Moved to tumblr.

http://juliantheintl.tumblr.com


I changed blogs because my school banned this one. Hence, why I didn't update too much.

Song Hyun English Video Contest Starts Tomorrow!

Busan, Korea

Ahhhh, nice and relaxing.


Common area of jim jil bang.


Fresh sashimi!


Portview of Busan.


Haeundae Beach.


So I made it out to Busan last weekend.

It's considered the San Francisco of Korea (Not really). There was an internatinonal film festival and I went with my coteacher and friend to catch any Korean celebrities (Hoping for Han Chae Young. *drool*) but no luck. Most of the movies were sold out by the time we got there, but we ended up seeing an Irish movie called "5 Minutes in Heaven." It was... okay.

Most of the fun parts of the trip involved food! I went to the largest fish market in Korea. I had live octopus (See at the bottom) and fresh sashimi! Not to mention, tonkatsu with omelet rice, kalbi, seafood pancake, jjigae, and snails.

I also went to a jim jil bang which is a Korean sauna. It was a little awkward at first with the naked Korean men walking around in the bath house, lol. But, there's a common area where women and men can relax. There they had massages, saunas, arcades, pc rooms, theaters, restaurants, a bar, and even an ice room. Definitely an experience to be had in Korea. All in all, a fun trip!

Shanghai, China

I wasn't quite sure what to expect in Shanghai.

All I knew about Shanghai was that it was a major city in China. After going there I never thought I would look at other cities like New York and Chicago so.. tiny? Shanghai is just massive and they're only getting bigger. I went to one of the tallest buildings in the world and saw a city as far as the horizon.

China is really different from Korea. The culture is somewhat similar, except Chinese don't bow nearly as much as Koreans do. Not only that but Chinese aren't as strict about public noise as Korea. If you talked loudly in a public place in Korea, you'd be yelled at by a old Korean man. In Shanghai they don't care, they're probably louder than you are.

I had a great time with my nephew. I finally understand the definition of the word: Baller, lol. I'm really grateful to him for showing me a great time. I hope to come visit again soon!

Still in the Honeymoon Phase!

I'm happy to say that my first month here has been great! I've experienced so many new things and met so many people from all over the world. Teaching is great and it's never a dull moment. Next week will be my first trip out of Korea! Here I come Shanghai!

Life Changing Experience..

Yesterday was a real life changing experience for me, I did volunteer teaching for inner city kids. I wasn't sure what I was getting myself into, but by far this had the biggest impact in my life in Korea. Most of these kids live in a very poor town, it was very sketchy on the way to the school. Many of the shops have closed down due to the decreasing population in town and there are many barber poles along the streets. Barber poles in Korea don't have the same meaning as it does in America, it would be best to stay away from those. The kids are very different from the public school that I work at. They tend to be much more distant and are at a much lower level when it comes to English.

When I first came in, the kids were eating and I was offered a meal. Although I was full, I made sure I finished all my food. I looked at all the kids plates and every last grain of rice was eaten.

After supper, I went upstairs into a small room. It was actually the place where I would be teaching. The room could not fit no more than 8 people. They had no chalkboard, no computer, nothing that was typical of a learning environment. All they had was a little whiteboard that is typically used in front of restaurants to see what's on the daily menu.

Ahmee, my coteacher told me that the building that we were teaching in was actually the 3rd house used for the kids. The first house was burnt down, the second house was too small and so the government made them move out, and now they are staying there at the third house. However, the town is dieing and the government is actually thinking about renovating the area, which means that they may have to find another place to move the school. But that doesn't boast to well with the children because it will split them up. When such news is spread, the kids are uneasy because they once again have instability in their lives. They then tend to fight amongst each other and become harder to develop trust with them, because they think that you won't be a stable part of their lives.

When we started teaching the kids, they were really shy and awkward. They didn't say anything to me because I was new and they didn't know me, but Ahmee has been volunteering there for quite some time so they opened up a bit. They are really sweet once they start to open up to you. I almost cried when I saw these kids smile. I'm definitely going back to these kids as much as I can while I'm here in Korea. I want them to know that they can have a great life and a bright future..

