As you already know I have taken in a couple of private students. It has been going well and the students seem to be progressing. I thought all was going well until yesterday. The moms called a meeting with me. They took me to a restaurant just outside of town. Now before I start telling you about the meeting I will tell you about the restaurant.
I was sitting in the front seat of one of the cars. We pull into the bottom of a hill. I am looking around and all I see is a couple of houses and many trees. We start pulling up a little further. I see this huge Buddhist statue next to a beautiful traditional Korean house. I also see lanterns hung from many places. As we pulled into the parking lot, I turn to see the view, it was nothing short of breathtaking. Green grass that rolled into a couple patches of farm land and after the farm land was the Buddhist temple. surrounding us was mountain. This night also provided fog. The fog wasn't too thick nor was it thin. The fog was rolling over the mountains just enough to make a great scene. I have been here in Korea for almost 4 months now, this was possibly one of the more beautiful sights I had seen. I was just annoyed because I did not have my camera. I usually do bring my camera with me everywhere, but it had been out of batteries so I left it home charging.
So the meeting. The moms just wanted to know how I felt about changing up the groups. They wanted me to teach them in 3 groups rather then 2. I told them what I thought about that. In short, I told them the big groups work better because it's a better support group for all the kids. After a healthy debate with each other, they agreed to what I was saying. They no longer wanted to split them up.
*side note*
The food at the restaurant was really good as well. They served some of the best soup I had in a very long while.
This hash was such a mix of events. I find it only appropriate to name it “if at first you don’t succeed”. This hash really took place in two days. I will start on the first. Friday. I was asked to take care of the hash in Gyeokpo, since it was my town I was to set trail. I was very excited to create a trail that was not only challenging but interesting as well. The weekend prior I did a dry run of the hash, it went well and the trail was great. When the actual day of the hash came I decided to try to create the trail as early as possible so I can spend some time with the hashers. I thought I had enough chalk to last me for the whole trail. I woke up early this day. I started to set trail with the chalk I had and I didn’t even make it to the half way mark of the trail. It was early in the morning and there was not a cloud in the sky and the day seemed to hold good weather. Since I could not finish the trail I laid in wait until the group came into town. A couple hours later I received a phone call from Highly Strung asking if I could text my address to her via Korean Language to her. I had no idea how to do it, but I tried and it took me quite a while to actually text it to her successfully. So there I was again, laying in wait until the hashers came into town. They all eventually got to my town and I directed them to where they needed to go. I was resupplied with chalk. Once the chalk was in my hands I started to reset the trail. I followed my trail that I set a while ago. I was nearing more than half way when I saw in the distance a looming dark cloud. These dark clouds were in the distance, but I could see that they meant trouble. I sent a text to Highly Strung to inform her of the imminent threat of rain. As I continued doing my trail I felt a couple drops of water. I was quite confused on where they were coming from. I had worked up a sweat and I was near the water; so naturally I brushed it off. I finished the trail and got back with the rest of the group around 1:30ish. The trail had taken me about 2 hours walking with all the check points and challenges. So I sat down to grab a beer and relax with Hammer and Highly Strung. Then it happened. There was a slight drizzle. The Slight drizzle became heavy rain. My hard work just got washed away in a blink of an eye. There are no words on how angry I really was.
In an attempt to salvage the situation, the hashers decided to make lemonade with the lemons that was handed to us. We set up the BBQ in front of a motel with cover from the rain and started drinking and waiting for other people to arrive to eat. While preparing and chit chatting the skies started to clear up and there was an opportunity to continue with the hash. We took a vote amongst the hashers and they were up for the hash. The problem with that was the trail was gone. I was asked to be a live hare with no name Isak. I was fortunate because Isak had lived and worked in the area the year before. He and I started the trail again. We set out on the trail and everything was going well. We get to a certain point and I find that it had suddenly become high tide and my original trail was no longer possible. Again, I was pretty angry with the situation. We continued on and on with the trail. We were near the finishing line when the hashers that had left 15 -20 after us caught up with us. Since our trail was not done they had to stop running and keep pace with us until we finish the trail. Upon arriving near the finish line we saw the walkers only at the beginning part of the trail, we all laughed. It wasn’t for another 2 hours until they all arrived at the finish line. We start eating and drinking again. We are all chatting and being the loud hasher group that we are. The night continues with great conversations and people. Short to say fun was had by all.
As the night continued, the hash group finally came together. We were to wrap up the hash and do the traditional ceremonies. This night was more than tradition. It was the naming ceremony for two of the no names. No name Stan and no name Tori were to be officially named this night. Hammer and Highly Strung had the difficult task of not only trying to quiet a rowdy group of drunks but also officiate the naming the two people. Eventually they get everyone in order and they start they do the ceremony. After a couple minutes of debate and talk Stan became “Tequila Mockingbird” and Tori became “Tipsy Tori”. I was more inclined for “mouth from the South” for Stan, but I did not win that battle. After the naming ceremony we were asked politely, not really, to move our party elsewhere seeing that we were being too loud. We move to an open patio and start drinking more. We played the old, but good, game of “I never”. This really got the group to bond more. We told a lot of jokes and stories that night. Most of the hashers called it a night around 1amish, some stayed out til later for more debauchery.
