All the leaves are brown......

Hello,

As you can maybe guess from the title of this post Autumn has arrived in Korea, and the leaves are indeed turning brown, as well as many other prettier colours. Autumn in Korea is a rather brief affair, it tends to go from the heat of the summer to the freezingness (word?) of the winter with little in-between, but right now it is definitely fall (as I have to call it in school). The hat and gloves are still in the wardrobe, but it won't be long before they're needed again.
Amongst doing other things, I have been busy kitting out my apartment with various new things. The TV is proving a great buy, and on Saturday I added a sofa so I can sit in comfort instead of hurting my back on the silly chairs provided. Here is a photo of the new couch.



It's pretty big (almost 3m long) but is very comfy and at the price (300,000 Won/ 150 pounds) is a good purchase I think. I will sell it on when I leave so it is a kind of investment too. I have also (finally) restocked my fish tank after it had lain empty for almost a year. This time, the inhabitants are not lobster/crayfish/shrimp that are capable of ripping each other to bits, but more docile fish. There are 7 in total, 2 big (I say big, they are maybe 2" long) and 5 small ones. The big ones are named Ginny and (neo) Bobby, after the two mascots of GnB, my employer. The 5 small ones are collectively named Five (5ive) after the 90's boy band. Here is a photo of them in the tank.



You can see Ginny and Bobby and just about make out one of Five to the left of GnB. I am slightly worried about GnB because when i feed them, Five are always much quicker to get to the food and so I think GnB might be getting a bit hungry. I tried fishing Bobby out tonight and putting him in a little bowl and then added food, but he just stayed motionless and didn't eat anything. Stupid fish.

Other events of note....It was Halloween here a couple of weeks ago, so Greg, Neil and I dressed as cowboys and headed out on the Friday night. It was Neil's girlfriend's birthday on the Saturday so we dressed up again and went for a Italian in Seoul. As Halloween was on the Friday, i also went to school dressed as a cowboy. It's not a big day in Korea, but my school used it to have a 'points party' (where the kids use the points they have earned to buy stationary, snacks and face painting) and a lot of the kids were dressed up too. It was a nice break from teaching.

Here are a few photos from the day at school and the nights out.





I think this one looks a bit like a nightclub.








We went to the final Incheon game of the season last weekend at Munhak, Incheon needed a win ensure a play-off's place, but were sadly beaten 3-1 by local rivals Suwon. They did well in the 1st half but didn't take their chances, and crumbled in the 2nd. A shame. At the end we went down to near the pitch and repeatedly shouted at one of the players (a Serbian guy called Dragan who used to play for Rangers) until he acknowledged us. It's the little things that keep you happy I feel! So that's the football finished until March when it all begins again. Hopefully Incheon will do better next year.



And that's about all that's happened worthy of a mention in the blog I think. We are starting to think a little bit about Christmas, I think we may well head back to the Hilton in Seoul where we went last year, the food was excellent and I think it is probably the most Christmassy place in Korea on the day.

I hope everyone is doing well back in the UK or wherever you are....lots of love as always x

Oh aye, there are some more photos as always on my Facebook page, here is most recent album link:

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=166172&l=d910a&id=777495416

Address

Ok, Here is my new address for my APARTMENT. I type apartment in capitals because I now live on the the 9th floor of a big block of flats, so anything larger than a postcard/letter may not make it up to me. I will put up the address for anything larger (wishful thinking?!) when I get it, it will be Sunny's school.

English:

South Korea
Incheon City
Yeonsu-Gu
Yeonsu-2-Dong
599-1
Duson Iriom (Building) 3 Cha.
Apartment 907


Korean:

SOUTH KOREA
인천 시
연수 2 동
599-1
두손 이리옴 3차
907호

If you can somehow print out the korean one in I think that would be better.
byeeee

2nd Year!

Well, here we all are.

After a great month back home, I have now been back out in Korea for almost 3 weeks. The time at home was a little longer than expected, but it did give me a chance to see lots of people and things I wasn't expecting to see, which was great. Here are the Facebook album links (which expire after about 3 months I think, so click them while they're fresh)

Back in UK 1: http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=154423&l=5230e&id=777495416

Back in Uk 2: http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=159358&l=e831f&id=777495416

Back in UK 3: http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=162097&l=982ed&id=777495416

I left the UK on the 5th of october and after a seamless flight with Asiana (clap clap) got into Incheon airport on the afternoon of the 6th. Greg and Neil came and met me which was great, and we headed back to my new home. Those of you with Google Earth will find me by typing 37.24.48.95 N - 126.40.35.50 E. That's my apartment building. It's further south by about 5 subway stops than last year, in an area with quite a lot of Westerners (last year there was only me) which is both good and bad. The main difference from last year however, is the size of my flat. Last year I would have struggled to swing a kitten...this year i could probably manage maybe a cheetah, or a small lion. Due to some nice presents (thanks D&A), various purchases made last year (thanks Mastercard) and a deal I made with my boss this year (thanks Sunny), I now have lots of electronic gadgetary....something I love. The more flashing lights the better. the pinnacle of this is my new 40" TV which takes pride of place (and most of the other space) in the flat. Here a couple of photos of it getting installed.







