What Are They Wearing?

Play ball! Baseball is very popular in South Korea. Oddly enough, their team names are in English such as Lions and Tigers, etc. Walking around Seoul, especially Itaewon, you feel like you're in a big city populated by American baseball fans. It seemed like every other Korean wearing a baseball cap was sporting a NY Yankees logo. Yankee fans in South Korea? Sweet! Go Yankees! Oh, wait! They're sporting Red Sox caps too. BOO! Apparently, there's some story connected to the Cleveland Indians' logo as many Koreans wear Indian caps too.

The other thing you'll notice about the photo is that the NY symbol is in PINK! Pink? Yes, pink. Pink is a popular color in South Korea. Parents don't distinguish colors for boys and girls when planning playrooms or bedrooms for babies. That's probably why so many men wear pink, not mention wear PURSES!

If you were say riding a train in America and at the next stop a person enters wearing hospital pajamas you might think the were an escapee from a mental institution. Koreans commonly ride the trains or walk the streets immediately after being at a hospital. They don't have a change of clothes. I don't know if they entered the hospital without clothes or were found naked. It's all very typical there in South Korea to see patients just released wearing hospital gowns and medical bracelets.

South Korea Again?

Ross Martin from Say Kimchi Recruiting on Vimeo.

So, I'm still pursuing South Korea as you can see by this introduction video I put together for a recruiting firm. Wish me luck!

A Million in Won: So Many Places, So Little Time

A Million in Won
When I was contemplating a new job and career teaching English for one year in South Korea people told me that one-year went by very quickly. Well, it definitely felt like a blur; going from one thing to the next, one class to the next, one day to the next, one train to the next.

Things did not work out in this position at this school. I'm not going to get in to what happened or why things happened that way. Things just happen in this life. You take the best out of your experience and be a better person. That's what she said. If anyone wants to know, we can discuss it in person or through separate email.

The Kids Are Alright

I enjoyed the teaching experience. I feel like I did a great job, not knowing and still not knowing what type of teacher I am.

Teaching kindergarteners is something I never thought I would do. It was okay. I am open to that experience again. They were a very unruly bunch at our school.

Every time your back was turned gave them all sorts of ideas. But I liked seeing the older kids' eyes light up when they learned something interesting. There were students that were very enthusiastic in learning about the world. Those students were the most fun to teach.

I decided to try to find another job while already there in South Korea. Schools wouldn't have to pay for my flight there. I gave myself a few weeks to find a job and then I would have to plan on going home. When my time working at the school would end mid-July, my Visa sponsorship would be over and my apartment would be mine no longer.

So, I asked around the few people in South Korea I knew about leads. I asked my family since my sister had taught here a decade ago. I was working with a few new recruiters as almost all of the schools today use recruiting firms to acquire teachers.

So Many Places, So Little Time

I may not have met a lot of people, but I sure went to a lot of places.

Knowing early on that I would not be enjoying a year long adventure, I decided to fit a year's worth of touring into one month. I observed and immersed myself into Seoul's trendy areas; Itaewon, Insadong, Hongdae and Gangnam. I visited many great museums and some beautiful palaces, temples and fortresses. The Seoul Tower was very cool. One day I traveled with a tour group to the DMZ and stepped over the line into North Korea. That was amazing!

I had a 'million and won' chance of a lifetime to live and work in South Korea. I loved almost every minute of it. Well, I guess I even loved the time I had with the kindergarteners. "Paul, sit in your chair!"

My flight home was actually kind of nice as I was bumped up to Business Class for free. I probably would have enjoyed more if this was one year later. In felt sad leaving the school and then leaving the country. Who knows? Maybe I'll be back.
Oh, home for now is in Las Vegas, Nevada...with Mom & Dad.

This is definitely not the end of this blog. There are more stories coming. Look out for a blog about "The Package."

Rossman Got Seoul Tower

Seoul Tower overlooks all of Seoul. It's quite an amazing view!

Bluebirds and Robins. This place is for the birds.

Korean Folk Village

The Korean Folk Village near Suwon, South Korea, is immense! It's packed full of exhibits outdoors showcasing the traditional ways Koreans lived thousands of years ago. There were acrobats doing amazing stunts while riding horses. There was a traditional wedding ceremony. This is a great way to learn about the traditional culture of Korea's past.



My co-worker, Jon, and I were walking away after seeing the acrobats on the horses when a female voice said, "Jon!" It turned out to be Danielle, the teacher I had replaced at school. The Korean Folk Village may be immense, but 'it's a small world after all.'