Sunday: This will be short. Woke up in the morning met with all the hashers and we head out for breakfast. We tell tale of night of fun. Some come in later on and eat while the others headed to the local carnival. We jumped into a ride called the turbo disco. The operator sees that we are all foreigners and starts having fun with the ride. He starts throwing us around in the ride and speaks konglish over the speaker. Makes us suffer whilst he laughs like an evil genius. After the ride, we come out sweaty and beat up. The other eventually catch up and some of the group get back on the ride for more fun with the operator. He again begins to torture them via carnival ride. After the ride, we all jump into ATVs and go. The nice Korean man let us take his ATVs, he lead us to a temple. At the temple we found a group of Koreans praying, the Koreans decided to give us water and food, we all laugh a little out loud. After a while there we get back on the ATVs and head back into town. We all eventually jump into the water and cool off. They all finish up and leave around 4ish.
*Side Note* Part of the trail, I forgot to mention, brought the hashers to a random ostrich farm in my town. That was possibly the best part of the trail.
Again these weekends are bitter sweet. I am fortunate enough to meet great people and have fun with them, but it is only for a short amount of time. Days like those make me long for home sometimes. Being surrounded by good people and friends is something that I have grown accustomed too. I am thankful for the time I did have with them. I will have more moments for me to enjoy their company.
I just learned a couple of hours ago that Michael Jackson has passed on. He was a legend in his own time. He was possibly the best performer and artist of my time. I feel the loss of him. I am not too attached to the man, but I grew up with his music. It's hard not to mourn the loss. I feel the need to just mention him. Through all the good and bad this man has been through, he was still a man. He had flaws like us and most of all he was human. My prayers go to his family, friends and loved ones. Please join me in a moment of silence.
I feel I should write more about this man. A paragraph isn't enough to pay tribute to such a man. I am at a loss for words.
Well here I am again. It's Wednesday and I have nothing to show for it. I have no real news. I decided to take my learning of Korean more seriously. I am being a little bit more proactive. I also decided to try to exercise more often. There is a mud fest coming up and I want to look decent shirtless. I am not aiming for like model thin, but enough to be able to take my shirt off and not have to hide my moobs, man boobs for those who don't know. Both of those goals are at a very slow crawl. I have been feeling more motivated. I have have to turn that motivation to action.
As far as the story goes with Bobby, I have no real idea. I started jotting things down as far as story and characters. I want to make a really good plot. I want to make this a good read. That is where the problem falls. Every time I get ahead I feel that it isn't enough. I always feel that there should be more and there could be more. I want to make it perfect. Well not perfect, just readable. I find it hard to be creative. I want to make a story that is new to the world, but how. The greatest stories have already been told. How am I supposed to compete or even get on the same level? I am a novice at best when it comes to writing. I don't know the rules on how to make a good story. I don't even know the rules of grammar. Which I find very ironic because teach English. I often wonder to myself if this is the type of struggle every writer or wanna-be writer goes through. I feel like, when I write the stories or blogs, I am back in high school. I just want my stories and posts to be accepted by everyone. Every time I write something, it's like being back in gym hoping that your not the last guy to be picked for the team.
So I decided to write a story over the weekend. I decided to stay at home all weekend. Now I see why I decided not to do that ever again. I know that the weather hasn't been great, but being stuck in my room for 2 days isn't fun. I am pretty sure that I was catching a little cabin fever. There was a little break. The church group that I join a while back took some time out to have a BBQ in my area. I joined them in the BBQ, sadly it was rained out. I spent the rest of my Saturday in my room bored. Then in my hours of solitude, I decided to write a story. I was recently inspired by "The Little Prince" so that is where I get most of the story. I will be adding more to it my spin. If you read a little bit of it, you should realize that Bobby is me. Sometimes writers usually put themselves in the stories they write, I made it more obvious. Sunday wasn't too much interesting. The fog had rolled in early in the day. I thought it would another Saturday. So I spent most to all of my morning doing work that I was ignoring for the past couple weeks. Around 4ish I went for a 4 mile walk. Some of my hashing friends will be making a cameo in my town next weekend. I had to finalize the trail that I need to set. After I set the trail and walked a while I came back home and rested. This weekend wasn't action pact like usual but something did come out of it, the story. Interestingly enough; I have the ending to the story. I think it's a really good ending. The funny thing about it is I don't know how to get to the ending. The weird and funny thing is that I will be on the journey with you. I am really excited about this story. I really hope it turns out well. I hope you enjoy the story too.
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The End
Life is like a box of chocolates you never know what your gonna get. -Forrest Gump
I felt the need to write this story. I was recently inspired by "The Little Prince." This is a story about a boy. This boy is not extraordinary nor does he think of himself as special. He is a normal little boy. He finds himself following a path that he never thought of. Life has thrown him into a path and we will follow him on it. He does not know where the path will lead all he knows is to walk it. The amazement of the world and the beautiful surprises it holds for him.
The first step
Bobby was born in April. He was born healthy and with no problems at all. He was the second born of this family. His family was not rich nor were they poor. The family that he was born into was wealthy with love. The warm embrace of his family and loved ones was something that he will come to depend on. His parents were not famous or important to society. His parents were normal people who decided to have a family to share their love with. Bobby was a very fortunate boy, but he did not know that yet. Now Bobby has started his life. He is a young boy with no aspirations of greatness, yet. He does his job as a boy. His job at the moment was to play and explore his world. He was born into a world and society that welcomed him with open arms. Bobby doesn't know it yet but that is where his story begins.
