Finished?

I finished this painting today, or I think I did. It's one of those projects you just can't be too sure about. When looking at it I feel it came out too green.

The green part is my interpretation of a bird's eye view of a suburb in South Florida. The surrounding parts are another bird's eye view but this time of apartment complexes in Korea. One night, before I fell asleep, I saw this image in my mind and knew it was worth painting. I still like this concept and whenever I see a bird's eye views of cities (anywhere in the world) I feel a connection. My goal was to show the contrast between how people live in different parts of the world and how we construct our homes and surrounding areas. For example, the lush green lawn in contrast with the concrete purple of the apartment complexes. However, I still feel the apartment complexes come off to subtly.

After I started that one I picked up another art board and made a different design. This time taking inspiration from the city-scape of Seoul, but not the apartment towers. Instead I used the odd shapes that consist of villas and businesses.

As you can see I still have work to do on the second one. But I am glad the first is near completion, because I will be able to take it off its board and maybe make another one just like the above.  I'm also worried about completing the second one and wondering whether using a brilliant green for the American style landscape will be too distracting next to the Korean city-scape. One of those moments where you want to proceed but hope you don't end up screwing it up forever.

Till then I kind of don't really have time since I need to start packing and cleaning things out in my house. And of course it is a comfortable sunny day outside...oh so many distractions!

SAC at the HBC

Sketch and the City (SAC) is a newly formed group that meets up in various places and events to sketch what is going on. They have gone to poll dancing studios, drum festivals and the streets of Seoul to just name a few.

Every time they have a meet up I am always eager to go, but it seems for a long time I had already planned something and it didn't work out.

Fortunately, last weekend I made it out to their sketching of the Hae Bong Chon festival near Itaewon. This is an annual event where bands perform in the bars on the famous street and people come out for a good time.

It took me two hours to get there, although afterward I realized there was a bus that could have gotten me there faster. As you approach the Hae Bong Chon street you go past a series of kimchi pots.

I got there just as the crowds were accumulating and I immediately saw Mike Stewart at work on his painting.

After a few sketches I found inspiration coming from the little supermarket in front of us that had boxes of fruit outside.

After making my sketch I went in with colored pencils and tried to spark it to life. I enjoyed this activity but found it slightly difficult to stand and draw. I think next time I will bring one of those mini-fold-able chairs with me.

I finished up and instead of heading towards the festival and taking in the bands I went the opposite direction. I was going to meet up with JH to go somewhere else so I found a cafe instead. Before I got to the cafe I passed those kimchi pots again.

Inside the cafe were some cigarette boxes of a unique type.

It was a cool evening and the setting sun cast a golden light on a building nearby. I liked the image I captured here of this moment.

If you are into drawing or painting then I would highly recommend joining this group. I hope to get into it more even as winter draws on and being outside will be difficult.

The Next Place

Before I talk about places I have been looking at to work for the next year, I thought I would update you about the "G20 Readiness" issue I raised. Chris did a good job on his blog citing his own answers and just recently Rob took a punch at it. Rob points out that the readiness of Korea should be thinking that goes beyond the bus stop or cleanliness of the restaurant but how expats (of all types) need more rights and protection. Certainly, I couldn't agree more and would hope that as dignitaries visit this country they could get not just a look at the tourist attractions but a briefing on how their citizens are treated in Korea.

We'll see!

Back here at my school I haven't really hit the tracks on my whole "make amends" plans. A little bird told me to not drastically change my behavior. I wouldn't want my co-teachers to feel like saps. So I have been just trying to be in a good mood and take whatever opportunities I can to keep relationships either neutral or positive.

Yet, today we are having an after-school dinner to celebrate the new guy. Personally, I don't enjoy these dinners as they all speak Korean and don't bother to translate. (Come on... 3 Korean English speaking teachers...not a single word to let us know what their saying?) But as I have learned you just got to go with it or if you feel like it pester them for it.

