It's Korea Again

The Espresso Thief

2012-01-12T17:34:00.001-05:00

Please, let's keep the Academy Award comments at a minimum.

The Espresso Thief from Gilad Cohen on Vimeo.

- Gilad

Production

2012-01-04T13:30:00.002-05:00

12:47pm

1:05pm

1:18pm

1:20pm

- Gilad

Today, we lay a man to rest.

2011-12-27T20:12:00.002-05:00

Today the world lays to rest a man who overlooked a country during a massive famine. During a time when millions starved to death. We lay to rest a man who chose to build nuclear weapons than feed his people. A man who lived in excess while his people suffered. We lay to rest a man who oppressed his people. Who under his rule, imprisoned his own innocent people. Today, the world can say good riddance to a man who turned his own country into a prison where millions have died. A man who chose himself and not his country. Goodbye, Kim Jong-il. Bless the people of North Korea.

- Gilad

Presso. My new(est) love.

2011-12-27T18:04:00.003-05:00

Presso: Quick to make. Quicker to drink. Not a bad tagline I made there, huh?

Got this machine in Korea and haven't been able to properly use it until we finally moved back home in Toronto yesterday. Just having fun here.

Anyway, have at it.

- Gilad

Kim Jong-dead

2011-12-23T07:29:00.002-05:00

These are crazy times in Asia right now with the news that Kim Jong-il passed away. I left Korea a few hours after the news broke and even though I've been back in Canada for a handful of days now, I'm having the hardest time getting over my let lag which definitely affected my ability to write this piece. Anyways, read ahead."

So what the hell just happened in North Korea? You can cruise through the Internet and get everyone's take on it. Will the Koreas reunify? Did Kim Jong-il really die in his train? Are those people truly grieving? Why are they crying so much? What the hell happens next? From questions surrounding where North Korean leadership is heading to whether a blindfolded Kim Jong-il really bowled a perfect game of 300 using a Ping-Pong ball with both hands tied behind his back while at the same time inventing the Internet -- you can find a topic on the matter online. There are people with far more initials before their names than myself who are more credible to offer their opinions on what's going on right now but from what I gather, their opinions are all they've really got right now. The truth is, nobody knows what will happen next in North Korea. The country is so closed off from the rest of the world. If the world was the first Home Alone movie, North Korea would be the old neighbour with the shovel. The weird guy next door who stopped talking to everyone else. The guy who everyone found weird, started rumours about and always saw walking around with that weapon of his. What's the point of this? That South Korea is Macaulay Caulkin, America is Michael Jackson, and this whole situation is fucked.1

My last day of three months in South Korea was on Monday, December 19th. Since Dawna and I didn't have to be at the airport until 3pm, we sort of last second decided to head to the PSCORE office where we had been working on North Korean human rights issues since October. We got in at 11am and I caught a cryptic message on Twitter that North Korea was posed to make a "major announcement" at noon. I imagined something along the lines of "The Dear Leader, Kim Jong-il, has discovered how to fly and while up in the air, he invented the cure for cancer and from the goodness of his heart, solved world hunger". Out loud, I joked with my South and North Korean co-workers that they would announce the death of Kim Jong-il which of course was met with laughter. We sat there and guessed for the next forty five minutes what this announcement would be. Maybe they'll say something about stopping their nuclear program or that they've reached an agreement with the United States on food aid. Time passed and passed and passed while we waited. Right at noon, one of our North Korean co-workers heard the news, live as it was being announced by the North Koreans. Pause here.

A few years ago, we were celebrating Christmas with Dawna's family. We got Dawna's dad an iPod, which at this point in the story, was still sitting under the tree waiting to see the light of day. Not sure why or how, but somehow that wrapped up iPod ended up in the hands of Dawna's five year old niece. While we're all concerned with hunting down our own gifts to unwrap, we hear this five year old shriek: "OH MY GOD OH MY GOD OH MY GOD I GOT A NEW IPOD!"2 You know that sound, when a child is so over-joyously thrilled that they've finally gotten something they've wanted forever. When they're jumping up in the air, flailing their arms everywhere and wearing the largest smile on their face. The smile on their face that indicates, for a brief moment, that everything is perfect. This look and sound was genuinely reenacted when my North Korean co-worker, who by the way is a grown adult in a business suit, got the news that Kim Jong-il had passed away. Rarely in Korean society do you see a businessman act in such a manner and to see it all unfolding in front of me was something I will never forget.

I consider myself to be fortunate to have been in the presence of North Korean defectors as the news broke that their former Dear Leader, who for the most part was directly responsible for these North Koreans defecting in the first place, was no longer alive. It's not everyday you get to hang out with North Koreans and despite the fact that Kim Jong-il was born under a double rainbow and doesn't defecate like the rest of the world, he only gets to die once. Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanza, New Years, and their birthdays came early for these defectors this year as news broke that Kim Jong-il was no longer around. And despite the images on TV showing massive grieving in the North, I'm sure many of the Koreans living there secretly feel the same way too.

With North Korean defectors, we often overlook and forget to think that by leaving their country, they've in turn left their friends, in some cases families, communities, memories and lives. For one reason or another, and in most cases simply because of starvation, North Koreans decide to run away in search of food and something better. By leaving, they are considered traitors and are no longer able to return. If you've been away from home for a while, you're likely familiar with the feelings of being homesick. The familiar cuisine, your family and friends, your bed and shower and your routines. All of the North Koreans I've met are also homesick. Really, really homesick. They too, yearn to go back to their communities and get over their homesickness, but in their case, there's no way of getting over it. There's no going back. There's no reunion. There's no re-living the memories. At least not on North Korean soil. With Kim Jong-il dying, many North Koreans now feel more hopeful that within their lifetime, they'll be able to go back home.

Are these hopes realistic? Will the Koreas become more friendly or even reunify? Does Kim Jong-il’s death boost the odds? Like I said earlier, nobody really knows. For reunification to happen, all parties involved (i.e. South Korea, North Korea, China, etc.) need to want it to happen and the feeling I get is that nobody really wants it. For the Chinese, over 80% of North Korea’s foreign business comes from them. They wouldn’t want that to end. For the South Koreans, reunification (under their control) would cost too much. You’d basically have to take a (very poor) society and country currently constructed as if its 1950 and bring it 60 years into the future. This means training people on how to use things like the Internet, banking, vehicles or how to live in a capitalist society, as well as creating an infrastructure to support all of these things. Not to mention feeding millions of people who haven’t been able to eat properly in over a decade. This could cost trillions of dollars and for a society so hell bent on making as much money for themselves as possible, this doesn’t really make sense for South Korea. With North Korea, the leaders in charge are happy to be the leaders in charge and don’t appear willing to let go of that. Of course, there are many other factors, but the common denominator is a want for reunification to come and until all players get there, my opinion is that it will not happen.

Either way, Kim Jong-il’s death ushers in a new era. Whether or not this brings forward any positive change is unknown, but for the time being, North Korean defectors worldwide can rejoice and live knowing that at least temporarily, everything feels perfect.

1. This sentence is a definite affect of jet lag. In my head, North Korea is so obviously that old guy from Home Alone.
2. Trust me that taking away an iPod from a little kid is exponentially worse than taking candy from a baby.

- Gilad

Do Something About North Korea

2011-12-15T07:33:00.000-05:00

My latest video on the topic of North Korean human rights. Please take a few minutes to watch it and provide some feedback if you can. Thanks!

- Gilad

Happy Birthday

2011-12-07T03:20:00.000-05:00

Today is our co-worker’s mom’s birthday and I wanted to wish her a very happy birthday. A mother’s birthday is always a special event however this day in particular deserves some special recognition.

It is the sad reality that our co-worker (and friend)’s mom are apart for this day, and even in this time of technological innovation they cannot be connected, even by handwritten mail. This is because one lives in North Korea and the other in South Korea.

When speaking about issues in North Korea one often focuses on nuclear weapons or famine. How often do we think about the families that have been permanently separated due to an ongoing war and oppressive dictator? While we so often conclude that defection from North Korea is the best possible answer for most hunger stricken people, leaving your family, friends and entire life behind is a decision that cannot be reversed. Once you leave, you can never go back. Can you imagine being only a few short hours away from your loved ones with no opportunity for phone, internet or mail communication let alone a face to face meeting? We often take for granted not only the clothes we wear, the food we eat, and the homes we live in, but also the ease with which we can relate to one another. I cannot help but want to cry on this happy day for the sadness both sides of this family must feel. A birthday is meant for celebration, but for too many defectors it is a day for heartbreaking nostalgia.

While many North Korean defectors do appreciate the improved living conditions of South Korea, I know that many, or most, dream for the day when they can live fulfilled in their hometown in North Korea. It is for this reason (among others) that I hope we can keep working hard towards a reunified Korea.

- Dawna

How did I end up in South Korea for a third time?

2011-11-28T01:35:00.005-05:00

What am I doing in Korea for a third time? I'm middle-class. Young. Graduated from University. In debt. Surely, I must be here teaching English. To be described as I just was and be here doing anything else is clearly out of the question. While I am guilty of having lived here for a year between 2007-2008 and teaching English, it's quite different this time around. Yes, I'm still in debt and arguably incurring more. Although I've been here on my third round since this past September, the real reason I'm here again dates back to over three years ago.

Back in June 2008, I was presented with an opportunity to travel to North Korea. It was only a day trip, a little bit more expensive than I could afford and a tough sell when I was here with the intentions of saving money. I'm not sure whether this applies to me, my friends or just males in general but there comes a few times in life where bragging is absolutely important. You know, the "I just won $650 at that poker tournament" or "I just drank 5 litres of eggnog in a contest to win an iPad, vomited, lost but man, three people cheered me on and it was great!” I’ll be the first to admit that although I couldn’t financially justify a trip to North Korea at the time, bragging was (and usually is) of utmost importance and so if $250 was the price tag to show off, I was more than happy to be a customer. Heck, buy me two. I’ll bring Dawna along. Because really, who gets to say they went to North Korea?

A few weeks later Dawna and I took a five or six hour overnight bus from Masan to Seoul, slept in a PC room and before we knew it, we were on a bus to North Korea. I wrote a piece on this a few years ago so I’ll spare you the details of the whole process but what I will reiterate is an image I still have in my mind today. As we were sitting there in our bus I remember the sight of our South Korean military escort turning around and heading back south of the DMZ after having driven in front of us for the better part of the last hour. In what seemed like somewhere between 10 minutes and forever, we sat there, an entire bus silent, wondering what the heck was going to happen next. Why are we not moving? Where did the South Koreans go? Is this trip over? Why is nobody saying anything? Thought after thought crossed my mind and although a bus full of passengers sat quietly and waited, you just had to know that everyone on that bus was thinking the same thing. It’s like being at a grade 8 dance where the boys and girls stand awkwardly, each group on opposite sides of the gym, as K-Ci and Jojo’s “All My Life” plays in the background. Take that tension, remove the hormones, place it on a bus and drive that bus to the demilitarized zone of two countries at war since 1950. That’s what that felt like.

Without warning and in the distance, we saw a jeep driving towards us. Few moments in life happen in slow motion. For me, it’s my first kiss, proposing to my fiancée, seeing my friends and family at the airport after being gone for a long time, eating a perfectly grilled steak and this moment in the bus. You knew who was on that jeep ahead by the soviet style military uniform the passengers were wearing. You knew where they came from and if the goosebumps on my arms were any indication of the feeling during that exact moment, you knew that something cool and somewhat rare was taking place. I remember my thoughts at the time and how I must have felt just like Elliot from E.T. when he first saw that alien, because really, who gets to drive behind a jeep full of North Korean soldiers in you know, North Korea? Oh man, the things I’ll tell my friends. What’d you do today? Eat a grilled cheese? Go to work? Take a flight to Fiji? Unless you were on a rocket to the moon, I win, because I got to go to North Korea.

I’m glad to say that my first introduction to North Korea evolved beyond my ability to brag to everyone. Admittedly, I knew very little about North Korea before arriving there. I knew that it was a closed off society and something about nuclear weapons. I knew a little about the regime and the control it had over its people but to be completely honest, I didn’t know much more. But quite a few times throughout that short trip, I saw things that raised questions in my mind. Why do these roads look so wide? Why aren’t there any cars driving on these roads? Where is everyone? Why does everyone I see look so happy? Is everyone happy? People here do dress much more conservatively than they do in South Korea. Why is that? Why’s everyone wearing a pin of Kim Il Sung? What happens if they don’t wear one? Why are Kim Il Sung and Kim Jong Il the only authors for the books in this store? What is this place?

Upon returning to South Korea, I had to know exactly what North Korea was. What was going on over there and to what extent. Over the next three years, I spent a lot of time asking questions, reading, researching and meeting people who knew some answers: South Koreans, North Koreans, Canadians and others. While I will admit that it has not always been easy learning about what happens in the North, the most surprising thing after all these years is not the information I have come across, but my feeling that a larger part of the world has no clue that all this stuff is going on.

And so this is what brought me back to South Korea for a third time. To continue learning and asking questions. But also to teach others and reach out to that larger part of the world that is asleep to the hardships of day-to-day life in North Korea.

- Gilad

The A-Z of Korea

2011-11-14T03:41:00.004-05:00

A
Dawna: Ajummas and Ajushis = Ajummas are basically married women and ajushi's are married men. Just picture the smallest, fiercest women and men in hiking gear, with their hand on your back, literally pushing you out of the way in every instance of life.
Gilad: Yes, this is true. But there's so much more. Like being the only male, the only one under 50 and the only one without a perm at the gym. Being this guy, I constantly have to workout in the presence of ajummas who don't hesitate to take my towel off the bench I'm using while I get up to take a breather so they can sit down on it and watch TV for 30 minutes. On the only bench in the gym when there's chairs everywhere. But a simple one that comes to mind which is Ahhhhhhh. When a Korean finally grasps what it is you're trying to say, they let out that sound. Sometimes, it can be the most satisfying sound ever - especially after you've been trying to explain what "inside out" means for the last 45 minutes.

B
Gilad: Busan, the second largest city in South Korea, home to the famous beach and seafood restaurants. We used to live forty five minutes from here when we first taught English. On some days, I still prefer it to being in Seoul.
Dawna: Busan will always hold a very special place in our hearts. A true escape from our farm town city (yes cities of 400,000 here are considered farm towns), Busan is where we lived our youth to the fullest, partying all night at the Underground Nightclub, drinking makguli in a former war tunnel, and dining at one of the best sea food buffets ever. Busan, you were the dream bay we longed for.
Other: Bosintang (Dog meat soup). Business suits (Worn by everybody, everywhere, all the time.)

C
Dawna: Cass Beer = The rival to Hite Beer. Both are cheap and terrible tasting. Which is the lesser of two evils is still to be determined.
Gilad: Dawna nailed it here. They could market these beers as the only ones that make you consider chilling your own urine for consumption. However, these beers do have their place in the world and thats alongside Korean BBQ. To me though, Customs is another more prominent word that jumps out at me. As in, Koreans have customs for everything. Being a culture deep in respect for older people, teachers, bosses, etc, you find that there's certain things you have to do that you wouldn't need to do back home in Toronto. You hand over money with two hands (or with one hand holding the money, and the other holding the wrist of the arm holding the cash). Same principle when pouring someone drinks, serving someone food, etc.
Other: Coffee Shops (extravagant and plentiful), Chopsticks (made out of silverware material, unique to Korea)

D
Gilad: Democracy. 100+ years ago, the separate Koreas were just Korea, as in one nation. Around that time, the Japanese took over and somewhat made attempts to colonize Korea. End of World War 2, the Japanese lose and hand over control of Korea to the Russians (who took the northern half) and the Americans (who took the southern half). I spent a day in North Korea in 2008 and after coming back to South Korea right after, it seemed like (in comparison) I was in the most democratic, open-society on Earth. Unfortunately, the same can't be said about the North.
Dawna: For me, I think of Dunkin Donuts (most likely because I am called donut instead of Dawna most days) = What is considered a truck stop in Canada is a popular/trendy hangout spot in Korea. The other is Dogs which in Seoul are models, and the sidewalks are their runways. Seeing a dog without an outfit or its hair dyed or braided is a rare occurrence indeed.
Gilad: Dogs everywhere outside of Seoul? Dinner. Joking.
Other: Ddukbokki (rice-cake sticks smothered in red chill paste)

E
Gilad: E-mart. Need clothes? Go to E-mart. Need groceries? Go to E-mart. Need a haircut? Or a prescription? A veterinarian? Sporting goods? The meaning to life? Go to E-mart.
Dawna: Gilad you forgot the most important thing that E-mart has to offer! Free dinner! Grab a toothpick, sample, and run! This is our motto.

