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May 2009
Just a quick anecdote to share from this afternoon's morning walk with Baldy. Every time we head to the park, he's got to sniff every square inch, at least twice, just for the opportunity to eat some stray food. Today, we congregated in an area in the middle of four elderly women who make it a point to gather there every day, sit on a blanket, talk and play an ancient game where you drop and pick up sticks or something. Yes, I'll make a note of that and seek more details another time. The women were very friendly, and one in particular loved patting Baldy on the head. But he didn't care because there was a wooden skewer on the ground with sausage on it. Me being the good owner, I kept yanking him away from it. I contiunued to laugh and motion to the women that Baldy loves the meat, and I figured that my constant yanking meant they understood I didn't want him to eat it. So naturally, a woman stood up, picked up the skewer and fed Baldy, wood and all. And with the ensuing satisfaction on the women's faces, not to mention Baldy's, how could I disapprove? Questions, comments or demands can be sent here, or on the Mark Fitzhenry's "Korea Blogging!" page here. MAY 26: ANOTHER WEEKEND IN BUSAN It's 2:48 a.m. in Daegu, and a nuclear bomb has yet to decimate this fine city. That's good news for the millions of people who love Baldy, and bad news for all the women who would rather clean their apartment than have lunch with me.1 Given this reprieve, it's time for me to recap my weekend in Busan. ** I knew something was up Saturday morning when the express bus' TV set showed constant highlights of an important-looking, well-dressed man leaving a vehicle, waving to flashing cameras, and entering a building for what seemed to be important meetings. My feelings were confirmed more than an hour later when, upon reaching the bus terminal in Busan, about 30 Koreans surrounded a TV set to watch a doctor's press conference. The news, I learned later, was that former South Korea president Roh Moo-Hyun leapt to his death that morning. Roh (pronounced "no") is best known for his (apparently overwhelmingly optimistic and naive) open communications with North Korea but recently was involved in a corruption scandal. The opinion of someone better informed than I can be read here. ** They sure don't make crabs like this in New England:
** I'm still trying to get the hang of Hangul. Saturday night, long after your Gyeongju FC Marauders lost 3-0 in a hard-fought match against Inter Busan (it was 0-0 after 43 minutes and 1-0 for about 70), I completed a late late dinner with two other players. Eager to hit the hotel for about 5 1/2 hours of sleep before Sunday's match, I needed to return to Gwangalli Beach. Teammate Shawn Brewer assured me that all I had to do was repeat "Gwangalli" in various cadences, and with different syllables stressed, until the cab driver nodded his head and took me on my way. I followed this advice and got the expected result: the driver had no bloody clue where I wanted to go and stopped the cab until he understood. I beckoned two Koreans from the sidewalk and asked if they knew Gwangalli Beach. They said yes, informed the driver, and I was on my way. I'd provide the proper pronunciation for you but I obviously don't know it. ** What kind of hotel room can you get for 50 bucks in Busan? One in which the fan's plug doesn't reach the outlet, the TV set doesn't turn on, the air conditioner's remote control cannot be found and the bed is missing something just a wee bit important -- like a mattress:
** I have promised to report the good and the bad from my trip here, and this soccer result is the worst I have endured: 14-0. Quick background: My team had to postpone a match earlier this season because five people committed to playing. The resulting rescheduling, as suggested by me because I had little choice, was to play two matches in one weekend, both in Busan. My players, as you can imagine, rested their legs after Saturday's loss, but not their livers. So we played Busan United, the defending Korean Foreigner Football League champions, with 11 tired players, a sub who arrived from Canada the night before, and a last-second recruit: a local TV guy with a bad knee. And why was the TV guy there, you ask? Because a local crew -- and by "crew" I mean two people -- filmed the game. I did the pregame interview and was surprisingly diplomatic. When asked for my team's strategy, I resisted the urge to say, "Keep the score under 20," and instead said that we should keep our defensive responsibilities blah blah blah. Busan United, by the way, has been around for several years and has the pick of the litter from a city of 4 million people. We are 0-9. Actual line uttered during their warmups: "Let's look professional." I really don't mind the 14-0 score -- what are they supposed to do, not get open? Not shoot? -- although one guy decided to take on our dead-legged team by himself before he put No. 13 past me. So whoop-de-doo, Mr. George Best, I hope you enjoyed your highly significant goal. ** Some advice from the Pusan University area of Busan: Know when to walk away and know when to run ... to the one and only Kenny Rogers singing room!
