Back in Austin, TX (02 18 2015 - 02 20 2015)

02/18  A letter to a fellow Korean teacher of 2016

Dear a fellow Korean teacher, 

  I’m Boyoung Blake Jang from Busan. I’m very pleased to tell you my experience in Austin and Keller (my site visit). The biggest lesson I’ve learned from this program is “Nothing ventured, nothing gained.” My goals were to have as many encounters with locals as possible and see details of American culture rather than to hang out with Korean teachers since I’m in America. I assume you have similar ideas. Thus, I’d like to share my adventurous stories with Americans.

   Austin is so-called the Live Music Capital of the World, so you have to go downtown 6^th street and its vicinity. This area comes alive after 10p.m. There are lots of bars in which you listen to live music over liquor. Even a fancy steak restaurant called Sullivan’s has a live musical quartet. I strongly advise you to sit at a bar and start talking to the bartender and the locals. I could always exchange emails with them afterwards. And you can be their Facebook friends and get invited to their party. If you go out in groups, you’re less likely to talk to locals. How about going out alone once in a while especially when you feel like having time to yourself? Dare to challenge yourself; it’s worthwhile and you’ll gain confidence. Basically Austinites are very open-minded and friendly, and you get hardly rejected when you come up to them.

   Austin is a good place to broaden your horizon in terms of religion and transform the way you think. I don’t practice any religion, though. I have reasons not having been religious and luckily I’ve sort of found hope and potential of spiritual part of human life here. Please go to David Chapel Missionary Baptist Church with Mary Gordon. It’s an African American church in which you have different vibes feeling blessed with their soulful gospel songs. In addition, don’t forget to take part in the Red Bench which Abbey recommends you. It’s an interfaith communicational meeting where there’s no judgment, and any ideas and opinions are shared and accepted. You’ll definitely feel part of the community. Plus, the Unitarian Universalist Church will be a unique experience. Their minister doesn’t talk about the Bible. Technically it’s not a minister. A member of the congregation leads the service. The service I was in was led by a songwriter. Their service seems to work more for a meditation.

Tips:

• Shopping is fun. But stop and think about how much room is left in your luggage. Some of the Korean teachers are struggling to pack all the stuff they’ve bought so far. You may have to pay more than $100 for additional or overweight baggage.
• Be sure to carry a bunch of small Korean gifts wherever you go. You never know when and where you’ll meet local people. A hanbok-shaped bookmark works all the time.

Best wishes,

Blake

02/19  Firehouse Lounge

I was unable to find the entrance of the bar unless Serene told me beforehand. How could a new customer imagine the bookcase is the door? I felt like I was setting my foot onto a wonderland just like Alice did.

02/20  Starbucks Coffee at downtown Austin 
I've always wanted to work on a laptop at this coffee house just like Americans do. But there was little or no time to idle away here. The priority in Austin was walking around and experiencing other things in person. 
On the late afternoon of this last day, I couldn't put this off anymore. Sitting by the window, I was putting posts on my blog and working on the Fulbright teachers' assignment. I looked out at the passers-by. Soon the dust started to fall; neon signs and  streetlights came on. I felt melancholic and wistful. "I don't want to leave this beautiful city tomorrow morning. One more day, please" I still can't forget every single moment I enjoyed at the Starbucks. I prefer Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf, though, since I hate monopoly. 

Week 2 of Homestay & School visit in Keller, TX (02 10 2015 - 02 17 2015)

02/10-02/11  Korean culture presentations 
It was at an open collaboration area next to the hallway. There were roughly 100 students to 5th & 6th grade each. The presentations were great opportunities to exchange culture, to enrich each other, and to practice the public speech skills I learned from the last month. The students were very inquisitive and I was delighted. My hanbok was worth it almost after 10 years. It has been dead in the closet after the wedding ceremony. The traditional costume did the trick. 
Guess what? After the 1st presentation, I WAS TWEETED. Thanks, Mr. Sanchez. 

02/13  Faculty meeting 

Absentees in the morning should attend the meeting in the afternoon. 











02/13  Culture presentations to Ms. Dye's class morning & afternoon
I prepared 2 different presentations, but the students asked so many questions that I couldn't even finish the 1st presentation. I wish Koreans students were like them. I'll keep encouraging my students not to hesitate to ask questions. American students knew 2NE1's song "I'm the Best," but they didn't know the girl group is from Korea. Some of the boys danced to the song. 

