Pics and Vids and Info OH MY!!!

Hey everybody!!! This will be a very exciting post filled with stories, great visuals, and a non stop journey with me, your favourite host, Jason Singh.

The past couple of weeks have been really good to me. Teaching is coming along great! The boys still like me and teaching them is a breeze! One boy is like "Teacher, teacher, you're very handsome, " and I ask him to tell me why, not because I'm vain, but because I want him to speak more English. So he answers, "Because you have a really big nose!" Hahah

So this blog entry will primarily focus on my trip to the Korean Folk Village with Mr. Kim. He teaches at the high school beside my middle school and has become a really good friend. I'll start off with some regular stuff though.

Well I will set this blog entry up with a simple yet effective layout. Each picture will be accompanied with a brief explanation.

So without further ado. Here we go.


This is my supermarket. It is only 3 minutes away from my house. This is where I do all of my groceries. I would probably die without it! I dedicate this one to the little Korean lady who can't speak a word of English but helps me find everything I need - good thing I'm good at charades!


This is my school. The one on the left with the Korean words is Tae Sung High School and the building on the right is Tae Sung Middle School. I teach at the latter. It is a fun place to work and now I enjoy the STEEP uphill climb every morning!

Here I am just chilling at my house. Everything is well set up and my pad is a great place to hang out every night! I try to spend as much time outside as I can watching the people go by, but staying home is not a bad thing some nights.


Here I am on "fire" getting ready to go out on a Saturday night. Every Saturday night is a night on the town. I'm so happy I've found good friends who I have known for a while. Great hosts equal a great night!

Anybody wanna get CRUNK hahahaha Ohhhhh Kkkkkaaaayyyyyy!!!!!! Has to be the best name ever! Good thing it tastes like Nestle CRUNCH.

Look who has a KOREAN CELL PHONE!!!! When I find some calling cards I can reach Toronto! And YES, I picked that squinting smiley face with a BIG THUMBS UP!!!That's just how I roll.

Here I am at the entrance to the Korean Folk Village - it is one of the biggest in Korea and reminds me of a Korean style "Black Creek Pioneer Village" and we all know that I really like that place! Making candles, carriage rides, and apple peel decorations! That place is off the chain! And for any Elginites reading you can go there with the attractions Ontario card for FREE!!!! haha Well anyways this place turned out to be really cool as I got a look into a Korea long passed, evolved into a high rise metropolized country filled with cars, bars, people, and everything in between! It was cool seeing a culture that spans 5000 years!
This was just past the entrance. The Village is surrounded by hills which gives it a very mountainous feel. I think they did a very good job in recreating, for the most part, a step backwards into history.

These pots were used to store a number of different foods, grains, and other things that could be stored for a very long time, I wonder if it was difficult to get to the middle pot.

My friend and guide, Mr. Kim. We are in front of this big rock that Koreans used to wish for good fortunes.
This roofing is made entirely out of layered straw. Underneath this roof is enough space for an Ox to go round and round grinding what ever needed to be ground in the middle. Pretty cool set up and of course if there was no Ox than any human could also do it.

Here's me in front of my house if I decided to come teach English in Korea a few hundred years ago. Yes! Corn included!

These people are NOT real. They were pretty creepy though, however, you can see that each room had enough space for the family. Sitting cross-legged is still the standard in Korea - there is a very good reason for this and I will outline it a little later.

This was the designated reading and writing room. Here I would be writing in my journal and would be reading many books including "The Life of Pi".

Very unsanitary by today's standards this Toilet looks pretty good for it's age, I guess. Although there does seem to be some dirty stains - ewwwwwwww HAha.

The kitchen! I wonder if my mom would be comfortable here and if she would be able to make her famous fried rice......oh how I dream of that beautiful, delicious, fried rice! Ok, so the wall on the left leads to the rest of the house. This is why Koreans sit on the floor - let me explain. Fire wood is placed underneath the pots. Water is boiled, rice is cooked etc. The house which is attached, has the floor elevated above the firewood. This allows for the Koreans to cook their food while warming the floors at the same time! So, this is why Koreans sit on the floor - because this is where the heat comes from. In modern times having the heat source come from the floor is still standard. There is no furnace, just heated floors - pretty cool technology.
This was a little lake, if you look closely there is man on a boat. He is not real and really tripped me out!

This duck however, was very real. He was squawking very loudly and I think he was making fun of me in Korean!

I'm pretty sure this says "BALLER" in Korean! What a house!