** Sunday marked my first Turkish meal since I arrived in Korea just before Halloween. When our team's plan to enjoy some curry fizzled upon our discovery that the restaurant changed ownership, I dragged my dead body into a basement restaurant called Kebapistan. And I just had to check it out before the U.S. mistook it for a country and invaded it. The lamb doner kebap was among the best meals I've had in the past few months. Amzing how the real jewels you find sometimes come out of audibles, or just dumb luck. ** The most comfortable vehicle I have ever slept in has got to be the express buses here. The ones that seat 28 people have plush, wide seats that lean back and give plenty of leg room. I fell asleep before I left the city limits and woke up as I reached the Daegu toll booth. For all the benefits of the high-speed train here, the express buses are actually more comfortable. And finally, the 11 brave souls who played two matches in 25 hours for the Marauders of Gyeongju FC:
Questions, comments or demands can be sent here, or on the Mark Fitzhenry's "Korea Blogging!" page here. 1Actual excuse given earlier this month.MAY 25: JUST WHAT MY MOM WANTED TO HEAR Look, I really don't enjoy poking fun at my mom -- OK, I do -- but I can pretty much guarantee a Skype call sometime tonight to make sure a nuclear bomb has not gone off in South Korea today. The latest news from our fair peninsula is that North Korea has staged a "successful" nuclear test. Granted, this news is from the North Korean government, which is about as trustworthy as, well, the U.S. Government. But nonetheless I'd rather just do without the muscle-flexing from one Kim Jong-Il, thanks. The good news is, if the bomb does go off, women everywhere will hear that I died and respond with a heartfelt, "Who?" Alcohol update: I caved, albeit not in crashing fashion, on Saturday night in Busan. A friend is returning to Thailand and she bought me a whiskey and coke. I found it rather hard to turn down, thus ending a 13-day run without alcohol. So that's two drinks over a 22-day span, not counting the brief faux pas in which I swiped a swig of someone's water and it turned out to be vodka and water. Sorry about that, Shawn. Blog update: These next three days are going to suck for me. I still have two classes' worth of tests to grade and reports to do for all of my students, and they are due Wednesday. I will try to blog one more time in the next three days, most likely about this weekend's sojourn to Busan in which our soccer team lost twice by a combined (EDITOR'S NOTE: score deleted). Questions, comments or demands can be sent here, or on the Mark Fitzhenry's "Korea Blogging!" page here. MAY 23: THIS WOULD BE MUCH COOLER IF I HAD A PHOTO After months of searching, I finally stumbled upon something I thought I wouldn't see again -- and no, it's not a woman who means what she tells me. Baldy has a friend -- or at the very least, we have found a dog owner who will let Baldy sniff away and a dog who will allow it. His name is, and I can't promise I am spelling this correctly, Dung-i. Yes, that is a hell of a name for a dog, and if you only knew my students' fascination with dung you would find this 27 times funnier. To defend this poor dog, the pronunciation is "Doong-ee," with a hard "g" sound. Dung-i is a brown and white shih tzu owned by the same woman who taught me how to tell Koreans that Baldy is a nice dog (cho-un gae) who never bites (mulgi annayo). There's some interesting background on Dung-i's name, but to appreciate it, you should know that most dogs here are small enough to fall asleep on your fingernail. The friend tells me that many Koreans find her dog to be rather fat. Dung-i is all of six kilograms -- that's about 13 pounds, slightly half the size of Baldy. Also, "doong-doong-hae" is a term for someone (or something) that is rather fat. So, as my friend told me, many Koreans believe the dog is named Dung-i because it's a little fat. It is actually named for another Korean phrase that explains the herky-jerky movement of a neck. Regardless, this is a perfect opportunity for a Monty Python sketch. But then again, isn't everything? Alcohol update: Thirteen days without a drop. Over 19 days, just one celebratory glass of champagne. On a related note, I am returning to Busan this weekend for two soccer matches and will be boarding a bus less than eight hours from now. Gwangali Beachee, beware. Questions, comments or demands can be sent here, or on the Mark Fitzhenry's "Korea Blogging!" page here. MAY 19: SUPER SOCKS, SUPER JUNIOR AND SUPER JUNIOR SOCKS The sock culture in South Korea can be quite the sight. One trip to the shopping area of a big city will produce sights of white socks, blue socks, Pokemon socks, Spongebob socks, Korean flag socks, socks of cartoon characters I've never heard of, and even boy band socks:
