Another view showing the contrast between my umbrella, and reality. 

This picture says alot about the weather right now. desolate, dark and determined rain. 

The start of the rainy season. It's going to rain almost non-stop for the next month- 2 months. I've been dreading this for a while. Never leave home without your umbrella in Korea. I got a new umbrella designed with clear blue skies. Something to take me out of reality. 

Although she is my enemy, I can't deny that Hanna is cute in this picture. 

left to right; Barbie (barbie doll), Alex (smart alex), and Ann (annamillion) 

All kinds of subplots at play here. Jenny is a loner. Dennis just likes to jump. Hanna and Alisa are whispering to eachother in Korean (I've started to really shut the Korean down lately). And Olivia is having a happy day. 

Cornell class; they are the youngest class and my second most taught class. I love playing with these kids. 

My squad; they got really nervous and were almost mute during their performance. I felt really bad for them at the time. But, as you can see, they still got presents, so it's a happy ending afterall. 

This is Mr. D, the standard for all foreigner teachers and his illinois class. These kids' speaking ability is impressive. They speak English almost at the ability of native speakers their own age. 

This is Berkeley class getting ready for their Yellow Submarine performance. That poor boy is mick, the only boy in the class and he's constantly being pushed around by the gals. 

Pages for breakfast

I must apologize for my lack of literary reviews this last month. In all the trials of this life, I have not forgotten that I am here to learn more than just Asian culture. Andy Stoll sent me a very special copy of Herman Hesse's "Demian." I read it quickly and determined. This was the first philosophical work of fiction that I've found undeniably rewarding and enjoyable at the same time. The narrator is a young man around my age and, like me, he is on a journey to find the self. I would pause every chapter and find myself rethinking the chapters of my own life and viewing them in a different light, under a magnified lens. Reading the book at school, Lee (the most intelligent and best teacher at Swaton) told me she has read the Korean translation many times and it is her favorite book. Just last week, I found a copy in Seoul and bought it for her. I don't know if random gift giving is acceptable in Korea or not, but, 10 minutes after giving her the book, she gave me a letter explaining the books' significance and some rice cakes. I think this could be the seed to a fruitful friendship. "Demian" is a short, engaging read and I finished it in a week.
My next novel would prove far more consuming. I'd actually listened (remember my quick books-on-cd phase) to Dostoyevsky's "Crime and Punishment." I enjoyed it, but I had to read more to see why he's so well known and respected. A few weeks ago, I began "The Idiot," his last novel. The book is over 600 pages long and there were times when I thought I'd give up in the middle. The story is well developed, scandalous and a massive creation. The characters' specific personalities are well thought out but the out-dated language wore on me at times. I recall wishing it was less-winded but, at the same time, I was trapped in this complex story and had too see everything be resolved. Dostoyevsky makes some compelling indirect commentary on happiness and the ignorance many attach to it. Cobainian thought- I like to call it "I think I'm happy, or maybe just dumb." Also, the book spoke of the dangers of being to honest I feel better for having read it, but I'd suggest that you save it until you're retired, sitting in a rocker and watching the world go by. Otherwise, the world might just sneak by you as you're wrestling with this titanic novel.

The dangers of teaching shortys

This story is a favorite of all the teachers in Korea. Before I begin, I must give a little background. When teaching the kindergarten children, you have to be on guard at all times. Their about half my height, and so my crotch is an all-to-easy target for them. Many times I've been punched in that painful spot by the boys, and some of my girls will often poke. There is one class that has been yelled at by us many a time because they sneak up behind you and will poke you in the butt. That's when we get angry, when we can't even try to defend ourselves. Anyways, these moments are best when you see another teacher get smacked. The kids have no idea what they did, they're just playing like always and then, out of nowhere, the teacher gets really upset. I had my most awkward and yet hilarious crotch shot last week. I was doing story time with my kindergarteners and I have them sit on the floor while I sit up on a chair and we read the story together. Jenny, definitely the most physically affectionate of my students, was crowding me up front and I had to keep sitting her back down so I could read. She likes to hug and kiss me and that's always nice but on this occasion she went too far. I finally had her sitting and I began the book. I had just finished reading the title, "Where Is My Bone?" when she leaped up, a sudden shriek and took two handfuls of my not-to-be-touched place. (I'm not lying, that really was the title of the story!). I jumped up, yelled something like "Woah No" and nearing fell over laughing. The Korean helper was also falling off her chair laughing. I don't even think she understood the irony of Jenny's timing, but it was hilarious nonetheless. I couldn't recover after that. I had them all go sit back down in their chairs and proceeded to read the story behind the safety of a table. I've heard many such stories from teachers here, but none sofar can top the irony of this one.

I teach UCLA class and, one day, my little Alisa walked in with a UCLA cheerleader outfit. I have no idea where she got it, but it's definately blog worthy. 

The children getting ready for a field trip and a chance to leave the prison that is KINDERGARTEN. 

This is Tim during one of our epic battles. We go at it around Swaton for hours at times. Right now, he's summoning up some earthly energy and he's about to hit me with a supercharged bolt of lighting. I'll fall back, run behind a door, get a sword and come back swinging. No matter how many times I shoot him, Tim never dies, so I eventually have to give in.  

This is Jimmy. He's actually 4. This kid can be trouble but he's got a raspy, deep voice that, given his size, sets him apart. 

My Alisa. Enough joy in that little body to light up a small town. 

Hanna playing with her visor. I beleive she hated me for a while, but she's definately been coming along lately. 

The front of the Korean National Cemetary. 

The long walk up to the lit candle and prayer area was exactly what I came to see in Asia. 

This was a very intense prayer situation and the only time all day every child was silent. The architecture is impressive. 

Soldier statue 

The cemetary had many old war artifacts but, oddly enough, I chose to use my camera space on the children instead even though I see them everyday. I guess that shows what I deem more important. 

They had tons of fun on the field trip. It's always irrelevant where we go- we could be at the circus or at a cemetary and they wouldn't care. It's basically an excuse to run around and take lots of pictures outside. 

This is what William Blake had in mind when he wrote Innocence and Experience. It's such a compelling juxtaposition when you have little children playing in a cemetary. 

This is one of my afternoon classes. I was feeling guilty because I've pictured the real little ones so many times and not really shown my elementary students. I would have taking more afternoon classes, but my camera was full at this point. 

This is my student, John's shirt. Reading this stuff is almost more rewarding than the paycheck. He wore this shirt on Friday but I didn't have my camera so I told him to wear it again Monday so I could photograph it. He has no idea why this is funny, he just felt honored to be the star for a while.