Home
The place where he was born was not a rich area. The people were did not have much as far as possessions. The only thing they had was their family. Bobby set out into this world. He walked and walked. He greeted and talked. His parents had to make a very hard decision. His parents wanted to give Bobby and his brother an opportunity they never had. This was the parent's job. They not only needed to do it but wanted to do it. The opportunity cost the parents a high price. They had to leave Bobby and his brother behind for 5 years to start a new life in a new world. Bobby, of course was upset, but he didn't realize what sacrifice his parents had to take. One day the parents left Bobby and his brother in the care of his family to start a new. The parent's story ends there, for now.
Bobby constantly found himself surrounded by people who loved him very much. They tried everyday to impart the ideals and values of his family. Bobby was a little boy. What does a little boy know about ideals and values? All B0bby wants to do is play and play. He was not a bad boy, but how was he to know what everything meant. He constantly thought to himself that adults were very curious. They did things over and over again. These people had something they called a routine. Bobby was very confused. The world of adults seemed to be very complicated. That is when Bobby decided to find out why the adults did what they did.
Bobby grew up into a normal boy. He made friends and bonded with his family. He was raised by the ones who loved him the most. Bobby never realized or thought of anything less then that. One day Bobby went for a walk. This was his town and these were his people, this was his home. He walked and walked. He looked and gazed into the world that he knew. He ran into some curious adults.
The man who was too busy.
One day Bobby was walking along and he met a man that was very busy. This man seemed to be walking back and forth. He seemed to be waiting for something. Bobby stood there and watched this man for a few moments. He stared at this man. The man finally sat down and started to do something. Bobby walks over to him. "Excuse me sir", Bobby said. Bobby's words are not heard. Bobby tries to get the attention of this man. Talking louder and louder. "Sir, what are you doing?" Bobby asks. The man looks up at him. "Look little boy I am much too busy for you right now, please leave", said the man, in a very annoyed voice. Bobby looks at him, "busy with what?" The man looks at Bobby again, " you aren't going to leave me alone are you?" "Well if you have to know I am working on something special. Something so special that only I can do it", said the man. Bobby looks around the area, "it doesn't seem like you are doing anything at all." "I am waiting for my materials to come. These materials are going to help the town become a better place" said the man. Bobby looks around again, "so all you do is wait? When the materials come will you build?" The man laughs out loud, " no my boy I am waiting for the material, then I will have other people build it for me. That is what I do. That is why I am important." Bobby raises his eyebrow in curiosity, "if you do not build it and all you do is wait, how does that make you important." The man looks up in anger and frustration, " I don't have time to tell you the details of my job. Leave me alone I have to get back to work." The man shoos him away with a gesture of his hand. Bobby walks away thinking that adults are very curious indeed. All he wanted to know was what that man was doing. Bobby spent a few moments with that adult and never got the answer he wanted. Bobby walked away anyways in disappointment.
The man who had everything.
The next day Bobby set out into his town again. He was walking around. Again, he noticed a very strange adult. This man was gathering things. He kept on piling objects up and up until they reached the sky. Bobby stood there again. He looked upon this man as he went out to get more stuff to pile up. Bobby made his way to this man. "Excuse me sir", Bobby exclaimed. The man looks up, "do you have a wheelchair?" Bobby looks at him, "what is a wheelchair?" The man laughs, "you don't know what that is? It is a device that helps people that can't walk. I can't believe you are so dumb not to know what that is." Bobby looks at him with saddened eyes, "why did you have to say that? You don't even look like you need it. You are able to walk." The man laughs louder, " I don't need it because I can't walk. I just want to have it." Bobby says baffled, "if you don't need it then why must you have it?" The man looks at the boy, "well I am special because I have many many things. I have so many things that I can't even begin to count them. If I were to have that too, my things will grow in numbers. It is very important to have many things. You need many things to be very important. " Bobby looks at him, " so you have many things, but you don't need them or use them." The man looks at the boy again, "you need to have things all the time. If you don't have it, then you will have nothing." Bobby asks, "will you share some of your things with me. I would like to play with some of your things." The man yells is anger, "these things aren't meant to be shared or used. You are a very naive and annoying boy. If you do not have something to give me you must leave now." Bobby leaves the man. He walks away thinking that adults are indeed very strange. This man wants everything to himself, but does not want to share. Bobby laughs at him and says out loud, "what is the point of having many things and toys if you don't use it. He walks back to his house thinking that adults are not only very busy with work but they also want everything they don't have. Bobby lays himself to bed saying, "adults sure are strange."
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This is not the End of Bobby's story. We will follow his journey.
My life is an open book. All you need to do is turn the page and read.
Sorry for the late post, I got busy on Friday. I spent the day on the beach. Friday was especially hot. I was in the classrooms pouring sweat. All I could wish for and hope for was the beach. Once classes were out, I ended up picking a couple things up from the market. When I got back to my room I changed and went to the beach. I spent about one and a half hours in the water. It was amazing. The water was clear, a little bit salty, but great. After I got out of the water I headed out to my room. I washed up and my skin never felt so good. Being in the water and afterwards was just a relief from the day and from the heat.
Oh, when I went to the market. I had been out of rice for a couple of days. I really needed to buy rice at that point. So I find the rice in the store. I see a bag and it said 20kg. I am not used to the metric system yet. I knew that 1 lb = 2.2kg. So in my head I did the math. So i was like oh ok, 10 lbs. I walked up the the clerk. She charged me abour 45 dollars for the bag. I didn't want to make a scene. So I bought it. I threw it over my shoulder and started walking. As I was walking, I kept saying to myself this bag is heavy for 10lbs. Then I re-did the math. It was more like 40 lbs. As I was walking away I was saying to myself. First of all you are an idiot. Second of all you are an idiot. I kept on thinking. Who buys 40lbs of rice for one person? Well at least this bag of rice will last me a very long time. I probably won't have to worry about rice.
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The End
"Sometimes you feel like a nut, sometimes you don't" almond joy
It has been a while since I have felt this way, so I will try to captialize on it. The past weekend was really good for my soul. I have not stopped smiling or giggling to myself. I have been in such a better mood then I have been in a very long time. I have a lighter step now, and I have found myself wanting to do more. I was at the point where all I wanted to do was stay in my room and in my bed. Now I find myself walking around more and just enjoying the situation. I am now interacting with the children and co-workers on a more personal level. This is a nice re-newed strength that I thought I had lost a long time ago. So this feeling is great. I really hope this will last long. I even find myself singing along to my songs on my mp3 player.
Wed.
I went on a walk again today. I walked a very long time, about 2 hours. Then I decided to go find some food to make. I go to the local market and buy all the required pieces. Then I get home to find my supplies of rice is null. I was not pleased because I spent most of my money on the food I planned to eat. That I found just a little ironic. So I improvised on my dinner and it was amazing.
Edit:
I decided to change the layout of the blog. I feel that this more "me". This feels better and in my opinion reads a little better. I hope you agree.
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The End
"Don't worry be happy." - From a song that I don't know the title nor the person who sang it
The weekend, it was as much fun as it was rewarding and refreshing.I actually relearned a lot of old lessons that I had forgotten.I do the big reveal in later on in the blog itself.
Friday:
It’s a usual Friday.Nothing out of the ordinary happened.I went to school.I taught all of my kids and what not.I jumped into the bus around 5:50ish for Seoul and arrived around 8ish.Hopped into the subway and trained it to Itaewon.I found myself in the same place again and in the same motel.It was a nice 4x 4 cell.I met up with my buddy Stan.He had already been in Seoul for the past couple of hours.He headed into town to do some business with the American Embassy.Once we met up, we headed out to get some food.For all of you who know me and the history of food, it did not bode well.Stan had suggested a kebab place for me to get some food.I agreed and proceeded to get some food.The food was nicely wrapped in a bundle.I take a couple bites and then one of the flaps that kept the thing together opened up and proceeded to leak the juices on me.I look at myself and laugh.It had been a while since I’ve spilled something on myself; I had let my guard down.I also think that happened because of karma.I had been making fun of someone I knew that always spilled something on his shirt.I referred to him as a mess.I had been joking about that for the past couple of weeks.I guess karma has a way of coming back at you.I ran back to the room to change shirts so this way I can look presentable.We went out to have a little fun and wait for the others to come into town.Again, we had come into Seoul for another Hash.So Stan and I went to the local watering hole for the hashers.We were drinking for a while, it was a couple of minutes until all of them arrived.Our friends came in and we joined the group.The night proceeded to continue as business as usual.We were out until about 3ish.Some of us got more inebriated then other, which provided a good laugh to be had by all.
Saturday: We are going to call this day “the hash that never happened”
So Saturday rolls around.I am cursed with being able to sleep really late and waking up really early.I had gone to sleep at 3am that morning and proceeded to wake up at 7ish in the morning.My friend Stan was reported to have slept at 5am.So I started moving around.I was completely awake and bored.So I left the room and started walking around the town.If you ever go to Itaewon, remember that most to all the stores don’t open until about 11am.Apparently because most to all the stores are open until late they don’t open until late.So there I was, the only person on the streets looking for something that is open.I ended up eating at dunkin doughnuts.I had also noticed something that my friends had mentioned last time I was there.Some bars were still open.It was 8am and there were people still drinking and partying.Apparently most people stay out until the sun comes out and then some.So I was amazed and taken back as I see people just stumbling out of a bar or walking into a bar at the time.So 10 am rolls around.My friends call me to see where I had gone too.I inform them of my location and we rendezvous.Since I was the only one awake at the time I had already eaten, my friends needed to eat.So we walk around more and eventually find a diner that is open for breakfast.This place had possibly the best breakfast I have had in a while.So we sat there enjoyed our breakfast and conversation and storytelling of the past night events.In the middle of the conversations, my friend Stan informed us that he had lost his credit card.This credit card was from his Korean bank. Now the Korean security isn’t as tight as America or other countries.Most to all of the time you don’t even really get ID’ed when you use the card.So Stan was worried.He had a sizeable amount of money in there.So we had one of the waiters help him call the bank to see what to do.Apparently Stan needed some information that he didn’t have at the time.So he was given the phone number to call.So breakfast was finishing up, we had to leave by 11am to be at the hash on time.It was a baseball theme, so on the way there we picked up some baseball gear.We had run into another hasher.She had told us if we wanted to come there on time, to get into a taxi and go.So we all piled into the taxi.We inform him of where we are going.The taxi driver starts driving.Apparently He didn’t understand what we told him.He had taken us clear across town, basically in the wrong direction of where we needed to go.He gets to the place where he thinks we needed to be and we told him no.We show him AGAIN where we needed to go.So while in transit to where we needed to go, we called someone to help translate.We eventually find someone and the taxi driver finally understood.The issue with that was it took 45 min to get to the first wrong place.Someone in the taxi was still drunk from the night before, so being in a taxi for more than an hour was not a good idea.He was saying that he was going to hurl if we did not get to the place we needed to go to and soon.So about an hour or so in a taxi and 40,000 won later we get to the area.We are there kind of, we were stuck in traffic.As we were all tired of being in traffic and upset about the situation we pay and get out of the taxi.We decided to start walking from where we were to where we needed to be, by the time we get to the place it was well past 1 o’clock.Seeing that the Hash started at 12, we were running late.On a hash usually you have to find yourself to the start point first before hashing.So we spend a lot of time roaming the area looking for the hash marks.We kept on looking.Then we got a call, everyone had already finished the trail.So we were informed of where to go to meet up with everyone.Seeing that the group that we hash with is more like a big family, I was expecting to get made fun of.We start finding our way to the group.We eventually find them and they are in numbers that day.I think there was at least 20ish or more people there.I was expecting mocking and jokes from the group.Instead we were welcomed with a little laughter and understanding.We stood there as we told our tale of the taxi and of the walk.As usual we there was food, beer, and drinks.This hash was a little special.One of the older hashers was leaving Korea forever, it was his goodbye party.The festivities of that day were geared towards in saying goodbye.People from many parts of Seoul were there to hash and to say goodbye to the hasher.We were also to go to a baseball game that day.Since all four of us were tired from the cab ride and the walk and from the night before, we decided not to go.So we decided to go back to Itaewon, via subway.As we were walking to the subway someone suggested taking a taxi, because it will be easier and we won’t get lost this time.I was opposed to this idea, so was another person, but no one listened to us.We jump into a taxi again.Their hopes were up.They were saying don’t worry about it and what not.So the taxi starts driving and boom traffic.We sat in traffic for a while before we got to Itaewon.I had given my two friends the I told you so look and speech.We ended back up in Itaewon around 3 or 4ish.We agreed to meet back up with each other around 8:30ish.8 rolls around, Stan and I decided to walk around first to find a place to eat with our other friends.We walk around and find a long hill filled with food places.We find a suitable place and call our friends.We were informed that they were not joining us for reasons and will be meeting us for drinks afterwards.So Stan and I go get food.We ended up at this place that looked fancy, and fancy it was.We order food that sounded good.We get the food and find the portions were lacking at best.We were laughing about the situation for a while.After eating, we call our friends to see where they were.We were instructed to go meet them at a bar at a certain time.We walked around a little bit more.Then we heard live music from a place.We walked up there to see the commotion.We stumbled upon a place with amazing live music.We stayed there for a while.We told our friends to come join us, but they didn’t.Stan had started a conversation with a girl at the bar, she was to join us for the rest of the night.So there we were at the bar with amazing live music.At one point there was some down time and the drummer of group starts beating away like a machine.It was basically one of the best demonstrations of drumming I have seen in a while.So I move on out of the bar.Stan was making progress with the woman, so I wanted to get out of his way.I meet up with the rest of the hashers at another watering hole in the area.The bar had some live music as well, not as good as the other but live music none the less.So I sat there made conversation and Stan and the girl eventually mosey their way into the bar.We all partied there for a while until the place got too hot.I stepped outside and what not.I was making conversation with other hashers outside.Stan and the girl decided to join us too.We ended up moving to the bar next door with a dance floor.We hung out there for a while.Another hasher (Frank) and I were getting a little board.We decided to leave Stand and the girl alone, because of well you should have the idea by now.So Frank and I started to stumble our way around the area.We went to a couple different places.We randomly met other hashers in the area doing the same.For the sake of the story, the readers and myself, I will be omitting certain details.So I ended up finishing the night around 4am.
Sunday:
I wake up at 7ish.I was cursing the world for giving me an internal clock that woke me up so early.So I woke up.All my friends were still asleep, or so I assumed because of the time.I showered up and made my way back to the diner with great breakfast.I ordered some breakfast food and drinks.As I finished my meal, my friends walk in.They join me and I have conversation with them.They were heading into another hash for the day. I had declined to hash with them.I was too tired to hash.I decided that a 3 hour bus ride home is going to be hard enough.So they finished eating.We jump into the same subway.They keep on trying to convince me to join the hash.I was almost inclined to join, but in the end I didn’t.I get to the central bus terminal.Jump into the bus that I need to go to.I got back to my apartment around 3ish.Since I didn’t hash the whole weekend, I felt bad about myself.So I decided to start walking on my own.This was going to be a good thing, because the hashers decided to do a hash in my area at the end of the month.So I walked around setting the trail in my mind.I did it for about an hour or so.Once everything was finished it was about 4 or 5ish.I finished the day by sitting by the beach enjoying the weather and the sun.
