Haircut in Korea

This is something that I have loathed since I moved here. Getting a decent haircut. I've been to several shops, I've done it myself. Nothing really works.

I should start off with background. Korean mens fashion for younger people is strictly what would be called in the west metrosexual. Perms and colouring are the norms. Hairdressers just do't understand how a man can't want to be pretty. The unisex places abound with young girls or very metrosexual men that want to shave the bottom half of my head and perm the top half. Though I guess if I am over 30 and still going to those kinda hair places they assume I am trying desperately to still be 22 and cut accordingly. If that look is what you like by all means, though when I see a man in skinny jeans and a perm taking 20 pictures of himself with a selfie stick I understand that there is a minimum level of masculinity that is required of a man before other men (and women) take him seriously.

Option two is cut your own hair. That always looks good.

So at long last I have figured out what to do. Local barber. Guy is in his 50's, and most of his clientele are within 10-12 years of that give or take. No perm, no music. He cuts my hair, and I give him $10. I actually found him after my surgery, when I had a small gap with no hair on my head. I needed it cut short, saw the barber, and went for it. I explained it to him, showed him a picture and he nailed it. I go in once a month for essentially the same cut. Perfect.

I have also learned a few interesting things about older men in Korea. For one, a haircut is a social event. Four guys will all go in at once for a cut. Second, they will shave your neck and face (though he doesn't shave my face due to my beard, which I don't think he would know how to handle, and fair enough). That shave is part of the service. Third, a shampoo is still a part of the cut.

So anyway, if you are a man in Korea who is tired of bad haircuts, go to your local 이용실 with a picture of a guy with a short cut. You'll be the only one under 40, but you won't come out looking like Boy George. I only wish I had discovered these places sooner.

The Interview

I wasn't going to say anything about this, but being that there have been acts of espionage, racism slurs against a US president, and a whole country losing internet access, well it was worth saying a few things about.

1- I am not convinced that North Korea hacked Sony, and neither are many industry experts. I can tell you right now that the bad English that was used was written by white people trying to sound like they have bad English.

"We've already warned you, and this is just a beginning."
"We continue until our request be met"
"We've obtained all your internal data"

-using contractions and already already correctly while mixing up a and the?
-not using the contraction correctly in the next sentence?
-that last sentence was written by someone fluent or near fluent.
-'be' and 'are' are rarely confused, and anyone who can write sentence 3 would not probably not have written sentence two.

There are many technical reasons why it would have been all but impossible for North Korea to pull this off, though I'll leave that to be googled anyone interested enough to do so.

There is also the fact that American intelligence isn't often all that intelligent. Coming of age in the Bush years, I'll argue that burden of proof ALWAYS lies with the accusers, and when it is US intelligence doubly so.



2- Whether or not they did or did not hack Sony, this government is putting massive resources in to fighting its release, promised merciless destruction to every theatre that shows it and promised to execute anyone in the DPRK who watches it. They have dedicated thousands of man hours to fight this..... a movie. If this movie was made about Putin, I can guarantee you he would smile and respond with something like "I beat them in Europe and Ukraine, they can beat me in their fantasy movies all they want." This response is exactly why the world thinks of Kim Jong un as a comical oaf. Anyone who has ever though of Kim III as anything but a fat spoiled brat will have changed their mind over this.

The Year 2014

A few days early this one, but with the exception of a small New Years Party Yens old roommates are having, nothing big should happen this week, so with a warm cup of Indonesian coffee I felt I could sum it up now.

I am not sure how I feel about 2014. I said in my 2013 year end write up that 2013-2014 were the years that get me ready for 2015 and beyond. That is really how it has turned out. No big trips outside of Korea after a 2012 and 2013 chocked full of them. No major changes with work. Will leaving Sangin for Vietnam was the only major change in friends lives out here. It was probably my blandest year in Korea. The fact that I went from over 100 posts here in 2013 to just over 50 in 2014 may be an indication of how the year has been.

That being said it had its moments.

