Category Archives: Korea
Oh, Korea
As somebody who relies on my supposed knowledge of the English language to earn a paycheck every month I should support stuff like this, but I really, truly don’t: “Imposing curfew on students who receive low scores on their English … Continue reading
Penmanship
Grading these exams and once again blown away by how even my lowest-performing students tend to have excellent English handwriting. Like, much better than my own chicken-scratch. My working theory is that good handwriting is a product of memorization and … Continue reading
Posted in ESL, Korea, Teaching
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Your Humble, Ink-Stained Wretch
Last year my boss suggested that me and my two foreigner co-workers put together a new addition of his English textbook, which we use with our college students. That idea sat on the back-burner for awhile, and a few months … Continue reading
Posted in Education, ESL, Korea, Teaching
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All The Sushis
(Boss is taking us to lunch today for a meeting. I _think_ we're going to ALL YOU CAN EAT CONVEYOR BELT SUSHI RESTAURANT YOU GUYS!) — James of Thrones (@wetcasements) June 3, 2016 Sometimes in South Korea, life is very … Continue reading
Posted in ESL, Korea, South Korea, Teaching
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Drink Up
South Koreans love to drink, and South Korean companies have come up with hundreds of hang-over “cures” over the years, usually in the form of a small bottle of juice or flavored water. And now, ice cream: “Drinking is a … Continue reading
Posted in Drinking, Korea, Kultur
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Rainbow
Daegu, South Korea. I met some friends downtown last Friday. Beer drinking weather. It was good.
Posted in Daegu, Korea, Photography, South Korea
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Music and Memory
“March for the Beloved” Controversy has erupted over plans to commemorate the Gwangju Massacre. In particular, people are angry that the singing of the song above will no longer be mandatory: “The Ministry of Patriots and Veterans Affairs issued a … Continue reading
Posted in Advanced Conversation, Korea, Kultur, Language, Music, North Korea, Politics, South Korea
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Found In Translation
The Man Booker International Prize has gone to Han Kang, the first time for a Korean writer: “The Vegetarian, a novel about a woman who ‘wants to reject human brutality’ and gives up eating meat, has won the 2016 Man … Continue reading
Posted in Books, Korea, Kultur
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“hell within a hell”
In 1975, South Korean president Park Chung-hee, father of the current president, decided that the cities needed to be cleansed of “vagrants.” According to an AP investigation, unimaginable horror ensued: “In 1975, dictator President Park Chung-hee, father of current President … Continue reading
Posted in History, Korea, Politics, South Korea
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Ramyon Wars
Today’s college lesson plan revolved around restaurants and food, so I had them break into teams and come up with the best recipe for making ramyon. I swear to the FSM blood was almost spilled. The “cheese or no cheese” … Continue reading
Posted in ESL, Food, Korea, Nomz, South Korea
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Wet Casements 