BANNED!

The Korean government has blocked websites carrying the video of the beheading of Kim Seon Il, but has also blocked entire DOMAINS, including blogspot.com, blogger.com, blogs.com and typepad.com. Come on! That's how I communicate with the other expatriates!! I thought I was working in a democracy, but now I feel like I'm working in China!! Google.com has also blocked certain sites related to the beheading from popping up as search results. What happened to free speech?!

The few bloggers not on blocked sites are offering space to host other blogs, AND broadcasting ways around the government ban. I didn't know things like this were possible! I'm not even sure that it's completely legal--I feel like the police are going to come knocking at my door at any moment. Lots of other blogs have thoroughly covered the topic, but it is ABSOLUTELY OUTRAGEOUS that the Korean government is doing this. So far I've written letters to the New York Times and President Bush, mostly just to let people know what's going on. One of the other bloggers contacted an official in the Korean government who was less than helpful. The official said that only "dangerous" websites were being blocked, so didn't know why the other sites were blocked. For now I'm accessing the sites through Unipeak, an AWESOME thing. I can't access the comments section and there are lots of errors and it takes longer than normal, but I don't feel as cut off from everyone now.

I slept really late this morning, and awoke with a half dozen mosquito bites. After my first two classes I had the hour break, but spent the whole time correcting student journals and entering daily reports into the computer. At 5 PM they talked me into buying ice cream for everyone. Despite the rain, it was still a very hot day. That class has five 7th graders and one 9th grader. They're very articulate and have good ideas about things. We talked about Kim Seon Il for quite awhile. So far it sounds like they're angry at President Roh Moo-hyun and the Korean government in general, along with the Iraqis, but no anger has been directed at Americans . . . yet.

In the next class of 5th~7th graders it struck me how just a year or two can make a big difference in the level of topics that I can discuss with them. They're at roughly the same level of English, but not at the same level of sophisticated thinking as the 5 PM class. Several of the boys, working together, wrote "Cleo loves (a girl's name)" with a permanent marker on Cleo's bag and he was QUITE upset. As Mona says, he's a "sensitive" boy. Is he ever! He took his exact-o knife that he uses to sharpen his pencils and cut that part off of his bag. We ended up getting him another school backpack from the closet to replace his.

At 8:30 there were only 2 students again, but I was ready with an alternative activity to their textbook. We did an internet scavenger hunt using only English websites. I gave them a list of weird animal names and they had to find out where those animals lived ("zoo" was not a possible answer!).

Joelle told me that I have to make a test for the adult class when they finish their book. I told her that they REALLY hate tests (some of them refuse to come when tests are being given) but Joelle said that Mr. Kim said we had to. OK, whatever.

I received some kind of bill in the mail today. When I took it to school, Joelle said that it was my electric bill and that it hadn't been paid in two months and that if I didn't pay it by July 5th it would be cut off. She made it sound like it was my fault that I hadn't paid it, so I explained that I always bring whatever I receive to the school and they take care of it. Either the bill didn't arrive, or Jennifer didn't pay it (but took the money out of my pay anyway). With the school continuing to lose students, I'm a little concerned about the last several months of my contract. I'm worried that I might not get all of my salary, bonus, airfare, etc. I'll try to get the bonus and airfare at the end of my actual contract, when I still have another month to work before Sandra returns. That way if there's any problem, I could threaten to leave.

Mr. Kim's looking really haggard these days. Part of me feels sorry that he's having money problems, but the other part feels that it's his own fault. He hasn't been getting enough younger students to replace the older ones who are quitting, and he continues to let the Samsan people do their own thing. That school has been losing money for years. What's he thinking changing the academy name NOW?? New signs, website, books, etc. must cost a lot. Does he think students will be attracted to the new name? Our school is falling apart--the desks and walls have graffitti all over them, everything's filthy, the computer mouses (is that right, mice didn't sound right) have broken buttons, etc. It looks pretty pitiful!