-Yen went from being here 4-5 nights a week to just living here.
-Jinju lantern festival, Busan May trip, a couple more trips to Seoul.
-School and KOTESOL presentation

-Yen and I are a real couple. Not legally husband and wife of course, but sometimes we act it. I am sure that in 2015 I will be doing some paperwork with her to ensure that she will be able to accompany me wherever work takes me. That doesn't mean marriage, I mean we haven't really met each others families yet, but there are options for civil unions etc. which would allow me to claim her as a dependant and get her a working visa in the next destination. We are already talking about Vancouver for a few weeks after Korea, so once that is done, well who knows. I certainly know that having her here has made 2014 my best year despite the fact that it has also been my blandest since 2010.

-I did get out a lot in Korea. I had a great weekend in Busan in May. The Jinju lantern festival was also amazing. At this point I know what I like and will miss about Korea and so am enjoying that while I can. It has made for some great weekends.

-School has been okay. I have met a few good people through it, though I will certainly not say it is everything that I had hoped. I feel that a great deal of success and failure in the programme is based on luck rather than skill. Papers I went in to with the attitude of "lets get this over with" have been met with A's, while papers that I've put a great deal of effort in to (and were far better papers) have been met with a B. If you have a good tutor (which thankfully I do) and your grader shares your opinions you will do well. If your tutor is disengaged and your grader dwells in the ivory tower you will not be rewarded for your efforts. It also means that my A papers were luck too, which really makes it hard to take any pride in them. Still I hope that between this and the CELTA I will have learned a lot. In fact, if I take out admin and just focus on what I have learned, I have learned a great deal of very useful information. I hope to be able to apply this next year, and at the end of the day, big picture, this degree is very worthwhile. Also, in Canadian terms I am carrying a 3.2 GPA. Not exactly like I am failing I guess, just not as amazing as it would be if I had scratched a third liberty bell instead of that damned cherry a couple more times. I also managed my first professional presentation. A huge accomplishment that was a success and for which I really can take pride.




It has not been a bad year by any stretch. In fact in some ways I am happier now than at any time in Korea. That being said I have been writing here since 2012 that I am ready for the next step. The decision to do grad school here has kept me here years longer than I had ever planned. So I think this is how I will remember 2014: A very happy, if quiet and uneventful year of my life. However, to say that I have been waiting for 2015 since about 2012 would be very accurate. I said way back in May 2012 that school and finances would dictate how much longer I am in Korea, and certainly as a cram school instructor. That was essentially correct. The simple fact is that I love Korea, but I have been ready to think about it nostalgically for over a year now.

So with that in mind I am very ready for 2015 and all the changes and adventures (and uncertainties) it brings. It will be the end of my life in Korea. It will be the year of my dissertation (which despite what I said above I plan to make the most of, and get what I need out of it if nothing else). It will be a year with Yen that will probably shape my future. It will be a year of many hellos and goodbyes, as many other people besides myself move on from their lives in Korea, as Jarrod, Bobby, Matt, Nathan and Mike will all call it quits between now and the end of the year (and stretch that to spring 2016 and I may not have a friend here who isn't Korean or married to a Korean). It will be a year of travel and adventure. It will be a year to reconnect with family and friends in Vancouver and elsewhere outside of Korea. In short, without any kind of unforeseen tragedy, it may be one of the best years of my life. The work of 2014 made that possible.

I guess when you can say that the old year was good, but the new year looks to be great, you are on the right track. When I talk about 2015 the word I always seem to use is excited. Here's hoping for an exciting year.

Christmas 2014

Christmas 2014 has come and gone and being that it is in all likelihood my last Christmas in Korea (unless Busan National calls back with that 3.5 million plus research grant and housing) I felt it should be special. It was.

Yen was bugging me for days about what I wanted for Christmas. The truth is is that the older I get, the less I want stuff. I wanted good coffee, a trip together to the Philippines or Singapore, home cooking. While she got that, I think she really wanted something for me to open. With that in mind she came up with the idea to get me good sunglasses. I am always buying $5 pairs in Busan and then wrecking them in a month and thus not having a pair when I really need them. They are very important when you are in a place that can get as tropical as Korea (and more so where we plan to move next year). Yen noticed this, didn't care for it, and so bought me a great pair (and being December they were half off, well done).

I got her some jewellery and chocolates.


