Korea Life Blog
Saturday, February 14, 2004


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Korea Life Blog - Hongdae

I'm back from Hongdae. I got lots of pictures but I'm too tired to do anything except lay down. What a night!


written by shawn matthews   -|link

Friday, February 13, 2004


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Korea Life Blog - No rain!

Update: It hasn't started raining yet so I decided to give it a go. I'll be in Hongdae tonight and I'm bringing my camera.

Some goober was manipulating the poll I had running and leaving obnoxious comments so I changed the question and will have to moderate it for awhile. Honestly, I'm surprised this sort of thing doesn't happen more often. Those who voted legitimately, I appreciate your taking the time. I had been wondering if anyone would be interested and now I know. Most people would be and some people might be and only a few wouldn't at all. That was better than I expected.

If you haven't checked, I added a couple of short updates to the Geoje-do section this week. While not nearly as prolifically as when my arm was broken and I had nothing better to do than write, at least I'm still trying - so no need to send me complaints on e-mail for awhile.


written by shawn matthews   -|link


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Korea Life Blog - Ironic Weather


The clouds are rolling over my weekend plan...

I had planned a night out on the town with Julie and some friends. I was excited this morning to see the sun and the weather so warm. Unfortunately, nearing the end of the day, that warm air is causing the sky to turn dark gray. Looks like a storm's coming in. Now I'm worried it will pour. Snow wouldn't be problem, but I doubt I'll trek all the way to Seoul to hang out in Hongdae all night if it's raining. Of all the luck. It seems for the past few months the weather has been nice during the week and turned to crap on the weekends.


written by shawn matthews   -|link

Thursday, February 12, 2004


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Korea Life Blog - Cats Update



The suns out today, the snow has melted for now. I took a look outside and all 5 cats were hanging out behind the building. It's the first time I've seen them all together. All the cats are orange and white except for Fat Cat, eating first of course. Why he's always hanging out with these orange cats, I'm not sure. But he's by far the friendliest to humans. Everytime he sees me he starts rolling in the dirt and flapping his tail. He lets me pick him up and he's been known to hang out under my bed on a really cold night, but don't tell the other cats. They think he was out braving the elements in search of tender vittles. As far as the orange cats, the mother and the youngest had been living under my building up until I went to Taiwan. They've since moved to living with the father under that green trailer in the background. Fat Cat also lives there, which I find odd. How he managed to smooth that one over is definitely a cat mystery. But it may have something to do with a bloody red spot I saw on the father's head.


written by shawn matthews   -|link


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Korea Life Blog - (Off Topic) Sara


It's been 10 years, I realized tonight. Ten years since I met Sara, the girl who worked the drive-through window at McDonald's. My friend who had just gotten his license had been driving. I can still remember an early evening; we pulled up. She had long blond hair and bright hazel eyes, she chewed gum, she was beautiful. She was sixteen years old.

My friend and I ordered a couple of Big Macs. Somehow I ended up with her number. When we drove away I was ecstatic. My friend was also happy for me. He already had a girlfriend. We parked and ate by the water listening to Iron Maiden. He kidded me.

Would a Big Mac ever taste so good again? I doubt it. I could hardly eat. Listening to the music and looking at the lake, joking with each other, I shivered joyfully. All I could think about was Sara and her blond hair, her colorful eyes. Her number in my pocket. Holy shit! I had her number! I checked it every few seconds to be sure.

My friend dropped me off at home. Within an hour I called. No answer. I called several times. Finally, late, she answered. She was excited to hear from me. It was the beginning of a long relationship. My first love.

Three years later, when I was a junior in college, she dumped me for another guy. It must have been the worst time of my life, the way I felt. For two long months I could barely sleep. I couldn't eat. I could hardly drag myself to class. I turned pale. My heart was broken. Crushed. I was completely crushed and wanted nothing more than to die. Many times I contemplated it- as I lay awake every night. Long, endless nights.

After my roommate would fall asleep and begin to snore, I'd get out of bed and sneak Pink Floyd The Wall into our stereo. All night long I'd listen to it, the most depressing album of all time - the most comforting in time of depression. Side A, Side B, Side A, Side B again. All the while thinking about my life - a father who'd taken his life because of Vietnam, a grandmother who loved The Honeymooners and read to me as a child - then died cruelly of cancer. And of course Sara, that bitch. That slut. I imagined her in the arms of her new lover, embracing him, calling out his name in passion. At the darkest hour, my lowest point, when I had failed to sleep for weeks, when I couldn't even eat a bowl of cereal, when I thought life was over, at last I started to pray. But not like I did when I was kid. I didn't recite passages from the Bible, Hail Mary's or any of the like. I said, "Hello, God. It's Shawn." And then I talked. I closed my eyes and just talked. About anything that came to mind. Anything and everything. Past to present. In the lone hours, God was my friend, my only friend, my best friend. A long winded stream of consciousness flowed throughout each night. I questioned, cursed, cried, apologized, accepted, thanked. I would talk until the sun rose over cold blue Lake Ontario.

