A big thank you goes out to Daphne (and her boyfriend), Kate, Deanna, Patricia, and Hani (teachers from my school) for buying me two birthday cakes and surprising me at the restaurant/bar last night. That was amazing and you guys are amazing people... I'll miss you A LOT. Thanks also to Patrick, Jung, Chris and Adam for showing up... and a big thanks to Dawna for orchestrating this surprise. I was quite impressed... how do you plan a surprise party for someone you live and work with? When did you have the time?
In other news, Thailand tomorrow (after I work today... on, you know, the day I didn't get off.)
- Gilad
Sunday, July 27, 2008
Saturday, July 26, 2008
A Box of Love
No, not that kind of box.
With my 24th birthday looming around the corner and being here in Korea, I wasn't expecting much in the way of gifts. Not that I ever do, but you know, away from family and friends it's just a little more difficult.
Well, to my surprise, I walked into work yesterday and saw a box from a Bryson Parks. I lit up and it made my day. After opening the box, I found out that Drew and Chase were a part of it as well. Awesome.
What was inside the box?
1. An empty pizza box from our favourite/local/cheap pizza place in Waterloo. It's a shame the box was empty but after not seeing it for eleven months, it was still awesome.
2. A tub of protein powder. Awesome! I was running low and needed to pick some up anyways. Great timing.
3. A book of 500 smoothie and juice recipes. You guys know how I love my frozen dairy products.
4. A Spanish phrasebook for my future travels to South America. Really handy.
5. A Men's Health magazine. Not only will I learn how to improve my body more but I'll have tons of stuff to read whilst on the toilet! Seriously, I was running so low on material that I was starting to read the back of conditioner bottles. Too much information?
This was the best gift I could have asked from my best friends. Thanks guys. You rock!
And yes, Seinfeld.
- Gilad
Sunday, July 20, 2008
People, indeed, are awesome!
Thanks Chris for sharing this awesome video. I need to do something like this. Hmmm...
Where the Hell is Matt? (2008) from Matthew Harding on Vimeo.
- Gilad
Where the Hell is Matt? (2008) from Matthew Harding on Vimeo.
- Gilad
One Month
Dawna and I are one month removed from returning to Canada. That means we've been here for eleven months, and well, WOW! Only one more month left in Korea. Can't believe it!
- Gilad
- Gilad
Sweet Yukata
Mark, from Japan, recently sent me a sweet yukata, among other cool Japanese items. It's so... Japanese. Check it out!
- Gilad
- Gilad
Saturday, July 19, 2008
Lotte Giants and Sashimi
Last week, along with Patrick and Jung, I was able to head to Busan's Sajik Stadium to visit their beloved Lotte Giants host a baseball game against the Doosan Bears. Although our (Lotte Giants) team lost 3-2, it was a pretty crazy game to attend. The stadium was packed the fans were nuts at all times. Every player has their own song/chant that the whole stadium gets into. In fact, everything has a chant. When someone catches a foul ball, the whole stadium chants for the guy/girl to hand it over to a child. When the opposing team tries to pick off a runner on first, the chant has a designated chant for that as well. Lots of similarities to the game back home but lots of subtle differences as well. $7 gets you a ticket anywhere in the stadium... you decide where you sit. Rather than eating hot dogs, everyones snacking on gimbap (rice wrapped in seaweed... kinda like sushi) or fried chicken... and just like back home, there's tons of obnoxious, drunk guys acting like goofballs. Some former MLB players also play for these teams, but like you can imagine, that obviously means they're not MLB-leveled players anymore. One thing I found hilarious is that all the teams are named after big-name Korean companies. You have the Hyundai, Doosan, Kia, Lotte and other teams. All the teams are based out of a city... so Busan has the Lotte Giants. Rather than cheering for the name of their city (i.e. "BUSAN! BUSAN!") everyone cheers the name of the company... so you have tons of "LOTTE!" "LOTTE!" changs going on. Great marketing strategy!
Good times.
Sajik Stadium in Busan.
The scoreboard. That American flag you see represents their lone American player and same goes for the Mexican flag next to it.
