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Teaching career photographs

(China, South Korea, Vietnam, Saudi Arabia, and England)Ch

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Class photographs

(China, South Korea, Vietnam, Saudi Arabia, and England)New P

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Employment documents

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Theses

(M.Sc and M.A.)

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Intellectual property

Travel photographs

(21 years of international travel in Europe, The Middle East, and Asia)

My hobby

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I have enjoyed electronics and programming since I was a child.

Technology has moved on since then, and now I enjoy experimenting with this credit card sized computer called a Raspberry Pi.

A Raspberry Pi is a computer just like any other, but it's very small and very cheap. But unlike other computers it can also connect to electronic circuits. It can also be programmed in a language called Python.

This is a system I designed and built using a Raspberry Pi - it is very small - not much bigger than a bottle of beer, but is very powerful in the respect that the tiny computer on the right can control the electronics on the left no matter where both the computer and electronics are located on Earth.

I short the tiny computer which could be in England could control something located in New Zealand in real-time. The electronics could also send back data to computer e.g. sensor readings and telemetry.

This is an emerging field called IoT or the Internet of Things.



This IoT system I designed and built utilizes a blend of technologies including Ethernet, Serial communications (UART), M.2 high speed storage, I2C, and General Purpose Input and Output (GPIO). It is programmed in Python. For global communications it utilizes a Wi-Fi hotspot and 4G with data transfer occurring via a secure Proxy Server link.



This system which I designed and built allows me to stream my own video content (2TB of movies on a Hard Drive in my home) over the Internet to my iPad / iPhone no matter where I am located in The World i.e. a private version of Netflix.



Some systems I build can be complicated.

This assembly allows me to turn on and off mains (240v) appliances from anywhere on Earth.lm

About me

I come from Rotherham, South Yorkshire which is 163 miles north of London.

The next few hundred photographs shows my life of work and travel since graduating from University.

London, ENGLAND.

This is me at Piccadilly Circus.

Amsterdam, THE NETHERLANDS.

Amsterdam is one of my favourite cities in The World, and my first job after graduating from Loughborough University was here. I started working for a fashion label called Tommy Hilfiger in the city center.

My job was Network Engineer.

But I worked mostly for Nortel Networks in Amsterdam as a Network Engineer and I also worked in Den Haag (The Hague) for a while.

These are thousands of bicycles outside Centraal Station in Amsterdam.

Daegu, SOUTH KOREA.

After spending 4 years in Amsterdam, something called the "Dot.com crash" happened in year 2000 and many of The World's telecoms and networking corporations went bankrupt, and hundreds of thousands of people lost their jobs globally, so I had to change my career.

Because I had worked as a Network Engineer I was used to looking at and drawing lots and lots of diagrams. I was able to transfer and apply this ability to teaching in schools, colleges, and Universities in Europe (England), The Middle-East (Saudi Arabia), and Asia (China, South Korea, and Vietnam).

Nanjing, CHINA.

Me working at Nanjing Xiaozhuang University. I worked here for about 5 years on two different occasions.

I also worked at another institution in Nanjing called JESIE, but not for long because COVID-19 broke out and I had to leave China.

Nanjing, CHINA.

Nanjing looks like this.

It is the capital of Jiangsu province.

Jiangsu province is the richest province in China.

Xi'an, CHINA.

When the University semesters finished I always went travelling.

These statues of soldiers were discovered in northern China. The emperor at the time was frightened of death so he buried an army with him, including weapons and horses.

You can see from the timestamp I was travelling in January - don't do this, I was cold all the time.



Guangzhou, CHINA.

I also worked in Guaungzhou in Guangdong province.

My classes for 1 semester looked like this. People say that people in south China are the most open and friendly, and I think this is true. These students were great to teach.

Demilitarized Zone (DMZ), Panmunjon , SOUTH KOREA.

This is the border with North Korea. It is the most militarized border in The World. This is me with a soldier from the U.S. Army.

There are thousands of U.S. troops in South Korea, and they have been there since 1953 when the Korean War ended.