F
Dawna: Fried Chicken = The equivalent to our pizza and hamburgers. When people here say the chicken is spicy, they mean it!
Gilad: Flashing lights. Every building seems to be protected by an armour of flashing lights and signs. Everywhere! I once heard that my apartment here won't have heating in the winter because the bills come to be too expensive so the building shuts the ability to use heating off. But oh, God forbid we turn off any of the bright lights outside in the winter. Priorities, people!

G
Gilad: Have to go with Gimbap on this one. A poor man's sushi, it's basically rice (with tuna, processed cheese or an assortment of fermented/pickled vegetables) wrapped in seaweed and cut into pieces… just like sushi. You can pick them up pre-made at any convenience store (it's their version of hot dogs or taquitos!). For 1000won ($1) you can't go wrong! The ingredients inside are always cooked and never raw because gimbap was originally made to be packed up and eaten later on the go.
Dawna: Well the only time you can go wrong is if you get one of those really fishy tuna gimbaps. My first thought for G is Gochujang = red pepper paste. If kimchi is the staple food for the people then gochujang is the staple ingredient for the food! I love the sight of the big mats on the ground filled with drying red peppers - not only is it beautiful but it makes me think about what I will be eating next! (as it will inevitably include the red pepper paste).

H
Dawna: High heels – Going to work? To school? To the beach? To hike a mountain? Don’t forget to wear your heels! Also, Hiking – no Korean is a true Korean unless they LOVE to hike mountains. The only country where hiking a mountain will bring you less peace and quiet.
Gilad: Great ones. Just want to add that hiking is done here solely for the purposes for getting to the top and getting drunk. Honestly, people who hike here have special utility belts made just for carrying alcohol. One that comes to mind is Hagwon or private school in English. Whereas in Canada most kids go to school, come home and hang out with their friends, Korean students have it much different. Basically from the time that they're even able to go to school, they go to normal school, followed by a number of Hagwons throughout the day. For example, school, then an English Hagwon, followed by a math Hagwon, followed by some Tae Kwon Do, then a piano hagwon before finishing their day at 10pm. You then go home, do your homework, go to bed and repeat. Schooling is crazy in Korea which leads to a number of pressures which I can blog about on another day.

I
Gilad: Internet. South Korea brags that it has the fastest Internet in the world. And I can admit to this. Even though I'm stealing wifi off someone else, downloading 33GB (oops) of all Sopranos seasons in a few hours is something worth bragging about.
Dawna: Itaewon is the place where foreigners go to be foreign. Don't quote me on this, but I'm pretty sure the area was founded by American soldiers stationed here. So when you go there, you come across a lot of American soldiers. Not that there's anything wrong with that. But what does feel wrong is that you can get anything you want there, you somehow end up losing your soul in the process.

J
Dawna: Jim Jil Bangs (public bath houses) – basically the greatest creation in history. Started long ago when houses weren’t equipped with bathing facilities, men and women (separately) would gather in an area and wash themselves (and each other). This became a time to socialize and relax. Today you have an area to soak in different mineral pools and saunas, and then another area to relax, watch tv, eat, lay in heated or cooled mineral rooms, workout etc.
Gilad: Always a pleasure to go to one of these where I'm usually the only foreigner there. Also not sure where it happens, but my face seems to trade places with my crotch at some point before I take all my clothes off. Awkward when they're always looking at me in the eye. In any case, I got over that and it's awesome.

K
Dawna: Kimchi = the Korean staple food. Fermented cabbage smothered in gochujang, garlic and other spices. Imagine it as the Korean version of a pickle. Smelly but delicious. You can eat it with anything and most Koreans do. Rice. Seafood. Cake. You name it.
Gilad: Kimchi is obviously the #1. I'd have to say that the #2 is the Kims (i.e. the ones of the North). Kim Il-Sung, the Eternal President of North Korea (has been dead for over 15 years and is still the President!) is revered like a God in the North (or so it seems). Largely responsible for steering his country into its current famine and hunger crisis. His son, Kim Jong-Il (the current de-facto leader), as if in a contest with his father to see who could bring upon even more suffering and shit to the people of the North seems to be winning. If North Korea was a mess before, it's even worse off now. But I digress.

L
Dawna: Love Motels = These motels are ALL OVER Korea and are basically designed for short term visits (if you get our drift). You can rent the rooms by the night, but only after the morning/lunch/evening rush has died down. Rooms are equipped with EVERYTHING you need for a successful visit (do we need to spell it out for you?!)
Gilad: Yes, we do need to spell it out for them. Each room comes equipped with shampoo, conditioner, body wash, towels, etc. Okay, normal. But they're not called Love Motels for nothing. They also come with condoms. Some replace walls with mirrors, and I mean every inch of wall (including the ceiling). Others have vibrating beds because heck, if you're feeling lazy, it doesn't mean you shouldn't procreate. A staple for young couples wanting to hide from their parents or cheating spouses wanting to hide from the rest of the world, some love motels have private parking garages for EACH ROOM (so there's no lobby where you can get spotted in) and a machine that accepts cash/credit built into your door (so you don't actually have to pay a real human being). Apparently there's a sensor when you leave to let the cleaners know it's time to get things in order before the next couple comes in. Of course, we've heard about this from others and not from personal experience.

M
Dawna: Matching Outfits = Who doesn’t want to wear THE EXACT same outfit as their boyfriend, girlfriend, husband, wife, mother, father, pets, etc. Korea essentially does the “I’m with him/her t-shirt,” but for real.
Gilad: With matching outfits, couples match everything from head to toe. Baseball caps, sunglasses, shirt, jacket, pants, belt, shoes, laces. A personal favourite of mine, though, is Makgulli. A fermented rice wine (looks like milk), it tastes like a combination of beer and milk, but for some reason, I love it. Makes for the worst hangovers of your life though.
Other: Mountains (everywhere in Korea), Mekju (Korean for beer)

N
Dawna: Noraebang (singing/karaoke room) = A place to sing your heart out in a private room. I have yet to hear a Korean NOT sing in the most perfect voice of life.
Gilad: Nakji, or small octopus, is a delicacy in South Korea. The way I've seen it eaten is called sannakji which consists of taking a live nakji, cutting into pieces and seasoning it with sesame oil and sesame. Even though it's cut up and dead, a lot of people still refer to the dish as "live octopus" as the little pieces still wiggle around for several minutes. Even the tentacles still work and stick to your chopsticks.

O
Gilad: Omija Cha is a tea often served in one of Korea's traditional tea houses. In Korean it basically translates to Five Flavour Tea and it gets that name because the tea has five distinct flavours: sweet, sour, salty, bitter and pungent. You can get this tea served hot or cold and it's the best. thing. ever.
Dawna: Old Boy - The first Korean and probably best (all around) film I have ever seen. Watch it as soon as you can. You don't know what you are missing.

P
Dawna: People. They are everywhere! Like literally. Name a place in Korea. Right now, do it! I bet you there is someone there! No but literally, this country is 70% mountains, has a population of 48,875,000 and can fit into Canada 99.66 times! In the biggest city, Seoul, there seems never to be a silent coffee shop, restaurant or street. It really is an adjustment coming from a country that just has so much space.
Gilad: There are a lot of people here. And they're all beautiful. So you stop and ask yourself, "why?" Well, that's because Korea has the highest rate of cosmetic plastic surgery in the world. Digging around on Google tells me that half of the female population has had some work done. Everything from getting their eyelids and noses to, well, you know. A crazy fact (after more Googling) is that 76% (!) of Korean women in their 20s and 30s have undergone plastic surgery (most of them were epicanthoplasty or the "double-eyelid surgery")

Q
Gilad: I'll start off by saying there aren't a lot of words that start with Q that I can think of off the top of my head. So, let's go with Quizzes. I would estimate that the average Korean has to write over 500 trillion quizzes or tests in their lifetime. For more information, refer to Hagwon up above.
Dawna: Ya, this one has me stumped. Quiet? No. Quirky? Perhaps, but no more than any other people. Let's stick to quizzes here.

R
Gilad: This one is much easier than Q. For example, you can wake up rate one afternoon and get inside your Rexus and drive to the ribrary where you can rook at some books. You can really rearn about anything from those books. For example, you can rearn about rramas, rions, or even rizards. If you get bored, you can call your friends and organize a game of raser tag, which is in the building to the reft of the porice station. It's rearry, rearry fun.
Dawna: And as one of Gilad's favourite jokes go, as a working democracy, Koreans, in 2012 will have a big erection to vote in a President.

S
Dawna: Samgyeopsal = thin slices of meat grilled on a bbq with an array of delicious side dishes, shared in a group, often accompanied by Soju. Pretty much is the BEST THING EVER.
Gilad: So Soju = Korean alcohol. Imagine a Korean version of Japanese sake that tastes like a sweeter, watered down vodka. For $1, you really can't go wrong. Especially if you're a businessman in his 50s-60s, on a Wednesday, passed out (literally) on the road after six of these at 7:30pm.

T
Dawna: Teacha teach! While I love love love Korea, often I wake up, panicked and sweaty from a recurring nightmare where I am running away from thousands of young, screaming, snotty nosed children. Suddenly I come to a cliff. Do I jump, or do I teach? I jump.
Gilad: …. anyway. Couldn't find more recent statistics but there were 17,000+ teachers teaching in South Korea on legal work permits. I'd bump that number higher as I think teaching has grown more popular since 2007 as well as all the people here teaching illegally (i.e. without work permits). From what I've heard, foreign teachers make more money than the average Korean, usually don't have to pay rent in their apartments, get free return flights and usually get paid 13 months worth of salary for 12 months of work. It's a great way to make money, pay off your debts and have fun. Interestingly, I heard recently that when foreigners first started working here as teachers, Koreans viewed the foreigners as intelligent and well-mannered people. As the number of teachers have grown (and as a majority of those teachers are fresh out of University party mode and ready to enter Korean party mode), Koreans are starting to catch on that some of the foreigners aren't necessarily here for their smarts. But I digress…
Other: Trains (more specifically, the Korea Train eXpress or KTX which can reach speeds of 350km/hr… very convenient for getting around).

U
Dawna: Umbrellas. In Korea, umbrellas aren't meant just for a rainy day, but for sunny days too (to protect from the sun). While we are desperately trying to be tanned and beautiful (at the risk of cancer), Koreans are desperately trying to be white and beautiful (by bleaching their face!). Pressures to be beautiful exist all around the world, in many different forms, and they all seem just as demented if you ask me. Wow I think I just went off topic there. Anyways, on a rainy day or a sunny day, umbrellas are used, in full force. It can really be a game of life and death while walking past an army of umbrellas with sharp spikes in a contained space.
Gilad: I would say that for me, it's unbelievable how South Korea is in the state that is is in today. In the 60s, South Korea had a lower GDP than Ghana and today ranks as one of the richest countries in the world. All within a working generation. And it is not easing up. When I compare today's Korea against the one I lived in three years ago, I can see so much more development. I'm not going to do a lot of research on it right now but I think that for the first time in my life, I may be returning to Canada from a place more developed and economically sound.

V
Gilad: "Asians can't handle their drink" - stereotype or fact? Not really sure. In a culture where drinking can (or must?) be part of everyday life (i.e. to cope with working impossible hours or to show respect to your boss who keeps pouring you booze), I've seen Koreans put away a lot of alcohol. But the vomit I come across outside, in the park, in the elevator, in the hallways or washrooms makes me wonder whether that stereotype has some semblance of truth to it.
Dawna: V is a hard one. I could be reaching here, but I guess I would say vain? I am by no means saying that Koreans are generally vain, but the constant need to stare into a mirror, fix their hair and makeup, I think could give the impression to an outsider that Korean women (and men!) appear to be vain.

W
Gilad: Waiters and Waitresses in Korea are the best. First off, you don't ever, ever have to tip them. Secondly, you don't need to try and make eye contact with them to get their attention that you want more water or one of your many side dishes refilled for the 7th time. You just have to press a button on the table and they're there, ready to serve you within seconds. And from my experience, if your table doesn't have a button, it's perfectly normal to yell at them across the restaurant to get their attention. Seriously the best.
Dawna: Winter Butterfly - Not only is this one of the best Korean movies (in addition to Old Boy) that I have seen, but it is a POWERFUL representation of the situation in North Korea. I can't talk about it too much without emotion, even now, as it has deeply affected me, but please, read the description, and if you can track this movie down, WATCH IT.

X
Gilad: Is Korea xenophobic? Well, for a long time they were considered the "Hermit Kingdom" as they refused to deal with the rest of the outside world. However, I think they're getting better with time although there still seems to be a certain fear or dislike of people from other countries. You see, Korean culture is rich. The history is deep and old. The traditions and customs have been followed for thousands of years. The Korean bloodline is pure and in many places you still hear about people refusing to marry non-Koreans for fear of tainting the bloodline. I can understand that. But at the same time, Koreans throughout history, have been pretty good at adapting to other cultures. It's believed that they inherited their confucian traditions from the Chinese. After the Japanese occupation, the North adapted to the Soviet, communist way while the South adapted seamlessly to the Western, democratic way. At the same time, Korean traditions (in both the North and South) continue to thrive through those adaptations and I think part of ensuring it continues to do so is by maintaining a sense of xenophobia.
Dawna: Xenophopic? Really? I for sure would have thought you would say xylophone. Koreans love xylophones! Ok you caught me. I have got nothing. Xenophobia is hard to beat.

Y
Gilad: Years, as in how many of them you've lived for, is a big deal in Korea. If someone is even a year younger than you, it may be taboo to hang out with them. You respect everyone who's older than you and refer to them as older brother (hyoungnim) or older sister. Age determines everything here. Four cars are stopped at the exact same time at a four way stop without a traffic light? Look around, figure out who's the oldest and let them go first. Also, in Korea, you're born at the age of 1 (not 0 like in most of the world). You automatically become another year older on New Years. So the reality is if you're born on December 31st, 2010, you'll already be 2 on the second day of your life.

Z
Gilad and Dawna: Zero as in how many words we can come up with that relate to Korea and the letter Z.

We are in the Newspaper!

2011-11-13T08:08:00.001-05:00

From the November 9th, 2011 edition of the Korean Herald:

This is part one in a two-part series about how PSCORE helps North Korean defectors. Read next week’s Sharing page for a look into the lives of defectors in South Korea. ― Ed.

Outside of the Korean Peninsula ― and often within it ― North Korea receives little attention aside from the provocative, sometimes deadly behavior of its government and military.

Less thought of are the oppressed people within North Korea and their troubles often remain overlooked even if they make the dangerous journey out.
Founded in 2006, People for a Successful Corean Reunification, or PSCORE, works to help them through its offices in Seoul and Washington, D.C. For those in the South, they provide volunteers who help defectors learn English and acclimatize to a very different society. For those elsewhere, including the North, they host campaigns and events to bring attention to the human rights abuses of the Kim regime.

Nam Bada serves as PSCORE’s secretary general, having switched careers about two years ago to fulfill his commitment to human rights and the unification of Korea.

“I was a normal businessman for 10 years,” he said. “The salary is quite different from before, but I’m happy.”

In addition to it being satisfying to help North Koreans, Nam believes it is necessary work, because he views reunification as inevitable. Furthermore, despite polling data that shows South Koreans, particularly young ones, having doubts about the benefits of reunification, Nam believes it is what the majority of people on both sides of the DMZ want.

“(The media) is talking only about cost,” he said. “If they really know the benefits they will support unification.”

Volunteers and defectors are able to set their own schedules when they will meet. Usually the volunteers will teach English, but since many of the defectors are students the subjects may include math, computers or any other they’d like help with. Since North Koreans are not exposed to any English in their own countries and South Korean society has incorporated numerous English words into its lexicon, defectors can be lost even when talking to Koreans.

“When they come to South Korea, they really need to know English,” said Nam. “They cannot live without English in this society.”

Currently PSCORE is helping about 60 defectors through one-on-one tutoring, and a few dozen more through its special Wednesday class. More defectors, Nam said, are waiting for a volunteer tutor.

Making connections

Austin Mettetal, 22, of California, was until March studying in Japan as an exchange student. Those plans were disrupted by Japan’s catastrophic March 11 earthquake and subsequent nuclear disaster, which occurred while he was out of the country and has prevented him from returning.

It was an abrupt turn of events ― Mettetal still has money in a Japanese bank he hasn’t been able to withdraw ― but it may have been a positive one, at least for him: Mettetal is now at Yonsei University, and planning to stay here at least until he graduates.

He also spends 90 minutes a week volunteering to teach English to PSCORE students, sharing stories and making friends he has kept even after he is no longer their teacher.

“North Koreans, they’re almost more humble,” he said. “They don’t take things for granted.

“A lot of North Koreans, their stories are kept within North Korea, so when these connections are made it carries over.”

And it has helped give Mettetal, a cultural anthropology major, a better idea of what he wants to do after graduation.

“For my senior thesis I will do research on (North Koreans’) lives,” he said. “I may get a job in humanitarian issues. I would love to work in Korea, I would love to work with Koreans ... any way I could apply myself to this issue.”

