Weekend In The City

I’m supposed to get internet access in my apartment this week (hopefully today) so I can start posting some pics.  Until then, I’m being a bad wae-gu gin for even typing this much at work.  It’s Monday, and the first official day for my hagwon.  Lots of excited and scared kids coming in soon, along with their parents.  It’s raining hard outside, which is actually kind of refreshing.  Seoul is an incredibly humid place, even this late in the summer.

Hongdae was a blast Friday night (University and nightlife area).  Itaewon was surprisingly relaxing (America-heavy part of town, where they have slippers in my Godzilla-esque size 12).  Namdaemun Market was by far my favorite part of Seoul so far (blocks and blocks of open-air shopping for almost anything you can imagine, but the people-watching is free and the real attraction).

Chumal

The kids have left for home, and I’m off to Hongdae with some co-workers.  Bye-bye!

Out Of The Park

It might not last forever, but here’s a youtube link to Obama’s acceptance speech at last night’s Democratic convention.

“It’s not because John McCain doesn’t care, it’s because he doesn’t get it.”

Spot on and pitch perfect.  More of this please.

Come November, let’s take back America and start to undo some of the damage inflicted on us by the Bush years.

Register to vote.

Teacher-James!

My hagwon (private language academy) is gearing up for the beginning of the school year.  Korean kids get a summer break, but it’s only 40 days long.  Right now we’re finishing up a smallish load of summer classes and gearing up for the big opening next week.

My boss was kind enough to ease me into the schedule, so this week’s been fairly light.  I’ve been immersing myself in the textbooks and materials (it’s exactly the same stuff American kids use, only delayed by a few years), but I did get the chance to run a few “fluff” classes (where we put aside the texts and just do some introductions and play some games, with the mention of the card game “Uno” being the easiest way to make Korean children shriek with delight).  However, before I’d taught any classes, I quickly learned my new Korean title: “Teacher-James.”  I quite like it.

Participation

(Image via Oliver Willis)

Register to vote if you haven’t already, even if you live abroad like me.  The deadline is coming up.

Socket To Me

Figuring out whether you need a simple socket adapter, a step-down transformer, or a voltage converter for electronics purchased in America for use in Korea is a lot more complex than you’d expect for the 21st century.  This site explains it all in detail, and it’s actually kind of fascinating.

WTF America?

Obama assasination plot uncovered in Denver.

Republican white-supremacists on meth.  It’d be funny if it wasn’t true.

Good Morning Seoul

Major underdog South Korea wins the Olympic gold in baseball a day before I arrive here.

Me? I now live by Omokgyo Station, Line 5, in Yangcheon-gu (a district southwest of the Han River).  Let me know if you’re ever in town.

Picaresque

Wet Casements is moving to South Korea.  In the meantime, feel free to occupy yourself with one of the following three videos:

Cap’n Jazz covering A-Ha’s “Take on Me”:

A clip from the documentary “Joseph Beuys in America”:

How to hunt, kill, and make squirrel melts:

Department of Meh

Biden is Obama’s pick for veep.  Far too much baggage (plagiarism, anti-Obama statements, weird racial moments) and not enough upside.  I think he’s a pretty good guy, but that spark of genuine humanity tends to be crushed by his egomania.

As far as “safe” picks meant to shore up Obama on the experience question, Bayh would have been the better (i.e., less potentially damaging) choice.