Photos of Andong

Here are a few of the photographs I've taken recently around my neighborhood. Like I said, Andong is primarily farmland so it's common to see crops and locals selling harvested goods. What's surprising about it is, you'll be walking along a main street, and less than a block away is a huge storage house for grain or whatnot. It's kinda quirky, this little town I live in. There's also quiet a bit of poverty, but not really around my neighborhood. I will go out on a search for it though, and report my findings with more photographs.

Ordinarily I don't really photoshop, but I admit I have with some of these. When I see the image 'antiqued' (I know I just made that word up, but there you go. I'm an English teacher after all, I feel I'm entitled) it just feels more accurate to the feel of the area. The old-school, timeless element that's really striking. But maybe I shouldn't have photoshopped it, hmm... let me know what you think in the comment box below.

I'm always a little hesitant to take pictures of people. I dunno, I think it's kinda rude, but I going to make myself get past this, especially since I'll only be in Andong for a few more months. Besides, I can't count how many times I've been enjoying a relaxing meal at a cafe, only to have some random Asian tourist come in and snap my picture. It's only fair, right?

I came across this junk yard as the sun was raising. I couldn't get inside, but I really love the negative space those springs create. I'm going to return and hop the fence, maybe I'll bring a steak in case they have a dog that needs distracting. I've seen that on cartoons, so it's gotta work, don't you think?

Just some structures and such. I really love the way the sky looks so ominous.

Sometimes when I can't sleep, I wander about at night. These are some eerie images I've captured during those times. I want to get more of these, but it's quiet the processes, convincing my cheap tripod to work properly.

And then this one, well, I don't know, but I'll put it on here just to see what it looks like against the background.

What's in a Name? (Part 2)

In May I did a blog about names, how my students pick his/her English name, how I pick them etc. I mentioned I have a Korean name, Han Solo, and my ability to write this on the board in Korean is always well received. But I realized too late that I didn't tell you about the funniest name story EVER, hence, why I must revisit this topic.

There I was, talking to Nick and Joel, and we were talking about chicken, I'm not sure why, but it come up more frequently than you'd think. And you know how people influence you in ways you're not entirely aware of? Well, I've found I say 'chickaaaaa' because I have a cousin who says it like that. A few years back Jello and Gassy Gus came to the states and we had a jolly ol' time traipsing about the west, and Gassy Gus calls chicken, chickaaaa. I guess it stuck.

Side note: when Angelos and Kostas came to Utah, I just called Kostas 'Gus,' because, after all, it's his name. I'd been calling him this for a week before he asked me why. Apparently he didn't know it was the proper translation of Kostas and assumed I was just arbitrarily calling him Gus.

Anyway, back on point, Nick and Joel ask me why I say 'chickaaa' and I told them I have a silly cousin named Gus who says it like that. Every time I said 'Gus' the boys would snicker and avert their eyes, which of course made me wonder... So I asked, 'Hey, what does Gus mean in Korean?' And they couldn't stop laughing.

Finally Nick (or Joel, I can't remember who) points at his pants and blushes. 'Uh, what?' I ask. He said, 'You know teacher...' and just points again. 'It's a body part? For boys or girls?' Apparently the exact translation for Gus is wiener. That's right, there, in the middle of class, I had inadvertently talked about wieners to my 11 year old boys! Well, at least I made this blunder with my boy students and not the girls!

None other than Konstantinos himself, showing off, as usual, after we went to a shooting range in southern California.