It's October and February is a long way off, but of course I am still thinking about what my next job will be. Places like Universities start their hiring now for the new season and so I am giving those a shot. I applied to one and we will see what happens. Otherwise, I have applied to Gangnam Public Schools, which do their own hiring. Thankfully, I know a few people who have worked for them or went through the process and so have a better look inside.

Applying to Gangnam Public Schools puts you through a process of first sending your information, then sending a lesson sample and (where I am at now) having your references checked. If you make it past that then you get to schedule an interview. We'll see if I get that far, if so I am unsure if I would take the position. They only offer housing money and no deposit (which are both high in Gangnam). But I figured why not get to the point when I really have a choice and could possibly see what school they would give me.

Other than that I got my ticket home from my current school and am excited that I will be home for Christmas. I do plan on coming back in January, possibly with JH who might be coming out for a visit.

For now it's that time of the year where I am getting out my sweaters and transitioning into the colder weather. Ahhh winter is coming...

How Does One Make Amends?

Today, as I walked home with the new foreign teacher, we had a heart-to-heart talk about my past relationship with this school. I have been giving him bits and pieces of what I went through and lately been in a kind of negative attitude. I noticed this about myself and told him I didn't want him to have the wrong impression. It lead us to talk about what happened. The new guy really listened and even allowed me to see what was the most important thing.

That is that I really need to leave this school on good terms, especially if I want another job. I told him I already knew that and had been working on it already. I have made sure that my reference is my new coteacher (the guy). But then I realized that someone calling this school could end up talking to all 3 of my coteachers. That made me almost stop in my tracks. It's not that I am still on bad terms with everyone else it's just that I never have really made amends with them.

Therefore, I am now in a spiral trying to figure out a secure and comfortable way to make my amends. I want to do this especially with #2 coteacher (the oldest now of the bunch). We never really had any fights together or completely difficult times, but she was there during the rough parts and certainly remembers it all. Plus our relationship is not deep. I have spent "tea time" with her talking about current news or phenomena going on in Korea but other than that it is just a typical coworker situation.

Till now, I thought to just finish my two months and be done with it. But I realize how precious these last days are going to be. It is the only time I have to really set things right and make sure there won't be any bad things transferred through the phone about me.

Don't get me wrong; however, I really do want to make sure she knows I care about our relationship and that I want to leave the school knowing I am sorry for any harm I have done.

My first thoughts to get this done was to figure out a time when I could approach her and just confront her with my wishes. Then I started to see the big picture and realized it is all going to have to tie into my actions. Here are my plans of action. (Sorry, I seem to be really liking using bullet points.)

•  Take part in morning "tea-time". #2 coteacher usually brings in fruit or bread for everyone. I have declined it because I eat a full breakfast. But sitting there and having a small piece won't kill me.
• Friday we will have a teacher's dinner to celebrate the new foreign teacher. Make chit-chat with #2 teacher and everyone else. 
• During the after-school dinner (small number of guests) try to open up to everyone about my leaving the school and how I want to leave with a peaceful and happy feeling. (Not sure about this since it might be to direct...and make things uncomfortable for them.)
• Next week the teacher's are going on the obligatory Mountain Hike. I was offered to go. #2 coteacher told me she really wants to go. I told her I will try to go this time, but might have to rest a lot while on the mountain. She seemed ok with this. Now I realize I really have to go and make it as my last opportunity to bond.
• Bring in snacks for everyone. (I already have been bringing in my extra apples from home. But something more deliberate might be nice...hmm time to bake again?)
• After some time do approach #2 coteacher and talk about this with her. 
• When leaving the school give everyone a card with a personal message.

Those are my ideas thus far. I basically see that the most important thing will be my attitude and what I show to everyone up to the day I leave. I was on a good roll until the new foreign teacher came and then my mind got swirled up in thoughts of the past. Time to snap back into shape!