Now that's how you Bar-b-q. Reminds me of those late night Bar-b-q's in Markham and on the Burg! I hope you guys are ready when I get back!!!

Sentencing time! Let's see what jail is like back in the day.

"I swear I did not do as they say I did! Please believe me!!!"

Nothing like a little torture to get the truth out! The chair was used to spread knees as far apart as possible and the cross bed there on the left was used for some serious spanking - look at the size of that paddle!

She must have done something really wrong! That torture device is there just in case something goes down. All that coinage is there from people who respect and honor the fallen. It was be also a form of wishing for good luck - like the fountain in the Eaton Centre!

These guys were in for misdemeanor crimes. I guess the floor could be comfortable the company, maybe not so much.

These guys are down for some SERIOUS crimes. You had to stay motionless if you were in this situation as there is SHARP blade surrounding the necks of these criminals, one wrong move and you'd be in two parts!

HEEEEEELLLLLLPPPPPP!!!!!! I'm slipping! I'm slipping! Stay in school and get a proper job or one day you'll end up like this!

I will be a fair and honest councilmen and up hold the law to the fullest! Check out the hat!

I knew I was gonna get lucky in Korea, but TWO beautiful ASSES! Hahahahahahahahahahahaha

This man knew how to use an ax - I seen him split a log with just one chop! I was like, this can't be that hard....

It was....I don't even think that little girl in the pink was impressed. HAH

Here are some creepy mannequins, especially the little girls playing games in the house. It actually looks like a pretty cool house though.

This was the first "show" we saw at the Korean Folk Village. This was a performance that the farmers did to hope for good crops. Sort of like a little rain dance. Here is a little video to show it in action. These farmers also started doing some crazy side flips and then this one superstar farmer had a huge ribbon on his hat as was doing real breakdancing moves - looked like he was from the early 1990's!!!





Next up, we have got the BEST game of See-Saw EVER - Just look at what these girls can do!





If you thought that was cool.....

They started jumping with ribbons! It was quite the sight...
Then....They started to add things to their repertoire, the crowd was going wild!




And, then the grand finale! These girls were AMAZING!!!




Next, we saw this tightrope walker. He was an older Korean man and was heralded as a national treasure. This guy was a performer - had the audience in stitches, even though I didn't know what he was saying. He was doing all kinds of wild things - walking on one foot, sitting on the rope, jumping on the rope this guy was nuts!

Just in case you forgot what I look like! Hah.

WEDDING TIME!!!!!!!! At the Korean Folk Village they have traditional Korean marriage grounds. I found out from Mr. Kim that there would be an ACTUAL wedding ceremony that day and that people wait months in advance to have their wedding ceremony in this sacred place.


This is the traditional marriage table where it all goes down.

This is the carriage that the bride is carried away in when the bride and groom are finished the ceremony and are on their way to the groom's house.

The handsome groom.

The beautiful bride with her two bridesmaids.

This video will show a little of the traditional Korean wedding ceremony.

Here the bride is being whisked away to the groom's house.

Here is the groom on his way home. If you can see the smirk on his face there may be a little of second guessing going through his mind! Hah!

And, of course, no wedding would be complete without LIVE music!

Now that really was Pics and Vids and Info OH MY!!!
I hope you enjoyed this LITTLE glimpse into how I'm spending my time here in Korea. I am meeting many interesting people every week and am having the time of my life. Although I do miss home and all the goodness of Toronto, my time out here is important and I don't have a regret in the world. I love you all - especially my MOM who I miss the most.

See you soon :)
Jason Andrew Singh.

