Copyright infringement gone horribly wrong

I recognise the characters these statues are supposed to represent but I'm far too busy being traumatised.

Hell, look at those expressions. Even the statues themselves know they are an affront.

Found these in a children's museum.

House of Sharing

A little while back Helen invited me along on a tour group she'd signed up for.

The House of Sharing is southeeast of Seoul in Gyeonggi province. The establishment has had a troubled history in Seoul and had to move several times before they gathered funds to build the current complex they use in the countryside in 1995. Along with residences, there is a museum, several art installations, memorials, a reconstruction of a comfort station (a much more spacious, well lit and hygienic one according to the survivors who viewed it) and meeting rooms. Due to the age of the residences it is a lot like a nursing home but what it specifically is, is a safehouse for former comfort women.

I had heard the term 'comfort woman' before but I misunderstood the details. I thought it was simply a euphemism for prostitute coined during the Second World War but it's actually more complex and bluntly horrible.

A 'comfort woman' is a female (A large percent could not really be called adults) who were abducted and/or tricked to leave home for work before being forced into sexual slavery by the Japanese military in 'Comfort Stations'. They were held as prisoners mostly in tiny dark little cells, abused, assaulted and many of them simply died.

Many of the specifics are now lost ot us for several reasons.

The first, is that when the war began to draw to a close the official in charge did what many were doing at the time and destroyed the paper trail. (Putting aside the fact that a paper trail existed for military brothels filled with slaves for the moment.)

The next is that a great many of these women disappeared. Some died of disease or the primitive forced abortions. Others were absorbed into the country where they had been transported. Some have been discovered, unable to speak their mother tongue after more than sixty years elsewhere isolated from their country.

It seems to have been determined that this official sanctioned version of rape began in 1932 in response to reports of Japanes soldiers raping women. In my opinion such logic can only be obscene arrogance or complete insanity.

It may be a mixture of both. As of now, the Japanese government refuses to issue an official apology or acknowledgement. [I'm glad to note that the Irish government gave one to the victims of the Magdalene Laundries. See, Japan. Is that so hard?]

Every Wednesday at 12:00pm since January 8th 1992 the survivors and their supporters gather outside the  embassy to protest. Their response is to close all the doors, windows and blinds to block out the elderly Korean ladies. (It is officially the longest running protest in the world.)

We were brought by bus out to the house. The group watched a video, had a discussion and went to the museum. One of the main guides was an American girl. She could be a bit leading attempting to get her audience to give her specific answers, especially considering that the group was composed of intelligent adults that came there willingly. The evidence speaks for itself so it was a bit unnecessary. However she was very passionate and outraged about her cause.

We saw maps of movements (most women to transported to different countries to help prevent escape), reconstructions of 'comfort stations' and much of artwork (Art Therapy is big here) before talking to the survivors. There were also 'relics' from deceased survivors.

Very few of these women have families of any sort, those opportunities having being robbed from them. They are addressed by the respectful 'Halmoni' which means Grandmother

The truth is that many of these women understandably did not wish to speak out about their experiences. It take a certain kind of spine to out yourself through more heartache and suffering. They felt, naturally enough, ashamed and traumatised. Talking to one of the residents, it seemed to me that she only 'came out' as a survivor because she had no choice. She was getting too old and sick to live alone and had to deal with both the government and her church trying to find a relative to live with or else why she seemed to have none.

Helen felt embarrassed when she asked the Halmoni what she did for Seollnal and got the response 'Nothing. Everyone went home so we were alone.'
I had to point out that she had beat me to the punch as I was about to ask that. 'What did you do last weekend?' is a simple enough question afterall.
We weren't actually allowed, and we were warned pretty strictly about this, to ask them anything about their experiences and you know what that's fine. Why would they want to talk about those things with every gawker passing through especially when we'd already been given a pretty thorough rundown a half hour before.
That being said I nearly leaned over to give the guy next to me a clip around the ear when he did just that. (There were a good few stupid questions that day.) The Halmoni did give an answer as well as a deflection. She said she didn't like Japanese and didn't want to talk about them. Who can blame her?

Of the survivors that have come out with their stories only about half a dozen remain. (It's undeniable that the Japanese government is simply waiting for these elderly ladies to die.) There are those biding their time and then there are assholes like Toru Hashimoto. Way to go Toru, way to make your country proud.

The House of Sharing continues their weekly protests and accepts visitors year round.

Advanced Vocabulary

Science class packets come with all the appropriate paraphenalia and two flashcards.

But sometimes I must question the vocabulary words chosen for six year old EFL students.

 

Larva

 

'Larva' is something I first encountered on the subway. In between stops before the display starts announcing the next stop these little shorts play.