You are looking at caricatures of the members of Super Junior, which at 13 members is the largest known boy band in the world. Give credit to the Koreans, though: They know when a boy band can get too big and have gone to great lengths to ensure that a 14th member is not added. If you don't want to hit the Wikipedia link, here's the Reader's Digest version of Super Junior. They formed, as all great bands do today, through the salt-of-the-earth efforts of a management company. Starting in 2001, the suits scoured South Korea, China and Los Angeles for actors, MCs, models and radio hosts to find group members. They since have produced three albums, a stand-alone single and several TV shows including "Super Junior Full House," which culminated in a stunning finale as Leeteuk finally married Kimmy Gibbler. Three members also voiced Alvin, Simon and Theodore in the Korean release of "Alvin and the Chipmunks" -- I have not provided a link because, in my humble opinion, that movie does not exist. Here's Super Junior in action. They are singing their latest single, "Sorry Sorry," which is quite catchy and, if nothing else, is no worse than the crap being released in the States right now. For an imeem playlist featuring SuperJunior songs, click here. Want to see and read more about the sock culture here? A fan page of one of the WonderGirls shows off her collection of Ye Eun socks. Seoul-based American broadcaster Abby Rhodes blogs about socks as a Christmas gift. For just a photo, here's a link to Han's Seoul Daily Photo. Alcohol update: No drinks in nine full days. One glass of champagne over a 16-day span. Questions, comments or demands can be sent here, or on the Mark Fitzhenry's "Korea Blogging!" page here. MAY 18: CLEANING OUT THE NOTEBOOK It's been a while, so I'll throw out some nuggets from the past week and beyond: The police visited me last week. I've given away the punchline, but I wanted to get your attention right away. It was Wednesday morning. The doorbell awoke me and, as you might imagine, sent Baldy into hysterics, considering he guards our apartment the way a mother bear protects her cub. I wasn't quite coherent, and for good reason. It was about 8 in the morning. I picked up the phone (the doorbell goes to a phone I can pick up). The man said, Kamsa Hamnida (thank you) in a low, professional voice, and I said, "Yep" and hung up. He called again. My first reaction was, "It's those religious people again." I'm serious. There are some very well-dressed, well-spoken Koreans who knock on doors at all hours and politely ask, in English, where I'm from etc. etc. until they very discreetly tell me that God is wonderful and all that. I found a solution a month ago: I let Baldy bolt through the door and into the hallway, which in turn forced these lovely women to freeze in terror. They have not returned. A week later, I tried the same trick, and the man at the door was not impressed. The third time I heard an unwelcome knock I unleashed Baldy again -- only to discover the knock had been next door and it had nothing to do with religion. Oops. With the latter two indicents in mind, I left Baldy in the room and faced my visitor solo. Turns out it was two policemen, who pointed to a paper on a clipboard. Apparently I owed 200,000 won or something. They did a quick about-face, said "sorry," and told me in broken English they were looking for someone else. So there's my first brush with the law in South Korea, and I didn't even offend anybody. Here's a photo of a Ferris wheel atop a building in Ulsan:
Busy couple of weeks in Korean baseball. Two teams combined for 13 runs in the ninth inning. A player was attacked by a Lotte Giants with a toy knife. We have a new home run king, and he plays for my very own Samsung Lions. And a soju bottle suffered an injury during a pregame ceremony. Meaningless CD buying tip: In South Korea, the stores alphabetize by first name. So Elton John (an E, not a J) comes before Kelly Clarkson (a K, not a C) -- not that I bought a Kelly Clarkson CD. It's just an example. Stop snickering. I did buy The Very Best Of Rainbow, an impressive career-spanning compilation of Ritchie Blackmore's post-Deep Purple band. I love Ritchie, especially his willingness to stay in the background, which is why at various stages the band was known as Ritchie Blackmore's Rainbow. Anyway, I was reminded of their musical acumen while reading fellow American University alumnus Jim Brady's blog about crossing America with his wife and two beagles. So Jim, thanks for jogging my memory. This YouTube video is for you, and for anyone else who's forgotten about or is unaware of this truly underrated classic rock band: It's test time again. Every three months, we go through a busier-than-usual stretch at work. Last