I continued to suffer for some time. But every night I'd listen to Pink Floyd and I'd pray. Then one night as I was talking, I drifted to sleep. For the first time in months, I slept. I woke up to the sun and birds tweeting on a tree branch. I could smell hashbrowns from the dining hall. I'll never forget it. It was still early but I didn't care. I jumped out of bed. Everyone was still asleep. I went down to the dining room and ate. For the first time, I really ate. I stuffed my face.

Of course, the hurt didn't entirely go away that day. There were still many long sleepless nights ahead. But for me it was the beginning. The beginning of an inspiration that still lives within me.

When I hear this music and lyrics I think of her:

"Said Sara,
You're the poet in my heart
Never Change
Never Stop."

Fleetwood Mac

I like to think she feels that way, all this time later. I know she's still in my heart. And she's never stopped inspiring me. And I've never stopped being thankful for my life and the things that have moved me.


written by shawn matthews   -|link

Wednesday, February 11, 2004


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Korea Life Blog - Curious

How did you find my blog? If you have a moment please answer in the comments section. If you could be specific, that would be great - such as "Google search for "korea life" or "www.website.com". Thanks!

[Update - check the Geoje-do section for the next update. It's short but I promise to update the section more frequently now that I'm sure everyone wants me to.]


written by shawn matthews   -|link

Tuesday, February 10, 2004


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Korea Life Blog - Laughing Ajushi


A few months ago: a rainy day. I needed groceries. I grabbed my umbrella and headed off. It was a real downpour, elephants and buffalos. In Nowhere-dong, the roads don't drain well. They flood.

I was hurrying down the "sidewalk" - broken chunks of concrete, parking spaces and mud that runs alongside the main road. Almost to the store, running desperately in need of eggs and kimchi, suddenly a car, failing to slowdown despite road conditions, seared through a gigantic puddle, spraying the muddy water, drenching me. Shocked, I stopped, I cursed, I raised my fist in the air, I sighed. The car zipped out of sight. As I was wiping myself off I heard laughter - a tremendous, bellowing laughter. Loud, relentless guffawing. I turned to look. An older Korean man on a scooter, a delivery ajushi was pointing at me. He got off his bike, removed his helmet, kicked the kickstand then pointed at me again, now bending over in in side splitting agony, laughing insanely. At first I was angry. Then I realized yes, it was very funny actually. The lone foreigner in such a small town, drenched by a passing car. I chuckled and hurried off.

Since that day, every once in awhile as I walk to the store, I hear the familiar laughter of the delivery ajushi. I saw him again tonight, pointing and laughing. He still gets a kick out of the memory. One of these days I have to order from his restaurant and take revenge. What will I do? I'll wait for him to pick up the dishes. When he's in the hallway I'll hide his scooter. Wahahahahahah!


written by shawn matthews   -|link


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Korea Life Blog - New Poll (7)


There's a new poll to vote on, a question I've been wondering about. Here's the results of the previous poll:


let's see who's reading...what are you?

100% korean 49 (22%)
gyopo in korea 9 (4%)
gyopo abroad 34 (15%)
currently a soldier in korea 5 (2%)
previously a soldier in korea 6 (2%)
currently an english teacher 27 (12%)
previously an english teacher 9 (4%)
thinking about teaching here 19 (8%)
other job in korea 12 (5%)
none of the above 48 (22%)

218 Total votes

I'm surprised so many native Koreans are reading. I guess you are curious as to how foreigners see your country. I get a lot of e-mails from gyopos born abroad thanking me for showing Korea to them with my blog. I'm also surprised there are so many "none of the above" votes. I didn't think anyone not connected to Korea would be reading. Thanks for voting everyone.


written by shawn matthews   -|link


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Korea Life Blog - Windy (1)

I finish my last elementary kids classes at 6:40. My adult class starts at 7:10. During that 30 minutes I sometimes run down to the Chinese food restaurant below and eat fried rice. Sometimes I run across the street to my apartment and pace. Other times, like today, I hang out in the office, twiddle my thumbs, read the Korea Herald, use the computer, all the while hoping none of the adult students show up. It happened once before, not a single one came. I wished it never did because ever since, I've waited for it to happen again.

Adult students are very inconsistent. They see a sign one day and suddenly feel excited about studying English again, just as somebody else gets enthusiastic about returning to the gym. At first they attend class every day. Then they start missing now and again. Eventually, sure enough, they quit altogether. It's understandable, though. They work long hours. They're busy. They're tired. I only have 2 students who have lasted the past 5 months since the class began. (Now that I'm writing this, I wish I had kept a journal since then - there has been a real cast of characters).

The consistent students: Windy and Stan. Windy is an ajumma - she's married and has two children both of whom I teach at the hagwon. Stan is her coworker. He's 32, handsome, single. He's very nice actually, and he drives a sports car. He can't find a date. If any girl is interested, let me know.

