An Update from Shaun in South Korea

From: Shaun Cox 2/18/2008 from Daegu, Korea
RE: Korea

My classes consist of no more than 6 students. By March I will have 7 classes per day, but for February I have 3 so far. For the most part, my students are energetic and fun to teach. The most difficult students to reach are the older kids (high school). Just like America the teenagers here are aloof, full of anger, confusion and hormones. The younger kids are more open and inundated with questions about "Shaun Teacher"... not so much the US , but about me. I'm usually told that I'm tall and hansome and look like a famous actor. The usual questions are about my likes and dislikes, whether I'm married, have a girlfriend, how old I am and where I live in Daegu. The streets in Korea , and maybe most of Asia , are not named. My address reflects what city, greater district, smaller district and apt I live in. It's really hard to establish where I am and need to go. Maps have been for the most part useless thus far. I have yet to see any foreigners, other than Chinese, which is surprising to me, but also perfectly fine. I like being away from the States in a completely alien environment forced to learn and adapt. As Uncle Bob said, "It's what life is about!" The first day I was here I ate dinner with the other teachers. Within 15 minutes I learned who was married and who was not. The girls are very forward. One girl was talking about her husband and another one sitting across from me made it a point to tell me that she wasn't... and, yes, she's very attractive. For the New Year I traveled to TaeJeonGyo where Jamie lives and ate dinner with her and her co-worker Alice (Eun-Sook) and Alice 's family. Eun's Mom and Grandmother cooked a massive traditional feast. There were about 7 of us. Once again they were amazed with my chopstick skills. Interestingly, her father is a preacher. The food here is spicy and delicious. I think I can eat and eat and will still lose weight. Jamie said she's already losing weight from walking so much. Well, I need to eat some lunch, but I'll try to get some pictures up soon.

Shaun Cox
Daegu, Republic of Korea

"As in water face reflects face, so a man's heart reveals the man."