Sports in Korea

One thing that my time here has certainly not lacked is physical activity. There is an amazing range of sports and activities to fill your time in South Korea. I've been very fortunate to come to a place where I can make some good money, see a ton of cool places and do what I love to do which is playing sports. From as long as I can remember sports have been a major part of my life. Not only have they kept me in shape but also and probably more importantly have been a great way to meet new people who have similar interests.

Anyone who knows me knows that I am a huge soccer buff, and obviously one of the first missions for myself when I got here was to find out where I could play. Luckily I had two teachers at my school from England and soccer was a sure bet. They had been playing for a team on Saturdays that travels all around Seoul for games. I got myself a spot on the team and things were looking up already one week in. Not only was it good quality soccer but also a good bunch of guys that has made life outside of teaching pretty awesome. There is now also pickup games I play during the week at a really nice field turf facility and on sundays with a bunch of Koreans. Needless to say, I have been playing my fair share of soccer over the last four months.

I have also found out that there are quite a few hockey fans out here. I have joined a really well organized Ball Hockey League. I play just next to the Olympic Stadium in Seoul. Pretty quality hockey as well (lots of Canadian here obviously). I think with the Olympic games held in Seoul in 1988, sports have come a long way and branched out to more than just the typical sport stereotypes of asian culture like Badminton and Ping-pong (which of course are very big here).

I see the wide variety of sporting activities being done here. The most popular ones would have to be baseball, soccer, tennis, badminton, golf, biking, and hiking. As I have previously mentioned, image and the appearance of things is very important in the Korean culture. The average Korean may not be great at these sports but you can bet your ass they will be dressed to the T with the most expensive equipment and clothing for it. But, as long as they look professional...

Teaching so far

Over the past three months I can say I've fell into the role of "Shawn Teacher" very nicely. I am now "over the mountain" as it was described to me by my Korean Director. The first little while was tough adjusting to not only the teaching but life in general over here. So many things were thrown my way that I felt a little overwhelmed at times. Now that the dust has settled, I find
everyday that much more enjoyable.

My school is a Hogwan (private school) called "Wonderland", founded in 1993, it is one of the most successful English education companies in Korea. With 89 franchises and approximately 32,000 students, it has quite a high reputation in Korea. Though it is highly reputable in Korea, it is on the other end of the spectrum amongst Foreigners. Through the many conversations I've had, saying I work at a Wonderland sometimes gets a chuckle. It is known for some pretty bad management, but being such a large company, the many different schools have mixed reviews. With the poorer economy these days, there is more pressure to perform for each school as competition continues to grow. This pressure is generally put on the teachers. More hours, more work, more students.

I've found my school to have its ups and downs. My weeks go by super fast which is great but I do quite a bit of work during this time. Most of the operations at the school are based around one major thing; pleasing the parents. Korea is a very "if it looks good, its good" kind of society. A lot of work goes into making things look pleasant from the outside. First impressions and appearances are held highly.

From weekly student comments to daily lesson plans there sure is a lot of work to be done. I have about 60 or so students I teach each week. All my classes range from 3 to 10 students and are between 7-14 (Kindergartens to lower elementary students). It is considerably harder teaching the younger students who don't have much english experience. When you can't help them understand by using their native language, it can be very confusing for them. The Korean teachers have the advantage of telling them in Korean what certain meanings are and this helps a lot. I feel that with no prior teaching experience, I have come a long way already in my abilities to get through to these kids and really make a difference. Being able to deal with the devils who can't sit still (can't blame them when some go to school for 7 or 8 hours a day) and still teach a class was certainly a challenge. All in all though I've really began to enjoy my classes. The students are all great in their own way and so far it's been an experience I won't soon forget.

100,000 Lotus Lantern Festival

This weekend I had the chance to see one of Seoul's great festivals. On April 24th was the beginning of a week long celebration of Buddha's Birthday. His birthday is celebrated on the eighth day of the fourth lunar month, which, this year falls on May 2nd. Today, about one-quarter of Koreans are Buddhist and this week was no doubt a big cause for celebration for them. Every year Seoul hosts the "100,000 Lotus Lantern Festival" in which hundreds of thousands of people come to see. It is apparently the largest of its kind in the world. I was fortunate enough to witness this great event and defintiely wasn't disapointed.
The streets in front of Jogyesa Temple in downtown Seoul was filled with thousands of people enjoying food and activities. There were hundreds of booths offering the chance to make a Buddhist rosary, try a rubbing of a Buddhist sutra, or you could even make your own lantern, which is said to help one attain enlightenment in the next life. It was amazing to see of these people together, some in full constume celebrating so proudly.

The food was good, the lanterns were amazing and the atmopshere was incredible.