[Update: I got e-mails from girls in the states interested in meeting him, hahahaha.]

Windy is in love with English. She has traveled many places and wants to see more. She's studied English for the past 3-4 years almost incessantly. She's studied with a private teacher, at various hagwons, with study groups, with me, and everynight at home...she can't get enough. And that's the problem. In class she never shuts up with her sputtering, stuttering English. At first I found it annoying. But then I realized it has its benefits, two in particular. 1 - It takes a lot of pressure of me to fill time teaching. 2. It makes new students, those who can't speak well, feel uncomfortable causing them to quit. (This is good for me because if my boss had his wish, I'd have 20 adults in one class.) So, usually, I let her talk until her heart's content.

Well, I don't want to recount every detail of every class, so let's skip ahead until tonight. There's been more than one occasion where every student has failed to come except Windy. Honestly, one on one with her for 50 minutes is a stop short of hell. I'd rather have every student show up. Tonight, once again it happened. 7:10, no students. I felt giddy. A few more minutes passed precariously. Then, alas, just when I thought I could go home, in she wobbled, smiling as always, that wretched, relentless, oblivious smile. Windy! Argh!

The most annoying part is that when this happens, she feels proud. No other students shown up, but she did. She smiled at me as if I should also be proud. Painfully I feigned enthusiasm. "Yes, wow! You're so predicatable!" She had no idea what I really thought - that I'd rather teach a monkey. One time she went so far as to suggest I make a certificate showing her near perfect attendance record. In my mind I imagined a certificate: "Most Annoying Student!"

Without a choice I sat and listened to her for 50 long, boring, tiring, aggravating minutes. I suffered quietly through every uneventful moment of her long, boring weekend. I hope the other students show up tomorrow.


written by shawn matthews   -|link

Monday, February 09, 2004


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Korea Life Blog - Julie Thinks I'm Funny


Julie thinks I'm funny. She came over a few weeks ago with a few groceries. She wanted to make curry. I told her I don't like it, never did. Realizing that wasn't very considerate (seeing as it took her two hours to get to Nowhere-dong then shopping and carrying the groceries) I quickly rebounded that I wanted to try it again. I sat down to use the computer, click, type, click, click...within ten minutes, surprisingly, Julie was finished cooking. Turns out she bought instant curry from a bag. You boil the bag for 3 minutes: finished. Amazingly it tasted really good. I loved it, genuinely. Now I'm buying it all the time. It's easy to make and gives me something to eat rice with from my bap sot. I've also been trying the other 3-minute instant meals Ottogi makes:



They all taste great and there only about $1 each. To think of the hundreds of times I passed this stuff by, scratching my head wondering what to eat, often times throwing my hands up in despair and running off to the local restaurant to eat Kimchi Chigae for the millionth time, all because I didn't know what this stuff is.


Once again, Julie thinks I'm funny. She was sprawled out one night laying on the hard floor under a blanket for hours watching a movie while I was using the computer. She claimed it was warm and comfortable. Whatever you say, I guffawed. Click click, type, type... Later I laid down to try it. It was hard but warm, of course. Very warm. (If you don't know, in Korea apartments are heated through the floor and there's no carpeting). I didn't like it at first, because it was hard and I felt hot. When I got up though, I was cold. I laid back down. Oh, so warm and nice. Now every time she comes over we hang out on the floor. We laid there for two hours last night watching Magnolia. It won't be long before I turn totally Korean and sleep down there. It really is relaxing once you get adjusted. Try it, if you haven't.

It amazes me the things I find myself doing day in and day out. Things that years ago would seem preposterous, I find myself enjoying. That's one of the great things about living in a new culture for a long time. You cast aside stereotypes you once had and embrace new concepts, new ways of living. You open your mind. And, of course, it's also helpful if you have a girlfriend from the culture to encourage you.


written by shawn matthews   -|link


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Korea Life Blog - Changing Focus

I have decided to change the focus of my blog to simple daily updating about my life with an occasional picture or two thrown in. I have several reasons for doing so:

1. Because of so many photos I'm rapidly approaching my server space limit.

2. I am running out of everyday Korean things to photograph and I don't get out enough to find more.

3. I'm tired of carrying my camera everywhere I go and feeling like I have to document everything I do.

4. I want to get back to the Geoje-do story and update it more frequently until it's finished.

5. I want to write about my daily life, which I haven't been doing in the current style.

6. I have lots of Korea stories to write about which I haven't because I was focusing on photo-blogging.


Basically I think my blog will get better but there will be less photographs. While certainly easier than in the old days of making a website, the process of posting photos, from camera to the web, is still a pain and often puts me off from updating. Now I will update more frequently and include photos when I can/want.

Thank you for your patience. I hope you continue to enjoy my stories/adventues.


written by shawn matthews   -|link

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