Pierre's Korean Adventure 

That'll Learn Me!

Well, evidently SoJu packs quite the wollup! I apoligize for the poetic vomitous, but frankly I kind of like those poems. Somewhere in them is the sadness that sits at my core.

Sure, there's a sadness deep inside me, but I think that's probably something I share with all humans. I found it because I'm not scared to scratch the surface to see what's there. I've come here to remake my life, remake myself, and that can be a painful process...to do it right I have to know my medium very, very well.

Perhaps that background human sadness comes from the fact that we are all so fundamentally alone.

If someone were to ask me for one word that symbolizes me, that sums me up, I would say, "Connection".

Okay, enough introspection for now. How about some observations!

This one isn't mine. It belongs to a fellow Canadian ex-pat named Wendy. We've never met, but she's been here longer than me and has a blog of her own. She's made some very perceptive observations that I can't express any better, so I won't try.

Also, 'ne' is 'yes' in Korean, but I always hear 'yeeeeeeeh' as if they're saying 'yeayyyyyyyy' and the voice intonation goes down then uuuuupppppp! It's kindof the equivalent to 'hei' in Japanese that is sharp, whereas the Korean 'yeeeaaaaaaayyy' is long. When you come in a store they might say 'yeeeaaaayyyy' or when you leave, or when you say goodbye on the phone or anything that takes place of other words that you just might not feel like saying. Its somethign you have to hear I suppose. I kindof like it, and then sometimes it bugs me. So guess what, I'm going to be saying it like craziness when I get back home! ha hahaha!

If you want to check out Wendy's blog it's at : http://bendycha.blogeasy.com/

It's 9:00am now. I'm still feeling the effects of the SoJu last night. Still a bit woosy. I ate a light breakfast and will walk into town again for a hearty lunch. Possibly the same thing I had yesterday - that was good!!

Now, I'll work on the booklet for the English Camp.

One Week Down

It's early Saturday evening. I'm sitting on my bed listening to Anne Murray sing "Snowbird" and writing this blog entry. I received a couple of emails from people in Montreal and Ottawa who say that there's been quite a dumping of snow back there. Still no snow here and no, I don't miss it.

Well, I now have a little idea of what it feels like to be a Rock Star! Yesterday after one of my classes, a boy at the back held up a blank piece of paper and said, "autograp-uh?". I said, "Sure." Before I knew it I was surrounded by just about all thirty kids with blank pieces of paper for me to sign. Sheesh!! Then, word that I would sign blank pieces of paper spread like wild fire and in my next class it was the same thing all over again. The novelty of having someone from Canada in their midst will no doubt wear off in a little while and then I'll just be, "That guy."

Today I woke up around 6:30, as usual, but had no where to go. I turned on the tv and watched a little of this and that, had a couple of cups of coffee. One of the teachers at the school brought in a bag containing apples, peanuts, cherry tomatoes, and oranges. He told me the day before he would bring me some apples...I was under the impression that he grew them. But I asked someone and was told that he had bought all this stuff for me. I'll have to invite him to lunch or buy him some SoJu (some kind of rice wine that's very popular here).

I spent a few hours working on the student handout booklet for the English Camp (Dec. 26-Jan. 20) that my co-teacher and I are doing. There will be 4 sessions of 5 days each. That's not really much time so it has to be pretty focused. The booklet will end up being 25 pages or so with sections on nouns, pronouns, and verbs. There will be a couple of stories, some worksheets for the kids to do, and some sing-a-longs. I'll bring my guitar ...I've been practicing a few pieces : "Amazing Grace", "You Are My Sunshine" and a couple of others,

Around noon I was feeling a little hungry, so I got dressed and for the first time I walked into town. My first time venturing into the town of Haman by myself. It took me about 30 minutes to walk there and amazingly enough, I didn't get lost! Not too hard...all I had to do was follow the Chilwon river.


(View of Haman as I walked into town)

When I got to town I went directly to the elementary school to take some pictures. I forgot that the kids have a half day of school on Saturdays. Luckily I don't have to work on Saturday, but there were some other teachers around.