week, I had to create three reading and three writing tests for my fifth-grade, seventh-grade and eighth-grade classes. That's why I didn't post. I find these incredibly stressful, despite my sister's response that I was making the tests, not taking them. But I want to be sure they're challenging and fair all at once, and I probably stressed more than I needed to, but I took care of the tests during a 27-hour period from Tuesday night to the wee hours of Thursday morning. Thus I missed the Bruins' Game 6 win at Carolina and the Celtics' 14-point fourth-quarter comeback against Orlando, because I slept in. A co-worker who lives in the building next to mine noted that she heard me scream sometime Friday afternoon. She assumed the scream meant the Bruins lost Game 7. Nope. My Internet feed that provided me with NESN's broadcast kept conking out -- during overtime. So I switched feeds for about the sixth time that morning, this time to, unfortunately, Carolina's Fox Sports Net broadcast. It was about 10 minutes delayed, but it was live to me. Despite the loss, I raise a glass to the Bruins. Speaking of which ... Alcohol update: In the 14 days since a rather heavy night of drinking in Busan, I have consumed exactly one glass of champagne (for a friend's birthday). Finally, have I mentioned that Koreans take their education seriously? I was walking Baldy one night when several students approached me on the sidewalk. They wore maroon sweaters or vests, white button-down shirts, and gray slacks or skirts. Clearly, they had just finished another day at the nearby high school and were heading home. I checked my cell phone for the time. It was six minutes to midnight. Questions, comments or demands can be sent here, or on the Mark Fitzhenry's "Korea Blogging!" page here. Through the magic of the Internet, and the Koreans' passion for basketball (a passion not matched by their skill level, FYI), I was able to catch the Bruins and Celtics stay alive in their respective playoff series this morning. I know how much everyone loves to hear from a Boston fan, so I'll keep this post short. The Bruins-Hurricanes game started at 8:30 a.m. Monday in Daegu, and I did not fall asleep until after 4, so I hope puckheads will forgive me for waking up at 10:30 and catching the third period. I caught the TSN feed and the picture was impressively clear. I saw everything but the puck -- in other words, like any other hockey broadcast on any other screen. It was good to hear the Garden rocking, although I must ask: "Noise Time"? "LOUDER"? Towels? I guess we're Colorado Avalanche fans now. The Celtics-Magic telecast was on SBS -- or Seoul Broadcasting System. They showed the TNT feed and Korean announcers called the action from a studio. Heading into commercial breaks I heard Marv Albert, which only made me crave to hear him more. Still, Glen "Big Baby" Davis' game-winner needed no translation. His shot means that the series goes back to Boston 2-2 and, more importantly, that every Internet sports site will put "Oh Baby" in their headlines and think it's original. When the games overlapped, with the Bruins in the third period and the Celtics in the third quarter, I muted the TV and had sound on the Internet. Two more notes on Mr. Davis. One, Bob Ryan called it long ago that he'd be a solid NBA player. I remember him saying as much after the Celtics drafted him and he got a look at the big guy during some early workouts. Two, on my list of people I wanted to take the final shot, Davis was Option G, behind Ray Allen, Paul Pierce, a double-covered Ray Allen, a triple-covered Ray Allen, a double-covered Paul Pierce, and Doc Rivers. But he delivered, and I feel much better about 2-2 and home-court advantage being restored than I do about having to face Dwight Howard et. al. with the task of winning three straight. So, in honor of this wonderful start to my workweek, I present the greatest "not dead yet" moment of them all. I am of course referring to the Black Knight's brave battle against King Arthur in front of the bridge: Questions, comments or demands can be sent here, or on the Mark Fitzhenry's "Korea Blogging!" page here. If you believe the legend, a baby was sacrificed to make this bell ring:
This is Seongdeokdaewangsinjong -- also known as the Sacred Bell of the Great King Seongdeok. It is 3.3 meters (nearly 11 feet) tall and weighs 25 tons, making it "the largest bell of its kind in the Orient," according to South Korea's Cultural Heritage Administration. It also is the second-oldest bell in Korea, at least among those whose dates are documented. It was completed in 771, making it 981 years older than the Liberty Bell and four years older than whoever is starting at DH these days for the Yankees. The bell is housed at the Gyeongju National Museum, along with many other artifacts from the heyday of the Silla Dynasty, which at 992 years is the longest continuous dynasty Asia has ever seen. There is a lengthy inscription on the bell that explains why it was made. King Gyeongdeok's dream was to make a bell that captured the spirit of his father, the aforementioned King Seongdeok. Gyeongdeok has ordered the completion of some of Korea's greatest treasures, most notably Bulguksa Temple on the outskirts of Gyeongju, but he died before the bell was completed. However, the bell was finished under the reign of his son, King Hyegong. I somehow doubt that Hyegong played a major role in seeing this task through. When he took over, he was 8. (I am begging you to click on the Wikipedia link I provided to Hyegong, if for no other reason than to see for yourself the frontrunner to the Stating The Obvious Hall of Fame: "Hyegong became king at the age of 8, and did not adapt well to the role.") People who are wise enough to place judgments on such things declare the bell to be one of the finest examples of Buddhist art. I have provided a couple of close-ups on the heavenly maidens (first photo) and lotus flowers (second photo) that were typical of bell decorations at the time:
No Korean story would be complete without a legend behind it, so here's the story behind why Koreans call this "the Emille bell" -- with Emille meaning "mommy." From the Cultural Heritage Administration Web site: According to legend, the bell would not ring when it was first cast. It was melted down and a little child thrown into the molten metal as the head priest of the temple, where the bell was being made, was told to do in a vision. When the bell was recast and struck, it sounded like the baby's cries of "Em-ee-leh" when the child was sacrificed. So, can you hear the cry for "Emille?" You might, if only because people hear what they want to hear and see what they want to see. For example, I saw Franka Potente in my tea Sunday afternoon. Regardless, hang in there until the 0:17 mark, and for the record, the crying sound you hear is in fact a baby at the museum and not one trapped inside the bell: I didn't hear it either, but a heck of a story, no? Upcoming content update: I also visited Anapji Pond, commissioned by the same king who's buried in an underwater tomb, during my stay in Gyeongju this past weekend. I shall provide another history-filled post in due time. As always, I had a blast in the heart of Silla, although I got quite the California flashback upon my arrival at 3 p.m. Saturday:
That's a forest fire on a mountain, and friends told me the blaze was even worse two hours earlier. A parade of helicopters dumped water on the blaze and had it under control by the evening. Bonus Gyeongju photo:
Bonus bonus Mother's Day photo:
Questions, comments or demands can be sent here, or on the Mark Fitzhenry's "Korea Blogging!" page here. MAY 9: WEEKEND IN BUSAN, PART II: SLEEPING WITH STRANGERS Just in case you forgot where I left off, here you go: About six hours after I downed my first rum and coke, I went to bed with a bunch of strangers. To review quickly, and with more photos, I arrived on the strip at Gwangalli Beach sometime around 11 p.m. My mates, There's Only One Steve Moore and Park Ja-son, decided that a minor detail such as finding a hotel while we were sober was not worth worrying about, so we hit a place called Thursday Party, a pub popular among foreigners in Busan. When it's hopping, Thursday Party can be quite the scene. Some photos:
One of these days, I will expound upon the drinking culture in South Korea. But you're dying to know about my night with strangers, and I'm dying to go to bed. But suffice it to say that an "early night" is when you leave a bar at 3 a.m. I have done my best to not get sucked in, but for whatever reason last Saturday I just went at it. I even had two shots of Jager, and I would rather drink Robitussin and drive a railroad spike through my forehead than drink Jager. So around 4:30 a.m., I told Steve and Jason that enough was enough, and I was off to find a hotel.
After I left the bar, I saw a physician for a personal health issue. He gave me a medication, not a steroid, which he thought was OK to give me and ... Oops, wrong story ... I remembered a hotel where I stayed a month or so ago. No rooms. I went elsewhere. No rooms. In each case, the front desk person was asleep, on a mattress, behind the desk in the lobby. I tried a large hotel. Nope. Forgive the lack of details. Flustered and hungry, I moped into a Lotteria fast food place and ordered a mushroom broccoli burger. It was as bad as it sounds. I then called Jason, told him I was striking out, and he told me they were off to a jjimjilbang -- and yes, there are two j's at the start. We have now reached the part of the story where I slept with strangers.