Enjoying Seoul

Hey everybody! Hope all is well in Toronto or wherever your from, I think my readership is now in the MILLIONS. I have been spending all my Saturdays in Seoul. It is a HUGE city - makes Toronto feel really small in comparison. The streets are filled with people constantly and everywhere you look somebody is spending something and somebody is selling something, it's like an insane marketplace. It really let's me appreciate the smaller city in which I live. Seoul is an exciting place filled with neon signs and delicious smells from food vendors. The party I went to was held by my recruiters. It was in the Foreigner's District, named ITEWON. There is a varied mix of people and reminds me of home. There are plenty of REAL Americans, you know, the ones with the THICK accents. You can easily tell which people are tourists, here to teach, and here by way of the Armed Forces. The bar where the party was held was called the Rocky Mountain Tavern and it had a big Canadian flag right on the window! My kind of spot! Anyways, the room was filled with random white people. HAH, anyways I started to chat up with the people in the room. Everybody was very interesting and had great stories to tell. Most of the teachers were from the States, New York, Minnesota, Virgina, Oregon, Nebraska, and a whole heap of Texans. I also met a Scotsman which was pretty cool. There were 3 Canadians other than myself. A couple from Vancouver and a girl from Niagara Falls. The ages of the teachers ranged significantly and I found it very interesting that this many people from these many places have come together to teach English in South Korea. I met a number of lost souls, people out for just the cash, some genuine teachers, and some people looking for experience. I was amazed to see that this bar served MOOSEHEAD! I also tried a Becks DARK - which was pretty good. I only had a few drinks as I've been feeling a little under the weather. After a while a live band showed up with this little Korean girl as the main singer. Boy, did the voice NOT match the body - a classic case of Toni Braxtonism. It was pretty cool for a while everybody was really spread out in Korea - most people took an over 4 hour trip! I was lucky it only takes me 45 mins. I took off around midnight as it started to POUR rain. I got to the final station only to find out my bus stops running at 10:30...YAY. Anyways took another cabride and got home safely.


Friday was also a very good day. After the school day was done I got invited to a school gathering. All I was told is that this dinner was held to celebrate teachers who have stayed with the school for 30, 20, and 10 years. When we arrived and after walking up a few flights of stairs we came to a small but luxurious banquet hall! Very nice place with a huge dinner buffet. After clapping for all the teachers, they called for ME on stage! If I had known that I was going to be called on stage I surly would have had on a better shirt than my Nike sweater! It didn't matter - they gave me a red rose and I bowed in gratitude. The school has been very welcoming and I know I will enjoy my time with the staff. Well, this has been a little insight into how my weekend went, I'll be sure to snap some more pics and update you on my experiences next week. Hope you like reading these and if you have any suggestions for the content just let me know! See you later!

Hello Everybody!

Hey guys! Another little update on how my life is going here in South Korea! The apartment is going great as usual with no problems whatsoever! Tomorrow classes really begin for me as the introductions are now over with the students. I have a lot of different games and activities for the the boys to do and I think they well really enjoy English the way I teach it! Last night I went out for the first time in Seoul. Life's pretty weird as I found out one of my UofT classmates has been in South Korea for 6 months! Turns out there are 2 other UofTers out here too! It's really nice to see familiar faces in a strange land. It took me about a 40 minute busride to get into the city. Reminds me of my trek from Scarborough to Downtown Toronto. It is nightime and the streets are lit up by neon signs lining every building. Each building is multiple storeys high with a number of different shops, stores, and bars all residing. It is quite a sight! I meet up with my friend and I go to my first bar in South Korea! She treats me to my first Korean beer - Cass. Instead of the cap there is a mini Korean hat folded from a napkin which I find quite funny. The place is very classy and Beyonce is blaring from the speakers. Next song - Dancing Queen, hilarious! After the drink we go to the party. It is held at a dance studio on the 5th floor of a nerby building. When you step off the elevator there is a beautiful path that leads up to the wall in the picture, "Life is great when you dance!" This makes me laugh out loud! Following custom, shoes are removed. There are about 8 other English speaking teachers at the party. It is very nice meeting these people and hearing their stories. The studio is large, clean and music from every one's Ipod - including mine of course, makes it a wonderful introduction to the nightlife in Seoul. The party moves from the dance studio to some one's apartment. It is a beautiful loft apartment and we sit around talking and enjoying company. Before I know it, it's 3:30am! Time to go! I jump in a cab and take my first cabride in the city! Seatbelts are a must as it seems redlights are only a suggestion! I make it home safely and after catching some friends on skype I got to bed. In other news, classes last week were really easy. One of the boys sang "So Sick" the Ne-yo track! He was really good - and even though the pronunciation was a little off the melody was there! I was really surprised as most of the kids are really shy. By feeling out the classes I can already see that some of the boys are more talkative. It's really cool to be thrown into the classroom like this as the experience is irreplaceable. There is a huge mountain behind my school, another teacher and I climbed this mountain during some spare time - took us an hour and a half! Thursday evening a different Korean teacher brought me to a traditional Korean martial arts class. This martial art is called Taekkyeon. It is much older than Tae Kwon Do and is less popular. The fighting style stems from movements in the knees and matches are only won by a kick above the neck or a takedown. There are no arm strikes. I found learning only the basic moves to be difficult and am very impressed by the others in the class. Some of them students of mine. Well, hope you've enjoyed this little update - I will be sure to take a lot more pictures this week and will post them in my next update. Stay classy Toronto, I'll be home in 50 weeks!

