“Trust me, one last time.”

I have no idea how many times I have been asked to ‘trust’ my bosses at the English Village ‘just one last time.’ And I tardedly continue to give them multiple last times. I know I have mentioned in the past about how our driver thinks he is racing Honda 2000s on the streets of Tokyo. Most of the commute on my way to work is spent praying that the demons possessing our driver leave his body. And I also ask that when we do get into an accident that the driver get seriously injured and I not get hurt too badly. Yesterday during our meeting our boss ultimately said that our driver drives like Mario Andretti on crack because we are late to the bus stop some days. Then this morning the driver was literally at his worst. In spite he would accelerate quickly then slam on the brakes for no reason. And he was weaving in-and-out of traffic going 160km. It truly is terrifying. And to make it worse, it was raining. The old Korean ladies (affectionately called, ‘agimas’) make the foreigners sit in the back of the van and so when the dude goes over speed bumps he is going so fast we spring up and hit our heads on the roof. After doing that a couple of times one of our Irish yelled at him to slow down. After a couple of uplifting exchanges in Korean then Irish-English, the driver pulls over and tries to pull the Irish out of the back of the van. Luckily, the agimas red-rovered up a barricade blocking the insane driver from the Irish. Then when we finally got to the English Village the driver tried to fight the Irish guy again. He even took off his glasses! I couldn’t help but giggle at the Korean man with three Korean agima ordainment hanging onto him attempting to hold him back from our sturdy Irishman. We went to our main boss’ office and told him what happened and threatened not to come into work if he is driving. I felt like I was part of a Yankee’s union. But at least our threats weren’t ungrounded or our demands selfishly motivated. The best part was that our boss tried to defend the driver saying he was under a lot of stress. And to top it off, the stress was coming from having to drive… also called doing his job?

In .love.
Jp

Physically I am very lucky…

… that phrase slipped from my mouth yesterday. I meant to say that I was lucky to rarely get sick or even feel poorly. Then yesterday I had an unusual headache and pretty much hated the world. To make things worse, we had kindergartner kids at school. I didn’t know this before but I hate Korean kindergarteners. They are extreme. Not even human. I know my school accepted them because they bring in money but I am completely incapable of and anti the teaching little demons. There was one point where I wanted to pick this one little boy up and throw him against the wall. And what sucks is that of us understand the other. They don’t realize what I am saying. I am not a big fan of math and this is one example why:

318 Korean Kindergarteners + a distracting headache = HELL.



So yesterday was just exhausting.

When I got home I was listening to a sermon called ‘Biblical Manhood’ by Matt Carter (of Austin Stone Community Church, Austin, Texas). The Spirit really convicted me. I remember being back in Texas and worshiping/learning at Austin Stone and I saw how my relationship with God had direction. It felt like I was ‘on the journey of life’ towards God and with God. But last night, God showed me how I am not moving in any direction. And worst, I feel like a Lego-man missing his torso. My feet can walk and I may be moving but I am empty. I hadn’t really seen how hollow I had been until last night. I need to be in the Word more intentionally. I feel like God is a close friend that I’ve kind of lost touch with.

So last night was enlightening.

In .love.

Jp

Houston, I've made contact... with people outside of work.