Some Students In Front of the main building at Chilwon Elementary School




I wanted to find someone who would join me for lunch, but they were all too busy. I hadn't gone to a Korean restaurant (Shiktang) alone and didn't really know what to order. Well, I know a few things that I like, i.e. Kimchi, Meh Oon Tang (spicy fish soup), and rice (of course!) but ordering food in a Korean restaurant is different.


My Lunch!

One sits cross legged at a low table on a cushion on the floor. You order something from the menu like Kimchi and it comes with soup, rice, at least one meat dish and other stuff that I really can't identify except that it's usually vegetable. All really healthy stuff ! I knew I wanted Kimchi because I've really come to love it, but they didn't have the spicy fish soup. Oh well! I ordered Kimchi and before I knew it I had more food on the table than you could shake a stick at. I've gotten a lot better at using chopsticks, but I was having problems eating the fish in front of me. The cook saw that I was having problems and she came by with sanitary gloves on and proceeded to take the meat from the bone for me. Koreans like spicy food and some of what I ate was very, very spicy, but all of it was delicious! Total cost for that spread about $4.00

It's dark now, but I think I'll take another little walk. This time I'll go in the opposite direction. I see some lights and maybe there's a coffee shop or something. Till next time....

I'm still having trouble remembering people's names. I know maybe a half dozen students by name. By the end of the year I won't know them all, but I will know many of them.

I went for a walk tonight in search of SoJu...apparently the alcoholic drink of choice for Koreans. I walked towards the lights at night and found it there in a store. Here is the poem it has inspired..

What would he say?
What do I care?
Who am I?
My name, it is Pierre.

Two out of two
But only one knows my name.
Three out of three
But only one knows my pain.

One out of two
Doesn't see me anymore.
One out of one
So, where is J54?!

One father, two fathers, three fathers, four
One mother, two mothers, three mothers, more.
A million miles away
Drinking SoJu all alone.
I pinch myself.
And see I am at home.

One soul divided
much more than I can tell.
One heart ,disheartened
Going back to the well.

When it's time, the body just slips away
The soul simply finds itself
In just a different way.

Okay, another poem..

I am Percheron!!
It's a feeling deep within my soul.
I've walked the hills of Nor-man-dy...
But, still I am not whole.

I know not who I am
But, a wanderer is what I be.
Destined to find solice.
Near the salty, salty sea.

How many fathers could it take?
How many mothers to make?
A sperm survives ...
no more does it roam.
A lone man walks ...
through the chilly night
At last! A light! It's home!

I'm moving to my apartment on Monday, yes!

Observations

Almost a full week as an ESL teacher. It's been fun so far, and I've met so many wonderful people! Actually, I've experienced so much that is new, that I feel as if I've been here much longer than only a week.

Today I taught 4 classes...3 in the morning and 1 in the afternoon. I was done teaching by 2:40pm. I spent the rest of my day at school doing research.

I'm still in the motel, but should be moving to my apartment early next week. I'm looking forward to being able to unpack everything and make myself a home.

Speaking of next week...Christmas vacation is from Dec. 20-25. I've been invited to
- hike in the mountains
- go drinking with a bunch of teachers
- a picnic with a teacher and his family

My heart almost broke today...the first class of the day. There's this little girl who sits in the front of the class...she's so tiny, and terribly, terribly shy. The other kids make fun of her because she doesn't wash and smells bad. But that really isn't her fault. I asked about her and her parents, especially her father hates kids. Literally! If she were in Canada she would be taken away by children's aid. But here the family is everything, more important than individuals and I'm not sure there's an equivalent to children's aid here. Unfortunately there's nothing I can really do about this except pay attention to her. The kids make fun of her and don't include her in anything, but they like me and if I treat her as I treat them, then maybe things will change for her.

Some other observations ...

1) As I was being driven to school this morning I noticed a building with a 'swastika'on the door. I thought to myself, 'Oh no, if there's a bunch of Nazis in a small town like this, then maybe I've been wrong about Koreans and their apparent innocence.' I asked my co-teacher about it and she said it's the symbol for a buddhist temple. I was surprised, but relieved.

2) They have spent what I consider a lot of money to bring me here, and are spending a lot of money to keep me here. I've been staying in a $300/day motel while my apartment is being prepared. Then, there's the cost of all the furniture, the rent and my salary. So, you would think that this would be an indication that they regard English as something important, however, I can't give the children homework and there are no marks for English. This surprises me, but provides a less daunting, softer target to aim at. My goal then is for the children to be speaking, reading and pronouncing substantially more and better than they do now.