Near the 8th inning, they handed out orange garbage bags for everyone to pump air into and put on their heads. I guess it serves three purposes. The first, you can support the home team by wearing their colours. Secondly, you can pick up all the trash around you after the game is over. And third, you can look like a giant douchebag.
The orange bags.
A stadium full of orange bag heads.
Cute little girl struggling with her bag.
Patrick, the douchebag.
One of the thousands of Lotte chants.
Another Lotte chant.
After the game was over, we headed over to the beach for some sashimi (raw fish). This experience never gets old. We head to a fish market where we scan over tons of tanks housing different kinds of live fish. We pick what we want, it gets slaughtered and gutted in front of us, and it's all ready to eat. One second it's alive, and the next it's being dipped into various hot sauces and being eaten raw. Delicious!
Assorted fish... and that dish in the top left corner is the live octopus that is still moving around after it's been killed.
Not really sure what this fish was called but it was delicious.
San Nakji... or live octopus.
mmm... sashimi!
- Gilad
Good times.
Sajik Stadium in Busan.
The scoreboard. That American flag you see represents their lone American player and same goes for the Mexican flag next to it.
Near the 8th inning, they handed out orange garbage bags for everyone to pump air into and put on their heads. I guess it serves three purposes. The first, you can support the home team by wearing their colours. Secondly, you can pick up all the trash around you after the game is over. And third, you can look like a giant douchebag.
The orange bags.
A stadium full of orange bag heads.
Cute little girl struggling with her bag.
Patrick, the douchebag.
One of the thousands of Lotte chants.
Another Lotte chant.
After the game was over, we headed over to the beach for some sashimi (raw fish). This experience never gets old. We head to a fish market where we scan over tons of tanks housing different kinds of live fish. We pick what we want, it gets slaughtered and gutted in front of us, and it's all ready to eat. One second it's alive, and the next it's being dipped into various hot sauces and being eaten raw. Delicious!
Assorted fish... and that dish in the top left corner is the live octopus that is still moving around after it's been killed.
Not really sure what this fish was called but it was delicious.
San Nakji... or live octopus.
mmm... sashimi!
- Gilad
Wednesday, July 16, 2008
They're SO damn good at English!
My kindergarteners just rocked that open class I wrote about earlier. They were all funny, cute, and smart.. they knew everything and knew it well. I just finished it up about 20 minutes ago and I'll be getting feedback later today. I hope my boss agrees that it went well... I'm excited to hear what she has to say. What a relief to be done! Now, in the batter's cage... DAWNA PACHKOWSKY (who doesn't quite have such well-behaved, cute and intelligent students).
- Gilad
- Gilad
Tuesday, July 15, 2008
The Kindy Open
So tomorrow comes the day where I put on my second open Kindergarten class. The students, their parents and my boss will all be in the class at the same time, watching me.. judging me... and I can't wait to get this over with. I've been practicing the same schtick with my students for a few weeks now. I will not pull any new punches in this class and everything I'll be doing is mainly review in one way or another. This past Friday, I practiced the whole routine with my kids and it went perfectly... it was flawless. I was confident I'd have the best open class ever. Then, yesterday, our practice was a disaster. The kids were hyper, unattentive and forgetful of things we've been doing for months now! That definitely scares me as I don't have anymore classes to practice with them and tomorrow is the day. Oh well... 30 minutes and it's all over. At times, I'm confident, and at other times, I'm frightened.
Also, I just got word yesterday that I'm getting a new kindergarten student in August. Although I only have ten working days left in August, it should be interesting to work with her. The head of the kindergarten department told me that this girl was a year younger than my students (who are already the youngest at our school) which means she was born in 2005. There's also a chance that she's the youngest student to ever attend our academy. So how old is she? I was also told that by western age, she is still technically two years old. When I was two years old, I definitely did not have a full command of the English language... I doubt she has a full command of her own native language too. Should definitely be an interesting way to wrap up my classes with the kindys! I'll have to post a picture of her when I meet her... just to show the world how tiny she is.
