Padminton & Speedminton

I've been meaning to write about this for some time. I've been introduced to a couple of new and fun games that I would like to share.They are called padminton and speedminton which are a blend between ping pong, badminton and racket ball. In Korea, they are big on badminton and ping pong, so it's not suprising that padminton came into existance. Padminton uses a ping pong style racket but with a badminton shuttle. The shuttle does not go nearly as far when using this paddle so the game is a lot quicker. This means the players have to stand a lot closer then they otherwise would in a badminton game. The net is also lower than it is for a badminton game. Since the net is lower, it is still possible to smash but it is also easier to return the smash (at least I believe it is). The boundaries or scoring area is also very small, making precision an important virtue for the game. Since I do not beleive it is an official game, players can create their own scoring areas.

The next game is speedminton. This game is played from long distances. I played it with the Physical Education teacher the length wise of the gym. The reason the shuttle can travel so far is because the racket and shuttles are different than in badminton, padminton or ping pong. The rackets are similar to rackeball rackets and the shuttles are smaller than badminton ones. There are also three different shuttles that can be played with. This included a fast, medium and slow shuttle. However, keep in mind that even the slow shuttle is faster than a badminton one. The fast shuttle brought me to automatic laughter because it was so fast. From long distances, it is not difficult to rally with someone and is good training for badminton.

In fact, both of these games are good training for badminton. Padminton in particular is good for improving ones reflexes because the game is so quick. However, it is important to have quick reflexes but combined with precision. These are the two elements that I believe really help to improve ones badminton game. After playing padminton, I feel that my confidence is also boosted because I feel my reflexes and precision are slightly improved after playing a few rounds.

A simialr comparison is when I come back from a vipassana meditation retreat and and have refined my awareness of sensations and in general my awareness of being. I know one or two hours of practicing padminton is not the same as 10 days of silent meditation, though I do feel like in many ways I am sharper as is the case when I return from vipassana. Badminton is like working with the gross sensations while padminton is refining that to more subtler sensations. After working on the subtle sensations, it is very easy to sense the gross ones. This might be difficult for some to understand, but it is something that I believe has some resemblance even though it may be difficult to make the connection. 

Sports day in Hacheong

I learned many new games on sports day when Hacheong middle school battled Shang Po middle school to see which was the more athletic school. The activities were different than what may be found in Canada. First, skipping is something that all  students practice in Korea and most are quite good at it. I'm definitely the worst skipper here (for now). I will and already have been practicing my skipping and plan on being pretty good by the time I leave.

The first competition of the day was a school versus school exercise. All students from both schools were told to skip and at the end of 3 minutes the school with the most students who did not make a mistake or stop was the winner. Hacheong lost that round, but it was close. Next activity was to see who could skip longer while doing double jumps. That is, the skipping rope has to go around two times with only one jump. I only started to get this last week and can only do one at times. Some students can maintain double jumps for awhile, but it comes down to technique which I do not have yet. Even the more out of shape and non-athletic students are able to do a couple of these, so I am optimistic that I will be able to do these eventually. Some of the more athletically gifted students are able to do triple jumps. That is, one jump with 3 rotations of the skipping rope. It looks pretty cool! I hope I will be able to do that by the time my contract is over.

Next activity was soccer. Hacheong middle school has a good soccer team and it showed when they played Shang Po. We won every game and in dominating fashion. The first game which was played with the 3rd graders (9th graders by Canadian standards) and won by a score of 6-1. Even the goalie scored because when he kicked the ball it bounced over the other goal keeper and into the net. That in itself is pretty rare, but the exact same thing happened the next game for the 2nd grade class. They also won their game.

After the soccer matches were finnished they began to play Korean traditional games. Some of these would not be allowed to be played in Canadian schools because they tend to be a bit dangerous. One in particular involves one student running across the backs of the other students across the field. Students have to continually build a bridge for the running student to cross. That student is not allowed to touch the ground. It is pretty dangerous and I can see how someone can easily get hurt. I'm sure it has happened a lot in the past but this year it went flawlessly. There was three rounds of this game between the two schools. First round was 3rd graders, 2nd round/ 2nd graders and 3rd round/first graders. We won all the rounds.

Another game where there were injuries, though none severe was another traditional Korean game. This again was grade versus grade. Students were paired together with opposite gender. They had to run across the field with a big bamboo stick, go around a cone, run back and then (where most of the injuries occured) run with the stick low to the ground and have the rest of the team jump over it. However, some students would jump late, or early and the bamboo stick would hit their legs and cause them to trip. After they jumped over the stick, the stick would come back over the top before passing it to the next pair of student to repeat the sequence. What occured at times was for some students to jump over the stick, but forget that it was coming around over the top. They would stand up and they would get hit in the back of the head. For some reason, it happened more to the first graders, but at times there were some loud thumps when students forgot to remain crouched down. It was never too serious, but eventually, there were giggles from some teachers as the thumps repeated themselves more often than logically one could explain.

I had the good fortune of competing in a couple of events against some students and teachers from Shang Po. I was part of a relay race in which a baton had to be passed from one racer to the next. We easily won this race. I was matched again the Korean English teacher from Shang Po. I was also involved in a race which had one of my ankles bound to another person's. This involved three people working in coordination with each other. It was hard enough to have one of my ankles bound, but the person in the middle had two ankles bound. Again, we won the race. These wins, even though they involved teachers, gave the school extra points, though it was not enough for Hacheong to win the overall competition.The last activity was tug of war. Each grade battle the same grade from the other school. Unfortunately, we lost badly in every match. Our students seemed to be smaller and were over powered.

