Sunday, March 29, 2009

Mayercraft Carrier 2


Just a quick update as I've been a very silent blogger for the last few days.

I'm on the ship again. It's turning out to be as good as last year, but also different. In most ways, that difference is better. Like last year, I probably won't blog too much on it directly. However, I'll compile all the MCC2 blogs I find into one like I did last year. In fact, I'll just continue where I left off. You can check it out at this link: Mayercraft Carrier Chronicles. I've not updated yet. Wi-fi access on the ship doesn't come cheap. (However, trick to all you cruisers – write your emails, replies, messages, blogs, etc. before you log on.)

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Monday, March 23, 2009

[Regina Walton's Expat Interviews] Islam in Korea

Yeah, my write up on Islam in Korea finally made it into Monday's paper.

After covering other religions like Christianity, Buddhism, Hinduism, Judaism, this is the fifth and final installment on this series.

Islam in Korea

This is the fifth in a series looking into religion in Korea from a community perspective. The first objective is to give expatriates a springboard from which to develop spiritually. Feature articles will have examined Christianity, Buddhism, Hinduism, Judaism, Islam and Sikhism. - Ed.

When people think of Korea and religion, most assume it's a land of only Buddhists temples and Confucian values. However, as the other articles in this series have shown, other religions are very active here.

Some might be surprised to hear that Islam is present and actively practiced here. One reason is because of the frequent confusion of the terms "Muslim" versus "Arab." Muslim refers to anyone who practices Islam. Muslims can be from any number of nations or regions like Turkey, Iran, Iraq, Pakistan, Malaysia, Indonesia, China, as well as countries in Europe, Africa and the Americas. In contrast, Arab is a term that refers to people from the Arabian peninsula and who speak the Arabic language.

However, someone who is Arab is not necessarily a Muslim.

Photo by Matthew Lamers

Historically, Muslims and Koreans have been in contact for hundreds of years. This contact came through China and via trade. But an active Korean Muslim community started developing in South Korea after the Korean War, due to the presence of Turkish troops who had fought in the war and their presence in the United Nations forces after the armistice.

Since then, the Korean Muslim community has slowly grown.

Originally, this piece was supposed to appear earlier in the series but my interviewee, Haseeb Ahmad Khan, had to travel for a bit of time. He and I touched base earlier this month. Here is what he had to say about Islam not only in Busan, where he lives, but in all of South Korea.

Haseeb is originally from Pakistan, but has lived in South Korea for almost 10 years. He is married to a Korean national and has an export business located in Busan. Haseeb started off the interview by explaining that people who practice Islam have to pray five times a day.

In most cases, he explains that, "They offer their prayers in their offices or their workplaces," because it is too difficult for them to come to the mosque. However, he added that if they are close enough, the mosque is where they ought to pray. Those who cannot, observe their prayers at work. He added that: "On Friday we get together in the mosque."

"Jummah is the Friday prayer," and there are names for the other prayers too. He said there is a social purpose to gathering at the Busan mosque on Fridays.

"The Friday prayer is to unite the people. After the prayer they can unite to make a better community. ... They can talk and they can listen. For example, if someone is sick, they can arrange to go to the hospital - or, if they find out that someone needs help, they can arrange to help."

He explained that both men and women have these meetings. Their prayer rooms, as well as the subsequent meetings, are separate. When asked to describe the people who come to the mosque to pray he said, "(W)e have a few Koreans. We have Indonesians, Malaysians and Uzbeks. We have people from the United States. We have people from 12 to 14 countries."

Why did he become so active in the Muslim community?

"I'm a Muslim. This is our religion. Wherever we go, we have to practice our religion. When I came to Korea, they didn't have a lot of mosques in Korea. Now we have a lot of mosques in Korea. At first, I was in Seoul and people got together at the Itaewon mosque. Then I moved to Busan for work and now I worship in a mosque in Busan."

This also applies to Muslim schools.

"We're trying to open a small school in Busan. ... (For) people who are married ... they have kids to raise and they have to teach them a Muslim education. We have schools in Daegu and Seoul."

In addition, for those who are curious about Islam, Haseeb said that they have services and resources for people who want to learn more.

"Yes, they can come to the mosque. We have - the head of the mosque, an Imam (the Muslim equivalent of a priest) in the mosque. If they want some information we have a library in the mosque.