When you visit South Korea today it is very westernized compared to other Asian countries because of the American presence. For example, the national sport is baseball, they have adopted Christianity as opposed to Buddhism/Taoism, etc, and they love the American food Spam.

The biggest South Korean expat community is also located in southern California, USA.



Demilitarized Zone (DMZ), Panmunjon , SOUTH KOREA.

This is a South Korean soldier at the DMZ. They stand in a posture called "ROK Ready".

Sunglasses are worn to intimidate the enemy.

These soldiers are specially trained in hand-to-hand combat and use Tae Kwon Do.

South Korean soldiers assisted the Americans in the Vietnam War. Papers found on dead North Vietnamese officers revealed that on no occasion should they pick a fight with South Korean soldiers - every time they did so, the North Vietnamese lost. Bascially, combat is a skill like any other and South Koreans have an aptitude for it in a similar way to the Ghurkhas of Nepal.

Seoul, SOUTH KOREA.

If you do not know this, the United Kingdom fought in the Korean War along with another 67 other countries, but you never hear about this. British casualties were 1,078 killed in action, 2,674 wounded and 1,060 missing or taken prisoner.



This is a Korean War commemoration exhibit in Seoul.

Seoul, SOUTH KOREA.

Seoul is a mix of modern and traditional buildings.

Seoul, SOUTH KOREA.

Visiting Gyeongbokgung, also known as Gyeongbokgung Palace in central Seoul.

Taj Mahal, Agra, INDIA.

India is not a clean country. I was sick all the time I was there. I think cows (which are regarded as sacred) living alongside people had a lot to do with me being sick all the time.

Seoul, SOUTH KOREA.

In central Seoul there is a mountain, and on top of the mountain is a tower.

This is the view of downtown Seoul from the tower.

Seoul is in a very bad location strategically, and should there be a conflict with North Korea, Seoul is in range of thousands of North Korean artillery tubes over the border.

Daejeon, SOUTH KOREA.

South Korea generally looks like this everywhere you go.

I've lived in South Korea 3 times, twice in Daejeon, and once in Daegu.

Chun'An, CHINA.

Holding a python.

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Venice, ITALY.

I travelled Europe after graduating from University in 1995.

I have also driven around Italy and visited Turin, Genoa, Milan, Florence, and Rome.

Mount Everest base camp, Tibet, CHINA

The oxygen level here is very low. You have to be careful of altitude sickness.

I took medication before coming here called Diamox which increases the production of red blood cells.

Travel in China.

Taking a boat through the 3 Gorges in China.

Nanjing, CHINA.

Attending a New Years Eve dinner for Nanjing Xiaozhuang University.

James Bond Island, Phuket, THAILAND.

The Man with the Golden Gun was filmed here

Nanjing, CHINA.

Nanjing is a walled city. This is me besides a section of the wall.

Daejeon, SOUTH KOREA.

I like teaching adults the most. These were some South Korean women who I taught.



Daejeon, SOUTH KOREA.

Teaching to adults.

Daejeon, SOUTH KOREA.

Teaching at Woosong University.

Busan, SOUTH KOREA.

I often visited the coastal city of Busan when I lived in South Korea. It looks like this from Busan tower.

Gongju, SOUTH KOREA.

These are burial tombs and they can be found all over South Korea.

Fukuoka, JAPAN.

I bought a Japanese rail pass and spent 1 month travelling around the country. I visited Fukuoka, Hiroshima, Nagasaki, Kobe, Kyoto, Osaka, Tokyo, Himeji and Mt. Fuji. Japanese people are very polite and the county is clean.

Osaka, JAPAN.

One of my favourite cities in Japan is Osaka in the Kansai region of Honshu, but it's not cheap.

This is the view of the Osaka skyline from the Umeda Sky building.

Osaka, JAPAN.

A photograph I took of the Umeda Sky building.

Osaka, JAPAN.

This is a famous and touristy part of Osaka.

There's lots or bars and restaurants here and all are expensive.

Osaka, JAPAN.



You can get good views of the city from this tower (see next photograph).

Osaka, JAPAN.

View of the city from the tower.

Osaka, JAPAN.