After a long hot and humid day at the Korean Folk Village we were very tired, but up for one last adventure for the day. The Hwaseong Fotress in Suwon is another site not too far from the Korean Folk Village. The fortress was built by the 22nd Joseon king, Jeongjo. Jon and I walked up many steps on a very steep hill. The view of Suwon at the top was awesome. We walked around and followed the fortress wall. I kept thinking that there was some sort of building behind the fortress. The information center had closed so we were on our own without a map. The fortress wall was pretty cool. What a workout though. Jon, who'e moving to the Suwon area, may now walk up these stairs for exercise. It's very peaceful place once you make it to the top...and don't pass out.

Now that's a bell!

Run DMZ - I Think I'll Go to North Korea Today

Saturday, July 3rd, 2010 is the day I decided to cross the border into North Korea...legally that is. I signed up a few days earlier online for the combined tours of the Third Tunnel and Panmunjom. I received an automatic confirmation and reservation number. I was already thinking that if for some reason I didn't get into the tour I would just walk around the area of the departure. The departure point happened to be the prestigious Lotte Hotel. I hadn't paid for the tour yet. The hotel is a stop away from City Hall so there's plenty to do there. I had to get up at 5am so I could be on the train around 6am. I had to be at the hotel by 7:30am and it takes an hour on the train to get to the Lotte Hotel including some line transfers.

So, I get to the Lotte Hotel in timely fashion. I find the floor I need to the DMZ tour office. I walk in and am asked to take a seat. I sit down for a moment. Then they call me over. The clerk tells me that the tour I reserved online for was not even open this day. (I should have known as the reservation was too easy.) There's more than one tour company. This office happen to be another tour company doing the same tour around the same time. I asked if they had room for me and I got the very last seat on the bus. Phew!

Half or a bit more than half the bus was a large group of Japanese tourists. There were always two tour guides on the bus. One was for the Japanese and a sweet, funny older Korean lady spoke English to the foreigners.

There are separate tours for the Third Tunnel and Panmunjom. I wanted to see it all and I'm so glad I did.

First of all, the bus ride is about an hour and half to the Northern border.

In the morning, the first stop was at Imjingak where you can see the Freedom Bridge where a train once ran through here. It was a place where the North and the South exchanged prisoners after the Korean War. This is a very sacred area as many South Koreans still have family members in the North.

Next Stop: Odusan Unification Observatory

This was very fascinating! Those mountains in the background are in North Korea. Over the right side behind this soldier is a small South Korean village made up of a few hundred farmers. A South Korean flag can be seen as well as a church steeple and the town. A few hundred meters north of the South Korean flag is a North Korean flag. The North Korean village is known as the Propaganda Village since not a soul lives there. The North is all about appearances. It's not easy to take photos of these sites as the South Korean government purposely makes it difficult. There's a yellow line that lets you know you can take pictures up until that point. No pictures after crossing that line. You can really see the two villages and the two flags very well through binoculars at the edge for 500 won.
The South Korean villagers in this town don't pay taxes and do not have to do the mandatory military service that the rest of the country does. They have good benefits. They deal with enough living with hostile neighbors that have been known to kidnap villagers. These villagers are also surrounded by thousands of land mines. The South Korean military has only rid of about 30% of the mines here.

Welcome to the Third Tunnel.
We took a monorail down to the Third Tunnel. The space is very narrow so you have to watch your head. I bumped mine a few times on the monorail and on foot. The monorail only takes you down so far. The rest is on foot. So, apparently one North Korean defector came to the South and told them of these tunnels being dug so the North can do a surprise attack. Four tunnels have been found, but they suspect up to 10 possibly exist. The North splashed some coal over the tunnel to make it seem like they were simply mining coal, but there's no coal. The Fourth Tunnel was found as recent as the early 90's. The North doesn't let up. The tunnel was pretty amazing. We had to bend down in order to walk. You can barely fit two people beside each other. I don't know how an army would attack through such narrow spaces. They would need to sleep after getting to the other side. We walked to the end where the South Korean military put up a wall so the North can not penetrate now. Through a small hole in the wall you can see another door further away. On the way back, instead of taking the monorail which some people did, I opted to walk up the steep incline. It's VERY steep and quite long considering we were on the monorail for about 3 to 5 minutes. I was dying when I reached the top.