- Gilad
Also, I just got word yesterday that I'm getting a new kindergarten student in August. Although I only have ten working days left in August, it should be interesting to work with her. The head of the kindergarten department told me that this girl was a year younger than my students (who are already the youngest at our school) which means she was born in 2005. There's also a chance that she's the youngest student to ever attend our academy. So how old is she? I was also told that by western age, she is still technically two years old. When I was two years old, I definitely did not have a full command of the English language... I doubt she has a full command of her own native language too. Should definitely be an interesting way to wrap up my classes with the kindys! I'll have to post a picture of her when I meet her... just to show the world how tiny she is.
- Gilad
Friday, July 11, 2008
South Korean tourist fatally shot in North Korea
This is pretty crazy! As the article mentions, there are two tours that run to two separate areas of North Korea. We went on the OTHER trip... and I do remember when we stepped like an inch out of the boundaries, we were yelled at. Luckily, we weren't shot.
SEOUL, South Korea (CNN) -- A North Korean soldier on Friday shot and killed a South Korean woman at Mt. Keumgang, a popular mountain resort in the communist nation, a government official in the South said.
The 53-year-old woman was shot around 5:30 a.m., according to Kim Ho-nyun, a South Korean Unification Ministry spokesman.
"South Korea deeply regrets that such an incident has happened," Kim said.
The body has been taken to a hospital in the South.
The woman was believed to have been on a walk and went beyond the resort's boundaries when the North Korean soldiers were ordered to shoot, North Korean authorities said, according to Hyundai Asan, the South Korean tour company that books the trips.
The tours to the North have been suspended for the time being.
The resort is part of a tightly controlled and well-marked area along the east coast of the Korean peninsula and one of only two areas South Korean tourists are allowed to travel to in the North.
The South Korean government will conduct a full investigation into the incident and the North Korean authorities are expected to cooperate fully, according to Kim.
The incident occurred on the day South Korean President Lee Myung-bak proposed reopening stalled reconciliation talks with North Korea.
- Gilad
SEOUL, South Korea (CNN) -- A North Korean soldier on Friday shot and killed a South Korean woman at Mt. Keumgang, a popular mountain resort in the communist nation, a government official in the South said.
The 53-year-old woman was shot around 5:30 a.m., according to Kim Ho-nyun, a South Korean Unification Ministry spokesman.
"South Korea deeply regrets that such an incident has happened," Kim said.
The body has been taken to a hospital in the South.
The woman was believed to have been on a walk and went beyond the resort's boundaries when the North Korean soldiers were ordered to shoot, North Korean authorities said, according to Hyundai Asan, the South Korean tour company that books the trips.
The tours to the North have been suspended for the time being.
The resort is part of a tightly controlled and well-marked area along the east coast of the Korean peninsula and one of only two areas South Korean tourists are allowed to travel to in the North.
The South Korean government will conduct a full investigation into the incident and the North Korean authorities are expected to cooperate fully, according to Kim.
The incident occurred on the day South Korean President Lee Myung-bak proposed reopening stalled reconciliation talks with North Korea.
- Gilad
Tuesday, July 8, 2008
41 days and 40 nights
Looking back, I'm sometimes shocked to see how much time has passed. We arrived here in South Korea on August 25th, 2007 but at times, it still feels like yesterday when I was saying goodbye to mine and Dawna's families at Pearson Airport in Toronto. I've recently had the chance to flip through this blog and I've skimmed or read most of the posts dating back to last year and I'm astonished at the ups and downs we've gone through. I've got to say that we've experienced some of the most amazing highs over the last year (learning about the culture, making some cool friends, traveling to other countries, the puppies) and lots of lows as well. I'm especially proud of us for perservering through the last year. Dawna and I will readily admit that this has been the most challenging year of our lives. We've been praised and rewarded or discriminated and shot-down but either way, it's all helped us learn and grow. We were both tested in several different ways and whether or not we walked away from the experience with a good or bad thought about it, we both realize and understand that in whichever shape or form a challenge approached us, we overcame it and became better and stronger people as a result. So I'll pat myself on the back for that.