 

02/13  Pep rally 

How lucky I was to be able to watch a pep rally of Timberview High. Athletic teams one after another were on stage, and cheerleaders and a couple of dancing teams spiced it up while all the students assembled in the gym. I couldn't forget the excitement when I talked to them in person. Their backflips and acrobatic performances looked awesome. They were not just girls shaking pompoms; they were more like a gymnast.




02/13  Juanita's dinner invitation

 
Juanita taught me how to make tortilla. I was supposed to make a round shape, but it was not easy to use a rolling pan.
And a nail polish night came afterwards. Juanita had SO many colors that she could open a nail shop. It was fun to test them on my nails and paint them on Mindy's. I thought she deserved the luxury though I was not good at it. I wanted to express my gratitude to her. 

02/14  Girl scout meeting & pixie haircut at Ulta & Valentine's Day party with the Gants 
Lilly belongs to the Girl Scouts. I was lucky to see what their meeting was like. It was held at a girl scout's home. All the girls introduced a member of their extended family.
I was hesitant for a haircut in America. I had a bad previous experience in LA. The hairdresser didn't know how to handle an Asian hair. But this time it turned out to be good as people say that you get what you pay for. It was twice more expensive than Korea, but I got a new customer's discount. I felt good and gave the hairdresser a generous tip. 

 

Gift and card exchanges. Above all, yummy chocolate covered strawberries! Valentine's Day party was very sweet! 












02/15  Family Reunion 
It was February 15th at 2:15pm. I was very happy to be able to see a family's intimate party and felt really part of the Gant family. Plus, tasting new food was a pleasure. 

    

This note hung on the wall of the house I was invited makes a lot of sense. They found this when they were cleaning their deceased mother's articles. 

You don't always know when you say goodbye to someone special, that it will be the last time you will be with them... 

I want you to know, just in case one day I don't get the chance to tell you, that I love you. I want you to know that you made my days brighter and happier. 

02/16  Archery range / No school (Bad weather backup day) 
My right upper arm was sore, but the shooting experience was worth the pain. I felt like Katniss Everdeen in the Hunger Games. 

 




02/17  Farewell party with Ms. Dye's class & leaving for Austin 

I put the kids' name in Korean with a heart and my name at the end just like the celebrities do. 
Ms. Dye was kind enough to have her students write a short letter to me. The kids were so sweet! 

Week 1 of Homestay & School visit in Keller, TX (02 04 2015 - 02 09 2015)

02/04  Welcome lunch at Bette Perot Elementary School
Finally I met my host mom, Mindy, who is one of the sweetest persons I've ever met. From the far left: Julie, my housemate; Ms. Kim, Julie's mentor; Me; Sarah Han; Mindy I was fond of. 
My home had 2 dogs and 2 cats though I was not accustomed  to having pets around. My family was kind enough to stay their pets away from me because I told I was kind of scared of animals. 
My encounter with Cooper was dramatic. Actually Cooper was taken aback by me, a complete stranger back then. 

9133 Tate Ave, Fort Worth, TX 76244















02/05  Dinner with the Gants and the Baileys at Mi Cucina (means My Kitchen)

The Gants and the Baileys were all together at a Mexican restaurant. I especially asked Mindy and Elizabeth to bring 8th grader Elise to the dinner. I wanted to talk to a real American middle schooler, but she was demure and shy. Thankfully, she accepted my offer of becoming a pen pal for one of my Korean students. 
Acrobatic Cat Show at Stage West Theatre 

Since Lilly's favorite pet is a cat, we all went to see a group of cats performing acrobatics. According to the main trainer, all of the felines were stray cats and she encouraged the viewers to be a new owner.

02/07  Rodeo & Stock Show 

Rodeo was a must-see show in Texas. This show was said to have more than a century old. Cowgirls on horseback looked fascinating, especially when they made their horses gallop.



I realized that copying even one stroke of Monet's Water Lilly was very hard. His strokes and colors were definitely the fruit of his hard work.

02/08  Altitude trampoline park & Geocaching

I became a geocacher. We went out to find geocaches hidden relatively near the neighborhood. They were all hidden in camouflage. The smartest geocache was the one inside the pole of the fence. 

Week 5 in Austin, Texas (02 02 2015 - 02 03 2015)

02/02  The Gutenberg Bible at Harry Ransom Center

Driskill & its 1886 coffee house

Shakespeare's Ale

Cedar Street Courtyard 

WEEK 5
The lesson I learned: Nothing ventured, nothing gained.
The real voyage of discovery consists not in seeking new landscape, but in seeing with new eyes. 
-Marcel Proust 

Week 4 in Austin, Texas (01 26 2015 - 02 01 2015)

01/26  American Culture class
I'm allowed to use the Internet since the class is about what Americans do online. I did a quiz on buzzfeed.com. The topic is "Which fictional badass are you?"
The result is as follows:

I like the outcome. I'm fond of the Katniss character described in the Hunger Games. She is independent and willing to cope with challenges that harsh living conditions bring about.