Nam said that PSCORE makes use of hundreds of volunteers, several dozen of whom teach. The organization has a staff of just four, though, plus six interns.

Two of the interns are Canadians Gilad and Dawna, who asked that their last names not be used due to plans they have to travel to the North in the near future. Their interest in participating stems from an earlier trip there in 2008.

“We looked outside and got to see a lot of day-to-day North Korean life,” Gilad said. “That kind of sparked an interest.”

After returning to their home country, the two began searching for ways to become involved in helping North Koreans and bringing attention to human rights abuses. After learning about PSCORE, the two quit their jobs in Toronto to volunteer with the organization, where they’ve been working for about a month and a half.

Gilad helps by promoting the cause through social media, including making videos that have been used in the group’s campaigns. Dawna’s tasks include helping with translation but also event planning, including a holiday event scheduled on the afternoon of Dec. 17 at Tool Cafe in Hongdae.

The event, whose details are still under development, will include games, food, gifts and opportunities for foreigners, South Koreans and defectors to meet. The event will help raise funds for the cause, Dawna said, but is “more a way to celebrate holidays with PSCORE and create a new sort of family.”

Gilad and Dawna will have to return to Canada just after the party takes place. However, thanks to their connections with PSCORE and NGOs in Canada, they expect helping North Koreans to be a lifelong mission.

“North Korea is in terms of human rights a terrible place, and I am continually surprised at how little South Koreans know, and my friends back home,” he said. “Our whole reason for being here is to get people to realize that and make them aware that there are ways to help.”

PSCORE has accounts on Facebook, Twitter and YouTube, which it updates to keep followers informed of news about the North Korean regime and how its people can be aided.

PSCORE is currently looking for volunteers who can help with teaching, but also through tasks such as translation and grant writing. It is seeking interns in both Seoul and Washington, and more may be learned at pscore.org.

To make a financial contribution, visit pscore.org/donation.

By Rob York (rjamesyork@heraldm.com)

Happy Birthday, Dawna

2011-11-07T08:57:00.001-05:00

- Gilad

To Cats, Kimchi and Life

2011-10-21T23:53:00.002-04:00

While Gilad and I are trying to keep up with all the events of Korean life, it can be difficult sometimes to stay on top of social media postings (well maybe it just is for me). There are many things that happen on a day to day basis that we just don't get a chance to share. Like how our friend at work, who speaks minimal English but loves to say what she knows, now calls me Dunkin Dawna - like Dunkin Donut - get it? Or how Gilad has become the go-to guy aka technological master for all computer related projects with PSCORE. We haven't yet discussed the fascinating (and strange) world of Love Motels, nor did we mention the stray dog with the painted on eyebrows.

Life in Korea, on a normal day, can be very interesting (and sometimes strange). On a special day, as a foreigner, you can never really predict what you may get. In the next few paragraphs you are going to get a small slice of our life in Korea over the past few days.

Cats:

Who doesn't love cats? Ok, Gilad, for one, HATES them, but that is besides the point. I love cats, and thankfully so does a friend from work. Why thankfully you ask? Because on a day when things were starting to go awry due to some major communication issues, we stumbled upon this glorious cat haven. A cat cafe to be exact. A place where you can bring your cat, or just yourself, and enjoy a clean and bright cat-dom. There is a dog equivalent to one of these, that I briefly visited, but it wasn't quite as nice and I was alone and felt creepy just staring at other people's dogs. It is so much better to be creepy alongside another. I digress, in any case, check out a few of the pictures that show the scenery you might enjoy while drinking a delicious latte.

You have big, small, fluffy, smooshed faces and the token kitty shirt. On the downside of it all, the cats were all super mellow - and I am unsure if whether they had been sedated or not.

Kimchi:

This post isn't really about kimchi per-say, although anyone who has experienced Korean culture understands that this is the foundation to the country (exaggeration? I think not). Therefore, for the past three weeks, our meals have consisted of Kimchi + (insert dish here) - three times a day.

A while back our friend posed this on fb:

Dinner...for one. Sigh.

Bryson's Dinner.

I would like to rival you sir, with a dinner for one, Korean style.

My Dinner.

Close Up.

On our front left we have the poor man's food of ramien (instant noodles) and on our front right, a tupperware of assorted kimchi. To our back left we have a $4 Korean bottle of wine and on our back right a candle to help fight the pungent odor of the fermented cabbage (aka kimchi). Note the use of wooden chopstick and the lack of table (or even floor mats).

On a brighter note - the kimchi was made by a woman at work who makes fantastic potato, mushroom and radish kimchi (North Korean style). It is real, and it is spectacular.

Life:

If there is one thing Koreans love to do, it is eat kimchi, laugh with their hands covering their mouths, and clap (ok so that is more than one and slightly stereotypical). Anywhoo, what could be better for a baby that has just turned 1 year than to have live entertainment (similar to being on the set of a game show) and a buffet? Nothing, that's what. We didn't get a good video as we were too into what was happening before us, but alas here is a small taste of a baby's first birthday party (every child celebrates their 1 year mark in this or a similar way).

Side-note 1 - as you can see in the video, our friend Jung was greatly admiring a raquet. We won that for being from the furthest place wooo! Most people had to earn their prize with a dance, we thank god were spared that torture.

Side-note 2 - a funny little game that they play is that they place a mallet, a money bill, a pencil, and a microphone in front of the child. The mallet = judge, money = accountant, pencil = scholar, and microphone = entertainer. (am I missing one?) Everyone places their guess as to which item the baby will pick up. Whichever one the baby chooses, those that guess right get a prize. This is to symbolize what the child will be when he or she is older.

Finally - in breaking news, I have just been informed (by Gilad) that I am not actually turning 27, but rather 26! This means that I am currently 25 and not 26 like I have believed for who knows how long now. It feels good to gain a year of your life back :) Although, it may appear early signs of dementia are setting in.

- Dawna

Our Seoul Apartment

2011-10-17T07:03:00.004-04:00

Dear MTV,

I am writing to express my interest in having my apartment featured on an episode of your hit television show, Cribs. I honestly feel that my apartment not only has the size, but the pizazz and contents to compete with other properties featured on your show such as that of Ja Rule's, Ludacris or even Mariah Carey.

I would appreciate if you could take the time to consider the following video.

Thank you so much for your time and I eagerly await your response.

Sincerely,

Gilad Cohen

How to get out of a subway station in Seoul

2011-10-06T00:38:00.002-04:00

South Korean subway stations are underground. VERY underground. Please have a look:

Getting out of the train. WHICH, by the way, has full service and a handful of wifi networks to connect to. You know, a million feet underground.

From It's Korea Again

About to conquer the first set of stairs.

From It's Korea Again

Not bad. Onto the second set of stairs.

From It's Korea Again

Third set. Let's do this!

From It's Korea Again

My workout last night was easier than this. Fourth set of stairs.

From It's Korea Again

Fifth set of stairs. Labouring.

From It's Korea Again

Sixth and final set of stairs. Unfortunately the camera doesn't capture the confused Koreans wondering what the hell is going on behind us.

From It's Korea Again

Is Gilad going to make it?

From It's Korea Again

See, the art in all of this is the suspense. You never know if I made it.

From It's Korea Again

Anyway, we counted a total of 199(!!!!!) stairs at this particular station. If war were to break out, I know where I'm going.

- Gilad

The Quintessential Korean Dog

2011-10-03T03:18:00.001-04:00

Not to gendercast, but the best part is that it's a male dog. And that there are so many other dogs out there just like him.

- Gilad

Breath Terrorism

2011-10-03T00:49:00.001-04:00

Well, it's been a few years since having the whole foggy makgulli experience. Dawna and I found a place nearby that does the whole thing and so, ladies and gentlemen, the makgulli experience.

The best way to start this (or anything else in life, really) is by getting something for free. In this case, it's two fried eggs. Only Korea makes you feel special for two free fried eggs.

Next up, the makgulli. Not quite sure what it's made of but I suspect it's some sort of fermented rice juice. Some say its disgusting. Others claim it tastes like beer and milk. I'm convinced it's the greatest beverage ever created.

Next up, pajeon. It's a sort of non-sweet pancake mixed up with veggies and octopus. You can get other variations with kimchi (kimchijeon) or potato (pajeon). Either way, oh mama!

And lastly, no culinary Korean experience is ever complete without kimchi. Definitely an item that takes most palettes a few tries to finally enjoy, it's a fermented/pickled cabbage smothered in chili paste (gochujang), garlic (tons of it), fish sauce and other delicious things. Most agree it smells bad but that doesn't stop me from exposing it for what it really is: the greatest use of vegetable on the planet.

Back in 2008, Dawna and I would convince everyone we knew to frequent this kind of pub/restaurant at least once a week. It took us a year to realize that it was mostly us who liked it and that our friends were being good friends by tagging along. Oh, we have such great friends.

Your breath will take a week to recover, but definitely a great experience (at least for us).

- Gilad

First blog post from Korea round 2

2011-09-30T01:34:00.001-04:00

So who would have thought that I, Dawna, would beat Gilad to putting up a blog post? As most of you know, expressing myself through social media is not my forte. However, as it is 4am and I am jet lagged and having trouble sharing our single bed I am just going to go for it.

So, we are here, living in South Korea for a second time, visiting for a third. How we managed to make this happen, so quickly, blows my mind. Poor Gilad wanted to come home from Israel and enjoy Toronto for at least a few months, not pack his bags and jet off again for another potential six month journey. However, what happens when you go home and you have nothing to do? No job, no school, no real responsibilities to keep you going? You celebrate! At first.... Then, while waking up and doing activities- like going to the gym, gardening etc.- are still very enjoyable, you do start to question your motivations in life. Like, what am I doing to help my career focus, how am I contributing to society, or even simply, how am I going to afford to eat this month? These are the forces that drove us to start pursuing our actual goals. Getting a job is pretty important, but working with your passion in a way that sustains you mentally, physically and emotionally, for me, is the most important.

Gilad for many years now has had an insatiable appetite for all things North Korean. Learning about this country in relation to it's neighbor, and once family, South Korea, has occupied much of his time. It is through him that I also have developed a passion to learn about and discuss the past and current events of a country so often over looked. Too often North Korea is categorized as a corrupt, poor and nuclear crazy country. However, it is so much more. There are real people with real stories that rarely get to be heard. There is art, and life and love that goes completely unnoticed. It is our hope that these next few months will give rise to a pursuit of knowledge that will not only create awareness of critical issues but that will also bring forth a feeling of human connection to our North Korean brother and sisters around the world.

- Dawna

The North Koreans

2011-09-20T17:21:00.001-04:00

Okay so meeting North Koreans was... awesome! You learn so much from books or documentaries about the mess that is going on over there... the famine, brain-washing, labour camps, the desperation that forces someone to run away from home for a start somewhere strange and new.

When I lived in South Korea in 2008, I had the fortune to be one of the few to go to Kaesong, a city in the south of North Korea through South Korea. We started in rich and fancy South Korea, passed through the DMZ and after a brief visa process, ended up in North Korea. To describe it as day and night would not do enough justice in describing the disparity between the Koreas. For more detail on this trip, fish for one of the entries in this blog around June 2008.

In any case, my brief time in North Korea instilled an interest in me that has not died down. Its the motive for my next trip to South Korea next week and was the driving force that led me to my new North Korean friends last week.

Although I wanted to ask them every question in the world ('how did you escape?' ... 'what's it really like there?'), I made sure to take things easy. I aim to become friends with the people I met wherein they become as interested in learning about me as I do about them. The things I did learn, I'll keep private for now, but I'm beyond excited to learn about North Korea and it's people without having to refer to a book or movie to do so.

For those 2 people who still read this blog and would love a great starting point on North Korea, I really recommend "Nothing to Envy" by Barbara Demick. Not only a great resource but also one of my favourite books on any matter.

- Gilad

How do you stay motivated?

2011-09-16T12:06:00.001-04:00

For the last three years, trying to come up with a blog post has been as easy as ...

Let my inability to finish off the above sentence speak for itself. Writer's block hit a few years ago and I have not been able to escape it. There was supposed to be that post about my trip to Thailand. Or Kenya. California Or the second one to Korea. Morocco. Chicken wings. Israel.

Well, I still can't think of anything. But let me say this: I am going back to South Korea to work with North Koreans. I'm done school. I'm done work. For the last few years, so much time was devoted to supporting others' ideas. And so much energy was lent to making other things happen that barely any energy was left to create my own things and get them to take off.

But now there's more time. And good things will come from it.

After years of interest, research and thought, I finally get to meet some North Koreans tonight. And hopefully build solid relationships where I can learn from them and them from me.

I have a feeling tonight will kick start everything new.

Gilad

The Transition

2011-09-01T09:33:00.003-04:00

Wow, so our time with Global Youth Network has come to an end. Definitely an interesting two years as an employee and four years as a volunteer. I'm happy with all the people I met and all the friendships made. And I'm also happy to move on to whatever the next chapter of my life may be.

With all the uncertainty (WHERE WILL YOU WORK? WHAT WILL YOU DO?) surrounding me right now, I've got to say that the only certainty I know of is that I want to do some more traveling. Spending the summer in Morocco and Israel was great. But it wasn't enough. I'd like to disappear for half a year, maybe longer to parts of South America. Learn to farm. Learn some Spanish. Learn about coffee. Grow a beard.

Yes, I'll eventually need to get a full-time job (YES YOU WILL!) but the time isn't now. I miss the days of living in South Korea for a full year - a place completely different than here... a place where I was forced to turn uncomfortable into comfortable and forced to learn and adapt. I want to go through that again.

Gilad

Andy

2011-06-26T23:33:00.001-04:00

It's often debilitating when one loses their freedom. Be it a loss of movement, speech, thought, or anything of value, the adjustment from "I used to be able to do this" to "I wish I was still able to do that" is tough to say the least. Over the years, and especially as a post grad student in issues surrounding International Development, discussions are frequent on the loss of freedoms. And so I come to this forum today to contribute to the same topic.

I met Andy nearly eight years ago. Young and hopeful, a bunch of us were filing into our new residences, saying goodbye to our parents and welcoming a new chapter of our lives: first year university. Andy was right there with us, full of optimism for the year to come. He had a knack for staying up late, pranking on people on our floor and making those around him laugh with his unique way of being. Enrolled in the same program, we took many of the same classes together and really got to know one another and depend on each other. Needed someone to talk to? Andy was your guy. If even for just being an ear to shout obscurities at, Andy was your man. When you were in need of someone to fart into an empty jar, seal it and deliver it to unsuspecting girls on our floor to open up and whiff, Andy was always on board. As years passed, we continued to remain friends. He cried when he heard I was getting married. He's helped me move countless times. He's been there at the best and worst for each of us. As much as a friend can love his fellow male friend, I do.

Tragically, Andy lost many of his freedoms recently. These losses are that much more painful when you remember what Andy was like before. Young, innocent, full of life. A smile that wouldn't only brighten up the largest of rooms, but that little lighthouse in your heart. I remember the last time I was with Andy when he was still himself. We were sharing a meal together with other friends around. Everything seemed so usual - so normal - so right. And suddenly, like that, his freedom was ripped away from him with no warning.

Life is funny that way. You wake up in the morning, go through the motions and for the most part, take things for granted. Your privacy. Your enjoyment of taking a dump with the bathroom door open. The crusted up toothpaste in the corner of the sink, garnished with some sort of body hair. The unkept bed and the fact that you've been wearing the same underwear for three days. These freedoms, although small, are the building blocks upon which happiness rests on. These freedoms, among millions of others, were ripped away from Andy when he recently decided to move in with his girlfriend.

I'll always remember that jar, Andy.

Gilad

State of the Blog

2011-02-06T16:28:00.000-05:00

Will we ever start blogging again? Yes, yes we will.

- Gilad

Of awesome commercials.

2009-11-06T21:02:00.000-05:00

- Gilad

Of Forcing Yourself to Write

2009-11-04T12:40:00.003-05:00

A lot of times I want to write. The only issue is finding a topic I feel like writing about. A site I like to spend some time on is One Word. This gives you a word and a minute to write about it. It's kinda neat what your mind can muster up when it's forced to think about something in the confines of 60 seconds.

