Freakin Awesome!

Hey denizens of the past, I come to you bearing awesome news. Well at least I find it awesome. I had a great freakin' day. I found out that my most troublesome class is no longer my issue, I have a pretty easy schedule for the next month, and I finally movin' on up. I did it I finally did it. I am no longer the innocent and naive Tae Kwan Doe boy I am now on my way to becoming a man. I had my first belt test today (and to think I almost skipped class to get dinner) and I passed! It was pretty scary being brought in front of the entire class and asked to go through the various kicks and steps but the sweet relief to be told my master that as of Monday I now have roots!

So I like to think that this song was playing when I leveled up.


Until later pasties...
Will "just gotta live til Monday" Out

p.s. My kindy kids have a new way of being really cute. They come up to me and say Will teacher can I have a hug. Stupid adorable kids, make me care way too much about you.

Lucky 70 and some random thoughts...

I have been constantly amazed by how awesome things in Korea are. Take for instance a product that almost certainly would never hit the shelves in America, Corn Ice cream. Now this is your standard Ice Cream cone only with kernels of corn mixed in. While it sounds weird and strange, the stranger thing is that it actually tastes good. Ever since my Tae Kwan Do master gave me one I have had an insatiable craving. Hopefully I find another soon. Also of note is the fact that the local spa near by gives away its water for free! Take that Poland Springs! I really had thought I had some other interesting inventions and thoughts that are purely Korean but my mind is blank. Alas I felt the desire to post something even though my efforts to write of my Japan trip consumes my (blogging) life.
In other news I have become more Korean than I would like, as I have recently purchased whole squids for a BBQ thinking well its a BBQ we MUST have squid! Ok that's all for now....

Will out

p.s. I have some interesting teacher observations that I will be discussing more at length, as soon as I can complete some of my far too many to do's...

The greatest week of my life part one

Korea might be the land of the Morning Calm but Japan is the land of unimaginable beauty. Whether it is serene temples, sequestered mountain paths, scrumptious delights, scintillating
conversation, as well as the most beautiful populous I have ever seen. Perhaps it was just Kyoto but I felt that I was constantly running into models and it confused me greatly. Well the time has come for me to tell you my tale, this tale is one of intrigue and adventure, of hardship and romance, but most of all it is the tale of discovery. So without further ado here begins my story...

Now it would not be a story without pictures to help in the telling this is from my first train ride.

The trains in Japan are out of sight they truly are futuristic. Understanding that many people have difficulties traveling backwards on a train they have designed their seats to rotate to face the proper direction. A small innovation that is only one of thousands of the little things that made Japan lovely.

The giant interior of the Kyoto Station a mammoth building that many believed disrupted the natural beauty of Kyoto. I would disagree I thought it added a nice touch.

A view of Toji temple, the tallest pagoda in Japan.

As you are about to find out I am rather fond of pagodas and they will have a prominent spot in these posts. This is another shot of Toji, it was a little bit south of the station and was on these lovely grounds filled with turtles cranes and ice cream. A great place to begin my journey.

The five stories of the Toji temple are all of centimeters taller than its sister pagoda in Nara. After leaving Toji I departed for Tofukuji which will be discussed later in depth, suffice it to say that it was there that I realized how amazing life can be. From Tofukuji I walked a mile to Fushimi Inari, a mountain walk filled with thousands of bright orange torii, all dedicated to good harvest and business. Along the way it began to rain and I was befriended by a local Japanese man who told me he was a business man. This five minute friendship allowed me to find my way and get out of the lightly falling rain. A funny side note, I decided to be an adult and purchase an umbrella for 4 dollars to help stay dry, suffice it to say that minutes after buying my little yellow umbrella the rain stopped and did not fall again until my last night in the country.

The trail was unreal and eerie in the failing light giving it an unearthly glow and feel. I was extremely pleased that I completed the full trail up the mountain for the sights were well worth the exhaustion.

A good view of the beautiful torii.

I love how the clouds in the background cling to the mountainside.

After completing my pilgrimage to the top it was getting late and I decided to find my hostel in Gion, the geisha district. After getting confused by the rail system, they have the subway and 3 different rail companies all working as a light rail system on the same tracks I finally found the spot. I was feeling hungry so I went looking for a place to eat and what I found was a restaurant that cooked all of its food on a hot stone directly in front of you. They also served a delicious beer made by Suntori. I will say that Japan has a strong tradition of crafting a tasty beer unlike their Korean counterparts...alas. I am trying to have a food diary tucked away inside this blog so this was my first of 16 meals in Japan.