Overall, it was a good day and Hacheong middle school did much better than last year. I was told that the previous year Hacheong did not even win one event...gulp...that must feel bad. Next year I'm sure they will do even better.

School Trip to Incheon and Seoul

Last week I had the good fortune of participating in the school trip with Hacheong Middle School to Incheon and Seoul. From Geoje, it was a 4 and 1/2 hours bus ride. Along the way we made a few stop for snacks, lunch and washroom breaks. Unlike in Canada, the buses do not have toilets, yet they have something much better. They have noribangs systems (Karaoke machines) built right into the bus. There is a switch that makes disco type lights flash on and off in a multiple array of colours. The students went wild when one of the teachers set it up for them. Students took turns singing songs until I was asked to sing a song. I was more than willing and decided to sing Neil Young’s song Heart of Gold. I got a warm reception from the students after I finished my song. They told me I was a good singer even though they were probably simply being polite.

I thought it was a bit strange that our first destination was the Incheon International Airport and so did some of the other teachers. It is one of the biggest airports in the world and I suppose the organizers of the trip wanted to show the students the architecture and other things that the airport offered. I personally thought the airport was much like the rest of them that I had been too. Koreans don't seem to travel that often so it was probably something very few students have had a chance to do. After walking around the airport for a while, we were waiting for our bus to arrive when the students noticed a popular K-pop (Korean Pop) band getting out of their van. The students went wild and the band was rushed into the airport. Girl and boy students were screaming in excitement. It all happened randomly and was a nice surprise for the students. Two minutes later, our bus arrived and we were off to the next location.

This next place we visited in Incheon is famous because it was the place where the first Americans arrived to help South Koreans fight the North during the Korean War. There was a lot of history that was discussed and exhibited, but I could not read most of the displays because of the language barriers. Some of the displays had English writing, but few and far between. Luckily, I spent most of my time with the physical education teacher who explained many things to me about the history and culture of the time. For instance, I thought it was interesting that before the Korean War, most people did not actually cut their hair. Cutting one’s hair is a western cultural adoption. Even up to fifty years ago, Korean traditional attire was worn. Now one might only see that in a museum, parade or within a play. Things have changed so rapidly in Korea once development started.

After spending time at these exhibitions, we took a boat ride from that port to Korea’s biggest port in Incheon. The boat ride was beautiful with the many seagulls, islands and sunset. The ride lasted a little under an hour. Once at the port, it was a short walk to our hotel where we drop off our bags before going for supper at a restaurant near by. The food was great but it was almost exactly the same thing that was served for breakfast the next morning. Fortunately for me, I did not mind at all since I really like the food, but it is a common complaint that many foreign people make. Soup, rice, and kimchi can all be served during breakfast, lunch or dinner.

My room was small and I had to share it with 4 other teachers. We each had a single bed (note that single beds in Korea are about half the size of those in Canada) that lay on the floor. Korean beds are simply a little piece of foam laid on the floor. The room was so small that each bed was touching the next. This gives one an idea how close I had to sleep to the next person. This did not bother me either since it seems to be the way Koreans do things. At the same time, I only paid 120$ for a three day trip which included 3 meals a day and entrance fees for multiple locations. That night, the vice-principle and a few other teachers wanted to go out for some drinks. I always enjoy going out with the teachers and having a few beers or sojus. This led to the noribang (Karaoke room) where I and three others sang a few songs. One teacher decided not to come. It seems that if I go out with Koreans, the odds are high that we will eventually end up at the noribang. We all had to get up early, so we only got around 3-4 hours of sleep before we had to get up for 6AM.

The next day was the day that most students were looking forward too. This day we went to Everland (the biggest amusement park in Korea). However, before going to Everland, we visited an all girl’s University in Seoul where students had a chance to watch a musical called "Lunatic". They laughed their asses off and even I had a laugh every once in a while (even though I did not understand most of what they were saying). The gestures and mannerisms were enough at time to give me a giggle. The musical was famous in Korea and starred by a famous comedian from Seoul.

Next we went to the amusement park where students were left to their own devices and roam the park freely. I personally have not been to an amusement park in probably 15 years but was looking forward to renewing my youth with heart pounding roller coaster excitement. It was an exciting day and I did manage to ride the 3 biggest and fastest rides within the park. The T-Express was by far the best roller coaster that I have ever been on, but it also took an hour wait for the 3 minute ride. Afterwards, my heart was pounding and I did not feel any remnants of the tiredness that I was feeling from my lack of sleep.

The park had an amazing tulip garden with thousands of tulips and other beautiful flowers. There was also a rose garden, but unfortunately the roses were not in bloom yet. The last part of my time at Everland was watching the light show followed by fireworks. When I heard that we would be watching this, I was not overly excited. However, it turned out too be amazing! The light show was great and the fireworks display might have been the best I have ever seen. We left Everland at around 10PM and made it back to our hotel for around 11:15. I thought that the night would end early, but a teachers meeting was called and we all meet at 12:30 in the morning in one of the rooms. I thought it would be a quick affair, but then beers showed up. We started drinking and after 30 minutes, fried chicken also arrived. Half the teachers did not want to be there because they were exhausted. It must be something about Korea culture that prevented them from saying that they were tired and had to go to bed. Finally, after all the beers and fired chicken was finished, the meeting was over and we could finally go to bed.

The next day we returned and I was able to get a great night sleep. I had two days left in the work week which made the week feel unusually fast.