"They can get these things for free."

In their library, they have reading materials and audio materials that people can borrow and use.

Haseeb was very eager to explain that the Muslim community is very active in helping those seeking information on where to worship. "We have a system where people can ask for a mosque and anyone can tell you where the mosque is. We also have a website for the Busan mosque."

On this site people can find information on Islam in Busan.

"The mosque in Busan is near Dushil Station."

Mosques are now in various locations throughout the country. "We have more than 10 mosques in cities like Gwangju, Busan, Daegu."


Here is the Adobe Acrobat, .pdf, version of the page for you to read, if you like:
KH03242009

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Saturday, March 21, 2009

Two Bay Area Journalists Now in North Korea

Update - April 24, 2009:

I saw the CNN headline stream past on Twitter yesterday, but didn't have a chance to read it.

The two Bay Area journalists caught on the border between China and North Korea who were then taken into North Korean custody in March will stand trial: U.S. journalists to be tried in N. Korea.

Maybe North Korea has decided to follow in the footsteps of Iran. Iran recently sentenced an American journalist to 8-years in prison. This is the first I've ever heard about a US citizen being on trial in the DPRK.

I can't even conceive of the process being anywhere near fair. But, on the flip side, after 8 years of seeing my own country go to the Dark Side completely with Guantanamo Bay, I'm not sure how loudly we'll be able to object. The objections over the journalist in Iran do seem to be more of a whimper than a roar. Anyway you look at it. it's just horrible.

This isn't good by any stretch. They're all in my prayers.

More info: US journalists to face North Korea trial
________________________________

I got wind of this story earlier today. Unfortunately, it looks like two Bay Area journalists, Laura Ling and Euna Lee of Current TV, were on the Chinese/North Korean border at the Tumen River when they were picked up on Tuesday and taken into North Korea by authorities. Their translator was also nabbed in this pick up. North Korean authorities claim, of course, they were in North Korean territory.

The details are still developing. However, here is the news radio snippet I heard on it today.

Here is a BBC link on this story: N Korea Confirms Reporters Held

There isn't much I can say at this point, as there are very few facts on this case. In the report I linked, the person interviewed seems to think that they're being kept in North Korea so that the North Koreans can find out who their sources and informants are. That's probable. It's just that, unless they're experts in the area and its history, I wonder how much they know beyond their immediate contacts. The BBC article mentions that their trip was coordinated by Chun ki-won, who is famous for smuggling out many North Korean defectors. He's in the press too.

Also, there is a place called 하나원, Hanawon, which is in Anseong a city about one hour south of Seoul, where North Koreans are trained to be able to handle life and work in South Korea. But that's been in the news that all you have to do is Google it to learn about it. They know about this in North Korea already. A few years ago when I taught at a university in Anseong, one of my students worked there. I was still at Ewha at the time and had to fight asking him questions about his job. Of course, there were times I did.

I'm sure everyone will be curious to see how this one plays out. Of course, I hope both Luna, Euna and their translator get out safe and sound.

I've seen a many of reports on North Korean defectors and the hard road they face trying to leave the DPRK. It seems like they were working on another story of this type. The defectors have to make it through China and then into Thailand where they processed and sent to countries that will take them.

It's a peril filled journey for sure.

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Sunday, March 15, 2009

Reverse Culture Shock

Let the reverse culture shock begin! And, it's begun in earnest for me. It's just the little things for the most part. I'll just talk about a few because they're the ones that are resonating the strongest with me right now.


I notice that I'm much friendlier than I used to be before I moved. I think it's because no matter how much people yammer on about how rude Koreans can be, no one can deny that you would usually get a few people being really nice to you because you were a foreign face. So I got very used to smiling a lot and greeting strangers as they walked past. I was out shopping today with a cousin of mine at Ikea in Emeryville and I noticed how many sour faces and scowls people had. I'm not saying there isn't that in Seoul. There most certainly is, in addition to the little old Korean ladies who'll knock you over lest you get in front of them getting on that bus. However, most people aren't scowling in Seoul (well, unless you count the cross foreigners in Seoul). I'm also more confident. I'm not as quick to put on a sour face because I know I can defend myself, so I'm friendlier and a bit more confident. I notice that I smile as I pass and some people look at me like I've lost my ever loving friendly mind.

Eh, better them than me.

