Korea Life Blog - Blah

The only thing I've had anything of interest to write about lately is Windy. I updated that section again tonight.

Tomorrow night is club night in Seoul. I will be at the various clubs, Hodgepodge, Matmata, etc. I'm looking forward to a fun night out. I need to have a good time. Anyone who wants to meet, let me know.

written by shawn matthews    -|link

Korea Life Blog - Spin Off

Windy and the Adult Class

Thanks to the comments and several e-mails, I decided to make a spinoff page for Windy and the adult class.

written by shawn matthews    -|link

Korea Life Blog - Windy (3)

Nothing at all interesting to report today. The only thing of note was the "Adult" class, or should I call it, Windy's Therapy session. I REALLY wish I had a digital recorder tonight. Someone please let me borrow theirs!

She told me about her religion. She's Catholic. While this is so, she had no idea who "Jesus" is (in Korean or English) and she pronounced God as Gote (granted she knew His name at least, Hana Nim). Anyway, she only goes to Church twice a year. Christmas and:

Her: You know. The egg d-d-d-d-d-d-d-d-day. Cow's home. Gote born in c-c-c-cow's home that day.

Me: Christmas? Jesus's birth?

Her: No. Cow's home. What is it?

Me: Farm? Barn?

Her: Yes, barn! That's it. Gote born in the barn. Eggs. Paint the eggs.

Me: Easter! I see. But you have Christmas and Easter confused, also God and Jesus.

I tried to explain but she got embarrassed. She told me how she used to be Catholic, but that her husband's parents didn't like it. They're Buddhists. So now her daughters are Buddhists and she's nothing. The story gets weird again:

Her: Underwear.

Me: Huh?

Her: We have to underwear to B-b-b-b-b-b-Buddha.

Me: You give your underwear to Buddha?

Her: If we're a bad year. Then we write our address on our underwear and give it to Buddha.

Me: What? Come on! What does he do with it, sell it on the internet? I joked. She laughed hysterically.

Her: I don't like this b-b-but my mother law wants it so we do.

Me: But Buddha is dead? Who takes the underwear? Where does it go?

Her: Temple. I d-d-d-d-d-don't know. I don't like it.

Me: I'd be worried about writing your name and address on you and your daughters' underwear. You know, perverts.

More laughing. She laughs at anything I say, actually. After several more "interesting" topics that went on endlessly for a long 50 minutes, it finally ended. My head spinning, I bolted straight home. I need a beer!

I forgot to mention that Stan, one of the male students showed up yesterday out of the blue...drunk. He's Windy's co-worker at the Office of Agriculture. (That's right. Windy works in an Agriculture center and gives lectures to farmers about farming techniques and soil and does hundred of other miscellaneous agricultural and unrelated duties I'll tell about some other time). He sat at the end of the table, thumbing through a cookbook and didn't say a word. A couple of times he started laughing at nothing. After class he stumbled out the door. Windy said he must be upset about something, but refused to believe he was drunk. "I asked him today at office, 'W-w-w-w-were you drunken last night?' and he said no." She believed him. He didn't come again tonight.

Update:

By request, I made a new page dedicated to Windy and the adult class. It will even have its own archive! Take a look, I updated it tonight.

written by shawn matthews    -|link

Korea Life Blog - No More Health Club

After 7 full months I finally quit the health club a couple of weeks ago. While I was growing tired of being the foreign novelty amongst the regulars, I stuck it out mostly because I didn't have to pay. The owner charged me at first for 3 months - but then never again. While everyone had to swipe a card when they arrived, for the next seven months he would just smile at me and hand me a towel.

Well, who can beat that! I kept going thinking eventually I'd have to pay. I brought my credit card each time, just in case, ready to fork it over the moment of question. That never happened. I kept working out until yet another trainer started - a guy who does not leave anybody alone. He's the typical high school jock who never grew up. A stupid thug. Every time I would go there, he'd follow me all around, constanly touching me, trying to measure my muscles, tackling me in fun, coming up and tickling me while I'm lifting a heavy weight, and always putting his arm around me as if I were his best friend. At first I told him politely that I don't need help. And later I told him point blank to go away (bbali ga!) but he never listened. He was like a magnet. If I could have paid by the month for nobody to bother me, I would have gladly.

When I exercise, I just want to be left alone, to do my work out. I don't need somebody correcting my every move, counting my every rep. I've been exercising for a few years now and I know what works for me, even if it isn't the best method. If I do a routine that's not comfortable, I won't be able to stick to it. I'll quit like most people do after a month because I won't enjoy what I'm doing. I've also learned that every trainer does things differently. Whenever I have conformed to one trainer's methods, a new one would come in and say, "No! no! what are you doing? Like this!" causing me to sigh and think, "here we go again."

In a shopping center, you don't want to be bothered. You want a salesperson only if you have a question. However, in Korea they are unavoidable. They suffocate you and stand by your side while thinking they are being helpful. The same holds true at the health clubs I've joined here. There's always a trainer and/or the owner who thinks they are doing you a favor by showing you how stupid you are. Why can't they all realize people like to be left alone! If they would just keep quiet, help you only when asked, you'd be much more comfortable and likely to return.



My new weight set. 10kgs each. Not much, but was all I could carry home. They cost me 40,000 won at E-mart, but they're well worth it. I've been working out at home for over a week with them. It's amazing how much of a decent workout you can do at home and how much more relaxing it is. I crank on my favorite tunes (no more of that Korean techno music at the gym!). I do hundreds of pushups and situps on certain days. The rest of the week I use the weights to do arms and shoulders. For legs I hold these to the side and do squats. I'm not going to get much bigger, but I don't need to. Doing a lot of reps, I'll tone myself up. When the weather breaks I plan to start jogging or speed walking up the hills nearby. It's a lot better than that scene at the health club. I just hope I stick to it.

written by shawn matthews    -|link