Goyang fairly early.

I missed Bobby and Jenny this time, mostly because school dominated the first half of my trip, but also because I saw Bobby the weekend before when he came down to Daegu to catch up and enjoy Daegu BBQ (I always want international food in Seoul or Busan but Daegu does Korean better than any city on the peninsula.

Overall a good, if somewhat short trip to Seoul.

Not As Many Blogs and I Had Anticipated

I have noticed this year the number of blogs I have written have dropped drastically, from an average of 15 a month to 3-4 at most. It isn't that I am not interested in writing, it is just that there isn't as much to write about.

I find myself a bit less interested in Korea in general than I used to be. Not that I don't really enjoy the place, but I am really looking to the next phase of my life, when the dissertation is done and I move on. Korea has a feel of temporary it didn't a year ago, so it is harder to get excited about aspect of it or find motivation to write about it.

My work is good. I have just contacted my boss about a third year at Moonkkang. It is a great company and, unlike another employer I had, provides no comical anecdotes. Things change logically and we are informed of them. It is well organised and no absurd requests or ridiculous comments ever come down the pipeline. In short it is a normal job. That is great for my regular life but makes for a less interesting blog to read.

I don't really want to blog about news/current events. I mean Iraq is going the way of Vietnam two years after the US pulled out, to the surprise of no one. Countries like China, Russia, the US, Israel, and Britain keep violating international law and get away with it (because there is no such thing as international law). It is boring. Not boring to the people affected, but me writing an "I told you so" blog doesn't help. Add to that the left/right wing rants, racist/feminist/homosexual rights inspired blogs and the world seems full of angry, uncompromising people. These angry people with causes are out there and the internet gives them a breeding ground. Why do I want to be a part of that?

My life isn't as interesting. I am saving and spending on necessities like mad. I am paying for grad school and trying to eliminate one of my student debts before the year is out. The next ten-twelve months will see virtually all my money go towards these things. I am not strapped for cash, but the last and next twelve months are me paying my dues for the fun I had at 26-30 and the cost of that that I casually ignored during that time. It is also getting me ready for the next step, where I can begin to do that again. However it means that right now I spend a lot of time walking in the mountains and having dinner at home with Yen. Relaxing and enjoyable, not exactly a story to be shared.

I'll try to share a bit more, but writing about dinner and a beer on a Friday night just isn't as exciting as writing about a trip to Japan is it?

I Have Internet

After almost a week with no internet, I again have access. I was talking to a friend, noting that I have gone most of my life without it, but not not having it makes you feel so cut off from the rest of the world. It really is a necessary part of life in the 21st century.

Anyway, time to computer.