- Gilad

Of Self Discovery

2009-10-28T18:29:00.002-04:00

It started in Argentina a couple of years ago. Actually, it started in Toronto. Here I was at the airport about to head on a 14 hour flight to Buenos Aires with 11 others who I met a few months earlier and knew very little about. 21 years of living had me thinking that I wanted to be famous and although the feelings of wanting to become famous are still very alive inside of me, it was for a thousand different reasons. Money. Attention. Possessions. At the age of three, I had dreams of becoming a professional wrestler. Being 8 brought us a World Series which in turn brought me the dream of wanting to become a Major League Baseball player. Turning 16 ushered in a dream of wanting to become a famous actor. Looking back, had I actually done something about these aspirations, such as joining a baseball team or taking acting lessons, who knows what may have happened. So life continued and I turned 18. The undeniable pressures of University were creeping up on me and like many kids at that age, I felt like I had to decide what I wanted to do with the rest of my life. So in hopes of becoming famous and with the recommendation of a friend, I decided to go to Wilfrid Laurier University and join their Communications program, for these moves all marked the first steps in realizing my new and exciting dream: to become a famous TV or radio personality. In what form? Who knew! Just as long as it meant I'd become famous. So I went through the motions and it took me just over two years of being a University student to discover that something wasn't adding up here. I'm paying all this money and I haven't touched a camera yet! I'm going into debt but I don't even know what a soundboard looks like. Imagine a monkey scratching its head, but only that the monkey is me and I'm scratching for a year. Here I was in my third year, completely turned off of higher education. I had no idea where I was going, I had no idea what brought me there, and worst off, I felt lost. Lost in every way.

So as reality was jabbing me in the head, I met this girl at school and she told me about her plans to go to the Amazon for one month with this organization I had never heard of, Global Youth Network. From what I gathered, she was going there to learn about the culture and do some humanitarian work. As I was completely interested in her and completely uninterested in what she was saying, I did what most young male adults do: I pretended to be interested in what she was saying. I told her that I had the same aspirations and dreams and I asked her for more information. Now, if she had access to a movie which showed the past 21 years of my life, she would have uncovered me for the fraud I was because as my track record showed, I never did anything to actually turn my dreams into everyday life. Regardless, I got all the details and in hopes of trying to impress her as much as I could, I called them and inquired about any available trips.

Well, I sort of called them. I hung up after one ring and went on with my day. "Are you nuts? Why are you calling them?", I would ask. "Because I like this girl and this is the only way it's going to happen!", I would answer. A week went by and for whatever reason that day, I decided to pick up the phone and call again, but this time, I would let the phone ring until I got an answering machine because at least this was a way to convince myself that I was really trying. Two rings and a friendly lady picked up the phone. I got an interview the next day which I nailed and now I was going to Argentina. But more importantly, who cared?! This girl was going to be totally impressed!

Now, when you're living with six male roommates who are all typically "University," explaining a "cross-cultural, educational and transformative volunteer trip to the South" is not an easy thing to do. Being a male, this demonstrated that I had some sort of passion or emotion for something or someone that wasn't me and this was a big no no in the man field. Regardless, I went through with it.

So I guess the prelude started in Toronto, but what really started really started in Argentina. Somewhere in Argentina. Now, I'm not going to lie and provide you with a scene where I'm standing in a dewey field at sunrise with a bunch of disabled orphans holding hands and kumbaya'ing together with the presence of God hovering over us and smiling warmly. To be honest, I can't do much in terms of pinpointing a day, time or moment that brought me to the realization and truth of what I wanted to do with my life, but I can tell you it was somewhere in Argentina. And so here I was in South America understanding that I was an able-bodied, healthy individual with an education and a knack for socialization, a healthy and growing network, a good group of friends and perhaps most importantly - I not only realized that I was lucky to have this opportunity to travel abroad and 'discover myself,' but that I was even luckier to be an educated and sociable individual with good friends and a growing network because for the first time in my life, I had met people, family, neighbourhoods and others who weren't fortunate enough to be given the same opportunities to grow into the situations I had grown into. Sorry for putting you through the longest sentence of your life just now but that's how it came tumbling out of my mind. And so it wasn't the comforts of home, school or friendship that helped me come to this epiphany, but it was the opposite. In the presence of strangers in a strange land, I figured out just who I wanted to become.

Each 'Global' trip that I've done has been unique and beneficial to my growth in its own way. California the following year taught me the importance of relationships and being equal in the face of those who society tells you are lower than you. Venezuela the next year taught me a lot about my leadership abilities. And Kenya, most recently, has taught me about the remarkable strength and hope that others may deem as weak and hopeless. The beauty is that people are people no matter where you go. A happy moment calls for a smile and a sad one can call for a cry. I've been fortunate enough to be able to go to different places and realize that we are mostly all the same and that we are all in this together. Brothers and sisters.

And so three trips were enough to convince that girl in University to marry me and four trips were enough to convince Global to hire me. And although it's been 22 years since I interpreted that voice inside me screaming "GET FAMOUS!", I think I've finally learned in which way that voice was craving for me to get attention: by using my education, knack for socialization and healthy and growing network to educate others and at least for now, assist them in helping the local community or traveling abroad so they can all say something along the lines of, "It all started in Argentina" too.

- Gilad

Huevos, Tortugas, Moscas y Cervezas

2009-10-11T20:56:00.000-04:00

El Tortugario, Cuyutlan, Mexico.

For three weeks Allison and I devoted our time to learning about and working with los tortugas del Tortugario. We decided to take this trip with the hopes that we would learn alot, work hard and hopefully make some friends. We accomplished that without a doubt, plus had time to enjoy what Mexico knows best: Cervezas!

We began this trip by taking the 24 hour Bloor bus to the airport, on a Friday, at 3am. Taking an hour bus ride, in a bus that is crammed - like doors won't shut crammed - with "I can't stand I am so drunk" people, and bags that are capable of breaking your back, was our first mistake.

Our second was getting a flight that involved three planes, to get to a place five hours away. Just to save a few bucks.

Our third, was not knowing any Spanish upon arrival. I figure what's a better way to ask for help, from an old Mexican woman who can't speak a word of English, than to start speaking Korean to her? Apparently that one Spanish course in grade 10 wasn't as fresh in my mind as I thought it was.

Allison and I arrived in Mexico hungry, dirty, sweaty and tired. Take these four adjectives, subtract the hungry and add itchy and you have our life for about three weeks. How can that not sound like the best three weeks of your life? With the help of Joselo, our younger older brother (younger than us, but essentially our guardian) we literally had the time of our lives. While he was super shy at first (as you might see in the video) he was sometimes willing to speak in English, always willing to teach us bad words in Spanish and never missed an opportunity to dance, sing or have a drink. If you are going to live in Mexico you have to learn to work hard, but to also enjoy life. Don't get so caught up in your day to day routine and forget that the best times you have are surrounded by family and friends (with food, beer/tequila).

Here is a video of where we cultivated most of our memories while in Mexico.

Before we left for Mexico we were super excited to embark on a major learning experience. At one point I was told that this opportunity might not be more than just a gathering of hippies looking to party, and to be honest I wasn't so happy about that. Allison and I didn't take this trip to "save the world," but we did want to expand our minds in some sort of way that didn't involve partying and only partying. This, thank goodness, was not the case. We were the only volunteers on this conservation site, living in very simple conditions, among people who didn't speak much English, in a small town that couldn't have been less touristy. We witnessed an organization that is dedicated to preserving the species of that area that are in danger of extinction with the hope of educating those people who pass by their gates. This is a non profit that is operating in a country/city with few resources. It doesn't have much, but it uses what it has to do the best that it can do.

Here are a few pictures documenting our travels. The first bunch represent the daily duties we performed during our work hours. Something that was always really cool was when you could have a full conversation, discussing the different hatching conditions of turtles, dependent on the colour of sand, in Spanish. Our form of communication went far beyond just words as charades became a part of our daily routine. While Allison's Spanish stayed pretty stagnant (she prefers grand gestures, and grunting, over words) I dedicated an hour or two a day to learning as much Spanish as I could. My learning curve was huge and I felt totally motivated, for about a week and a half, until I realized how much I didn't know haha. It was all good though. I used what I had, when I could, and I was proud of myself for it.

So let me briefly explain the sequence of our duties. Our day began at 10:30 pm when Allison and I (rotating days) would head out on a four wheeler with one of the local workers, Carlos (who didn't speak English or play charades hah). We would look for turtle eggs and only turtle eggs.. Like I said, it's either you or the poachers. Each turtle lays about 80-120 eggs. Each egg can be sold on the black market (as a delicacy served in restaurants) for 50 cents each. When workers make an average of two to three dollars an hour, you can see why this has become such a popular "profession."

Carlos goes out every night and collects as many eggs as he can. We were fortunate enough to be able to join him on his journey and there is no doubt that this was a highlight of our trip. There is nothing like being on a beach, in the middle of the night, hearing the waves crashing on the sand, seeing a million stars in the sky, and watching a turtle walk up and lay its eggs in the sand. Go one step further and turn the four wheeler off, sit in complete silence, rub the turtles shell to see it glow from the phosphorus elements from the ocean, and dig underneath its shell to catch its eggs in your hand, and you have yourself and opportunity of a lifetime.

See the following photos to get a glimpse of what it was like. I was totally unable to remove myself from the experience so there are only a few pictures that Allison was able to take.

The turtles are able to dig pretty deep holes!

Just one of the many weird looking eggs we found.

After the incredibly thrilling experience of the night patrols, we had to be up only a few hours (or maybe one hour) later to incubate all those eggs. The first few days it was fun. After that, I am not going to lie, planting those eggs was a bit of a bitch. The process involved digging a deep hole with an ancient looking contraption, carving it out with your hands to create a vase shape at the bottom, counting each egg while inserting it into the hole, covering it and recording it, all in black sand that is hot as hell, and Mexican sun, which is also, hot as hell.

After our morning escapade of egg planting, we would move on to turtle cleaning. The best was cleaning las chiquitas (what we would call the baby turtles). The babies were as cute as you would imagine them to be and even cuter because they hated having baths. In no way did they want to be cleaned and they would flap their fins in total protest. Until you rubbed in between their nose and their forehead that is and they became relaxed to the max. Not much more to say other than the fact that these little guys were cute little pooping machines!

In addition to the baby turtles, the mamma and pappa turtle tanks needed to be cleaned. There was no way around this one. This was just not fun. You could never really wash away all of the turtle shit, and the turtles just always seemed to be in your way. Moving them was never easy and scrubbing the floor was never fun. It's all in the name of an experience though! One thing I did love was seeing the total disregard the turtles had for your presence.

The highlight of our trip came about two weeks in when we witnessed a phenomenon of mother nature that you don't often get to see (well not in the city anyways). All of our hard work throughout the week led us back to the beginning of the life cycle where we were able to witness the birth of the baby turtles that had been incubated 45 days prior (that is how long they take to hatch). This was totally by fluke that we got to see it, but we are so so happy that we did.

This was our daily routine, just after lunch. To go down to the beach, burn the hell out of our feet (has anyone else experienced the pain of black sand?) stand in the water and watch the power of the ocean crash down at our feet.

...and inevitably surprise us with one or two waves that were just a little stronger than we thought they would be....

And here is just a glimpse of the few activities we participated in during our time away:

My daily study session

One of the few mangrove boat rides we went on, where the mosquitos totally destroyed us.

Allison conquering the Pacific Ocean on her surfboard!

Joselo giving us one of his many shows;

Ahhh, Coco Locos. A reward after a hard days' work!

One of my most popular daily activities. Scratching my mosquito bites until they bled.

Next are a few of the many living things we shared our space with:

Lobo, our second guardian besides Joselo. One of the most beautiful, smartest and toughest dogs around

Just so you know, that IS a scorpian, and yes, it CAN kill you.

So it wasn't all work in Mexico. Joselo introduced us to his friends: Jose, Ed, Manuel (and others) and they made sure to show us a good time!

Two of the 50 workers at Glass nightclub wearing the ever so stylish virus masks.

Ed, Jose y Manuel!

Please notice the travel dresses. I can assure you that we were extremely underdressed for this place. Wrinkled dresses, flipflops, bug bites, no make up and so so hair, did not make us fit in with the oh so classy Mexican women!

So we tried again the next weekend!

Allison starting the night off.

Allison ending the night off.

I almost won a prize! But I didnt. Because I am not Mexican. And got my name butchered in the process.

The boys preparing our going away dinner followed by a going away dance party! It was the BEST and I will never, ever forget how awesome, and how welcoming these people were.

Manuel working hard to cook us some delicious carne (meat).

The El Tortugario crew.

Mexico es numero uno!

The sweetest present given to us by Joselo. A collage of our time together en Mexico!

I would like to end this post of with some of the misunderstandings that took place due to our lack of knowledge surrounding the Spanish language. Please enjoy.

1. Trying to tell Carlos that Allison would like to go on patrol with him. By me saying "Te Quiera," I was really saying "She loves you." The very awkward moments between her and him the next day was only explained after I realized my mistake.

2. Allison and I are incubating the turtle eggs while some tourists approach us. One little boy comes up to us and asks what happens to the turtle eggs. While Allsion can understand some Spanish, she can in no way speak it. She then proceeds to tell the boy, using the few words that she knows, that these turtle eggs will hatch into ants (we know the word for ants because they inhabited our beds!)

3. Allison saying "Es muy cailente," and the guy next to her not knowing if she is speaking about him or the weather (caliente is to express hot, calores is to express heat).

4. Me, not knowing that bug in Spanish is "bicho," and thinking Eba - a girl with limited English - just called me her bitch.

The End

Dawna

A little late but...

2009-10-03T20:34:00.000-04:00

A video I liked.

"Fidelity": Don't Divorce... from Courage Campaign on Vimeo.

- Gilad

Of Road Trips Day 7

2009-09-28T05:03:00.000-04:00

Not much of a road trip now that I'm here but may as well keep titling them the same until I'm back in Ontario, right?

Visited Stanley Park today. Got a drive of the city. Love it! Also threw in a picture to stereotype the hipster mentality of the west.

- Gilad

Of Road Trips Day 6

2009-09-27T04:42:00.002-04:00

Missed some signs again but found some decent replacements. Into the Final Destination. Alberta to British Columbia. Just like ten years ago, I remember Banff as beyond beautiful. Did the Grey Monk vineyard. The west coast is awesome. Despite the fact that this side of the continent hates Ontario due to their disgustingly obvious and overpowering jealousy of us Torontonians (who could blame them with only one serious North American sports team to root for?), maybe I'll move out here next year. Maybe. The next mission would involve persuading Dawna to think the same...

Anyway, I digress.

And digression over.

- Gilad

Of Road Trips Day 5

2009-09-26T01:57:00.000-04:00

Medicine Hat, Alberta to Calgary, Alberta. Here we go.

- Gilad

Of Road Trips Day 4

2009-09-25T01:42:00.000-04:00

Got out of Ontario and made it to Alberta in one day! 1500km, saw the prairies, a great friend (W), and some beautiful sunsets. Missed some signs on the way in but luckily, Miranda's creativity came through.

- Gilad

Of Road Trips Day 3

2009-09-24T22:37:00.002-04:00

Still in Sioux Lookout, Ontario but heading out tomorrow! Loving the water, cabin-style home we're in, elk sausages, rope-balance-course-thing, horses. VERY small town where everyone knows your name. Kinda creepy at first for someone from Toronto where you mostly get ignored.

- Gilad

Of Road Trips Day 2

2009-09-23T22:31:00.002-04:00

- Gilad

Of Road Trips Day 1

2009-09-22T18:54:00.012-04:00

Driving to Vancouver from Toronto. Pictures along the way.

- Gilad

Of Shawarma

2009-09-22T15:46:00.008-04:00

This, ladies and gentlemen, is the best shawarma on the face of the Earth. $4.99. Offensive amounts of meat. Humous. Salad. Tahini.

So good that Dave Skene, himself, just proclaimed, "Yea, I'd call that the best shawarma I've ever had."

Oh man.

Let's get this road trip started.

- Gilad

Help Dawna too!

2009-09-21T10:20:00.004-04:00

Here's Dawna's entry for that $5000 student debt reward.

http://www.firkinuniversity.com/content/view.aspx?a=dawnapachkowsky101

On October 5th, vote away!

- Gilad

I need your votes! Help!

2009-09-17T19:38:00.004-04:00

Everyone! As of October 5th, I will need your votes. Everyday!

The Firkin Pubs in Toronto are giving away five $5,000 awards for people who have student debts. In order to win, you have to put forward a compelling video showing why you are worthy. From October 5th - October 26th the videos are up for public voting. The top 25 will then be judged by a panel. Five winners are then selected to win this award.

Please go to http://www.firkinuniversity.com/content/view.aspx?a=giladcohen101, watch the video and start voting on October 5th! Once a day would work out great!

Please tell everyone you know.

Thanks!

- Gilad

Of Moral Tests

2009-09-12T12:52:00.000-04:00

This test only has one question, but it's a very important one. By giving an honest answer, you will discover where you stand morally.

The test features an unlikely, fictional situation in which you will have to make a decision. Remember that your answer needs to be honest, and spontaneous.

Please scroll down slowly and give due consideration to each line.

-------------------------
THE SITUATION

You are in New Orleans, There is chaos all around you caused by a hurricane with severe flooding. You are a photo journalist working for a major newspaper and you're caught in the middle of this epic disaster.

You're trying to shoot career-making photos. There are houses and people swirling around you, and disappearing under the water.

