A Taste of Italy

Pizza toast, vegetable soup and yogurt.

Very thick toast!

Get Your Drink On

So I was going though my English materials when I found something extraordinary. My favorite flashcard yet...

Daniel: What are you doing?
Student: I'm drinking.

Daniel and the Amazing Technicolor School Lunch

Almond bread, coleslaw salad and a very colorful wantan soup. An orange for dessert. 

Noodle Friday

Every Friday our lunch is coupled with a package of noodles. This time it is with a bowl of mabomen. It is spicy sauteed tofu, ground pork and lots of vegetables in a soy sauce-flavored base. The vegetables are also sauteed and have a sesame taste. Finally, the closest thing to a fish stick that I have seen in Japan. 

This Post Brought To You By The Letter S

Trying to teach plurals can be frustrating. Trying to teach fruits can be equally difficult, especially if you have a poster like this in your classroom. 

Hopefully, they weren't always all a shade of blue.

I was attempting to teach “Do you like..(fruit)?” and this is what I got.

Student: Do you like apple?

Daniel: Pie? Tea? Bottom jeans?

Student: Do you like gringos?

Daniel: Si senor. 

This student was trying to say apples, but instead used the Japanese equivalent りんご (ringo).

I am still not sure how the 'g' sound made it to the front. 

Student: Do you like budōs?

Daniel: Hai.

This student used the Japanese word ぶどう (grapes), but made sure to include the 's' sound on the end. So close.

 Then these rambunctious 3rd graders decided to add that sound to other English words. Unfortunately, none of them applied.

Daniel: Here you are.

Student: Thank yous.

Daniel: Thank you.

Student: You're welcomes.

My new greeting for class “Good morning youse guys!”

A Light Meal

There is not much to this meal. A thick baked egg, dumpling soup and nori strips (for the rice).

Man In The Mirror

Last week I was opening the door to my English room when I noticed that something was different. There was a new picture. And it looks like this...

 'えいかいわしつ' means 'English Conversation Room'. There are some chairs, flashcards, stuffed animals and a bookshelf in the scene. And coming through the multicolored door is yours truly.

 You will notice I have dark skin, pink arms, lack of any facial features (except for eyes), no hair, a hunchback and it appears a pair of capri pants. But my biggest problem with the picture:  my all blue outfit.

Korea: Part 4

Our final stop was the island of Jeju, which is so small that it only has two cities. Jeju City, on the Northern side of the island, is the capital  and the most populated. Our hotel was on the Southern side in Seogwipo City. Despite the long taxi rides to and from the airport, there were several advantages to this part of the island. 

First, we were only a 10-minute walk from the Cheonjiyeon Waterfall.

Then after walking across this bridge we explored an even smaller island. 

We also visited the Jeongbang Waterfall. It is one of the few if not only waterfall that falls directly into the ocean.

That night our hotel manager suggested we go to a local barbeque restaurant. In fact, his exact words were “There are many places around here, but not that I would recommend. But this place is good.” 

The next day we decided to visit and climb Seongsan Ilchubong. It is a volcanic crater formed thousands of years ago. Even though it was foggy we decided to hike to the summit (sans Staci).

And we were rewarded by our efforts with some great views.

Being at the summit was like being attacked by a foggy sandy wind monster. 

But during the climb we spotted a scenic place next to the crater.

We also visited some lava tubes. They were dark, cold and wet so we did not take many pictures. Our last stop was The Trick Art Museum. It was full of many optical illusions. Here are a few...

It was nice to visit Korea, but it is nice to be back and feel at home in Japan.

Korea: Part 3

In Seoul we visited the Gyeongbokgung Palace. It was originally constructed in 1394 and reconstructed in 1867. Translated into English it  means 'Palace of Shining Happiness'.

This a pavilion on the palace grounds. A great place to have a party!

A photo in a traditional Korean dress (cut-out).

While in Seoul we could not resist eating at Taco Bell for a few meals. 

We spent a little over 24 hours in the city of Busan. Most of our time was spent relaxing at the Shinsengae Centumcity Department Store which is the largest department store in the world. It is over 3 million square feet of shopping!

Stay tuned for our final Korea post!

Korea: Part 2

One of our days was spent in the DMZ (De-Militarized Zone) and JSA (Joint-Security Area) between North and South Korea. 

First, we explored Tunnel #3, which was created by either North Korea or by nature (depending on who you ask). I had never known that nature could blow itself up with dynamite. Before going into the tunnel you need the proper equipment.  

Unfortunately, we were not allowed to take pictures inside. It is just a cold damp tunnel about 2 meters high and 2 meters wide (smaller than a womp rat).

It was rainy and foggy that day so visibility was not great. Behind Staci you would normally be able to see a propaganda village in North Korea.

This is Dorasan station, which is the last train station in South Korea. It is a symbol of the desired reconciliation of the two Koreas. But...until that happens it will not get much use.

We are actually inside one of the buildings shared by North and South Korea. We got a quick picture while on the Northern side. 

Yes, we do realize Staci looks like she may be eaten by this nice South Korean soldier.

On the South Korean side of the JSA.

Staci and Atra with some South Korean soldiers.

These soldiers were much friendlier. 

This was a very unique experience that is not for everyone. Before considering going you should ask yourself these three questions?

1. Do you like being issued commands and/or threatened with violence?
2. Do you enjoy being screamed at in a foreign language?
3.  Do you like being crammed into tiny spaces for extended periods of time?

Korea: Part 1

Our trip to Korea was very long (11 days) so we are splitting it up into a few posts...

The first stop was Seoul. We stayed in a guesthouse that was conveniently located 19 floors above Dunkin Donuts.

 

Our first dinner was some famed Korean barbeque at a local restaurant.  The meat had not yet arrived, but there are many other dishes that come with every meal.

The next day we visited Seodaemun Prison. During the early 20^th century it held a large number of South Korean prisoners during the years of Japanese occupation.

For lunch we found a very small local place with delicious food.

This actually used to be the gate leading into Seoul, but now it is somewhere near the center.

We finished our day with some shopping. The name of this store we found particularly interesting...

Bongzi & Bongzi...That's the Place made by Jesus

Apparently, God made the world and Jesus made this small store in a Korean shopping mall.