Rockin' in the Free World

Yeah, I know...I'm horrible at updating. Whatever.

I was in the process of making a "day in the life" video, when I found out Cameron was about to make one for the Edutainer website...so I figured I'd just use his. (Thanks, Cam!)

So, without further adieu:

Meet the Edutainers + A Day in the Life from GEV Edutainers on Vimeo.

I can't believe this is my job. I love it! Be jealous. It's okay. I understand.

What's My Age Again?

Wow, another update! I'm getting better at this, eh?


So, today...I'm going to talk a little about food and health care in Korea. So prepare to be hungry and angry after reading this.

The food here is really good, for the most part. I still can't get behind the Kimchi...but other than that, I'm doing okay.

My favorite meal here is actually not Korean at all. It's a Japanese meal called Shabu Shabu. It's a spicy soup that is boiled at the table in front of you, with vegetables, potatoes, and thick noodles. You take thin slices of raw beef and cook it right in the pot. The meat takes about 5 seconds to cook. The direct translation of Shabu Shabu is "Swish Swish"...the sound it makes when you dip your meat in the broth with your chopsticks....that sounds dirty. Anyway...the soup is awesome and they make some bangin' fried rice at the table when your Shabu is gone.

This is Carrie and I eating Shabu. Be jealous.

Another one of my favorites here is another soup. Haejangguk. Also known as "The Hangover Soup." I have yet to try it as a hangover cure because I just recently discovered it...but it's delicious. I'll admit...when I heard what it is, I was a little nervous to try it. It's a spicy beef broth with cabbage, chives, and pig spine. That's right...pig spine. You have to tear the meat off of the vertebrae and get rid of the bones before you put it back in the soup. It takes some work, but it's worth it. So flavorful...so weird.

Those are just a few of my favorites at the moment. I guess it's the cold weather. I could tell you about more, but I don't want to bore you. Plus, I'm on some pain medication, so I can't focus enough to tell you about it all.

I can tell you, however...that the pizza has corn on it...and it is sometimes green. So that's weird.

Cooking here can be interesting in our tiny rooms with our hot plates...but there is a Costco, which is awesome. A friend of mine here says "It's just like Costco in the States, except nobody says excuse me before they hurt you." I couldn't have said it better myself.

Now onto the health care in Korea.

I strained a muscle in my back last week during a show. It's pretty bad, so I figured I'd go to the doctor and get some meds and stuff for the pain. I was in for a nice surprise.

They gave me an X-Ray...which was stupid considering I knew it was a muscle issue...not a bone issue. That's what happens when nobody knows what you're saying. After they told me I don't have a broken back, just a severely strained muscle...they prescribed me some happy pills and a shot in the ass for the pain. It felt like the nurse just wound up and punched me right in the left ass cheek. Felt like a Charley Horse....until the medication went through me....then I couldn't feel feelings.

So, I go to pay...totally expecting to be charged out the ass.

My bill; including Doctors visit, x-rays, pain medication ass injection = 9,600 Won...roughly $9 USD.

My prescription; including four different pills three times a day for 4 days...pain medication and muscle relaxers = 4,000 Won...roughly $3.50 USD.

They also prescribed Physical Therapy. 8,000 Won a session....roughly $7 USD.

If I were to go to the doctor back home, I would be charged almost $150 just to SEE the doctor. He could literally walk in the room and look at me with his stupid overly priced eyes...walk out of the room without saying anything...and charge me $150.

My hospital bill from when I was in the hospital overnight back in August was close to $15,000.

$15,000!!!

Kiss my bean bag, America. I might stay in Korea just for the health care alone. At least I know that if I have some medical issues, I will be able to afford to eat afterward.


Okay...my rant is done. Now, I leave you with this hilarious item on the shelves at the Pharmacy here in Paju.

Cock Swab

My next post will come next week. It will be my first video blog! I'll take you through a typical day at work as an edutainer at EV. Don't get too excited.

Auld Lang Syne

Okay, so remember how I planned on updating this blog like...once a week or so?

Once every five months isn't so bad...right?

Alright, it's bad. My new year's resolution is to update this more often. Also, I will make my first million. Will either of them happen? Probably not.

2011 was an interesting year. It started off with a move to New York City on January 1st. I got a job at Starbucks on 51st and Broadway, froze my balls off, and blew through all of my money...thanks to my student loans and paying rent in Manhattan. It wasn't a total waste though. I met some great people, made some good contacts in the theatre industry, and had some good callbacks.

In February, I blew a huge audition in Memphis. 90 seconds to audition for 90 different theatre companies, and I had the worst audition of my life. Shit happens.

