TreborTheExpat...in Seoul

Happy President's Day

2006-02-20T03:28:00.000-08:00

Happy President's Day Everyone! (PLEASS and that is Starbucks!)

I just wanted to say hello to everyone and hopes that everyone had a really good weekend.

Funny story....was sitting in a jazz bar the other day and told my friend how shady it was...just as I said that, the bar got REPOED! All the sudden, two guys came in and started pulling the records out of the wall...then all the sudden WHAKLDJFKJ. The sounds got scrapped! It was very very shady, that's when I downed all my J/Coke!

This weekend was pretty much a bore. I went to the gym Saturday morning....decided as I was walking home that I really wanted to drink some beer. So, as the saying always says "It's Five O'Clock Somewhere". I bought a big ass bottle of beer and started to drink. I then went to see Lyle and he popped open a bottle of Absolute. It was abfab. We then went bowling and I decided to go home.

I spent the day on Sunday with Choi.

Today was absolutely out of control at school! I can't believe that these kids have the right to come to this academy and are so bad. My kindergarten students are so much better than most of the other students that I teach. I can't honestly believe it. I hope that I get a better position in the near future, so that I don't have to put up with a lot of stupid bullshit.

Anways, I hope all is well and I will write soon.

Love and mIss you.

T.

Let's Give This Another SHOT

2006-02-17T23:10:00.000-08:00

Hi There!

There has been many happenings over the past few months..and I promise that now I've a computer, I will try to write more and show you many more pictures. Seoul has given me the opportunity to find myself and to know who and what I really am. I truly love this place and hope that many more people will be able to come here and notice what this city and country have to offer.

I've grown to love teaching English as a Second Language and I can honestly appreciate all the hardwork and effort that they put into education here. It makes me realize how much of a non-existent educational system there is in the United States.

I do not think that I will be back to the United States anytime soon. I HATE GW BUSH. I don't think that I will be back to the states until someone else comes along. Hopefully it will be Hillary.

I've read so many books here in Korea:

Madame Bovary
The Chronicles of Narnia
To Kill a Mockingbird
Demian

That was just to name a few. (I'm watching Jay Leno right now and I must say that if it weren't for the Armed Forces Korea, I don't think that I'd be able make it)

Anyways, I'm going to bed now.

Anyange Kaseyo.

Trebor

GOD...i'm terrible at this.

2005-06-06T06:09:00.000-07:00

WOW!

Can you believe that it's been so long since I have spoken a word on here!

Life has been ever so great, the transition is going amazingly well, and I'm startin to get used to it all. The food still has my stomach in a bit of an uproar, but other than that, life is good. I promise that I will start to write more as the days progress, but, I'm slowly wheening myself away from the machine!

Love ya!
Trebor

Cell Phone, Outback Steakhouse, and Teacher's Day.

2005-05-12T18:54:00.000-07:00

Hi There,

So, I'm doing much better with the sickness and all. I've not had any more problems with the stomach, fever, or coughing since I started to take my medicine, but I have gotten my roomate a bit sick and I do feel bad (well, I really don't).

So, I got this cell phone and I think that I've already ran out of minutes. It is really bizarre because I put 50,000 Won on my phone and it should have been around 4 hours of talk time. I also thought that I would be getting free texting, but I do not think that I can around here. I love my new cell phone, although, I think that I got ripped off, because I see some of these phones on the street and they are crazy.

Yesterday, I went shopping after work and I must say that finding clothes that will fit my height is something that I'm not quite used to. I'm used to going to the store and buying my clothes and having them fit on the spot. I love the fact that the clothes here though are dirtasscheap. Is that even a word.

So, today I'm walking around the area that I live and you should see the street stalls that sell everything under the sun. They sell everything from dried bugs to freshwater eels...sounds like crap to me, but I think that these people eat everything and that is crazy. I also was CRAVING a steak yesterday so, I went with my co-worker Joan from Ireland and had a big ass steak. It was so good it made me want to slap my momma. I had a 14 oz. New York Strip Filet, chicken wings, french fries, a baked potato, and popcorn shrimp..and of course the whole wheat bread. I was in absolute heaven. It had been 6 weeks since I had rammed my mouth into a nice steak. I also bout a loofa last night.