Following her traditions, we opted to open gifts at midnight on Christmas Eve. On reflection this makes more sense than trying to make kids go to bed then having them wake you up at 5am anyway, though nothing beats that Christmas morning as a kid. Not sure which one I like more. In addition to the sunglasses I got some great stuff from my Mom and Auntie Barbara.

I am waiting until I get home next month to give my gifts, and get a few I suppose (though food and accommodation in Vancouver for two weeks is probably gift enough).

Christmas Day a few of Yen's friends dropped by and we ended up drinking and eating plenty. One had her son here, so the place felt a bit more familyish. It was actually the best Christmas I have had since my last one in Canada. Of course between working until 9:40 Christmas Eve and working Boxing Day I could only indulge so much (it is very important that Korean children never have any time to enjoy themselves or be happy at all, bah humbug) but still managed enough wine and English ale, along with Yen's constant stream of food, to feel great and have a wonderful day.

I hope everyone else had a Merry Christmas.

The Night Before the Night Before Christmas

It is December 23rd and, though life is moderately stressful these days, with some home cooked food, some Christmas music and a package arriving from home things are very festive. Tomorrow is the big night for Filipino gifts and Christmas morning is for us Protestants, so we have decided to swap half at midnight and the other half Christmas morning.

This after a small bit of snowfall. Not enough to stick nor constitute a white Christmas (something I have yet to really have). Still very enjoyable.

I'll give a full Christmas blog on the day, in the mean time, Merry Christmas.


.... and a few pics:

the tree we set up

(Yen set it up, I played Civ and was very encouraging.... I also

smashed Assyria, so that was something

with all the presents

wide shot

snowfall

snow at the GS Mart

a few concessions to Asia.

Still think Burma Beer would be a better name.

Update on School

With 9 months left at the University of Birmingham I thought I would do a little write up on what I have liked, and really not liked, about it.

To start with the positives-

I have had an excellent tutor and several friends doing the program with me that have made it worthwhile.
It is cheap
It is opening doors for me already

The negatives-

I would sum up every semester by saying "yeah, this is great, but I work in Asia, so no."
Grading is beyond inconsistent, if my grader is in Asia I am okay, if they are in Europe I am fucked.
I've learned very little that would make me a better teacher.
Zero help or assistance from the University, but instead a guidebook that has the consistency of a religious text.

Overall-

It is a common accusation that academics do nothing of applicable value, and in the study of, say history of political science they don't have to. I feel linguistics should be different. It is a field that offers many avenues for practical use, and yet this program skips out on much of it. We are posed questions to answer in our own context, but our own context doesn't line up with the world of academics and so if your grader is in Asia, and actually working, they will get that and applaud your interviews and research. If they are in Europe they will tell you to discuss methodology and engage with your sources.

As an example:

A semester on syllabus design written by academics.

In Korea the bosses son downloads lessons from the internet and photocopies them. Your intro is from the National University of Singapore and your exercises come from Oklahoma state public schools.

Do I lie or do I attempt to mix this with academia and fail?



I have had a few good grades, and one grade that was way below what I deserved simply because my context wasn't academic enough (to follow the advice I was given I would have to lie). My overall GPA would be around 3.2 though, so I am not doing poorly, but I wonder if I would be doing better if I had just sold out and pretended like the scholars I've read so much about have applicable value. Oh yeah Rod Ellis, your idea to use a method that doesn't prepare for testing sounds like the worst fucking idea I have ever heard great in Asia, we should do that.

To be fair, a number of them have been useful, but some of the biggest names in linguistics haven't set foot in a classroom in 30 years. They are all but useless to me.

That being said, I have learned how to do research in the classroom, which is an important skill. I have also learned how to critically analyze materials for use in the classroom, which is also useful. I have also had many discussions with Mike, Jon and Andy about practical use for this material, so perhaps that is the payoff and the course is just a paper that lets me enter that club where people get to actually do something useful. Also, the program is like 12k. That makes it appealing.

For now, I have just decided to get what I need out of this program, and treat the rest as jumping through hoops. I'll wait til my CELTA for practical training.