Street food in Japan.

Travel, JAPAN.

Heading to Nakasaki - the place where the second atomic bomb was dropped.

Nagasaki, JAPAN.

Downtown Nagasaki.

People come here to feed the fish (bottom left of photograph).



Nagasaki, JAPAN.

The was the epicenter of where the second atomic bomb was detonated killing 226,000 people.

It was a plutonium bomb and was called Fat Man.

There is a museum about the atomic bombing of the city.

The destruction was unreal.



Fukuoka, JAPAN.

After touring around Japan my trip ended at the port city of Fukuoka, and I booked a cabin and headed back to South Korea.

Travel, SEA OF JAPAN.

Having a few Japanese beers watching the Sea of Japan go by.

Travel, SOUTH KOREA.

Arriving back in South Korea from Japan.

This is the Busan tower.

Oriental Pearl Tower, Shanghai, CHINA.

The is a glass floor at the top of the tower. It's hard to overcome nervousness at first because your brain is telling you this is not normal.

Some people panic and start to hyperventilate when doing this.

Shanghai, CHINA.

View from the World Financial Center looking towards the Jin Mao tower.

Shanghai, CHINA.

At the viewing deck of The World Financial Centre.

Shanghai, CHINA.

A photograph I took in Pudong district of the 3 tallest towers.

I have been to the top of the World Financial Center (left) and the Jin Mao tower (middle), but the tower on the right was still under construction.



Shanghai, CHINA.

Shanghai Pudong district at night.

Shanghai, CHINA.

This is The Bund at night, the buildings look English, and Shanghai has the atmosphere of London.

Shanghai, CHINA.

This is traditional scenic area of Shanghai, and behind me is a famous Tea House.

Shanghai, CHINA.

I mostly visit the areas of The Bund, Pudong, and Nanjing Road, but the city is massive (18,500,000 people), and I always explore other districts when I visit.

Shanghai, CHINA.

This is an interesting market in Shanghai as everything sold here is fake.



I often come here to buy shirts for work because they're cheap but still good quality.

Shanghai, CHINA.

Buying shirts and ties which would last me an 18 week semester.

Shanghai, CHINA.

After paying for the shirts and ties I was given a menu of other fake items they could sell me - Rolex watches,  and Prada, Gucci, and LV handbags.

Travel in China.

Chinese does not use an alphabet, instead there is a unique character for every word.

Shanghai is made of two characters - "Shang" and "Hai" to spell Shanghai.

This graphic shows how Chinese words are formed.



Travel in China.

China has the biggest bullet train network in The World.

This is the best way to get around China, it's called the CRH. I could get from Nanjing to Shanghai in about 1 hour 30 minutes, depending on the number of stops.

Nanjing, CHINA.

Practicing writing (drawing) Chinese characters. The girls who worked at this bar helped me out, and I helped out them with their English.

Travel.

Flying to Shanghai from England is a long way and usually needs a stop-over half way. Direct flights from London are very expensive.

In this photograph, I have just set off from Turkey to Shanghai and I am in for hours and hours of flight across Asia.

Tokyo, JAPAN.

Tokyo – with  37 million people, the Greater Tokyo Area is the most populous metropolitan area in The World.

You can get great views of the city from the Tokyo tower which is the orange tower on the left.

]Tokyo, JAPAN.

Exploring the city by night.

I find that China, South Korea, and Japan are similar looking countries, but the cultures are different.

Mount Fuji, JAPAN.

This is a famous mountain near Tokyo. I didn't go up to the top, I just went to the cloud-base (where clouds form).

Mount Fuji, JAPAN.

According to many travel guides it takes between 4-10 hours to reach the top of Mount Fuji which gives a good idea about the scale.

Taking a break before continuing up the mountain / volcano.

Mount Fuji, JAPAN.

I cloud coming towards me.

Mount Fuji, JAPAN.

Trying to touching passing clouds.

You can't really touch clouds as up-close clouds are just like thick fog or vapor which has clustered.

You can kind of touch a cloud, but you're just touching fog, it only looks like a cloud when you are observing it from a distance i.e. at higher altitude from the surface of the Earth.

