Media on Repeat

Inspired by the monthly newsletter I've been receiving from Kyra and Nico of Snail Mail, here, one more time on this blog, are three short films I'm crazy about. After how many views and how many years since I first saw them, I continue to draw fresh air from them.

There is something very rewarding about watching a piece of art that has elements of serious planning as well as elements of serendipity. What each of the short films accomplishes is a neat structure that supports a goal that is both concrete and unpredictable. The truth about both life and filmmaking is that planning does nothing more than get you there. It is a vehicle in which to turn the key; the rest seemingly happens on its own. I admire how each film works from a simple platform to embrace the spontaneous moments that evolve around the camera.

MOVE from Rick Mereki on Vimeo.

Blog Carnival: Feeling at Home when Abroad

It is my second month contributing to the Reach to Teach | Teach Abroad Blog’s monthly "Blog Carnival." Each month, a blogger-teacher-traveler hosts and asks a question, which is voluntarily answered by interested bloggers. Published by the fifth of each month by the host on their blog, the Blog Carnival focuses on advice and helpful tips for ESL teachers. If you'd like to contribute to next month's Blog Carnival, please do contact Dean at dean@reachtoteachrecruiting.com - it is a very welcoming process. 

I taught English as a Second Language (ESL) in two rural elementary schools in South Korea for one year (2013-2014). 

February 2015 – Sharon Couzens:

Sharon Couzens of TEFL Tips asks:

"At what moment did you finally start to felt like you were at "home" during your time living abroad?" 

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My time living and working in South Korea was at its worst isolating and at its very best fulfilling and carefree. I think I would still be living and teaching in my city of Icheon had I achieved a steady feeling of "home." But I never found my place in Korea. There are moments, however, that life was good and felt complete. Moments of home - some familiar and some completely new that fit into my world of thinking. 

First, I want to thank the people who introduced me to and experienced with me new foods and new ways of dining. Those bowls of vegetables from above, sitting among the small and cluttered market kitchen/kitchen tables, were such a sight! I had never seen anything like them and they delighted me beyond words (so I snapped a picture). In Korea, vegetables made sense, and every day at school lunch and every time I ate out at a Korean restaurant, I stuffed my mouth full of traditional Korean side dishes where vegetables are the star.