A jjimjilbang is, essentially, a bathhouse in which you can sleep. It's part hotel, part hostel, part gym, part resort. Jason told me it was an essential part of Korean culture, and at that point, I was easy. I just needed to crash. So I checked in, paid 8,000 won at the desk and was handed a beige robe and shorts. I entered the third floor and was greeted by the sight of naked men. A bit strange, but I could deal. I knew where I was off to: a spot on the floor. Jason and Steve said something or other about hot tub swimming, and by that point I was cranky so I just found the room where I was supposed to sleep. One can get a blanket, but I was too tired and not coherent enough to care. I did care, however, that all the floor space seemed to be taken up -- or at least enough where I couldn't like down without shoving my toes in some innocent person's face. I saw a hot tub filled with pebble-sized balls. I climbed in. They were warm. I had a damp sweat going. I later learned that the rooms are hot so people can sweat the alcohol out of them. Lying down, it felt, oddly enough, like I was in a waterbed, without such details as water, a blanket and a pillow. Still, it beat the floor, so for three to four hours I slept there, woken up intermittenly by children crying, people talking, and somebody placing a towel on and off my feet. When I awoke, I couldn't find Steve or Jason, so I headed to the baths. I had everything a single guy on the road could need: razors, shaving cream, toothbrush and paste, soap, shampoo. I could have my hair cut. I could get a massage. I could weigh myself -- hey, I'm under 92 kilograms for the first time! I rule! I celebrated by heading into the tubs and breaking the only rule worth a darn in the place: get nice and clean before you go in. There were at least three tubs of varying temperatures, and I settled for a standard hot tub with jets. Satisfied, I THEN took a shower. In another corner, grown men sat on buckets and washed themselves with soap and a shower head. Basically, similar to this, but with grown men and no shenanigans ... Actual Korean commercial.I must say, I would have enjoyed the experience more had I been more sober and less tired and grouchy. I will make it a point to return, be it on a weeknight when it is less crowded, or on a weekend but not nearly as drunk. So what was the final result of the drinking, you ask? I left the jjimjilbang at 10:30 a.m. and watched Celtics-Bulls Game 7 in a PC room. I found a cab. When the cab started moving, my stomach was wishing I had taken a three-hour walk to the station -- or at least tried the subway. Some starts and stops later, I finally reached Busan Station, and ... um ... the rest is better left unsaid. I will close with this, however. I enjoyed the weekend. I had fun most of the time. But the outing reminded me why I have cut down on drinking, so I will keep public how much I drink, just to hold me to my word that I won't act like a massive (expletive deleted by request of my mom) again. I won't count Sunday as non-drinking because 4 a.m. Sunday is still Sunday. So, here goes: Alcohol update: No drinks in in five days. Questions or comments can be sent here, or on the Mark Fitzhenry's "Korea Blogging!" page here. MAY 6: WEEKEND IN BUSAN, PART I Red Sox fans, and I say this out of love, you've got nothing on those who follow the Lotte Giants. You can prime yourselves by reading this L.A. Times article on the Giants' manager, former major league shortstop Jerry Royster, who is the first foreign manager in the history of the Korean Baseball Organization, which started in 1982. Among the nuggets is that he needs a bodyguard whenever he's in public, and that 20,000 people once showed up to watch him film a commercial. I had heard about Lotte Giants games in Busan, and how the fans are just ga-ga about their team despite 18 losing seasons out of 27, and how they don't shut up -- and I mean that in a good way, not in a "Here's Bruno from Medford calling to bitch about Francona on talk radio" way. I already showed a clip on my May 4 post, and you can see more by heading to YouTube and typing "lotte giants fans" in the search field. Trust me, you will get plenty to choose from. So I had to experience the mecca of Korean baseball for myself. You're nodding your head, because while most foreigners make Beomeosa Temple, or one of the beaches, or even the the aquarium their first priority in Busan, I chose a baseball game. On the subway en route to the stadium, I saw this ad for the team's owners, Lotte (and its department stores):
At the stadium, I met two friends from Gyeongju. One of them, There's Only One Steve Moore, is an Englishman experiencing his first baseball game live. He has asked on several occasions why baseball players need gloves to catch the ball when cricket players don't. And I told him it's because we don't want baseball games lasting three days (Game 5 of the 2008 World Series notwithstanding). The other is a Toronto Blue Jays fan named Jason Park, although we call him Park Ja-son (soccer fans will appreciate the pun).