Next Stop: Dorasan Station

There is a South Korean factory way over the North Korean territory in Gyeseong. Most of the workers are North Korean. Some South Koreans in supervisor type roles take the train here to Gyeseong to go to work. The North and South have an agreement regarding this factory where both sides benefit. South Koreans would love to see this station be a working station for civilians to take through North Korea all the way to China. South Koreans have to fly if they want to go to China.

Time for Lunch!

I'm starving. Bulgogi! I think this is my favorite Korean meal. Beef stew is all it is. It tastes much better than it sounds. We ate at a traditional Korean restaurant and sat on the floor.

Let's go to North Korea!

The bus headed to Camp Bonifas, South Korea's military base on the border. Things get very strict here and at different times throughout both tours. There are places and times when you're not allowed to snap photos. Since we were now much closer to the neighboring villages we could see them without binoculars. 'No pictures please.'
On our way into the area in the morning there were a few check points where soldiers checked passports. Camp Boifas has even more restrictions. On our way into the base, the tour guide kept updating us on how close we were getting to the Demarcation Line or Demilitarized Zone (DMZ). Soldiers took another look at our passports. We finally left for the Joint Security Area where the DMZ line is. But first we needed to see an 8 minute movie about the DMZ. We also signed our life away on some form. (It was nice knowing you all.) We picked up badges that we wore in plain sight on our shirts. Other than the movie we were also briefed about what we could do and what we could not do. Still cameras were okay to bring and snap photos inside the MAC Conference Room. Video cameras are not permitted. (So, all those You Tube videos are people that broke a very serious rule. Bad! Very bad! But thank you for sharing.)

We were not allowed to bring our camera cases. Just the still cameras. It started to drizzle. I thought, 'Oh, great. We can bring our cameras, but if it starts raining we're screwed.' Luckily, the rain remained a light drizzle. We were also informed that we could not do any pointing with our fingers. The North will use that as propaganda. There are apparently cameras everywhere. Who knows what would happen to you. Don't be a dumb-ass and follow the rules people!

Here it comes!

The MAC Conference Room is the ultimate in political geography when two sides are technically still at war. It's a very strange feeling being there. We had about 5 minutes to snap photos inside the MAC Conference Room. All the soldiers inside are South Korean. The soldier I'm standing beside is positioned on the DMZ line. The table is half on South Korea and the other half is in North Korea. There is a flag and marks on the table indicating the line. You'll see the line outside the window. The South Korean side has gravel while the North Koreans prefer the plain concrete look. They're not big on decorating.

After posing for that picture, I stepped over into North Korea to take some more photos. It's a weird feeling to stand there.

Before we knew it, we were being rushed out of the room. Get in. Get out. Stay safe.


We then were able to take more pictures from a distance as another tour group entered the Conference Room. A few soldiers outside stand facing the North with only one eye to watch the other side. These soldiers in their set positions are seriously like mannequins.



The purpose of this Demilitarized Zone is to prevent any possible fight between two hostile armed forces.

In this wide shot you can see a North Korean soldier looking on from across the way in the furthest building.
That was an amazing experience!

In such an awful place there is still some incredible beauty as a flock of white cranes filled the trees.
There is so much suffering among the Korean people over this area. A part of Imjingak is a family amusement park. I guess it's a pleasant thing to have there since many Koreans go there to think about their relatives still in North Korea.

Hopefully some day these two countries will patch things up. I'm just glad I got to see some unbelievable history.

Seoul Grand Park Field Trip

The hagwon I work at took the younger kids on a field trip to Seoul Grand Park. There is this wonderful zoo there so I was excited as I haven't seen much being in South Korea for a month. But when we arrived we stood in front of the entrance to the zoo for only a moment. Then the group walked towards a flower garden where we spent the morning.

We did see some animals like tiny monkees, goats, sheep and very big rabbits. At least us teachers had the morning off.

Where the Streets Have No English Names

Orientation Week / Living in South Korea

If you watched the video of me first arriving in South Korea, it doesn’t look so good. My apt. is not as bad as it seems except for the mold. Moniqa, one of the other teachers, had moved out for various reasons; 1) the mold and 2) smokers were smoking up the place. She moved into an ex-teacher’s apt. (the one I replaced). I haven’t had any problems with smokers. Regarding the toilet, it turns out that Moniqa turns off the toilet so it doesn’t overflow. So, every time I need the toilet now I have to turn the knob to let water in and turn it off when it reaches near the top. As for the mold, I apply bleach when I have time, usually on weekends before I head out somewhere.