I am sporting a really big cheesy in the 2nd photo which I think expresses my feelings well. My plan is to buy a sofa (you can get a good one out here for about 100 quid ) and then I will be content. Until then, we are taking turns sitting on my bed, two uncomfy chairs and my old TV whilst playing Tiger Woods golf or Guitar Hero on the PS3. Despite all this technology, I have also joined the gym, and am trying to lose the extra pounds gained back in the UK. I adpoted a 'go mental, cause you're not getting it for another year' approach whilst back home, and it took its toll on my body. But now I am a member of 'Techno Gym' I feel a change. With a name like that, it has to.
But what about the teaching? Well, I'm glad you asked. Because I am working for the same company (GnB), many of the aspects of the job last year are the same, but there are some differences. The main change is that there is a lot more paperwork this year. The schools I work at now keep detailed attendances, and progress reports on all the classes, as well as phone teaching. The phone teaching requires us to contact 1 class every day and (try to) talk about what we studied that day. The problem is, the children have a hard enough time understanding us in class, so over a phoneline it is sometimes impossible. For the schools, it is more to show off to prospective parents that their children will get phone conversations with a Westerner than anything else.
Despite the increased paperload, I am enjoying the teaching as much as ever, and it is nice to be working with Greg 4 days a week. It is certainly no harder a week than last year, and at the moment is quite relaxed for me. I'm sure it'll change soon enough though......

It is Halloween a week on Friday, so Neil, Greg and I are contemplating what to wear. Any ideas? It is also our payday so no doubt it'll be a big one. there is also the various football and baseball games to go to, here is a couple of photos from a recent Incheon FC game vs Seoul FC. As close to a derby as it gets I think.




Quite a few fans in the away end (more than usual)



The Incheon Ultras going mental after we scored.


I will leave you with a rather blurry image of the sunset from my window. The two towers on the left are on New Songdo, the huge new bit of reclaimed land that is going to make Incheon a global city (maybe). you can also make out one of the huge new pillars of the Incheon bridge in the distance on the right.

Hope everyone is well, speak to you soon.

My favourite Will Ferrell sketch ever!

oh dear

Hello,
No blog in almost a month. Disgrace. As I get towards the end of my first year I am becoming more and more lazy with the blogging, apologies to anyone who has been waiting for a post.

After my last post the next event that merits a blog mention was the Olympic torch arriving in Seoul at the end of April. I am not sure what to think regarding China hosting this years games, I am a big fan of the games themselves but all the Tibet issue and the human rights issues have been casting a shadow over the actual event, but I don't really enough about the specifics to feel strongly about it. I went to view the torch out of curiosity more than anything else.
Here is the Facebook album of that day:

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=110970&l=0d169&id=777495416

Here is a video of the torch going past. Be warned..... IT IS LOUD! (not my screaming though)

There were so many police and Pro-Chinese supporters that I never saw any attempt made to grab it, although apparantly there was one attempt along the route, though at City Hall, where I was, that would have been impossible. Still, it was interesting to see the whole circus.

The first two weekends of May were long ones for us, we had both the Mondays off, so on the first one we went to the "World DJ festival" on the banks of the Han river in Seoul. The Saturday was an amazing day weather wise, so Colin, Ian, Dominic and I headed in to see some of the acts. It was a great day and night, although some of the music was questionable. We didn't stay for the Sunday, which I am glad about because it rained.

Photos: http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=112956&l=34597&id=777495416

This album also has some photos of the preceding "Food Day" at one of my schools, where the kids had no classes and were instead given tokens to buy various different kinds of food (pancakes, juice, some Korea food) and myself and Dom were given the unenviable task of manning the "Toast and Jam" station. So we basically spent all day toasting and spreading. Surprisingly hard work. I thought about making a joke with jam or crumbs or something but i'm not going to.

The next weekend we headed out to one of the islands about an hour from Incheon called Deokjokdo. I would say it has been one of the highlights of my year so far. Beautiful weather, a nice beach, a few beers, and some good folk. A thoroughly enjoyable couple of days.

Photos: http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=114771&l=66404&id=777495416

I ended up getting very burnt, especially on my arms which are still peeling away (too much info?). But it was worth it. I am trying to organise a proper party out there in July, maybe a mini beach party with a sound system, DJ and such, but there is a lot to sort out in a country that doesn't speak much English so it's going slowly. Fingers crossed it will happen though.

Here is a video of myself and Neil Munro's EPIC battle on the "Hite Can knockdown trophy". It finished 3-3 after I downed it to equalise on the last throw of the game. The trophy's owner will be decided at a later date.

