Orca on wheels

View from my room at night.  I have never lived in the city before.  I enjoy the constant calamity all around me but I do miss the woods.

This is one of those strange Korean things that I just do not understand.  You would think this would be an advertisement for a sea world attraction.  Nope, it is for a night club.  These whale burdened trucks have  PA systems  that blast advertisements in Korean.  You can hear them from the top floor of my building.  They are annoying as they sound off their Korean jargon at random times.  The Korean writing on the trucks is pronounced go- rae- goan- goang- na-E dew (Whale,  night club).    It is a strange sight to see sitting in traffic.

This week I received a big compliment. My school is going to record me as I teach.  The district has a quarterly meeting this October 1st.  My recordings are going to be presented there. The higher ups really like what I do in class.  They had me travel to another school the other day to be observed.  What I do is simple.  I engage the kids.  I make sure they interact with me, each other, and the curriculum.  I guess you could call it energetic learning.  I have simply taken from my experiences of being a professional student for 17 years.  In that time I had some great teachers.  The list is short but their impact upon me was profound.  I never really appreciated what they had to do until now.

It is Saturday Sept. 11th here in Korea.  It is very easy to forget about the issues in America while you are so far from home.  Since my arrival I have not heard one word about suicide bombers, terrorism, illegal immigration or the horrible events that unfolded 9 years ago today.  I will never forget 9/11, and I pray for the families that lost loved ones.  America is my home and in my opinion the greatest country in the world.  Drive from coast to coast and you will see how vast America is. The rugged beauty of the land and ethnic diversity of its people are unsurpassed.  America is unique.  For all of those who gave their lives and continue to do so in honor of Lady Liberty, thank you. 

Dean