Tuesday, December 23, 2008

Haengbok-han keuriseumaseu

Christmas greetings to one and all from Korea. As you can see the title is Happy Christmas in Korean, with Christmas broken down into Korean consonent/vowel pairs as Keu-ri-seu-ma-seu, but it's just the English word.

The pic of the week shows me with Joan from Scotland and Stephanie from Kilkenny. We were attempting to do the 12 pubs of Christmas, but didn't make it beyond 7!

University applications
-----------------------
Well, I've been put back in my box regarding the university applications. I was so impressed with my own CV, but I haven't been called for so much as an interview. I was even wondering if the postal system is working, but I did get two calls for clarification! Talking to people, I realised that there is a lot of competition for university positions. People who are in Korea for a few years often want to transfer, or people from universities in the country want to come to Seoul, and obviously they will have Korean or university teaching experience, or both, which I lack. There are still ads being put up, and I'm still applying. I'm not giving up yet, but I think I'll have to resort to plan B after Christmas if I still haven't got anything.

The 12 pubs of Christmas
--------------------------
Two of Clara's friends, Joan and Stephanie (in the picture above), have returned to Korea, and now live close by. We decided that the four of us would do the 12 pubs of Christmas around Itaewon last Saturday night. I was surprised when the plan was to start at 8pm, because I thought we'd need to start earlier. By the time we eventually got going, after wine in Joan and Stephanie's, it was 9pm. We all managed to get to six pubs. At that stage people were phoning home to Ireland and Scotland, there were tears, and a lot of slurring and falling. Only two of us managed to get to the seventh pub, and then we abandoned it when we couldn't find the others. We were hopeless.

Adultery case
--------------
I was surprised to learn that adultery is a criminal offence in Korea, punishable by up to 2 years in prison. I discovered it this week, when there was a case reported of a well-known actress Ok So-ri (I know that name looks like it's made up, but it's true) who was sued for adultery by her husband. She challenged the law, saying that it's original intent was to protect the institution of marriage, but is now in effect just a method of revenge. She lost her case, and was sentenced to 8 months suspended, with her lover, a pop singer, sentenced to 6 months suspended. Apparently there are in the region of a thousand cases prosecuted a year, but jail sentences are very rare.

White Christmas
-----------------
We've had snow a few times over the past month, and when it started snowing last night we wondered if we might have a white Christmas. But it's unlikely. The weather forecasts here are very accurate. Coming from Ireland I usually avoid planning anything around a forecast, but I've learned that they have a high degree of accuracy here. Christmas day is forecast as 'breezy and colder with sunshine'. The forcast high is -4c (that's the high!), and the low is -14c. So it'll be a cold and sunny one.

Christmas plans
----------------
Clara is in full Christmas planning mode. She's planned a traditional dinner, and we have a turkey, ham and all the trimmings for Thursday. There are between 8 and 10 people coming over for Christmas day. The biggest difficulty will be not having an oven. Most houses here don't have one. Clara has a little one that looks like a microwave, and is way to small for the turkey. So we'll be off over the hill to Joan and Stephanie who have a full Irish-sized oven in their apartment.
-----
Well, that's it for now. I want to wish all of you a great Christmas. I know the weekly emails have of late been weekly only in name, but rest assured they will continue through 2009.

Nollaig shona daoibh.

Éamon

Today's headline from The Korea Times: Shipbuilding, Construction Firms Targeted for Restructuring

Monday, December 01, 2008

University Application Edition

Greetings from a lovely sunny and mild winter's day here in Seoul.

The pic of the week is the last of my backlog photos. It shows Sellinne (left) with her friends, Anna, and I'm afraid I can't remember the other girls name, it's Korean. These are taken here in the apartment at the party for Sellinne's birthday.

University Application
-----------------------
There seems to be some confusion as to whether I'm applying to universities to study or to work. Relax, it's to work.

Most English speakers I've met here are over here as teachers, and the vast majority are working in public or private kids schools. I'm not mad on teaching kids, so I'm currently applying for a university job. There are different pay rates, depending on the university, but the hours are good, and you get paid holidays with 3 to 4 months off during the year.

They start their 2009 semester on March 1st, so that will hopefully when I start a full-time job.

Visa situation
--------------
You may remember that I realised when I got here that there may be problems with the application for a teaching visa, because they insist that you do an interview with the Korean embassy in your home country. Now when I thought this was going to happen within a month of my arrival this seemed a disaster. However, now that the months have passed, it's not so bad.

With the new semester starting in March, and my sister Sharon expecting a baby in February, a trip home in the New Year would be quite welcome.

Meeting the Ambassador
--------------------------
One item of documentation required for my job applications and visa is a police report from home stating that I didn't have any criminal record. I got this from the Gardaí when I was home earlier in the year. But it turns out I need to get it apostilled (some legal verification process), and that's not possible here in Korea. I contacted the embassy, and they said that they can certify it's authenticity, and that that's been accepted by Korean immigration so far.

So I went off to the embassy during the week. It's in Ireland House, which is in reality half of the 13th floor of an office building. The first secretary verified the form, and then came out for a chat. While we were chatting the ambassador arrived back from the dentist, and bumped into us. He's a really nice guy, very friendly. He's been here for 4 years, and loves it, but it's his last posting and he leaves in March.

He previously applied for a job in Irish Life, and was interviewed for a job as a trainee actuary, but decided to join the civil service, and he still isn't sure if he made the right decision!

Dynamic Korea
----------------
The tourist slogan for Korea is 'Dynamic Korea', and one area I can agree with it is in the speed that shops close down and reopen. You can go out in the morning walking past the hardware store, and come back in the evening and it's a boutique.

There are roadworks going on outside the apartment, and on a recent Sunday we went to the local bar at 11pm. The road was completely dug up and in a state of disrepair. There were no workers around. But when we left the bar (admittedly some hours had passed!), the entire road was repaved with tarmacadam. There were still no workers visible; the road laying, beginning, middle and end, had taken place while we were in the pub.

Tensions with North Korea
---------------------------
Tensions are slowly increasing between the two Koreas. The new government here in the south, who came into power in February, have a more hardline approach to the communist north than their predecessors. And the uncertainty over Kim Jong Il's health doesn't help. This week the north have begun restricting the already restricted traffic flow between the two countries in retaliation. Our Korean friend, Sellinne, helpfully told us that if anything kicks off between the two, we're not in the best location, given that we live beside the Korean Army finance administration headquaters, across from the US Army base, and a stone's throw from the Department of Defence. Ah well.
-----
That's it for this week. Hopefully I'll have some developments on the job front by next week.

Until then,

Annyeong haseyo,

Éamon

Today's headline in The Korea Times: S. Koreans’ Real Income Makes Biggest Drop in a Decade

Thursday, November 27, 2008

Korean Age

The weather has improved this week. We're back to 10 degrees as I write. Although tomorrow is forecast as windy with a high of 4 and a low of zero degrees.

The pic of the week shows Vio from my school in Sinpung. It's a while since I was there, but I realise that I hadn't used any pics.

Party for Sellinne
------------------
Sellinne is Clara's friend. She had her birthday during the week. We had a party for her in the apartment last Saturday. She's been so helpful to us. For anything that requires Korean we get on to Sellinne. Booking a visa run, getting cable and internet, translating Korean websites or booking concert tickets - it's a phonecall straight away to Sellinne.

It was a great night. We started about 6pm, and over the night a lot of people came along. Clara made a Thai curry and a vegetable bake, and we had a good laugh. Afterwards, we headed down to Itaewon where we got the tail end of the Ireland Argentina match.

Korean age
-----------
Korean age is different to western age. When you're born you're 1. They count the time in the womb as your first year. You 'age' at the new year, not on your birthday. So on the next new year you're 2. It's possible for a baby 2 days old to be 2. Clara works with a girl whose baby was 2 within five days of birth, because she was born at the end of the year. So Korean age is 1-2 years older than western age.

It used to be based on the Chinese New Year, called Lunar New Year here, but now they're increasingly using the calendar new year. Also, some younger people are now using western age.

Piano Man
-----------
I forgot to mention last week that I went to see Billy Joel in concert the previous weekend. He was playing 2 nights in Seoul, in the Olympic Gymnasium in Olympic Park. It was a great gig. He played all the old favourites, and the crowd seemed word perfect. They have little shops inside the venue, so you can pop out to buy a few cans of beer during the gig. Very civilised.

University applications
-----------------------
The university applications continue. I've dropped some applications to the colleges by hand, so I can check out the campuses, and most seem quite nice places to work. Some others have been submitted by post, and there are more going this week. I should know if I'm called for interview by Hongik, my university of choice, from their website on Monday. So wish me luck.
-----
Well, that's it for this week. The final applications will be sent during the week, and hopefully I'll have some interviews scheduled. It's hard to believe it's almost December. Most people here are staying for Christmas. It's not a big holiday here, and a lot of people just have the 25th off work.

Until next week,

Annyeong haseyo,

Éamon

Today's headline in The Korea Times: Prosecution Raids Home, Office of Key Roh Sponsor

Wednesday, November 12, 2008

Enda's holiday

I'm going a little back in time with this mail, and recalling Enda's two week visit.

I'm also working on my university applications. There is a huge amount of supporting documentation required, so I'm waiting on receipt of university transcripts from Dublin.

The pic of the week shows Enda, Clara and myself having a wonderful meal outside the city of Wonju.

Tourist Seoul
--------------
It was Enda's second visit to Korea. He was over with Clara to visit my father four years ago. He hadn't seen much of Seoul on that trip, and so we started off by doing the tourist spots. Mostly the palaces.

Enda also wanted to see the headquarters of the World Taekwondo Association, which is here in Seoul. We went over one morning, and were lucky enough to catch a demonstration show. It was really impressive, I hadn't seen much Taekwondo before and I was amazed. At the end they asked if we wanted to come forward for photos. I assumed they meant to take them, so myself and Enda moved down to the floor of the gym. A guy there took the camera, and gestured for us to go into a group photo. As we took our places we realised that all the others were international delegates, wearing suits and delegate badges. I can imagine them all going through the photos wondering who the two imposters in shorts and t-shirts were.

Travelling
----------
My father has a 12-year old Jaguar car that he never uses, it has just 20,000km on the clock. We took it out of storage to travel around the country. Our first journey was to a restaurant owned by one of his students in Wonju. We were made good time. At 3.30 I remember Michael saying we'd be there by 4pm. Unfortunately, we were again dependent on Korean directions. We drove hither and yon in the vicinity of the restaurant, sometimes within metres. Every time we phoned we were told how close we were. We drove over roads, boreens, dirt tracks and through motorway building works, eventually arriving at the restaurant sometime around 8pm.

Over the next few days, we visited the largest cave in Asia, Hwanseongul, and the historical capital, Gyeongju.

The Seoul of the Party
-----------------------
What an old pun! When we got back to Seoul, we concentrated more on the night life. Seoul is a city where you can find a open bar at any time of the day and night. I was the one not working, so I was out with Enda to 5, 6 or 7am. Even 9am on one occasion. By the time he left I think we were all in need of a week of sleep. Preferably at The Priory.

University applications
-----------------------
I've spent this week getting my university applications together. The application process is very bureaucratic, and I had to write essays about my teaching philosophy. However, once the first one was done the rest have been pretty straight forward. Three had closing dates this week, and there are more next week, and more in early December. Hopefully I'll get something from one of them! I should know if I'm called for interview in early December.
-----
The temperature has really dropped in the last few days. The night before last it was minus 5, feeling like minus 11. And it only seems like last week I was sweltering in the heat and humidity! Today the temperature seems to have risen, but there was a little snow earlier on.

Well, that's it for this week,

So until next week,

Annyeong haseyo,

Éamon

Today's headline in The Korea Times: S. Korea's Subway, Railway Strikes Averted

Monday, November 03, 2008

Halloween

Folks,

I'm getting back into my routines. I'm currently preparing my applications for a number of universities which are now recruiting.

The pic of the week shows the motley crew that prepared for the Halloween fancy dress in the Wolfhound on Saturday. Back: Clara, Sarah, Norah. Front: Sean, Sellinne, Brian and Elmer. I'm behind the camera in an amazing costume. Pity you missed it.

Finishing in California Language School
---------------------------------------
While we'd agreed on September 26 as my final day in Sinpung, it wasn't until the Thursday that my departure was confirmed. I was happy enough. I enjoyed my time there, although it was difficult being the only non-Korean on the staff, and I never warmed to teaching kindergarten.

On my final night they took me out for a Korean meal. It was in one of the traditional sit-on-the-floor restaurants which are everywhere. We then cook the food on hot coals in a bucket in the centre of the table, as I explained before. It was delicious. We also had beer and sojo (the local poteen). I was so full at the end, and then they decided that we'd go somewhere else for seafood!

Back to Kyeong Li Dan
-----------------------
The following day I moved back to Clara's. It's a much more lively area than Sinpung, and it's so close to the nightlife of Itaewon, a ten minute walk away. We have a large selection of restaurants and bars within easy reach.

Enda's holiday
--------------
My brother Enda arrived on October 5, and was here for two weeks. I'll write about it in more detail again, but it was great that I was off work and available to spend time with him. We had three parts to the holiday. The first was sightseeing around Seoul. Then we travelled around the country for a few days. Finally, there was the party phase back in Seoul. Enda took full advantage of the fact that you'll find bars open around the clock. By the time he left we were all wrecked, and we nearly had to pour him onto the plane. We had a really great time, but I took nearly a week to recover.

Halloween
----------
I always seem to celebrate Halloween more away than I ever do at home. Halloween isn't a Korean celebration, so Itaewon, as the main foreigner hub, was full of people in a variety of costumes. We went to The Wolfhound on Saturday, and it was a thronged. First prize went to a guy who dressed up as a mad cow being carried around on the president's back. A throwback to the protests about American beef earlier in the year. It was excellent.
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Well, that's it for this week. The weather has got a good bit cooler, and the trees have taken on beautiful autumnal shades. The days are mostly sunny and we've had hardly any rain. Top temperatures this week range from 13 to 18 degrees centigrade.

