Monday, November 29, 2004

China

IMG_9000

See more China pictures here

We returned from China without incident. No Communist guards, no chasing, no prisons. The worst part of it all was that our tour took us to a jade factory, silk factory, and pearl factory. And if you think that is fun...

The best part of last week's trip was clearly the Great Wall. It was great. (I'm sure I am the first to make such a joke). It was an arduous climb, quite steep in many places, but it was the most enjoyable part of the trip. It was a spectacular sight.

It was a quick four days, and the lesson I learned is to not take an organized tour with a large group of co-workers. If they annoy you at work, guess what four long, tired days can do to a relationship. I'm exaggerating. Sort of.

In this group of pictures, I'm not going to try to explain them because I have forgotten what some of these things are. The Wall is obvious. If you haven't seen Kristie's pictures of China, go to her website at www.kristiecoiaphotography.com/proofs/china . She has a different set of photos than I do. She captures finer details; I took pictures of toilets. You'll see why I picked her as my favorite photographer.

The shopping on the street was an extreme sport. Vendors scream and chase and grab you to buy their knockoff products. We both bought jackets there, but it was a terrible experience. The haggling is part of it, but it is too much work. I offered $10 to her $120. She handed me a calculator and said, "Give real price, not jokey price" (please add stereotyped inflection here). "Jokey price" was my favorite phrase of the trip, saying it to the point of annoying Kristie. We got the jackets for $20 after some chasing, grabbing, and yelling. She told me that I made her cry and "she no like me, but like wife." It was the most intense place I've been (the Silk Alley Market, not Beijing as a whole), and I'm not eager to return.

Bootleg DVD's abound here. Any DVD for 89 cents. I'm not saying it's legal, it's just the way it is. There are stores for bootlegs. They are well-lit, and have salesmen approach and ask if they can help. I was handed a basket as I browsed through thousands of titles, many still playing in theaters in the States. A teacher I went with bought $300 worth, and they even gave him a receipt. I don't think anyone pays much attention to that FBI warning at the start of the movies.

I bought a set of lefty golf clubs there that are imitation Calloway's, and customs had a problem with them. I got through, but had a lecture on bringing counterfeit goods into Korea. I just needed a left-handed set; I don't know the difference between Calloway and K-Mart. OK, I do know the difference, but you understand my point.

I'm in Tokyo now. We got in yesterday at 5 pm, and now I'm waiting for Kristie to wake up so we can go exploring. My first stop is the Apple Store. Then Starbucks. Then, I maybe the Gap. I'm really trying to experience Japanese culture.

Thanks for letting me bore you with China pictures. I'll soon bore you with Japanese pictures.

Ron

Tuesday, November 23, 2004

Dogs, Soviets, and the Great Wall

We are settling into our apartment just fine. Still lots of unopened boxes, but now we have a room to store the stuff and our motivation weakened. Aslan is enjoying herself. There is a park next door, so we go there to toss the ball around for her. In general, Koreans are afraid of dogs bigger than a handbag, so most run when they see her. Yes, they run in the opposite direction. Some scream. I met a woman at the park and talked to her about this. She said that the reason for it is that since the dogs learn commands in English, they think the dog won't stop attacking when they say "No" in Korean. They are discriminating against my dog because she doesn't speak Korean! It's as if they think that all Americans train their dogs to attack little Asian kids. There is a school nearby, so lots of kids are around, and I try to get them to pet Aslan to not be afraid of "American" dogs. Some enjoy throwing the ball for her to retrieve. Others cry. Perhaps I'm perpetuating an unfounded fear.

Our Itinerary
Kristie and I are going to Beijing, China, over Thanksgiving. We are leaving on Thanksgiving morning and returning on Sunday evening. We are excited. It's hard to believe that I'll be on the Great Wall in two days. I want a picture of me climbing the wall and getting chased by Communist guards. That'll make a fine Christmas card.

The school is sending me to Tokyo for a technology conference on December 6-10. They pay for everything; we just buy Kristie's airline ticket for her to go also.

Over Christmas break, we are going to Hawaii for a week.

I knew that we would travel, but I didn't expect so much so soon.

Teaching
Teaching at Osan has been going well. The kids are, overall, pretty good. For classes, I teach English, U.S. History, and Psychology. I am the National Honor Society sponsor, as well as the literary magazine director. I've made four kids cry so far, and it's only second quarter.

Here's my best story: we had a unit on the Civil War which included reading, discussions, videos, etc. Lots of talk on several of the angles. They took a test on it last week with one of the questions being as follows:

____________ surrendered to ________________ to end the war.

Put in your own answer. The South surrendered to the North, Lee surrendered to Grant, whatever. One student filled it in like this:

The North surrendered to the Soviets to end the war.

I suppose that's expected when the school makes an English teacher teach History.


Here's how to call us from the States. 011-8231-667-4046.

That's all for now.

Ron and Kristie
(and the soon-to-be Korean-speaking Aslan)

Monday, November 08, 2004

My Letter to Michael Moore

Michael Moore,

Can you at least admit that you were wrong about what this country overwhelmingly wants? The polls show that. It seems that you (and others on the losing side) cannot even admit that this is the beauty of democracy: the people choose. Now, rather than accepting that Voice, you have to make excuses and attempt to diminish that Voice.

You had your voice with your documentary. People listened. I listened. I even showed bits of it to my U.S. History class. I love the fact that I live in a country in which you have the right to attack a sitting president. You were as sure as you were smug that victory was guaranteed. I can't help but suspect that you had your talking-head bit planned to recite when asked by reporters on your opinion of "the part Fahrenheit 9/11 played in electing John Kerry." I can also suspect that you realize your Best-Picture hopes were also dashed on November 3rd. How will a movie about the "ficticious" presidency of George Bush win in light the numbers and all that red on the map behind Peter Jennings's head?

Can't you admit that John Kerry lost fair and square? In light of noodles and underwear giveaways, can't you admit that you lost as well? Be as gracious and honest as John Kerry was and admit it. People in this country lean farther away from you than you care to realize. I'm not asking for you to write about how your opinions on politics were wrong. I guess I want to hear that you opinions about the political pulse of this country were wrong.

On November 3rd, 200 people in Portland, Oregon, (my state) "protested." Protested what? Fair and legal elections? Democracy? Their candidate didn't win? This seems a bit silly to me. I understand disappointment, but this seems too much. And misplaced. Get your cameras and make a new documentary about that. The great "Uprising" that took place after Bush won. When will it stop? When will people on your side be willing to accept the results? I know that your easy answer is "when Bush is gone." But is this really just about Bush? Honestly? Isn't it about squelching a Voice that differs from one's own. It seems that as a Conservative, I am automatically your enemy in your eyes and on your site and in your speaking engagements. Anything I say if automatically discounted and demonized through that filter. My voice is part of the bigger Voice that was heard on Tuesday. You need not agree with it; but you should agree that it was the Voice heard and chorused by many. And it won.

Part of the unifying of this "divided country" we hear so much about lately is for you to tolerate an opposing viewpoint. Tolerance begins with acceptance.

Respectfully,

Ron Coia