Lessons:
I learned a couple of things this weekend.Sometimes all you need to do is say hello to start a conversation.This is a lesson that I had forgotten and not used in a very long time.This is a lesson that I will not soon forget.Thanks Stan for reminding me of that little notion.The other lesson was, sometimes you just have to find it in yourself.This weekend I learned that strength and character is in me, I just have to dig deep enough.I forgot that things aren’t easy.Sometimes you just don’t have to care and do what you need to do, be yourself and you will be fine.Hopefully this will get me out of the whole wallflower thing.I need to start getting comfortable with people faster.I think the first step is to really not care what they think of me and just be me.
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The End
Sometimes all you have to do is look in the mirror and convince yourself that you are a good person.
A couple of weeks ago I mentioned that I acquired some private students. Well apparently it's not looked upon in great light here doing a second job. One of my private students accidentally told one of the other teachers that I am tutoring him. That didn't go over well. Apparently that teacher has been complaining about me. About my work ethics and what not. I haven't had a chance yet to really defend myself yet, but I will. I will come back at him with so much anger. I work hard and I am good at what I do. This guy is a joke. In the first few weeks that I was teaching "with" him in our class; he did nothing but sit at his computer and do other work. There were times where I had to do the class when he wasn't even there. Now every time I try to teach the way I want to teach, he hijacks the lesson. Then he complains that I am lazy and I don't do my work because of the privates. He is just mistaken. I just stopped caring because he wasn't teaching with me. Now this guy has the balls to complain about me. This guy just asked for my anger. I usually let things go on by. I don't get angry, but when someone says that I am a bad worker, no deal. I am a hell of a hard worker and I know it. I never give less then 110% when I work. This guy is giving me a bad name, I will not stand for it. I will fight this and him until something is resolved. I might even get fired over it, but I don't care. I know who I am and how I work, for someone to say the opposite, um no thanks. This guy will see the wrath that is Cezar. I am a damn good worker.
I am sorry for this current blog. I am not usually so angry, but this guy is bringing it out. I will update on results soon. I will be heading out to Seoul again for another Hash on Friday night. So I might not be able to log in and blog.
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The End
Some times you just need to punch someone in the face.
This weekend was interesting just like the past couple of weekends. Lets start at where i usually start.
Friday: The usual things happened. Work and what not was pretty much the same. I was being encouraged/forced to start making a lesson plans for my after school classes. So I had planned to take the weekend to hopefully to get something in my head to work for the classes. That didn't happen. I ended up leaving for Jeonju around 6ish and arriving around 8ish. I dropped my stuff off at a friend's house and met up with another friend. We were out until about 12 am just walking around and relaxing. It was an entertaining and relaxing friday night.
Saturday: My friend Stan had recently acquired a scooter. We drove around in it for a while on Saturday morning. Because I felt like I needed it, I went to a spa to get a massage. Stan had informed me about a spa in the area that had a great massage place. He took me there and left me to do as I will for the time that I needed. So I got into the spa around 11ish and I got out around 1ish. The spa was pretty cool. It had 4 floors of relaxing and what not. Started out with a nice relaxing massage for about an hour. Then I proceeded to go walk around to the saunas and healing rooms. It was a very relaxing couple of hours. When I was done, I called up Stan to come get me from the spa. He picked me up and we proceeded to go back to his place. He had another appointment that he needed to be at so he left me to my own whims in his place. He gave me the keys to his scooter and told me that I can go and do what I need to do if I want. So I hop on the scooter. I didn't know how to do anything on this thing. It was my first time ever on a scooter and what not. So I get on the scooter and try to start it up. So I sat on the scooter and tried to think of how to start it. I sat on the scooter for a good 10-15 min before I figured it out. After I turned it on, the first thought in my head was, how hard could this be? So there I sat with my hand on the throttle and on the brake. I pulled back on the throttle and boom, before I knew it I was out of control and on the ground. I was tumbling and the scooter was just on it's side. I managed to wipe out in front of a group of Koreans. They asked if I was ok and I said I was. The only thing that was hurt was my ego. So I get back on the scooter. This time I didn't pull back so hard on the throttle. Once I got used to the whole situation, I was good to go. I drove it around for a while, it was pretty cool. I got back to Stan's place and I told him what happened. After 20 min of verbal abuse and general mockery, he asked if I was ok. He kept on mocking me for the whole day. I guess he could do it, cause it was his scooter that I managed to damage. Apparently I was the only person in the world to wipe out on a scooter. So after I wiped out and the general mockery, we set out to make the trail for the hash. We ended up meeting up with the rest of the hashers at what we call the batcave. So we met up with all the hasers. We had a couple of new hashers in the group so that was fun. This hash was a little different. This time around we were to run and or walk to the nearest 7/11 and buy and drink some beer before we go to the next one. We were chasing two guys who were seting the trail as we were going on it. This hash was pretty fun. So we hashed it for a while. At the end of the hash we ened up back at the batcave. I met the guy who was at Gyeokpo before me. He and I exchanged stories and tales of the area all night. We had the same stories and experiences. It was pretty cool night. We were out until 12am drinking and having fun. I met more people that made me laugh and generally all around fun. I was tempted to go out more, but with the crash and the the hash my body was all torn up.