I’ve been intending to start this entry all day but procrastination is an old nemesis of mine…
Things feel like they are going well even though, at times, I feel emotionally bipolar. The summer program is over and I was sad to say goodbye to my kids. (Even though I taught them for only a week rather then the full 4-weeks). I hate that I feel this way but the kids here are much easier to like then the kids back in the States. And before I came here I would have thought this creepy and wrong but the kids are affectionate with me. I will pass a student in the hall and they will say hi or give me a hug. Even students I don’t have in class will say hello. Also, our kids performed their drama this week. They did so well! Honestly, our class was the best. If not the best, a close second to Jinah and Jon’s ‘High School Musical’ parody. I was so proud of them. Sadly, there are many Korean cultural characteristics that I do not see translating well back to the States. For example, the kids doing dramas, watching out for one another, and playing ‘hand-slapping’ games. My Korean kids were entertaining and endearing. It was usually an uphill battle when I asked my kids back in the States to do even the most minimal of tasks. I need to stop. I do not want to compare. I don’t think it is healthy or fair.
On Friday we said, ‘bye’ to the kids and got to quit at lunch. Our administration invited us to Seoul to watch a play/martial arts comedy called Jump. I usually don’t really like physical comedy but this was really amusing. They did a bunch of flips. I like flips. I wish I could do flips. But I can’t… I stayed in Seoul with some fellow teachers then Saturday I met up with my first Korean, non-work friend.
I was so excited yet nervous. I do not make friends easily and I suck super hard at casual conversation. I met up with my friend, Colin, in Itaewon. (I don’t know his Korean name even though he told me multiple times. I just know there is a ‘G’ in it). Itaewon is where most of the Westerners go in Seoul. It the least ‘Korean’ part of Seoul. I don’t really like Itaewon but a friend at work took me to a Brazilian Steak House there a couple of weekends ago and …let me just say, one word that describes my sentiment towards the steak house: gluttony. After we ate glorious beef, Colin then he invited me to ‘play bowling’ with some of his friends.
When I walked into the bowling alley there was literally a hush then an ‘ahhh’ sound. And a lot of staring. I was terribly nervous. First, because I don’t speak any Korean. Secondly, I do not really know Colin well or his friends at all. And third, I suck at bowling. I soon learned that everybody there was in a bowling club and they all had bowling wrist braces on and could easily score more then 100 points (my goal when I bowl). And I could feel myself being anti-social. I have a self defense mechanism that goes into uber-hermit mode when having to meet new people. I was fighting the urge to just recluse against the wall. Luckily Colin kind-of baby-sat me for a while. After bowling we all went to a bar and just talked. Colin assured me that when everyone started to get drunk they would feel more confident in the English and try to speak to me. And he was right.
Nothing especially interesting happened but I had an amazing time. I was so excited to have a relationship outside of English Village (where I work). And I met another guy too named, Jong Hun. He was very friendly and talked with me a lot after bowling. I can’t articulate how ecstatic I was just to not be talking with someone from work (nothing against my work friends but I feel awfully dependent on them). I look forward to seeing my new friends again.
In .love.
Jp

Summer Ends, Tears Begin

This week has been eventful. We are ending our summer programs and the majority of our teaching staff will be leaving Friday. I sincerely like the people I work with and it is hard knowing that I, most likely, will never see them again. But that is life. And I have worked at Camp Peniel to know how those seasonal friends come-and-go. Tomorrow night will be the last time we are together. English Village is taking us to see a Stomp type show called Jump. And I think tomorrow they are giving us half the day off. I know I have complained a lot about my job in this here blog and I still feel it is all justified and well deserved.
Initially I was part of the ‘5-Day’ summer program but because of internally issues (with others, not me) I was reassigned to a class that had been together for three weeks and I was coming in to finish the last week. I was so stressed and intimidated to go into an existing classroom I was literally having nightmares. And I was stepping into drama because the existing teachers were fighting or something… Anyway, I have fallen in love with my class. Korean kids are so much easier to love. And I have a personal goal to not use the word ‘love’ as flippantly as I have in the past.
For example:
I think it is blasphemous to say, “I love Reba!” or “I love You, Father God.” Then in the same breath utter, “I love butterfingers.” I need to find balance.
Let your ‘yes’ be yes and you ‘no’ be no.
But this week has been so awesome with my kids. I wish I could have been with them the whole four weeks. We did our drama today and even though I have been told multiple times the dramas are not a competition, ours was by far the best. I feel like a doting father watching my children perform. They did so well. And they put a lot of work into it. Ours was the best. Or at least second best.