Mount Fuji, JAPAN.

Back at the base of Mount Fuji, you can see it's a big mountain / volcano.



Kyoto, JAPAN.

Japanese people are cute.

This is me with a Japanese young woman wearing traditional Kimono.

Kyoto, JAPAN.

Fushimi Inari shrine was an unusual landmark in Kyoto.

It is 230 meters of hundreds of bright red torii (gates).

This shrine holds religious and personal significance to local residents. 

Kyoto tower, JAPAN.

You can visit the top and get good view of the city (see next photograph).

Kyoto, JAPAN.

View of the city from the tower.

Kyoto, JAPAN. 

This is the Gion district, a historic place in the heart of Kyoto and you can see Geishas here.

People here also wear traditional Kimono - like these two women.



Kyoto, JAPAN.

Cute traditional Kyoto couple.

Kyoto, JAPAN.

Making friends drinking with the locals.

This was a heavy metal bar, and I think it was recommended by the Lonely Planet guide.

Kyoto, JAPAN.

If you are travelling on a shoestring these places are great and are everywhere in Japan.

They are called Manga cafes, and they are like little private rooms for you to surf the internet, watch TV, and get some sleep.

Kyoto, JAPAN.

You can hire these rooms by the hour, by half day, or for 24-hours.

Kyoto, JAPAN.

There's not much room in these Manga cafe rooms, but they're good if you just want to get out of the afternoon sun and sleep for an hour or so before resuming exploring the city.

Kyoto, JAPAN.

After trying both Capsule hotels like this and Manga cafe rooms, I preferred Manga cafe rooms because they were just more convenient, spacious, and had internet. Some Manga cafes had a lot of other facilities too like DVD rentals, food and drink services, and showers. There is a good chain of Manga cafes called Popeyes.



Tokyo, JAPAN.

Backpacking in Japan by shinkansen bullet train.

Tokyo, JAPAN.

This is a crazy hamburger you can buy in Japan. It has 10 hamburgers inside!

I never understood what kind of person would buy this never mind finishing it.

Riyadh, SAUDI ARABIA.

I spent about 2 years in Riyadh working at King Saud University.

This is me messing around with Saudi students by wearing a shemagh.

Nanjing, CHINA.

I cannot speak Chinese, and it is also a tonal language which means there are 4 different ways to say a word. If you don't get the tone correct, the meaning gets lost.

Instead, I learned how to write (some) Chinese.

This is me asking for a train ticket, I drew them a picture of what I wanted. They understood it when I handed it to them.

It says "Hello, I would like a one way ticket to go to Shanghai today at 1pm. I want a second or first class ticket, and I want the CRH bullet train, thank you".

Grindelwald, SWITZERLAND.

I lived in Switzerland near the capital Bern.

Switzerland is the most scenic and picturesque country I have ever seen.

Grindelwald, SWITZERLAND.

Another photo of Grindelwald and the famous mountains there.



Zhouzhuang, CHINA.

China also has some scenic and picturesque places. This was the view from my hotel window.

Daejeon, SOUTH KOREA.

Lunch in South Korea generally looks like this.

Nanjing, CHINA.



This scenic area is called Fuzi Miao.

Tokyo, JAPAN.

Me in Shinjuku district.

Shanghai, CHINA.

I come from Sheffield which has a population of 530,000 people.

Shanghai is a maga-city and has 18,500,000 people.

Shanghai has become so big it is now its own province.

Los Angeles, USA.

Visiting Hollywood.

This was my first taste of travelling overseas.

It was quite an adventure. I got guns pointed at me by the Bel Air police because I'd fallen asleep in the car near to the area where former President Regan lived.

I also got sued for damage to a car despite the fact she'd hit me.



Los Angeles, USA.



The television series "Baywatch" was filmed here.

Travel in USA.

On the freeway heading to San Diego from Los Angeles.

San Diego, USA.

I have travelled to 40 cities in China, but my main hope is to travel the USA - all 50 states.

I have only been to California, visiting Los Angeles and San Diego.