Until next week,

Annyeonghi Keosayo,

Éamon

Today's headline from The Korea Times: S. Korea to Hike Fiscal Spending by $10 Billion Next Year

Tuesday, October 28, 2008

Normal service will be resumed shortly

I'm terrible when I break my routine! Since the last mail I finished up in the Elementary School, and so moved back to my sister's apartment. Then my brother arrived over on holiday, and we had an action-packed two weeks. Now my PC has given up the ghost (again! I've had nothing but trouble with that top of the range Dell). I get it back today, and hopefully normal service will be resumed this weekend.

Cheers!

Eamon

Saturday, September 20, 2008

Autumn

Folks,

The weather has taken a turn, as they say. I looked at the forecast for this week, and every day is in the 20s, with the highest being today at 27c. That's quite a change. And when I go for my run the track is beginning to get covered with leaves. I'm excited, because it will be my first autumn since Dublin in 2004, as we didn't have them in Costa Rica.

The pic of the week shows my lovely presentation pack for Chuseok of tuna and spam.

Language 1
------------
It can be difficult sometimes in the supermarket, when you're just greeted by a shelf full of hangeul writing and you can't read any of the labels. Sometimes, pictures are all you need. Other times you don't know if you're buying washing up liquid or fabric softener.

I was looking for little waste disposal bags, because in the heat my bin can smell. Putting everything in sealed little bags first seemed like a good idea. But when I got my pack of little bags home, it turned out they were all plastic gloves. Like you'd use in a supermarket for handling bread. So rather than let them go to waste, my rubbish now goes out in very strange hand shaped arrangements.

Language 2
------------
I haven't really frequented many restaurants around where I live. A lot of them seem to always have groups of people, not individuals. They sit on the floor at low tables, and cook on a hot coal 'bucket' that slots into the centre of the table. I've done this with friends, but it doesn't seem the type of thing you'd do on your own.

The second problem is the menu. Even when I can interpret the hangeul symbols, and pronounce them, it's not much help when you don't know what they actually mean. I passed a take away place the other day, which said, in hangeul, chee-kin (an attempt at the English word), so I went in and ordered
chee-kin. She hadn't a clue what I was saying. So she phoned her cousin, and put her on the phone to me. I talked to her on the phone, but sometimes the phone can be difficult to interpret accents, so she didn't understand me.

Next thing, the cousin came around to the shop, she must live locally. She interpreted my order, and chatted away to me. Another customer arrived in and he offered me a beer. The two of them then translated the TV news for me, which was on in the background. Eventually, I left with my chicken, feeling I'd disrupted everyone's night.

Tell tale shoes
--------------
I've previously told you how we don't wear shoes indoors. So outside the apartment there is a little hallway area, just shared by my apartment and the Korean guy next door. And we leave our shoes there, just outside our doors. I smiled the other morning as I was leaving when I saw a little pair of shoes that were definitely belonged to a woman. I thought it was interesting that you can't get away with much when you leave your tell tale shoes outside.

Come in out of the warm
-------------------------
On Friday's, we take the kindergarten kids out to a playground close to the school. One of the kids' mother arrived, because she was worried that Dylan had a cold, and was out in the heat. She felt he should go back into the air-conditioned school. It was like the opposite of what we'd do in Ireland.

Hairdresser of the week
------------------------
The local hair dresser down the road is Missy Hair Feel.
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Well, that's it for this week. I'm not sure if it's my last week in school. We had agreed on 26th September, but nothing has been said. I'll play it by ear. I do want to free myself up for my brother's visit though, so it will probably be an extra week at most.

So until next week,

Annyeonghi kaseyo,

Éamon

Today's headline in The Korea Times: S. Korea, US Remove Last Hurdle to Visa Waiver

Wednesday, September 17, 2008

Chuseok

After the Chinese New Year, Chuseok, or Thanksgiving, is the most important Korean Holiday.

It was a four-day weekend for me; the school was closed Friday and Monday.

The pic of the week shows John from Wales, Melanie and Lyndenne from South Africa, my father, Michael, and Mary from Clare in Clara's for Chuseok dinner on Sunday.

Chuseok
---------------
Chuseok is
on the 15th day of the 8th Lunar month, which was, apparently, last weekend. There were traffic jams all over the place as the large exit of Seoul got under way. And there were large traffic jams in Seoul as those left behind made their way to their relatives. The tradition is that everyone goes to the home of their oldest surviving male relative.

It's funny to be in the middle of a holiday that's so important for everyone living here, and which means nothing to me. I was on the bus at the weekend, and everyone was getting on with presents, and laughing, and wishing each other a happy Chuseok. And it made me realise how strange such celebrations are.

We had a gathering in Clara's apartment. There were ten of us for dinner, coming from Ireland, Wales, South Africa, the US, and Korea. I guess you could call it Irish/Korean fusion cuisine. We had traditional Korean rice cakes, along with roast beef and Yorkshire pudding. It was an excellent evening and I thoroughly enjoyed it.

Gifts
--------
Like Christmas, Chuseok is a time to give gifts. I was surprised to be given a gift in school. A big box in a presentation bag. I laughed when I got home and opened it to find twelve tins of tuna and four of spam. Serves me right for making a joke of it.

My fame
--------------
Living so close to the school I rarely go out without meeting kids or their parents. I'm in the supermarket, and I hear a blabbering in Korean with the words Éamon teacher in the middle. I walk through the grounds of the elementary school on my way to work and I'm like a local celebrity.

The other day I was walking past apartments, and I heard bellowed from somewhere in the building 'Hello, Éamon teacher'. I couldn't see anyone, or work out where it had come from. So I just waved at the building in general and shouted 'Hello' as if I recognised who it was.

Favourite headline of the week
-----------------------------------------------------
The fact that Kim Jong Il, the Dear Leader of North Korea, didn't appear for Chuseok, having already missed the country's 60th anniversary celebrations has caused much speculation about his health. My favourite headline was in The Economist - Kim Jong Ill or Kim Jong Well?

T-shirts
-------------
You hardly ever see t-shirts with Korean on them here. They're always in English. And sometimes very bad English. A student came in the other day and proudly showed me his new t-shirt. He wanted me to tell him what it meant. I had to say that I wasn't quite sure. It said Being attracted jazz a motorbike.
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Well, that's it for this week. We're still in the 30s here, which is hotter than I expected for September. My brother Enda arrives on holidays in just over two weeks.

So until next week,

Annyeonghi kaseyo,

Éamon

Today's headline in the Korea Herald: Stocks, won resume rally as AIG bailout eases market jitters

Sunday, September 07, 2008

Getting fit edition

It was a quiet week after my return from Japan. I feel I'm getting more used to teaching the kids, and I'm looking forward to a holiday weekend next weekend for thanksgiving.

The pic of the week shows the view of my street from the apartment. It's the main street of Singil Yak-Dong, or Singil Neighbourhood 6. The city is divided into districts, or Gu's, and each Gu is made up of a number of neighbourhoods, or Dongs.

