2010: I Blinked and Missed It

In a previous post called "Purple Sneakers" I took a shot of this - the entry to Imae-dong 2 which includes my school - at the height of summer. Our recent heavy snowfall has made summer's humidity and deafening chorus of cicadas a distant memory.


Readers, I've cheered up somewhat. Thought I should start with that. Too many people tell me I am pessimistic and should smile more often. As I remove them from my address book, I lightly examine what I experience as my reasonably well-balanced disposition (once again thankyou Dr. Spencer and lithium 1150mg/daily). I never conclude that being serious is somehow "wrong." I remain happy with being the glass-is-bisected-by-equal-parts-air-and-liquid realistic type of guy I am. Anyway, this week, those who possess a sand bar for a personality have gotten their wish. Happy New Year: Lachlan Teacher is truly enjoying Korea and his job as well.

Admittedly, all but 20 of our winter camp students have gone home for the vacation, and there are no staff members stealing my lunch either, but happiness is happiness folks. The Buddha was wrong: it's not always something built from within, composed of "thoughts" and "attitude." Sometimes it is the absence of 780 screaming and diseased children from your staffroom and their replacement by a small group of kids who are actually showing signs of wanting to learn, combined with the promise of a piping hot bowl of jjigae from your favourite hole-in-the-wall restaurant (you actually eat in the kitchen) for 4 bucks every day. Where's the sutra on that fatty? Here's another picture:




Yatap, early morning, mid-December 2010. Note the crescent moon up high.





This is the park next to the Tancheon River which I walk beside every morning. It is hard work getting through all of that freshly fallen snow! The kids love it though - snowball fights, snowmen, snow sledding, snow soccer, snow penises and snow vaginas. I like it because I rarely see it. Snow, that is.

The perfect end to the perfect year. That's what this is, despite all of its shortcomings. Where did it go? I fell asleep in a young Swedish girl's bed early in January; recently I woke and I was teaching Korean kids how to sit in a chair. What's the lesson here? Don't fall asleep? Korea is the place to do that.

I value my sleep however, which is why tonight I've chosen to stay in. On this night of nights, NYE, the second last before armageddon, I've had a coffee with my pal Mitja and am back at 10pm to do a spot of blogging before turning in on this last night of the year. I aim to sleep until my name turns to Rip van Murray. Next year I have some important work to do on happiness...





Me here with Imae Elementary's English-speaking staff, taken on the boat ride to Namisum island. On the left of the picture is Lucy, my co-teacher. Next to me on the other side is Suna, who teaches grades 3 and 4, and then Mark, who took English last year.





Lucy suggested I stand in this pose, though I didn't know of its significance. Namisum Island was the setting for the 2005 Korean drama "Winter Sonata." There was a scene from the drama in which the major players, a young couple, strike this pose and look all happy in front of this long line of metasequoia trees. In this re-creation, and in the absence of any obliging young women, we've had to forgo the basic idea of a happy couple being in love and replace it with a tipsy-looking young man looking skyward in order to hitch a ride to another planet. It's not quite the same but at least we tried.





And this was my Christmas tree this year.

Christmas

Nothing special to report. One lunchtime Xmas party involving pizza and a lot of hungover American college students, followed by a dinner with a different group of intellectual Americans too cool to participate in drinking games or even in conversation.

The rest of this blog shall be censored. Merry bloody Christmas. Come Armageddon, come.

CHOINA!!!

Readers, just to help me envisage my itinerary as much as to inform you:

I leave Bundang on Wednesday January 12. We had to push it back 4 days because if I left on the Saturday (8th) as previously arranged the timing with the Lunar New Year holiday meant that I would come back to school (and Korea) for 2 days before having another 5 day break. The previous principal would most likely have just given me the extra 2 days off and bridged the 2 holidays - champion that he was - but the new principal has sadly not shown any signs of championness yet, and it's 3 months into her reign of terror. Sorry, did I say reign of terror? I meant to say tenure. I often confuse the two.

So - ferry from Incheon to Weihai, a small city on China's east coast, docking at 9 in the morning. I'm gonna reserve a plush cabin to myself as a reward for putting up with poor people for so long now.

I'll get the bus in the morning straight over to Qingdao. The 2 cities are only 3 hours away from each other. I would have gotten the ferry straight to Qingers but it doesn't run on Wednesday, only Thursday. I have worked my itinerary so that I spend maximum time outside of Korea. See?

Then I'll spend a night in Qingdao, famous for its beer, Tsingtao. Actually the beer was named after the city, and they're the same word, the first one having been translated through the internationally accepted pinyin system, and the second through the now outdated but fashionable (like the Atari) Wade-Giles system. Pinyin: Nanjing. Wade-Giles: Nanking. Pinyin: Beijing. W-G: Peking. Get it?

Then I'll head off via an early train down to Nanjing and spend a few days snooping around at historical stuff and staying at the Longmenjie Binguan, who according to Lonely Planet (which might as well say "you might as well consult the stars") don't speak English, so I've been cramming with Chinese lessons down at Charlie's cafe in the evenings. And for those of you who were also fortunate enough to grow up in the greatest town in the country, that ain't a take away joint serving hamburgers for 2 bucks 50, though if you sit down and pay him 8 dollars, he'll bring you one on a chopping board with skewers sticking out of it, served with some lettuce and drizzly stuff to make it look gourmet. Note to self: start research on the Loinly Planet Handbook ASAP. I'm starting to get cranky again.

Then a bus or train to Shangers, where I'll stay a few days. Can't wait to see the Bund and some of the other things from the days of colonisation. I'm also staying at a kick arse hostel on the Bund with a bar upstairs with views of the Huangpu River. As soon as I read "bar upstairs" I was sold!

Then the overnight train all the way to Xian. Trains are apparently pretty good in China. You can get a cheap sleeper, but if I really need to sleep it might be advisable to upgrade and go for the soft sleeper. The soft sleeper is usually just for party officials - and westerners who can afford it because they've been living on gimbap in Korea for the last 8 months. Happy days!

Xian - terracotta warriors and an affair with a French backpacker named Amelie. Gotta think positive readers ;)

Then I'll go to Datong - look it up on the map. It ain't the biggest of Chinese cities but it is gateway to the spectacular Yungang Caves. I'm gonna spend the day there readers. Just sitting and stuff. You know. Getting away. Slowing down.



One of the many photos of Yungang Caves on offer on google images. Check some of them out - they're lovely.

Then Beijing! Which kind defeats the purpose of decompressing in Yungang but there you go. i'll spend a week there because there's lots of things to do and stuff! You've probably heard of Beijing before.

Then I'll head north to Harbin. No I am not kidding. Yes it is cold up there. I can take it. The question is - is Harbin ready for me? Any takers? I didn't think so. Then I'll go to Shenyang for a night, then Dalian for a night and get a Sunday night flight home (courtesy of Expedia, bless 'em) and be back in Bundang ready for Monday morning classes!

Though I won't be ready - I'll be marking the days on my calendar until I can come home and start somewhere more promising!

Be nice.