A little Verdi and the chicken lady opera chorus of La forza del destino (The Force of Destiny, 1862)
KoreaMaria
Maria Lisak ~ Scratching out a scrapbook ~ I write to learn ~ I make stuff to share and remember. From Gwangju, South Korea
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December 2012
December 31, 2012
Yearend 2012
2012 KMFF
GIC Day:
200,000 won raised for JSA plus 20,000 from Diane's Accessories
November Cause du Jour:
125,000 won raised for Chosun University's Center for Social Welfare
- Promotion & Products (Pics)
- Book & Bake Sale welcomes Center for Social Welfare. Dec 8 @ First Alleyway. Stop by for free tea and orange jam on baguette. Donate or buy some of the items.
- 300,000 won raised from networking and selling at GIC, GFN and to Facebook Friends (sale until Dec 31, 2012)
December Cause du Jour:
JSA & Small Business Saturday
KoreaMaria Fundraising Flea Market at GIC every Saturday 10a-6p in December 2012.
-Instead of Black Friday or Cyber Monday, shop Small Business Saturdays for handmade, homemade holiday gifts.
- Dec 1 Products
- Dec 1 Event Pics
- Dec 1 Thank You & Debrief - Funds raised: 433,000 won (JSA = 235,000)
- Dec 8 Products open 10am-8pm
- Dec 8 Event Pics
- Dec 8 Thank You & Debrief - Funds raised 412,000 won (JSA = 200,000)
- Dec 15 Products
- Dec 15 Event Pics
- Dec 15 Thank You & Debrief - Funds raised 510,000 (JSA = 258,000)
- Dec 22 Products
- Dec 22 Event Pics
- Dec 22 Thank You & Debrief - Funds raised 263,000
- Final Debrief for December Fundraising - 1,673,000 (JSA = 1,002,000)
See what's afoot these days with KoreaMaria Fundraising Flea Markets.
December 27, 2012
TESOL EVO 2013
January 14th to Feb 17th 2013: EVO TESOL 2013
Free online professional development
December 23, 2012
Dec 22 Results
On the last day of sales, KoreaMaria said to Gwangju:
- Come buy my wares!
- 20 brownies ginormica
- dozens of ribbon soap
- 3 aroma candles
- and the final banana bread of the season!
Thank you, Gwangju! I sold out by 2:20pm on Saturday Dec 22. I raised a final amount of 263,000 won. Also, on Dec 20th, I had a little open house and sold 55,000 won in soap to the moms of the kids of the GIC Kids Class.
Total sales in December were 1,673,000 won.
Jeolla Safety Alliance will receive a donation of 1,002,000 won from these sales!
The results for the 4 Saturdays of KoreaMaria Fundraising Fleamarkets were:
- Dec 1: 433,000
- Dec 8: 412,000
- Dec 15: 510,000
- Dec 20: 55,000
- Dec 22: 263,000
- Total of 1,673,000 sold
I purchased items from small businesses and resold them. These are the businesses:
- Rachel's American Baking: 370,000
- Linger Longer Handmade Soaps: 261,000
- KoreaMaria Books: 40,000
Others donated items outright:
- Joe Wabe: two framed photos
- Doug Stuber: 10 new poetry books, 5 history books, and another 2 poetry volumes
- Linger Longer: Lianne gave dozens of soaps for free
- Rachel: packaged items in a very generous manner
- That's Cool~That's Trash: miscellaneous accessories, CDs, and knitwear.
Some Gwangju Givers:
December 20, 2012
Emergency Numbers in Gwangju
From Gwangju Guide
Emergency Medical Information Center (응급의료정보센터)
- Providing disease hospital information for 24hours 365days.
- Tel: 1339
- Homepage: http://world.1339.or.kr/eng/
Motor accidents
- Police: 112
- Ambulance: 119
Ambulance: 119
Crime/attacks
- Police: 112
- Police office: 1588-5644
- Gwangju police office : 1566-0112
Sexual Molestation & Rape
- Police: 112
- Woman Emergency: 1366
Mental Health issues – Check out our list of psychologists.
December 19, 2012
Self-Defense Tips
Self-defense Seminar: The Creation of Space
There just isn’t enough time to go over every escape for every situation. This seminar will focus on a basic concept and I’ll give examples of how to apply it.
Techniques:
- Escapes from wrist grabs and clothing grabs
- Circular motions and 2-on-1 hand
- Escapes from bear hugs
- From behind with arms in/out
- From the front with arms in/out
- Escapes from ground attacks (guard and turtle)
- Shrimping away and creating space
Learning how to defend yourself from all attack scenarios will take months if not years of diligent training (which I highly encourage you to do). If you’re not able to attend my classes then I’ll leave you with the following advice.
- Always be aware of your surroundings- this goes for your location and the people around you. If you feel like the area is unsafe or the people seem sketchy then follow your gut feeling. You and your ancestors are the evolutionary winners at life and that’s not by accident- trust yourself. If you get this feeling then cross the street, call a friend, or whatever you have to do to get to safety. For more information look up the book The Gift of Fear by Gavin de Becker.