Sunday: A usual sunday. Stand and I were too torn up to really do anything. We grabbed breakfast and what not thats about it. We were both too tired to do anything. We ended up going to church and what not, after church I went home to get some rest. This was the day that I had planned to get some work done for the afterschool classes. That didn't happen. I ened up just laying in bed tryin to rest up.
So for some reason for the past couple of days I have been not sleeping well at all. I have no clue what is going on with my internal clock. I used to be able to sleep at 2 am and wake up at 6:45. I I find myself falling asleep at random times and waking up at random times. I'm also having some really weird dreams. I have no real clue as of what is happening. My body is so in and out of a regular schedule that it just made its own I guess. Some days I would sleep at 10 and wake up at 3 am some days I sleep at 12 and wake up at 5. I don't know it has been a weird couple of days. I don't know what has thrown me off so far from my routine. I will need to find out soon cause I'm definitely going to need to fix it so I can sleep better.
Side note: I have been deciding on where to spend my vacation time. I will be having some vacation days coming to me. I would love to go to the Philippines, Japan, Indonesia, and New Zeland. Seeing that I am brokeish I can only really afford to go to one. I was also offered to come home for my vacation. There in lays the problem. I would love to go to all these places, especially home, but I can't. I have to choose one. If I go to the Philippines, that would be cool cause I would be there alone for the first time in a long time. I would really get a chance to experience my hometown in a different way then I am used too. If I were to go to any other country, I would end up doing the same but spend more money at the same point. Then, if I were to come home, that is also another issue. I do miss home, my friends, my family, and everything else about home, BUT am I ready to come home. I know it is only for a short time, but if I come home will I be willing to go back to Korea. I have found myself between a rock and a hard place. Each option is viable and tempting. I want to be able to do all of it. I kept on promising myself that I would make a decision by today, but I haven't. I need to figure all of this out really soon, because if I don't I won't be able to go anywhere at all.
I think I already figured out where I am going to go. I guess what is left is to convince myself that I want to go there.
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The End
"Whatever you do DON'T GO TO SLEEP!" - The girl from nightmare on elm st
So Tuesday was a fun day. On Tuesdays I usually go to an island to teach in 2 different schools. The boat usually leaves around 7:10am. I do my regular routine and wake up at 5:30 am and get ready for work. Whilst I walked to the port I was thinking to myself its awfully cloudy and windy today, I was hoping that the boat was canceled. Well my boat was on time. I get to the island and all is normal. I taught at one school and proceeded to the next one. Nothing out of the ordinary was happening; it was a regular day for me. Then it happened, I was told that my boat was canceled because of the weather. The teacher who told me said that some teachers knew and didn't warn him. I am pretty sure he knew but forgot to tell me. So I had to spend the night in the island. That wasn't fun at all. I always wondered what it was like sleeping there, now I know. I thought that Gyeokpo was bad, this place was just short of horrible. It's a beautiful island, don't get me wrong, I would like walking and exploring for the day, that is about it.
Tuesday night: So I finished classes around 3ish. I was led to my "room". This room was an empty dorm room with a tv and some blankets. It wasn't too bad at all. I was invited to eat dinner with the other teachers around 6:30. In between the time I spent waiting for dinner, I hit a couple of golf balls. 6:30 comes around and I was hungry. They gave me some type of chicken stew, it wasn't bad. 7:00 rolls around and I was done eating and extremely bored. I was able to go use the internet in the office so I did that for a while. Then I went back to the room to rest up a little bit. I got really bored because there was no american programming on the Tv on the island. I decided to start texting my friends. One of friends started texting me back. She kept me company for a couple min via text and the internet chating. That lasted me until about 9ish. After chating with her online, I left the office. I didn't expect the island to be so dark. Walking from the office to the dorm was maybe a yard or so, and it was creepy. First of all there wasn't any lights on, second of all there was a vicious wind kicking up a fuss. Those two combined just gave me the creeps. I was actually informed earlier that there might not be a boat in the morning. I didn't want to to believe it, so i slept early so I can wake up early.
Wednesday: I wake up again at 5:45 am. I was determined to find out if that boat was there. The port was about a 30 min-ish walk from the school. I decided that I had to leave at 6:45 to see if the boat was going to leave at 7:50. I thought to myself, the worst thing that could happen is that there would be no boat at all. If there were no boat all I had to do was walk back or catch the bus back to the place until someone told me when the boat was going. So I arrive at the port around 7:20 ish. I walk up and ask if the boat was coming, and the answer was yes. I was excited. I was really having nightmares the night before about being stuck in the Island for the next couple days. So I wait for the boat, I grab some snacks to tide me over for the day. The boat arrives promptly at the right time. I get back to Gyeokpo at 8:45. This gave me enough time to walk back to my room and grab new clothes. I change and once I was done changing I had to catch the bus to another school. The day went on the same, just not as fun and me more tired. I was dragging myself around as if I were carring a sack of bricks.
So this weekend was a little bit of a adventure. Now that I have started hashing with some really cool people, they had invited me out to Seoul for a hash. So me and a couple of other people went to Seoul. These are my stories from friday.
