Gwangjudae
My Spring teaching was a nightmare. My Fall teaching like heaven. The yin and the yang of life I guess. Check out our work here.
GIC
Board Membership fees increased this year as they should. I also acted as a general advisor to GIC. Since no one stood up to lead the Gwangju Guide, I was project advisor. I also finished the last half of my term as editor and chief for Gwangju News Magazine. Check out my social and work schedule here.
KOTESOL
I became a life time member this year. I was able to attend a few events, but couldn't get out of town to attend any of the big conferences or sig workshops. I am also very disgusted with the poor policies of communication that KOTESOL practices. I really enjoy our local chapter meetings - high energy, genuine camaraderie, and outside of the box applications of theory to practice.
The First Alleyway
I volunteered as a server at Michael Simning's restaurant, a local expat hangout, during the Spring of 2011. Every Thursday (or almost every) from 5-10pm I helped out. It was an interesting experience. It wasn't busy most nights, and I did quite a bit of Facebooking to get my friends to join me there for a meal, dessert or beer. I think my biggest lesson was just how selfish expats are. Some guy, a teacher at Chodae, when asked if he would like some dessert, asked about the size of the brownies. He said it was a rip off at 3,000won - that they used to be twice the size and same price. What a bonehead - like Simning actually makes a decent profit off the restaurant! To all the selfish expat mo-fo's out there - bite me. If you can do it better, cheaper, put your own money and energy out there and do it. Simning has offered something to the expat crowd that is priceless - community and info - if you need to do a transactional exchange, move to Seoul. I don't want you in Gwangju.
KONA Storybook Center
Lots of connection to one of the finest educators in Gwangju. So grateful that I was able to connect and be included in the program of deep learning through extensive reading practice.
Art
A whack of a year. From being hit by my dance teacher because I was missing steps to talking, talking, talking and not doing. For a year of lots of art, only a little of it gave me actual pleasure. By taking a break from the local scene, I am finally reconnecting to my own inspired inner vision.
Sungbin Orphanage Book & Bake Sale
Al Barnun, the coordinator of Sungbin Orphanages GYVAG, asked me to coordinate the fall book and bake sale. We raised 3.5 million won.
Doori Community Cafe
In December I sat down and did some inner excavation to find out how I wanted to live my life and what I really wanted to do with my energy. After making some goals and planning notes, sharing it outloud with the wrong person, the universe conspired on my behalf by delivering a new community center right in my backyard to help me share my energy in a hyper-local way!
Universiade
A real thorn in my side. Causing me lots of extra work at my job, I just have to accept it or bug out of Gwangju. The Universiade study program is grandiose. It is planned and run by bureaucrats who know nothing of quality education practices, pedagogy, implementation, evaluation, design or quality development. I was lucky enough to only teach it in the Spring, I didn't have to teach it in fall. I did do some judging at a passe speech contest (which one of my students won!) in December. I love the students I meet, but am distressed at how disconnected the curriculum is from the goal of training volunteers for an international event. Spring Notes 2011 Upon thinking more about the Universiade 2015, I realized that the government funds were actually being spent on the citizens of Gwangju, not being funneled into some crony's pocket nor to outside organizers from Seoul. So I don't have such a hate-on about the program.
