As the story has it, one day I headed to the opposite side of the globe – the Flipside. I arrived in Korea February 16th, 2005 and thought I’d do a year, then leave. I was wrong. I stayed, launched my first company, Flipside Fitness, and then opened Korea's largest boxing club, Hulk's Boxing (now called Hulk's Club).

After 11.5yrs in Korea, I then picked up one day and returned to Toronto, Canada. But then I left again.

Now I live in the Philippines where I am the CEO and head coach of Empowered Clubhouse, the Philippines' first and only boxing clubhouse exclusively just for women. I also am the founder of the Lil' Sistas Project, CEO and designer of Slay Gear and Baa Baa Black Sheep .Ph.

Monday, December 18, 2006

Highlights of my Day... Monday, December 18

1. I’m an email addict… ha, ha, ha. Before I left for work, I quickly checked my email. Turns out Ji Young, my Korean tutor in Toronto, emailed me back. So cool. He’s now graduated Toronto University and is working towards his Masters.
2. Still haven’t reached a decision about what to do concerning picking between my middle school and the university, that is, if the university offers me a position. Today I sat down and came up with a list of pros and cons… The list is still yet to be finished though.
3. I may not have the same “papers” (degrees) on my wall but I sure as heck work just as hard, if not harder, then many Korean teachers. I left my country to teach their people and, as much as I do love my job, on occasion I’ve got the feeling that us foreign teachers here aren’t considered “real teachers” by many. And now with my contract renewal being placed on the waiting list of things for my supervisor to do, I am feeling it now. Why it takes over 2 weeks for him to say a simple yes or no is beyond me.
4. Only in Korea would the contents of the staff fridge consist of soju (liquor), beer, tangerines, and old rice cake…ㅋㅋㅋ.
5. For lunch, all us female teachers headed to a local restaurant. We had a private room and so it was really nice. No interruptions. Mind ya, by the time we left, the restaurant had filled up with customers. As I stepped out of the private room and struggled with putting my boots back on, I felt as if all eyes were on me! I’m probably the only foreigner this restaurant out in the sticks has ever seen!
6. The second period bell rang and I hustled up to the classroom to unlock the door, crank up the heaters, turn on the lights, and then I waited. No students came and so I went in search of them. Turns out third level students have high school interviews today and so two of my five classes were cancelled.
7. Had agreed to host a Christmas party for my class 1-2. They’re not really an active group of kids and so we ditched my planned Christmas games and instead watched “Home Alone”. Then my class 1-1 heard that I had let class 1-2 watch a movie and so they instantly turned into the biggest group of whinny kids…. Cute, but whinny!
8. Teachers were too busy today and so my after school teacher/parents’ class was cancelled.
9. After school Kim Tae and I went shopping at LotteMart. I had to pick up some prizes for Wednesday’s big Christmas party at Wollang. Shopping took too long as I was totally distracted by the new huge kid’s playground on the second floor. It was awesome… there were kids jumping into an area of nothing but balls up to their waistline, pedal toy cars, mini race track, and the best was this area with flying balloons! I wish I was a kid again or that I could at least join them! Wow… looked like sooooo much fun!
10. Bought a chess set. Played with Kim Tae and lost. I hate losing to a boy!!! ㅋㅋㅋ.


QUESTION OF THE DAY...
Eumbong or at Dankook University?

QUOTE OF THE DAY...
As a student once myself I sat on one side of the desk, absorbing, learning, thinking. Now I have a chance to STAND on the other side of the desk and teach. I have a chance to give back, inspire, to teach.
-- Wayne Groves

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