Why I loved Stranger Than Fiction

I suppose I'll probably be accused of egotism when I say that I appreciated the movie Stranger Than Fiction on a deeper level than most people will probably get, but at least that's better than some of the other labels a few people have prematurely pasted on me lately. Boo-hoo.

People who have seen the preview to this movie likely assume it is a comedy. And why not? With Will Farrell as the leading man it's easy to see past the clever premise of the movie and presume this is the next in a series of funny flicks starring the former SNL funnyman. The preview, however, does a disservice to the movie itself by missing the scope and depth of the film (and by giving away most of the funny lines). What became apparent to me about halfway through the movie was that this story about a story was in fact a compelling metaphor.

I don't possess the skills of a movie critic and I'm too far removed from my days as an English student to properly outline how the lines between fiction and reality cross in this movie and how that clash parallels our reality so I'll just draw attention to the fact that there is more to this movie than just of string of humorous lines and situations.

Unfortunately, most of my fellow moviegoers sounded as though they were swept up in the surface comedy and they didn't seem to appreciate the larger message about life and death as tragedy, which message moved me to marvel by movie's end, "This is one of the best movies I've ever seen." Whether or not my marveling will subside by morning or my hyperbole will, over time, prove to be true, I'm can't say.

I CAN say Stranger Than Fiction is a thought-provoking, sensitive, movie. Significant elements of the movie impressed me and moved me in unique ways because of my own circumstances but I trust, if you are open, you too may walk away from this movie with a little bit of a deeper appreciation of your life as fiction.

Almost time to leave Gapyeong

Laughing at my frustration
Originally uploaded by digitalnut.

After a year of teaching public school in Gapyeong, it's nearly time to leave. I'm nostalgic about the sweet students I'll miss but it will be nice to be home for a while.

Of course my camera is working overtime, taking scads of pictures and video. Unfortunately, cute as they are, some students just don't know the meaning of "Smile!" when snapping a picture so I have to work some magic. You'd think all the popcorn I fed them (thanks Mischelle!) would be enough.

Photos from Mom's trip to Korea

It seems like ages ago that my mother visited me here in Korea but it's only been two months. We had such a great time together and I'm certain her trip will go down as one of my best experiences abroad. I posted these pictures online a while ago. Peruse them as you like. Comments are always appreciated.

Mom in Korea

Jun 9, 2006 - 80 Photos

Suddenly cooler weather

After a month of heat in the low 90s and humidity in the high 80s, when the only relief I could find was swimming in the cool mountain river behind my apartment, an eight hour rainstorm Wednesday night broke the heat and ushered in some of the most delightfully cool, fall weather I can recall.

The breeze that blows through my apartment, even now, animates the wind chime hanging in my window and reminds me how great the post-summer weather is in Korea.

Calvin's dad explains science

Calvin's Dad's Explanations of Scientific Phenomena
I was reading and collecting Calvin and Hobbes back in the 80s when Marmaduke and Ally Oop passed for good comic page reading. Hardly.

This link is a great capture of some of Calvin's father's outlandish explanations of scientific phenomena.

Mother's Day

YouTube is great for a lots of things, like this outstanding comedy short.

Parasite photographers

After I bought my first digital camera four years ago, a Canon A40, I was anxious to make use of the fun settings, so I went to a public park in Seoul and started snapping black and whites of the old men sitting around waiting for a free lunch to be served by the city.

I soon discovered people don't like having their pictures taken without permission by strangers. I got lots of dirty looks, several hands waving me away, and even one scolding. I chuckled inside, unbothered and content that I was simply improving my camera skills.

Fast forward to yesterday. I visited Insadong, in Seoul, an upscale shopping district popular for its paper goods, masks, street vendors, and other souvenirs. (Incidentally, Insadong is only a five minute walk from that park I visited four years ago.) I sat down to take a break from the stifling humidity when I noticed these two men, sporting digital SLRs with fancy zooms, snapping pictures of unsuspecting tourists. When the guy on the right pointed his camera across the lane at me, I covered my face with a shopping bag, irritated to find myself on the other end of a photographer's lens.

Then, I remembered I'm often such a parasite (though I try to be more discrete about it these days), so I opened my own camera, set the autofocus, crossed the lane, said, "Say 'Kimchi!'" and took this picture. I thought they might not appreciate my table-turning but the guy on the left actually obeyed and said, "Kimchi!"

Nice.

10 things I'm going to miss about Korea

My latest teaching contract ends in a few weeks when I plan to return to the States. It is uncertain, for now, where I'll work next.

