Jody's Space

Well, it's been a hectic two weeks getting my new schedule set, but it's pretty much done. So far, my classes have been fantastic this semester except for one. This class is located in the Shinbiga building. Let's just say when I hear that word I immediately start twitching. This building houses our more exceptional programs, such as gemology and cosmotology and as I would soon find out- pet care. The fact that pet care is a major threw me off to begin with. I mean for one, most people in Korea don't even like animals. They buy puppies not realizing that one day they will be big dogs and then when that day comes they find a farm to send them to. Second, they eat dogs here. That should really say it all. As far as cats go, I have never met one Korean that claims to like cats. Anyway, I'm rambling, back to the story. So, the first morning of class I show up at 9:00 not really knowing what to expect. Sure enough, there's nearly forty students shuffling around outside and inside the class. There are 5 dogs randomly strewn throughout the room and the one thing I don't see are any English Books. Instantly, my attitude changes. Me ego kicks in and all these little voices start screaming at me inside my head. "Who the hell do they think they are bringing dogs to my class?"(Aparently in this department, it is a-ok to bring your pet to class), "I would have never done this in one of my college classes back home." The voices in my head get louder as the students continue their activities when I begin class. "Why is that boy still having a conversation with his friend when he sees me up here trying to teach?" "Does that girl really have to be texting right now?" "Did everyone but me have 5 cups of coffee this morning?" As I was standing there in dismay, another English Professor stepped into my room. His first comment was, "Damn you have a bunch of rude and rowdy kids." His comment validated my feelings of frustration and pushed me over the edge. I abruptly ended class (an hour and a half early) telling the students to go buy a book and I'd see them next week. I shuffled home in defeat, determined to pass that class on to someone else. After meditating on how I should handle this class and failing to get anyone else to take this group, I returned this week for a second attempt. I was determined to be professional and do my job. I entered the class with a smile on my face and a Korean hello. To my pleasant surprise, my class of 40 was now a class of 20 and there were only 3 dogs present. I repeated the mantra, "Accept what is" a few times in my head before we started. We redid introductions and I eagerly met the pooches and added them to the roster. I explained the major english dog commands (Sit, shake, stay...) and had the owners squealing with delight. I decided not to be distracted by Ms. Kim alternating between grooming herself and grooming April and instead focused on the student staring at my chest (At least they were looking in my direction). When SungMin decided to chase the 6 inch long millipede around the room, we discussed "Fetch." And on the break, when Girune squatted on the desk and peed all over another students' purse as her mother looked on, I chose to go with the "flow" and comment that dogs do the darndest things (even though there is a yard 3 feet from the classroom door and these are pet care majors who should know that dogs NEED A WALKING NOW AND THEN OR AN ACCIDENT WILL HAPPEN.) Oh, am I shouting. Sorry. Lastly, I reminded myself as I was running from the building, a large dog with a gruff bark running down the hall in my direction, that acceptance is the key to a successful and happy life. I must say, a little meditation can really do wonders.

Well, I finally made it back yesterday. I got stuck in Kathmandu for a few days, but it all worked out in the end. Five weeks on the road is a long time, but well worth it. Highlights of my trip were: Horseback riding in China with nomads, Rafting in Tibet (I did a class 4 rapid), Biking on the city wall in Xi'an, Seeing the panda's in Chengdu, Hiking to the base camp at Everest and making 8 new amazing friends. It was definitely a summer I'll never forget. Now it's back to work. My schedule looks pretty hectic this next semester, which is excellent! I'm looking forward to seeing everybody in February. Anybody up for a trip to Thailand in December?

Hey, it's been a couple of months since I've blogged. So here's a quick catch up session. I am very happy living in Daegu. It really was the best thing I could have done. I love the college and the students. I am always getting candy and flowers from the students. Yes, they are trying to buy an A from me, but that's ok. It's a polytech college, not Princeton. I have several private classes. It's really interesting getting an inside look at Korean homelife. I am enjoying that a lot and the money rocks. My roommate is great! She is a Korean English teacher. She's 33 years old and has been separated from her husband for a year. She was a Seventh Day Adventist for 7 years and plans on going back to the church someday. It's pretty amazing how much we have in common. I really could not have asked for a better roommate. She's one of the few Koreans that really enjoys eating a lot and will even eat western food with me. She likes my spaghetti (Actually it's just Prego, but she doesn't need to know that). We got locked out of our bathroom last night and at midnight went walking the streets in search of an open locksmith to help us. The great part about Korea is that at midnight, we were able find someone who came back home with us and picked the lock. Yes, he smelled of soju and it took him 30 minutes but hey, the cost was only $20! We laughed all the way there and back. Sue thought someone had come through the window and locked the door (OK, she does buy some pretty expensive shampoo, but come on now). The window is only about ten by ten inches and we are on the 4th floor. There are a lot of Shamanists here and Sue is very afraid of ghosts and evil spirits (She has no problem with violence though and loves "Fight Club"). She is a really unique person. In two weeks I'll be headed to California for 5 weeks. After that I will go to China, Tibet and Nepal for a month. I will start teaching here again in September. I really can't express the freedom I feel here. With so much time off, I can go and do as I please. Travel and new experiences are really what I've been missing. The more that I can experience, the more that I can understand around me. Hopefully, this will make me a more caring and knowledgable person.

So, my longtime friend Jamie was in Thailand and decided to stop by for a visit. I was so happy to have him come. He arrived on Thursday. He immediately began to experience the joys of Korea when attempting to tell the driver where the college was. Fortunately, he had my number and there was a nice Korean woman in an elevator with me at the time who gave the cab driver directions. They speak even less English here than they do in Busan. We went wandering around town and figured out together where things are. We had some crazy experiences where women hid their faces from us, men turned around and walked the opposite direction and we were almost killed by a crazy taxi driver. This is what's great about being in a country that sees very few tourists and very few Koreans have traveled outside the country. We visited a few of the foreigner bars. On Saturday, my new roommate and colleague took us to a mountain with a huge temple on top. It was snowing! We were cold, but the view was great! Saturday night there was a hockey game. A group of foreigners (Mostly Canadians) have teams and play each other. It was very cold in the rink and we decided to start the St. Patty's Day celebration early. We headed downtown for a few drinks. I got to see all my old buddies from Busan and a few new friends here. Sunday we headed down to Busan to see Robyn and check out the town. We went to the beach and had fun with some fireworks. We ate galbi at a great little place by my old digs. After that we went to a soju bar and then headed back to Daegu. Jamie headed home on Tuesday. I had a great time and I was very sad to see him leave. Hopefully, he will be back for another visit in a few months!

Hey Everybody. Sorry it's been so long. I have been pulling my hair out for the last two weeks. I made the move to Daegu, went to Japan for a new visa, moved into my apartment and purchased furniture, started teaching, lost my wallet, got a roommate and my divorce became final. Yes, can we say emotional breakdown. It's been rough and I am happy that things are starting to settle down. I will take some pictures of my new pad and the school. I hope everyone is doing well. Love you guys!