Delicious Suntori.

Tuna and shrimp on the stone.

Miso soup, delightful.

The owner felt that I needed to have my picture taken to document the night, so here is yours truly. Thus completed my first night in Japan and the first steps of what would be a magical and enlightening week.

This will be the end of this broadcast...

Until later pasties
Will out.

Well I haven't been a kindergartner for 18 years!

Hey I know I need to talk about my trip to Japan and all and I'm a crummy blogger and what not and for these I apologize. Well not really I mean it's my blog and I'll do with it as I please. I mean its not like I get much feedback about whats going on in the past anyways so I might as well keep going on as I have been. Any who rant aside...I have been getting into arguments with my Ko-teacher for my Kindy classes (5 and 6 year olds). The arguments we have been getting into all revolve around what I have decided is fair for them to learn for their daily expressions. I have been constantly told that my expressions for the children are too difficult or just unnecessary, whether it be Salutations! ( I mean its in Charlotte's Web!) or a little more obscure when I go all British and say "I'm a bit peckish". While I understand that these are young children and all I am tired of them being English speaking robots that are always fine because they don't know any other phrases. These are my charges too and I feel very strongly that they should learn phrases that give them a more robust vocabulary of the language they already understand. If my kids want to express that they feel moody or that they think life is spectacular then I want to be there to help them be who they are supposed to be. All I am saying is that if I only teach them awkward and "standard" phrases then all they will grow up to be is awkward and standard. Which is something that I cannot abide and will do anything to stop. So I assume that my arguments with my Ko-teachers will continue as I will keep the children learning things that let them express themselves more as individuals and less as audible robots. I mean it has also been forever since I was a child (in age not personality people) and I have grown accustomed to a certain level of verbosity in those I converse with, so naturally I will attempt to engender the same in those I have been given the grave responsibility of educating.

And that is really the end of my rant.

Will out

Reality Bites

So I spent this past weekend cataloging my trip to Japan and hanging with the new teachers that have arrived. I was really excited that I got to spend the weekend in Daejeon (funny how you can miss a place). I ended up watching movies all weekend and saw a few gems. I really enjoyed Reality Bites and kinda wish I was Ethan Hawke, and besides its nice to have a time when Winona Ryder wasn't crazy. I probably liked it a bit too much but that's okay. I also managed to see the Untouchables, and discovered I enjoy crime dramas. Well at least from the side of the good guys, and finally I watched this delightfully campy movie called the Warriors. This video should illustrate it's awesomeness.



Until later pasties

Where has my time gone?

So I am here after another exhausting day trying to figure out just where in the world all my time went. What between TKD and school and trying to blog I have somehow ran out of any opportunities for myself to think or do really anything. So with that in mind I figure I should try and convey the tremendously amazing fanfuckingtastic trip that was my week in Japan. I should do that but first I must convey my increasing frustration with some of my students. I am not certain if it is just that since they have been away from school for a little bit and they have forgotten proper etiquette or what but I have not seen rudeness like this in a long long time. Whether it is from the kid walking away while I am talking to them or yelling at me when I ask them to put away there phone explaining that it isn't there phone. I'm fed the hell up with this class and I want to kick them out of class but I've been told that I can't so since I couldn't throw them out of class I just left it on my own. Now I am uncertain as to the whether it is truly professional to leave a class of 13 year olds but I could not take it any more. Now I understand there is a difficulty in growing up in Korea and a lot of pressures put on these kids to succeed but it pains me that I care more about their education than they do. It might be better if they realized their complete irresponsible behavior and it was deliberate but I have this nagging feeling that it is just a natural reaction and they are slightly confused as to my frustration. Unfortunately I don't want to admit defeat and drop the kids but it might be the wiser decision. Well enough thoughts onto something else.

Will "Eff this" Dunkel out

Back to the salt mines...

Japan: At last...

I've a lot to discuss about my trip to Japan, so many many many things occurred. Most of these events were beautiful and life altering, while and handful were despicable, all and all I will admit that these past 6 days have been some of the most influential and exciting in my life. Now I must muster the courage to return to work when I will be visibly pining for the isle to the east. Oh well if going to Japan was the best worst decision of my life then I will be a very happy man. Since I have so very much to talk about I will do what anyone would in this situation. I'm going to bed. I'll leave you with some quick shots to whet the appetite.

Look at the one on the left; only in Japan...

Wouldn't be a vacation without the police...

This speaks for itself.

Until next time pasties...