❧  The tragedy of Oh Mi-Oh and Ju Ri-Hyeon 

My adventures in attempting to stage a production of Romeo and Juliet with Korean middle school kids at my university’s Winter English Camp.

❧  Some lesser-known bows 

A guide to the intricacies of some of the lesser-known bows of Korea – how context can turn a formal bow into an expression of honest gratitude, or an elegant fuck you.

❧  A trip to a hostess bar 

Korean hostess bars are places where you are served drinks by attractive girls who will flirt with you. This is about a time I went to such a place with a good Korean friend, KH.

❧  Apple, or, Slight rebellion off 근거리 

A long story about an extended attempt to avoid desk-warming, an apple, and a beautiful Korean art-student.

❧  Remembering Yeti 

The story of Yeti, a troubled kid with a strange English name who was one of the best and most memorable students I have met in Korea.

❧  Saying goodbye to my school 

I will soon start a new job teaching at a tiny elementary school in Gyeonggi-do. This is about saying goodbye to the teachers and students at my old school.

❧  My co-teacher tries to teach students to be less racist 

A while back, my co-teacher decided to try to teach our students to be less racist, with interesting results. A short anecdote illustrating how, even with good intentions, Korea still has a way to go in grasping multi-culturalism.

❧  Bullying in Korean schools and wangtta (왕따) 

Why bullying is such an issue in Korean schools – the phenomenon of wangtta, the Daegu suicide case, and my experiences trying to teach a wangtta.

❧  Best Day 

This is a 10,000 word essay about the best day I’ve ever had in Korea. It was a day spent in Gumi and Gyeongju, during which I taught English winter camp, went to a fun park, injured my arm, ate sushi, caught a bus, and used some raw fish I found in a love motel fridge as a cold compress. Eighteen months on, it’s still the best day I’ve spent in Korea.

❧  Wintery Sunday Afternoon – Bonggok-dong 

A strange essay about winter in Korea, transitory feelings, pre-emptive nostalgia, and dead kittens.