Since those weekends, things have quietened down a bit, although they are still proving quite entertaining. I have been to a few baseball games, next to the football stadium here in Incheon, to watch the supposably mighty SK Wyvrens play. They are top of the league by a long way, but I have been to three games now and they have lost every one. Jinxed? Anyway, it is good entertainment and I am starting to understand the rules. The "Random Korea" album has a few shots from one of the games.

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=98359&l=b8096&id=777495416

Last weekend there was a festival at the biggest university in Incheon, Inha, so we went along to that. All the different societies set up their own beer tents for the week and sell very cheap beer and Soju. We met up in the Japanese tent and then headed to the Chinese one, but it was the last night so I think a lot of the tent runners wanted to pack up early and go and spend their profit. We ended up going to a 'normal' bar and then a singing room (or 노 래 방 , I can write a little bit of Korean now....but i'm slow!).

photos: http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=118437&l=9c0c9&id=777495416

And that pretty much brings us up to speed I think. My current school situation is; still at 3 schools, although I am no longer at Nam-Dong....I think there was a legal issue surrounding me working there which I still don't fully understand, anyway I had my last day at the end of April, was quite sad to leave as I liked the staff, my classroom and above all, the majority of the kids very much. I am currently working two days at the new In-Dong campus (where Dominic works), two days at the main campus (a huge place that mainly teaches middle and high school kids) and one day at the original In-Dong campus. I like that day the most as my timetable is light, although the classes are huge (15-20 average, 27 top) and I get on with the teachers really well.

As of last Friday I told my current director I would not be returning to her school(s) next year, and last night me and Neil had a meeting with another GnB director in Yeonsu-Dong where we signed contracts to be at her school next year. My start date will be the 22nd Septemeber, which gives me just under a month back in the UK, around the right length of time I feel. I am very happy to have got a new job sorted out and i think it will be good, the schools I will be working at have a good reputation and the hours/classes should be less, and we are getting more money. Plus I will get a double bed in my new apartment! Oh....pardon.

As it is now less than 3 months until I do finish my year here, I have started to think about how I will get home. The Beijing trip has been abandoned, partly due to the craziness surrounding the Olympics but mainly because I wanted to travel from there to Hong Kong by train but you can't pre-book, so I don't want to run the risk of not being able to get to HK in time for a flight.

The new (and I hope final) plan is to get the ferry to Qingdao in China (where the sailing bit of the Olympics is), then fly to Shanghai and then fly home from there. I am planning on a few days in Qingdao and a few in Shanghai which I think will be ample. After I send money home this week I will book my Shanghai-London ticket, and then next month will book the other short flights (Qingdao - Shanghai and London - Scotland) as well as the ferry to China. All very exciting. Although I am still enjoying the teaching, and loving Korea, I would be lying if I said i wasn't keeping an eye on the calendar.

Well, I think that's all for now, I need to go and get ready for school. Love to all,

Neil

Mum's visit and beyond

Hello,

The last time I blogged mum had just arrived, and now, as I blog again, she has gone! She left on April 2nd after 8 brilliant days (from my point of view, and I hope hers too) that I hope gave her a good idea of what Korea is like and what I am doing here.





So what did we do? Well, I have three different photo albums on Facebook which I will provide the links to below, and they chronocle pretty much everything we did together. However, mum did a lot of other things whilst I was working so you will have to ask her for those details!

Photo album no 1:

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=102514&l=1378a&id=777495416





The 1st album shows some pictures of a wee trip to the stream through Seoul (the Chungachung), and then the DMZ visit. This was my 3rd visit up to the DMZ, and this time we went with USO (the American Military tour guides). This had its advantages, namely that we got a good military/logistical view of what was going on in the DMZ (where guard posts were and some interesting facts about the military capability around the DMZ both past and present), but it also had its disadvantages, the chief one being that I felt we were given a very Pro -USA Anti-North Korea viewpoint (understandable, given who the guides were!).


Nevertheless, we were allowed into the DMZ itself althought this time we weren't allowed into the meeting houses at Panmunjom because there was actually a meeting taking place that day.





Here is a video of our drive by though.....if you pause the video near the start you can see all the NK soldiers standing about....a lot more than last time. SK and NK. The white fenceposts at the end mark the actual border between SK and NK. I wouldn't fancy cutting that grass.......

After the DMZ we headed back to Incheon and mum stayed in a very nice love-motel, complete with whirlpool bath, huge bed and massive wall-mounted TV...all for 20 quid! Bargain, if you ignore what their main purpose is. That night we went out for a meal with various folk I have met here in Incheon, it was a great Galbi dinner.

