Month: September 2014

Week 2 in the Netherlands – Tall People Problems! (Not a First-Hand Account)

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Hanging out with your everyday 180cm girl and 195cm guy, y’know. Today I met another girl who is 180cm tall – I really am in Holland! By now I’ve met so many tall Dutch men that 195cm is sounding like the average man, but tall women are still amazing to meet. She talked of the terrible growing pains she had, of wearing sneakers all the time for her boyfriend even though she loves high-heels, and about having to fit in strange ways to be able to sit on the metro. The first really tall person I’ve met was my cousin’s cousin who is 193cm, and who at that time was really into wearing New Rock Boots (which add 5cms). This was back when I was visiting Holland ten years ago, in 2004! When I met him he was also standing on the top of a couple of stairs, so the visual impact was considerable… Our conversation today opener today? “You’re still really tall!” “You’re still really short!” Closing sentence: “Maybe we see each other in ten years …

Why Confucianism Is Alive And Kicking

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   Toegye Yi Hwang and Yukgok Yi-i considered to be the greatest Joseon scholars Neo-Confucianism was adopted by the ruling class as a combination of political doctrine + religion + social norms in the Joseon Dynasty (1392-1897). As opposed to the Buddhism-centered Goryeo Dynasty (918-1392), the Yi ruling clan of Joseon chose Confucianism, mainly because of its weight on the intelligent and honourable ruler and general focus on the class system. The king was a well-read scholar, and it is documented they spent every day reading Confucianist texts and discussing them with the court officials. They also passed a large part of their youth reading, analysing and discussing Confucianism. Confucianism is known for its strict hierarchy between: ruler-courtiers, husband-wife, father-son, and so on. The society was divided into Yangban (scholars), farmers, artisans, and merchants, in that order. The very bottom class was composed of slaves, shamans, butchers and the children of concubines, who were barred from civil service exams. Buddhism in Goryeo grew more and more corrupt in Goryeo and enabled the elite to amass fortunes. Additionally, Yi …

Apgujeong in Photos (1)

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Apgujeong is a fun place to scout, being full of people looking for brunch, shoppers, busy workers from nearby Nonhyeon or Seocho areas, and home to high-end boutiques and designer houses. Apgujeong is also a residential area Won Buddhist Temple at Apgujeong The building above this parking lot was an interior design boutique Somang Church is famous for its affluent members, including former president Lee Myung-bak (The letters read ‘Jesus Life’) Seoul Auction Near Hakdong Junction ‘Ello there! A building that looks Martin Margiela-ish A stylist and photographer, perhaps? Heights Park Apartments CGV Cinema / Seoul Auction Maison Hermès at Dosan Park Tweet tweet At an  abandoned building

Legoland or Bronze Age? Why not both?

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 Crown Prince Frederik at event organized by Lego Korea Image source: News1 Kyunghyang Daily reports that over 101 dolmens, 926 housing sites (incl. 9 with high-rise flooring), and a canal, among others, were found on Jungdo Island, the construction site for Legoland Korea (LLK). LLK has since announced that they were aware of the site’s archaeological value, and blueprints show a historical museum had been included in the plan as part of the attractions. Main construction was set to begin this August, with completion aimed at 2016 for the theme park and 2018 for facilities including a spa town, outlet, water park, historical park and hotel. A bridge to the mainland has already begun construction with a 30 million KRW grant from the government, along with archaeological digging for the LLK’s planned historical park. Jungdo Island Image source: Hangang Institute via Kyunghyang Daily Approximately 500 billion KRW (500 million USD) is set as the budget for Legoland Korea. As one of the first recipients of the 2014 Foreign Direct Investment Act, LLK investors such as Merlin …

Cheongnyangni in Photos

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August 2014 Cheongnyangni is a very interesting part of town. There are traditional markets, department stores, and a red light district, all adjacent to one another. It’s always crowded here. The elevators are (supposed to be) reserved for the elderly and those carrying heavy baggage Funny cloud alert An 80s-90s apartment complex Cheongnyangni is famous for its ‘entertainment’, adult karaokes, porn showrooms, love hotels, and right around the corner from the train station, the red light district. I once took a cab and the driver took a wrong turn. It was embarrassing for the both of us (well, more for him). ‘Hyundai Core Apartments’ It’s fashionable (and costly) to have your aircon hanging outside your window (I asked the interior designer who’s doing my grandma’s apartment). ‘Hot yoga’, ‘Hagwon’ ‘Office rentals’ ‘ Go lessons’ ‘Accountant Choi’ Koreans hate pigeons. I showed my friend this picture and she screamed. It’s because pigeons apparently spread germs when they flap their wings. To my knowledge, no one has been hospitalised for ‘pigeon germ flu’, just like no one has been …

There’s a hagwon for that, you know

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Featured image: Gangnam Daesung, one of the most “prestigious” hagwons in South Korea. Yes, there are hagwons for passing the bar. Korea is the land of hagwons and private tutoring. If you want to learn something, or more specifically, if you want to pass some exam, you name it, we have it. The following few paragraphs are a reconstruction of the “upper-middle class” Korean mom and daughter as they progress through hagwons – much of this from experience I have teaching at hagwons, as well as supplementary stories from my friends as both students and teachers, and to a large extent, by observing my aunt, who is one of those mums. * * * * * * * * * * It all starts in primary school: Ballet & Piano, then English & Maths. You want your kid to get a sense of art, so you send her off to piano lessons. Then, you hear about all those moms sending kids to English lessons and Maths lessons. You get anxious, because they teach stuff public schools …