Ukraine Mistake

Though I am not a supporter of violence, I do find this "mistake" funny:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/blogs-news-from-elsewhere-25962702

Short Film

An interesting short film about a dream:

http://www.shortoftheweek.com/2013/05/06/west-of-the-moon/

Lunar New Year Holiday

This Thursday and Friday are national holidays in Korea due to the lunar new year.

Most of my students are going to their grandparents' home for the holidays, and we talked a little bit about who is going to travel the farthest, the idea of traffic (it can be horrendous on the highways as Seoul experiences a massive exodus), etc.

One of my 4th graders asked in class if I was going to my parents home for the holidays.  I had forgotten that some of them don't have a good perspective on world geography and travel.

I said, "Amy, it takes one day for me to fly to America, and one day to come back to Korea, so I can't visit them in 4 days.  We use Skype."

I showed them on the classroom map how far apart Korea and America are.

"Wow!" they chorused.

I will be interested to hear their travel stories when the students return next week.

Short Films

Here's a comedic action take on sushi restaurants:

http://www.shortoftheweek.com/2012/10/23/monster-roll/



And an action-packed (violent) short:

http://www.shortoftheweek.com/2013/12/06/proximity/



Neither are "family" films.

Article: Spam (the food) in South Korea

This article is quite timely as the lunar new year holiday--one of South Korea's biggest--occurs this week, and I have been seeing Spam gift sets in the stores:

http://www.nytimes.com/2014/01/27/world/asia/in-south-korea-spam-is-the-stuff-gifts-are-made-of.html?hp&_r=0

Article: North Korea and Choco Pies

Choco pies are indeed very common in South Korea, but I had never heard about their connection to North Korea:

http://edition.cnn.com/2014/01/27/world/asia/choco-pie-koreas/index.html?hpt=hp_c6

Bright Sunny Day

Here are some pics of the skyline in Gunpo, Korea, courtesy of this nice sunny day:)  They start out at street level and then move up to a pedestrian walkway and then to a 12th floor rooftop: