Dec
09
2014
My adventures in attempting to stage a production of Romeo and Juliet with Korean middle school kids at my university’s Winter English Camp.
Jul
21
2014
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.
Jan
31
2014
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.
Mar
02
2013
A long story about an extended attempt to avoid desk-warming, an apple, and a beautiful Korean art-student.
Jan
26
2013
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.
Aug
28
2012
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.
Aug
15
2012
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.
Mar
01
2012
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.
Dec
18
2011
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.
Jun
29
2011
A strange essay about winter in Korea, transitory feelings, pre-emptive nostalgia, and dead kittens.