Where do I stand with 41 days and 40 nights between now and Canada? Well, we have an open kindergarten class coming up at the end of next week. For those who read our blog way back when in September, this is where we put on a kindergarten class with each child's mother (and/or father, sister, brother, grandparents, etc) and our boss sitting in the same room. When it goes well, it's incredible, but there's also many opportunities for the event to be a disaster. We can't really scold or punish the kids (not that we love doing it, but sometimes you have to) in front of their parents as each parent wants their child to look the best in the class. So what do we do if a child becomes disruptive? Well, we sit there, force the fakest smile possible, and in a calm and pleasant manner, ask the child to stop. If he/she doesn't, well then we're screwed. Some kids get nervous in front of their parents and completely forget how to talk... again... a disaster. It can also be nerve-wracking with so many eyes on you. Everyone reviewing, judging and observing the way you teach their child. Then again, I only have four students and they're all very well-behaved and intelligent for their age so I'm not very worried. Dawna, on the other hand, has eight students and from what she says, they're all tyrants... so she might have a little more trouble.
After that, however, we're mostly in the clear! We both look at this open class as our last big project at ECC. We're both trying our best to put on the best class possible and come away from this class with a positive outlook and experience. After that, we're putting on our last testing sessions for our children (which is VERY exciting) as I never have to evaluate another speaking test again. Sitting each child down, one by one, and having to be in charge of evalutating their speaking skills can not only be redundant each month (not my biggest complaint), but challenging as you REALLY have to pay attention to EVERYTHING the child does, and well, it's a lot of responsibility. So I'll be happy when that's said and done with. The day after we issue our last speaking test is our six-day trip to Thailand where Dawna and I plan on staying in a secluded area, away from the noise, and essentially debrief about the last year. Oh, and we also plan on coming back with great tans. This will be a nice and well-earned getaway.
We get back to South Korea on August 4th and that leaves us with 15 days before our flight back to Canada. This Thailand trip couldn't have come at a better time as it puts a 7-week stretch of working 5-days a week to an end and leaves us with barely any time until we come back home. We're very excited to return to Canada and it's not because we're excited to be leaving Korea, but it's that we're just happy to be returning to our country, friends, family and lives. We're very excited to be moving into our apartment in downtown Toronto, find full-time jobs and just get back into the flow of things. With regards to employent, I'm really looking into working for a non-profit/humanitarian organization, either focused around environmentalism, youth, traveling or anything else that sounds appealing. I'd also be willing to work in a media-related job if it interested me. It'd be great if I could find something that combined both areas. I'm setting a goal for myself to apply for a job a day until I come home. Whether or not this goal is realistic is yet to be seen, but it's day two and I just applied for my second job (not to count the 20+ jobs I've applied to over the last two months).
So that's where I stand. A little closer to the time I come back home, I want to put a more in-depth post where I review everything in more detail but that can wait.
So yea, there it is.
- Gilad
Where do I stand with 41 days and 40 nights between now and Canada? Well, we have an open kindergarten class coming up at the end of next week. For those who read our blog way back when in September, this is where we put on a kindergarten class with each child's mother (and/or father, sister, brother, grandparents, etc) and our boss sitting in the same room. When it goes well, it's incredible, but there's also many opportunities for the event to be a disaster. We can't really scold or punish the kids (not that we love doing it, but sometimes you have to) in front of their parents as each parent wants their child to look the best in the class. So what do we do if a child becomes disruptive? Well, we sit there, force the fakest smile possible, and in a calm and pleasant manner, ask the child to stop. If he/she doesn't, well then we're screwed. Some kids get nervous in front of their parents and completely forget how to talk... again... a disaster. It can also be nerve-wracking with so many eyes on you. Everyone reviewing, judging and observing the way you teach their child. Then again, I only have four students and they're all very well-behaved and intelligent for their age so I'm not very worried. Dawna, on the other hand, has eight students and from what she says, they're all tyrants... so she might have a little more trouble.
After that, however, we're mostly in the clear! We both look at this open class as our last big project at ECC. We're both trying our best to put on the best class possible and come away from this class with a positive outlook and experience. After that, we're putting on our last testing sessions for our children (which is VERY exciting) as I never have to evaluate another speaking test again. Sitting each child down, one by one, and having to be in charge of evalutating their speaking skills can not only be redundant each month (not my biggest complaint), but challenging as you REALLY have to pay attention to EVERYTHING the child does, and well, it's a lot of responsibility. So I'll be happy when that's said and done with. The day after we issue our last speaking test is our six-day trip to Thailand where Dawna and I plan on staying in a secluded area, away from the noise, and essentially debrief about the last year. Oh, and we also plan on coming back with great tans. This will be a nice and well-earned getaway.