Also, there are other little things.
The pace of San Francisco is so much slower than the pace of Seoul. Seoul is this bustling metropolis with 20 million people in Seoul proper and the surrounding province of Kyeonggi-do. It's a madhouse and I have to say I miss it and its fast pace. But I'm probably going to move on to the ultimate of bustling metropolises, so this won't last long.

In Seoul, people keep quiet on the bus and subway, for the most part. Even in Seoul, sometimes people talk. But they're not having full on, full voiced conversations. I wish I could say the same for San Francisco. Everyone is so intent on making sure you hear all their business. I've got to say I'm happy I've got my iPod player because folks really need to keep it down. I know it's not going to happen, and I know I'll get used to the volume over time, but grrrrrrrrrrrrr.
It's funny because I realize I never really ever bought stamps in Korea. When I needed to mail something like a package, I'd go to the post office and just mail it. In fact, the one time I wanted a stamp instead of the electronic label they print out and put on the envelops you give them, it was a huge production. She had to get up, go to another window, get a couple of stamps and acted like it was the oddest thing in the world. In a way, I guess it is there.

However, being back home, I owed a friend some money. We're going on a cruise soon and last year I was the lead passenger. So everything was in my name. This year, she's the lead passenger. I paid up but she overpaid a few hundred, so I owe her. Now, in Korea your friend would just give you their bank name and account number. If you have Internet banking you could just transfer that money to them from your account no matter if you bank at a different bank. In terms of fees, you'd get maybe a thousand won and some change and that's a little over a dollar at the current exchange rate. If you didn't have Internet banking you could just go to an ATM and do an account transfer there. Here, um, no way. It's either PayPal, which charges someone to withdraw the funds put into their PayPal account, or you're writing a check or giving them cash.

Ohmygod. How antiquated. This friend lives on the other side of the country, the best option for her under these restraints from the dark ages was just for me to mail her a check. Um, minor problem. I've not bought a stamp in ages and I wasn't even sure where the nearest post office was AND it was something I'd remember at the end of the day. However, I wasn't up for doubling back once I realized where the closest post office to me is located. I asked someone and they told me I could get stamps at Walgreens drugstore. Then my memory lit up, yeah. I could buy stamps at the grocery store or drug stores. Cool. But then I needed an envelope...grrrr, I might as well go to the post office for that because I do recall that they sold prestamped envelopes at the US post office. Okay, back to square one. I finally got it all done yesterday. I was at Union Square and there is a Walgreens there and a Borders Bookstore that I could go into, sit in the cafe area, write this woman a check and address and stamp the envelope. Then I just had to find a mail box. I managed that, but, wow, what a lot of steps to take when what I'm used to is getting someone's account number and a few keystrokes later they're paid.

I told this story over dinner last night and my friend's girlfriend looked at me like I was nuts. I'd forgotten to add that I'm used to just transferring someone money online. She asks me if I'm THAT tapped in to the net and technology that I can't use a phone book. Well, of course I can, but I'd rather not if I've got my Blackberry handy. I'm still just irritated that I can't do a damn transfer through my online banking account!!!

But yeah, it's those little things that are tripping me up. Big things like transit passes, signing up for employment agencies, shopping, etc. no problem. Little things like buying stamps are minor drama and annoyances for me.

It's pretty much the most exciting thing going on with me now right now, so I'm glad there is something to talk about ;)

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Sunday, March 8, 2009

Blogging My Trip Back to Cali ;)

I started this on the plane. However, I’d not slept but for around 90 minutes the night before, so the goal of publishing it at Narita Airport wasn’t going to happen. However, a day or so later, here it is.

-------------------------

This has been an interesting day. I’m literally flying home as I type. I’ve gone from being very sad that I’m leaving to simply ecstatic for the possibilities lie ahead.

There were typical frustrations. For some reason, today, some construction was happening in my neighborhood. I still don't understand why construction companies are allowed to block roads during rush hour in Korea. It's madness. Anyway, due to this, it took me a good 20 minutes to get from the door of my beloved apartment that I was leaving for the last time to the main drag in my old neighborhood. Then, once I got there, every taxi was full. Usually, if I stand in that specific spot with luggage, taxis stop without me even having to hail them. That didn’t happen this morning. So I get on the phone. I called one taxi company and, believe me, I know how to get through regimented calls like this. However, there was one term that I didn’t understand. Instead of trying a different way of saying it, she just kept repeating herself. Argh!