- DON’T TALK ON YOUR CELLPHONE. This seems like a good idea but you’re obscuring half of your vision by holding the phone and you can’t hear as well. You’re also limiting your defense to one hand versus two. A better idea is to call someone and put your phone in your pocket or purse until you get to safety.
- Be wary of taxi drivers- I have no idea if this is true or not but someone on DavesESL posted that being a taxi driver is one of the few jobs that ex-cons can get here in Korea. True or false in light of what happened you should take precautions: take a picture of the license plate of the taxi, call a friend and read the name of the taxi driver to them, and find a taxi driver that doesn’t look like a scumbag. If you get a weird vibe, get out immediately and find another one.
- Don’t walk home alone. Walk with friends, don’t let friends walk home alone, and if you can’t make it home stay at a love motel.
- Defend yourself- if you can’t make it this week then keep these things in mind:
- Scream as loud as you can to attract attention
- RUN
- If you can’t make it this week then there are plenty of videos online to watch and practice with a friend although formal training is best.
Shared by Ryan Tolnay, a 2nd degree black belt in Judo and a blue belt in Brazilian Jiu-jitsu with 11 years of experience, has stepped up to offer three free self-defense seminars this week. He offered a free seminar in November 2012
How will JSA use the funds raised?
Here is a brief description of the services JSA will provide to the Jeolla-namdo community to prevent crimes and assist victims recover from violent crimes.
JSA, Jeolla Safety Alliance, would like to provide recovery assistance those who have been victimized by a crime committed in Gwangju or Jeolla-namdo.
One of the ways JSA will provide this assistance is by paying for therapist sessions focused on recovery from the criminal act. JSA will provide contact information to an English-speaking psychotherapist in Gwangju. The victim can choose whether or not to seek therapy from this therapist; there is no obligation. The psychotherapist will use her professional acumen to decide whether therapy is the right choice for the victim at that time. JSA will pay for the sessions. The number and length of sessions needs to be negotiated with the victim. JSA agrees to pay a maximum of 50,000 won per hour for a total of 8 hourly sessions, amounting to 400,000 won in total donation. The money is paid directly to the psychotherapist. The psychotherapist bills JSA without any specific details to maintain the complete privacy and confidentiality of the victim.
JSA will also help victims of crime with expenses incurred as part of being a victim of violent crime, including hospital fees and transportation costs to/from the hospital.
JSA will also refer victims to a lawyer and pay for an initial legal consultation to see what options there are for their situation.
JSA will book various speakers who are experts in safety issues, providing nominal speakers fees and reimbursements for travel.
JSA may from time to time provide free services or giveaways relating to safety such as whistles, etc., to increase safety and awareness in the foreigner community.
JSA, Jeolla Safety Alliance, would like to provide recovery assistance those who have been victimized by a crime committed in Gwangju or Jeolla-namdo.
One of the ways JSA will provide this assistance is by paying for therapist sessions focused on recovery from the criminal act. JSA will provide contact information to an English-speaking psychotherapist in Gwangju. The victim can choose whether or not to seek therapy from this therapist; there is no obligation. The psychotherapist will use her professional acumen to decide whether therapy is the right choice for the victim at that time. JSA will pay for the sessions. The number and length of sessions needs to be negotiated with the victim. JSA agrees to pay a maximum of 50,000 won per hour for a total of 8 hourly sessions, amounting to 400,000 won in total donation. The money is paid directly to the psychotherapist. The psychotherapist bills JSA without any specific details to maintain the complete privacy and confidentiality of the victim.
JSA will also help victims of crime with expenses incurred as part of being a victim of violent crime, including hospital fees and transportation costs to/from the hospital.
JSA will also refer victims to a lawyer and pay for an initial legal consultation to see what options there are for their situation.
JSA will book various speakers who are experts in safety issues, providing nominal speakers fees and reimbursements for travel.
JSA may from time to time provide free services or giveaways relating to safety such as whistles, etc., to increase safety and awareness in the foreigner community.
JSA - General Safety Tips
First step in safety in Korea: register with your country's embassy.
- This is the one for the U.S. http://seoul.usembassy.gov/acs_service.html
- Check here for your embassy: http://embassy.goabroad.com/embassies-in/south-korea
According to Korean lawyer Duckhee Park, here are good safety points to remember when out and about in Jeolla-namdo.
Taxi safety
It is generally thought that private taxis may give better treatment because they want repeat business. The word “개 인” means private taxi, and would be marked on the outside of the car. Taxi services have a large stable of people who may not have as much personally invested in the running of their taxi.
If you are trying to find a taxi in an unfamiliar neighborhood or late at night, calling a taxi service may be a better bet. They will give you the taxi license number and the call is logged with the taxi company, so there will be records of who picked you up, where, and when.