School
-----------
Things are fine in the California Language School where I work. I'm getting more used to teaching the kids, and working out how to keep discipline in the class. It's good experience, and very different from working with adults. Even the kindergarten classes are going well.

Pretty princess soldiers
----------------------------------------
One of the things I notice here is that guys dress and behave in a different way from home. Pink t-shirts are all the rage, and it's not unusual to see guys carrying little bags from shops with hearts or flowers on them. This, coupled with the fact that they're much more inclined to hold hands or put their arms around their friends shoulders, can look a little unusual to westerners.

All Koren men must do two years military service. So there are a lot of military around. I was on the subway last week, and a soldier got on in his combat uniform, standing up looking macho, while carrying a pink shop bag with rope handles and pictures of a Barbie look-alike and a horse, which said Pretty Little Princess.

Weather
--------------
The weather has really been beautiful. For monsoon season, there was relatively little rain, certainly by Costa Rican standards. There have been some times that it was very hot and humid, but this week it's been beautiful, and I imagine it will be good for the rest of September. The forecast for this week is sunny every day, except Thursday, when it will be cloudy. Temperatures will range from 31c today to a chilly 25c on Friday.

Getting fit
------------------
I'm currently working on my fitness, having let it slide since moving away from the pool in Heredia well over a year ago. I've started running, of all things. Well, mostly walking, but introducing a little more running each week. The plan is eventually to have a decent run 4 times a week. It's both for fitness, and to strengthen my formerly broken leg, which has not responded well to my more sedentary lifestyle over the past year.

I go to the beautiful local park, Boramae park. There is a 600m track, and in the evenings it's got about 200 people walking around it. To run I have to weave my way in and out. But when I go on a weekend afternoon, it's almost deserted. The Koreans definitely prefer to keep out of the sun.

The park is really beautiful, and I'll miss it when I move.
-----
Well, that's it for this week. I have two four day weeks back to back, as we have Friday and Monday off for 추석 (Chuseok), the Korean Thanksgiving festival. I'm on my Monday lunchbreak as I write, so I'm just off for some ramen before heading back to school.

안녕히 가세요
Annyeonghi kasayo

Éamon

Today's headline from The Korea Times: Education Spending Growth Hits 5-Year High

Wednesday, September 03, 2008

Japan

Well, I'm back from my trip weekend trip to Japan. The fact that the Prime Minister resigned as soon as I left is unrelated to my visit.

Fukuoka, the city I went to, was a bit disappointing in terms of photo opportunities, so I've gone back to a photo from the Changdoekgung palace here in Seoul. It shows the Buyong-jeon pavilion in the secret garden.

Visa run
--------------
I am here 3 months now, so I had to go to Japan to get my passport stamped. There were no problems with immigration, and I'm now ok until the 30th November.

Japan
----------
The easiest place to go to do a visa run is Japan. I checked out the cost to fly, but the tickets were very expensive (come back, Ryanair, all is forgiven. I'll even bring my own oxygen mask). So I booked on the KTX high speed train to Busan, and the Kobee Jetfoil to Fukuoka, Japan. It was a very early start on Saturday, I got the 5.25am train.

I was alarmed on the Jetfoil to read the subtitles on the screen during the safety announcement, when it said "We are making an excuse in the event of an emergency".

Fukuoka
---------------
I should have read more about Fukuoka before I went. I thought it was a ferry port, so I was expecting something like Holyhead. In fact, at 2.5m people it's a much larger city than Dublin. However, there was nothing remarkable about the area I stayed in. I brought my camera, but I realised that everything just looked like Korea.

It was much cheaper than I expected Japan to be. I had a lovely Indian meal, a curry, rice, nan bread and a beer, and the cost was €14.

One of the main things I noticed on arrival, as I walked from the ferry terminal, was that I kept seeing people in 'made up' jobs. I passed a group of 15 youths sweeping the already clean pavements. And when I got to the pedestrian crossing there were two senior citizens with glowing orange batons to guide me across. This despite the fact that the crossing already had traffic lights. When the lights went green, the elderly guy on the far side stood out, shouting at me with a megaphone, instructing me to cross. I thought I was on some type of Japanese game show.

Gift boxes
-----------------
I was amused when I went to my supermarket yesterday. Next week is Thanksgiving, which is a major family celebration. Outside the supermarket they have a large display of gift boxes. There are pretty boxes with alcohol and glasses, chocolates and sweets, and bathroom toiletries. But what caught my attention was the beautifully presented boxes wrapped in bows and containing a bottle of canola oil, six cans of tuna and three of spam. I'd be so bowled over by such a gift.

Funny sign of the week
---------------------------------------
Soree Ear Clinic.
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Well, that's it for this week. I'm just on my lunchbreak, and I'm heading back to work now.

Until next week,

Éamon

Today's headline in The Korea Herald: Won (the currency) extends loss, stocks rebound

Monday, August 25, 2008

Still working

Yet again I thought I was finished in the school only to have it all changed completely.

The pic of the week shows the view from my window, as the evening sunlight catches the apartments opposite. The brown area behind the trees is a soccer pitch which I overlook.

School
-----------
Everything is a bit disorganised at the school. I went in on Friday, for my 'last day', and then the asked me if I'd stay another month. They've guaranteed me work up to 26th September, and 'maybe longer', so I decided to stay.

I have had other offers, but I'm not that mad about working with kids, and I am going to look for a university job. Most university recruitment is in February, so I'm just looking to do temporary work until then.

So all of this means a quick trip to Japan this weekend, because my visa is up on 4th September.

Olympics
---------------
The kids asked me how Ireland was doing in the Olympics. This was before the boxing medals, so we had a grand haul of zero. They fell about the place laughing. "Are you not in it?" they asked. I said we were, we're just not great without the drugs. Well, no, I didn't say that.

It's been difficult to catch any athletics on the Korean TV coverage, as they concentrate on sports that feature Korean athletes. So it's lots of table tennis, badminton and taekwondo.

I was out walking the other night, and I could hear lots of cheers all around from the various apartment blocks around me. It was South Korea's surprise win against Cuba in the baseball final. They've done really well, and have ended up in 7th place on the medal table.

Hangeul
-------------
Hangeul, or 한글, is the script used to write Korean. It looks scary, but it's actually quite phonetic. It's made up of symbols for consonant sounds (ㄱ, ㄴ, ㄷ, ㄹ, ㅁ, ㅂ, ㅅ, ㅇ, ㅈ, ㅊ, ㅋ, ㅌ, ㅍ, ㅎ) and vowels (ㅏ, ㅓ, ㅗ, ㅜ, ㅡ, ㅣ,ㅑ, ㅕ, ㅛ, ㅠ). They combine by stacking them in boxes for each syllable, so you get something like 소유진 비하발언.

As it's phonetic, I've learned off the symbols, and can now read what it says. I may have no idea what it means, but I can say it. You often discover that the words are English. Like ai-i-di kon-sul-ting is ID Consulting, and outside my apartment, the ta-i-uh sign is tyre.

I can read the train stations now, which is probably the handiest use of it.