I called another taxi company and, thank goodness, that girl was better. We got the ball rolling real fast, however, good for me that just as we did a taxi saw me, stopped and even made a U-turn to pick me up. A taxi driver making a U-turn is a big deal. Most taxi drivers in Seoul act like they’d rather sacrifice their left pinky than make a U-turn. So just the fact that he went out of his way to pick me up, a black woman in a neighborhood known to have foreigners burned with way too many pieces of luggage and bags, seven total, including my cat, was AMAZING. You can call 02-120 to complain. I’m going to call 02-120 to compliment this guy up and down (or, at least, send them an email giving him a massive shout out.) He helped me with my bags, understood when I said 인천공항가기; 빨리가주세요! (I’m going to Incheon Airport – Hurry, please!)

He also made some small talk, which is usually a lot of fun. We hauled ass to Incheon Airport. I gave him a huge tip and rushed my very late ass to the check-in counter. I’ve been flying Northwest Airlines for around the last two or so years. To the States they have a layover in Narita going either way, and that’s not ideal compare to other carriers, however one reason I use them is 1) a friend of mine works there and gives me a bit of a break when he can and 2) I started flying Northwest back in law school and with all the flying I’ve been doing, I’m back to silver elite status. You don’t get much, but you do get early boarding and some perks with checking in. My flight was at 11am. I had 30 minutes to get on the plane. They told me straight out that if we didn't get there in time, I'd have to go the next day. Fair is fair, I did drag my ass when it came to leaving on time. However, they rallied to get me on that flight. Just be warned that at Incheon, you’ve got to take the pet to quarantine before you get on the plane and it's going to cost you 10,000 won for the health certificate. Now I didn’t recall having to do that eight years ago at SFO when I brought her to Korea, but things change. However, it sucked because I was pressed in a big way for time. I tried to not panic – however, it was hard not to. I kept with my habit of saying "please" and "thank you." The printer jammed. Of course, it would when I needed things to move fast. However, the clerk got it done and we were off to the post office. Yes, the post office.

Why the post office? Well, a friend of mine drove up from Suwon to help me sort through the last eight years of my life and helped me pack. IT.WAS.AWESOME. and, without him, I would have simply left a lot of stuff behind. Good for me he did help. We packed stuff up in boxes that he’ll mail back to me via surface mail. However, I felt horribly guilty because I’ll admit I did more sitting on my butt and simply being anxious about moving than prepping to move. It really brought home how important good friends are. But it also gave me an insane amount of guilt. So there were a few things I took care of this morning after I overslept and took a cat nap that was maybe 30 minutes too long. I realized that the idea that I’d mail one box home would actually be two (and it ended up being three when all was said and done.) Now during this whole time I had someone from Northwest shadowing me and getting me through the process as quickly as possible. Again, IT.WAS.AWESOME.

It was like getting rock star treatment for dragging my ass. We got through it all and I managed to get on my plane with 10 minutes to spare. I was grateful and between my awesome taxi driver and the awesome service the Northwest folks provided in getting me through the gauntlet of animal quarantine, the post office, immigration, on the tram to the new terminal area and on the plane with 10 minutes to spare, it was a positive cap on leaving South Korea. I’ll tell you right now, in the USA a surly check in attendant would have just informed me that my flight wasn’t going to happen. End.of.story.

What’s been interesting has been my emotions during this crazy morning. When realized that I was going to get to the airport in time, it then sunk in that this was it. I was leaving. I thought about my friends and how Korea really forced me to look at myself in ways I never thought it would. I’ve made some friends that will be dear to me for life, seriously. I think, most important, was I learned some interesting things about myself.

Coming from two big and diverse cities, I thought I had a handle on different cultures and a pretty liberal perspective. That’s definitely true in the context of home. However, when you couple that with trying to understand where you are and the gut wrenching trauma that culture shock gives you (and trust me, it continues to happen even after a few years), you have to really learn how to understand and how to think like a Roman when necessary. A lot of that understanding and adapting is facilitated or impaired by how a person sees the world. Living abroad really taught me a lot. I think the most important thing it taught me was you’re always learning. I knew that in theory but I learned it living abroad for a number of years in Korea. The best way to do that is to just shut up and listen. I hope that I’ll be successful bringing that attitude back home with me too.