Teaching English : Day 1

I woke up again at 6:30, made a coffee. A couple of things about my motel room:

1) There's a water dispenser that looks like a run of the mill water dispenser except that it has 2 spouts,
one for cold water, and the other for boiling water. I use it to for coffee.
2) The floor is heated. That is a common feature of Korean homes.
3) There is a dresser and a nightable in the room and they have drawers, but the drawers don't open. Just for looks I guess.

One of teachers, Kim Dong-Jin, the guy that picked me up at the airport, picked me up this morning at 8:30. We went to the school. I was nervous because I didn't know what to expect, but given that everyone I've met so far has been so kind I wasn't that worried.

The day began with meeting the vice-principal, a couple of teachers, and then the principal. There was a special all staff meeting on my account. I was led to a room where all the teachers were seated and put at the front of the room beside the head table. One of the female teachers embarassed me by saying that I'm handsome. I was introduced and was asked to say something to the teachers so, in Korean I said, "It's nice to meet you. Thank-you" (Man Na Saw Ban Gapsumnida. Kamsamnida). That got me a round of applause.

After the meeting I met my co-teacher, Ally. At first she said we didn't have classes to teach today because there was some sort of PD day, but shortly afterwards she said we had to teach one grade 6 class. She said I should concentrate on the letters from A-G. Sink or swim time!

I took a deep breath as I followed Ally into the noisy classroom, She introduced me. I wrote a big 'A' on the board and people shouted out what it was, then we went through the other vowels in a similar way. Then, I asked for some words that started with those letters. Then, Ally left the class for some reason, and I passed out the maple fudge to each student...just enough! Ally came back and we went over the vowels and I showed them the difference between a long and a short 'A' sound by writing words like 'play', and 'bat' on the board. Finally, we went over the sound 'R' makes versus 'L'. They have a very hard time pronouncing 'R' because that sound just doesn't exist in their language. It went so quickly!

Ally and I went back to the teachers lounge and she showed me my schedule...I'll be teaching at 3 different schools and have a different co-teacher at each. I'm off from Dec. 20 till the 25th for Christmas vacation, the children are off from the 20th of December till Feb. 1. But from Dec. 26 to January 20 I'll be teaching at 'English Camp'. If I understand it right it's like an intensive thing, and I have to prepare some kind of plan, some activities, worksheets and maybe teach the kids a simple song. I may bring my guitar to that and do 'Oh Suzanna" or something like that. I'm off from January 21 to January 31st for winter vacation.

I have to admit that I like being a celebrity!! As I was sitting in the teacher's lounge kids were coming to the door to say hi and introduce themselves...one boy said, "I love you". All day kids were coming up to me just wanting to say hi and impress me with their English. They and many others I've met seem impressed by how much Korean I know, and my pronounciation. I learned a long time ago when I went to Spain that if you want to be accepted and welcomed by people in foreign lands you need to make a sincere effort to learn about their language and culture.

I ate lunch at the cafeteria at the school. Except for the peanut butter, bread, and strawberry jam I have in my room I've eaten nothing but traditional Korean food. I love it!

After lunch I spent the rest of the day "shmoozing" with county administrators. Maybe "shmoozing" isn't the right word? I felt more like we native speakers were on display, like trophies. We went to the Haman Board of Education where Dr. Cho works. I met two other native speakers, Christine, from Australia, and Ross, from New York. Dr. Cho took us to the Haman County Government offices where we met the city financial director, then the vice-governor and finally, the governor. All of them completely great and welcoming - the vice governor said he's going to organize a social evening for us.

It's cold here. There isn't any snow, but today it was windy and cold. Probably -10 or so. It seems the schools don't have any central heat or heated floors. Instead each room has a heater unit, or a fan that has heating elements in it. I'm not sure what sort of fuel the heaters use, but if you stay in a room with one too long, your eyes will burn. Smells like kerosene. That explains why the windows are all open. If they weren't everyone would probably die of asphyxiation Everyone walks around in winter coats, moving quickly seeking heat. Oh ya, when you enter the school you take your shoes off, put on slippers and put your shoes in a little locker.