Western names
--------------------------
When I lived in Dublin, I didn't like that all the Chinese had western names. I didn't understand why people should have to change, and take names so removed from their own culture. But, I have to say that in teaching, I'm really glad of it. Korean names are so difficult, so classes of Harry, Sam, Danny, Sue, Sara (1), Sara (2) and Sara (3) (Sara is popular) are so much easier. You also get to name the new students, so you feel like they're yours.

Koreans have problems with L and R, because it's more of a blend between the two in Korean, so whoever named one of my students Lara must have been having a laugh. They say Rara, Lala, Rala, and everything in between. When I call her name she never realises it's her.
-----
Well, that's it for this week. I've been struggling to book the trip to Japan this weekend. But a Korean friend of Clara's in working on it now, so I plan to go by train and ferry to Fukuoka on Saturday.

Until next week,

안녕히 가세요

Éamon

Today's headline in The Korea Times: S. Korea, China to Expand Military Exchanges

Sunday, August 17, 2008

Liberation day

Friday was a bank holiday here. It was Liberation Day, which marks the surrender of Japan on August 15, 1945.

The pic of the week shows my apartment building. My apartment has the three windows just under the black mansard roof and to the right of the tree.

Endgame in the school
---------------------------------------
On Tuesday, they told me in the school that the new teachers were arriving at the weekend (I'm just a temporary replacement until they get here). This just gave me two days notice at the school, as Friday was a holiday, and meant leaving the apartment on Sunday. However, by Friday all had changed. They weren't coming this weekend, and so I've had a reprieve.

The Road to Nowhere
-------------------------------------
On Thursday, they invited me on a school trip on Friday, the bank holiday. I was told we were meeting at 7.20am, going for dinner and would be back by 9. I assumed they meant breakfast, and thought that it was us taking the kids away. It turned out that it was an away-day for the teachers, and 9 meant 9pm. We met at 7.20, left at 7.30 in a minibus, and headed into the most enormous traffic jam of my life.

We crawled out of the city, as all 12 million people seemed to have chosen to leave at once. Our destination was 1 and a half hours away. But with the traffic, it took us 10 hours. I'll repeat that, 10 hours. In a minibus. To do a journey that usually takes 90 minutes. We arrived just before 5.30pm having left at 7.30am. It was a nightmare. I honestly couldn't believe that no-one suggested turning back. It seems the Koreans are not for turning

When we got there, it turned out to be a picnic by a river. We had a good evening, but it wasn't remotely worth the 10 hour journey. We left for the return journey at 11.30, and I was back here at 1am.

The Wolfhound
-------------------------
The Irish bar in Itaewon is called The Wolfhound. They show all the GAA matches, which are on at 10pm or midnight. So we went down on Saturday to watch the annihilation of Dublin by Tyrone. The pain of the defeat was made worse in the bar by the sheer glee of the representatives of the other 31 counties. And the of the Koreans, it has to be said.

My favourite part of the night, though, was when An Nuacht came on afterwards, just before the link was cut. It started with a big picture of Ronnie Drew, and Clara said loudly 'Oh my God. Fidel Castro is dead'.
------
Well, that's it for this week. There's probably just one week of the school left, and I'll use the time to search for a permanent job. I feel a bit better about the school, because the other teachers told me on the away day that the kids really love me. Plus the kinder class this morning didn't go so badly. I even managed to keep most of them in the classroom.

Until next week,

Éamon

Today's headline in The Korea Times: Korean Duo Wins Badminton Gold

Monday, August 11, 2008

Hi Seoul Festival

The weather for the past week has been great. It's been very hot. Sunday was 35 degrees, but felt like 42, apparently. All last week, it was sunny with blue skies. It rained a little yesterday, and it's been a little cooler since.

The pic of the week shows Clara, Norah and Sarah at the Hi Seoul festival which we went to on Sunday.

Hi Seoul Festival
----------------------------
This is a free festival put on every year in a park by the Han river. Clara prepared a picnic and we had a fantastic day. There were traditional bands, people on tandems, people with homemade planes crashing into the Han, gymnasts spinning under hot air balloons, jazz, brass bands, and it ended with a couple of very spectacular shows on the main stage. One was a macnas-type display with huge fish puppets and musicians playing violin and guitars while spinning around the stage suspended on wires. Then there was a monster ballet, where the story was told with a mixture of dancers and JCBs, with the ballerina's and JCB drivers taking the applause together at the end. The opening ceremony of the Olympics wasn't in it.

The Korean War
---------------------------
Before I came here, M*A*S*H was the only thing I knew about the Korean war, and it turns out that that was really a parody of Vietnam but they had to change the location. I've discovered a little more about it now I'm here, mostly
from a trip to the war museum. At the end of World War II Korea had been liberated from Japan by the Allies. Russia controlled the North, above the 38th parallel (the 38 degrees north latitude line), and the US controlled the South. Both put governments in place. Then in June, 1950, the North invaded the South in a surprise attack. The superior forces of the North quickly gained control of most of the South, until a UN force drove them back. After a period of gains and losses for both sides the South then got the upper hand, and gained most of the territory in the North. Then Chinese troops poured across the border and fought on the side of the North.

Eventually both sides were in stalemate, and a de-militarised zone, the DMZ was set up, and that remains the border between the two states. Officially, the war is not over, and both sides are on ceasefire since 1953.

So older people here lived through the war. Seoul was evacuated twice, and people had to live in refugee camps in Busan. Now the living conditions between the wealthy South and impoverished North are incredibly different.

On the city tour, they refer to Korea as the world's last remaining divided country!

They've tried to get closer, particularly during the administration of the last South Korean president. Tourists can even go into certain parts of the North from the DMZ. A couple of weeks ago, though, a woman from Seoul was on a tour in the North, and was shot by a North Korean soldier in unexplained circumstances. So tensions right now are higher.

Bush was here during the week. There were demonstrations both pro- and anti-, but the heat seems to have gone out of the American beef issue.

Bakery bag of the week
----------------------------------------
I came home the other day from the bakery, and noticed this written on the bag: This fresh dessert with original goodness and flavor that something delicious for every one and sweets make a very special. So there.
-----
That's it for this week. Work is going fine, except that the kindergarten classes are doing my head in!

So until next week,

Éamon

Today's headline from The Korea Herald: Park Tae-hwan wins silver in 200-meter freestyle

Sunday, August 03, 2008

Folks,

I'm writing on a really beautiful Sunday evening. The sun has shone all day, and I was out in the local park earlier. It was very hot, but now I have my fan on and it's cooler. The weather has alternated between hot days and some really rainy days. Like everywhere I've been, people tell me the climate has changed.

The pic of the week shows some 'soldiers' (or actors) from the changing of the guard in Deoksu Palace. They're inside the palace on a break while the main ceremony goes on outside.

Job
-----
Things are going fine in school. This was a three day week, because the kids were having their 'summer vacation'. Although at only 2 days it's nothing to write home about. Our type of school is called a Hagwon, and is a private school that kids go to after their regular school. I'm enjoying it, but I don't know that the kindergarten level would be something I want to continue. I was doing The Hokie Cokie Song with them the other day, and while on 'you put your left arm in, your left arm out' I was thinking; remember, I've got an MBA!