Landing at Los Angeles international airport (LAX) at night is an amazing sight.

San Diego, USA.

I liked San Diego. It is home to the U.S. Navy's Pacific fleet.

Behind me are aircraft carriers.

Moored up in the harbour was also the USS Vincennes, the U.S. Navy cruiser which mistakenly shot down and Iranian airliner, killing all 290 people on board. This is one of the many reasons why Iran doesn't like the USA.

Riyadh, SAUDI ARABIA.

This is downtown Riyadh from the Faisalia Tower.

The arrow shows the location of the University where I worked.

I never felt safe in Saudi Arabia, there was always the risk of terrorism against foreigners, especially westerners. Note that, 11 of the 15 hijackers on September 11th were Saudis.

Badaling, CHINA.

At the Great Wall of China with a student and another teacher.

I was working at the University of Science & Technology Beijing (USTB) at the time.

Badaling, CHINA.

This is me with one of my students at The Great Wall of China.

The student went by the English name "Wendy" and we hung-out a lot.

She'd help me out with anything Chinese, and I'd take her out to dinner in return.



Beijing, CHINA.

This was where I first started teaching overseas in 2004.

This is The University of Science & Technology Beijing (USTB).

I didn't work at the main campus, instead I worked at a small satellite campus in Guangzhuang district. It took about 25 minutes to get to Tian'anmen Square by taxi from here.

Beijing, CHINA.

Me with some of my students at the Guangzhuang campus of USTB.

Beijing, CHINA.

This was one of my first classes.

I am still in touch with these students. Most are now married and have children.

Whenever I visit Beijing I meet up with them and we go out to dinner.

Beijing, CHINA.

Meeting up for dinner with some of my former students from The University of Science & Technology Beijing (USTB). One of the girls in this photo is in the photo above (Linda).

Beijing, CHINA.

This was Linda and another student when I was her teacher at USTB.

Amsterdam, THE NETHERLANDS.

Meeting up with Linda when she visited Europe for her job.

Beijing, CHINA.

Me taking a break after class at USTB.

Beijing, CHINA.

Me with another student called Mary.

Beijing, CHINA.

This was a student who I taught privately.

Beijing, CHINA.

This is Tian'anmen Square.

Beijing, CHINA.

This is the ancient Forbidden City in downtown Beijing next to Tian'anmen Square.

Beijing, CHINA.

This is the Temple of Heavenly Peace close to the city center.



Beijing, CHINA.

End of semester photograph.

I am on the front row.



Beijing, CHINA.

Another end of semester photograph.

I am on the front row.

Travel, CHINA.

This is what my name looks like in Chinese and how it would be sounded out by a Chinese person reading this.

But because Chinese don't have the same sounds in their language it sounds a little strange. For example, when some Chinese try to pronounce my name "Chris" when they read it, it sounds like they're saying the girls name "Carissa".

Travel, CHINA.

Lonely Planet travel guides contain essential information for travelling in any county or city. You can now buy E-Books instead of conventional books which you can then put on your iPhone. These guides have helped me a lot over the year with maps, places to see, eat, shop, bank, etc, etc.

Travel, CHINA.

Adding the Lonely Planet guides to my iPhone and iPad.

Another good idea is to E-Mail the .pdf file to yourself and then you can sit in Internet Cafes reading them.

Daejeon, SOUTH KOREA.

I have lived in this city twice working for Woosong University.

I was also a student at Woosong University and I did a Masters Degree in Teaching.

Daejeon, SOUTH KOREA.

Me doing my Masters Degree in South Korea.

The man on the left was my main teacher called Dr. David Kent.

The two women were South Korean students in my class.

Brugge, BELGIUM.

After living in The Netherlands for 4 years, I didn't think Belgium was any different.

Brussels, BELGIUM.

This is Manneken Pis and is a famous landmark bronze fountain sculpture in central Brussels.

It is probably the most overrated tourist attraction I have ever seen in 21 years of travel.

Brussels, BELGIUM.

Perhaps the strangest building I have ever seen during travel to 40 countries, it is called to Atomium.

Brussels, BELGIUM.