In March, I couldn't afford NYC anymore, so I moved back home to Erie...where I have amazing family and friends. I am fortunate to have a friend who let me crash in his spare bedroom for nearly 6 months....after I told him it would only be 2 or 3 months.

While in Erie, I had my amazing friends that I already knew...but I also made some great new friends while working at Starbucks, the Achievement Center, and DJing at the Sloppy Duck. New friends and fun jobs are good. That seems to be my theme for 2011. Fun Jobs and Fun Friends. And Beer.

The fun jobs and new friends didn't stop there...in August, I moved to Paju, South Korea where I am writing, developing, directing, and performing in original ESL musicals for children. My coworkers are all amazing people, my job is insanely awesome...and I live in Korea, making good money and not paying rent.

So...that's my 2011. Got off to a rocky start...ended up being pretty awesome.

What's up, 2012?

Everybody Was Kung Fu Fighting

Oh wait...that's a different country.

Anyway...I made it. I'm finally in Paju, South Korea!

I left early Monday morning. 4am to be exact. Mom drove me 2 hours to the Cleveland airport where I had to wait about 3 hours to depart. From there, it was almost a 5 hour flight to LAX. After arriving at LAX, my boarding pass from LA-Seoul did not have a departure gate, so I had to run around that massive, stupid airport for almost an hour to find Asiana Airlines and go through security again.

Sidebar: What's the deal with the new TSA hand check? They rub your fingers with a cloth...what?

Anyway, I finally got through security and into my terminal. I was starving and was hoping to have something delicious as my last meal in the US for a year...turns out, the only "restaurant" in the terminal was a terrible sausage sandwich joint. It made me sad.

After getting on the plane, I get situated...and I have a window seat...with nobody sitting directly next to me for a 13 hour flight...That definitely made up for my sad sausage sandwich finale.

RANT: Asiana Airlines flight attendants trump any flight attendants in the US. Ever. I've seen so many dumpy, cross-eyed, middle-aged women on US flights that treat people like shit. Every single one on this flight was young, Asian, and extremely attractive. And nice. I didn't have a clue what the were saying half the time...but it seemed nice. So that's really all that matters. At least pretend to be nice...Which is hardly the case with the dumpy, cross-eyed, middle-aged hags on US flights. Ok, done.

I had a hard time sleeping on the flight. There was a screaming baby for most of the 13 hours, so I ended up watching Kung-Fu Panda 2...Inside the Actor's Studio with Sean Combs....A bio on Justin Timberlake...and a really weird Korean drama.

While flying over Japan, I happened to wake up from a short nap to look out the window and see the top of Mt. Fuji. It was incredible. My camera was away, so I didn't get a shot of it.

After arriving in Seoul, I went through Customs, got my bags, found the little Korean man holding a sign with my name on it...then exchanged currency. 10,000 Won is equal to about 1 USD. I now have well over a million won. I'm rich.

As we start driving toward Paju, I realize this may be my final cab ride...because this man was driving like an insane little asshole. Weaving in and out of traffic going about 95 MPH. I wanted to get a picture of the incredible sunset over the mountains across the Yellow Sea...but I was too afraid of being ejected from the vehicle...that didn't have seat belts.

I eventually made it safely to my home for the next year. Gyeonggi English Village in Paju, South Korea

The people I work with are all incredibly talented, helpful, and generous people. I know this is going to be a good year.

My body has not yet adjusted to the time change or the long trip, so I will end this entry for now. I will leave you with a few more pictures from the Village. More pictures to come!

안녕히 주무세요!

This one is so racist. And hilarious.

The Final Countdown

I guess by the title and name of my blog, this may look like it's all about 80's rock...it's not. If you're disappointed, I understand...I mean, 80's rock does kick ass.

Anyway...

For those of you that don't already know, my time is running out here in the States. In less than a month, I will be on my way to Paju, South Korea for a full year...so if you want to see me before then, let's make plans now.

I will be working at Gyeonggi English Village in Paju, which is about an hour and a half North of Seoul. My job title is "Edutainer" which basically means myself, and a team of other edutainers will be writing, developing, directing, and performing in musicals to help Koreans develop English as a second language. If you want to know more about my job, watch the video below.

So... You Want to Be an Edutainer? from GEV Edutainers on Vimeo.

I plan on having about a week-long going away bash here in Erie. I also plan on visiting friends in New York before I take off. As of right now, I'm scheduled to leave August 14th. If I get my last bit of paperwork in the mail early enough and my visa stuff gets taken care of before then, that date could be bumped up. I guess we'll see what happens.