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Saturday, March 7, 2009

Morning Walks and Jet Lag Slugdom

I'm overwhelmingly jet lagged and, for the last two days have given in and taken luxuriously long afternoon naps. This all makes sense because when it's afternoon here, it's the early morning sleeping hours back in Seoul. However, I'm supposed to be adjusting, not indulging.

I thought I'd fight through it today because I took a morning walk from my new place through Golden Gate Park to the coast. The walk generated tears of joy at a couple of points as I used to drive from my old place to the park quite a bit. When I got to Ocean Beach, I decided damn looking like a tourist because it didn't matter. I whipped out my Blackberry and snapped a shot of the view I saw this morning.


I've got nothing else to say; I just wanted to share the shot.

Wish me luck on battling through the urge to nap tomorrow.

I've done a couple of administrative changes. I've changed my time zone and, unfortunately, I think that affects ALL the posts. So the time stamps on everything are PST. Kinda sucky. I also jettisoned the "ExpatJane" handle 'cause well, I'm not an expat now.

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Friday, March 6, 2009

DJ Nakadia

In my mad rush to get on the plane on Friday, I completely forgot I had a piece in The Korea Herald that day. I did an interview with a Thai DJ named, Nakadia. She was scheduled to spin Friday night and I'm sure it was great. I was excited about this one because it's mostly men you see doing the international, touring DJ thing. Also, I went to her MySpace page and there are some great mixes there. She's good.

All of the interview didn't make it to the paper, but I'll post it in its entirety here when I get the .pdf from my editor. Enjoy!

DJ Nakadia Spins in Seoul Tonight

When you Google "DJ Nakadia," the first thing you notice is that she's a successful female in a male-dominated profession. There are very few women who make a living DJing full-time, much less make a living as a globe-trotting DJ.

Nakadia's home club, Club Mint, is on the island of Koh Samui in her native Thailand. Since she started spinning in 2003 she's emerged as the top international DJ coming out of Southeast Asia. Knowing all this about her and learning that she'll be appearing in Seoul tonight at Club Vera in Hongdae makes it an exciting opportunity for expats in and around Seoul that are into the club scene.

Expat Living: I read that you developed an interest in DJing when you were in Europe. Please tell me that story. When did you decide to DJ? Why electronic? How did you learn to DJ?

DJ Nakadia: On my first trip to Europe my friend took me to a club and I saw a female DJ spin. I loved it so much and I knew from that moment that this is what I had to do. It was not a dream, but more like my destiny.

EL: I was really excited to get the chance to interview you because you're a female DJ. In what ways can this be bad or frustrating?

DJ Nakadia: In my case it is actually bad. Many of the best clubs in the world did not want to book me in the past because they looked at me as just one of these girls that play commercial records and cannot really mix. Over the last year that started to change when many people heard me live and now they accept me and book me. It is frustrating if people just go after the looks - that has nothing to do with my art at all.

EL: In addition to having a home club, Mint Club, on Koh Samui, you are an international DJ. How many countries have you been to?

DJ Nakadia: I only stay in Samui about 15 weeks per year to get some rest from the tours, but at the moment I play so much that I cannot relax at all. Soon my tour will start again and I will play 37 countries this year. So far I have played in 43 countries over the past three years.

EL: What's the great part about being a traveling DJ? What's the not-so-great part?

DJ Nakadia: By touring around the world I really learned so much about music and how to read people and make the party a success. It took me over 300 gigs around the world to be the DJ that I am now. I am happy I got this chance. The bad part is that I get very tired of the flying now. Sometimes I wish I could just stay in one city for a week or just a few days.

EL: You were the DJ picked to play at the 2006 World Cup Finals in Berlin. What can you tell us about that? How did it feel to DJ for an audience from all over the world?

DJ Nakadia: It was very exciting just to be there and get a chance to look behind the scenes. I was supposed to play together with Sven Vath and in the end I only had seven minutes on stage. But it was really great after all.

EL: You've also DJed for the Love Parade in Berlin before. Can you describe that for those who haven't been there?

DJ Nakadia: Loveparade is the biggest event you can imagine. It was always great, but the last one in Dortmund was a lot more than just a parade. The six-hour closing party was just unbelievable. It was also broadcasted live around the world. It is the most exciting feeling to play for nearly 2 million people!