Some Thing's I've Done So Far

In South Korea there is so much to do and see. I'm hoping that by the end of my time here, I can say that I've experienced all thats to be offered. I've read about many foreigners who come here to teach don't end up doing all they expected they would. It's apparently pretty easy to get caught in the "Seoul Gravitational Effect" which means that you stick around Seoul and don't travel to the other parts of Korea. It is easy to miss out on the "Real South Korea" they say. I plan to use as much of my time off to see as many places as possible.

Today me and Rachel climbed one of the many mountains that scatter the Korean landscape. Our choice was Gwanik mountain, which is directly across from our apartment buildings. There could not be a better view to wake up to each day. My walk to work is through a beautifully landscaped park with tons flowers and trees (many cherry blossoms right now) and this huge mountain across the way. It's about a 2 hour hike from the bottom of it to the top and another 2 down. Certainly 4 hours WELL SPENT! The legs are feeling pretty sore, but worth it.

The main sport over here sort of surprised me. I figured it had to be Ping Pong or Badminton but was overwhelmingly Baseball. It's as big here as anywhere. Thousands of people file in for the games over here, chanting like it's the World Cup finals. The World Baseball Classic was all that people were talking about here (from what I could understand). Also up on the list is Soccer which was a big relief for me. There are many leagues to join and fortunately a couple of teachers at my school are big fans. There's a league on Saturdays that I now play in regularily. There isn't many grass fields here so we resort to dirt and sand fields but I don't mind as long as I can play. I also found a Ball Hockey league which I've joined for Sunday afternoon games. Defintiely keeping active over here so far.



A few weekends ago I officially found out how big gamblers the Koreans are. If your looking for a place to make you feel like your in a can of sardines, look no further. The Seoul Racetrack has to be the most insane place I've been to so far. About half a million Koreans jam packed into this place. With people shouting like they just bet their lives on a horse, it was certainly a sight to see. Winning 40,000 won ($40) certainly helped me leave with a positive view of the place though.

A visit to Seoul Tower was in order the next weekend. A saturday night view of Seoul was quite the spectacle. When I walk down the streets at night I have to keep reminding myself that I'm not in Vegas, so you can imagine the sight when looking over the entire city.

Something that very big over here is a site called www.AdventureKorea.com. It's a group that organizes tons of trips all around South Korea. From temple stays to mountain hikes to white rafting it gives you many options to see and do tons of stuff. I plan on doing a lot of the things they offer. A good and easy way to get aroudn without having to plan things for yourself. So far my travelling has been limited to places reachable on the subway line. I get my first paycheck on the 15th so a portion is definitely going to travel expenses.

A Month in Korea...

I have now been in South Korea for one month. A couple weekends ago the bunch of us went to Seoul Tower (basically the Seoul version of the CN Tower). On all the windows looking out they had the exact distances to major cities around the world. Paris, London, New York, Sydney, etc. I looked around until Toronto showed up. The exact distance was 10,607.77 km's to home. It was then and there that I realized just how far away I really was from everything I've known for the last 22 years of my life...

The last month has been a rollercoaster ride to say the least.The ups and downs of travelling to the other side of the world andattempting to start a year long adventure has been quite the experience. All signs point to this being an awesome time and I am now just starting to feel somewhat settled into this crazy place. The culture shock is wearing off and the jetlag is long gone. In a city that has the population of Canada within its greater area, its been a hard and sometimes annoying process to get used to but at the same time a pretty funny experience. The poorly written english signs and terrible driving were expected, but there are many customs and quirks here in the Korean culture that requires some getting used to. Bumping shoulders with someone, where back home one would expect a "sorry" or maybe even a fight doesn't get a second look here. Just accepted happenings of walking in downtown Seoul.

I arrived at the beginning of March not really knowing what to expect. Would it be hard? Would it be crazy? Would I like the food? Could I get around not knowing Korean? Many questions bobbled in my head, but I figured I'd just go with the flow and hopefully things would work out. To my surprise it's actually quite welcoming for a foreigner to come and live here. A lot of signs have some sort of bizzaro enlgish written on them to help you understand. Many people in stores do understand some basic english, if you use exagerated hand signals. It's fairly westernized over here and that makes certain things a little more familiar to all of us. The Koreans at my school have also made sure all of us foreigners feel super comfortable giving us directions, showing us ettiquette and the other day even helped me translate the instructions on my washing machine. Now if only they had dryers, I would be set. I've found it a little easier to settle into my surroundings though with all this in mind. Still, Im 10,607.77 km's from home and it's hard not to feel the distance at times. But thankfully, if you ever get homesick, there's always a Starbucks or McDonalds just around the corner.

Closing One Chapter, Opening Another

I have now completed a milestone that one is lucky enough to acheive from life in a developed country... the opportunity to go to school for 18 years of my life which has ended with a university degree. As much as I surely complained at times during that period, I am grateful to of gotten the chance to do so. I can't help but reflect on the the last four years and how much of an impact it has had on my character, my dreams and my overall outlook on life. Through the many experiences I have had during these four fast paced and amazing years, it has really shaped who I have become and what I strive for in life. As much as the information, comprehension, library time, early mornings and late nights brought me to add a University Degree to my collection of achievements, to no surprise has most of my more valuable knowledge come from outside the classroom. Through great friendships, crazy experiences and mistakes I have begun to see life a lot differently and look to make the most out of it.