The stadium seats about 30,000. There are no nooks and crannies. The outfield wall is symmetrical. The park doesn't make the atmosphere here. The fans do. They're incredible. I almost jumped allegiances from the hometown team, the Samsung Lions, but I'm sticking with them. (Yes, the Lions are better.) Like all fan bases, each player seems to have his own song. Unlike most fan bases, the songs here are sung by everyone, not just down the foul lines where the most vocal fans of the home and visiting teams sit. Many people in the outfield seats, armed with their pom poms made from newspapers, chimed in with the songs, which were sung to the tunes of "Uptown Girl," "We're Not Gonna Take It" and "Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da." My favorite is for right fielder Karim Garcia, who's quite the productive player in Korea. Now, I don't like Karim Garcia, who during Game 3 of the 2003 ALCS jumped the bullpen fence at Fenway and attacked a bullpen worker who's already fighting another snapperhead, Jeff Nelson. To be fair, I don't know everything that happened. Also to be fair, most Yankees are assholes. The result of the incident is here. But back to Garcia: He's beloved here, and, kudos to him, when he is done warming up between innings, he throws the ball high into the outfield seats. Cool stuff. Anyway, the fans sing his name to the "Hallelujah Chorus," and it's quite the trip. I didn't get it on video, but this downloader did (the buildup starts around the 0:33 mark): The seventh inning produced one of those "Only In Korea" moments. A group of students posed for photos with the game as the backdrop, and naturally, I fell for the whole "take a picture of other people taking pictures" gag that I ridicule other people for:
The girls saw me take the photo, then demanded that I join them for one or three:
After that, they sat in the stands and asked me to pose behind them. No pictures of this. You will have to take my word that I met girls who did not run away from me. And then the eighth inning hit. Pretty soon, I noticed all the fans were passing orange supermarket-style plastic bags to each other. I read in the L.A. Times story that people should use them for picking up trash. I figured there was an elaborate production coming up, either a cheer or a song, in which everyone, at the crescendo, would pop the bags. Nope. Here's what they did:
The rally hats did no good, and the Giants lost 7-2 to the Doosan Bears, a Seoul-based team that does not have a former Yankee on it, and therefore was the team I wanted to win. But believe me when I say I love Giants fans and will make it a point to return to Sajik Stadium. As for my friends, Jason has become a Giants fan. Steve had fun but predictably said that cricket is still a better game than baseball. And I predictably told him to go fist himself. (EDITORS NOTE: What I mean by that, Mrs. Moore, is that Steve is a distinguished gentleman and a loyal friend who is entitled to his opinion and can go fist himself.) The baseball game was only part of our sports doubleheader. The soccer match had no hope of living up to the baseball game. The stadium is cool, even if it does look like a giant bundt cake, and was built for the Asian Games and used during the World Cup.
There's a track around the pitch, but the team, Busan I'Park, compensates by adding temporary bleachers on the floor, thus bringing fans closer to the action. Daegu FC has yet to employ this but should.
The quality of the baseball game, compared to how it is played in MLB, was much better than the quality of the soccer match when compared to the world's top leagues. But the match was entertaining, with Ulsan winning 2-1. From there, we wandered all over the place before we found a good place to catch a cab to the beach. We could have looked for a hotel. We didn't. We parked ourselves at Thursday Party, with a view of the bridge out the window. I drank, I reveled, and it seemed that every other person I met was from New England, including this guy who jumped into a picture with Steve (left), me and Jason (right):
About six hours after I downed my first rum and coke, I went to bed with a bunch of strangers. I think that's a good way to end Part I. Questions or comments can be sent here, or on the Mark Fitzhenry's "Korea Blogging!" page here. MAY 6: NOBODY NOBODY BUT KATE (CLAP CLAP, CLAP) Given my propensity for sending birthday cards and gifts long after the actual birthday, the last thing I should do is mock my sister for shipping me a photo to place on this blog about six weeks after I originally asked for it. So I will not say, under any circumstance, "It's about f**king time." Nope. I'd never do that. Anyway, in the interest of equal time between my two nieces, here is a photo of Kate with her birthday gift from Uncle Mark: CDs from two of South Korea's most popular pop acts, WonderGirls and Big Bang:
My sister informs me that "Nobody," which I heard every 10 minutes when I first got here, is now "our normal morning CD." Now, I can't let that comment pass without quenching your thirst for some WonderGirls. So here they are in all their K-Pop splendor: And their tango and disco versions: I'll give you the ballad version too: And, because I love you, the acoustic slow version (forgive the original downloader for not understanding what "a cappella" actually means): And, finally, the Baskin Robbins of versions, a five-in-one remix: You're welcome. MAY 4: REASON NO. 81 THAT MY FAVORITE COFFEE SHOP RULES I have written several times about my most frequented coffee shop, At Home. Not only do I enjoy their coffee and food, but the owner is one of the nicest people I know. With the weather becoming better, I have brought Baldy often and we sit outside at the patio's lone table. The owner (have you figured out yet I don't know her name ... I am terrible, yes?) already brings me pretzels and a carmelized cookie with every mocha-bagel order. Lately, she's added some ice cubes for Baldy to much on and has begun feeding him the first pretzel. Today, she took her generosity a step further:
Rest assured Baldy ate all of them. Upcoming entry advisory: I spent Saturday and half of Sunday in Busan. Sometimes the journalist in me takes over, and so I promise to report some of the bad along with the good. In the upcoming two-part post about the weekend in Busan, I'll admit that I threw up because of drinking for the first time in at least five years -- and this after I slept with a bunch of strangers. You're coming back to this blog, aren't you? But Part I will focus on my sports doubleheader with two friends from Gyeongju. This is highlighted by a baseball game where the atmosphere, in many ways, surpasses Fenway Park -- not in terms of history or the park's quirkiness, but via the fans' passion. I'll tease you with this panoramic video of Sajik Stadium in which the Lotte Giants fans sing to the tune of "We're Not Gonna Take It" -- Twisted Sister's, not The Who's.