My Trip To Seoul

So I finally made it out to Seoul. All I can say is that Seoul is just like New York, but everyone is Korean, lol. I'm only about 30-45 minutes from Seoul, so the commute is reasonable. I'm actually planning on going again this weekend for a friend's birthday. I went to Hongdae, Itaewon, and Seoul Tower. Hongdae is an art school and they actually had a small festival going on. There's a ton of college students there and it seems to be the place for all the bars and clubs. I plan on going there more often.

Itaewon is where most foreigners go because it is located near a US base. I'm not a big fan of Itaewon, because for some reason I just felt awkward without seeing any Koreans around. I guess I'm just used to them by now. Also, Itaewon is known for it's.. How should I say.. Sleaziness? There's a place called Hooker Hill, 'nuff said. Plus, I went to the ghettoest club ever! Even more so than Tabu in Orlando, for those who know what I'm talking about, lol.

Last but not least, Seoul Tower. Despite the cloudiness, Seoul Tower is amazing! They have a urinal with the best view ever! Definitely a must see if you ever come to Korea. But ya, all in all a great weekend!

My First Class Ever

My first teacher gathering. Drinking is welcomed, woot. The day after I played volleyball with the faculty. My team won 3 out of 3. Coincidence? I think not.


My super cuties! 4th graders.


So here's a small clip of my introduction to the first class I ever taught to. Believe it or not, I was getting better as the day went by, lol.

By the way, playlist changed. Gotta keep up with the students, right? LOL

First Day Of School

So today was my first day of school, it was awesome! I spent 4 classes introducing myself to the class and the students responded really well to me. I think we're going to have a great year. I was so nervous walking in, with all these little kids running up and down the halls.

News spreads like wildfire here. By the time I introduced myself to the first class, all of the following classes started to know all the answers to my questions. As you're walking down the halls they'll secretly follow you and spy on you. They even poke you when you're not looking.

My co-teachers are awesome, they really do care about my well being here in Korea. They really did go out of their way for me and I really want to give back to them. I plan on buying food for all the co-teachers on my fist paycheck to show my thanks.

It takes me about 30 minutes walk to my school, going uphill and downhill. I plan on losing a lot of weight here with all this exercise. I've even noticed my pants are starting to fall and I actually have to wear a belt again, lol. Anyways..

Overwhelmed!

Sigh, it's a lot harder than I thought to make a blog, lol. There's just too much going on right now. I'll do a full post as soon as I have plenty of downtime. EPIK got us on a tight schedule. It's all hard work from here, I have a presentation on Thursday and I'm getting nervous! The field trip to Jeonju was absolutely amazing! The pictures that I took doesn't do it any justice. I wish I had a SLR! Yesterday was pretty rough, I had classes all day long. I felt like I was back in high school. Today is another day of classes, bleh!

EPIK Orientation Day 2 Summary

So day 2 is over and it was a lot of fun. Basically we had a medical exam and a class meeting. They informed us about Korean culture and some of the encounters we will be facing. A few things things they pointed out was Confucianism. Koreans tend to do things indirectly as opposed to western culture. They will always try to "save face" to negate embarrassment to any individual. Embarrassment to an individual is pretty much a scar to the entire family that he/she belongs to.

After class, I attended a Korean survival language course. I'm already starting to pick up the 10 basic vowels of Hangeul. As soon as I get my pronunciation down, I'll be set.

Afterwards, we hit up the bar again. I felt like a freshman in college again, lol.

Randon Pics of EPIK Orientation Day 2

The drunken walk home.

Party foul!

Back at the bar again.

If SNSD loves chicken, I love chicken.

Campus restaurants/shops.

View of campus.

Random Pics of EPIK Orientation Day 1

LOL


Figuring out how to use the karaoke machine, lol.


More Soju!





New friends.


More drinking


Soju!


Dessert!


Sushi!


Food!


EPIK team.


Fan dance.


Awesome drum show.


Where I'm staying for orientation.


I dunno why, but I see everyone drinking this.


Giant PC Gaming center.


Korean Pepsi


LOL, that sign was there when we first came in.


Workspace


My bed


Gifts from EPIK


My first meal in Korea. Kimchi Ramen!


Long line to EPIK registration.