I'm back at my room in the motel. My battery is winding down fast, but I can't go to bed. I need to start thinking about what I'm going to teach tomorrow. One thing that takes some pressure off is the fact that the students aren't tested in English, so the mark I have to hit as a teacher is a very soft one. They will be looking for indications that the students can speak better than they did, that's all. I'm going to a totally new school tomorrow and will have to do some of what I did today all over again.

At this point although I miss everyone, I'm so happy I did this!!

This weekend I'm going hiking in the mountains that surround Haman. I'll take some nicer pictures!

Welcome To Haman

December 10, 2005

It's 8:11pm and I'm in the motel A-Na-Da in Haman (room #305). It is certainly warmer here than in Montreal! Today it was around +12 during the day. The trip here was mostly uneventful...not necessarily a bad thing when you're talking about a long trip like that.

I left Montreal a little after 8:00am on Thursday, Dec. 8. I've never been so close to missing a plane in my life! By the time my luggage was sorted out, i.e. taking the guitar (which cost me a U.S.$130), weighing the luggage, and having the luggage sent directly through to Busan ahead of me, it was 7:15. Boarding on the plane started at 7:20! But, I still had to go through customs and screening. Oh ya, and then I had to pretty much go to the furthest end of Pierre Elliot Trudeau International Airport!

One little curiosity...when I was going through screening I saw the people ahead of me take off their shoes, but I decided that I wouldn't unless asked. I wasn't.

Luckily I ran part of the way and that was a bit of a challenge with the stuff I was carrying, but by the time I boarded the plane it was after 8:00am. I was the second last passenger to board.

The flight to Chicago was great! No turbulence, no problems.

Once in Chicago, in the land of the free and the home of depraved, my biggest challenge was finding where I needed to be and getting there. I didn't have any U.S. currency on me and asked a couple of places if they took Canadian money. No! So, I found a currency exhcange place (also a challenge) and converted my paltry CAN$20 to U.S.$12.70. Oh Joy! That at least bought me a bottle of water and some dried fruit snacks.

Finally, time to board Japan Airlines flight #003 to Tokyo/Narita. No problems here either, except this time I did have to take my boots off.

The flight to Tokyo was also not eventful, just very, very long. There was a TV screen on the back of the seat ahead of me and I could watch a number of movies in English, i.e. Godfather 3, Polar Express, Wedding Crashers. There were also some video games available, i.e. Solitaire, Invaders, Virtual Bowling. I played "Invaders" a few times.

It took about 12.5 hours to fly from Chicago to Narita. We landed at Narita airport at 5:00pm local time which was like 3:00am for me, but in between movies and games, I slept. I probably got about 3 to 4 hours sleep on the plane,so when we landed I felt pretty good. I was in this long line of people waiting to go through immigration/customs and was about 15 minutes from finally getting to an agent when I saw a sign saying that foreigners should go to Counter 'A' before going through immigration. So, fine I leave the line after having been in it for 40 minutes or so and I go to counter 'A'. When I get to Counter 'A' I see a sign saying that people holding passports for the U.S., Canada and about a half dozen other countries don't need to go to Counter 'A'. They couldn't have said that on the first sign? Anyway, by 6:00pm I made it through customs and screening and was waiting outside for a free shuttle bus to take me to the Nikko Narita Hotel.

The room (#619) was small, but I was happy to take my boots off, have a shower, and lay down. I bought a lemonade at a vending machine, went back to my room and went to sleep around 8:30pm. I woke up at midnight and thought I wouldn't be able to fall asleep again, but I did. The next thing I knew it was 6:00am. I had to catch a shuttle bus at 9:15am. The concierge at the desk had given me the schedule for the shuttle bus and another piece of paper which I didn't unfortunately look at. It was a coupon for a free buffet breakfast at the hotel's restaurant. If I had known that I wouldn't have cashed a U.S.$50 travellers cheque to buy breakfast which cost about $20.

Well, at least I had some Japanese Yen that I could use to buy some postcards. I bought 5 of them, and the stamps necessary to mail them to Canada. I wrote a quick note on each and mailed them just in time to catch my shuttle to the airport.