During my first weekend, Jon, another teacher, showed me where Home Plus grocery store was where I could get more extensive groceries, etc. I bought myself a coffee machine there. To walk to Home Plus you pass our local train station, Line 4.

Kim Chi? I wouldn’t know what to eat if it weren’t for Jon. During my first week and much of my second week, Jon showed me many Korean places and how to order and what to eat. I have to be very careful as I’m allergic to shellfish. The thing about where I work and live in Ansan is that there’s not much of a variety of food. There’s a variety of Korean food, but there’s not much else. There are a couple of Italian places and a place that makes really good pizza. In fact, I’d say it’s better than most pizza places in Los Angeles…which isn’t saying much for Los Angeles. Is it the water? Who knows?



Jon and I ate at a Korean restaurant where we had to remove our shoes and sit on the floor. I had to stretch my legs every now and then, but the food was worth it.

On Thursday, June 3, I was at school like the days before, but a somewhat funny phenomenon took place. The chairs we sit on in the teacher’s area are the same as the chairs for most of the classes, very narrow. On two separate occasions on the same day, I sat in my seat and my pants pocket got stuck on the arm portion of the chair. My pocket ripped open about an inch. It wasn’t bad or too noticeable, but it happened again a few hours later to the other pocket. At least the pockets look even now. Two pockets ripped in one day. Needless to say, I’m more careful now when I sit my ass down.

For the first week I had been using the spoon from a set of chopsticks and spoons a friend gave me. I used it for not only my cereal, but for spreading peanut butter and jelly. Finally, in my second week I went to Home Plus and bought a full set including a knife, spoon and fork. I had bought bread and then thought, ‘How do I spread the PB & J?’ Here's a look into my enormous refrigerator. Not!

On Friday, June 4, I did my first wash in the washing machine. It holds more than I thought. The wash takes about an hour. No drying. Everything is hang-dried here. I had brought with me a hair dryer thinking I would use it for blow-drying my hair mainly during the winter and also for drying my clothes. I plugged my hair dryer in and after a minute of it working it suddenly fizzled out as in died.

Orientation Week - School

For the first few days at school you observe other teachers and how they work with the students. Here's an eye opener. Teachers find themselves teaching subjects they don’t know first hand. I don’t know about other hagwons, but the school I’m teaching at has teachers teaching science, debate, art. Yes, I am teaching all three of those subjects. I’m also teaching phonics, grammar, vocabulary, nursery rhymes, writing and mostly reading. The first few days of observing were tiring just by watching the other teachers. The days are incredibly long. Not to mention it’s humid and hot as hell. Oh, yeah. The school only puts the central air conditioner on a few times a day. So, kindergarteners are nearly passing out. One girl, in my first week teaching, puked in the garbage.

The mornings are a time the teachers mostly dread as we have to teach the pre-school, pre-kindergarteners and kindergarteners who are a very unruly bunch. The curriculum is not easily understood. There are many classes each day. I’ve been lucky to get a little help from the other native speaking teachers. I almost died after walking into the men’s bathroom on our floor. The smell of smoke is unbelievable! The bathroom is not smoky. The air is so full of smoke you can’t breathe. If you want to use toilet paper it’s kept next to the water cooler in the school lobby area. There are no toilet paper or paper towels to be found in the bathroom. I often go to the next floor’s bathroom below.

One strange thing I noticed during my first few days at school was that in many of the classrooms there are smoke detectors going off. Every minute or so there’s that familiar beep I know to be from a smoke detector. The funny thing is none of the teachers notice it. They’ve been there too long. They’re brainwashed to not recognize it. Weird.

I made it though Orientation Week somehow. Moniqa, one of the other teachers, helped me get some understanding of how the curriculum works. No one hands you a list of everything you need such as what textbooks or practice books are for what class. There are so many classes and it’s very tough to know everything for every class. The teachers have problems printing materials for their classes because the computers are very slow and ancient. Resources are not always available for the classes using the computer program that the school uses. I tried making a Mad Libs exercise on my home computer and made a PDF, but when I downloaded it at school the printer wouldn’t recognize it. UGH!

Through the Korean Portal

This blog is mainly to show my initial transition from the U.S. to South Korea. I have gone through the portal on the other side. I've boldly gone...well, you'll see by viewing the video. You'll see my new apartment and hear about some stories. My entire first Orientation Week will follow in an additional blog.