Frustrations

So I've been trying to update the blog with some pictures that we have taken (even pictures from the Europe trip). Thus far, I've experienced some difficulty trying to upload these things. Just thought I'd let you know that I haven't abandoned you all...I'm just having difficulties. I hope to have them worked out sooner rather than later, but I'm not sure if thats going to happen.

Please stay tuned...

Updated Blog List

I've updated my blog list!!!

What that means is this:

If you scroll down on the right hand side you will notice that there are other people's blogs that I tend to frequent. Most are way better Korea information blogs than mine (since mostly family checks out my page--which I love). However if you are not family and you some how landed on my page two things:

1. Welcome. Hope you enjoy the blog.
2. Check out the other sites. (haha)

But in all seriousness. Eat your Kimchi is a great one because they have all these cool videos about Korea and well have their blog sh** together.

The others are mostly news blogs. You can read about how very little Korea cares about the problem in the north and how much more important K-Pop (celebrity culture) is to them.

Anyways, check them out if you have endless hours of free time to spend in front of the computer like me.

PS Happy October!!!

Best of Photos...

Going Public....Again

So it has been a year and thus far, this blog has just mainly been a family blog. Once a few months ago, I published the blog as public, just to see what kind of hits I would get. Well the most common hit post was the post then titled "Strippers and Prostitutes", and to be honest I didn't like that, so I unpublished it.

Well, I've made some changes (including renaming some posts) and I'm going to try to go public once again. Sooo...tell your friends. Check out the blog!

"Don't Worry; They are Just Trying To Get Some Rice" Mr. Park

I asked if I had anything to worry about because of recent events made by North Korea (ie:blowing up a Nuke underground) and my co-teachers all reassured me that the threat that North Korea is nothing. They believe they are just grandstanding to get what they want, more rice.

True, the current President Lee Myeon Bak inspires more hatred among most Koreans than Bush did with most Americans, and they blame him for the North's increased 'power stands' (because he imposed more sanctions against North Korea). But for the most part, they are not worried. And, to be honest, they had other things on their mind this week, like the death (suicide) of the late President Roh.

Now don't get me wrong, that doesn't mean we're not worried. We are. But according to the Koreans we know, North Korea has no legs to stand on. As a student of mine put it "If they (the North) blow up anything, then they really won't have anything. They don't have rice now. They won't get any rice in the future if they blow us up. We will all be dead." Well, I think that's the point, but anyways.

We have reviewed the evac requirements if we have to evac Korea. But as of now, and the way that I read it, Americans who do not have a Nuke possibly pointed at them, are freaking out more than the Koreans, who do. Ahhh Korea...

Interesting Read...If Your Interested That Is

I found this article written by Brain in Jellanamdo pretty interesting and accurate.

It Korea's plan to hire non-native speakers who speak English to fill the roles of the English teacher in the classroom. Confusing right? Although not a bad idea, Brian brings up a couple of good points, as do the commentors that follow his post.

Here is a preview:

Having seen the way native speakers are currently used in the schools, I have to say that having more non-native speakers isn't necessarily a bad idea. The point of having native speakers in the classroom is to give students exposure to foreign cultures and to give them a chance to use the English they've learned. However, since there is some resistance to introducing foreign cultures into the classroom, since students are reluctant to speak English in class, since productive skills are deemphasized in favor of teaching toward tests, and since foreign teachers' classes are presented as goof-off time, I'm not sure they're such a wise investment.