6-26-2010
Day 113 of 365: It's been two weeks since I last posted an entry on my blog. That's the longest I've gone without a post since I started this thing almost 4 months ago. The reason is clear: the World Cup has taken over my life. Even now I am forcing myself to write something at 8:30 Saturday morning, when I normally would either be asleep or getting ready to go to Seoul, because I know I might not have a chance to write for several more days. Since the World Cup started, my schedule has been as follows: go to school in the morning, come home mid-afternoon, watch soccer in the evening and go to bed late after the games are over. It's no wonder I've felt more exhausted lately at school. I even skipped out on going to Seoul last Saturday so that I could watch Japan vs. the Netherlands. What the...?! One thing I can say is that at least I'm saving money. This is also a good time for me to write because the group phase, which is the first round of the 32 team tournament, is over. Tonight begins the matches for the final 16 teams. I've cheered primarily for two teams - USA and South Korea, who were considered underdogs to make it out of the group B. They both made it to the next round and will be playing tonight. I'll be wearing my "All the Reds" shirt for the SK vs Uruguay game at 11pm, followed by my G.I. Joe shirt to watch the US play Ghana at 330am. It's been very exciting for both countries and also for me, since I'm now connected to both.
Question: What do you get when you cross David Beckham, Lance Armstrong and Pearl Harbor? Answer: Landon Donovan. Two weeks ago I wrote about the South Korea team and the hero of SK, Park Ji Sung (last entry: All The Reds). Well the US now has a hero of our own. These two teams really know how to pick their team captains. As much as Ji Sung's brilliant play has kept South Korea alive throughout the tournament, "Captain America's" goal in the 91st minute of the USA's match vs Algeria to seal a 1-0 victory and a spot in the final 16 is the most dramatic moment of this World Cup so far. In the USA, where soccer is the 4th or 5th most popular sport at best, he's uniting divided sports fans and bitter rivals across the country under one cause. And the best part about all of this is that, as far as I can tell, he's actually a guy that you want to cheer for. He's the feel-good story that America hasn't had in a long time. He's not Bonds, Tiger or Kobe. Landon Donovan is one of the good guys. In a country that's full of sports scandals and political incompetence, he's a hero in country that is currently lacking heroes...even if it is only soccer.
It's also fitting for me to talk about heroes since my school had me give a speech yesterday on my grandfather's serving in the Korean war. July 25th, 1950 is the date that the Korean war began, and every year they have a memorial in South Korea to honor those who fought and died. Korean people especially honor the Americans who served to aid them against the North. During my time here, many people, including the principal of my school, have asked me if I had any relatives who had served in the war. After telling him about my grandfather, he asked me to be part of the presentation to honor the 60th anniversary of the 6-25 Korean War (as they call it). My grandfather died 2 years ago, so I had to speak to my mother and grandmother for specific stories and details. Above are a few pictures that I received from my mother. The men who serve and defend our country are the real heroes, and it was an honor for me to tell my grandfather's story.
6-12-2010Day 99 of 365: World Cup. Soccer. The world's sport. It's bigger than the Super Bowl, World Series, NBA Finals, and Tiger Woods scandal combined. "All the Reds" is the slogan this year for South Korea. In 2002, when the World Cup was hosted by SK, the slogan was, "Be the Reds", followed by, "All the Reds Go Together" in 2006. Never in my life have I been interested in "the other football" until I came here. Soccer is the national sport, followed by baseball, and then, I don't know...badminton? Honestly, no matter where you're at, it's hard not to catch soccer fever right now.