Beef Protests
-----------------------
When I arrived there were protests against the decision to lift the ban on American beef. It's a nation very prone to protests. They had candle-lit vigils at the city hall. The reason is that they are sure they'll get CJD because of Mad Cow Disease (or Crazy Cow Sick, as one of Clara's students called it). The president has had to sack government ministers and reshuffle the cabinet, and they have put some restrictions on the imports. The protests have died down now, but Bush is here this week on his way to the Olympics, and I expect it's going to heat up again.

The Subway
---------------------
There's an amazing subway in Seoul. It's got eight lines that they criss cross the city with hundreds of stations, so you're never far from one. What amazes me is that it was only started in the 1970s, but you'd think it was as old as the London Underground. It's also very cheap. It's 45 minutes from Clara's to here, and that costs just 63c. You can get a virtual money card, called t-money, which you load with cash on a machine in the station. You just place it near the card reader as you go through, you don't even have to take it out of your wallet. The cards can also be used on the bus. If you transfer from subway to bus you're not charged on the bus, as it's a continuation of the journey you've paid for.
------
Well, that's it for this week. I'm back at school in the morning, so I'm going to take things easy tonight.

So until next week,

Éamon

Today's headline on The Korea Times: Koreas Engaged in War of Rhetoric

Sunday, July 27, 2008

Working with Cinderella

Well, apologies that I haven't updated you for a few weeks. I've had computer problems.

On the positive side, I've got a temporary job while I sort out the situation with my visa. It comes with an apartment, so I have my own place, for now at any rate.

The pic of the weeks shows the three of us who lived together until I moved. I'm with Clara and Norah at The Wolfhound Irish bar on the night of Norah's birthday.

Computer problems
----------------------------------
Our internet connection in Clara's flat was always dodgy, because we were just picking up a signal from outside. But then I had a problem with my computer as well, and I had to get it fixed. It's a new PC, and is under warranty, but I would have had to send it back to Ireland, and been without it for weeks. It cost nearly €160 to fix.

New Job
--------------
Norah sent me an email from a recruitment agency that were looking for someone as an emergency replacement in a school in another part of Seoul. I got onto the agency and they set up an interview. I met the head teacher, Scarlet, and the boss, who believe it or not is called Cinderella. I find it so difficult to take it seriously when people are telling me things like 'I have to get a medical for my visa, and Cinderella is going to pay half the cost'.

I'm teaching kids, 80 minutes Kindergarten in the morning, and 4.5 hours Elementary in the afternoon. I've never taught kids, and I thought this would be a good way to try it out. It's just for 2 months. If I don't like it, I'll look for something else as my permanent job.

Apartment
-------------------
The great thing about the job is that in addition to relatively good money, there is an apartment. I'm in the area of Sinpung, which is south of the Han river, and about 50 minutes from Clara by subway. The apartment is fine. It's 3 minutes walk from the school, and has two bedrooms, internet and cable TV. I moved in on Wednesday, so I'm still exploring the area to get to know my new surroundings.

Visa
-------
I'm still getting conflicting opinions on the visa situation, but my own feeling is that I'll still have to return to Dublin. My first step is to look for a permanent job, which I will start this week. Then I'll need to talk to my prospective employer about how we will handle the visa.

Strange English
----------------------------
One thing I've noticed is how funny some of the English is that you see on signs, menus and t-shirts. Near my new apartment there is a hair salon, with the sign on the window 'Gabriel Hair - for the glory of the lamb'!
-----
Well, that's it for this week. I'm heading off now to go over to Clara's, because my father is just back from a month in Ireland.

Talk soon,

Éamon

Today's headline in The Korea Times: 2nd-Quarter GDP Growth Falls to 4.8%

Monday, July 07, 2008

A Spanner in the Works

Well, it was all going so well, there had to be a spanner in the works somewhere. I knew that I've have to leave Korea to apply for my visa. The only problem is that now I've discovered where my application has to be made from. Dublin.

The pic of the week is the pagoda in the lotus pond at Gyeongbuk Palace here in Seoul.

The Job Hunt
----------------------
I was talking to the recruiter who made contact with me before the last post. In the middle of the conversation, he asked me if I knew I had to go back to Ireland to get my E2 visa, the one for foreign language teachers. I nearly fell off my chair. I'd never heard it. I talked to a few people over the weekend, and they all assured me it couldn't be true. But I've checked it out, and it seems to be. So once I get a school I'll have to try to negotiate with them over the air fare. Most schools will pay for people to travel from their country to Korea, and then either fly them home at the end of a contract, or give them a round trip if they're staying. So I might see if I can get the round trip up front or go halves on the fare or something. I just wish I knew it a month ago!

They also told me I needed the original copy of my degree (which I have) and a police report to show that I have no convictions (which I have - the report, not the convictions) and the transcripts from my university (I didn't even know what they were). He explained that the transcripts are the details of your coursework and results during your degree. I have been on to Trinity about getting them, and they'll take a couple of weeks. They have to be in a sealed envelope, with a university seal over the actual envelope seal, and if they're opened before they get to immigration they're invalid. They're certainly taking no chances.

So, this has put a delay on getting a job for now. Once I know that the transcripts are in the post I'll start applying. In the meantime I'm checking the websites to see what's available.

Getting used to Korea
-------------------------------------
There are a few things that I'm just getting used to. The first is that talking Spanish to Koreans doesn't achieve anything. Obviously my brain is wired with the assumption that if people don't speak English, the foreign language is Spanish. I've been saying si, no, and gracias since I got here.

Another cultural difference is that you take your shoes off everywhere. In anyone's house are apartment, old style restaurants, temples and palaces, off they come. I have a pair of laced trainers, and I'm going to have to get something that's easier to put on and take off, because I'm taking ages everywhere. I have to say I like that people take them off in a house or apartment, because when you think of it we're all bringing dirt in from the streets on our shoes.

Seoul Tower
---------------------
One of Clara's friends is a guy called Conor, from Belfast. His mother and sister were here on holidays, and just left on Sunday. On Saturday night we went with them to the revolving restaurant in Seoul Tower. It has a wonderful panoramic view of the city, and does a full 365 degrees over the three hours that the multiple course dinner is served. We arrived at 7pm, and left at 10, so we had seen the city change from daylight to the beautifully lit city at night. This is truly a night city, and the transformation is spectacular. I'd highly recommend it to everyone that visits the city. At 87,000 Won it's way more expensive than any meal I've had since I came here. But when I worked it back to euro it was less than €54, which given that we had lots of courses, a seabass main course and plenty of wine, is probably cheaper than you'd get in most restaurants in Dublin.
------
Well, that's it for this week. I've just bought a fan to cope with heat and humidity. My computer says it's 28 degrees, but feels like 32.8. I wonder how it knows.

Until next week,

Annyong,

Éamon

Today's headline in The Korean Times: President Lee Replaces 3 Cabinet Ministers

Thursday, July 03, 2008

Trip to Busan

Folks,

Greetings from Seoul on a sunny evening. It's 27 degrees, with humidity at 69%. Yesterday, it was lashing rain, with humidity at 100%, so this is a lot better. We are heading into the monsoon season, so I can expect more rain and higher temperatures.