Here are interesting websites and buzzwords:

• buzzfeed.com
• pinterest.com
• gawker.com
• huffingtonpost.com
• kimchi ketchup
• guerilla knitting
• tiny houses
• ombre hair
• steampunk
• catfish

01/27 Fiesta Market

Went to near I-35 to interview Hispanics for my final culture project. It was around 5 pm. Unlike Whole Foods Market, at the same time of the day, there were not many shoppers. They probably have longer work hours and come to shop late.

 

The Red Bench: Interfaith Conversation that Matter

Guidelines for a Great Conversation:

• Open-mindedness: listen to and respect all points of view
• Acceptance: suspend judgment as best you can
• Curiosity: seek to understand rather than persuade; we are not here to "fix" one another
• Discovery: question old assumptions, look for new insights
• Sincerity: speak your truth, from your heart, about what has personal meaning to you
• Brevity: go for honesty and depth but don't go on and on

What is fascinating about this conversation is people from different religions get together at the same table and try to accept differences without judging each other. I love the feeling of being accepted who I am. I believe Austin has become a community-based friendly city due to this kind of productive efforts. The idea is similar to Humanities Discussions that are taking place in Korea these days. 

 



01/30  Bill Bryson 
I was probably the only non-Caucasian audience. While everybody was laughing, I got frustrated not being able to share the same feeling. $39 for a seat at the back corner+$2 window fee. I assumed that there must be something wonderful. However, it turned out to be expensive given the price and the size of the venue. No images or videos; Only Bill Bryson's fast delivery.      

01/31  IMAX-Game of Thrones

People were waiting in line even 1 hour before the 7pm show. Some young people were lying on the carpeted floor and using their cells to kill time. I haven't see the HBO drama. I thought it was time to see it. The screen and the sound were awesome. It was worth it. I don't like violence and bloodshed, though. 


01/31  Gay Bar Rain 

Austin is like an island in Texas. The capital city is completely different from other parts of Texas. It's safe best of all. People here are kind and liberal. 
LGBT is protected and even seems prosperous in Austin. It's all due to UT and musicians, I guess. 











02/01  Wildflower Church-Unitarian Universalist Congregation  
I like what the lay leader said at the beginning of the worship service: Do not tell how to find God. There was neither minister nor reference to the Bible. The worship leader was a professional musician. According to an old lady, one of the founders, this religion (For me it's more like a community get-together, though.) dates back to the 1500s when Luther reformed Christianity. It's amazing that people back then had such a modern concept of religion. 
I basically believe that religion should exist to help people mediate and enhance their quality of living. I'm opposed to people who blindly follow what their religious leader says. I saw the potential of Unitarian church, and this could be my religion. 

Home Slice Pizza & Amy's Ice cream & Sandy's 
Mexican vanilla. Is it spicy? No, actually it's sweeter. I was full but I kept eating to taste something new. 

WEEK 4
Nothing ventured, nothing gained! That's what I really learned! It has to be I who gather up the courage and start talking to the locals. Otherwise, they don't know what I want. In that sense, a stool at a bar is a good place to make a friend. 

Week 3 in Austin, Texas (01 19 2015 - 01 25 2015)

01/19  Martin Luther King, Jr. Rally 

MLK encouraged African Americans to march together. He gave this great speech. But what MLK really did was beyond that. He ended the terror of living in the south as a black person. It wasn't that black people had to use a separate drinking fountain or couldn't sit at lunch counters, or had to sit in the back of the bus. White men occasionally went berserk, grabbed random black people, and lynched them. Black people in the south literally lived under racial terrorism. Dr. King ended terror. 
http://www.dailykos.com/story/2011/08/29/1011562/-Most-of-you-have-no-idea-what-Martin-Luther-King-actually-did
African Americans have accomplished a lot, but they have to move forward. 
A man who won't die for something is not fit to live.
Freedom is never voluntarily given by the oppressor; It must be demanded by the oppressed. 

Thai food at Madam Mam's is not as tasty as the one in LA or Boston. It's maybe because there're more tourists there.  


Lyndon Baines Johnson Library and Museum, Campus tour 
I didn't know anything about this great president. He launched the Great Society whose main goal was to eliminate poverty and build social justice. LBJ once was a school teacher who was very sympathetic to poor Mexican American kids who came to school without eating breakfast. 
He worked very hard on various sectors, especially war on poverty, voting rights, and education. He obsessively had his phone calls recorded. Sadly his ambitions for a Great Society were bogged down with Vietnam war. 