===============================================
THE TEST

Suddenly you see a man in the water. He is fighting for his life, trying not to be taken down with the debris. You move closer. Somehow the man looks familiar. You suddenly realize who it is. It's the President, George W. Bush. At the same time you notice that the raging waters are about to take him under forever. You have two options- you can save the life of the President, or you can shoot a dramatic Pulitzer Prize winning photo, documenting the death of one of the world's most famous men.

===============================================
THE QUESTION

Here's the question, and please give an honest answer.......

Would you select high contrast colour film, or would you go with the classic simplicity of black and white?

Of YES! WE WIN!

2009-09-01T17:35:00.001-04:00

Oh my God guys, we won! We finally won! I am so proud of my neighbourhood!!

- Gilad

Of Clinton

2009-08-30T18:48:00.002-04:00

So it's 3:00pm yesterday and I'm having a meeting with Miranda and Kelly and discussing the future and excitement with the organization we work for, the Global Youth Network. I recall that Bill Clinton was set to speak at The Ex in about an hour and thought, "Ah, what the heck? I'm going!" So I head there alone, get a ticket, bump into a friend and sit down to hear him speak.

Considering this was a last minute decision, I didn't really have any expectations. He appeared pretty tired and his voice was hoarse, but that's to be expected as he was just in Boston for Ted Kenndy's funeral mass hours before. I wasn't necessarily blown away. The title of this speech was "Embracing Our Common Humanity" and focused on issues such as health care, working together to help the poor as well as Canadian issues such as our presence in Afghanistan, Alberta's oilsands and its relation to climate change as well as Canada's first nations.

The best part was at the end where he more or less spoke of the importance of doing something you love for a living. Doing something that never feels like work.

Paying just $5 to see an icon like him speak was a steal considering people across the world pay much more, I'm sure. He's a cool dude... seeing what he just did in North Korea was amazing. No regret for sure.

- Gilad

Of Smiling

2009-08-24T11:19:00.002-04:00

David Stern, commissioner of the NBA, is totally smiling because he's Jewish.

Awesome.

- Gilad

Of Small Worlds

2009-08-22T20:04:00.004-04:00

The man is blogging like a machine.

So we adopted two puppies from a shelter in Daejeon when we were in Korea.
You know this.

Now we are living in Toronto with our puppies.
You know this.

But wait! Prepare to have your mind blown away.

I was walking the pups home from the park which is right around the corner. I'm at the intersection waiting for the walk signal. A woman (with her pup) ask me what kind of dogs they are. I recite the shpeel for the millionth time, "I'm not sure. We adopted them from a shelter in Korea."
This is where I'm normally greeted with "Oh, wow, that's so interesting! That's so great of you!" or "Oh wow! You're an amazing person!" or "Oh wow wow wow... you are a saint!" or "Oh my God! You should run for Prime Minister!" .. but not this time. This time, this particular woman responds with "Oh wow..... from Daejeon?".. to which I say, "Heck yea! How did you know?" .. to which she replies, "I adopted mine from there too!"

Crazy.

Here I am in Toronto, on the other side of the world from Korea, standing at an intersection with a woman who adopted her dog from the same tiny random shelter that we adopted our pups from.

Ladies and gentlemen, Milly:

- Gilad

Of Clearly

2009-08-22T11:31:00.002-04:00

So Dawna left for Mexico very early this morning. She's working with Gapec. She'll be blogging about that later.

In any case, I'm here alone for three weeks. It'll definitely be a learning experience. I haven't ever really lived by myself for an extended period of time. In the back of my mind, I always thought, "Geesh, watch something crazy happen when she's gone. I bet someone is going to get murdered in this cheery city of mine."

Well lo and behold, I get up this morning to take the dogs out and am met with cop cruisers blocking off our road. Right in front of my apartment. Police tape and all.

By the time I finished walking the dogs, got back up to my apartment, grabbed my camera and took the picture, most of the cop cruisers had left.

After inquiring, turns out they were just repairing a hydro power line that fell onto the road.

Day 1: No murders.

--

In other news, turns out the tornado the other night was more serious than I thought. This is all very new for us... this rarely happens here.

I'm reading that 200 homes are so ruined, they'll likely get demolished while others won't be able to return to their homes for over six months. Wild.

- Gilad

Of Epic Dilemmas of Unprecedented Proportions

2009-08-21T19:25:00.006-04:00

Last night, Toronto and surrounding areas were met with tornadoes. Houses destroyed. Power lost. Please look.

This was shot just 30 minutes north of us.

This was shot just 2 minutes walking distance from us.

... however, this was nothing compared to the dilemma Dawna and I were facing inside our apartment:

How are we ever going to pre-heat this oven to 4000°F? We'll never enjoy these samosas.

Life is hard.

- Gilad

Of Korean Food

2009-08-12T21:09:00.003-04:00

You know... you live in Korea for a year and you grow a certain appreciation for the cuisine. It's delicious. It's spicy. It's plentiful. It's cheap. It's very, very cheap.

And so you're excited to come back to Toronto knowing there's a couple Korea towns that can remind you of the good ole days in Korea. There's plenty of restaurants that will serve Korean food just like it was in Korea. Right? Well, not really. Upon coming back to Toronto, Dawna and I haven't really found any Ddukboki, Gimbap or Bibim Mandu that was quite as delicious as it was in Korea.

So what to do but take it upon yourself to create the delicious masterpiece?

Ladies and gentlemen... my attempt at Korean food. Part Uno.

Ddukboki (or so I think it's spelt)
This particular spicy dish was made of rice sticks (dduk), carrots, cabbage, onion and a few hard boiled eggs. Oh, we also tossed in some thin noodles (ramien)... so some may call this a ramboki The red sauce is hot pepper paste (or gochujang).
To make, you mix 1.5TBSP of gochujang with 1TBSP ketchup. Add about another 1TBSP of mulyeot (basically sugar/water/syrupy thing) and add as much water as necessary to show the consistency of this picture. Boil it, add the dduk. When the dduk is floating to the top, you add the vegetables and presto! Ddukboki.

Chumchi Gimbap (Chumchi means tuna.. gim means seaweed... bap means rice)
This would be the closest thing to Japanese sushi. It's basically seaweed, sticky rice and tuna (made with mayonnaise). You can also add strips of cucumber, carrot, pickled cabbage or anything else you'd like.
To make, you boil the sticky rice. Prepare the tuna. I would let the sticky rice cool off. Place the gim (or seaweed) on a flat surface. Take about 1.5TBSP of sticky rice and spread it evenly on the gim.. make sure you leave about an inch at the top free of sticky rice. Add a strip of tuna in the middle and any other toppings you'd like on top of the tuna. Now, it's time to roll it... so basically fold it from the bottom over the toppings, and start rolling... making sure it stays tight throughout the process. Carefully slice afterwards and you're done!

Bibim Mandu (I'm pretty sure bibim means mixed... and mandu means dumpling)
So this dish is layered with raw vegetables. You throw in some cabbage, cucumber and carrot, making sure they are all sliced thinly. Sprinkle some crushed/chopped up seaweed on top. Top with chogochujang (which is simlilar to the gochujang sauce used in ddukboki, but it's mixed with vinegar. If you've ever eaten bibimbap, that's the sauce that goes on top). That's the bibim part. The mandu part of the dish comes from the dumpling shell that you eat with it. You have to go out and buy something called "Mandu-P" which is basically just the shell or casing of Asian dumplings. They're flat.. and almost look like pancakes. You can either boil them or (very) lightly fry them. You basically take some of the veggie mix, put it on top of the pancake-looking mandu-p, roll it up and munch down. Very delicious.

That's the mandu-p in the bottom right corner. Make sure to serve this, as well as other Korean dishes with kimchi... the most popular snack/food for all Koreans. Kimchi is basically fermented/pickled/spiced cabbage. Korean food isn't Korean food without it.

How did it turn out? Not bad for a first timer!

- Gilad (is starving)

Of Lightning Storms

2009-08-10T21:15:00.004-04:00

So Bryson had us over for dinner last night, which was amazing by the way. In the middle of a great discussion, we decide to look out the window and see the fiercest clouds rolling in. The discussion had to come to an end as Dawna and I decided to run to the subway and get home before we got annihilated by the rain. We barely made it.

The storm lasted about 2 or so hours... with constant thunder and lightning. The CN Tower got struck numerous times, as did other buildings.

Here's a short clip I caught

- Gilad

Where have we been?

2009-08-08T10:01:00.002-04:00

So for the millionth time, this blog will get revived.

A quick update of our lives:
- I work for the Global Youth Network. I love my job. I was an ESL teacher for nine months, hated it SO much and quit recently.

- I went to Kenya for a month. Worked with two amazing organizations. Living Positive and the Ugunja Community Resource Centre. These will be blogged about.

- Dawna is going to Mexico in two weeks... for three weeks. She'll be working with endangered sea turtles.

- Our trips will be blogged about.

- Still not married. Working on it though! Discussion has come up. Got to be a good sign!

- Gilad

Happy Birfday

2008-11-08T08:25:00.001-05:00

A happy birfday goes out to my beautiful fiance, Dawna. Happy 23rd!

- Gilad

And teaching it is...

2008-11-05T19:34:00.002-05:00

So today was my first day on the job at UNICEF and tomorrow will be my last. While on my lunch break today, I found out that I got a teaching job that pays a lot more... with a lot less working time... and VERY close to my house. Oh, and it's also a full-time, permanent position, unlike this six-week contract with UNICEF. It was awkward telling my bosses that I'd have to quit on the same day I started but it went pretty well.

So yea, I'll be teaching students who are ages 18-25 (on average) who come here to learn English. They're from places like Korea, Japan, South America, Europe, etc. My favourite part of this position is that on Fridays I only work from 9-12 which gives me time to tutor students... and unlike Korea, private tutoring is legal over here. I'm also teaching older kids (unlike in Korea), as well as getting complete freedom in two of my four classes. This means that I can center my lesson around my favourite song, a TV show, a political issue, etc. Lots of room for creativity which I'm definitely looking forward to.

The next post will have pictures of the apartment... I swear.

- Gilad

Downtown Life

2008-11-04T17:43:00.003-05:00

Part of the allure of living in downtown Toronto is the accessibility of everything. Restaurants, shops, nightlife, daylife... it's all a footstep away. Living in downtown Toronto also opens your eyes to the homeless, crackheads and drunks roaming around. So it was yesterday when Dawna and I were walking our Korean dogs, while wearing our Korean clothes, when we saw an old Korean man get punched in the face by someone who appeared to be intoxicated. This Korean guy I mentioned runs the convenience store right around our apartment with his wife. At around 11pm, we see an angry guy rush out of this convenience store, slamming the door. Not exactly sure why he did that, but the old shop owner guy chased this man out onto the street. A few words were exchanged and the guy punched the old Korean man in the face. Normally, Dawna and I would not get involved (especially in this area), but when it's an old man getting hit in the face, we felt like we needed to. So we sorta yelled, ran across the street to where they were, just in time to see the Korean guy rip the intoxicated man's jacket off... and the guy ran way. So here we are, standing with this old guy making sure he's okay (which he was), as he holds this strange man's jacket all the while looking for his lense that got knocked out of his glasses when he got punched in the face. We decided to call the cops because we felt worried for this old shopkeeper and his wife. We filed our report, the shopkeepers were very thankful, and we felt like we did the right thing. Don't know if they ever found the guy but it was our first encounter with violence down in this area. Can't believe an old man got punched in the face.

Also, on that same walk, we saw a drunk lying down on the road and another drunk passed out on the grass in the park. Who gets drunk on a Monday?

- Gilad

Toronto

2008-11-03T18:48:00.002-05:00

Well, I guess we haven't blogged in a while, huh?

So we're back in Toronto now and living in our beautiful apartment right in the middle of downtown Toronto. Man, it's hard finding a job in this part of the country, isn't it? We've been back here since August 19th and its only this Wednesday that I officially start my first day at work although that could all change. Here's the deal... I got a job with UNICEF as a "funds processor" for their trick-or-treat program. The position is only a 6-8 week thing and doesn't pay very well but it's something, right? Will help pay the rent, bills, etc. It's also just a 15-minute subway ride away and about 25 minutes from my door to theirs. Ironically, I also have a chance at a position as an ESL Teacher here in Toronto. The school I'd be teaching at will surely pay better than that UNICEF job and the institute is a 10-minute walk from my apartment. Oh, and it's also a permanent, full-time position. I have to go in tomorrow at 4 and I guess I'll find out then whether or not I got the job. I hope I did.

With regards to Korea... Dawna and I miss it there big time. We're lucky enough to be living in a city like Toronto where we can get any sort of ethnic cuisine and we certainly don't have to travel very far to find any sort of Korean restaurant. The problem is... the Korean food here is not nearly as good as the food in Korea. It's not only the food we miss though. We miss A LOT of our friends, our old hangouts, the makali bar, the mountains, among many other things. We knew we'd miss aspects of Korea but we didn't anticipate missing so much.

Pictures of the apartment will be up soon as well as more frequent updates of our lives here in Toronto. I should also get around to putting up pictures of our trip to Thailand that happened all the way back in July.

- Gilad

What the Blog?

2008-08-18T05:10:00.003-04:00

Oh man. So it turns out that we haven't updated this thing in over two weeks. Awful, awful bloggers. Thailand was amazing and I swear that once we're settled in, we'll post those pictures up. Settled in? Why would he say that? Well, it turns out we're leaving Korea tomorrow as our contract is now up. I can't really describe how I'm feeling... but its definitely some kind of mixture including sadness, happiness, excitement, nervousness...

I'm definitely sad to be leaving behind some of the good friends we've made here. We've become VERY close to a lot of the foreign and Korean teachers at our school over the last month. It definitely sucks to be leaving at the peak of the friendship, but as Dawna pointed out, that's usually how it goes. I'm happy to be coming back to Canada and (FINAAAAAAAALLLLLY) seeing my friends and family. I guess we can throw excitement into that as well. Our dogs are coming back with us and I can't wait to show them off.. to have them experience their lives in Canada... and finally.. I'm nervous. I've been gone a year... I have a lot of expectations of what Canada will be like... of what seeing my friends and family will be like. How long will it take to find a job? I'm sure coming home will be amazing and much more (another expectation)... and well, I'm nervous to see how much things have changed since I've left(if at all).

In any case, at this time tomorrow, Dawna and I will be at the airport near Seoul waiting to fly to Toronto. I swear... I SWEAR... that once we get back and we're settled in, we'll tell you more about what went on in Korea over the last two weeks... as well as writing an in-depth review of this whole experience. It's been a crazy year of ups and downs but in the end, a VERY positive experience. That's for sure.

As well, the blog won't stop there. We'll just have to rename it "It's Toronto Now" until we start our next big adventure somewhere. It's official.. we'll be blogging about our lives for the rest of our lives. Excited. I know you are.

See you in Canada!

- Gilad

Waiting in Bangkok

2008-08-03T13:38:00.002-04:00

Well, I have another two hours to go before I board my 2am flight here in Bangkok back to Korea. We won't get into town until about 12pm and then it's straight to work. Tomorrow will likely be brutal. In any case, Thailand was great and we should add more details and pictures sometime soon.

- Gilad

Saeng il chuk ha ham ni da

2008-07-27T22:18:00.002-04:00

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

A Box of Love

2008-07-26T00:37:00.003-04:00

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

People, indeed, are awesome!

2008-07-20T00:28:00.002-04:00

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

One Month

2008-07-20T00:16:00.002-04:00

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

Sweet Yukata

2008-07-20T00:13:00.001-04:00

Mark, from Japan, recently sent me a sweet yukata, among other cool Japanese items. It's so... Japanese. Check it out!

- Gilad

Lotte Giants and Sashimi

2008-07-19T23:45:00.005-04:00

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

They're SO damn good at English!

2008-07-16T22:29:00.002-04:00

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

The Kindy Open

2008-07-15T21:12:00.002-04:00

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

South Korean tourist fatally shot in North Korea

2008-07-11T09:35:00.003-04:00

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

41 days and 40 nights

2008-07-08T20:29:00.004-04:00

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

Oh, the pretty view.

2008-07-05T10:09:00.002-04:00

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

Of Boredeom

2008-07-03T07:57:00.009-04:00

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)

Animal Hell

2008-06-30T21:21:00.004-04:00

In our 10 months here, Gilad and I have continued to see the value South Korea places upon the lives of animals and this past weekend after a trip to the pet store, my frustrations are no longer able to be contained.