On the world stage, Korea's baseball presence might not be felt so much, with their most famous player still being ancient pitcher Chan Ho Park. These days, there are 2 big Korean names in sports. The first is Yuna Kim, the Olympic gold medal figure skater (who everybody knows), and the other is the guy in the picture: Ji Sung Park. I'd never heard of him until I came to SK, but he's a national hero, famous for being less talented than many of his peers, but working hard to get to the top. This is not surprising considering that in 2009, Korea as a nation averaged the most hours worked per week of any modern country. Now, Park Ji Sung (as he's known in SK) is the captain of the underdog South Korea team who put a whooping on Greece in the first round of the World Cup. He didn't disappoint, adding the nail in Greece's coffin late in the match to seal a 2-0 victory. Having sent most of my money home 3 weeks ago to put toward my student loans and beloved Honda Civic (I miss her), I left myself the bare minimum amount of cash to get by with. Unfortunately, I forgot that there was a monthly maintenance bill due for my apartment building, which, in the end, left me with $10 for the next 11 days until I get payed next. It felt like I was in college all over again. This meant that, instead of making a trek to Seoul to watch the game with legions of Korean soccer fanatics, I quietly watched it with ten other people in a pretty little coffee shop in Ansan. This wasn't exactly what I had in mind, but it was still a fun time and I'm glad SK got the win. I am now down to roughly $1.20 with 2 days to go, but I've got a new box of cereal and a carton of milk to help get me by. I was considering making a joke about knowing how North Korea feels now, but that would just be wrong.
After the SK vs Greece match on Saturday night, I had set my alarm for 330am so that I could catch the US team's first round match vs England.
I dreamed that I woke up. Instead, I was up and at my computer around 830 the next morning to find that we tied 1-1. I think a lot of Americans were satisfied with this result since England is a superior team in most people's eyes. Naturally I'm cheering for my home country to do well, but it's been fun jumping in with everyone else and supporting my current home team also. "When in Korea...", right?
06-05-2010
Day 92 of 365: One day after my dismantling (last entry - Brand New Day), I decided that some changes needed to be made. I made up my mind to work harder and more diligently to gain back the confidence of my co-workers. There wasn't anything I could do immediately that morning, so instead I shaved my beard which I'd been growing for a solid 2 months. I'd never grown my beard until now, so I enjoyed having it (especially not needing to shave), but in a way, I didn't even want to look like the same person as before, so it had to go...at least for now. I also took some time to get my apartment in order; something I'd been avoiding for several weeks. I think I've been avoiding many practical matters lately in favor of excitement and adventure, so I took some time to remedy the situation, and I hope that I will be more aware to stay on top of things from now on.
Although I didn't run off to Seoul as per usual, I did have one obligation that afternoon that I was initially not looking forward to. Our school's Cub Scout troop was having a camp-out this weekend at our playground, and my Vice Principle wanted me to attend. The VP and many other teachers from school would be there, and he thought it would be good if I made an appearance. Having no desire to go anywhere near school grounds after what had happened the day before, I initially made up my mind that morning that I wasn't going to go. However, the more I thought about it, the more I realized it would be very good if I went. For one, even though some teachers who were talking trash about me might be there, I wasn't about to back down and show them that I was afraid to show my face after the "truth" came out. Second of all, I was a Cub Scout and a Boy Scout when I was young, so I owed it to the kids to come and help out. Lastly, I needed to show up to remind the VP, the teachers, the parents, and anyone else who may have doubted me, that all the kids love me more than them, and we have more fun together than they do, so they can stick that in their pipe and smoke it.
As of last year, the Cub Scouts, Girl Scouts, Science Scouts, and all other types of scouts in South Korea were combined under the Cub Scout banner. It was fun to see both the boys and the girls wear their uniforms, learn to set up tents and cook their own food. The tent assignments were divided up by grade, with 5-6 kids to a tent, and about 60 scouts total. At dinner time the scouts cooked their dinner with portable stoves in front of their tents, and each tent decided what they wanted to eat. Some cooked bulgogi, others cooked curry or other dishes, and they all had kim chi and rice to go with the meal. Almost every tent I visited at dinner time tried to feed me, so the picture at the top is one of many samples that I had of the kids' cooking. It was all really good actually. That night they had a talent show presentation, followed by a bon fire in the middle of the playground. I didn't spend the night, but I stayed with them pretty late and had a great time not only with the students but with the adults as well. I think my coming, which really was optional, showed the parents and teachers that even though I may still have some shortcomings as a teacher, I really do care about these kids, which hopefully counts for something.