Pray for me this weekend. I am meeting up with one of my new Korean friends form the naked jjimjilbang. And I just want prayer for clear communication and camaraderie. I need friends outside of my job so badly.
And later this month I am going to Taiwan to use some of the overtime hours I’ve racked up. I am going with a friend from work and pray that that go well. Being friends with someone and being good travel buddies are two different rodeos…

Productive Weekend

I think one of the biggest reasons I was sour about Korea when I first got here is because I was working so often. And I am not complaining, I’m just sayin’… but this is a typical day in the life of Justin Wayne Powers. I have to get picked up at 7:40 every morning and I have a 35 minute commute to the school. From 8:30 to 5, I am working. And there is no conference (or even ‘second conference’). The only break is lunch and that is usually spent eating and getting ready for the afternoon. We end classes at 5, have a meeting at 5:10 then leave around 5:40. But don’t get dropped off until 6:15ish. So all-in-all, that is like a ten hour work day. But I have gotten really lucky, for the past three weekends I have had both Saturday and Sunday off! I will be honest, I have been trying to maneuver myself where I can’t come into work. One weekend I have friends staying at my house then last weekend I went on a trip sponsored by KORAIL. I explain my typical workday to emphasizes how valuable my weekends are to me. (Oh but how I do miss the Hardin work day, and especially those ‘important teacher bonus conferences’).
Have you ever had a day or couple of days where you didn’t really do anything but that nothingness made you feel uber accomplished? That past weekend was one of those times. My kids that week weren’t anything to write home about so it was nice knowing a new batch would be bused in the next week. Unfortunately, I loss my cute, pregnant Joy teacher. Since we are both ‘experienced’ they regrouped the programs and we are no longer in the same program. So that was a sucky way to end the week. Also, Friday two of the Foreign Teachers were leaving so we all went to an extravagant restaurant: Pizza Hut. (Korean Pizza Hut es no bueno, every time I eat there I get sick in my tummy). It was nice to hang out with the other teachers and everybody was more relaxed since it was the weekend. I didn’t get to stay long at Pizza Hut because I had the KORAIL trip and I had to be in Seoul at 10:30. KORAIL offered a free trip to foreigners as a promotion for the tours. And Ryan (another teacher at English Village) and I signed up to go. When I got on our train there were all these low-hanging stars and moons from the ceiling of the train car so I thought is was a ‘booze-cruise’ type trip. I didn’t even look for my assigned seat, I just started looking for another car to sleep in. Since the entire train was used for the trip, I figured there would be at least one car with little or no people. I found the dinning car and nobody was in there so I laid down and tried to go to sleep. Unfortunately, the dinning cart was where all the organizers for the trip ended up congregating and being noisy. And I fortuitously chose the seat by the door where people kept entering and exiting. So I didn’t get to sleep one wink the entire trip down there. Ryan, my travel companion was in another car and got off at the wrong stop. (That was kind of my fault, I had his travel itinerary). But fortunately, foreigners can almost do anything here and play the ‘I can’t speak Korean’ card and get away with it. I was oddly relieved when he wasn’t at our stop because I want to venture out on my own and I thought it would be a good challenge.
The first thing we did on the trip once we got to Soonchun (in the south) was watch the sunrise on the beach. And in Korean fashion, we got to the beach late and it was cloudy. Then we were all going to a jimjibong, a Korean sauna. I have heard about the jimjibongs and I wanted to go but I was scared to. The saunas are segregated male and female and there is no modesty admitted. And I am not big on the whole nudity scene so I was really nervous. Also, I wasn’t sure of the protocol of a Korean jimjibong and I didn’t want to make a cultural mistake while I was naked. The sauna ended up being awesome. It felt so good. They had huge pools of hot and cold water, also, pools of hot tea and salt water. I have no idea what they are specifically for but they felt so relaxing. So going to a jimjibong was one of my productive feats this weekend. The jimjibong also is related to my second act of productivity.
Segue.
Since I had temporarily misplaced my travel buddy, Ryan, I had started trying to talk with my Korean trip leaders. The leaders were just college students looking to make money on their break and weren’t too concerned that I had lost Ryan somewhere between Seoul and the Sea of Japan. It isn’t odd for Korean guys to talk with one another, while naked at the jimjibong. So that is how I met my first authentic Korean friend (outside of my work): naked. I tried to insinuate that I did not want to talk while naked but that plea was lost in translation. Despite the meeting grounds, I am so excited to have made genuine Korean friends, on my own. I sincerely see this as an accomplishment.
When I was in college, some of my friends were part of Campus Crusade for the Chris. And a huge part of their ministry was befriending foreign students and just hanging out with them. Selfishly, I always thought it sounded like a drag. But, oh how the tables have turned! I want so badly for a Korean guy my age just to come talk with me and ask me to chill with him (though I would prefer that neither of us be naked). And I have met Koreans through my work but I need some segregation in my life, not everything I do and all the people I know be associated with Ansan English Village. I hate talking to with people with a motivation or agenda but I was talking with these guys the whole trip hoping to befriend them (and more then just on the facebook). Even though I felt super queer, on the way back to Seoul I asked for the guys’ numbers. (Even though I don’t have a phone yet, I told them I would call them).
I think it is hard to understand how significant I find these potential friendships. I feel like I have ownership over them. Like they are MY friends and I don’t want any other foreigners I know to meet them and become their friends.
We also went to a green tea farm, a lotus festival, and a disappointing traditional Bazaar. (most of those stops were kind of lame).
Oh, last thing, I ended up meeting up with Ryan at one of the stops and I realized that we were unintentionally wearing ‘couples clothes.’ One of my favorite Korean customs is couples, of all ages, wear matching clothes. Some pairs, that I gather are not very committed and have a bleak future, simply wear an identical shirt. But then there are the inspiring duos that dress as identical as physically possible. Jewelry, shoes, even makeup sometimes (I am guessing. You know how feminine Asian guys can look…). I find couple’s clothes fascinating and I can’t wait to be in a couple so I can match our clothes. I have tried to platonic-ally match clothes with female friends here but they just make fun of me. But Ryan and I both showed up wearing blue shirts and khaki cargo shorts. So we were in weak couple clothes.
Sorry this is long. I don't blame you for not reading it.
In .love.
Jp

