Update 4

Hello all, I hope everyone is experiencing a pleasant beginning to the Holiday season!

I want to begin with some random notes.

I had my first two slices of pizza in weeks on Tuesday night during break time at work. It left a lot to be desired, but it was pizza. One of my co-workers ordered from a place called Pizza Gut. Interesting name to say the least. The only pizza-esque things I'd had before then were these little hot pocket-like things that one can get at the convenient shop nearest my work building. A hot pocket with shrimp in it is 'interesting.'

How common is it in the US for cars to have a TV/DVD set up on the front dash? Maybe it's just me, but I find that scary and a huge distraction. I can somewhat understand taxis having them because they probably spend some time sitting around waiting for a fare, but I've seen it in a lot of vehicles over here. Just another reason why I'd never feel comfortable driving here. Getting a driver's license is much more of an ordeal over here. The total process costs about $3K...it's quite an investment. Getting a driver's license is almost like a statement that says "my family has money." A co-worker of mine has an international driver's license (he said that costs about $60 in the states) so one of these weekends, probably early next year, we're going to rent a car and go exploring the mountains in the area. I can't wait to go hiking, honestly. There are a lot of cars here, especially in the major cities, but public transportation is much bigger here than in the states. The cities are built without sprawl, which is nice. A lot of US cities could take note of this. I hope to be much less dependent on driving wherever I end up living when I return.

Maybe I should give my students less creativity sometimes...at the end of class on, we have a section where the kids basically get to ad-lib words into the blanks in sentences that I give them. It's an activity that is supposed to help them think of vocabulary they already know and use it in a story. In my Wednesday class, I had a few kids talk about their friends and dogs being terrorists and being in Al-Qaeda. I was almost surprised they (ages ~ 10) knew what Al-Qaeda was. It was all in joking of course because they're supposed to have fun with the activity...but really, Al-Qaeda is what they come up with?

I thought I had more random thoughts, but I guess I don't.

I went out for a few beers on Thursday night with a friend I've met over here. I work with his wife and they go to an (English-speaking) church that has holiday functions for foreigners. I got here too late to get involved with the Thanksgiving meal(s), but will have a place to have a Christmas potluck. Since I can't really cook, he's making sure I get on the drinks list. He is coordinating it, so that's why he has that power. I am not sure if I'll start getting up on Sunday morning to go to church or not, but it will be something I consider if for no other reason than to meet other English-speaking people. All of my co-workers have been great, but one of my goals in coming over here was to meet as many people with as many different backgrounds as possible, learn about life all over the world, etc. It seems like a good situation that I should get myself involved with. We talked about how I should use my vacation time since I only get 7 consecutive days throughout the year, instead of traveling back to the US next summer, I may need to strongly consider using that time visit another country over here if I plan on moving back home after the year is up. I have a long time to think about it as I cannot go anywhere for 6 months, but it makes plenty of sense for me to visit places on this side of the world that I would probably otherwise never get the chance to see again. I'll have plenty of time to catch up with everyone back home in the future.

Today is my first payday...I am only getting a check for one week's work, but that check is still bigger than any (week or every other week) check I have ever received. Makes it a lot easier to get through those classes of mine that I really don't care for that much. Will also be getting my airfare reimbursement. Probably my biggest fear upon moving over here was just how I'd make ends meet for the first month before getting my first paycheck, but that burden has been lessened considerably by my signing bonus and now a week's pay. The cost of living here is much cheaper and that's even before considering that rent is covered in my contract. My only real expenses are food. Many people come here to save money, pay off loans, etc and I will be doing much of the same. It is really nice to not have to worry about money for about the first time ever in life.

This week really flew by quickly. On Wednesday, I didn't realize until walking to work that I only had one class to teach that day. Then the next morning, I thought "is it really Thursday already" and then who isn't in a good mood on Friday? Next week won't be quite as fun as it will be the first of three straight weeks where I have 5-hours of class on Saturday. The bright side...OT pay! :D My first big check is going to be awesome.

I went out to play futbol (soccer) on Sunday night with some friends. It was really the first athletic thing I've done outside of just running since I broke my ankle a few summers ago. Realized that I still have no confidence in it when forced to pivot and such. It's weird knowing that something is never going to be as good as it once was. I don't notice it when walking or even running so much anymore, but when you have to pivot and move laterally, you can tell what you no longer have. I hope it gets better because I had a lot of fun and it's a great workout. I was absolutely terrible, especially compared to others on the field which is new to me...I'm usually at least adequate on a field of competition. I need to get some bags boards over here so I can show people what I can dominate in.