01/20  Mini teaching 
Tongue twisters on Prezi, new vocabulary on Quizlet, and mad libs. 

01/22  O Henry Middle School

Students from 6th to 8th grade carry their backpacks and have to move to another classroom just for 4 minutes. School starts at 8:10 and there're 8 periods of 45 min. Monday, Tuesday, and Friday follow regular bell schedule while Wednesday and Thursday block bell schedule.

What I like about this school is curriculum. Morning classes are core (language arts, math, science, and social studies) and afternoon elective (enrichment, intervention, etc.). The options for enrichment are recycling, keyboarding, lyrics, conspiracy theory, gardening, etc. Students choose 4 different ones a year. Social emotional learning is for everybody on Tuesdays since it's middle school.

Teachers have 5 or 6 classes a day. They don't have as much paperwork as we do. There's even a daycare center and teachers have their toddlers taken care of. We had free lunch ($2.40 for kids and almost the double for teachers). Korean school meal is as expensive but better.

Teachers don't give their cell numbers to parents and students. They won't be any late night calls or messages. Instead, they use emails to communicate with both parents and colleagues. It's not that they have to handle matters as fast as we do. The principal uses a walkie talkie on campus.

01/23  Square dance & Broken Spoke 
I'm not good at dancing, but I think I'm in love with dancing. I feel happy to move around though I'm awkward. Square dance is such a good group activity with a lot of laughter and movements involved. Two steps are pretty simple to learn, but it's enough to get together with people. It's an unforgettable momory to dance and shout "bull shit" to some kind of country music at an old Texan bar. 

Which Wich
The sandwiches this fastfood restaurant serve are basically similar to those of Subway. But here it's more fun. There're brown envelops/options to choose from. You tick My first choice was vegetarian. Next will be Italian. 


01/24  Trip to Houston & Galveston 
One of the most impressive things in Houston is raised cross-cross freeways. I've never seen this kind roads in other American cities. It's a rare scene in a country as vast as America. 
At the Johnson Space Center, I learned a lot about human exploration of space, one of my weakest parts. Watching a documentary here at NASA I feel how phenomenal and sublime humankind has been. I'm grateful for pioneers' endless quest for space exploration, remembering the accidents of space shuttles Challenger and Columbia. A yucky thing: astronauts drink their urine.  
Time at the Museum of Fine Arts was not enough, but I'm happy to be able to appreciate more Monet paintings. I'm blind and quick when it comes to this impressionist. I've been to Boston MFA, NY Met, Musee d'Orsay, Musee de l'Orangerie, and his home in Giverny, but all the artworks here are what I haven't seen so far. How prolific he was! Some of them here depict winter scenes at Seine. How cold Monet was, rendering the wintry landscape. 
The park and trees at the museum district looks so beautiful that I want to go there again. I'm sorry that I couldn't make it to Rice University though it's near the museum. Maybe some day...

It's good to finally come and see Galveston which I only listened to through CNN news. This island was devastated in 1900 by a huge hurricane and a few more afterwards, but still exists. Galveston has many restored Victorian homes. I wonder how people live in such a picturesque house. 




01/25 Rudy's & Central Market 
I enjoyed delicious rib and sausage on such a lovely day like today. It was very pleasant to talk to friendly, open-minded locals. The atmosphere and live music at the patio of the high end market was exceptional. I was the most talkative today after I had come to Austin. I'm grateful to Jon, Jennifer, Leslie, and others for their patience and understanding. What a nice experience! 

I shouted "Eureka!" the moment I saw Basara comic books at Recycled Reads. It's 50 cents apiece. Unbelievable. The following are the books I bought: 

• My Name is Red
• Geektastic
• Across Five Aprils
• Star Trek
• Edith Hamilton Mythology 
• My Heart Is on the Ground
• The Last Battle

Americans are basically frugal. They set up Goodwill and garage sales. They don't put down used goods and are charitable, which I want to emulate. 



Sandy's 
I had root beer floats after waiting in a long line. Root beer is soda, not a type of alcohol. Its taste is weird, more like a kid's cold syrup. 

WEEK 3 
I think it's the culminating week. The past one week was the most dramatic after I had come to Austin. My encounters and experiences have deepened and I want to thank people who organized all the good things for me. Though Americans are well off, they live a frugal life and never belittle used stuff. These are good qualities I want to follow. 
Now I know how narrow my knowledge about America and the world was. I'm happy to know that there are lots of new things that interest me.