So, Teachers Day is this coming Sunday. Teachers have a high reverence here in South Korea. People and students really understand the effect that teachers have on society. So, today is the last of our Tuesday and Thursday classes, therefore, we are getting gifts. Some lady that always brings in donuts, brought in today a whole platter of fried food and a cake. It was absolutely amazing. I hope that we get more gifts, that's the greedy Trebor coming out.

I think that I'm getting used to it all here. I can't wait for my buddies to get over here..Kai, you know who you are and I can't wait to see you in beautiful Seoul.

I hope all is well and I will write soon.

Love ya!
God Bless,
Trebor

Last Week

2005-05-08T20:20:00.000-07:00

So,

I got to be really good at writing these posts, then I got sick..

I think that it all started last Sunday when I was out in the wind with my friend and the temperature was eradic and crazy.

So, I get to work on Monday morning and i'm fine. I don't feel particularly well, but other than that I know that it is just some cold tryin to break through. New roomate comes into town on monday. His name is Daniel and he is from New Zealand. Great looking guy and a very nice lad/kiwi indeed. I am looking forward to getting to know him. He seems to know a lot about this filthy place.

Tuesday Morning...I wake up and don't really feel that well. I did not have an appetite which is clear indication of sickness approaching, but I did not think anything of it. I went to work and at my first class, I felt that sinking feeling that we sometimes feel when we are about to faint. Maybe it was the heat, maybe it was the fever that I was starting to have..i felt the shivers start, or maybe it was just stress because I truly hate that class. I had to leave the class because I felt as if I was about to die and I did not need that. So, I got some water, layed down on the floor, and the bell rang. I get into the elevator, get down on my butt, and let everyone ask me if I'm alright. NO. My boss comes to me and is like you've gotta get to class. I told her if she really wants me to faint, then I will. That's when she said that I looked like a ghost. So, I go home that night and get some stuff from the pharmacist...some stuff that is herbal. I am thinking OK! Just when I get home, I realize that the stuff is makign me soil my pants. I think that I have to poot, but it's not poot, it's crap. So, I soiled 6 underwear in 24 hours..not a good sight.
I could not sleep the whole night because it was so dang hot. We have NO NO NO air conditioning. GOD BLESS.

Wednesday. We are having a picnic for the little kids to celebrate "Children's Day". The kids have to run and with their hands behind their back, find gummy worms in dried milk powder. It was so funny to see the kids with their faces in the dried milk that tasted absolutely repulsive. Bless their hearts. So, then they played a while more and we had lunch...consisted of RICE, RICE, More Rice, rice balls rolled up and shoved into the kids mouths. It was quite interesting, then a watergun fight ensued. I was so tired by the time I got back to school that I did not want to even think about teaching any more. That night I got some herbal cough remedy that was really cool.

Thursday/Friday/Saturday/Sunday...
Well, this was vacation for me. I did absolutely nothing except read Patricia Cornwall's "Blowfly". I am almost done and it's ok. OH.. I did buy a cell phone this weekend and I'm quite happy with my purchase. Other than that, it was a very damp, wet, nasty, cold weekend. I am thrilled that we get SNL over here. We get AFN, which is American Forces Network over here. It brings me tastes from home that I truly adore.

I am starting to get another bout of homesickness, only because I dread teaching little assholes in the morning. I don't know how other kindergarten teachers do it. WOW.

Anyways, I haveto get going.

I miss all of you.
Trebor

A sunday not worth remembering.

2005-05-02T09:23:00.000-07:00

I did nothing!

I actually cleaned all day, then went for a late lunch early dinner with a friend.

Pretty much it, then I actually watched the movie version of "The Phantom of the Opera.".

Anyways, I get paid tomorrow and can't wait...will write more soon.

