Renounce Silence!!

It is no secret that I am one for the beauty of the written word - spoken as well. A fond thank you goes to one of my sixth-grade teachers, Mrs. Ollman, who drove unmitigated passion into the hearts of her students through the use of stories and words. This memory shall never yield and never cease to affect who I am capable of being each day.

Two worldly pleasures to share:

A book recommendation - I am currently reading Everything is Illuminated by Jonathan Safran Foer. I have in the past read Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close, and am now involved in a book-club here in Seoul (just some friends) who are about to discuss the latter. Foer is an insightful author, and is surprisingly young for such savviness. Take my word for it...



Vocabulary - a website that intrigued yet thwarted me...there were a few I had never heard:

100 Words Every High School Graduate Should Know

When It Buddha's It Pours

Today was Buddha's birthday - a holiday of significance in this part of the world. So significant in fact that it rained all day. Needless to say, Jasmine and I spent most of our time tucked in on the couch watching Northern Exposure...so it wasn't an entire waste (NE = importance). There's not too much to report as far as the past 24 hours are concerned, however, a few of us made it to the Lotus Lantern Festival on Sunday, which is held to commemorate the birth of Buddha. 'Twas a spectacular sight to behold. I was smitten by the sheer size of it all - I'm guessing millions of people attended. I love crowds, and even more so when everyone is carrying a lantern! It's poetry really... We strolled Insadong (an eclectic neighborhood of shops and tea houses), visited a temple where thousands of paper lanterns were hung and strung ever-so precariously (a wonderful yet seemingly cliché photo-op), and watched the lantern parade from a decidedly uncomfortable vantage on a blocked off four-lane road. Overall, Sunday was an excellently chill evening, as was today...I thought I'd share:

...is another man's treasure

Where's Melvil Dewey when you need him?

Entrance to the temple...

I regret having not returned later in the evening while they were all lit...

We were given this by another random group astounded by the presence of waguks (foriegners).

A troop of Sri Lankan musicians on their way to the fountainhead of the parade...

Buddhaaa!

I was imagining what it would have actually been like to be in combat with one of those things...

There's no doubt - dragons are bad-ass...

"It is better to travel well than to arrive." -The Birthday Boy-

Sunday

To see the summer sky...

To dream of far away...(Kyobo book-store)


To slumber...goodnight.

Hold the Line

Many have asked, and I shall deliver...

If you'd like to send a postcard, letter, correspondence, or what have you...send it to:

502 Sinsa Villa
561-22 Sinsa-dong
Kangnam-gu
Seoul, South Korea 135-889

Be it a carepackage - he does enjoy his impossible-to-find oatmeal, excellent reads, and tactful bauble - it's safer to send it to:

c/o Sullivan School
543-4 Sinsa-dong
Kangnam-gu
Seoul, South Korea 135-889

If instead you prefer the unwritten, I'll first extend the glorious suggestion of getting a Skype account ( www.skype.com / downloadskype ) Skype is a phone/chat program that allows us to talk just as if we were on the phone, all free-of-charge. No international phone-card needed...contemporary interconnectedness, isn't it great?!

My Skype screen name: evinceinfinity

Should you choose to neglect modernity, you can reach me at (just a friendly reminder...there's a 14-15 hour time difference between here and Central Standard):

011-82-2-3442-0814 (house phone)
011-82-10-7222-2201 (cell)

I would love to hear from any and all of you. Make haste slowly =)

Adam

Children's Day

Education is a social process; education is growth; education is not a preparation for life but is life itself. - John Dewey -

I was reconsidering any efforts I've put forth toward this blog, and I recognized with sadness that I have yet to share with you the joy I receive from the true purpose of my time here: teaching!! As I have recently expressed to my Aunt Pat and Uncle Jim (hailing from the cozy little town of Mosinee, WI...a shout out to home), I feel as though I've surpassed boundaries here. I was sure, after meeting such a notoriously "energetic" class from last year, that I would be spending at least a few more months living in a state of utter chaotic stress. Ladies and gentlemen, I am proud to announce that "Mr. Adam Teacher" has tamed a wild bunch from the Land of Punch Kick Slap Snot & Slobber! As I was fading down the hallway for lunch yesterday, I was lambasted by four of my students who insisted they tell me they love me (both in English and Korean) and then kiss me on the cheek before I take my leave =) I'm loved, and I LOVE that feeling. I'm finally firmly experiencing what so many teachers have told me would be the reason why educators continue to return every year. It's not the pay, it's not the benefits, it's not the hours...it's the passion for the students, and it's the love.

Today was the day before a Korean holiday celebrating children; fittingly "Children's Day." We had tons of fun with face-painting, gifts, and balloon animals. I wanted to share some pictures with all of you.

Jin's shirt says Snoopy...I painted a rather fair Snoopy on his cheek right there. Yeah, we're talkin' skills!

The blue car on Timmy's face was more of a car-crash...

And then there was pizza,

and filthy happiness!

What's a party without big dumb lookin' balloons, ha ha...

Unfortunately, after glorious organizational disarray all day long, we're all a bit done and done...as per cameras are concerned.

The week before was strawberry milkshakes.

Take a moment to distinctly remember childhood today, and thank this universe for those unbelievable smiling faces that brighten our sometimes dull-adult existences!