The next day (Friday) we caught a bus from Incheon over to Sockcho on the East coast. Cue photo album number 2:

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=103100&l=b0c61&id=777495416

The bus took about 4 hours but the seats were huge and there was lots of legroom so it was OK. On disembarking at Sockcho we were almost immediately pounced on by a woman who, after some price negotiation, led us to a rather huge but run-down looking motel. Mum was given a room on the 5th floor, and I was given one exactly 3 floors above. We both had a sea/rubbish tip view, and as we found out later on that night it also overlooked an amusement arcade/baseball range, so until the small hours we were both disturbed at regular intervals by a noise that sounds like someone dropping a bottle softly into a bottle bank (the baseballs being hit with a metal bat!) Anyway after, we checked in we went on a wee explore and went across the empty bridge (still kind of under construction), caught a funny wee hand-powered chain ferry across the harbour and had some dinner. Here is a video of us disembarking the chain ferry, and a picture of me lending a hand to pull us across.

The next morning we got up early and caught a local bus into Seoraksan National Park, considered to be one of the scenic highlights of a visit to South Korea. It was a bit misty, which meant that some of the peaks were obscured, but we decided to head up one of the trails anyway. After a brief stop at a temple we reached Heundal Bawi, which Lonely Planet had said was able to "be rocked to and fro by a small group of people." If you look at the pictures in the album, you can see it would not be the best idea. Maybe this was an example of the current news story circulating of Lonely Planet writers not actually visiting the places they write about, or maybe they were just having a bit of fun.

After a brief stop we continued onwards and upwards to scale Ulsan Bawi (873m). Again, from the pictures you can see that the word "scale" is certainly appropriate I think. It started snowing as we neared the top but we were amazed to find a small tent at the summit serving hot chocolate and the staff had a laptop, presumably for weather updates and to process any people who wanted a semi-professional photo taken. Some commute to work every day though!

After we had made it back down we headed up another (less demanding) trail to see some waterfalls, but in my opinion they were slightly dissapointing, probably due to the enormity of Ulsan Bawi and also that there was't much water flowing in the rivers. We then caught the bus back to Sockcho in time to get the bus back to Incheon. I headed out for a couple of beers with Scott and co as it was his last weekend in Korea, and mum resided in a slightly less classy love motel.

On Sunday we got up early again and took a taxi to Incheon's Yeonan pier with a view to catching a ferry direct to an island called Muuido (about 40 mins from Incheon) but there was none running so we got another taxi round to Wolmido (see previous blogs for details) and caught the more reliable ferry over to the airport island, Yeongjongdo.

Here begins the 3rd Facebbok album:

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=103512&l=9a421&id=777495416

The 1st 14 photos document the journey from Wolmido to Yeongjongdo, and then another ferry across to Muuido. From the pier we walked over to a nice beach on the other side of the island, stopping along the way for some lunch. The beach was also connected to an even smaller island called Silmido, which hs been used as a location for some films about the Korean War I think. It was great to get out of the city and wander along the sand. If it hadn't have been for the quad bikes and drunk folk wandering about, it could almost have been somewhere in Scotland.........hmmmmmm!

On the Monday morning Dinna (the headteacher at In-Dong, and who very kindly let mum stay with her and her husband in their apartment) picked us up and we went for lunch at a very nice restraunt in Songdo. The next couple of days were busy with mum visiting all 3 of my schools, and various meals with people. Mum managed a visit back into Seoul to get some souvenirs and also went to a Folk Village near Suwon. And then, before we knew it, it was time for her to go. I saw her out to the airport, and we said our goodbyes. it was so amazing to have her here and mum, if you're reading this, thankyou so much for coming out, I will never forget the laughs and things we saw together.

Since then, I have been keeping pretty busy. I am now playing badminton twice a week, which is great, both for fitness but it also makes a interesting change from running on a treadmill for half an hour. I am currently gym-less, so I have been out for a couple of jogs on the street but it gets a bit frustrating what with lots of red-man's and people staring/not looking where they're going. There have also been a fair few nights out (Gordie was over from Japan briefly last week so that was good) and yesterday (Sunday) me and a few boys went to watch Incheon's second league game at home.

See this album for all the photos. This album is titled "Random Korea" and is worth checking quite regularly as I update it quite often.

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=98359&l=c22f7&id=777495416

On Saturday I went with one of my school's to an "English Village" North of Seoul. This is a whole village where the staff speak only English and is designed to immerse the kids in an English speaking environment. Of course, being a Saturday, the place was mobbed, and our director, in a fantastic effort of poor planning/cost cutting, had not booked any scenarios (eg post office, police station, airport immigration) for the kids to do so we basically walked around for most of the day. I think the kids enjoyed themselves but if I had been a parent sending my child on that and paying a substantial sum for the privilege, I would have been disgusted with the lack of planning. It is a miracle everybody got back on the bus. All part of a hagwon in Korea!

Here is a quick video of some of the kids playing at fountain (most of them are not GnB kids, there were lots of different schools there at once) and a link to the photo album of the day. Some good shots, even if I say so myself!