Much Love,
Trebor

New roomate, TGI Fridays, and Baskin 31 Robbins

2005-04-30T22:24:00.000-07:00

So,

With the theme of three topics..here goes. Happy Saturday to all and Happy May Day tomorrow that all believe in Solidarity for all!~

New Roomate..so, Beth, the girl, decided that she wanted a change. I think the main reason was that Lyle, was found in the puddle of Ramen noodles yesterday morning and that sent her over the top because he is so dang filthy. *Bless his heart* She is OK and all, but is one of the strangest characters I have met in a long time. So, I didn't shed a tear..lyle did. I don't think he gets the fact that he stinks and is disgusting. OHOHOHOHOH..yesterday, when I got to work, my boss took Lyle into the conference room for a one on one..He told her that the room was disgusting and that he needed to do something about it. This is why I think that Beth moved out...because the boss said something to him. How would she ever have known, had she not known somethin from before :)

Baskin 31 Robbins...you know, when you get homesick or just want a taste from home, you go to somethin that feels good to the heart and seoul(hahaha)...so, ice cream is feel good for me...and Baskin 31 Robbins is ever feeler gooder..LOL. I love it. The cookies and cream is so good that it makes me want to slap my momma...go figure. Love ya mom :). That was also a reprieve from the scorching heat that has been ensuing lately. I can't imagine what this summer is goin to be like without air conditioning.

TGI Fridays. Another soul food moment. I wanted BUFFALO wings, but ended up gettingwings with no buffalo sauce. There was a really cool waiter there and it was also Adam's birthday. We had fun.

Till next time,
God Bless,
Much Love,
Trebor

Immigration, Subway, and Calling Cards

2005-04-29T16:00:00.000-07:00

Hello Again,

An interesting night ensued...so, I decided to come home, rest, relax, talk to some friends, and go to bed. I did all that..yes, but at around 6:30 AM both of my roomates walk in intoxicated. Mind me, I hardly drink and having to put up with two constant drunks kind of drives me crazy. I am supposed to be getting up around 9am to go to the immigration office with my roomate Lyle. Anyways, back to the story. They come home and are so dang loud. I sit in my bed and think to myself, what the heck are they doing being so loud, knowing that I live here. So, I fuem and fume and fume and fume. Finally, the noise dyes down and I go to the bathroom to pee, and realize that my roomate lyle is asleep in the chair. Just asleep as can be with Ramen noodles all over the floor. The next thing that I hear is a crash to the floor. I come outside to find Lyle snoring, with HIMSELF in the puddle of Ramen. Bless his heart. Anyways, I decided to take the adventure to Immigration myself.

The day begins. 7:33 AM

Immigration. Number 1 first..it's getting warmer, hotter, and more humid with every passing day. Thank God I wore a shirt sleeve shirt. WOW. So, I have to go to the Immigration office today to "register". If you stay in South Korea more than 90 days, you must be classified as an "Alien". I've always laughed at those in the states that were aliens, but now that I am one..well, I would laugh at it as well. I get to the Sunguyu Station and realize that I have directions that are conflicting with the sign. The sign says exit through the doorway marked number 7 and the directions from the job say exit out of doorway number 8. What will I do? I decided to go with the directions from the job, figured that they have been doing this for a long time, had many people go to the immigration office, maybe they know a shortcut that the immigration office doesn't know. WRONG. She was flat out WRONG. So, I ended up getting a taxi and that cost me a big whopping $1.60. I gave him $2 so he could call it a day. The guy is pointing to a building and I just kept saying to myself..which building because it was expansive buildings. Then I had a trebor moment. The building with the big Seoul Immigration Office sign posted right on top of it. I get there and have to get some pictures for my card, then wait in line for an immigration office to say yes or no. I know now what others must feel when they try to get into the USA. WRONG. It was painless, the school had already made it so easy. Anyways, that was a 3 hour journey and came back to good Ole McDonalds.

Subway. The Seoul Subway system is an intricate maze of many subway lines intermingled together. The funny thing about the Seoul system is that the people have no sense of personal space. In the states, when you notice that a train is "too full", you are polite and get on the next train. Here, they do not care. You may 'think' that the trains is full, but in theory, 22 more people are able to get on it. Funny. You don't even have room to breathe, but the good thing is, you don't fall, you just lean against others and they support you. It was fun.

Calling Cards...I never imagined such a need/priority/market for calling cards here. They are huge here. It's funny because of the fact that when I went to the immigration office, all they could ask is how much do I pay for calling cards. I just kept telling them NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO, I don't wanna callign card.

BTW..I have not eaten with a fork in a couple of days. Chopsticks..way fun.

