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I might try to remember or record some funny snippets from school now that I have so little to write about. This is a class that is just starting a second grade book, but most of them really should be at least one book lower.
Sarah: Teacher, you is so fun.
Alia: Why?
Sarah: BeCAUSE, you hair is yellow. AND you THIS (rubs her cheeks) is WHITE.
Alia: Skin.
Sarah: Yes, skin. SO, you is fun.
Alia: Thank you.
Sarah: And you eyes is SOOOO big, so you is fun. But SOMEtimes, you--geu moaya?--skin is RED, when you laugh.
Daniel: You skin here is red (gets up and indicates my T-zone).
Alia: I know.
Sarah: TEACHER, I have a question.
Alia: I know.
Sarah: Why always you say is "I know"?
Alia: Because I know.
Sarah: OH. Teacher, I UNDERstand.
I can pretty often get away with saying no more than five words at a time in this class, because Sarah just keeps asking the same questions over and over, or gives me strings of ridiculous statements. Here's another classic comment she made recently, joined by her question sidekick:
Sarah: Teacher, why... you... today... fashion... GREAT?
Alia: Why not?
Helen: Teacher, Why not is what?
Alia: Don't say "Why not is what", say "What is why not"? (I say this to her 2-5 times a day.)
Helen: Oh, yes. Why not--geeuuuu--what is why not?
Alia: It's the opposite of why.
Helen: Teacher, opposite is what?
Alia: What is opposite.
Helen: Yes, what is opposite?
Alia: P'andae (I'm preeettty sure this is the Korean word for opposite. It seems to appease them.)
Sarah: HELEN, every day you say that! (It's true.)
Then everyone laughs. While all this has been going on every day, John is swinging some dangerous weapon around, Daniel has started a fight, Sherry is in giggle hysterics, Becky is drawing all over her notebook, and Joe has shot himself in the corner of the room.
Wednesday, April 28, 2010
Sunday, April 18, 2010
Wonderful World of Animation
I went to Seoul last weekend and saw an animation exhibition at the Seoul Arts Center. It was decent. I saw some previews in 3D for How to Train Your Dragon and the new Shrek Movie, and a bunch of artwork from various animated features and shows.
Apparently it's recently been Thomas the Tank Engine's 65th birthday, so the whole thing was pretty Thomas-centric. I would have preferred something a bit more exciting to be the theme of the exhibit. Oh, well.
Here is the wall where people put a bunch of birthday cards:
Most of them were in Korean, of course, but this one in English is hilarious:
Here's a suite model that was in the entry:
I took this video at first just for shits and giggles, but then I saw this little boy being mildly amusing, so I went to him. Then I saw his dad possibly suspecting me of videotaping his kid, so I stopped.
There was an animation workshop in which you got to choose two animation media. I could have spent all day there doing something good, but it was a pretty simple setup and I couldn't operate the controls, so I didn't really come up with anything major. I didn't want to make other people wait too long. They emailed me the files later that day.
Apparently it's recently been Thomas the Tank Engine's 65th birthday, so the whole thing was pretty Thomas-centric. I would have preferred something a bit more exciting to be the theme of the exhibit. Oh, well.
Here is the wall where people put a bunch of birthday cards:
Most of them were in Korean, of course, but this one in English is hilarious:
Here's a suite model that was in the entry:
I took this video at first just for shits and giggles, but then I saw this little boy being mildly amusing, so I went to him. Then I saw his dad possibly suspecting me of videotaping his kid, so I stopped.
There was an animation workshop in which you got to choose two animation media. I could have spent all day there doing something good, but it was a pretty simple setup and I couldn't operate the controls, so I didn't really come up with anything major. I didn't want to make other people wait too long. They emailed me the files later that day.
Monday, April 12, 2010
Status
It's kind of quiet on the eastern front, folks.
In non-Korean news, I finally got my fourth and final offer letter for graduate studies, the one I decided to accept. So I'll be studying Linguistics for a year at the University of Brighton next year. It's near London.
In non-Korean news, I finally got my fourth and final offer letter for graduate studies, the one I decided to accept. So I'll be studying Linguistics for a year at the University of Brighton next year. It's near London.
Saturday, April 3, 2010
Shanghai City Tour Part 3
Next we went to the People's Square, where there was a lot of celebration for the year of the tiger going on:
I didn't get a good shot, because there were so many people and umbrellas crashing into each other, but this is a tiger made entirely out of cans of Pepsi products:
I'm not sure how this is supposed to be a tiger. Maybe it's not a tiger.