This week I discovered a couple of chicken joint here to eat at. Oh how I have missed chicken! I finally had some pizza as I noted above and now I know a couple of places that I can get chicken. The chicken is more expensive that most meals (usually about 14,000 but enough food to last me two meals) but there will never be any substitute for my favorite meat. At least I know I'm not eating dog!

Speaking of dogs, I realized during a skype call to the 'rents earlier today how much I miss those guys. Buddy Bowrowrow, Augie, and Max, I can picture what all of them are doing right now. I think I've seen one dog since I've been here. I'm contemplating getting a rabbit or two that are on display at the lotte-mart, but I'm held back because I'm not sure what I'd do with them upon my departure from here. I'll have to check into what the guidelines are for traveling with them as I do not want to get into a situation where I don't have someone to leave them in care of when I leave.

Speaking of skype...I just got on that this past week finally. It's a free, easy download. My name on there is joseph.deien - feel free to get on there and add me. Free calling from around the globe? Yes, please!

I keep hearing the same question from many people in individual e-mails...."what's it like over there?" I keep responding with I'll tell you more when I have a better sample size. I have plenty of first impressions, but I'm still very new to this area and have many things I've yet to explore/learn. Who knows if I can even come close to describing it all in just one year? I hope to be able to answer that question in a more acceptable way in the future. :)

Now for my thoughts on Illini athletics...so if you don't care about the Illini (why am I friends with you again?), you can skip the rest.

Women's basketball: Wait, does anyone care about this? Coach Law just signed one of the top 3 recruiting classes in the nation in November. They are really going to struggle this season as they lost some players from last year's squad that was seconds away from earning an NCAA bid, but the future is bright. Coach Law knows how to recruit and could still add another consensus top 10 player to the fold in the spring. I wish someone would make them move back to Huff Hall so they could have something that resembled a home court advantage. It really would only help, not hinder the development of the program.

Men's basketball: I've been catching games online when I can find (illegal) feeds. I will be able to see more once I get my debit card over here to order the FI.com subscription. I am pleased with the 6-1 start, though frustrated with how the Clemson game ended. I knew they would get tired but it will always be frustrating to lose a game that could have been won. Alex Legion will join the lineup in a few weeks and hopefully his presence on the court will open up even more offense for Mike Davis, Demetri McCamey and Clank Meachum.

Football: Well, it sucks that there will be no bowl game this season. Turnovers at bad times really killed them. I never knew just how painful that homecoming loss to Minnesota would turn out to be. Intelligent athletic director's at schools like Minnesota and Northwestern have inferior teams ready to be blown out in bowl games while a more talented Illini squad will sit at home. I really, really hope this doesn't damage the recruiting season because any bowl game would have helped the cause. We will again have to wait at least another two years to see if the Illini can put together back to back winnings seasons for the first time in years. There is no excuse for why this team isn't going bowling this year...and the blame is pretty equally divided amongst the coaching staff, players, and athletic director. All played a part in why this team will not be collecting a check from a bowl game later this month. I'm going to be super pissed if I do not have a bowl game to come home to next winter.

Women's volleyball: They open up the NCAA tournament as the #9 overall seed and back to back home matches where they should be favored. Going to the games as an undergrad was always a lot of fun. Unfortunately, they are in Penn State's bracket...and they haven't lost a single set this entire season. I will be interested to follow their roll through the tournament...just to see if anyone can even eek out a 3-1 loss. The Illini almost took a set from them this year...but almost only counts in horseshoes and hand grenades as they say. Coach Hardin, who is a great guy, is retiring at the end of the season. When I covered the women's team during my time at WPGU, he was nothing but great. I had his cell phone # and he was always willing to talk on or off the record about a lot of things. Nothing but class and I wish him well in the future. That said, future coach Kevin Hambly has unlimited potential. He is an ace recruiter that is responsible for much of the Illini's success on signing day the past few years and should do an even better job as a head coach. It's one thing to really know volleyball (I believe he played at BYU in college), but he has an edge recruiting wise in that he is a handsome young man that I'm sure many teenage girls notice when he walks into their homes on recruiting visits. His wife played at the U of I and is on the staff so I'm pretty sure he'll be content to stay here for a while. He actually has a chance to bring home a national championship someday. Big 10 Volleyball is just about the best competition in the country, if not the best.

I think that just about covers what I needed to vent about in Illini land. I really should start a blog or something.

Hope everyone is doing well and is enjoying the holiday season!

Peace, Love, and maekju,