Questions or comments can be sent here, or on the Mark Fitzhenry's "Korea Blogging!" page here. The past month has been stressful for Korean students. Most of them have finished taking the standardized tests that are required of every student. The exams have an effect on private schools, because the emphasis on the tests is such that many students opt to skip attending academies so they can study. Yesterday, this meant that in each of my final three classes, I had two students. So what did I do? Glad you asked (or at the very least will humor me): Middle school (second year) reading class: The homework I had assigned was about Rosa Parks, which I figured would be good because this class, where the students are eager and have a good understanding, would read about her and learn something about U.S. history. You can read the same story they did, from the book Reading Comprehension Level H, by clicking here. As I suspected, neither student had heard of Rosa Parks, but they appreciated her upon reading her story. The goal for the reading classes here are to draw inferences, understand the main ideas of a story, and build vocabulary. They understood that she was not out to make history; she was just tired and wanted to rest her weary body like any other person. They also learned that a boycott is a specific kind of protest, not just any protest. On a lighter note, we read another article about the history of the Olympics -- and Mike (his English name) earned a bonus point for knowing that the events of the modern pentathlon are skills needed by past warriors. I'm lucky to have this class, and it's the only one I have kept since I started teaching in November. Middle school (first year) conversation class: The two girls played a game called "Tell Us About." I did not make up this game; our school has it as a resource and I don't know who made it. A student rolls a die and lands on a space that may say, for example, "your favorite season." The opponent will say, "Tell us about your favorite season." And the other player will say, "My favorite season is summer because _________." As you might imagine, lower-level or distracted students might give short answers, which is why your humble teacher is there to ask follow-ups (and encourages the opponent to do the same). The good thing about this game is, when it goes well, students talk 95 percent of the time. They also are answering open-ended questions. The girls soon got into the game, albeit mainly because there were many "free question" spaces that would allow them to ask the other player about boys they liked. Kids these days ... Middle school (second year) writing class: Back to the class with the two boys who read and discussed Rosa Parks. This being a writing class, I figured the best thing to do was write for 45 minutes. I came to class armed with several ideas. The first was to place the students in a time machine. Where would they go? What would they do? Mike reacted as I thought he would -- he scoffed and deemed the assignment rather childish. That's why I had Plan B. I told him to name a historical figure. He thought about it and responded with a 16th-century general who successfully led a defense against Japanese invasions. And I told Mike: "He's your next-door neighbor and you're meeting him for the first time. Go." Mike wrote for the rest of the class, and Mr. General was not a nice person. Despite Mike's kindness, the general was rather rude and wanted to fight, so Mike called his neighbors and the police. The general promptly responded by firing cannons at them. Once of these days we'll have a peaceful Korea.
Most exams end this week, so classloads will be up to their normal selves -- up to 12 -- just in time for us to administer our reading and writing tests. NBA playoffs note: I don't know what else can be said about this Celtics-Bulls series, other than get the pot of coffee ready for a six-overtime Game 7. I haven't caught much of the series because I am not a morning person, and Game 6 started at 8 a.m. my time. But I did catch the second and third overtimes, and ... just wow. Consider the calendar cleared for Sunday morning my time. Childhood flashback alert: I chose "It Takes Two" as this entry's title because, back in the day, every high school basketball team in New Hampshire had this in their basketball warm-up music. (Not me. "Cult Of Personality," thank you very much.) So I searched YouTube for an appropriate video, and in my search results found a video that just had to be here instead. So kick back, dance and party all night, and drink some cherry wine. Uh-huh! Does Joakim Noah deserve to be slapped? Probably not. I want to anyway. Nothing personal. Send your opinion here, or leave a comment on the Mark Fitzhenry's "Korea Blogging!" page here. |
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The other writing student, Roger, completed a three-page story he started in the previous class, when I laid out