Jason Singh.

Well here I am! What a flight! After a sad goodbye with my sister Jennifer, I left Toronto Pearson International Airport and headed over to O'Hare International Airport in Chicago, which only took 2 hours. Then I had to wait about 4 hours in Chicago to join a flight going to Incheon International Airport in South Korea, this flight taking a whopping 15 hours! Altogether my traveling time, with waits and all, 22 hours! SHEESH! Hah, as soon as I landed I was escorted by someone working for my recruiting company. This person did not know English but I was still pretty good at understanding what was happening. I loaded my luggage onto a Limosuine Bus and was on my way to Yongin City. Yongin City is where I am staying, it is not that far from Seoul and will only take one bus. Luckily for me there is a bus stop right out side my apartment! As soon as I make it to Yongin City bus terminal, I am greeted by my schools director. Mr. Park is his name. It is about 8:30 in the morning when this happens, and the first place he takes me is a local Korean bakery. The place smells AMAZING - I choose a few things and Mr. Park picks up the tab. Next we head to my apartment, this ride takes less than 3 minutes. I get a little scared as the place looks to be in construction mode.......turns out they are building more apartments around my building! The place is fairly new - can't be more than 2 years at the most. The building is about 4 floors, there is no elevator....I live on the second floor. I open my apartment door and I am happy with what I see! In Korea there is a space in front of the door that is lower than the regular floor level. This is the designated place for shoes - I love this idea! Straight ahead is the washroom. It has swimming pool type tile on the floor with a big drain in the middle. There is the sink and there is the toilet bowl, between them is the shower head. It takes some getting used to, but after a while this setup is pretty cool. Next is the kitchen, there is ample counter space, a big sink and a two burner gas stove(I'm used to electric!). There is a mid-sized fridge pre-stocked with bottled water. Tap water in South Korea is not potable(means it's not safe to drink) Good think it only costs about 2 bucks for 12 litres! I am also set up with a microwave and toaster oven. The table in the room is large and has two chairs with it. There is a big sliding door that leads to my bedroom. The room is larger than my room in Toronto. There is a t.v. with satellite(nice) and a mid-sized bed with a pillow on it. There is a closet that holds all of my clothes, plus space for my two suitcases! There is also a personal heater, which I don't really need. The way the heater works in my apartment is through the floor. The floor has heating pads underneath that warm the floor and feel nice under my feet! Past the bedroom is my Laundry room that holds my washer and space to dry my clothes. That about does it for my bedroom, PHEW! Next, we went to the school where I will be teaching. Tae Sung Middle School. This is an all boys school. The boys are extremely polite and respectful to all the elders. One boy was brave enough to approach and called me 'handsome'! hahah. The school is literally a five minute walk from my apartment, NO excuses to be late! Next, we went to the supermarket this too is only five minutes from my apartment! EVERYTHING is so convenient! By this time I'm starting to get a little delirious with no sleep and only a few baked goods in me. Mr. Park offers to take me to a traditional Korean restaurant for lunch, of course this is an offer I can't refuse and of course it's right next to my apartment! I learn how to greet the waitress in Korean and how to order the meal in Korea. It is called Sun-Do-Bu. It is delicious. it is a seven course meal all served at the same time, the main course being a spicy soup with egg, tofu, and clam. The other dishes range from boiled potato to kim-chee. After lunch I come home and crash for like 15 hours straight! After a shower of course! Day two, I am pining for the Internet as nobody in Toronto knows about my safe landing. My director insures me that the technician will be stopping by a little later. We take a trip to the hospital where I have my health check - a very simple and fast procedure. Next, we go to lunch. I have this amazing beef stew at the most famous restaurant in Youngin. After coming home and waiting a few hours the Internet man arrives! He changes the wire in the wall so I can have HIGH SPEED! The best part is that the technician did not know English but told me that me and Will Smith "look same"! haha - If only he knew how much I love Will Smith! So since then, last night, I have been on the Internet catching up with all my loved ones. Today I had a meeting at the school, went shopping, came home, watched the Power of One - which I recommend to everyone, what a sad movie that needs to be seen....after the movie I went for a stroll around Yongin City, for 4 hours! What a walk, what a place! To see the city with a backdrop of beautiful tree-covered mountains is breathtaking. I plan to go to Seoul for the first time tomorrow and will be sure to tell you guys all about it on my next blog entry. WOW this has been a long one, hope you enjoyed it. I love and miss you all,

Jason Singh.

Hope you enjoy the show!