The pic of the week is taken from the Busan tower, and shows the view over the port area of Busan, where we were last week.

Apologies for the delay in this weeks email, but we don't have an internet connection in the house, so we have to rely on picking up a signal from outside, which isn't always available. I know I'm also behind in replying to emails and Facebook messages, so please bear with me!

Busan
-----------
Clara had a few days off, so we headed to Busan on the high-speed KTX train, which travels at 300kph. The journey is 3 hours, and we arrived on Saturday night. We met up with Paul, who I worked with in Costa Rica, and his Costa Rican girlfriend, Esperanza. We stayed in Haeundae, which is where Paul and Esperanza live, and the most popular beach in Korea. It wouldn't be the best beach in the world. It's fine, but it makes me think that beaches are not the strong point of the Korean experience.

It was also much colder there than in Seoul. I had to wear my jacket out every evening, which I don't do here.

We stayed at a love motel. They're popular here because most young people live at home, and it's difficult to have somewhere for your loving. I don't think they're designed for brothers and sisters travelling together, though. The guy on reception seemed most put out even at the request for a room with two beds. That said, the facilities were excellent. It cost just €18 for the room, and we had a PC with internet access, a TV and DVD player with a DVD library downstairs, coffee and water, and a large jacuzzi bath!

First impressions
------------------------------
My first impression of Korea is how safe it is. Having come from Costa Rica where everyone is so crime conscious, it's amazing to come to a city where people leave down their bags to go off to look at timetables in the train stations. I saw a guy unloading boxes of trainers to a shoe shop, and he just left the boxes piled outside on the footpath while he transferred them into the shop. People leave mobile phones on tables, I took a beer from a fridge at an outdoor food stall, and practically had to wake up the owner who was dozing in front of a TV. Girls travel alone through the streets late at night without a concern.

The other thing you notice is how technologically advanced it is. The city lights up at night in neon and huge TV-screen style advertising hoardings. On the subway almost everyone is glued to some sort of technological device, reading email, playing games, accessing internet or watching video. I'm in my element with my little iPod which I was normally too shy to use in public in case it looked like I was showing off.

Job hunt
---------------
Before I'd even started looking for a job this week I was offered one. It's teaching elementary school kids, and it's located a little out of the city. The pay is on the lower end of what I've been told to expect, but it includes accommodation. The recruiter said that the school is looking for an emergency replacement, and that I could take it for the moment while I got something else. I decided not to take it, because I've only just started the job hunt, and I feel that I should know more what's on offer before making a decision. It would be perfect if I needed to work straight away, but I'd rather put my energy into getting the right job. And I have enough money to tide me over for the moment.

Social life
----------------
The social life here is certainly hectic. The bars open all night, and there have been many weekend nights that we've been home well after sunrise, at about 7 o'clock. I'm realising that at my age it's difficult to sustain that for too many nights on the trot, but I'm enjoying it all the same. After the busy weekends, I like to have a quiet week, and some nights I've even managed to do it.
-----
That's it for this week. I'm planning a quiet weekend, with a rooftop barbecue at a friends house on Saturday, if the rain holds off.

So until next week,

Annyonghi kaseyo,

Éamon

Yesterday's headline in The Korean Herald: Consumer Prices Jump to 10-Year High

Saturday, June 21, 2008

Seoul, South Korea

Well, I'm finally on my travels again. Having spent nearly 6 months in Ireland catching up with friends and family. I'm now in Seoul, South Korea, my new home for the next year at least.

I'm in my second week here now, and only beginning to get into my routine. It's a very large Asian city, and seems very far, not just geographically, from either Ireland or Costa Rica.

The pic of the week shows the view of Seoul across the Han River. It's early evening, and you can see the evening sun on the river reflected off the buildings opposite. You can also see the Seoul tower on the green hill, Namsan, which is my landmark for getting my orientation around the city. I'm staying with my sister Clara and we live quite close to that tower.

Ireland
-------------
I really enjoyed my time in Ireland. I thought I was just going to be there for a couple of months, but ended up staying almost six. It was a relaxing time. I sorted out a lot of things to do with my personal belongings, my finances and just generally organised my affairs. I tried working as a freelance writer, but I didn't really enjoy it. So, for now, I've decided to forget about earning money from writing, and just giving myself the freedom to write and see what I enjoy writing about.

I spent most of my time in Ennis, staying in my mother's. It was a very relaxed time, and I thoroughly enjoyed it. I actually didn't get to spend as much time in Dublin as I would have liked. The disadvantages of not having a house there that I have access to. So I ended up seeing far less of my Dublin friends than I had intended. Six months in Ireland sounds like a long time, but my time in Dublin was a lot shorter. So apologies for those of you that I didn't get a chance to meet.

Several friends came down to see me in Ennis, and they were the most satisfactory times for really catching up with people.

So why Seoul?
------------------
I had planned to come to Asia next, and as my sister lives in Seoul (and my father), I thought that I'd stop off here on holidays en route.

However, not working for a year takes its toll on your finances, and I haven't worked since leaving Intercultura almost a year ago. Korea is well known as being the country where English teachers are best paid, and so in the end money talked.

It's also a huge world city, and I've never lived anywhere bigger than Dublin before. The population is, according to different sources I read, somwhere between 10 and 12 million. It's very modern and technological. The city at night is lit up with neon signs and large television screens showing advertising.

I'm currently staying in my sister Clara's flat. It's near the international district of Itaewon, and we've been having quite a social time since I arrived.

Plans
-------
I'm using my first few weeks to get to know the city, and to do the tourist trail. I'm also taking the opportunity to talk to Clara's friends, most of whom are English teachers, about the places they work and what type of schools and jobs are available. English teaching is in great demand, and I'm not worried about getting a job.

Next week I'm going to update my CV, and start to check out the websites listing what's available and the job hunt will begin.
-----
So that's it for this week. If you're one of those people who hasn't missed the weekly emails, and don't want to stay in the loop, I have to say I don't blame you! Just reply saying 'unsubscribe' and I'll take you off the list.

For the rest of you, apologies if I didn't see you or didn't see much of you when I was in Ireland, and I hope you'll find my description of life in Korea interesting as the weeks go by.

Until next week,

Éamon

Today's headline in The Korean Times: Lee Replaces Key Secretaries

Friday, March 21, 2008

Water, water, everywhere

This email is just going to my friends who don't live in Ireland. I don't feel that a description of life in Ireland is going to be too interesting to people living here, so I'll just include them again when I start my next travelling.

Last weekend was St. Patrick's, and the pic of the week is from The Irish Times on Tuesday. It shows kids in the parade in Gort, Co. Galway.

Water water everywhere
------------------------------------------
Well, there is no shortage of water since I arrived back to Ireland. It rains almost every day, and the train line has been flooded for the past couple of months. It's completely submerged, I saw pictures of it in the paper. So if you're travelling from Dublin you have to get off in Limerick and get a bus to Ennis.