Connected to the square are the Yuyan gardens:
This is just a lot of people:
After this we went to the French Concession shopping district, but it was deserted and we just walked through quickly, so no photos. Earlier in the day, on the way to lunch, we were supposed to visit some famous Jade Buddha, but the line was so inconceivably long that we struck it from the itinerary. I actually wanted to take a picture of the miles of people standing in line at each corner of the block, but the guide was walking really fast, there were umbrellas everywhere, and it was all cold and wet, so not the best time to bust out the camera.
I think I got home around 3 or 4, and I was so tired from not sleeping the night before and being out all day in the rain that I took a nap when I got back. I then tried to go out and find a restaurant for supper in the evening, but had no luck. The next day I found out that if I had gone to the block parallel to my street, I would have found plenty of stuff, but from the look of the area surrounding it, there was nothing there. I had walked in one direction for a while, found nothing, and saw nothing on either side of me while walking, so I figured I just wasn't close to much. I ended up eating a very nice duck soup in the hotel restaurant, though, so it was fine. The rest of the night I spent watching movies and resting.
The next day I thought I wasn't going to be able to leave China that day, because I had no yuan left, and the hotel wouldn't change Korean money. I was told the bank adjacent to the hotel would change it for me, but when I went, I found that to be wrong. Then I went back to the hotel, and asked about another bank, but had been getting different stories from a number of people as to whether that bank, or any other banks, would even be open, because of the holiday over the weekend. I asked the concierge to help me, and after hearing my situation, he actually told me he had no ideas. I was shocked and dismayed, since I had at least a couple myself. He ended up having someone call the nearby Bank of China, which was open, but I was told I would have to make an appointment and might not get my money for two days or something, but that if I went to the bank and begged or something, maybe they could help. This was stupid advice. I went to the bank, prepared to have to explain myself fully and plead for help, but they just treated me like anyone else, gave me the form, and exchanged my money, no problem. Jeez.
All this took so long that I thought I was going to be late to the airport, but it all worked out in the end, and I went home and rested for the remainder of the day after I got back to Ulsan.
I didn't get a good shot, because there were so many people and umbrellas crashing into each other, but this is a tiger made entirely out of cans of Pepsi products:
I'm not sure how this is supposed to be a tiger. Maybe it's not a tiger.
Connected to the square are the Yuyan gardens:
This is just a lot of people:
After this we went to the French Concession shopping district, but it was deserted and we just walked through quickly, so no photos. Earlier in the day, on the way to lunch, we were supposed to visit some famous Jade Buddha, but the line was so inconceivably long that we struck it from the itinerary. I actually wanted to take a picture of the miles of people standing in line at each corner of the block, but the guide was walking really fast, there were umbrellas everywhere, and it was all cold and wet, so not the best time to bust out the camera.
I think I got home around 3 or 4, and I was so tired from not sleeping the night before and being out all day in the rain that I took a nap when I got back. I then tried to go out and find a restaurant for supper in the evening, but had no luck. The next day I found out that if I had gone to the block parallel to my street, I would have found plenty of stuff, but from the look of the area surrounding it, there was nothing there. I had walked in one direction for a while, found nothing, and saw nothing on either side of me while walking, so I figured I just wasn't close to much. I ended up eating a very nice duck soup in the hotel restaurant, though, so it was fine. The rest of the night I spent watching movies and resting.
The next day I thought I wasn't going to be able to leave China that day, because I had no yuan left, and the hotel wouldn't change Korean money. I was told the bank adjacent to the hotel would change it for me, but when I went, I found that to be wrong. Then I went back to the hotel, and asked about another bank, but had been getting different stories from a number of people as to whether that bank, or any other banks, would even be open, because of the holiday over the weekend. I asked the concierge to help me, and after hearing my situation, he actually told me he had no ideas. I was shocked and dismayed, since I had at least a couple myself. He ended up having someone call the nearby Bank of China, which was open, but I was told I would have to make an appointment and might not get my money for two days or something, but that if I went to the bank and begged or something, maybe they could help. This was stupid advice. I went to the bank, prepared to have to explain myself fully and plead for help, but they just treated me like anyone else, gave me the form, and exchanged my money, no problem. Jeez.
All this took so long that I thought I was going to be late to the airport, but it all worked out in the end, and I went home and rested for the remainder of the day after I got back to Ulsan.
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