Till next time.

Much Love,
God Bless,
Trebor

Mandu, Swastikas, and Kimchi

2005-04-28T21:34:00.000-07:00

Mandu..the wonderful dumpling that is filled with everything under the sun. Sometimes, you wonder what the hell you will be eating or biting your mouth onto. I must say that I favourite Mandu would be the kind that is filled with pork, onions, and a little potatoe filling. It is quite wonderful with a great aftertaste. You can also have the kind that has kimchi (see a laster paragraph), potatoes, or cheese. They kind of remind me like a perogi. You can have them steamed, have them in soup, or you can have them fried..it's whatever you wish. If you fry them, make sure to put a little olive oil in there, fry them good, and then cover with a little water to get a good crisp on them...wow. The only thing that is missing is some good ole margarine and sour cream.

Swastikas..OMG..I thought that I was jumping back into the PAST with the 3rd Reich in Hitler's Nazi Germany...BOY was I WRONG!!! I kept seeing swastika signs, I kept seeing tattoos of swastikas. That is the sign for buddhism here. Go figure.

Kimchi...the wonderful days old fermented cabbage, that has been setting in hot, red pepper paste. The smell alone is enough to turn the stomach, but it comes with every damn meal.

Anyways..life is great. I am sitting here at school just chilling out.

Will write more later.

Much Love,
Trebor

A month in..

2005-04-28T10:26:00.000-07:00

SO,

This has been a post that has been forever in the making. I will try to do so much better this next time around. I have been in Seoul 4 weeks tomorrow..OMG..can you believe it. I must say, that this time around...I have had some bouts with homesickness, but nothing really to write home about to mom and complain.

These past four weeks have brought some of the craziest emotions out of me. The smells, the people, the food, the job...all have made me so much more culturally aware. This is not like the time I was living in Russia. This place is so modern, with 2 out of 3 people owning mobile phones. Their mobile phones look like something out of a sci-fi movie. They play videos, have mp3s built in, and you get to hear the song that rings when you are on the other end...quite amazing. Each person, it seems, has a MP3 player. These players are the top of the market right now, as they are so small...each person is competing for a different, better, and slimmer look.

The food..wow..what can you say about the food. Every meal that you get comes with around 4 or 5 side dishes that range anywhere from fish cakes to kimchi to, of course, rice. Koreans do love some spice. I am still trying to get over the bouts of bad stomach I have whenever I eat red stuff. Sometimes, I just bear with it, eat it and hope to god the burning sensation on my lips and in my mouth subside, as I drip with sweat. My favourite thing here, I must say is their fried chicken. I know I know..very very very bad for me, but, they make the best fried chicken in the world...now...that is something to write home about. I did see the other day for the first time...the silkworm larvae...and I found a really cool russian area of town and had some wonderful russian food!!!! yay!

The people. The people are absolutely amazing. I live in an area of Seoul that does not have many "foreigners", this making life much better for me. I don't have to sit and watch all the crazy canadians and of course, americans, walk by spreading their western ideology..it sometimes gets to be very annoying. Most asians do not know the meaning of "personal space", the space that we sometimes thinks gets invaded too much...well here, if it's open space, then it's their space. I have seen people get knocked over, trampled on and just plain out pushed out of the way because the korean was walking and the other person didn't move..bless his/her heart. Koreans are great people and it's always cool to see the little kids say..Hello and then giggle as they run away...because I do stick out..HELLO.

Living Arrangements. I live in a place called SUYU. It is a very large area on the northeastern side of Seoul. I live in Samsung Apartment Building, number 101, room 1701. I live with 2 other Americans. Beth is from St. Louis, she just got engaged and has about 4 more months remaining on her contract. Lyle is from Fargo, North Dakota, is gay and is a great guy. He has four more months remaining as well. It's cool because Beth's fiance loves the fact that she lives with 2 gay guys. There are 3 bedrooms, one bath, living area, and kitchen. Pretty big for korean standards. My room is about 7X10. I have a huge closet though. I am not complaining, although, I do sleep on a single bed and I have not done that in a long time....It is free, so what am I to say. We have a gas burner and a gas stove, so that is a good thing, as I do love to cook.

The job! This is the reason that I came to Korea...to teach english. I absolutely love it. I teach from 11:05 - 8:20 MWF and 3-7:20 Tuesday and 3 - 9 on Thursday. I teach everything from Kindergarten to Older high school students. I love my older classes, as they have a clear grasp of the English language. Kindergarten somtimes tries my last nerve, but they are really good kids that just want to play. I teach in what the koreans call a hagwan. This is an academy in addition to school. Classes are 40 mins each, with clear lesson plans for each lesson. These students..the older ones go to school at least 10 hours a day...it is huge competition to get into the university.

Everything has been wonderful this past month. I can't believe that I've actually been here a month. I know that this experience will go by so much faster now that the days seem to go so much faster and swifter.

I will do more of this now...that I've caught up! Hope all is well!

Much love!
Trebor

FINALLY...SEOUL!

2005-04-02T19:25:00.000-08:00

Well,

This is the time that I come to you and say that I love SEOUL, South Korea. I have been here now for a few days and it is absolutely fabulous.

The flights over were a bit crazy, but other than that, i will most definately write more later on when I have some time.

Trebor

In LOUISIANA!

2005-03-16T11:39:00.000-08:00

So, since my last post, so much has gone on!

1. I got my passport. After a journey across the District of Columbia, waiting in line with tons of illegal aliens, I finally got the passport that I deserved!!

2. I sold my bed, computer, tv, wall shelving unit, and drawer! I had to say ado to those things that have meant so much in my life...and I got paid for it!!!

3. I drove home to Louisiana to see my family and to bring my grandfather my car! I drove last night 10 hours to Birmingham, Alabama, then this morning, I got up to come home at 3:30am! It was such a long drive!

All these thoughts going through my head, all these crazy things going through my mind..I AM SO EXCITED!

Another post soon!
Much Love,
God Bless,

T

An Address...FINALLY!

2005-03-12T09:47:00.000-08:00

This will be my address in Korea. It is the School Address:

Trebor Cl. Yocum
Seoul, kangbuk-gu
Mia3-dong 202-2 JoongAng bldg 2nd floor
Republic of Korea

If you want to send packages, send them PRIORITY MAIL to this address (my friend):

Chad M. Casciani
DoDDS - Seoul American Elementary School
Unit 15549 Box 81
APO AP 96205-5549

KWOD:
Nice to meet you.
Manna boeeo ban gapseumnida. Mahna beh bahn gahp sum nee dah.

Much Love!
Trebor

The Saga Continues...Packing Up...

2005-03-11T16:51:00.000-08:00

Today was a bit of the same as last night. I went to the store, bought some boxes..and GOT BUSY!

I did not realize how much stuff I had. I did have a bit of a little passport drama though. I was supposed to get my passport tomorrow, but realized that I was not going to get it until Tuesday... I need that passport, to get a copy to the consulate for the visa stamp! So, had to call and listen to the 3rd symphony of Bach, just to find out, that they will call me on Monday so I can pick it up!

KWOD:
Hello (Answering telephone, Getting someone's attention) Yeoboseyo? Yaw boh seh yoh?

Hope all is well!

Trebor

2005-03-10T21:48:00.000-08:00

Trebor C

2005-03-10T21:42:00.000-08:00

This is where I'll Be Living!

Packing Up!

2005-03-10T21:28:00.000-08:00

OMG...I just talked to the school and I will be leaving here (DC) in two weeks. Do you know how much crap I have to get rid of, sell, etc..before I can begin to think about leaving my home. I have to also park my car in Louisiana, drive there, come back up here, get my visa, get on a plane, relax for 15 hours..in flight...Grant me some serenity! This is absolutely crazy, but, I did ask for it!

So, the school in which I will be working is: www.ybmecc.com. Check it out! If you can read Korean, please let me know!

I will start posting "KWOD" : Korean Words of the Day..so here is #1!!!
Hello/Good Morning/Good Afternoon/Good Evening/How are you?
Annyeonghaseyo? Ahn yawng hah seh yoh?

It is definately getting late, I will continue to update on address, phone number, etc..as I get it.

In the meantime..if you need me: 703-477-1275!

Much Love,
God Bless,
Trebor