As most know we adopted two dogs from a shelter that was closing. The woman who had this "shelter" (it is really just a greenhouse) kept all the dogs, cared for all the dogs, and paid for all the expenses out of her own pocket (with the help of volunteers too). This is not a government run shelter as in Korea I'm not sure if there is such a thing, besides the 10 day kill shelters. Yes, that is the best deal you can get. A shelter that will keep the animals for a whole 10 days before they euthinize them. One can only wonder why there are hoards of homeless animals on the streets with a deal like that. When we found the puppy in the mountains we had absolutely no alternative but to bring it home. What is the point of saving a dog only to have it be killed a few days later? It is not just the large amount of homeless animals that is disturbing but also just the general treatment and idea behind what an animal life is worth. Pets here are treated like toys. Buy one now, get tired of it, get rid of it. Or, buy a cute little baby and dress it up so it looks like a doll. Whatever happened to a dog being a dog? Why must it resemble some fantasy creature?

Gilad and I were looking for collars for our dogs and so this past weekend we strolled into a few pet stores, and we became sick at the sight. There were tons of animals stuck is small cages and filthy living conditions. Huge dogs living in a space so small they cannot stand or turn around. Or how about the puppies so young that they couldn't even walk yet. They had no mother with them to help them, so rather they were just dragging themselves with their front legs leaving their back legs limply following along. Then there was the tiny kitten who barely knew how to clean itself (a natural instinct) sitting with a tin can of food that could easily cut it while eating.

Sorry if the sound of all this is depressing, but no joke, this is something you see here daily. It is absolutely depressing because the mistreatment comes in such a huge quantity that it leaves you feeling hopeless. There is help out there, mostly coming from foreigners or native volunteers, however it is not nearly enough.

Dawna

South America

2008-06-29T08:40:00.002-04:00

Whether you've heard about it or not, Dawna and I plan to travel back to South America in 2010. This is a tentative date... we have no exact dates or anything. It might not even happen in 2010 but that's the goal for now.

Even though we're still in South Korea and have yet to restart our lives in Canada, we're very eager and excited to get the ball rolling on this awesome project.

We love South America... the culture... the people... the language... everything. We're not alone, either. Through several discussions with many of our friends in Canada, we've learned of the importance of an extended trip to this continent. The beauty of this project is that we're certain it won't just be Dawna and I on this trip. As a result, we decided to create another blog that will be dedicated to this South America project. Through this website we hope to:
1. Update everyone on how this trip is beginning to shape up and how contacts/locations are becoming established.
2. Get our friends and others excited and entice them to join us.
3. Update the rest of the world, from South America, when we're actually there in 2+ years.

So visit this blog for now. It's in its baby phase but it will grow... for sure.

- Gilad

How time goes on

2008-06-28T20:43:00.003-04:00

So just the other day, one of the ECC teachers left and a new one came. It is amazing because Mallessa to us was still considered the new teacher. How she managed to come here, complete six months, and the leave, without us realizing it, was quite a surprise. Time these days is just flying by and it is hard to keep track.

There is nothing like standing in an apartment that has hosted 3 different teachers at your school. In Parkland there are 2 apartments for the teachers. When we arrived Amy lived in one and Abbi lived in the other. Then they left and Alex moved into Abbi's and Mallessa into Amy's. Now once again, they both have left and it is Michael and Patrick who are there now. Standing in Patrick's apartment and thinking of the others who lived there was actually very humbling in the sense that time just doesn't ever stop. It goes quicker each day and well, you really have to be careful with the way you use it!

Mallessa's going away party was on Friday, and we found this to be the perfect opportunity to spend a night with our coworkers. We have really started to become a lot closer to the Korean teachers, and well as Friday night was happening I realized how much I would miss them. We went to the seafood bbp restaurant AGAIN haha, and spent from 10-2 just having an awesome time (by the end the crowd withered down to half of the Korean teachers, me, Gilad and Patrick - who was extremely jet lagged haha). Then we went to the makali bar after that and just talked and talked and talked. I really do regret not making more of an effort to get together outside of work because when it comes down to it, we all get along so well! We did try, unsuccessfully a few times, but maybe we should have tried harder. No matter now though because we are trying to use our time wisely for the next 7 weeks we are here! Like I said, time is just flying and well, sometimes I forget that I am even here because home feels so close.

_____Dawna________

New Link Added

2008-06-23T22:18:00.002-04:00

Hey everyone,

We've added a new blog link to the left for Pegasus Teachers. They're based out of Vancover and they are a group of former teachers who help place teachers at schools in Korea. They created this blog to mainly keep teachers in in touch and informed with what is going on with their company and Korea. Give it a look... there's some good stuff there.

- Gilad

Adopted!

2008-06-22T19:21:00.004-04:00

Hey,

So I forgot to mention..but that puppy we found was adopted over a week ago! Thank goodness for our good friend Bear and his girlfriend (the new parents) because 3 dogs were far too many dogs in one apartment.

Dawna

9077!

2008-06-21T05:25:00.001-04:00

9077 hits to this website since we opened it back in August. With only 59 days to go, will we reach 10,000? More importantly, will we do it without Drew hitting the "reload" button a million times?

- Gilad

Our Trip to North Korea

2008-06-15T05:51:00.009-04:00

Before we get into the details of our trip, we'll try our best to offer a history of Korea (both South and North) in a nutshell. This is pretty important information to read in order to understand the current state of these two sovereign countries. So here we go:

Korea in a very small nutshell:

Before there was a North and South Korea, there was just one country: Korea. Korea has a rich culture and tradition dating back thousands of years, but you can read about all that in your own time. Fast forward to 1910, when Japan annexed Korea. Korea, as a result, continued to be ruled by Japan until Japan's defeat to the Allied Forces in August 1945 during World War II.

While under Japanese rule, the Japanese removed the Joseon hierarchy (unique to Korea), its nobles and its taxation system. From what we understand, many Koreans who were against this ruling (and rightfully so, in our opinion, as their language, heritage and culture were trying to be erased) were brutally tortured and murdered by the Japanese rulers.

Tons of rallies, strikes and attempted uprisings took place during this period. As a result, the Japanese military strengthened its power in Korea. After the outbreaks of the Sino-Japanese War in 1937 and World War II, Japan attempted to wipe out Korea as a nation. Worship at Japanese shrines in Korea was made mandatory. The school curriculum in Korea was radically changed to reflect the changed policies. The celebration of Korean culture was suppressed. Newspapers were prohibited from publishing in Korean and the study of Korean history was banned at university.

This all continued on until 1945, when Japan had two nuclear bombs dropped on it and had to surrender in World War II. As a result, Japan's 35-year rule over Korea had come to an end. Japan surrendered Korea over to the Allied Forces and this led to the division of Korea into two"temporary zones", with the United States administering the southern half of the peninsula and the Soviet Union taking over the area north of the 38th parallel (which is the line that divides the country in equal halves).

Now, we said 'temporary' because the country was eventually supposed to be restored as one and given back over to Korea to rule for themselves. What happened, however, was that the politics of the Cold War resulted in the 1948 establishment of two separate governments, North Korea and South Korea. The US installed a democratic government in the South, while the Soviets appointed Kim Il-Sung to become the leader of North Korea. South Korea became democratic, while North Korea became communist.

Sometime in 1950, North Korea invaded the South, using Russian tanks and weaponry. The North almost took over the South... but then the South retaliated and attacked back... and almost took over the North, until they retaliated. This went on and on for years, and during the Korean War (1950-1953), millions of North and South Korean civilians died and the three years of fighting throughout the nation effectively destroyed most cities (except some cities like Busan and our Masan, haha!). The war ended in a ceasefire agreement and thats where the two countries now find themselves: technically at war but with an ongoing 55 year ceasefire.

What Happened After The Divison?

Well, without getting into too much detail, it's pretty simple in my opinion. South Korea's form of government allowed it to prosper. South Korea, after sometime, became rich very quickly. They started doing a lot of international business and the economy boomed. This led to it becoming a modern, industrialized nation. There's everything here that you can find in any other industrialized nation... a nightlife, sky-rises, and tons of things to choose from. People here do business, party, and basically have the freedom to do what they want, when they want.

However, the North is quite different. Kim Il Sung's communist regime did things another way. People in the North idolize him (even to this day, after his passing) as the Great Leader, even though their country, from what I know, is poor and the people are starving. There's no name-brand anything there... there are no public businesses. The people have no access to the Internet, cannot use cell phones and are basically blocked off from the rest of the world. They only hear and learn what their government allows them to hear and learn. It didn't take long for Dawna and I to both see the anti-American attitude of the country. The few bookstores we were able to stop into were littered with anti-American propaganda. The people there more or less blame the Americans for the division of the country. Anyway, Kim Jung-Il (Kim Il-Sung's son) is now the ruler, and things haven't changed.

Onto our part of the trip.

Our Trip to Kaesong, North Korea:

We consider ourselves pretty lucky to have gone on this trip. This tour to Kaesong only opened up in December of 2007, so it has not been long at all that North Korea has allowed visitors into its country. So here is how we began our journey:

After a VERY tiresome week, we were ecstatic when that last ECC bell rang which welcomed the weekend. Gilad and I hopped on an overnight bus ride (on which neither of us slept due to crazy driving and loud music) and arrived in Seoul at 3 am. We wandered the streets until our tour started at 5:50 am. Right away we knew we had an incredible tour guide and so we went into this trip feeling very lucky (after a mediocre tour guide experience with the DMZ tour). We got onto our tour bus feeling very excited but really unsure of what to expect. We listened to the rules: Basically we were only allowed to go where we were told and take pictures of only what we were told, otherwise we would have to pay a hefty fine or even lose our camera. Specifically, with the pictures, we weren't allowed to take any photos of North Korean people, buildings or landscape. Basically, they don't want us bringing back any pictures that depict North Korean life in any way. So when you see our pictures, you'll understand why they are all focused around the sites we visited and nothing else. While it was frustrating not being able to really document the trip through pictures, this allowed us to spend time asking questions to our Korean guide, attempt at some conversation (through translation) with our accompanying North Korean guide, and to just take it all in.

After we had gotten the Visa business sorted out on the South side, we were on our way. The most surreal feeling was being on that bus as we passed through the street where South Korea officially became North Korea. Our bus was escorted by a jeep full of South Korean soldiers, and before you know it, they pull over and U-turn, while another jeep full of North Korean soldiers take over the escorting duties. Wow! We're in North Korea right now. Unbelievable! Right when we got into the North, we had to sort out some more Visa business. It was here we realized that all the North Korean people we saw were wearing identical pins on their shirts showing the face of their Great Leader, Kim-Il Sung. Everybody in the country must wear this pin at all times to show their dedication and alliance with their leader. Everyone has three pins to avoid any excuses. After the Visa process, we then proceeded to get back onto the bus, where three North Korean government officials joined us. There were two North Koreans at the front of the bus and one other at the back of the bus making sure that we didn't do anything bad, i.e. take pictures of the North from inside the bus. Immediately, our thoughts were, "Oh God, there are North Koreans on the bus! We need to get as close to them as possible." And we did... we got seats RIGHT NEXT TO THEM for the whole time which allowed us to converse with them about several things. This was definitely a highlight of the trip and an unbelievable moment for the two of us.

We visited a few historical sites, all of which were so-so on the interesting scale. You'll see those in the pictures below. However, the most interesting parts were in-between these sites where we traveled throughout the city, and through the window (and sometimes standing outside), were able to get a glimpse of the lives of the people in North Korea. How would we describe the landscape? To me, it appeared like what South Korea could have looked like 40-50 years ago.

Imagine living in a country with no cell phones or internet, owning a television or radio (only if you are very privileged of course) which only boasted about the greatness of the leader. Imagine having no electricity, big roads but no cars to drive, and having a curfew to follow each day. Try to think of what life would be like if you had someone over you controlling your every move. Then step a little further outside of the box and see how you would feel if you were making only 2 dollars a day no matter if you are a farmer or a doctor, were poor and starving, and you had a leader that lived in luxury. You would probably think that many of these people would feel angry or bitter no? This of course is not something we could ever know due to the restrictions the government places on foreign communication. However this is a nation that is socialized to believe in the supremacy and godliness of it's leader. They are blocked from the outside world and thus are unaware of most things that are not North Korean. They know nothing else and so how can we ever know how they truly feel. With the help of our tour guide who has actually befriended a few North Koreans throughout her numerous trips (a spectacular feat), we were able to hear about how true they stand to the government. How starvation is not an issue, and how they will find roots from the ground to eat if necessary in order to stay loyal.

There are no words to describe the feeling of seeing buildings that are old and falling apart, glass windows that look like flimsy plastic due to low constructive technology, huge roads with nothing to fill them, and people who look like they have stepped back in time. The people in North Korea are of course just like people all over the world, but the mystery that surrounds them will plague us forever. We want to be able to talk to them but we can't. We want to be able to live among them, but that is a dream that most likely will never materialize. Some people smiled and waved, most others however just looked straight ahead and went on with life.

As I got up this morning, had a popsicle and sat down to watch TV. I, of course, could not stop reflecting about our trip. The biggest issue that struck Gilad and I was the complete control the government has over its people. We were lucky to get to see the people we did, because for the most part, anywhere the bus went people were told to stay in their houses for that specific time. Life for them stopped, because we were continuing on with our trip. Soldiers were placed randomly throughout, to not only watch our buses, but to make sure no one violated the government's demands. It was definitely strange seeing soldiers standing in random fields or on the side of the road, staring, as we passed, with nothing to do. This is just something that is so hard to digest as a human being, with an active mind and body is not allowed to make any decisions for themselves, right down to the clothes they wear, the house they live in and the job they work.

We were told that students study for ten years in North Korea. Four years elementary, three middle school and three high school. After that, two in ten students are chosen to go to University. The others either begin the rest of their working life or they go to the military. We were also informed that the clothes people wear, and the food they eat are all provided by the government. There are a few government run department stores, grocery stores and barber shops but from the outside you could never tell the difference from those and the apartments that people live in. Why is it that there are these massive roads when people are only lucky enough to perhaps afford a bicycle? Why does the capital city turn on its electricity only when a foreigner arrives? Or how about having a subway system that no one can use? Gilad made an excellent point when he stated that if things are they way they are here (in Kaesong) what was life like where the tour buses weren't allowed to go. The government is trying to paint a face value picture for its few visitors but even through that we can only imagine the truth.

As was mentioned, Gilad and I were fortunate enough to have had the opportunity to talk with one of the less shy North Korean guides. Pearl (our South Korean tour guide) mentioned how this man refused to learn a word of Japanese for their Japanese visitors so as to stay true to his heritage. However, after a little time, he began to show interest in us and began asking many questions about Canada (which even though he is a Professor of Business, we believe he did not know where Canada was). This in turn allowed us to ask many questions about his daily life, his children and his favourite food. We left the trip by writing a note to him (which was translated by Pearl) thanking him for being there and consider ourselves very lucky to have been able to have some time with one on one contact. How many people have the opportunity to write a letter and witness a North Korean not only read it, but be happy with it and decide to keep it? We feel very fortunate that we were placed in that situation.

Anyways we know this is a really long post, and I know we were only there for a short time, but North Korea is a place you can never really imagine until you see it. Getting a small taste of it has left us hungry for more and we will continue to be intrigued and concerned with the happenings there. Not everything there is so desolate like it may seem. This is a country full of beauty. The landscape is incredible, with lush grass, rolling hills and beautiful mountains (one of which looks like a pregnant woman!) The people there may be hungry but that may give them all the more reason to form strong relationships and we can only imagine the kindness that may take place between one another.

We hope this won't be our last experience with North Korea, however the future is very unpredictable. Now, the question is, how do we set up a Global trip there?

The Pictures:

Kaesong City in North Korea. We found this picture on the Internet. We aren't allowed to take any pictures like this because it depicts the city. But this gives you a rough idea. Old, unkept. Most places aren't even this developed.

Didn't take this picture. Shows some of the housing.

Again, didn't take this picture. Shows a structure. Could be anything from an apartment, school, barbershop, goverment-run grocery stores... who knows. It all looks the same.

Didn't take this picture either... but gives you a good sense of the big roads and no cars driving on them. Ever. Very eery.

Didn't take this picture either... shows Kim Il-Sung, the Great Leader. A God-like figure to the North Koreans.

Last picture that we didn't take... but here's a North Korean soldier. They all dress like this. Looks kinda creepy with their outfit looking like they're 50 years old.

Twenty-four hours of no sleep makes you look like this.

What a declaration card looks like for when you return from North Korea.

Kaesong, North Korea THATAWAY... and Seoul, South Korea... THATAWAY.

In the North now, Dawna in the park.

Gilad standing in front of a huge plaque at the park... likely promoting one of the Kim's.

Always had to wear our visas and passports around our neck. Not doing so would result in a HUGE fine.

Sitting in front of a structure.

A beautiful waterfall at the park.

Korean inscription written in the rock.

Again, can't read it, but be some propaganda... or not.

Propaganda?

Dawna with the awesome tour gude.

Dawna with the awesome fiancee.

Housing at the park.

One of the many mountains to be seen anywhere in Korea, North or South.

A monk's house at the park.