 

 

In the tradition of gross-out humor and violent slapstick this series motly follows the lives of 'red larva' and 'yellow larva' as they eat gross things, fight over it and get beaten to within an inch of their existence by their opponents.

 

 

The kids love it. Personally, while I think the writing and animation is pretty solid I'm just not really a fan of that sort of humor.

 

The tag-line is 'incredible comic show' and well, judge for yourself here.

Possibly not a good place for lunch....

Thank you, Busan. Now there is only one way I can respond.

Getting far too used to this sort of strange...

On the subway in Seoul. Sometimes you just don't even.

That Most Hated Of Seasonal Duties

I thought I'd be safe enough from being roped into it this year but, nay.

We were provided with company cards and I had to write them for my homerooms.

I'd like to point out that we only get Christmas Day off from work so this card thing seems just cruel.

Let the Lawyers out of the kennels...

Welcome to Lotte World!! The happiest place on, on...................oh dear.

This seems like something that won't end well.

Buena Vista's gonna sue somebody.

Lotte World. Where copyright goes to die..................and be flogged afterwards.

Kyoto - Airplane food

The food on the flight back was horrible. (No, not because it was japanese style! It was just really, really bad)

When they came around with Green Tea I was all "YES" with an edge of desperation

On the upside I successful split the chopsticks without breaking them. Go dexterity!

Japan loves the Colonel, I think.

Apparantly KFC is the thing for a Japanese christmas party. It's very popular over here. They love the Colonel.............apparantly.  =_=

Yes, that is two swords in his sash. I think he's dressed like a Shinsengumi...why though.

Someone call animal-man control!

 

Psy gets molested by the creepy horse-man hybrid outside the phone shop.

 

As if that mannequin wasn't traumatising enough they have to drag Psy into it!! D:<

 

No one has figutred out why they have that horse head thing in the first place either. It stalks our nightmares.....................

 

 

On the button.

Firstly:                                                    HERE

This will grant you great wisdom. Korean Dram Wisdom.



Secondly:                                              THIS

It pretty much sums up anything I could possibly say about Korea.

So that's what that sound was...

Everywhere I go I hear an incessant sound from the dry grasses. I'd thought at first that it was the sound of construction, then I realised that it was more likely the insects.

However it is now perfectly clear to me that I must be hearing the sounds, not of the natural goings on around me but of insidious mechanics and electronics as detailed HERE.

Big Brother is watching you...and you, and you and you.

I've seen though 'pneumatic trash collection' machines but I've never used them. They seem mostly overflowing anyway. Anytime I've passed one they've been surrounded by bags of trash that wouldn't fit.

To throw out your rubbish here, the first thing you must realise is that your old plastic bags are verboten.  I had to buy specially approved plastic bags from the GS mart which, once full, gets left outside in a designated area along with your recycling. At least mine goes outside, the others have complained that their drop-off point is on the first floor of their building and the smell can really get appalling.

I've seen staff further sorting the recycling- brave men and women. At least the insects are minimal. *shrugs* I've yet to have anything worse than a fly buzz around my head when I drop a bag off. NO wasps -yay! A short jaunt away from the Japanese Hornet......*Aghast*


Songdo.

Above you can see pictures of the places whereI go to get sunburned because I am an idiot due to lack of sufficient foliage.  It's hard to reconcile Songdo with that article because I'm right on the ground. Mostly I see, 'that bbq joint', 'the subway stop' or 'grocery store - need milk'. I don't notice that stuff because the wobbly blocks in the pavement outside of the side entrance have trenches beneath them and if you step on them while it is raining you will get dunked into the little hidden pond.  (I ruined a pair of shoes that way.)


Well, I think there should be more shady walks like in UCD, then there'd be less of this.

Solution Involves a Bag and My Head

So this week amidst all the general malarkley that children evoke I had my picture taken and introduction taken for the website.

http://www.ybmivy.com/songdo

This is so the parents can check up on us and go "hmm, what crazy foreigner have they hired to teach my precious little dumpling?"

Unfortunately my photo is not very reassuring....in fact I kind of look like I've had a stroke. :C

I've had worse but that's not reassuring considering how often I've had to get pictures redone.

I've met parents though and they don't seem too worried so either they realise it's a terrible and pretty unfaithful photograph or they have faith in their childs Taekwondo skills.

Bow-wow

A cultural thing it seems to be, that dogs here are just tiny.

Small enough to fit in your bag but others I've seen in prams of some size.

I suppose it's a space thing - although I'm the type that would rather not have a dog at all rather than carry one around in bag it can shit in. :C


That's not the point though. Behold, Engrish/Konglish gone horribly wrong.....or maybe it's ronseal. DO NOT WANT!!