Day of Birth...Buddha. Día de Vacaciones.

If it's a vacation day - I'll take it.  This past weekend Korea celebrated Buddha's birthday and with it came a day off from school.  Many people in Korea use the day to visit temples to pay homage to the figure, give donations, and say prayers.  The most memorable part of the day for most is the sight of the lotus lanterns strewn throughout the city in parks, shopping districts, and temples.  This year I didn't have a chance to make it to a temple to see the full blown decorations, but there were still many areas nearby that recognized the holiday by sporting their flare.


Instead of visiting a temple, I went to the Pit of Despair to practice Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu.  Always a popular choice for people on a relaxing day off!  Before that though, I took a stroll through Yongdusan Park in Nampo-dong shopping district.  This is where the Busan Tower is.  I like going up to this park to get above the city-ness of Busan sometimes.  It has great views and peaceful vibes.  This day, there were some great decorations in recognition of the holiday.  Being the nice, sunny day that it was I got to take in some really nice views of the city and the park itself.


I thought, "these pictures would be great to share on a blog".  Then I remembered I had one too.  It's hard to do the day justice with a Sony Cyber-Shot.  I hope you enjoy the pictures anyway.

Happy birthday, big guy!

Korean War "Tootsie Roll" Campaign

The Korean War influenced the world today in many ways.  War, in general, has so many stories that the common man will never know let alone appreciate.  I came across this video put out by the National Museum of the Marine Corps and it brought to mind the conditions and sacrifices that so many Americans faced for a war of faith.  Faith that democracy and freedom ultimately eclipse any other form of government in the world.  So much faith that they fought in a land that wasn't even their home.  Stories like this remind me of the many sacrifices of our nation.

Remember and pray for our troops!  God bless America.

Extra! Extra! South Africa Invades Local Korean Newspaper Club!

Busan's finest

My students don't love me anymore. I'm ok with that...I think. But apparently they've grown tired of interviewing me for their newspaper club. So much so that they asked me to bring in a new ME to feature in the school's newspaper.  It's a tough transition, but I'm managing.

They don't even see me anymore...

Because I'm a nice guy I decided to go along with the overthrow and ask a fellow co-teacher friend to come in on a Saturday morning to let my students talk to her.  Busan Office of Education's own star teacher, Candice Gopaul, was up for the challenge and finished with flying colors.  Candice (hailing from South Africa) was actually chosen by the BMOE as the #1 foreign English teacher two years ago.  Each teacher who comes to Korea has to have an "open class" which is judged by their peers.  Teachers can take part in additional open classes where BMOE supervisors are present as well.  Well, Candice was the big cheese of it all in 2011.  I used my association to Candice as a way to buy back my welcome among my own students - but to no avail.  They only had ears for Candice.  It's all good though.

Still in charge!

The students were truly enthralled and uplifted by Candice's stories of  South African culture, food and surfing waves.  She used her tales of shopping in Korea as a way to further cement the end to my legacy.  I buy knock-off watches - how can I compete with her stories?

After all was said and done, it was morning that everyone enjoyed.  Even the co-teacher in charge of the newspaper club was so pleased with the result.  It was a great day.  Stay tuned for the next breaking news story...

Saving Money Tips: TBS eFM Radio Interview

The great people at TBS eFM "This Morning" show in Seoul had contacted me about money saving tips for foreigners living in Korea.  They had found my blog post about the same topic and wanted to talk about it more ON AIR for their foreign listeners.

While the segment wasn't all-inclusive of ways to save money, it still allowed for some great insight on things to be mindful of.  The time goes quickly in Korea and if you're not careful, so will the dough!

In the interview we discuss topics such as:

• What a foreign teacher can expect to save,
• Eating out versus staying in,
• What is the biggest cause of needless spending,

...and a few others.  Here is the audio for anyone looking for some tips on saving the moolah in Korea!

LISTEN HERE!


It was great to have an opportunity to be on the show.  Thanks so much to Alex Jensen and Ahn Jung-mi for having me.

MMA Girl/English Teacher Fighting In South Korea

Back in December of 2012 I did a blog post about a fellow English teacher who trains in MMA here in Busan.  She has since started competing and is currently 2-0.  Jade Marie Anderson is from the USA and came to Busan to teach English through EPIK about a year ago.  In addition to teaching full-time, she is also a full-time mixed martial artist.

In the world of martial arts, a lot of people start and finish very quickly.  In a sport like MMA (mixed martial arts) it's no different.  In fact, the turnover is even greater because of the nature of it.  It's pure sport, meant to prepare someone for performance only.  There are no formalities or curriculum.  No special katas or anything like that.  MMA is getting on the mat and learning what is required to beat your opponent, whether it be through striking or take-downs and submissions.  Usually it's some combination of both.  To learn the techniques proficiently enough to make them effective in a match is a very burdensome task.  If you want to excel you have to learn and apply the techniques, and then build stamina adequate enough to get you through a match to apply them.

Training in MMA can be a whole-life commitment and the effort alone crumbles most people before a punch is even thrown.

Enter Jade Anderson.  She's a former wrestling champion turned MMA aficionado.  She trains at the famed Busan Team MAD with the likes of Kim Dong Hyun, one of the UFC's premier fighters at the moment.  I've had the pleasure of training with her and watching her grow as a fighter.  Her work rate and regimen are nothing short of ULTIMATE.  She's full of positive energy and embodies the term "commitment".

With the blog post about Jade being the second most popular since starting my blog, I thought it only fitting to do a video montage about her, showcasing her desire to win in MMA and become a belt holder.

To that end, here's Jade.