Our tour guide explaining this mural at the park. The story goes that there was once this guy who was creating this mural and before he was finished, he found out that his mother was really sick... so he decided that he wanted to go visit her and stopped painting. However, whoever it was that he worked for told him that he couldn't leave until he finished it. So he spent some more time here finishing the painting. He eventually got word that his mother had died. He came to the conclusion that this art was the reason he couldn't visit his mother and so he felt cursed, so-to-speak. As a result, he decided to decapitate his own hand so he could never make art again. He modified his mural himself, to depict him without the hand.

A closer look at the mural.

A closer look at the man without the hand.

A temple at the top of the mountain of the park we had visited. This is no longer an official temple as religion is banned in this country. It's kept here, rather, as a monument to show the history and tradition of the country.

Inside one of the caves at the park.

Yea, that's right. I took a picture of a couple of North Koreans hanging out... you know... in North Korea. Yea, I was there.

A hotel in a traditional part of the city. They let us take this picture, because the hotel looks nice. Please don't confuse this with what the rest of the structures in the city look like. It's likely that nobody ever stays here.

Dawna in the village. Next up was lunch.

Dawna excited to eat lunch.

That's a lot of food! We felt pretty bad eating it at times, knowing the rest of the country likely never ate this way. You could tell the government put on this elaborate meal to make it seem like they aren't nearly as poor as they are.

The food itself was as traditional as all Korean meals. Rice and tons of side dishes. It was delicious. The kimchi was nowhere near as spicy as it is back in the South.

We were excited to try the beer, but they didn't have any left so rather, we got some Makgullee... the fermented rice milk. I've definitely had better... this must have been fermenting for a while.

A close-up shot of the windows of the housing. Although the house looks nice from the outside, you can see the poor-quality of these windows. They are glass but look like plastic. I took this right before we headed into our first bookstore... where we saw tons of Anti-American literature and several books written by the Kims. I wish I could have brought one back for souvenir purposes, but the South Korean rules state that you can bring anything anti-American or pro-North Korean back into the South. Oh well.

A picture showing off our huge tour group. I really wish it was MUCH smaller.

An interesting tree, for sure.

You can tell who the South Koreans are by the mandatory passport/visas they have to wear around their necks... and you can tell who the North Korean is by the mandatory pin she must wear on all of her clothes.

A closer view of the pin.

I was a little worried taking this picture because I thought I some of the background city would turn up in the photo, but it didn't. Otherwise, I'd be screwed. At the same time, I really wish the background did show up.

They don't stamp your passports. Rather, they stamp the separate Visa they give you... and then they take it back when you leave. Your passport really shows no proof that you were there. Anyway, here's the stamp. After this, we went back to the Visa station where the North Koreans checked everything we had, made sure we weren't smuggling anything out of their country, and checked EVERYONE'S digital cameras to make sure we weren't taking any pictures of things we weren't allowed to take pictures of.

Thirty-nine hours of no sleep makes you look like this.

There you go. We wish we could show you more, but North Korea is definitely not a place you want to risk getting in trouble in. We can honestly say that the twelve hours we spent in North Korea were the most enlightening twelve hours of our lives. A beautiful and very strange place. There's DEFINITELY more than meets the eye... we just wish we could figure out how to see it.

- Gilad and Dawna.

North of the South

2008-06-12T22:33:00.003-04:00

Guess where we'll be 24 hours from now? NORTH KOREA! One day of work to go, an hour of exercising the dogs, a 5 hour bus ride to Seoul, an all nighter... and BAM! We're in North Korea for a day.

Pictures and videos (albeit, very limited amounts, I'm sure... damn North) to come.

- Gilad

A puppy looking for a home

2008-06-07T01:51:00.008-04:00

Hey everybody,

So this message is really directed to people living in Korea, however maybe an outsider can help too.

Gilad and I were going for a hike up the mountain when we came across a very friendly little puppy. She came right up to us, and when she did we noticed that she was very dirty and skinny. There was a collar but no name tag. We believed she had either run away or been dumped and so we picked her up and took her home.

As most of you know we already have 2 dogs and so having a third is really just not feasible for us right now. We just took her to the vet and got her a medical bath, tick/flea treatment, and a heartworm test (which came back negative).

She is approximately 6 months old and looks like a daschund mix. She is soooooooooo sweet and seems to really love people. We really need to find her a foster/permanent home especially since we are going on vacation (and still need to find care for our 2 dogs!) and leaving for Canada (permanently) shortly after that.

If anybody is interested please contact us through e-mail or reply to this post and we will get back to you. We are asking for a 50, 000 won fee, mostly to cover some of the medical bills we paid (we spent a small fortune) and also because it was suggested to do so to show that the person is really interested.

Thanks for any potential help you can give!

Dawna

Bah

2008-06-03T06:44:00.003-04:00

Prior to this whole Korea experience, the longest I'd ever been away from my friends and family was for a month. A month, at the time, felt long... but it wasn't too bad. I've always been proud of my ability to stay strong in whichever country or setting I was in and not give up or cave in and want to go home. I'm also very proud of myself for doing that now...

Now that I've been to Korea, those month long trips in the past seem like no time at all. I'm not going to lie... I've been counting down the days to coming home. I've numbered the amount of days I have left... the number of weekends I have left... the number of working days, workouts... and on the elevator ride up to my apartment this morning, I even figured how many more inches my hair could grow before I came home. Everything is being timed... calculated.. counted down. Not that I'm hating it here, but really, I just haven't had the chance to meet anybody that I know will be a friend of mine after I leave. I haven't really developed any close bonds with anybody and I'm pretty sure that after I'm gone, nobody will notice. It sounds so sad and emotional... but it's the truth. Dawna and I have always figured that if most people don't care about us while we're here... why will they care once we're gone? It's definitely difficult at times getting by without having close friends around us. We're lucky to have one another and we're lucky that we keep each other entertained... otherwise we'd go nuts. Oh, and the pups help a lot too.

What am I missing really badly right now? My closest friends at home. I had a dream last night that Bryson had picked Dawna and I up from the airport and we were in his car driving back to Waterloo. It was such a relief to know that we were back home with our friends... that the day we were counting down to had finally come and that I was in the company of a really good friend of mine. It's been a really long time since I sat down with a friend and just talked about meaningful things... or meaningless things... or whatever. I really miss that... and although we're about 80% done our contracts (78.6% to be exact... calculated that earlier today too) and we barely have 77 days left, I still feel like there's an eternity to be spent here. The time difference is also tough as I can hardly catch my friends online or give them a call at a time that would be convenient for both of us.

I apologize for the depressing rant... and I know how I am: I'm feeling like this right now but by tomorrow, I'll bounce back and feel better. It's how the rollercoaster of being away from home has been. Basically... long story short... I just really miss my good friends. A lot.

- Gilad

Another thing to add to the list

2008-06-01T21:55:00.002-04:00

So as our time to go home nears, Gilad and I have been trying to do the things that we think are important before we leave Korea. Really, going to North Korea and a Jimjilbang were the most important for us as we feel we have done most of what we have wanted already. As of June 14th we will be able to cross North Korea off our list, and as of yesterday we were able to experience the jimjilbang.

It is unfortunate the we did not try this out sooner, because really, the public spa (jimjilbang) is one of the coolest things that Asia has to offer.

In Korea, going to the spa is a weekly (sometimes daily!) routine that revolves around socializing and relaxation. Koreans, as many know, are work-a-holics and so the jimjilbang is the perfect way to unwind and let the stress leave your body. So here is how it works:

Girls and guys have separate change rooms. So you go in, you pay the small fee of five dollars (this lasts for as long as you want as they are open 24 hours) and you get a towel and a uniform. Then you go into the change room. This isn't just any average change room however. These change rooms are equipped with not only lockers, and hair dryers and all that normal stuff but with showers, hot tubs, saunas, whirlpools, women who can give you a full body scrub, and so much more. It's pretty incredible. The part that often throws foreigners off is that you are completely naked. Everybody from young to old are in the buff. At first I thought it might be a little weird but to be honest it wasn't weird at all, besides the normal stares I got for being foreign, and the little girl who followed me EVERYWHERE. It shouldn't be weird for you because it is not weird for anyone else. You see people sitting, talking, washing themselves, and washing each other. This is the way for Koreans, and I thought it was pretty cool.

Once you have relaxed and cleaned off in your separate rooms you are able to put on a uniform and meet up with the opposite sex in the co-ed room. This is the actual jimjilbang. Here you can sit in a chair and get an incredible 10 minute massage for 1 dollar. You can sweat until your clothes are soaking wet in the hot rooms, then you can cool off in the ice covered pipe rooms. There are a bunch of other rooms that we just haven't explored yet as well. If you get hungry or thirsty you can buy something at the snack booth, if you get tired you can take a blanket and lie down, you can watch tv, and you can use the internet. This is a place where whole families can go and just relax and spend time together.

Gilad and I are really happy that we FINALLY were able to experience this and I am a little disappointed that we didn't go sooner, although in our last 11 weeks we will for sure be going back.

Dawna

Awful Exchange Rate...

2008-05-25T10:24:00.003-04:00

One thing that's really annoying is how much LESS money we make since we've come to Korea. Dawna and I each make (before taxes and other deductions) 2.2million Won a month, which roughly came out to about $2450 Canadian back in August 2007 (when we first got here). Looking at the exchange rate today, it's somewhere near $2050. That's $400CDN less each month! It's especially frustrating when our jobs have gotten a lot harder, we have to come in earlier one day out of the week and there is much more to stress about. On top of that, we have no choice but to exchange our money each month to send it home for repayments and stuff.

Here's a graph showing the rate trend in 2007. Awful.

Another one showing the last 120 days.

My thoughts? Coming to Korea to teach English is an awesome experience if you're lucky to not end up at a Hagwon that screws you over. Not that ours is doing that, but there are lots of risks to come here. Everyone always talks about how great the money is coming here...but with the way the rate is dropping (for us, at the current rate, that's about $4800 lost if the rate were to stay at this level for an entire year and not drop) the money doesn't seem all that great anymore. With a Bachelor of Arts, you could easily find a job that paid at least $30-35,000 in Canada... which would be a whole lot more than here. However, rent here is free... and the cost of living is definitely cheaper... but in the end... do you really end up saving all that much? Times are changing... it sucks that the times so happened to change while we were here.

Now don't get me wrong. I do not regret coming here. I've had great experiences... learned a lot about myself and others in the process... got to see many parts of the world and meet some really beautiful people... I just wish I was making a stable income (or at least not lower than what I was initially making) while I was here.

- Gilad

I wish my students were this well-trained.

2008-05-25T09:20:00.002-04:00

Lazy Sunday... so we taught the dogs some new things.

Lincoln showing off.

Deva doing it too.

And while we're at it, here are the dogs wearing their matching Puma sweaters. I'm deeply saddened to announce that yes, they do have dog clothes ... and further saddened to admit that yes, we bought it for them.

Just a little buddy...

The foxy lady showing her sweater off.

Cute.

Blue Puma.

Red Puma.

The next trick we should teach Lincoln? How to keep his teeth in his mouth.

And that's a wrap.

- Gilad

This Just In!

2008-05-23T01:31:00.001-04:00

We're going to North Korea. Yes, NORTH Korea. Also known as the place where nobody ever goes.

We're very excited. You should be jealous... very jealous.

- Gilad

A Reason to Kill Someone

2008-05-22T17:57:00.002-04:00

Quite a grim title for a post... I know. However, listen to this video on the LOUDEST volume you can and you'll see why.

Wouldn't you want to kill them too? This has been happening everyday this week, including Saturday (days off) as well. It sucks. Why is it happening? When am I going to reach my breaking point? They better beat it soon.

Although you might not be able to hear them at the very beginning... trust me... we can. And coincidentally, while shooting this video, they happened to wrap up whatever-in-the-world-they-were-doing-at-630-effin-a.m!!!!!!

- Gilad

We know something...

2008-05-22T11:28:00.003-04:00

You know that everybody knows that we know that the end is soon. There are countdowns, party plans, airport arrangements and first meals being discussed. The end is near and we can feel it... but this is definitely a day I've been looking forward to for more than a few months now.

Why?

Well, take a stroll over here. Yep! That's right. It's official! They're looking for our replacements which can only mean one thing: we're almost finished! EEEE! We knew it before but now we know it even more ... we more than know it! In fact, we've never known anything more than we know this. We're almost done! And we know it.

Exciting news indeed.

- Gilad

And then there were two

2008-05-20T01:47:00.002-04:00

So our last few weeks have been filled with visitors and adventures. Jess from my India trip was able to visit for a few days. She came from Tokyo to visit me in Korea 3 months after I came from Korea to visit her in Tokyo! It's pretty awesome that we each got to experience the others home away from home. After that my mom arrived for 3 weeks. I can't tell you how quickly that time went. The time with my mom was pretty awesome. She is such a free spirit and just loves to have fun. We had some really great experiences celebrating Buddha's birthday with one of the kindest families on the face of the planet, getting our feet pedicured by fish, eating 100 different dishes at the best buffet ever, having samgyupsal with all of our co-workers, visiting one of the most populated cities in the world (Seoul), and of course our favourite hobby: shopping..so much shopping. I will definitely miss coming home and getting the run down of everything my mom bought that day, or hearing about how the taxi driver got lost (every time), or playing scrabble with offensive words taking over the board. Gilad and I really enjoyed having the company and we wish we could have had more visitors here.

Having people to show around has really allowed us to appreciate the random beauty that you can experience in Korea. In the past month or so we have become really familiar with the history of Korea and it has given us a great appreciation for the country. There are still things here that we don't understand, or that can really frustrate us, but at least we can look at those things with a different point of view. Most of all, we have come to understand why Koreans are so proud of their country. With a history like theirs they most definitely should be.

Anyways we have been super busy for the last month or so, but now that Alex has left us, which P.S. We miss you! and Jess, and my mom...well now it is just us. So we will be updating with pictures soon! (by we I mean Gilad hah).

______Dawna________

It's a vicious circle...

2008-05-16T07:48:00.002-04:00

Oh God... just finished teaching eight classes in six hours with no breaks in between. Nine classes in total including my 35 minute kindergarten class. I'm worn out and really tired of this redundancy.

On the bright side, we're heading to Seoul tomorrow morning with Dawna's mom and that'll make for a (very short and) nice getaway.

- Gilad

We've punched through...

2008-05-11T11:12:00.005-04:00

It's taken us over 260 days to be able to say this:

We have less than 100 days left before we get back to Canada. Not that we hate it here... we're just VERY excited to return to our lives, friends and families back in Canada.

It feels nice to look at the countdown and see double-digits... rather than the triple we've grown accustomed to.

--------

In other news, while in Busan today, we visited a seafood (but so much more than seafood) buffet restaurant. It was sickening how much delicious food was there and how much of it we ate. It was the greatest buffet we've ever seen. King crab (over five different kinds), all sorts of sushi, all sorts of meat dishes including duck, beef roast, chicken, smoked salmon... even escargot! Salads, pizzas, pies, cakes and ice creams up the ying yang. It was incredible. And after I was all done, I had realized something Earth-shattering: I ate ten different kinds of animal there: chicken, beef, pork, duck, snail, crab, prawns, tuna, halibut and salmon. If fish eggs counted, I'd be up to eleven!

That's something to be proud of.

- Gilad

It's Official.

2008-05-10T20:22:00.002-04:00

So we're heading to Thailand in July. We'll be there for five full days (Wednesday-Sunday) and will be leaving early Monday morning.

Dawna and I plan on going to a quiet city where we can live in a hut or something on the beach for five days... and just read and relax. After some research, we discovered Ko Chang and it sounds perfect. Huts... beaches... peace and quiet. We're excited, to say the least.

For those who've been to Thailand and have better suggestions, feel free to reply and let us know. We're very open to hearing suggestions.

- Gilad

State of the Vacation

2008-05-08T08:50:00.003-04:00

The Philippines looks like it's not happening anymore. It saddens me because I've always had an interest to go there. But in all honesty, my interests and reality aren't matching up here. I've always wanted to visit the Philippines and explore the country... the ins and outs... meet the people and experience the culture. One of my best friends from a few years back was this guy called Epher... a Filipino guy who would always talk fondly about his country. As a result, I grew a love for it and wanted to one day go there. However, with only six days of travel time at the end of July, I feel like I can't do everything I'd want to do in that country. That, and the tickets there are expensive for that time of the year. Most importantly, Dawna and I would be nearing the end of our contracts in Korea and will be looking to celebrate by just relaxing on a beach under some sun. It would be unfair to use my trip to the Philippines for those kinds of means when there's so much more I'd like to do. So it looks like our trip to the Philippines is not happening.