Go to www.nakadia.com to learn more about DJ Nakadia. To get ticketing information on tonight's event, please either e-mail seoulvibes@gmail.com or go to www.myspace.com/seoulvibes.

Here is the Adobe Acrobat, .pdf of the article:
KH03062009

Here is the entire interview - some just didn't make it to the piece.

1. Is this your first time spinning in Seoul or have you been here before?

Actually I played my first international gig in Seoul, which was in 2003. After I was back again in 2005 and this will be my third time in your city.

2. If you’ve been here before, what’s your impression of the DJ and club scene in Seoul?

I am hearing amazing things about Seoul it is becoming one of the biggest clubbing capitals of Asia. I am impressed and really curious about the city this time.

3. What’s your favorite club city?

Berlin – I think there is no second city like Berlin. Some clubs open sixty hours nonstop on the weekend and the best DJs in the world play there all the time – it is really exciting!

4. I read that developed an interest in DJing when you were in Europe. Please tell me that story. When did you decide to DJ? Why electronic? How did you learn to DJ?

On my first trip to Europe my friend took me to a club and I saw a female DJ spin– I loved it so much and I knew from that moment that this is what I had to do. It was not a dream, but more like my destiny.

5. How would you describe the music you play to people who’ve never heard you and to people not really familiar with the club scene?

Every night I play different sets and I always try to understand the vibe and the people of the club. I want to make them feel happy playing music they can understand and then slowly I want to bring them to the music that I want them to hear- Nakadia style! I cannot explain my music. You have to feel it. It is at the same time deep and emotional, but uplifting and powerful as well. You really have to be on the dance floor to understand it.

6. I was really excited to get the chance to interview you because you’re a female DJ. In what ways is being a good-looking female good for what you do? In what ways is it bad or frustrating?

In my case it is actually bad. Many of the best clubs in the world did not want to book me in the past because they looked at me as just one of these girls that play commercial records and cannot really mix. Over the last year that started to change when many people heard me live and now they accept me and book me. It is frustrating if people just go after the looks – that has nothing to do with my art at all.

7. In addition to having a home club, the Mint Club, on Koh Samui in your native Thailand, you are an international DJ. How many countries have you been to?

I only stay in Samui about fifteen weeks per year to get some rest from the tours, but at the moment I play so much that I cannot relax at all. Soon my tour will start again and I will play 37 countries this year. So far I have played in 43 countries over the past three years.

8. What’s the great part about being a traveling DJ? What’s the not so great part?

By touring around the world I really learned so much about music and how to read people and make the party a success. It took me over 300 gigs around the world to be the Dj that I am now. I am happy I got this chance. The bad part is that I get very tired of the flying now. Sometimes I wish I could just stay in one city for one week or just a few days.

9. How has the Internet helped you develop a following as a DJ?

Absolutely! Without the internet my success would not be possible. Now there are thousands of people around the world that follow me on the net and when I play somewhere there are always facebook or myspace friends who come to party with me. The world is a village these days because of the net.

10. Are there many good DJs in Thailand? If so, who are some of your peers?

Music wise Thailand is very far behind the rest of the world. There are a few Thai DJs who really play well, but nobody cares much and they play mostly for empty rooms. I am very lucky to have such a big following in my own country, but until last year I also did not get a chance to play much in Thailand.

11. You were the DJ picked to play at the 2006 World Cup Finals in Berlin. How can you tell us about that? Was it exciting? How did it feel to DJ for an audience from all over the world?

It was very exciting just to be there and get a chance to look behind the scenes. I was supposed to play together with Sven Vath and in the end I only had seven minutes on stage. But it was really great after all.

12. You’ve also DJed for the Love Parade in Berlin before. Can you describe that to someone who hasn’t been there? (Ich sprechen ein bishen Deutsch und I hatte nach Berlin während des Sommers gewesen. my german is rusty!!!)

Loveparade is the biggest event you can imagine. It was always great, but the last one in Dortmund was a lot more than just a parade. The six hours closing party was just unbelievable. It was also broadcasted live around the world. It is the most exciting feeling to play for nearly 2 million people!

13. British music guru, Eddie Gordon, has said some great things about you and went as far as calling you the Madonna of the DJ scene How does it feel to get such positive reviews and feedback?

Of course it makes me very happy when people write nice things about me, but to hear something like this from Eddie Gordon was a very big shock. I remember that I had tears in my eyes at the time. This was four years ago and at that time I did not really understand what he meant. I was just a very normal DJ and did not think I was unique. Everything is changing so quickly and it such an exciting time for me. Somehow it seems Eddie knew this would happen.

14. I’m black American, and I found an article where you were interviewed about colorism in Thailand. You said the Thai media has not been enthusiastic supporters because you’re a darker skinned Thai. Do you think that’s changing as you become more successful? Do you think the election of a black American president will make people think twice about discriminating based on race and skin tone?

Unfortunately, Thailand has not really developed much in this area. Dark skin is still a sign of second class people and nobody wants to support that. At the moment I see no change. When the whole world was excited when Obama was elected, I did not see any excitement in Thailand at all. This is something that makes me very sad. And I hope that one day my country will change also.

15. I read that you have a reality TV show in the works. Can you tell us more about it?

The people from Loveparade produced a feature about me to broadcast during the TV show of Loveparade. When we worked on that feature, the producer came up with the idea for a reality show about me. We had many meetings with different production companies about this idea and now everything is ready to go.

16. I read that you’re producing now. What sort of projects are you working on?

I have had many releases so far and worked with different studio partners. At the moment, I try to come up with a new idea every week and later when I am in Berlin I will work out some of these ideas. I hope to release at least six tracks and some remixes this year.

17. I noticed that on the Underground Bangkok Radio website you’re listed as one of the top 10 downloaded DJs. How does that make you feel? Also, where else can people download or buy your mixes?

I have a few websites where I upload my live mixes. Most mixes get a few thousand downloads and sometimes the websites get the most downloads. This always makes me happy because it shows that people really like my music, even if they have not seen me spin live.

My favorite Dj-mix website is www.darkaudio.co.uk – all my mixes can be found on this site.

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Thursday, March 5, 2009

No Sleep and both Excited and Sad

I knew I'd end up doing this. I was up all night simply sorting through my things. Since those things represent the last 8 years of my life, it was no easy task. I found things like Russian currency that I saved from a trip to stashes of old pictures that I brought with me here simply because, when I found them in storage, the images were so touching that they made me cry. I would have certainly cried if I'd realized I'd left them behind.

A friend of mine, who has seen me through most of my ups and downs while I've been here, stepped up and helped me. Honestly, without his help, I'd be in the fetal position bawling trying to make the choice whether to delay my departure one day to Saturday or to just say "to hell with it" and leave any unsorted boxes, piles, or stacks as they are. However, he got here at about 9:30pm and fought the good fight by staying here until just after 5am helping me out. Yeah, I know, what a great person, and, yes, the generosity of that did make me cry (not in front of him, but I did). I'm leaving, at least, one truly great friend behind.

So with just a few more hours to my departure, I'm bittersweet. I'll be sad to go in some ways as I've really been forced out of my comfort zone here and challenged to grow and adjust. However, now I'm excited to go back because maybe these new habits and instincts will benefit me at home. Plus, the fact is, it's home and I've been away for awhile. It's time to go back and start writing the next chapters of my life.

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Tuesday, March 3, 2009

도장 Discovery

My departure is imminent and I'm goofing off. NOW I want to read other K-blogs ;)

Actually, that's not fair to me. I was looking into the process of getting a 도장, dojang, at the last minute. A dojang is the official and legally binding Korean stamp that Koreans use for official documents. Someone suggested I get one today, so I was seeing what info was out there on the net about them to see if the process of getting one is worth it for me. (Probably not, BTW.)

What I found was Surviving Korea, a blog written by a Filipina who is married to a Korean, and her post on registering a dojang at the local district office. It was great to find and, honestly, a pleasure to read because it was minus the whine-quotient you find on so many expat blogs from people from the West. Yes, I know, I've had my bitchtastic "hatin' on Korea" moments too. However, I have tried to keep that to a minimum or, at least, balance it out by blogging about the good or fun stuff that happens here too. There is some really practical survivor advice out there. One of the first friends I made in Korea was a young Filipina who'd met and married a Korean man. We've grown apart because she's still in Yeosu, which is a small city down in Jeollanamdo, and I've been gradually migrating north to Seoul as a huge number of people seem to do in South Korea.

