The World is a Dangerous and Beautiful place

Well, as you all know, I am currently residing in (yet another) country technically at war. The Korean War ended in 1953, not in a treaty, but in an armistice, basically saying let's just cut this country in half and try not to screw up either side.

Well, at first the South was all messed up, slipping into a devastating economy and having to rely on foreign forces to pull them up by their bootstraps. As the economy of South Korea grew, the Kim family regime in the North helped to oppress their population into the most isolated and destitute nations in the world. People died by the thousands during a famine in the 1990s, as Kim Jong Il would have lobsters airlifted to him daily. Koreans get shot trying to cross the border into China, where, if they are captured, they are repatriated back to North Korea where they are executed, tortured or forced into hard labor in the many gulags. All the while, the elite stand around, saying they are the best, that the American bastards are the enemy, and that war with the imperialist pigs is imminent (Their words).

So here I am, in a country under threat by a 30 something year old leader in the North is trying to prove to the world that the...ahem...asian stereotypes of size don't apply to him. We have spent the last few months seeing if all of his talk will amount to anything. People here in South Korea don't give him a second thought, as this rhetoric has been commonplace for years. Back home, I have friends and family about to buy me a plane ticket home because they are so worried about what they see in the hyped up media portrayal of the non-threating blob-o-kim jong un-reliable.

So all that is happening, and while most of our foreigners have ignored the warning from the North to evacuate, we have our necessary precautions: copies of our passports, an emergency escape suitcase, a general idea of where we will run to, a solid catch phrase we can shout at the opposing army (which could also be a great title to the inevitable memoir that will be written about our lives).

Many of us our homesick, myself included, especially as the weather warms up and you think about all the fun you have with friends and family at home. In fact, on Monday, April 15th, I fell asleep here in ticking-time-bomb South Korea, reminiscing about the good ol' days in Boston on Patriots Day...Marathon Monday...when we would all get wasted and wander around the city celebrating each other, the spring weather, the marathon runners, and life in general.

Well I woke up in ticking-time-bomb Korea to find that the bomb was detonated. As I was prepared to evacuate a nuclear war, there was danger at home, where we least expected it. Two homemade bombs were detonated near the finish line at the Boston Marathon, killing 3 people, and critically injuring dozens of others. At first I couldn't believe the news updates I was getting in my email. How could that happen? At an international charity event?

I spent the whole day upset, trying to make sure all my friends and family were accounted for, and trying to find out via the many sensationalized news networks what in the hell actually happened.

I watched the gruesome footage of the explosions, and I cried at the people who's lives were forever changed by this incident. I felt angered, that people feel the need to reek havoc on the lives of unexpected bystanders, of innocent children, and of people who are just trying to enjoy the best of life and help others in the process.

I try to promote peace and love. I try and be a good person. I try to treat others the way I would want to be treated.

But people who commit crimes like this are not people. The terrorists who attacked on 9/11 are not people. The gunmen at Newtown, Aurora, Virginia Tech, or the other various shooting locations are not people. The rebels destroying Damascus, or planting bombs in Ireland, Turkey, The United Kingdom, Pakistan or Afghanistan are not people. They are cockroaches, they are pieces of shit, they are heartless and soulless assholes who do not deserve to be treated as people. These people deserve punishment in the harshest of ways, because these are premeditated acts of anger, aggression and murder.

And as I felt this anger, and as I cried watching the people scrambling for their lives, I also felt pride. Pride in my city, pride in my country, and pride in humanity. Because as the attackers likely dropped the bombs and ran for their lives...strangers on the street risked theirs, and ran to the bomb sites to do anything they could to help the victims. Not just one stranger, not just the cops, but dozens of people immediately sprang into action. Marathon runners continued to run down Boylston to get to Mass General Hospital and donate blood. First responders were ready and willing to help in any way. And that, is amazing. That positive energy overcame my vengeful anger, and I remembered that even when people are acting like assholes after a big burrito dinner...there are awesome people all around us. The good far outweigh the bad, and while there is disaster all over the world, the good people in all of us will prevail. This I am sure.

So now, no one cares about Kim Jong Un's fanny wobble. No one cares about the intentions of the bombers. No one cares about the mental stability of the Newtown gunman. We care about each other. We care about the well being of our fellow man. We care about what we can do from here, how we can change and improve, and how we can try and prevent these tragedies in the future.

There will always be danger in the world. Most importantly, there will always be benevolence. This week has proven that. And the future will prove this as well.

I love that dirty water.

Stay safe everyone.

-G.

A life update

Hello everyone.

My sincerest apologies for yet another way overdue post. The thing about it is though, all drunken debauchery aside, life has been fairly boring lately. The winters here are dreary and bitterly cold, and while they don't last as long as a harsh New England winter, they are fairly uneventful. Not that I am using that as an excuse, I had all the time in the world to write something down, but why waste my time when there are so many cute pictures of cats on the internet to distract me!