Rather, it looks like we'll be traveling to Thailand instead. With some help from our boss, we found some decent tickets to Bangkok. Thailand has also intrigued me in the past and I know they have nice beaches... and it'll be warm... and cheap... so why not? Cheap + Beautiful Beaches + Great Food = the kind of trip I'll want to be taking in July. I'm saddened but very excited as well. I've also realized that this is my first real vacation ever... so I'll be looking to make the most of it.

And hopefully, sometime later in life, I'll be able to make a more extended trip to the Philippines.

- Gilad

And life goes on...

2008-05-06T06:42:00.002-04:00

So we've accepted that we won't be getting that day off and are adopting the whole "and so it goes" attitude. Moving on.

We've been pretty lucky to have some visitors over the last week. Dawna's friend, Jess, whom she traveled to India with and who was in Korea on vacation (from teaching English in Tokyo), paid us a visit. Not that we did anything out of the ordinary... we more or less showed her our little town, our favorite Makgullee bar, Busan and other things. I must say that it was nice to have somebody around who was so interested in how things work here... made me appreciate the things I've grown so accustomed to.

Also, Dawna's mom is here visiting for about three weeks. She found a bargain deal to come here and it's nice having her around as well. We've showed her the PNU area of Busan which is a great shopping area, took her out to a Turkish restaurant, and showed her bits of a little shopping area in Masan called Chang Dong. We plan on going to Seoul in a couple weeks and enjoying the sights there. Like I said, it's nice having guests who are intrigued and excited to see the things around us.

On a sadder note, Alex, a good friend of mine (and now Dawna's) from University came up to work at our Hagwon for the last 5 and a bit months. She's leaving next Tuesday which gives her a week left. It's crazy to think that she's been here for that long already. I remember the staff meeting we had right before she came where co-workers where inquiring with me as to what Alex was like. I've gotta say that the second half of our year in Korea has been going by faster than the first half. We're a few weeks away from being able to say that we've lived in Korea for nine months (or 75% of our contract... but who's counting?) In any case, we'll miss Alex and after she leaves, our small list of friends will shrink even more.

Work is still work. It's still a grind... working to enjoy the weekends. I'm on break right now and was taking a look at the lesson I have to teach in my next class... and I get frustrated as I've taught this lesson like three other times to other classes. It's tough to stay motivated with class material when you've already taught it inside and out. I wish I had a little more freedom to go outside of these books... or just ditch the work in the books and use the main ideas instead.

So how long have we been here? Well, I've gone from shaving my head to having long hair again. We've seen three foreign teachers wrap up their contracts, two Korean teachers finish theirs... we've experienced every one of the four seasons. Nine months... can't believe it! That's like doing nine consecutive Global trips... and I thought those were long.

Speaking of Global, this is the time of the year when all our close friends are heading out on their respective trips. It's so strange to see how a lot of people we know are so involved in Global these days. I remember two years ago, when I first joined Global... it was tiny... nobody I knew was interested or aware of the organization and now it's just exploded. I'm very envious of all my friends and their month-long journeys... and Bryson... Drew... Sasha... Matt... everyone else... I'll be thinking and praying for you a lot over the next few weeks... and I know you'll all do great jobs. To the Global staff... Dave, Sharon, Tim, Beth, Theresa (is she still working there) and any of the other volunteers... you guys rock.

Lastly, I want to mention YWAM Modesto. We were fortunate enough to travel to Modesto, California, last year in February for ten days. While there, we helped the staff of YWAM with their work which is pretty basic in nature: to help the local homeless community and build relationships through different means. I just wanted to mention how much Dawna and I miss the staff and mission there... and how we're itching... VERY BADLY... to return. We don't know when, we don't know how... but we know we'll be back helping out and strengthening relationships sometime in the future. God bless you guys.

So that's where I stand now. Thanks to anyone who still finds the time and interest to keep up with our journey here. Dawna and I really appreciate it... and we want our friends and family across the globe to know that we really miss them.

- Gilad

The Answer is "No."

2008-04-27T22:18:00.002-04:00

So in response to my last post, our boss said no.

I can go in with food poisoning. Not call in sick for an entire year. Bust my ass. And not get one day off... three months from now.

Livid.

- Gilad

A Day We've Earned

2008-04-25T05:15:00.007-04:00

You know, not for anything, but I feel like Dawna and I are entitled to get a day off three months from now for a few reasons.

1. We're requesting to get a day off three months from now so we can actually book our reserved flights to the Philippines.

2. The day we're requesting off is a testing day... so whoever has to cover our classes wouldn't have to teach... just hand out tests more or less.

3. We've both come to work with the flu, being sick, food poisoning... everything. We've taught screaming kids while having migraines or having to run the washroom to throw up from a nasty flu. We've never called in sick, no matter how painfully sick we've been over the last eight months.

4. We've covered classes for other teachers who have gotten days off, so what's the pain in giving us ONE day off three months from now?

We asked for the day off earlier this week. Dawna told our boss that it was my birthday (which it will be) in July and that this trip will mean a lot to us. She also mentioned how increasingly difficult it is to book a flight in Korea as that's the only time most people in the country get off and everything fills up. Our boss more or less said no. We e-mailed back and let them know it would be a testing day which should lighten up the load for whoever may have to cover our classes. In passing, my boss said he'd consider and get back to me by next week, but followed up with a comment that didn't seem too optimistic.

No offense... but I've never let the company hanging. I've done everything that I've been asked to do and have done so without any outward complaint.

The least we deserve is the day off. If I don't get it, I'll be very mad. Outwardly mad, too. We'll see how that goes.

- Gilad

Of larvae, seafood and pirates.

2008-04-22T04:24:00.003-04:00

So over the last few weeks we've done some cool things. We've explored different bits of Korea for different reasons... and I'll talk about a few of those experiences.

Firstly, we went to Jinhae about three weeks ago to check out the cherry-blossom festival. Every year around this time, Korea flourishes with tons and tons of cherry-blossoms and it's really beautiful. Jinhae is home to the cherry-blossom festival and that's where we went.

Also, before I show the pictures, I just wanted to mention how Koreans eat Silkworm Larvae as a snack. We frequently see vendors on the street boiling these little guys and the smell really throws both Dawna and I off... but we've remained curious this whole time... so we decided to give it a shot.

Anyway... pictures and such:

Dawna and Alex.

The cherry blossoms blooming.

Beeeeeeeeeeeeautiful.

Up-close.

And now... the silkworm larvae.

Dawna trying it out... she clearly likes it.

My turn. Kinda had the texture of liver... and the taste of uh... poop. Not good at all.

What a silkworm actually looks like... when it's actually born... and not larvae.

-----------

And then there was our late night random expedition to Busan. We went to a tiny carnival first where we enjoyed (Dawna and Alex wouldn't use that word) a ride... then went to a fish market, picked out whatever fish we wanted to have, and watched it get butchered in front of us. We then ate the fresh (raw) seafood on Haeundae beach... and it was awesome.

At the festival... an Asian pirate? What?

Jung, Alex and Dawna. Jung was the architect of this night as he put it all together randomly.

Taken from the ride... a view of the bridge at Haeundae beach at night.

On the Viking ride. I thought it was quite boring... but Dawna was pooping herself.

Might gross you out... but had to take a picture. Someone clearly missed the squatter toilet. Noticeably.

Guess we're having live octopus again...

Our assortment of raw seafood... alive just a few minutes ago.

The fish market at Haeundae beach in Busan.

Picking out our dinner.

Butchering the live octopus. Notice how it still moves even after it's dead.

Eating on the beach at night... Dawna shows how it's done... too bad the battery on the camera had to die.

- Gilad

Doctor Fish

2008-04-22T04:14:00.004-04:00

So nearly two weeks ago, Dawna, Alex, Mallessa and I went to the nearby neighboring city of Changwon. Changwon is a newer city than Masan with lots more to do. Among that long list of things to do includes an interesting coffee/tea shop called Dr. Fish. We've heard from tons of people about this place and had to check it out, so we did.

What is it that makes Dr. Fish so interesting? Well, it has nothing to do with the drinks or snacks they serve, but rather, it's the experience. While there, you take your shoes and socks off, kick back in a comfy couch and relax with your feet in a small tub filled with water and fish. WATER AND FISH? Yes... water and fish. You see, at Dr. Fish, you stick your feet in this tub of fish and they feast off the dead skin and calousses on your feet. I will assure you that it's super weird at first and after a while, it still remains extremely weird but more bearable.

Definitely an experience and one I'd recommend for any other people in Korea.

The fish feasting off my neanderthal-looking feet.

Chomping on Dawna's feet.

Mallessa's initial reaction... hilarious.

They especially loved Mallessa's feet.

A little used it now... but still weird.

Definitely an experience...

- Gilad

Oh God, it's been nine days!

2008-04-20T02:59:00.000-04:00

... since we've updated the blog! I swear... pictures and videos to come up soon... and good ones too.

- Gilad

The things I want to do before I go...

2008-04-10T05:46:00.003-04:00

Here's a list off the top of my head of things I still want to do before I leave Asia.

1. Go back to Seoul.
2. Visit Gyeongju (the old, old, old former capital of South Korea)
3. Visit the beaches in Busan a hundred times.
4. Try other Korean dishes.
5. Hike the mountain in Masan again.
6. Visit other cities in Korea.
7. Learn the Korean alphabet.
8. Explore more coffee/tea shops.
9. Possibly do a temple stay.
10. Go to Busan more often.

Here are a list of things I would want to do but don't have the time or means to:
1. Go to China.
2. Visit North Korea.
3. Go to Jeju-do (Korean island about an hour flight from here.)

Things I want to do that are not at all related to Asia:
1. Keep up going to the gym.
2. Fix my guitar.
3. Have a full-time job ready for me for when I return to Toronto.
4. Have an apartment ready for me for when I return to Toronto.
5. Buy more clothes.
6. Get a pair of converse shoes.
7. Teach my dogs more tricks.

Ah, the wonders of having a few too many breaks in one day...

- Gilad

New Blog Link

2008-04-10T02:54:00.002-04:00

Over there on the left, you'll find a link to blogs we visit. Just added a new one for our friend, Alla.

She's got some good stuff in there... give it a look.

- Gilad

Irony.

2008-04-04T01:26:00.004-04:00

A day after posting that epic story about "8650," the empire has crashed. Ironically, that blog post marks the farewell of the streak as today, at roughly 1:50pm (Korean Time), I had to wipe my student's bum.

The culprit? Nicky. Little Nicky.

Here he is:

8650 days is yours now, sweet prince. All yours.

- Gilad

Spelling Test

2008-04-03T05:44:00.003-04:00

Too good to pass up. A recent spelling test taken at our school.

The correct spelling is:
1. backpack
2. eraser
3. sick
4. happy
5. listen
6. count

Tom got two wrong. Check it out.

- Gilad

An Ongoing Streak... Ended?

2008-04-03T03:26:00.003-04:00

8650. What does this represent? Well, a few things.

For starters, it represents the number of days I've been alive for. But that's petty compared to what it actually stands for: The number of days I've survived on this earth without having to wipe anybodies butt but my own.

I have lots of pride in this. Although Dawna's streak was put to a screeching halt in the dying days of last week, I have somehow managed to teach kindergarden students for 7+ months and escape the demon that exists in wiping their butts.

Of course, things had to get a little more difficult. I've recently gotten smaller, younger kids who are incapable of lowering their pants when they have to pee (had to do this for them... so that streak is gone) so one can only imagine how much more incapable they are of wiping their butts post-poo.

I used to wake up each and everyday with a smile on my face -- knowing that my streak was safe and alive. However, something has changed. I don't sleep as well. I have nightmares. Although I can't see it, I know that there exists a giant brown cloud hovering over me... watching me... as if to say, "Hey, You're Next!" I've done fairly well with avoiding the confrontation but at the same time, I'm beginning to realize that the inevitable is inching closer... and closer... and closer.

Tick...
Tock...
Tick...
Tock...

Until today. There I am, in the first half of my kindergarden class when one of the little boys looks up at me and mutters something in Korean. At the time, I was holding up a green crayon and hoping for him to say "Green." He doesn't say green. He says something in Korean... which I don't understand... and assuming he had incorrectly answered my question of "What color is this crayon," I just respond with.. "No, you're wrong." After a few minutes, he starts to squirm, hold his stomach... and keeps saying the same word. I'm thinking "No, seriously... kid... this is green... no need to get so upset" until I realize something awful. He's not talking about colors here. He's the one. He's the one that's going to destroy my streak. 8650 hangs in the balance of a three year old.

So we rush to the washroom and I help him take his pants off... and he hops onto the toilet. I'm panicking and thinking that I haven't really had the chance to give my streak the proper farewell it deserved. How could it end this way... with no warning? So as I'm sitting there waiting for him to finish, I realize that I have a classroom full of little kids that need tending to. So I leave Tony in the stall, head back to class only to see Nicky, another boy, mutter the same word. Oh god. He needs to poo as well. I guess if I'm going to go down... I'm REALLY going to go down. How could this be? I'm a good person... I've done good things in my life. The least I deserve is preparation... or a warning of some sorts to let me know that this golden streak is going brown.

So I take Nicky to the washroom, help him take his pants off... and he sits on the toilet. Him and Tony... partners in crime. Two three year olds who must work together to take me down. I'm panicking... freaking out... don't know what to do. "It's over" I think and sulk. I head to the hallway, crouch up against the wall with my head in my lap and sadly accept the inevitable: I will wipe two bums and this streak is over. I'll have to start another one.

So much work. All down the toilet... literally. I guess I'm alone here.

... until I look up and see the Korean kindergarden teacher. And although she can't speak English... and I can't speak Korean... we both know one thing. She's my savior... she's not only here to protect my fingers... but she's here to protect my streak.

And so I parade back to my kindergarden class, smile as wide as the pacific... and I know that my streak is safe for another day.

8651, here I come.

Amen.

- Gilad

The events of today

2008-03-28T08:35:00.004-04:00

So work has been pretty stressful as of late, what with new rules, extra classes, and exam/evaluation period. I have found that I have been running around like a chicken with its head cut off.

Today was speaking test day, so my time was filled with asking 80+ kids, "How are you," "What are you wearing,""Where would you like to go on vacation." etc. This is quite the dull routine, so just to spice it up some of my children decided to grab my attention in less than pleasant ways.

First, I am giving a speaking test to a kid, who had previously asked me to go to the washroom. Kids are always doing this to get out of class so I said he could go AFTER his speaking test. So we are doing our speaking test, everything is going well until I see a squirt shoot out of his pants, a look of panic and his hand holding his crotch. Great. He peed his pants. I made a kid pee his pants.

Then after walking away, feeling like a horrible person I walk into a class full of little shit disturbers, excuse my French. These kids are just the worst thing ever. Anyways I have my back to them as I am writing their assignment on the board, and I hear them singing this song in Korean. I turn around only to see a boy (and probably his friends) dancing while giving me the middle finger. All I can say is that I am pretty sure he wishes he didn't get caught doing that. I yelled like I never thought I could yell.

What is with today today?

___Dawna___

New Blog Feature

2008-03-25T04:53:00.002-04:00

Really missing us and counting down the seconds until we return to Canada? Well, you're in luck! We've installed a countdown timer on the left side of the page (may take a while to load) that'll give you a live SECOND-BY-SECOND countdown of how much time we have left until we reunite with Canada herself.

- Gilad

Ladies and gentlemen... three year olds.

2008-03-21T09:59:00.003-04:00

Don't know if I've mentioned it or not, but I recently lost my old kindergarden students as they all graduated the ECC Kindy program. They were all about seven years old. So what happened? I got new Kindys... and how old are they? Three! They don't know the difference between Korean or English and they speak Korean to me assuming I know what they're saying. It takes forever to teach them anything and I have to constantly remind myself that they're just three and so small.

So here they are.

Pascal. Awesome name. Loud kid. Brilliant though.

Maris. Slow kid. Doesn't know anything. Never listens. Doesn't even know her name is Maris yet. Not lying.

Tony. Cool kid and the cutest in my opinion. Yesterday, I heard a sneeze in the room... looked around... and there was Tony staring up at me, face covered in booger. Had to clean up the mess for him.

Julia. Cute as hell. Brilliant girl. Awesome!

Don't let the picture deceive you. He's not cute. In fact, he's loud, destructive and LOUD.

Hey... let's climb the teacher's back!

That's a good idea... I'll join in.

I smile but I really think, "GET OFF!"

He's only three, but he can strike a pose with the best of them.

The kids being.. kids.

They're cute... when they're quiet. Yea, definitely only when they're quiet. Well, sometimes when they talk... but mostly when they're quiet.

Practicing "Hellllo!" and "Gooooodbye!" It makes up for about 65% of their English vocabulary at the moment.

Ignore the off-tune singing of my ABCs and just notice that beyond the letter 'K,' most of them have no idea what they're saying.

I must say that having these kids has helped me learn quite a bit about myself... and little kids... and how to act with them... and yea... although it's stressful, it's rewarding in its own ways.

- Gilad