Lessons Learned

It's October 12th already and there is less than two months left at my school. The other day as I was in Seoul with JH we passed by the goshiwon I stayed in last November. I asked him, "Can you believe it? It has been nearly a year since I stayed in there?" He responded with an astonished, "Oh yea!" and we both reflected on how fast time flies by.

At that time I was in between jobs putting away all the stuff I went through at my first public school and anxious about what the new one would be like. Now I can tell I don't really think about my first public school and that the "new one" was well a rollercoaster ride. However, as I get to the end of this contract I can't help but look back and see how I have learned so much.

When I left my first public school I asked my coteacher, at that time, to tell me what I needed to do to improve myself both as an English teacher and a coteacher. I wrote down what she said and I wanted to take a moment in this post to look through these things and see if I have managed to learn a few things.
Lessons I have learned:

• "Control your mind." Meaning don't show your emotions to the class or in front of your coteacher. Did I learn my lesson? The answer, I believe, is yes. However it took a long time and a lot of strife. I might still show it a little here and there but I have learned how to become aware and to have self-control.
• "Create a warm relationship with people at the school." She claimed that I didn't do this and I responded that I was bitter at the school for giving me a crappy office-tell (first one had no window, second one wasn't much better). Did I learn my lesson? The answer is, yes. Despite the personal issues I had with previous coteachers at my current school I made it a point to bow and smile to everyone. I believe this worked as I never heard anything bad about my social behaivor.
• "More communicative with KT when holding class and I should do 80% of it." A definite YES to this one! I have completely improved my teaching manner and style in the classroom. If I think about I had 3 different coteachers in the past year at this school and had to adapt to what they wanted. 
• "Participate in preparing materials." Another YES! I make a lot of materials either by finding them online or creating my own. When cutting them out and laminating them I don't ask for help, either. I could but my coteachers are usually busy anyways. In other words I put the time into prep work, that I didn't do as much at my first public school. 

I think those highlight the significant "complaints" I received from my previous school. I will be honest, though, that I still hold inside me grief from what transpired during the first 5 months at this job. Thankfully, since then most of the people who hold those memories have moved on.

I've realized to let people be who they are and not get in the way. This is tough when you hear a coteacher say for example, "Because you are a man you can do it well and the students will like you more." (in reference to the new teacher) or "Every American loves British accents and wants to have one." That last one is based upon that my coteacher saw an episode of Friends with reference to that and the movie Love Actually with the bar scene. I tried to explain to her that not all Americans are like that. It didn't get to her. The point is that as much as that really bothers me and as much as I really want to change her mind, I have realized I can't. Instead, I have to let her be who she is and focus on my life.

Here we are looking ahead into the future, where I will be finding my fourth job in Korea. Wherever it will be I am going to take these lessons I have learned with me. Although I know I could end up facing the same issues again at a new school I am determined now to focus on the teaching job at hand, whatever it will be, and to keep the relationships in good condition.

Goodness... I sound so optimistic.

Is Seoul Ready for the G20 Summit?

source

The G20 Summit is coming to Seoul and that means a lot of important people will be sharing the air here. This also means that a lot of foreign visitors to the summit will be arriving as well. Therefore, is Seoul ready to accommodate these Western people?

I have noticed on the Seoul City Blog job opportunities of the sort that reflect this nervousness towards being a host country. I can't say for sure whether these job postings are directly related to the G20, but I have a gut feeling they are. Just what are these specialty jobs, you ask?

What are the most important aspects of making your city accommodating? Apparently, thus far these things include hygienic facilities, efficient and clean buses along with legible and accurate signs in various languages.

COEX Hygiene:

Take for example the hygienic one.

Hygiene inspection of restaurants at Coex , a venue for the upcoming G20 Summit
Job Descriptions :
 -Date & Time:  September 30 (Thursday) 13:00~17:00
 -Seats available: 10 foreigners (first-come first-served)
 -Inspection method: inspecting restaurants with a team of 3 persons (2 Koreans and 1 foreigner)
 -Details: writing a restaurant hygiene inspection report from a  foreigner’s perspective
-Payment: 40,000KRW
- Meeting place: in front of Bandi & Lunis’ Bookstore, Coex mall

For those who don't know, COEX is a large underground complex with shopping, a movie theatre and many restaurants. It also has large exhibition halls adjacent to it along with the Intercontinental hotel. I can't recall how many times I have been to COEX, but I think I can safely vouch my opinion of it's hygiene levels.