My Revised Bucket List - Never Been To Before

A year and a half ago I wrote this bucket list of places I wanted to see in Korea before I left. Some were there just to fill it out if I am being totally honest (Seoraksan, DMZ, a few temples) and I can check Jeonju off the list.

With my time here now being counted in weekends, it is important to do anything that I haven't done yet. While I do believe that I will visit Korea again in the future, probably a few times, nothing is certain. So with that in mind here is an updated (and more realistic) bucket list:

Yeosu/Geomundo-

Yeosu held EXPO a few years ago and today the remnants are still there. It also has a few temples and one of the old turtle ships used in the 16th century war with Japan. It also has ferry services to a few outlying islands. While the ferry to Geomundo would be cool, it is by no means 100% necessary. Still it would be a great three day weekend trip.

Boseong/Gwangju

Boseong green tea fields are supposed to be spectacular, in spring anyway, and are accessed via Gwangju, one of the big 6 cities of Korea. It is also the only one of the big six that I have never been to (Seoul, Incheon, Busan, Daegu and Daejeon being the other five). Not that it is exactly a tourist city, but the museum is apparently fantastic and any big city is fun for a night or two.

Jeongdongjin

A beach/outdoor area in the NE of the country. There is also an old North Korean submarine which shipwrecked in 1966. A direct (though 6 hour) train ride away. This'll be a summer trip for sure.



I feel I can do these three using a few of my remaining vacation days this spring/summer.

This is Nuts

The Korean government is investigating the daughter of Korean Air CEO Cho Yang-ho, who kicked a flight attendant off the plane at JFK airport for failing to serve nuts correctly in business class. She also works for the company in an executive role apparently. There is an investigation in to whether or not she had the right to do that, and even if she did, whether or not delaying a flight for 11 minutes in one of the busiest airports in the world is really necessary over macadamia nuts. You'd think a simple word to the attendant when they arrived at Incheon would have been enough.

read about it here

That being said, I've always said how great Korean air is, and always pay for the Asian airlines when flying home to avoid Air Canada or the American carriers (though so far they have always been the cheaper option anyway to be fair). Maybe this is why.

Snow

The first real snow of the winter hit this morning, almost a month earlier than last year (sigh). I guess it means Daegu is in for a longer winter than usual. The snow seems to be cleared away now, and most will melt by the end of the day if there is no more this afternoon. Oh well, I guess I should try to enjoy it, next winter will be mostly spent in the tropics.

Anyway here are a couple of pics from this morning.

early morning freeze

by mid morning

The streets are clear, thankfully.

Keeping Connected in the Cold

Sometimes I think there is something to this 4 seasons myth Korea has. December 1st came about and it dropped 10 degrees. Literally.

From highs in the mid teens in November it has plummeted to highs of 2-3 and lows of -8. While it should only last for the next three months, it makes me glad I have a new winter jacket and a warm apartment.

Despite the arctic chills I am trying to get out and get connected, or better connected with people in my life who are, well, more positive. Korea, and expat existence in general I guess, brings together some amazing people, and some absolute clowns. People who are adventurous and outgoing, and people who are washed up, drunk, and trying to hold on to their college life another year (or ten). Downtown Daegu feels more and more like a small college town where so many B movies take place, with GI's brawling through Thursday Party while pretentious children hipsters make MF agonizingly pretentious. An excerpt:

where you from?
Vancouver.
Oh, Do you know insert band that can't sell out a 40 person venue here.
... no
oh........ That's all I know about Vancouver (a blatant lie)

Drains the soul quickly. I won't bother writing about the crazies, though it is nice to know who the strongest English teacher in Daegu is.


So, what that means is that when you know people who are worth knowing, you should make more of an effort to spend time with them. People who are the coffee and aspirin to the above mentioned hangover. Getting the hipsters and crazies at arms length is something I have been working hard at doing. It amazes me how much better I feel after being with people who bring me up, who are doing cool things that regular people can relate to and are happy to share it (and happy to share in what you are doing). This is even more true in the Korean winter, when the last thing you need is more depression.