Finally, the plane to Busan. Again, a very easy, non-eventful flight. It took about 2 hours to get to Busan. After customs, immigration and screening I walked into the arrival area to find a couple of men holding a sign saying "Welcome Pierre!". They introduced themselves...Dr. Cho (director of the Haman school board) and Kim Dong-Jin, a teacher at Chilwon Elementary school where I'll be teaching.

It took about one hour to drive from Busan's airport to Haman City. My kind benefactors took me to a restaurant for a traditional Korean lunch...rice, vegetables, kimchi, fish, salad, grilled pork and lots more. We sat on cushions with our legs crossed under the table. I unfortunately (for myself and everyone else) had to take my boots off. The director showed me the proper way to eat with chopsticks. One stick is held immobile low down between the thumb and forefinger while the other one is manipulated by the forefinger. Both men also taught me quite a few useful Korean words. They seemed impressed by the amount of Korean that I've picked up over the past few months. I don't know what I'm going to use it for later, but I'm going to learn so much korean in the next 12 months!

After lunch we went to the school. Although it's about to celebrate its 100th year the school looks nice! I start work on Monday!!!!

My apartment in Haman isn't ready yet, so I'm spending my first few days in a motel, (A-Na-Da Motel) in room #305. Fortunaetly, the motel room has a computer with internet access and even better, it's free. Until I move in to the apartment next week the only thing I need to pay for is my food. I will have high speed internet access in my apartment!

Tomorrow, I'll try to scare up a knife, so I can spread the peanut butter and jam on the bread I bought, and a spoon so I can make coffee. I'll also take a little walk in the immediate area, study some Korean, and maybe call my Korean co-teacher to introduce myself.

9:15pm. I'm tired. Time for bed.

December 11, 2005

I was wide awake at 1:30am. I tossed and turned for a few hours and finally couldn't stay in bed any longer so I got up --- it was 4:00am. I watched some tv, had a peanut butter and jam sandwich and of course a cup of coffee.

I puttered, I rested, I wrote emails. Then, the manager of the motel came knocking at my door to give me some clean towels. Before she left I asked her if I could buy a knife and spoon somewhere, but she offered to lend them to me. Yeah!! I had been pouring the coffee directly from the jar of "Tasters Choice" into my cup and estimating the amount. I hated to do it, but I used my brand new chopsticks to spread peanut butter ... not the best, but what are you going to do? The manager came back a little later and I asked her where the nearest restaurant was located. She went away and came back with an empty kleenex box which apparentl had a restaurant advertised on it. I recognized the word for rice in korean and told her, "yes". I told her I also wanted "kimchi" (fermented cabbage and spices), the national dish of korea. She wrote the number on a pad I handed her.

Within 30 minutes there was a knock at my door and the delivery guy came into the foyer. He took the dishes out of a warmer and layed them on my floor. He asked for 4,000 Wan (about $4.00). There was a big plate of rice with some dark sauce, a bowl of spicy fish soup (really good!), and of course a bowl of kimchi. It was all really, really good!!!

I watched an episode of "The A Team" as I ate. Then, feeling the need for some fresh air and a little exercise I brought my dishes to the office downstairs (I didn't know what else to do with them), and went for a little walk. Here are some of the pictures I took on my way.

I only went out for perhaps 30 minutes and as I returned to the hotel the delivery man, driving a scooter stopped and asked me if I brought m dishes downstairs (I think?). I sort of signed to him that I did. He seemed satisfied, said goodbye and drove off.

I'll spend the remainder of the day uploading pictures to the blog, listening to some Eva Cassidy, maybe watching some TV, trying to read a korean newspaper, and preparing for tomorrow - my first day working at Chlwon Elementary School!!

The Road To Haman-Gun

The Seed

The seed for my Korean adventure was planted a long, long time ago in the mid-seventies by my Korean friend, Harvey. Like a lot of young guys at the time I was very much into Bruce Lee and the whole martial arts thing; I took karate, but never could do anything like Harvey. He could jump so amazingly high and far...from a standing start he could jump almost 5 feet in the air! He was strong and seemingly had bones like a bird...I once saw him jump execute a flying sidekick on one side turn around in mid-air and do one on the other side. I helped Harvey with his english and he was helping me learn korean. I bought myself a korean phrasebook at a little bookstore in Montreal and Harvey gave me a teeny-tiny English/Korean dictionary. I unfortunately lost the latter, but seriously doubt that I would be able to make out it's miniscule typography anyway.