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=107007&l=7244e&id=777495416

So that's about all the news from here I think, i'll try and update again soon.

Love to all as always, Neil

football video

just realised i forgot to upload the football video....sorry

quick update

Hi,

Just a quick blog right now as i'm pretty tired. It's been a long but good day. Mum finally arrived safely this afternoon after being delayed in Dubai for 24 hours due to a missed connection because of fog in Dubai the previous day which had a domino effect on flights.

It is so nice to have her here. I met her at the airport and we took the bus into Seoul where she is staying in the Ibis hotel tonight and tomorrow. We had a wee walk around after she'd checked in and then went for some gimbap/bibimbap....a gentle introduction to Korean cuisine! I think she is pretty tired but happy to be here. I have to work tomorrow so I am currently back in Incheon, but I'll head back into Seoul after work tomorrow in preperation for our early start heading up to the DMZ on Thursday. More on our adventures as they happen.

In the meantime, here are a few videos from my last couple of weeks in Incheon. I am not uploading many photos to the blog this week.....however here a some links to a place where I have uploaded them (Facebook....even if you're not a member you can still view them)

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=99133&l=d8d39&id=777495416

The first album is of the St Patricks day party in Seoul a couple of weeks back. There was a big parade and then we went to a buffet in the Seoul Financial Centre. All in all a good day/night, even though I have no Irish connections (I don't think!)

Here is a video of the Seoul's Hell's Angels going through the parade route:

And one of some B-boys performing

Because St. Paddy's day was a Tuesday the parade was on the Saturday before, and on the Sunday Incheon United played their first game of the new K-League (Korea's inferior version of the premiership) in Incheon against Jeonnam. Myself and Scott went along for the occasion, here is my record of that day on Facebook.

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=99199&l=cb75a&id=777495416

Incheon went 1-0 up in the first minute (see video below, I'm sure the defence would blame the smoke) and it stayed that way until full time, although Jeonam had numerous chances to equalise. It was very well attended given that most Koreans have a passing interest in football/soccer and the majority of those that do enjoy it support Manchester United.

here is one photo of the two of us before the game I nicked from Scott's page:

Not entirely sure what I was doing with my arm.............

We also had Scott's stag doo last weekend, most of the photos are not worthy/suitable of being posted on the blog but here are a couple that make the grade:

An attempt was made to sneak an orange onto the pool table, hoping someone would mistake it for a ball. Amazingly, it didn't work.

Where the end of every great night ends up- Mcdonalds for breakfast. Poor Colin was out for the count.

Finally, here is what I have to look forward to tomorrow, 22 6 grade kids. The class is really too big for me to do any constructive teaching, so we usually end up playing games for a good amount of the time. At least it's only once a week.......!

So that's that. Many many thanks to those of you who sent letters and some things over to me via mum they are all amazing!

Love to all and I will update again shortly!

6 months.......

Apologies for the lack of blog activity of late, I have no real excuse....I have just been very lazy, and for that I am sorry. However, I have not had the most exciting of months although there have been a few highlights which I will now detail.

I believe the last time I posted (barring the EasyCruise game advert....did anyone play it?) was a bit after we got back from Japan. Although the trip was great, financially it cleaned me out until I got paid last month so there was no trips anywhere during that time. I knuckled down and got on with the job. Neil also had to return home for a couple of weeks due to some issues with his school and other matters, but I still had a couple of nights with Scott and some other boys so it was still a good time. The Saturday I did get paid (23rd), myself and Scott went and played a spot of golf at my local driving range. I had not swung a golf club since August, and even then that was on the wide open expanses of the Machair on Iona, so this was a different setting altogether. You all stand in a big row with only just enough room to make a swing without hitting people around you, and I couldn't relax enough to really let rip. However, it was a good laugh and also an interesting opportunity to observe Koreans "golfing".

The Korean approach to certain activities (e.g. golf, hiking, and mountain biking) is that even if you are just going to hit a few balls, climb a Dun I size hill or cycle in your local park, you get kitted out with ALL the gear. No expense is spared. Therefore, at the driving range, we were surrounded by all the Callaway's, the Titlest's and the Nike's we could handle, whereas we had turned up with no clubs, unsuitable clothing and a 'let's have a laugh' attitude. Despite this, we were recieved warmly and no-one even said anything when I let loose with a Big Bertha and nearly put in the hole in the roof above me.

Here are a few shots from the day:

Scott letting rip

Where did it go? Probably not very far.

A classic Korean golfer. Great dress, great clubs, superb sideburns.....O.K swing.

So that was golf. Now onto another of my favourite sports- football.