Anyway, it occurred to me reading her blog and seeing what she's writing about is that there are at least three strains of K-bloggers out there: the Koreans, the English-speaking expats and, at least, one more, the immigrant housewives. Yes, I know there are definitely other types too, but these are the types I'm most likely to trip over.

These wives come from mostly Asian countries like the Philippines, Vietnam and China. However, of course, they have their own networks, tricks and survival tips. It was there that I got enough info on a dojang that I decided, eh, screw it. It's different when you're married to a Korean I'm sure.

I don't have the time right now, but I'm going take the time to find a few more and link to them. I'm sure they've got some interesting stories and probably very practical advice.

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Okay, I Lied

Okay, I lied. That previous "Last Shout Out" post wasn't my last shout out. And, learning from that, I'll only go as far as saying this ~might~ be my last shout out to the awesomeness that is the South Korean medical system. Who knows what might happen between now and getting on the plane.

I had a few things on my list I wanted to get done before leaving. One was to go through the gauntlet of medical exams I have to get that ranged from exams everyone ought to get on a regular basis to the specialized ones I need because of my two auto-immune conditions.

However, there are other things. I figured out when I got here that prescription eye glasses can be a bit less expensive out of pocket than back home. I'm near sighted, so for most things, I don't need glasses. However, even though I rarely drive in the States, I do sometimes and I ought to wear glasses when I do. It's not required...yet, but why take chances? I got two pair of mad stylish frames and prescription lenses yesterday for less than I'd pay out of pocket for the same frames back home. Frame shops are everywhere in Korea. If you're curious, I'll say I got mine in Myeongdong in the underground center next to Lotte Department Store, and I probably paid more than I would have if I'd gone to a different part of town. I just wanted something on the high end of the style scale and, frankly, I'm out of time. So I went where I know the drill.

Also, regular readers know that I got a bad toothache over the summer that ended up being a deep cavity that needed filling and during the treatment, which took a few days, I ended up loosing the temporary filling. That required a late night run to Yonsei's Dental Hospital. My love for my primary dentist dimmed over time because, like a lot of medical professionals, he was much more used to talking than listening. Also, I think just being in pain and having him take that pain away caused a bit of euphoria. This all happened about 8 months ago, so it was time for another dental cleaning. Yonsei was definitely where I was going to go.

It was easy. I called the day before and was told to just come in, no appointment required. I got there and asked where to go. I was escorted upstairs, even though I asked the woman to just tell me, she insisted leading me upstairs to the second floor. I payed for the initial visit, went back down to the first floor and waited maybe 10 minutes to see a dentist. He checked my medical history and asked me the basics. There was a bit of running for x-rays and a blood pressure check. A thorough exam, including a bit of consulting with senior dentists, proved things were normal to his satisfaction and he put me through a fairly gentle dental scaling. I'm sure some of you have experienced the teeth cleaning that felt like it was done by Marquis de Sade. I've got to say this was almost painless - not completely, but almost. After, I went back to the second floor cashier to pay up for the x-rays and scaling. Virtually painless.

So for those I'm leaving behind and to those that will find this after I'm gone, when you need your teeth cleaned (that's every six months, BTW - yes, the Freakeconmics guys might not agree), try Yonsei's Dental Hospital (click the picture to go to their home page, then click "English" if you need to). It's new, it's huge and you can easily get lost but the basic services are on the first two floors and there are enough staff members who speak enough English to point you in the right direction.

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Sunday, March 1, 2009

Repost from the Marmot's Hole: English Teachers and Korean Discrimination in LAT

I'm procrastinating and goofing off on the net when I ought to be packing up.

Anyway, while procrastinating, I found this gem. This is a good one and I'm reposting it because Robert breaks it down with a force that is awesome. I'm closing off comments, so if you've got a comment, take over there. It's just in some tangential way it actually echoes some of what I just said in this post, Confessions.

There’s another thing, too. As bad as the media supposedly is, fucked if I can remember seeing even one op-ed, letter-to-the-editor, etc. written by an English teacher taking said publications to task for their story writing. Sure, I’ve seen it discussed ad nauseum in the Korea Times/Korea Herald, but nowhere Koreans actually read. The fact that this is so may indicate much about the underlying problem — most of those who can bitch in the Chosun Ilbo, etc. don’t feel there’s much to bitch about, and those who bitch the most can’t.
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English Teachers and Korean Discrimination in LAT

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