It's strange with water in such plentiful supply that you can't drink it. People imagine that the water would have been dodgy in Costa Rica, but it was perfectly fine. Then I move back to one of the wealthiest countries in Europe to find that the water here in Ennis is undrinkable, because there is cryptosporidium in it.

They had this problem before, and put in a temporary filter. But with the heavy rain they've had to by-pass it.

Light in the evening
----------------------------------
When students in Costa Rica asked me what I missed about Ireland I always said the long bright evenings in the summer. In Costa Rica the length of day varies very little over the year. But boy did I choose the wrong time to come back from that point of view. When I arrived it didn't start to get bright until about 8.15am, and then got dark just after 4. Now there's what we call 'a stretch in the evening', and it will be even more after the hour goes forward at the end of the month.

St Patrick's
-------------------
I was in Dublin last weekend, and went to a St Patrick's weekend party on Saturday. It was a great night. There were several people I hadn't seen since I'd come home and it was great to catch up. It ended up being almost a 12-hour drinking session, having started just as Ireland was being anihilated by England in the rugby, and ended up around 5am. A typical St. Patrick's.
---
So that's it for this week. I'm writing on Good Friday, and my brother, Enda, is coming down on the train from Dublin to spend the weekend with us.

So, until next week,

Slán


Éamon

Today's headline in The Irish Times: Opposition says Ahern's fitness to lead now in doubt

Saturday, March 08, 2008

Ennis, Ireland

Folks,

For those of you that don't know where I am, I'm in the lovely town of Ennis, County Clare in the west of Ireland. The pic of the week (not that the mails are still weekly) shows the coastal town of Lahinch on a lovely sunny day. So what have I been doing. What am I planning to do?

Christmas
---------
It all seems very long ago, but I had a lovely Christmas here with my family. My mother had just returned from Africa shortly after I came back from Central America, and we had Christmas in my sister Sharon's, with her husband Niall. It was a lovely relaxed Christmas. It was almost a complete family, apart from my sister Clara who's in Korea.

Trips to Dublin
---------------
I've been on a few trips to Dublin. It's fantastic having the opportunity to meet up with people when I've been away so long. But it's strange going to Dublin when I don't have my own place there. My house in Rathmines is let, so I have to rely on the kindness of family and friends for accommodation. It's also very busy when I'm there. I'm out every night and it's really expensive when you're out every night in Dublin.

Ennis
------
As I said, Ennis is a lovely town, although apart from family I know nobody here. But it's nice and relaxed, and I'm getting plenty of time to work on writing, going through all my stuff I've got stored here (and throwing out half of it), and just catching up with family. The weather is incredibly wet. I know Costa Rica has a lot of rain, but never all day, and never for many days at a time. Still, it's the west of Ireland, and you expect it. I haven't found it too difficult adjusting to the climate. I had many years to get used to it before my Central American years, and you get back into the swing of it very fast. I miss being able to throw on a t-shirt and being set for the day. Now it's trying to get out between showers and donning sweater and jacket and hat to go out. I've had some friends come down to visit, and that's been great, and a much more satisfactory way of catching up than when I'm in Dublin.

Writing
-------
I've found it slow progress on the writing front. I've set up a blog www.startwritenow.com to track progress, but it's all very early days, and it's a difficult career to get started in. I've read a lot of information on the whole area of freelance writing, and most people talk about how it was slow to start, so I'm prepared to give it time.

Plans
-----
I'm going to stay here probably until the end of next month. Then I'll go to Korea, where my sister Clara is living. My plan is to stay for a few months, and then move to somewhere else in Asia. But I'm not going to tie that down, just in case I really like Korea and decide to stay.
-----
So that's a quick update for now. You can email me any time at the usual address. I may do updates on the website (irishduo.blogspot.com), but I won't be sending them by email. I'll give people to opt in to my emails again when I start my next travels.

In the meantime,

Slán,

Éamon

Today's headline in The Irish Times: EU report warns of conflict with Russia over energy issue

Friday, February 15, 2008

Journey Home

Hi. Remember me? I used to clog up your inboxes on a weekly basis!

Well, I've missed writing to you, and I also feel that I didn't finish the Costa Rica story. So today read the journey home, and next week I'll give you a little update on what I've been doing since.

The pic of the week shows a couple of surfers on Lahinch Strand, where I went for a walk in my first week home. They're a little overdressed by Costa Rican standards.

Heredia
--------
I managed to muscle my way onto the bus to San José from Panama City. I had booked it online, and confirmed by phone, because I didn't get an email acknowledgement. But still when I arrived they had no record of my booking.

Back in Heredia I stayed once again with Joaquín, and met up with the teachers from the school. It felt a little strange knowing that I was going away from these places and people that were so much a part of my life for more than 2 and a half years. On the other hand, it was about the fifth time I'd said goodbye, and so it was high time I actually went.

Leaving Costa Rica
--------------------
I left Joaquín's house, and got a taxi directly outside. As soon as it pulled over the driver said "Hello, Éamon. How are you?" He was an ex-student! I flew from San José directly to Newark. It was a beautiful morning and we flew directly over Heredia, on a little loop I'd seen countless planes do from my balcony. I could see the apartment from the plane, getting my bearings from the swimming pool and football stadium down the road.

Newark
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Newark is in New Jersey, but it's practically part of New York. You can see Manhattan from the airport. We arrived in a snowstorm with temperatures of -2 degrees, which was such a contrast. I arrived at lunchtime and the airport closed in the afternoon so we were delayed by few hours leaving.

I was very early to the departure gate, and was there as the Irish accents (mostly Limerick) gathered around me. They were the famous New York Christmas shoppers, and if I was looking for a parody of what modern Celtic Tiger Ireland had become I couldn't have chosen better. Everyone was talking about the malls they'd been to (Woodbury Common and Jersey Gardens), the designer gear they'd got, and how much they'd had to pay for excess baggage. It was all money, money, money.

Shannon
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I've only flown into Shannon once before, and it's lovely because you land in such beautiful Irish countryside. We were supposed to land in the dark, but thanks to our late start we arrived at dawn. There were cloudless skies as we approached the coast. I could clearly see the Aran Islands and Mutton Island (I didn't know it, but I looked it up on a map when I got home). I could see the lights still lighting up Lahinch and Ennsitimon. It was beautiful.

Then once inland we were into dense dense clouds. Sharon met me at the airport. We were both true to our emotional McDonagh selves and couldn't speak for about 5 minutes.

Acclimatisation (or for the Americans - Acclimation)
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It's amazing how quickly you adjust to the temperatures, putting on extra clothes, and bringing a jacket everywhere, and turning on the heat. I guess I lived here for over 40 years, and I was in Costa Rica for less than 3, so it wasn't so foreign. The weather in my first week was beautiful. Cold days, but with clear cloudless blue skies. I got about five days of that, before the heavens opened, and the rain (and it's such cold rain) set in, and we've fairly much had it ever since.

Still, for now, it's good to be home.
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Until next week,

Slán,

Éamon

Today's headline in The Irish Times: Employers and unions split ahead of new pay deal talks