We get back to South Korea on August 4th and that leaves us with 15 days before our flight back to Canada. This Thailand trip couldn't have come at a better time as it puts a 7-week stretch of working 5-days a week to an end and leaves us with barely any time until we come back home. We're very excited to return to Canada and it's not because we're excited to be leaving Korea, but it's that we're just happy to be returning to our country, friends, family and lives. We're very excited to be moving into our apartment in downtown Toronto, find full-time jobs and just get back into the flow of things. With regards to employent, I'm really looking into working for a non-profit/humanitarian organization, either focused around environmentalism, youth, traveling or anything else that sounds appealing. I'd also be willing to work in a media-related job if it interested me. It'd be great if I could find something that combined both areas. I'm setting a goal for myself to apply for a job a day until I come home. Whether or not this goal is realistic is yet to be seen, but it's day two and I just applied for my second job (not to count the 20+ jobs I've applied to over the last two months).
So that's where I stand. A little closer to the time I come back home, I want to put a more in-depth post where I review everything in more detail but that can wait.
So yea, there it is.
- Gilad
Saturday, July 5, 2008
Oh, the pretty view.
Check out that awesome view of Toronto. Isn't it beautiful? The best part of the picture? It was taken from the balcony of OUR NEW APARTMENT IN TORONTO! Oh yea, baby! We officially found a place to live for when we get back and it's right in the heart of downtown Toronto. Sherbourne will be the place to be come September.
We. Are. Pumped!
- Gilad
Thursday, July 3, 2008
Of Boredeom
So we're always measuring how long we've been here or how much time we have left by comparing with others. For example, "WOW, we've been here longer than Abbi was when we first got to Korea." Or.. "remember that time we went to Jinju? Yea.. Well that was 67 days ago... and we have 68 days left! CRAZY EH?" We usually come up with the most obscene ways of measuring how long we've been here, or again, measuring how much time we have left. "Wow. There's only six weeks left. We're where Alex was when she had six weeks left." For whatever reason, hitting that area where we only have five weeks left (next week) sounds like a milestone because we remember how Alex felt when she had five weeks left. Ironically, when we had seven weeks left, we never really said "WOW! We are where Alex (or Amy, or Abbi, or Mallessa) were when THEY HAD SEVEN WEEKS LEFT!" Why being left with six weeks is more impressive than being left with seven is beyond me... and for some reason, having five weeks left sounds more of a big deal than having four weeks left.
Anyways, it's ridiculous. We're bored sometimes and we're constantly finding ways to measure time in some way. All those ways of adding or subtracting time are completely and utterly stupid. I JUST discovered the ONE real and true way to measure how much time has actually passed by... and that's by doing the following:
LOOKING AT HOW MUCH MY HAIR HAS GROWN!
Ladies and gentlemen, Gilad Cohen, on September 2nd, 2007:
Gilad Cohen on July 3rd, 2008, 305 days later:
I know what you're thinking: "WOW! Amazing! SO MUCH time has passed by and I only truly know this by looking at how long Gilad's hair has grown."
Oh, and you're also probably thinking: "Sweet hair!"
Or even, "Where did that ass in his chin go?!"
- Gilad
(is so bored he doesn't know what to do with himself right now)
Anyways, it's ridiculous. We're bored sometimes and we're constantly finding ways to measure time in some way. All those ways of adding or subtracting time are completely and utterly stupid. I JUST discovered the ONE real and true way to measure how much time has actually passed by... and that's by doing the following:
LOOKING AT HOW MUCH MY HAIR HAS GROWN!
Ladies and gentlemen, Gilad Cohen, on September 2nd, 2007:
Gilad Cohen on July 3rd, 2008, 305 days later:
I know what you're thinking: "WOW! Amazing! SO MUCH time has passed by and I only truly know this by looking at how long Gilad's hair has grown."
Oh, and you're also probably thinking: "Sweet hair!"
Or even, "Where did that ass in his chin go?!"
- Gilad
(is so bored he doesn't know what to do with himself right now)
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