It so happened that David Beckham visited Seoul 2 weekends ago, as part of his team's Asian tour. 'Becks' is playing for American MLS league side LA Galaxy these days, who are an altogether poorer outfit than Man U and Real Madrid, but when Brand Beckham rolls into town it is very difficuilt to resist the temptation to join in, so myself, Neil and Scott went along to watch him and LA play FC Seoul at the World Cup Stadium in...you've guessed it...Seoul.

I went in early to Dongdaemeun to purchase a fake LA top but rebelled by getting "Xavier" (ex Everton, Liverpool and Middlesborough player with a penchant for crazy hairstyles and failing doping tests) on the back instead of Beckham. In the end I also ended up getting an FC Seoul top too (see the following pictures).

I then headed out to the stadium where I met the boys, and we bought our tickets and beer. We ended up having seats down near one of the corners, where Beckham took the corners in the first half. I'll let the pictures/video do most of the talking from now on.

The stadium a bit before kick-off. It's got around a 60,000 capacity I think, but it was quite quiet really. I think the official attendance was around 33,000 on the day. You can see we are quite close to the corner.

"Team shot". The FC Seoul top was worn in the 1st half.

The real team shot. Beckham is the furthest left of the Galaxy players on the right. Which one do you think is Xavier?

Beckham coming to our corner to take his 1st of the match. Apologies for Neil's filthy language, it didn't seem to put David off. Good corner.

The man himself.

LA scored first, with a great ball from becks and a good finish from somebody else. But then FC Seoul were awarded a penalty, which I videoed. See if you can work out if they scored.

For the second half I changed strips.

The second half was not the best display of football with no goals being scored so with the score at 1-1 after 90mins there was a penalty shootout. Ruud Gullitt (LA's manager) had obviously skipped penalty training because Beckham was the only one to score and so FC Seoul won the game, which was quite good really as it kept the 'legions' of home fans happy. Beckham had a good game and said in the paper afterwards he thought it was some of the best football he has played since he went to Galaxy. He certainly played some pretty good balls anyway.

After it finished we met up with Canadian Colin and headed into Itaweon to continue with post-match refreshments. Unfortunately, although I made the sensible decision to leave my camera in a locker in Itaweon subway station, I forgot to pick it up on the way home so the next day I had to make another trip into Seoul to retrieve it. Silly boy.

That was 2 weekends ago, and the weekend just past I didn't do much, but still managed to spend a lot of money. My old laptop has been steadily deteroriating, so I finally took the plunge yesterday and bought a new one. It's an LG 'X-Note' and it's huge. It has a 19" screen, which is massive for a laptop. The reason for buying such a big one is I plan to use it basically as a desktop, and keep my old laptop for school use, as it does still work, albeit slowly and, at times, reluctantly. My poor credit card has borne the brunt of the damage (just under 500 pounds) but I can pay that off over a couple of months so I think it is a good purchase.

As for upcoming events, it is St.Patricks day a week today (monday) so I think next weekend we may head into Seoul for something. We are also hoping to go to our local team Incheon Utd's first home game of the new K-League season on the Sunday which should be interesting.

Then, two weeks today, mum arrives! I am busy trying to plan a few things, I have booked a trip to the DMZ (it will be my 3rd time!) and have a few other ideas so I think she will have a great time. I have booked a few days off but will have to work some of the time, however this is good in a way as it means she can come and visit me in my schools.

Talking of the schools, things are still going well, although I am a lot busier these days, especially on a tues/thu at Mansu-6-Dong (I used to call it Nam-Dong but I now know the proper name). It's good in a way but I do feel quiet tired sometimes at the end of a day. A few days off at the end of this month will be nice. And, as I said in the blog title, I have now been here over 6 months. It really has flown by. I have started to think a bit about what I want to do for my second year, I am leaning towards getting a new contract with a different school but we shall see.

I've also been looking into my travel plans after my contract finishes in August, I want to go to Beijing for the end of the Olympics and then travel to either Shanghai/Hong Kong and fly back to the UK from there. Although it is a long way away, I do need to start planning it soon (especially the Beijing bit).

So that's all for now.

Again, sorry for the delay in posting and I will try to be more prompt next time!

Neil

A wee game

I'm" a Captain!
Click here to test your skills at the wheel of a carribean cruise liner.

Japan

Hi,

As I said in my last blog, we had a holiday here last week for Lunar New Year so myself and Neil headed to Japan for a break. Osaka in Japan to be exact. We flew out on the 2nd after a bit of a hiccup at the airport, we didn't realise we needed to get our passports stamped with re-entry visas so we were very tight making our flight, but we got it. It also caused problems with money later on in the week, but that is a long and draw-out story that was eventually resolved so I will not bore you with it now.

We had not booked any accomodation in Osaka, so when we arrived we caught the (futuristic) train into central Osaka and started looking. We knew there was a capsule hotel in an area called Shinsaibaishi (which has lots of shops, bars and restraunts) so we walked around trying to find it, and eventually discovered the place, much to our relief. I could spend a long time talking about the difference between a capsule hotel and a normal hotel, but instead I will provide this info:

A link to where we stayed: http://www.asahiplaza.co.jp/capcel/english.html

3 pictures:

Capsule C-184, my home for 6 nights. It had a TV, alarm, air-con and that was about it. You sleep in it, but nothing else. You store all your belongings in a locker downstairs.