I think that society tries to set out a life for you starting with an education, going to university, finding a job, find a wife, get married, have children, work till 65 and retire. It is very easy to allow this to happen as it always seems like the logical next step. I don't want to follow this path.
“Don’t ask what the world needs. Ask what makes you come alive, and go do it. Because what the world needs is people who have come alive.” -Howard Thurman
I want live life off the beaten path, out of the ordinary where every day is filled with something new and day to day is hardly a routine. So as I close this chapter, I open a new one that begins with all of these things in mind...

Closing a Chapter in my Life

As my University career winds to end here in Windsor, I can't help but reflect on the the last four years and how much of an impact it has had on my character, my dreams and my overall outlook on life. Through the many experiences I have had during these four fast paced and amazing years, it has really shaped who I have become and what I strive to become. As much as the information, comprehension, library time, early mornings and late nights brought me to achieve a University Degree to my collection of achievements, to no surprise has most of my more valuable knowledge come from outside the classroom.

As the final days count down to my completion of a degree in Honours. Business Administration with a Concentration in Marketing and a Minor in Information Technology (which I think sounds pretty good) I look back on the various things that I have learned and experienced at University. Some of them were tough such as time mangement skills and the classic all nighters to finish projects only started the night before. Some were influential in introducing a life of responsibility where I took total control over my decisions and had no one to lean on when times got tough. Things like cleaning a house, grocery shopping, laundry and other daily taks are always taken for granted until your in a position where these chores rely solely on you. All in all it has been an awesome and exciting experience that I'll never forget. I look forward to whats next...

Life Goals

In an attempt to pursue a life of adventure, excitement, and purpose I have created a list that I will complete before I die:

1. Work a job that I love
   
2. Live in a different country than Canada (completed March 2009, Korea)
3. Live on the beach
   
4. Start my own business
5. Get married only once
   
6. Start a family
7. Buy a House
   
8. Get ripped
9. Run a half marathon
10. Read 1000 books
11. Write a book
    
12. Learn to hold a conversation in a foreign language
13. Learn a martial art
    
14. Attend all major sporting event championships (Superbowl, Stanley Cup, World Series)
15. Attend an event at the Olympics
16. Be at the game where the Toronto Maple Leafs win the Stanley Cup
17. See a Premiership, Bundesliga, La Liga and Serie A Soccer Game
18. Go see a game at the World Cup
19. Catch a ball at an MLB game
    
20. Coach a Soccer team to a championship at any level.
    
21. Visit all 7 continents(NA,SA,EUR,ASIA,AUS,SA,AA)
22. Visit all the provinces and territories of Canada(Missing: Nfld, NS, NWT, Yukon, Nun)
23. Travel by train across Europe (Compelted Aug 08)
    
24. Drink beer at Oktoberfest
25. Celebrate new years at Times Square
    
26. Walk on the Great Wall of China
27. Take part in La Tomatina (Tomato Food Fight in Spain)
28. Gamble in Las Vegas
29. See the Taj Mahal
30. Run with the bulls in Spain
    
31. Go to Rio DeJaneiro, Brazil during Carnival
32. See the Pyramids of Giza in Egypt
33. See Machu Picchu in Peru
    
34. Snowboard in Whistler
35. Go to Mardi Gras in New Orleans
36. See the Grand Canyon (Completed May 2007)
    
37. Go on a safari in Africa
    
38. Eat Fish and Chips in England(Completed Sept 08)
    
39. Kiss the Blarney Stone in Ireland
    
40. Drink Guinness in Ireland
41. See the giant heads on Easter Island
42. Drive on the Autobahn(Completed Aug 2008
    
43. Sail the Atlantic or Pacific
44. Go on a long road trip (Completed April/May 2007)
45. Shake hands with someone incredibly famous
46. Make my own beer/wine
48. Be a contestant on a game show
49. Have my picture in a newspaper
50. Go to a movie premiere
51. Be an extra in a movie that goes to theatres
52. Join a protest (Completed 2005 and April 2007... Both Bush Protests)
53. Get arrested
54. Streak a public place/important event
55. Experience no gravity
    
56. Swim with dolphins
57. Go Scuba Diving
    
58. Learn to surf (Completed May 2007)
59. Go in a Shark cage
60. Go Dog-Sledding
    
61. Bungee Jump
62. Sky Dive
    
63. Para-Glide
    
64. Ride in a hot air balloon
65. Fly a Plane (Completed July 2007)
    
66. Ride a camel
67. Ride a motorcycle
68. Learn to ride a unicycle
69. Do a polar bear plunge
70. Survive in the woods bringing no food or supplies