The fact of the matter is that now the weather is warmer, and all of Korea has brightened spirits, no one more than myself. The new school year began in the beginning of March, where there was a major shift in all other teachers and principals, which was cool to have some fresh faces. Not so cool is the fact that none of my co-teachers now speak English (they are like my lifelines here) but I am making it work nonetheless.

Also strange, no one here seems to be even slightly concerned about North Korea, but I think that is an entirely different post all together.

Last weekend was St. Patrick's Day and my Birthday, which was just another example of starting off the night looking fly as hell, and ending the night looking like a trashy hooker who is addicted to Burger King. But that is also not surprising. And I met some Iraqi guy who claims to be Saddam Hussein's cousin. So ya...

The thing is, now that the weather is warming, a new sense of motivation and accomplishment is beginning to wash over me. I am finding that I am more ambitious (evident by this blog post) and just feel all around better.

What is also crazy is how fast a year can go by. This time in 2012, I was celebrating my birthday with my dear friend Melissa Kane. I was wasted by 11:30, passed out on the porch as my friends sang to me inside. Don't get me wrong, that night was hilarious, but it stuck out like a sore thumb.

A year ago, I was working 4 jobs, usually 80 hours a week and barely making ends meet. After getting laid off from the worst job of my life, I had to find a way to pay my mounting loan bills. I was doing anything I could to make a buck, I was depressed, I was overweight, I was going on dates with guys I didn't care about or even want to talk to. I was in the throws of a recent break up, and I felt like there was literally nothing I could do and no where I could go. I was an abuser, a user and an all around loser.

It's so strange to see pictures of me from 2011-the beginning of 2012. I almost can't recognize myself, and I can't believe I let myself go so much. Don't get me wrong, I still have a long way to go, and I still have my ups and downs, but hands down getting back on the travel wagon is what saved me.

But more so, I was able to realize that people you think you know really well, probably suck. And people you may not know as well, are awesome. In this past year, I have been able to appreciate the great family and friends I have, and how I would not be able to accomplish anything without their support.

So yes, there is no real funny stories or crazy antics I have gotten into as of late, but if you look at the big picture, I have been getting into trouble for 25 years, and the fact that I am still alive and going forward is cool enough :)


Also I think I'm going Bungee Jumping at the DMZ at the end of the month. Updates to come.

Love you all

G.


And here's some madness for you :)

Reflections on November: The month everyone fell in love and I reached enlightenment

So last month, everyone decided to fall in love.

And I'm talking EVERYONE!

One of my 4th graders proposed to his friend. A 5th grader started wearing matching heart pendants with his 4th grade girlfriend (ever so scandalous). Chris and Emma in the 1st grade are deeply in love, and they make each other cards and then beat each other up after lunch. The 6th grade is a complete cesspool of hormones and even the kindergartners have been caught holding hands.

Needless to say, love is in the air! It's quite adorable, and typically these young couples are well regarded by their classmates (whereas in elementary schools in the US, relationships are met with ridicule and rhyming songs). The crazy thing is, some of them are like really "in love" (I just said that like Daisy from "Rock of Love" BTW). I mean, I could really see some of them making it through the long haul, and in a time where even Danny Devito is getting a divorce, it's a bit refreshing to see everyone's heart-a-flutter.

Even us "adults" are finding love, as many of my friends have found themselves in relationships, or potential relationships, this month.

Perhaps it was due to our spiritual journey a few weeks back, when the Education office had the bright idea to send the motley crew of foreign teachers over to Tongdosa for a Buddhist temple retreat.

I for one was quite excited, as I have been studying Buddhism for some time now and was eager to learn more firsthand.

AND as luck would have it, the monk that was put in charge of us was a 20 something from Seattle, and was very willing and open to all of our questions.

That being said, through the chanting, meditation, 108 bows (ouch!) and formal meals, our group of delinquents were probably the most inappropriate bunch the temple as ever seen.

The fact that the first thing we talked about with the monk was how Washington recently legalized marijuana, I'm sure he soon realized that taking care of us was going to be akin to herding cats.

The boys urged the girls to try and seduce him, the girls joined the boys in a riveting game of "floor darts" (what we made up when we were supposed to have a quiet reflection time...basically you slide across the floor on meditation mats), all of us made a spectacle of ourselves during the morning mountain climb and during formal meal...

And I had to eat a fly.

During the formal meal, ALL food must be consumed. You have to eat everything you take, even using water to wash the bowls and drinking said water. Of course, as luck would have it, a fly fell into my soup. I had to quietly panic (as the whole meal was supposed to occur in silence) but I didn't know what to do. The Buddhists are vegetarians,  but also cannot leave extra food. Finally I turned to my friend Tim and showed him the dilemma in my spoon. "Eat it" he said, "You have to!"

And down the fly went.

Afterwards, we were contemplating if I had made the right choice, when my friend Anita asked the monk what the correct course of action had been. He said that I could have gone either way, but probably eating it was best, and less messy.

So ya, I ate an animal at a Buddhist temple. Oops.

All in all it was a great experience, I want to go again! But I think I will forever be too loud and obnoxious to reach complete enlightenment.

 They had us all looking sexy in the latest in Buddhist fashions.

PEACE!