Note the taxi license number before you get in the car. If there are any problems later on, the police could very easily track the taxi. Don’t try to take a picture of the taxi driver or his license in the cab. It could startle or make the taxi driver angry. Other concerns are that the license may not be displayed in the car or the license could be for another driver. Getting the taxi license plate number is the best way to make sure you can find that taxi driver later if there is a problem.
Don’t call for a taxi to pick you up right in front of your home or get dropped off right in front of your building. Make sure the taxi pulls away and cannot see you before you go towards your building so they do not know exactly where you live.
If you get in a taxi and the driver is drunk or there is another problem, it’s best to just get out right away. One good suggestion is to just pretend you got a phone call and need to get back out. This way you do not alarm the driver that you think something is wrong, or make the driver angry.
If you get out of a taxi for that reason, pretend you have a phone call, and then wait until that taxi leaves to take the next taxi in line.
If the taxi driver smells like alcohol, you can report them to the police—dial 112. They do track complaints against taxi drivers and if someone gets too many calls, they will investigate.
In Korea very many people are kind and may try to offer gifts, like candy. If you take it to not offend someone, just put it in your pocket and don’t eat it. It could be laced with drugs.
Sometimes people ask a lot of personal question, trying to be friendly. It’s a good idea to be coy and not give out a lot of information. Mr. Park suggested saying, “oh, that’s a secret” or something. Try not to be confrontational--be more sly about things.
If things start to feel strange, ask to be let out. Make sure to pay for the ride. Have the money ready and give it to the taxi driver quickly. Don’t make them angry or give a reason to get out to follow you.
If things are uncomfortable and the taxi driver won’t stop to let you out, announce that you will call the police. This may convince the taxi driver to stop, and also the police can track you with GPS through your phone.
If things get really bad and someone tries to get physical by hitting or attacking you, that is when you should try other things like pepper spray first, or leave the situation. If you are hit or attacked, it would be better to use something like pepper spray than to punch them back.
According to Korean law, you should only use as much force or effort in self defense as they are using towards you. For example, if you were to try to stab someone because they hit you, this could cause you grave legal troubles. Don’t go overboard—use what is necessary.
After an attack
If you are attacked the first thing to do is to call the police at 112. This is the police emergency number. If you have lost your phone, get someone else like a store employee to call for you.
Call a friend to be with you and help your through the situation.
Keep the phone number of a Korean friend with you who also speaks English in case of emergency. The police may have a translator, but it is a good idea to have someone on your side who can be there for you.
In the case of rape or injury during an assault, you may be taken to the hospital. Any hospital charges are not covered by the police. Keep around 50,000 won in case of emergencies for taxi and hospital fees.
Important information to have with you at all times:
Your own cell phone number (for tracking purposes)
An emergency contact number (co-teacher or spouse, etc.)
The number of a Korean friend who speaks English
Money for cab fare home and hospital costs in case of attack (around 60,000 won)
General Safety Information
Try to travel in groups with other friends.
If you are in a group walking through a neighborhood, try not to be too loud and draw attention to yourselves. You could get the attention of people who may not like foreigners or loudness in their neighborhood, or there may be drunk people who are looking for a fight.
It’s a good idea to keep extra pairs shoes in your foyer, especially men’s shoes, if you are a woman. If a delivery person thinks you are not home alone, they might think twice before causing you a problem or coming back later.
At home, be careful about leaving windows open near gas pipes on external walls of the building. Burglars can climb pipes to get inside. Be aware if the building next to yours is too close and makes it easy for a burglar to jump across an alley to your window.
In Korea, simple arrests are not public record. Someone must be tried and convicted before the public has access to information about past criminal behavior.
When there has been an attack, the investigating officer will only give information about the case to the victim, if they decide to follow up. In an ongoing investigation, the information is not made available to the general public and is only made available when or if the suspect is prosecuted and found guilty.
There is a website in Korea you can go to with a list of registered sex offenders and we are working on getting that information for posting.
(composed by Nancy)
December 16, 2012
Auditions in Gwangju for The Vagina Monologues - Feb 3
The Vagina Monologues 2013 Auditions Feb 3
Contact the Director via Facebook GJ TVM 2013
For V-Season 2013, V-Day Gwangju will be joining "One Billion Rising" by performing The Vagina Monologues in 2013.
The Monologues raise awareness about stopping violence against women.
Auditions for actresses delivering these fun and tragic dialogues about women will be held February 3 by Director Leigh Hellman.
Can't make the auditions that day?
No worries. Contact Leigh via the Facebook Group: The Vagina Monologues in 2013 or message her.
Rehearsal and other fundraising events begin in March.
TVM's final performance will also be in spring - end of April is a tentative date.
Stand up, speak out!
Give your voice to those who need your support.
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I follow the art of wabi sabi.
Maria Lisak
email: gwangjumaria at yahoo.com
linkedin: koreamaria
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