Harvey would often say to me, "Pierre, if you go to Korea you will be rich!" I don't remember how he figured that would happen, but I corresponded with someone at Yonsei University in Seoul who was kind enough to send me colourful brochures, and language books to help me with my studies. He said I could come to Yonsei University to teach English and be able to learn korean. I was 17 at the time and I chickened out. I wasn't ready to make that kind of blind leap.

Apart from some TaiChi now and then I'm no longer into the martial arts, and I'm sorry to say that I lost touch with Harvey. But, the idea of going to Korea has come back with a vengeance!

After graduating from Acadia University, getting married, having kids and establishing a career in government I had pretty much forgotten about the whole idea of going to Korea. That is until I realized that the time had come for some major changes in my life.

The first was to realize that my marriage was over. We had had a good life and the marriage wasn't by any means the horror story that one often hears from other people. It had never been "awful" by any means and that really just made it harder to leave. We had a nice house, two great sons and good jobs. But, although living in the same house we had become estranged and really had very little in common.

The Mountain Trip

By 2001 Horseback riding had become an important part of my life. Unfortunately it was yet another passion of mine that was not shared by my wife. In 2003 I went on a 4 day horseback riding/camping trip with an old friend. We had such a good time....laughing, singing, writing poetry, swimming, canoeing, photography, and reading. I saw that this was the kind of relationship I wanted and yes, deserved. she brought out a side of me that I hadn't seen for a long time. With her I was funny, creative, and very comfortable being at the center of things. It was refreshing!

I think it was on the last evening of the trip that one of the guides, James, mentioned that he was planning to go to China or Thailand for 6 months to teach English. As soon as I heard it, something clicked.

The seed had been replanted.

Fortunately, my job in the government allows me to take up to 15 months sabatical to pursue personal goals. I think the hope is that one will return with a new perspective, and renewed energy. I'm hoping that proves to be the case.

A few months ago I called my friend and former karate teacher Betty Hills, who told me that her son Chad and his girlfriend, Rebecca had been to Korea to teach English and that they now worked for a company that recruits for schools there. Well, you don't have to hit me over the head (too many times) before I get the message. I called Chad and told him that I needed to go to Korea. Why "needed"? To prove to myself that I'm free, that my life is my own and I can take it where I choose. He said that koreans generally prefer younger teachers - between 25 and 35. But, he also said that he and Rebecca will do whatever they can to get me there, and that someone over there owes them a favour and they would cash that in to help me.

It is now June 17, 2005. I should have a contract to teach english at a private school in Korea by
October or November.

1-2-3 GO!

On what would have been Denis' 74th birthday, on September 24, I called Chad and told him to go ahead and try to get me a contract in Korea. I received a note from Rebecca a few days later telling me that she had forwarded my application to Korea. We'll see! I'm hopeful about being able to get a contract. I'm still scared, but determined. Going to Korea will be good for me in many ways. Yes, I'll miss everyone, but I need some space to become who I am. What am I going to do when I get back? Who the fuck knows! I'm not going to think about that at this point...one step at a time, eh!

I now find myself hoping that I get the contract for Korea. I'm getting excited about it! It'll be hard, very hard to leave everyone, but I've been psyching myself up for this for months and months.

Adam is now a married man! I went to Edmonton on September 26. Betty picked me up at the airport and I stayed at her place in St. Albert. Nice house! It was nice to see her again. We talked a lot about our relationships. I got to meet her dogs...Polar, an Akita, and Tika, a border collie/ black lab mix.

It was cold there! The weather was like the weather we get in late October or early November. But, on Friday, the day of the wedding it was beautiful and a lot warmer. We arrived at 6pm at the Chateau Louis hotel and conference centre in Edmonton (near downtown airport). A mistake had been made on the sandwich board in the lobby of the hotel...it said that the wedding of Cyprian and Kashia was at 5pm and that the reception started at 6pm. My first thought was that Adam (Cyprian) had purposely given me the wrong time, and that for whatever reason he didn't want me at the wedding, but only at the reception. We saw Adam as we were coming in ... he looked wonderful in a black suit, white shirt and yellow tie. He explained that they made a mistake on the announcement in the lobby. I took his picture and then Betty took my picture with him. I saw Margie and she looked great! She was dressed in a beautiful long blue dress. The civil ceremony took place out doors under a gazeebo. There were perhaps 40 people present. Betty and I went and sat in the front row. Margie was acting as a witness and was on the podium under the gazeebo.