A corridor of capsules. They tended to fill up the lower ones first and then the top ones if it got busy. It was busier during the week with businessmen who had missed the last train, or were too drunk/tired to make it home.

The outfit everybody wears at the hotel. Not the best, but everybody looks the same so you don't feel too stupid.

So after we checked into the hotel we headed out (as we did every night we were there!) to see what the nightlife of Osaka could offer. The answer: A lot, but at a price. There were lots of bars in the Shinsaibashi area, but prices were double what they are in Korea, so our money didn't go too far. Still, we had a good few nights, and an Irish couple from Incheon joined us for Wednesday and Thursday so that was great too. Also, Japanese girls are very pretty in general....though you never say that to Koreans!

Anyway, enough of that. On our first day we headed up to the other main area of Osaka, Umeda, and went up the Umeda Sky building. It is bizarre in that it is two skyscrapers joined at the top by 6 floors or so, with a big hole in the middle of the top deck. Here a couple of photos, one of the building and another of the view from the top.

On the second day we spent much of the day in Shinsaibaishi, due to money constraints, but that evening, after we'd sorted it out, we headed out to a "Sam and Dave's" (a chain of nightclubs in Japan) and danced the night away.

The next day we caught the subway down to the aquarium and IMAX near Osaka port (the aquarium is the worlds 2nd biggest, and the IMAX has the worlds biggest 3D screen.)

The aquarium was amazing. I went camera mental, and took hundreds of photos. They had so much, lots of fish obviously, but also 2 different species of otters, penguins, dolphins, seals, crocodiles, monkeys (??) ducks, jellyfish and lots more. My favourites were the dolphins and the otters, they were quality!

I also took a couple of videos. One of a funny seal, and the other of me wandering about. The main tank at the aquarium has a small Whale Shark (which was still massive) and lots of rays and other big sharks and fish. The tank itself is just huge. Very impressive.

After the aquarium we headed across to the IMAX and watched a 3D film about the deep sea. You wear these 3D glasses (see below) and headphones for the english narration. I was very impressed, it really does feel like you are in amongst the film (without getting wet)

I would say the aquarium and IMAX was probably my favourite day, I suppose I just love anything sea-related!

On the Wednesday we headed to a city about an hour by train from Osaka called Himeji, which has a huge castle that is recognised as Japan's finest. At one time it was the biggest in Asia. On the way there we also passed the world's longest suspension bridge (there are a lot of "biggest" or "longest" things in Japan)

Hijemi castle was pretty impressive, not quite the same as Edinburgh or Stirling but good nonetheless. We climbed up the inside up many steep wooden steps and got a good view from the top, although it was a bit cloudy/rainy. Here are a couple of photos from outside the castle.

We both look a bit angry, I think I was worried if the guy was using the camera right.

A close-up. It was quite big.

On our final full day we headed over to Kyoto, recognised as being the most beautiful city in Japan. The problem was, it is not too easy to see many of the temples that make it so beautiful, as they are not too close to the main train station and you need to catch a bus. For two hungover Scottish boys who are already overwhelmed enough by everything else in Japan, that was too much to ask. We had a good walk about, saw what we think was a real geisha (albeit very briefly) and then got the train back to Osaka. I will include a photo of the street we saw the geisha in, but unfortunatley I was not paparazzi-like to catch her.

And that was Japan. Overall, I was very impressed. It better than Korea in many ways (quality of most things, cleaner, girls, cars, Macdonalds choice) but also not so good (prices !!!!!, availability of ATM's that take foreign cards and people's attitude towards westerners). I really enjoyed going there for a holiday, but I am very happy to be working and living in Korea. But you never know.........!

So we flew back last friday and spent the weekend relaxing and settling back into Korea. Yesterday (Sunday) I took a wee trip back out to the airport island but went over to the Western beaches that are supposably very good in the summer. Being February, it was pretty quiet and cold, but I really enjoyed walking along the sand and being close to the sea. Here are a couple of photos from the beaches. I will definately be heading back out when it get s abit warmer, and who knows, the might even be a Korea Beach Party 2008!

A fishing boat and some dinghies at Eulwangi beach.

The Incheon Yachting Association clubhouse. Not exactly the Cowes Regatta.................... I saw one yacht.

The next few weeks are going to be pretty quiet, we are planning a trip back to the World Cup Stadium to watch FC Seoul play LA Galaxy (who David Beckam now plays for) at the beginning of March, and I may take a trip into Seoul next weekend to explore a bit more and have a look at the remains of Namdaemeun Gate, considered Korea's No.1 National Treasure, which was sadly burned down last night.