After four years in Korea, thoughts of leaving for good have made me nostalgic about the things I'll miss when I go. In no particular order, they are:

1-the delicious, often endearing, naiveté of 20-something Korean girls (actually all girls under 35)

2-small breasts (there, I said it)

3-the thrill of learning and being able to actually use a clever new Korean phrase

4-anonymity

5-public transportation

6-the pass I frequently get for being a foreigner

7-every single one of my student, some especially so

8-the green, green, green, green countryside

9-the familiarity I have with my own corner of the country

10-the closeness of Korean history and contemporary culture
*Bonus*
11-high-speed internet

10 Things I Hate About Commandments

Snow White in Korea

Snow White in the Korean countryside
Originally uploaded by digitalnut.

I took a ride on my freshly repaired scooter this afternoon after work
in the hills near my apartment when, what to my wondering eye should
appear, but Snow White and the five "little people."

The signs suggest this is some sort of academy but the building is
typical of kitschy hotels one often sees out here in the country.

Mom arrives in Korea

She's come and gone now but I thought it'd be fun to post a few pictures from mom's visit to Korea. Looking back, it was a pretty short time between the moment we first talked about her visiting and the moment she finished navigating the airports from Utah to San Francisco to Seoul and walked through the doors into the public lobby at Incheon International Airport in Korea.

The actual journey took nearly 18 hours (see how frazzled she looks). I rented a car to pick her up and Jen came along to help navigate. It took another two hours to get back to my place and another hour to get settled. She was wired and awake the whole time and only just a little tired the next couple days.

International travel is funny that way. I've made the Pacific leap a dozen times now and the most I've ever felt is mildly tired for a day or two. What's this jet lag everyone whines about anway?

 

A time to laugh

"Say kimchi!"
Originally uploaded by digitalnut.

On my birthday recently, my 3rd grade elementary school students surrounded me on the playground and belted out a stirring rendition of "Happy Birthday." It was the highlight of a day I was originally dreading.

A few days later, five of those students came to my classroom during their lunch recess to practice a Q & A we had studied earlier in exchange for a Jolly Rancher. Another piece of candy pursuaded them to pose for the camera. I had to pull a face and snap another picture to get them to smile though.

The first shot that didn't take is definitely worth comparing here.

Americans not allowed

Not allow to enter American
Originally uploaded by digitalnut.

In June 2002, two South Korean girls were accidentally and tragically crushed to death by US Military vehicles conducting exercises. There followed an intense flare-up of anti-American sentiment complete with protests, some of which turned violent.

Many business also posted signs, like this one in Chuncheon, stating American were not welcome. This sign was posted on the door of my favorite DVD room where I often went to watch current American movies in the comfort of an air conditioned room with surround sound.

I snapped this picture, got scolded by the manager, and never returned, even after the country cooled off and the signs came down.

Hmm..., I wonder, if, in addition to excluding Americans, the manager also pulled all the American DVDs. Since Hollywood flicks usually consititue some 70% of the movie choices in Korea, I doubt it.

On the bus to Everland

One the bus to Everland
Originally uploaded by digitalnut.

After a week of tough midterms last week, my students got a day off for a field trip to Everland, the largest amusement park in Korea and I was lucky enough to get to tag along.

The most fun I had was on the two hour bus rides, to and from the park, mingling with the students. Some kids played the typical shy game but most were eager to talk and snap pictures. It's the ideal time to practice speaking, outside the classroom, where we chat about real-world stuff.

I don't always manage to remember names (in this picture, I could tell you two out of three) but personalities always stand out. The boy on the left is outgoing and chatty, the girl in the middle eager and attentive, and the girl on the right is solemn and shy - this picture captured a rare smile.

Birthday wishes

I wasn't looking forward to my birthday yesterday because, with the biggest exception of my students, I'm pretty unhappy and lonely at my job these days (to put it mildly). To my surprise however, my Korean co-teacher (who's about the most dull, unimaginative woman I've ever met) presented me with a nice Korean DVD as a gift. I'm interested in Korean movies lately and I recently bought a portable DVD player from Hong Kong. That she remembered this and made the connection to buy such a practical gift impressed me.

I had not planned to tell anyone it was my birthday but, since my co-teacher already knew, she passed the word around school and, all day long, I received shouts of "Happy birthday to you!" from my middle school students (instead of just "Happy birthday!" - it was a little comical) in class, in the halls, and in the cafeteria at lunchtime. These students are usually very outgoing and most of them are eager to practice speaking but today it felt like they tried especially hard to be friendly.

The best treat of all though happened when I was sitting outside near the elementary school playground in the late morning between classes. (Being so far out in the country as we are here, the elementary and middle schools are located in the same building and I teach at both of them) It was such a beautiful, cool day! My 3rd grade elementary school class came outside with their homeroom teacher to practice their recorders (and they sound just as awful in Korea they do in America). I could hear them coming out but I didn't pay much attention until, suddenly, they swarmed around me and broke out into an enthusiastic, spontaneous rendition of "Happy Birthday." They sang it perfectly, just like I'd taught them a few weeks earlier. (They mostly already knew the song in English but I helped them polish it up a bit and they remembered everything.)

In my time in Korea, I usually get more excited about the endearing qualities of my 4th and 5th grade students but, yesterday, those 3rd grade kids lifted my spirits and helped me look beyond the dumb things I've been obsessed with lately. I had some free time to kill and their teacher didn't seem to mind that they were spending more time trying to talk to me than screeching on their recorders so we "talked" for half an hour. Picture 15+ students fighting for your attention and then only being able to understand 15% of what they're trying to say once they get it.

Such is my life in Korea and, on days like yesterday , I have to admit I love it.

Rooftop View

Nearby homes
Originally uploaded by digitalnut.

Winter is finally a fading memory and the trees and gardens as seen from the rooftop of my five story apartment building are returning.

Birthday lanterns for Buddha

Birthday lanterns
Originally uploaded by digitalnut.

After traveling to Everland, the largest amusement park in Korea, with my middle school students on Thursday, we all had the day off Friday for Children's Day on Friday. I took the bus to Seoul in the afternoon and met up with Jen and some friends to visit a large Buddhist temple in Seoul.

I was unaware of the birthday celebrations for Buddha's 2,550th birthday. And there was an enoromous crowd gathered under the beautiful, colorful lanterns. After being allowed to pass through the temple among actual worshippers, we joined the crowd outside for a concert.

We were amused by the selection of songs from the '60s being played by the electric band in English. The locals seemed to enjoy it too, though some of them seemed to have trouble clapping to the rhythm.

After the temple, we went to Itaewon for dinner at Pancho's. I had a delicious chicken chimichanga and satisfied perhaps the number one craving I have in Korea after home cooking: mexican food.

"That's OK."

"That's OK."
Originally uploaded by digitalnut.

My new game is to randomly turn one of my students out to take pictures with my camera. After a 20 second lesson on how to press the shutter, with no other instruction, they usually take off and return 15 minutes later with as many as 50 pictures. I am rarely disappointed by the results. In fact, I am frequently stunned by some of the amazing pictures they take.

One such conscripted photographer, a middle school girl, took this picture. Though these girls are two of my best, most vocal and experimental 9th grade students, I doubt they ever would have posed like this for me.

A few tweaks in Picasa to remove the haze and sharpen the colors and, wallah, here's my latest favorite guest photograph.

$5 more for water

The apartment building where I dwell, far out in the Korean countryside, draws its water supply from a well. When the water level in the well is low, it is difficult, if not impossible, to get water for such extravagant tasks as washing the dishes or taking a shower. It doesn't happen often, but once it caused me to miss church because I couldn't take a shower one Sunday morning in time to get dressed and catch the one bus that would get me to Seoul on time for opening services.

Two weeks ago, a petition was circulated to convert the building water supply from the well to piped water from the county. If switched, our individual monthly service fee would rise from about $10 a month to $15 a month. A small price to pay for reliable water, right?

The problem is the buses. Not only do they only pass through every one or two hours on the way to and from the "city" of Gapyeong where I can catch buses and trains to bigger and better cities, they stop running altogether at 8 PM. This means I must frequently rely on taxis to get home from excursions to Seoul or Chuncheon at night or during the day when I don't want to wait an hour for the next bus home. Taxis into the country are expensive, nearly $9 from the Gapyeong bus terminal to my apartment building.

With a minimum of two or three $9 taxis a week, I don't relish the thought of being forced to pay even $5 more a month if I can avoid it, even if it means going without water on occasion. I signed "No" on the petition to change to piped water.

Last week the results of the petition came back: Yes - 46, No - 1.

I lose.

The apartment building where I dwell, far out in the Korean countryside, draws its water supply from a well. When the water level in the well is low, it is difficult, if not impossible, to get water for such extravagant tasks as washing the dishes or taking a shower. It doesn't happen often, but once it caused me to miss church because I couldn't take a shower one Sunday morning in time to get dressed and catch the one bus that would get me to Seoul on time for the opening services.

Last week, a petition was circulated to convert the building water supply from the well to piped water from the county. If switched, our individual monthly service fee would rise from about $10 a month to $15 a month. A small price to pay for reliable water, right?

The problem is the buses. Not only do they only pass through every one or two hours on the way to and from the "city" of Gapyeong where I can catch buses and trains to bigger and better cities, they stop running altogether at 8 PM. This means I must frequently rely on taxis to get home from excursions to Seoul or Chuncheon at night or during the day when I don't want to wait an hour for the next bus home. Taxis into the country are expensive, nearly $9 from the Gapyeong bus terminal to my apartment building.

With a minimum of two or three $9 taxis a week, I don't relish the thought of being forced to pay even $5 more a month if I can avoid it, even if it means going without water on occasion. I signed "No" on the petition to change to piped water.

Yesterday the results of the petition came back: Yes - 46, No - 1.

I lose.

I'm back! It's been a nice 2 1/2 year hiatus; now it's time to get back to writing and posting pictures.