Familiar Face in Korea

I am now having to think when I add up how many weeks I’ve been here. I think that is a good thing. But for now, I am going to stop keeping track. Last week’s kids were awesome. We performed our ‘Sleeping Gorilla’ drama to small, intimate crowd of fans. Joy Teacher and I couldn’t have asked for a better set of kids. Friday morning when I came to class our Prince ran up to give me a hug and told me good morning. I don’t ever recall receiving any such greeting by former students. And if they had I would have probably been fired shortly after. And that whole day when we were saying bye to the kids I was sad to see them go. Prince Harry kept holding my hand until he got on the bus. And I’m not too big on the hand holding or hugging people I don’t’ know well, but it felt good to be liked by one of my students. And they wrote Joy Teacher and I letters goodbye. It was an encouraging week.
One of my biggest motivators in coming to Korea was a friend of mine named Preston. He and I were managers at the rock wall at SFA. I remember hypothetically making plans with him about teaching abroad but then we graduated and I ‘got in the routine of life’ and lost touch with Preston. Then he called to invite me to his wedding last summer and told me that he and his wife were moving to teach in Korea. Him actually doing plans we had made encouraged and challenged me. One thing Preston kept saying when we were in school was how he wanted to be a good ‘ambassador.’ Honestly, I never understood what that meant until I moved here. And working here I don’t feel like a ‘teacher.’ I feel like an ambassador. And I am trying to be a good representative of our Republic (The Republic of Texas that is). And Preston and Camlin (his wife) stayed the weekend with me on their way to Southeast Asia and India. It was odd seeing a familiar face in such an unfamiliar place. Almost like Preston was out-of-place. I am supposed to see him Nacogdoches, not Korea. Seeing and catching up with him was refreshing and easy. We just chilled and went to the zoo. I hadn’t been to a zoo in while and was impressed with childlike awe. Though at times I felt bad for the animals.
I want to not make my blogs so long and update more often so I will stop and try to ass more in a couple of days.
In .love.
Jp