And on that happy note, it's 2:30am here and i'm going to bed. Goodnight!

new camera, new news.

Hi,

We are off to Japan on Saturday, so before I go I thought I would do a wee update on what's been happening in the last couple of weeks. Not any major adventures due to an attempt to cut back on the spending in preparation for Japan, but still some bits and pieces which may be of interest! I will just reel them off as they come into my head!

I had my first Korean cinema experience a couple of weeks ago. Myself, Neil, and few Irish friends went to see "The Mist" in CGV (the equivalant to Odeon or Cineworld in Korea). A truly awful film, but it was still interesting to see what a cinema in Korea is like. And the answer? Well it's pretty much the same as in the UK, but with a couple of better things. Firstly, food is much much cheaper, and second, you only get a couple of adverts and trailers before the film starts. I ended up going again with a couple of my co-teachers last week to see Sweeney Todd, a much better film. And in case you are wondering, they only put Korean subtitles up, not dubbing!

My predecessor Euan is back in Korea teaching at Incheon's biggest (and only?) University so a couple of weekends ago I met him and he took me on a wee tour of the campus. It is the winter vacation so the place was pretty dead but it was interesting to see what a university here is like. Apparantly the university was part financed by Korean Air so there were lots of airplanes dotted around, including a full size Boeing 727 or something. Pretty impressive......I have no idea how they got it there! Although I had bought my camera I forgot to take it so I don't have any shots, but i do have some of other things (see below).

So yes, I have finally got round to buying a decent camera. It is a Fujifilm 9 mega pixel job, a wee bit chunky but I am very happy with it so far. It is very easy to use, the picture quality is good and the PC software is child's play. I ended up buying it from E-Mart, partly due to it being a good deal (after discount, about £65) but also they give a year warranty and you can see the price, you don't have to ask as you do in Yongsan or some of the other markets.

So here are some of the shots from the new beast. I will do a bit of explaining after each.

Myself and one the teachers (Johnny) at Nam-Dong. His English is very good.

Esther and I at Nam-Dong. Her English is not as good, but better than my Korean! I look a bit smug....not the best look.

First attempt at a night shot. Not the best. This is the big building at Bupyeong station. Outback is a Australian themed steakhouse, which does pricey but very tasty steaks and pasta.

Woodstock, one of our regular watering holes. What you see in this photo is pretty much the whole bar. The toilet is round to the right, and I am standing pretty much in the doorway. It is a cosy place! Good music though.

Neil, Angel (the barmaid and co-owner of Woodstock) and I.

Yesterday I went to my headteacher at In-Dong's housewarming dinner. It was interesting to see the inside of somebody's Korean house, although she was still unpacking so it is not quite a "proper" Korean house yet. All the teachers from In-Dong were there, as well as two of the teacher's sons. They were both really cool (as most small Korean kids are). Here are a couple of photos of them and the rest of the night.

The table set for dinner. Keep an eye on the number of dishes on the table in the following photos. The wee guy (Sunny's son) is, I think, pointing at the set of chopsticks and spoon at the end of the table because they were gold and the other ones are silver. He is 3 I think. He can already count to 10 in ENGLISH. Impressive. Well I thought so.

Sunny cooking up Pajeom. They are a sort of a cross between a pancake and a pizza, but more like a savoury pancake. These ones had seafood in them. Yummy.

More and more! The plates with the black and white things are made from rice and have a sweet filling. I have no idea what to compare them to. There is nothing like them back home.

The meal underway. Dinna (headteacher) is at back right, with Yogi in front of her. What looks like a bottle of Coke next to her is actually a bottle of what I can only describe as being similar to Buckfast, but a bit better. You all have a shot glass, and you sort of alternate between shotting it and sipping. You never fill your own glass, always fill other people's around you if you see they are nearly empty, and always accept your drink by holding your glass with two hands. However, the more drink gets consumed, the more these rules are ignored!

Me with the boys. Yogi's son (on right) was a bit shy at first but once he realised he could get away with attacking me with a plastic sword and I pretended to die we were best mates. This was taken with the self-timer on the camera but it took many attempts before I got this shot as they kept running over and moving it.

So there we are. Everything else is just moving along as usual, I am being kept busy with my three-school schedule, trying to make it to the gym, the occasional visit to E-Mart to buy corn flakes and cheese and having a few beers and games of pool with Neil and many other folks. Life is good, but it will be nice to have a wee holiday and see a different part of the world in Japan.

Last, but definately not least, I have some great news in that mum has said she is coming over to visit for 10 days at the end of March. I already have a couple of days booked off and will get a couple more, it will be SO nice to have her here and show here the sights, my schools, neighbourhood and give her a chance to see what it's like to live here. If anyone else fancies a trip to the crazy land of Korea, just let me know. I'll get the Kimchi and Soju ready!