If anyone personally knows me then they know this thing about me. I get an idea, I get involved in a project, and 2-6 weeks down the line I get distracted, get thrown on to something else, get wrapped up in whatever has invaded my world since then. So this rejuvenation of the SleepyingJellyfish has gone. Alas, I am soldiering on. I will keep this up. I will keep this relevant.
How?
1) Anecdotes.
I have remembered I am scarred. I have remembered I have been battered and bruised in a life worth living, at least a childhood of passion and sports. I’ve remembered that I’ve broken both ankles, had knee surgery, and separated my shoulder twice. I was reminded of it by pains after drunken bouts of shenanigans, waking up on a roof, and being required to jump down to the fire escape 2 floors below. Seemingly, all went well. The weeks after told me a different story.
At the moment, I may have separated my shoulder again. At the moment, I have have broken my ankle again. At the moment, I may have irritated the minimal cartilage I still have in my right knee. And all this would have happened about a month ago, surrounding the time our soccer team won the championship for the second season in a row. That would make the InterSuwon Football Club 2 time champions in their short 5 and 1/2 year history. I’ve enjoyed both both seasons of their D1 Championships, and not to toot my own horn, but I think I’ve provided something for those wins. At least a good smashing tackle or two a game.
4 weeks into these re-realized injuries I remember the sagely advice of nearly every doctor I’ve seen. “Broken? 6 weeks. Sprained? 6 weeks. Separated? 6 weeks.” So, I’ve still got a few more to go before I’ll bother going in. ‘Cause I’m that kind of guy. Besides, we won. CHAMPIOOOOOOOOOOONNNNNNSSSSSSSS!
2) Anecdotes about friends
Several friends are leaving shortly. They are friends that I’ve had for a year or years. 3 of them in particular are interesting.
1 I’ve known for years, since my time at Winona, and she even went to AIU the year before I did. Hell, she worked at the Sandwich Co. before I did. She’s been in Korea her past 3 years and is now moving on.
The 2nd, I met at AIU, is from the US and came back to work in Korea between his BA and MA. He’s Korean American so it makes sense in a lot of ways. He grew up speaking Korean but never learned to read it until he took a class at AIU. He’s one of my best friends here, and it’s been great to see him, who has his family in us, as well as his actual extended family here.
The 3rd is the newest addition to “people that will be sorely missed”. He won the lucky/unlucky lottery to be my good friend YongHyun’s roommate for this year. He’s now 20 years old and entered Yonsei University at 19. We corrupted him, we sculpted him, we made him into a better human. He will return home much wiser, much more clever, and much more aware than any of his friends at home. He, a 19yo, was brought under the wing of several well traveled graduates who accepted him as one of us, as an equal, and as a friend. He, a 20yo, will return home with stories, memories, and regrets he will never be able to forget, thanks to us.
3) Anecdotes about work
I’ve been at my hagwon for over 3 months now. The problem is, the possibilities still elate me. I feel like I jumped at something when I had few options, when really I had several offers and I took the first one that bit. To be fair, my boss is great, my co-workers are excellent, and really, aside from location, I have no complaints (and even that, it could be much worse). I had a weekly meeting with my boss this past week where we discussed discipline, and I brought in my style, which I learned exclusively through my political science studies: The Carrot and The Stick. Really, it comes down to knowing which students will respond to which method and applying accordingly. The complications come in when you are supposed to be applying all standards uniformly. The thing that some people and students don’t get is that children and people in general react to different stimuli in different manners. It’s politics all over again: deciding who gets what, when, and how. As a sub note, it also involves keeping the children from flat out revolting against you.
And now a few photos to round out this BS.
See you sooner.