With that in mind I have been spending more time with Darren and Matt, and today met up with Nathan and his wife for coffee. Nathan and I used to run together when he lived in Sangin last year. He moved across town, I injured my knee, and we kind of lost touch. I found out that he is in Sangin every Saturday and decided to make a point of meeting up, and I'm very glad I did. Nathan has been in Daegu as long as I have but has been at Moonkkang the whole time. It has given him an experience that has many similarities to mine but also a few differences. We tend to agree on things relating to work and Korean expat life in general. It was great to catch up.

I then had a long overdue skype chat with Bobby in Seoul. We've both been busy and haven't seen much of each other this year. With his departure date from Korea set for April, that is something I would like to remedy. He is off to Taiwan for winter vacation, and that being one of my favourite destinations, we had a chat about that and his ever closing departure date.

I also got an email from KOTESOL asking me to put my presentation in to a paper form for possible publication. I quick message to Mike and we are a go. That is exciting.

It is amazing how much better you can feel just cutting the gossip girls and college town out of your life. This of course ignores living with Yen, who may also play a role in making staying home way more appealing than going out anyway.

Flight Home

A few days ago I booked my flight home for a two week trip. I'll be flying All Nippon, Japan's private carrier, from Seoul to Tokyo to Vancouver. It is a bit different as I fly out of Gimpo, Seoul's old airport and in to Haneda, Tokyo's pre-Narita airport. Apparently ANA uses Haneda, and that is about the only airline that does. I've also not set foot in Gimpo since the day I arrived in Korea. Gimpo handles domestic flights to Ulsan, Busan, and Jeju-do and limited international flights (Japan and Beijing mostly).

The way back is great, with a 70 minute stopover at Haneda. However on the way to Vancouver I have seven hours to kill. That isn't as big a problem in most Japanese airports as they come fully licensed and Japan is home to sake, great beer and whisky that a Scot would drink (Suntory won whisky of the year in 2013, google it). Besides, in Japan you have to go through security even when transiting, so that'll eat 20-25 minutes anyway.

I arrive Saturday, January 31st and leave on Friday 13th (I'll leave that joke to someone else). I chose that horrible time of year because it is my Dads 60th birthday and because I didn't come home in 2014. In fact, I haven't been to Vancouver since 2011. As an excuse I went to see my sister in London in 2012 instead of going home, my Mom came here in 2013, and I HAD planned to go home this year, but I decided to wait until my Dads 60th, as I couldn't afford to go twice and pay for school. I also plan to make Vancouver a more regular stop, say more than every 3 years that it is now.

But for now, my first birthday home since I turned 26.

Since the Presentation

After getting home Saturday night I went to be and fell right asleep (several Pale Ales will do that). I woke up the next morning a bit slow, but after Yen put breakfast together I was up and ready to go. We then headed out to the Asia Mart in Seongseo to pick up a few groceries that you can't get at Homeplus. After a bit of shopping we headed down the street I used to walk along every night when I lived in the area, past the old Miller Time (maybe the last Miller Time in Korea?) but ended up settling for gamjatang for dinner. 

Monday I got a text that said I needed to get my medical checkup. I hate these. I just give some blood, get an xray and get a check up of my vitals. The problem is, rather embarrassingly, that I hate needles. Or to be more precise, I have a real phobia of them. In fact they don't really bother me, but there is something about being stabbed that I just react to. The needle is followed immediately by the blood pressure test. I try to explain why this doesn't work, but much as I admire Korean healthcare, their mental health care system is somewhere between witch burnings and Victorian idiot houses. A phobia is simply not on their radar. Now I probably DO have highish blood pressure, a fact proven when I used to take it at the gym, but my guess is I'll be 15 points above that on Thursday when I do it. Oh well.

It is also test week at the school, so that means half days for us, though lots of extra work for the Korean teachers, which we seem to suddenly have a host of new ones. For two years there was just one seat that changed twice. Now I am suddenly the second most senior teacher there. My new partner is nice enough, around my age, and personable. She has replaced So Jin, who I worked with for two years and got along very well with. So far I like this new teacher, though she may need to relax a bit. Hopefully with time.

I also landed my academic advisor for my dissertation, and got Dr. Greg Hadley. I win this round. I've actually been very lucky with Birmingham, with Andrew being a very dedicated and supportive tutor here in Korea and now Dr. Hadley, whose research I have used in papers, as an advisor. Sweet.