COEX Hygiene Report: (from past experience)

• The level of cleanliness inside restaurants is pretty good. Tableware never seemed to be spotty or dirty. Tables were cleaned before sitting down, and floors were acceptable as well. As for food I have eaten I would say that they usually came out without any debris such as hair or other such foreign objects. 
• As for the food court I would say that area is pretty clean, however tables seemed a bit messy and not cleaned up often. That would be an area to consider improving.
• Overall COEX's restaurants are pretty well kept up with and I don't see any need for improvement.

Bus Monitors

That job seemed like a fairly easy one and wouldn't yield too much criticism. But then came the next request for bus "mystery passengers."
 “Mystery Passenger”

· Seat availability: 10 persons (on a first-come and first-served basis)
     · Qualification: Any foreign resident in Seoul
               *prefer those who have Korean proficiency
     · Payment: 70,000KRW per day
     · Working hours: 5 hours anytime during the day
               *One person can work for up to 5 days.
The Seoul city government is seeking foreigners residing in Korea who can monitor the conditions of buses in Seoul (e.g. safety, hygiene, and convenience of the buses)

Ah, public transportation. Is it safe? It is easy to use? Is it fast and efficient? Is it clean? I can tell you this might be the most important factor for the city as far as this is issue is concerned. Why? Because not only is it difficult to adjust to being in a land where you don't know the language but even more challenging to figure out your way around it all. I think being able to use a public transportation system in a foreign country is a great accomplishment.


Having visited New York City and resided in San Francisco I have some background here on judging public transportation (especially buses) in Seoul. The buses in San Francisco would rate poorly on my scale. Typically, they smell bad, difficult to figure out the route and have a plethora of service related problems. I have read articles in the SF Chronicle of people getting stabbed on the bus. The bus drivers tend to ignore unruly behavior, but they take a lot of heat from riders who have angst against the public transportation system.

To sum it up, Seoul's bus system looks very good when compared with San Francisco's.

Here's my breakdown:

• Seoul buses are generally clean and well kept. But there are all different types of buses going around Seoul. There are the village type buses that go short distances, then there are the ones that go from one dong to the next. I can't say whether this makes for different types of hygiene. But in my experience the village buses tend to be a little more dirty, but not too bad.
• Safety on the buses doesn't seem to be a problem. However, there have been reported incidences of foreigners being treated poorly on buses. As for safety in general, whether your ride on the bus will end up causing you to get hurt or not, that is another story. Let's not forget when a Seoul bus blew up recently. I hope they have gotten that under control. 
• Safety in regards to your ride on the bus and whether you feel like it is a death trap, well that is questionable. For one bus drivers make very sharp turns, and they hit the breaks quick and hard. A traveler who has little experience in this might find themselves falling over. Also there is the unsafe feeling of having to head towards the middle-back of the bus to make sure you get out in time. Bus drivers tend to stop for very short periods of time to let passengers on and off. 
• This takes me to my next point, which is the bus passenger system. Having ridden the bus in Japan I can say that if I didn't know to board in the back-middle first I would have been lost. Seoul's riding system might be tricky to the newcomer. They need to know to board in the front. Knowing where to put the money is another thing. Also the use of a T-Card can make it all better. Do people know this right away when they are at a bus stop? Not really. Also do people know that if they use the T-Card they have to "beep-it" on the way out? Are signs at the bus easy to understand? (Not completely)
• This might make you think that Seoul buses are not convenient. However, once you know how to use the bus they become a great form of transportation in your travels around the city. Due to the bus drivers driving fast you can get from one place to the next quickly. Also there are dedicated bus lanes to help them get through heavy traffic. They also go practically everywhere in Seoul. In San Francisco, with recent budget cuts, there are some places that would take hours by bus to get to because there are no direct routes. 

