The past few months have been interesting to say the least. I've been able to experience a few unique things about Korea--both good and bad. A typhoon came through, I stayed a weekend at a Buddhist temple, and work has been less than pleasurable.
The typhoon ended up being more hype than anything. There was some strong wind and a lot of rain, lightning, and thunder, but nothing more than one might experience several times during any given Minnesota summer. There have been a few more recently. In fact, Typhoon Malou just swept through the Korea Strait last night. There was some rain but it wasn't like the Typhoon that hit us. Afterward, in an attempt to capture some of the effects on film, I went for a walk with my camera. I had gone for a jog right before and saw somethings I wanted to get on film so I can officially say I ran 5 kilometers through the aftermath of a typhoon. The storm knocked down some trees (all of which were poorly and freshly planted along the street) and there were branches and leaves everywhere. An interesting experience, I'm still waiting to experience a really strong one.
A few weekends ago I spent the weekend at a Buddhist temple. It was a refreshing experience and I'm glad I did it. We practiced meditation, experienced a typical meal of a Buddhist monk/nun, and woke up at 4am to do 108 bows--a great workout. All in all, I loved the experience but have no plans on pursuing Buddhism as a way of life. Nothing I like about Buddhism necessitates Buddhism and, like every religion, its adherents have some pretty crazy beliefs. One of the guides (not a monk himself) at the temple believed that his son was saved from being hit by a car that passed right behind them on a crosswalk simply because he does 108 bows on occasion.
I don't want to talk much about work because it's really not enjoyable at the moment. We are worked long hours with no extra pay even when extra classes are added. There is no way out of the work except to just leave the country because our visas are connected directly to our employers and not to the field. For example, even if another school was hiring and I applied and got the job, I would still have to leave the country for at least a few days in order to end the current visa with my employer. There is the option to transfer the visa, I think, but private academy directors in Korea are notoriously assholes and ours is no different.
Anyway, I hope everyone is well! Miss you!