It was a beautiful ceremony! Afterwards people gathered to drink punch. Then, Adam and Kasia went to have pictures taken with Margie. While we were standing drinking punch, Margie introduced Betty to Samantha, Adam's aunt, but didn't bother to introduce or acknowledge me at all. If Betty had not been with me, I would have stayed for the wedding, made a cursory appearance at the reception and left. I'm so happy I didn't!

Adam wrote a very touching tribute to Margie and I. I couldn't hold back the tears as the MC read what he wrote about me and the contribution I've made to his life. I was referred to as "dad". That was very important to me!

"Dad: In younger years, he was always willing to find time to join me and my brother in whatever game or mini-adventure we concocted to fill the afternoons (from passing the football to playing ping-pong to playing Nintendo with us long after most anyone else would have gone to bed) and in later years served as a good provider and role model, giving both me and my brother a chance to choose from opportunities rather than wish for them. For me that idea, the freedom to choose my own path has made a real difference in my life. That idea of rediscovering and redefining yourself is something that he continues now in his own life as well. Painting, horseback riding, and realizing ambitions of overseas travel to South Asia are some of the hobbies he enjoys."

October 6, 2005

Work on the novel is progressing. I have a lot of notes on the period and have begun developing the characters. I'm going to see this through to the end. I'll work on it till I have a full fledged novel in my hands. Then, begins the job of finding a publisher. I'm hoping that besides sharing a birthday with Jack I also have a similar talent for self-expression. At very least holding onto the the belief in my innate talent, sharing Jack's birthday, and a lot of hard work will get me published. The good thing is that I can make this come true whether I go to Korea or not.

October 25, 2005

Rebecca has found a contract for me teaching at a public school in Haman-Gun, Korea. Joyce called from Korea to interview me, and by the end of the conversation had pretty much offered me the job. Yes!!!

So much to do!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

December 5, 2005

On November 19 (Adam's 25th birthday) Cam, Ryan, Michelle and Paul helped me move the stuff in my apartment to a storage locker in dowtown Ottawa. That's it! I'm homeless. What would I do without my friends!!? Cam, Michelle and I went to Captiva for the night to party with Hannah, Trevor and Craig. We drank beer, played "caps", and I smoked way too many little cigars!

I've been living here at Cam's since November 20. It's been great! The idea that soon I will be very, very far away from her and everyone else I love hasn't really hit home yet.

I bought a microphone for their computer, downloaded some software for recording, and recorded the tape of Adam and Ryan singing Christmas songs when Adam was 10 and Ryan was 3. I'm so happy I did that!!! Now I can put it on the laptop, and on my Zire and listen to it whenver I like. Those were truly wonderful times! Tomorrow I'll record my last conversation with my father. It's painful for me to listen to, but I'd hate to lose it when that old casette tape finally bites the dust! I recorded it in January of 1973 and dad died only about a month later on February 18.

Tomorrow Cam and I are meeting John, Manon and Lisette for supper at "La Casa Greque" in St. Eustache. I'll call Ryan on Wednesday evening to say one final goodbye to him before I leave early Thursday morning. At 8:00am I'll fly from P.E. Trudeau Airport in Dorval to Chicago. At 1:00pm I leave on a Japan Airlines flight from Chicago and go to Tokyo where I'll spend the night. Finally, at 11:00am on Saturday, December 10th I'll board a flight from Tokyo to Busan, Korea where I'll be met by someone who will drive me to Haman-Gun where I'll be living and working for one year.

I'm excited, but also scared. However, I'm leaning more to the excited side than the scared. This is a remarkable opportunity and I have no intention of wasting it by spending any time at all pining for what I have left behind. I'm going to dive into Korean language, culture etc. with both feet and eat it all up. I love being alive!!!!!!!!!!