As you can see Seoul already has a really good bus system and doesn't need much room for improvement. However, the only improvement I would see is passenger etiquette towards each other and hopefully that Korean citizens will treat foreigners with respect (same with the other way around).

Street Signs:
Finally, we come to the last request for inspectors that of "Street-sign monitors." These job titles sound more and more fun, and I wish I could do them if I had the free time during the week.

The Seoul city government is seeking foreign residents in Seoul who can monitor the use of the English, Chineses, Japanese languges on signs (e.g. detecting spelling errors on road/traffic signs) on the strees in Seoul.
*Seat Availability: 3 persons (1 native speaker of English, 1 Chinese, 1  Japanese)
         **prefer those who have Korean proficiency
*Working Hours: October 14 (Thursday) starting from 1 p.m for 3 - 3.5 hrs
*Payment: 50,000KRW

Since I am an English speaker I can only judge on the quality of the English on street signs in Seoul. My verdict is that as far as major tourist and directional signs go they have done a good job. Road and traffic signs offer typically both English and Korean, however I have seen here and there Chinese and Japanese too. But mostly it is just English and Korean. Have there been any spelling errors? Well not from what I can remember but I can bet that they are out there.

On the contrary, if one were to inspect any kind of sign in Seoul for it's English usage than that would definitely end up being a full time job.

The conundrum:
Is Seoul ready? Well I think the city as far as these items are concerned are ready. However, when you ask yourself whether Korean citizens themselves are ready for a high influx of foreigners into their land then you can get the jitters. Just reading Scribblings of the Metropolitician's post on Korean's treatment and attitude toward foreigners you will start to see that Korean people are not quite ready to embrace a global society.

American GI's have been stabbed and murdered by Koreans -- never hits the news.
Foreign women raped by Korean men? Hospitals won't even examine them unless they prove they're not a "Russian prostitute." Never gets in the paper.
Beating and stabbings on foreigners?

Yes, it is pretty grim but real. The problem many people are going to have with the G20 coming to Seoul is that the Korean media are going to hype it up to the visitors that their city is a place of "peace" and "globalization." When in fact, yes it is globalized, but in a very asymmetrical kind of way. I would say that Korean people see globalization as a coat they put on to show off to other countries. But they don't really plan on wearing it all day.

What I wish Korean citizens and officials would do is take in for a moment what their behaivor looks like to outsiders. As the Metropolitician exemplifies:

You want to know the REAL problem people in this society? The asshole old man who came up the the table next to me in the coffee shop yesterday, where a girl had been sitting alone, and they all sat in the empty seats around her. Because they didn't want to sit at an inside seat. It was the smoking area. Then the asshole old man started yelling and cursing at her about smoking in front of men. She told them she was there first and why are you cursing at me? He stood up, called her the English equivalent of "crazy bitch" and all kinds of threatening speech. Then he told HER to move. When she spoke back at him more -- in polite honorifics -- he wanted to HIT her. Sound familiar?

The Metropolitician wrote this in discussion about violence against women and the hyped up media in Korea. But it shows an extreme example of some of the behavior that one could witness here. You don't see this stuff everyday, but you can come across more subtle varieties. Of course, all of it has a reason and meaning behind it, but unfortunately the new traveler to this city will just see the ugliness and not really the history behind it. This goes for travelers in my own country who see the kind of behavior on the streets (such as junkies shooting up or people yelling at each other). In other words, we all should reflect on how our social behavior looks to others around us.

My opinion is that as the younger generation grows up it is possible for Korea to look more like what a globalized and "peaceful" city would look like. And as foreigners stay here longer and make roots that our role will look less pedestrian and more meaningful.

So is Seoul ready? Let's ask it again in another 10 years.