The third and final look at our new Korean diggs.

Home is where you make it. This is our home...

"EX-cuse Me Where's Namdaemoon

Ex-cuse ME Where's Namdaemoon

Ex-cuse ME Where's Namdaemoon

Go Straight And Turn Right"



The words above aren't just Matthew's crazy talk. They are actually the lyrics to a popular elementary school song that Korean children learn when they are in grade 5 to teach them simple English directions. Unfortunately, as you may have heard , Namdaemoon was burnt to the ground Sunday night. The Korean authorities are looking into allegations that a suspicious man reported to be in his fifties was spotted under the famous Seoul landmark and tryed to ignite the 600-year-old structure.

It was a little disheartening for Alissa and I as we woke up to pictures on the news of Namdaemoon engulfed in a firey inferno. Just months before we descriped "watching the sun set over the hazy sky scape juxtaposed with the famous iconic symbol of Seoul" as "the most memorable momment on our trip to Seoul" (go to the September 2007 archived list on the right, then just scroll down to Sunday, September 22nd's posting). I guess I shouldn't just think about myself though- What about all those confused fifth grade students next year?!?

This Is Our New Mailing Address For Anyone Who Wants to Mail Us Some Crap... Please Don't But If You Have To....

MoonKkang Chilgok English School
Jang-Won Building 3rd Floor
Dong cheon-dong 905-3
Daegu
702-250
South Korea

In the next few days or weeks we are going to give you a tour of our new apartment. This is where we live...

I Think I Smell A Rat- Good Bye Year of the Pig, Hello Year of the Rat

With the year of the pig ending it leads one to reflect on the 'pig' related events that one has experienced throughout the year. For Alissa it was her lucky astrological birth year as she was born in 1983, the year of the pig. For me there was an abundance of pig last year.

Event #1- A cardboard, year of the pig, key chain trinket-

When I visited China for the first time in Christmas 2006, one of my friends coworkers from the university in Shenyang, China gave me this gift. When I received the gift I was completely unaware that next year was the year of the pig... in fact I didn't even know what year 2006 was... I just knew that it was 2006 (you KNOW what I mean). After receiving the keychain I thanked her, put the keychina in one of my drawers when I got home where it stayed until I stumbled across it a few weeks ago while I was cleaning.

Event #2- Eating every imaginable part of a pig.... MMmmmm Pork-

In Korea they love pork. They eat almost all parts of the pig. Pig stomach, pig belly, pig legs, pig foot, pig head, pig spine, pig liver, and of course, last but not least, pig intestine. Most of it's either done up over the barbeque or in a soup, but pig intestine and pig liver are wrapped in clear plastic bags and are sold in small street stalls that are on almost every second block. I've tried it all this year!

Event #3- Crazy Shaman Pig Picture-

At the beginning of the year, we found a rather strange picture that is used in shamanist rituals to bring good luck to those in the year of the pig. We found it just outside our old apartment framed and all. We put it on our wall and admire the sheer craziness of it all. Besides, it looks good in our living room.

I wonder what the year of the rat will have in store for me. Looking back over the last year their was a few rat related experiences that I can remember.

Event #1- "Coh Jeta"-

It's Korean slang for "a tattler" or "a rat". "coh" litterally translates in Korean to nose and "Jeta" possibly has two meanings. Firstly, "jeta gi" means helicopter. This meaning has undertones of top secret military spying. Secondly, "jeta" is Konglish, a English word that gets it's meaning or pronounciation perverted by it's addition to the Korean vocabulary. It's English equivalent is "zit". So "coh jeta" in this respect has a feeling of an unwanted person that gets under your skin. Ohh.. all the interesting, gang bangin' Korean slang I pick up from teaching English at the Prison! You should hear my Korean bad word vocabulary!

Event #2- I saw a rat-

Yeah, I spoted it downtown at night as it scurried from a pile of garbage and into the sewer. It was the first wild, city sewer rat I've ever seen in my sheltered Saskatchewan life.

I guess I have a lot more of the rat in the year to come. Hope you have a Happy Raty-Rat New Year!