Friday:
Normal day of work, nothing spectacular. I had finished work around 4:30ish so I jumped right out of class and into my room. I packed as fast as possible and headed out to Buan. I eventually get to Buan around 5:45 and my bus to Seoul left promptly at 5:50. I was inforemed by a co-worker that it may take up to and including 3.5 hours to get to Seoul. So I prepared myself for the long haul. I brought snacks and music for me to listen too on the way there. The bus driver probably was in a rush because I got there in less then 3 hours. I get off of the bus and try to make my way to the subway. I was given instructions to where to go via internet mail. I tried to follow the instructions given to me carefully so that I wouldn't get lost. And of course I get lost, I hopped on the wrong subway train. The good thing was that I realized what had happened so I jumped off and got on the correct train. Apparently Seoul subways work the same as NYC there is an up town and down town, but no one told me of that little fact. So I get to Itaewon before anyone else does. I see the place and I am instantly awed by the sights. It was exactly like new york but with more life. I started to walk around and eventually find my way to the hotel my friends wanted to stay at. I was in Itaewon for a good 2 hours before my friends showed up. So I decided to get some food and start relaxing. I was told of a bar that was owned and operated by filipinoes so I decided to go there and partake in some beer. My friends eventually all show up. We stick around and drink a little more together and then drop off their stuff in the hotel. Then we were off to have more fun. We decided to just hop from bar to bar having fun. We did so and ended up at a local bar, which was pretty cool. We met some really cool foreigners and hung out with them. We ended up out until about 3 am. I was informed that most bars were open until 10am. I am no longer that young and cannot withstand a party until 10am. So we all ended up going back for some sleep at 3 am.
Saturday: My internal clock usually wakes me up around 7am. Even though I had partied until 3am, my body decided to wake up at 7am. I was dragging myself around for a while. My friends decided to wake up at 10am. I was not as fortunate as them. After everyone woke up we headed out for breakfast. It had been a while since I had a good American breakfast, so this was a nice treat. We ate and just relaxed for a couple of hours. Some of the people in our group decided to go to a couple different hashes on saturday. I was not in the mood nor did I have the energy to go to a hash. Stand and I decided to stay back and relax. We both didn't want to hash that day. Instead, we walked around Itaewon and took a boat on the han river. We were out until about 8pm, just in time for our friends to be done with hashing. We all took a nap for a little bit of time. Woke up and went out around 10pm. We met up with other hashers in the area and had drinks with them. We had just started to bar hop with them. It was pretty interesting. We went to all the local watering wholes for the hashers. We all did some dancing and had some fun. Again we were out until about 2am. This time we didn't do too much drinking, just enough hahahaha.
Sunday: Sunday rolls around and I am all torn up. My body felt like it just came through the grinder. Today was supposedly a big hash. So the group and I wanted to go. So we all started mounting up around 1030am. We get to the start sight, kinda. We had to walk 1 km to the start sight. Since this was my first time again hashing, I was considered a virgin. The good thing was that I did not have to go through anything too embarrassing. The hike was a pretty thought on me though. It had very steep hills to conquer. I actually had to stop and really catch my breath for it. This actually gave me even more of an excuse to get into better shape. I felt like I was literally going to die on the hill. My heart was beating through my chest and I could not catch my breath for the life of me. It was good times. So of course, my stopping constantly and for breathers and near heart attacks put me in last place. So I was walking and walking and walking. I eventually meet up with another guy that had gotten lost. Him, Stan, and I walked the rest of it together. As we were getting to the last leg of the trail, we were met by other hashers dispatched to find us. Apparently we were so late and took so long that they actually got worried about us. We all had a good laugh about the situation. After some traditional fun with the virgins, we all went to get some food. At this time i was super worried about catching my bus back to gyeokpo. It was already 2ish and it takes a good 3 hours to get back to buan and I still had to transfer to another bus to gyeokpo, the last one was at 8pm. So I was told not to worry and to keep my panties on. So I was like ok fine. We all joined the group had some food with some really bad service. I had some really good conversation and what not. It was a good time. we left around 3:45ish. Jump into the subway to get to the bus terminal around 4:30ish. I find out my bus doesn't leave until 5:00, and that wasn't good at all. Considering it takes 3 hours to get back, it had seemed that I was going to miss my bus back home and I would have to find my way back to Gyeokpo. So I spent the whole trip back looking at the clock. I wasn't really able to take a nap or rest. So the trip was closing in around 3 hours, realistically around 2 hours 45 min. I was sitting in my chair rocking back and fourth until I realized where we were. We had made it to buan but the time was closing in on 8pm. Once we pulled into the station I jumped out of my seat and right into the bus I needed to be in. I had made the bus time within 5 min of it leaving for my town. And I got home promptly around 8:30pm.
That was the majority of my weekend. I spent a crazy load of money on hotel, food and booze. What I got back was, good friends, conversation and stories. I also had to relearn a past lesson. I really need to get into shape. I am only 26 years old. I shouldn't be struggling to go up hills and do mild hiking. I was beaten to the finish line by guys nearly double my age. How am I supposed to react to that? So I don't know, hopefully this time the lesson will stick and get me motivated to be able to walk up hills without nearly dieing.
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The End
Sometimes it's as easy as putting one foot in front of the other.
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