The Grand Place or "Grand Square" is a scenic square. I didn't spend much time in Belgium, I was just passing through. 

Tokyo, JAPAN.

This is a capsule hotel in Tokyo.

Although the Japanese are known to be the hardest workers in The World and work the longest hours, there is a heavy drinking culture in Japan amongst office workers. Capsule hotels were introduced so that drunk office workers who'd missed their train home could sleep somewhere cheap (Tokyo hotels are very expensive).

Guangzhou, CHINA.

One good thing about living in Guangzhou is that it is very close to Macau and Hong Kong, so I'd spent my weekends there.

Macau, CHINA.

I visited the famous casinos in Macau.... and lost.

Don't come here with lots of money to spend, you're going to lose it all. Before you even enter casinos like this, the odds are already stacked against you "statistically" - bad luck has nothing to do with you losing.

Maybe just stick to playing the UK National Lottery every weekend.

Hong Kong, CHINA.

This is a famous bar in Hong Kong, it is next to the Bank of China building and HSBC building. It is called Sevva bar, the address is: 25/F, Landmark Prince's, 10 Chater Rd, Central, Hong Kong.

Don't expect much change when buying drinks here.

Guangzhou, CHINA.

Starting work at Peizheng College.



Guangzhou, CHINA.

Peizheng College, I worked here for 1½ years. I left here before the arrival of another summer semester because I wanted to avoid teaching in a classroom which was the same temperature as the outside (37 Degrees Celsius).

I like working in China at Universities and colleges, but they have neither heating or air-conditioning. The summer and winters are miserable.

Guangzhou, CHINA.

The good thing about Peizheng College was that it was in the countryside so the air was quite fresh and also the campus was scenic and had lakes and gardens.

Guangzhou, CHINA.

Me eating fruit next to another lake on campus.

Although the campus was scenic because it was in the countryside outside the mega-city of Guangzhou there was a big trade-off - it took about 2 hours of travel to get into the city center. There was also not much to do outside of the campus.

Guangzhou, CHINA.

A good thing about working at Peizheng College is that I could get to Hong Kong easily by bus. I lived in Huadu district of Guangzhou and a bus departed to Hong Kong from the center of Huadu town 6 times per day, and cost only £15 (US$17).

This is a screen-shot of my iPhone screen setting off to Hong Kong.

Guangzhou, CHINA.

Another good thing about Peizheng College was that they offered free accommodation which was also on campus in what they called the "Teacher's village".

I lived here (arrow).

Guangdong, CHINA.

Evenings in the "Teacher's village" looked like this.

Guangdong, CHINA.

The best thing about Peizheng College was the students.

It were very easy going and I liked teaching them.

Guangzhou, CHINA.

A birthday gift from one of my students.

Guangzhou, CHINA.

I think my students at Peizheng had iPhone addition or rather Huawei addition.

Guangzhou, CHINA.

China is probably the best place in The World for food.

This is a big attraction, you won't need to cook because restaurants are everywhere and this competition makes them very cheap.

When I worked in Guangzhou, in 1½ years I never cooked once.

One good tip, if you are in China and want to eat somewhere which has good food and is cheap, go to a University district, and follow the students.

Seoul, SOUTH KOREA.

Winter in Seoul.

Don't think because Seoul is in Asia it is always warm.

The winters here are bad, many soldiers during the Korean War for example died of hypothermia.



.

Guangzhou, CHINA.

I lived in Guangzhou for about 1½ years.

It is another mega-city like Shanghai.

Daegu, SOUTH KOREA.

I worked in Daegu at the Catholic University of Daegu for about 1½ years.

Daegu, SOUTH KOREA.

This is a photo I took of downtown Daegu.

l have never been to a city with so many pretty women. Even the Korean's say this.



Daegu, SOUTH KOREA.

The campus at The Catholic University of Daegu was probably the best of any University I have worked.

The campus in summer was lush, with flowers, and a mountains backdrop.

Daegu, SOUTH KOREA.

The campus at The Catholic University of Daegu looked like this.

Daegu, SOUTH KOREA.

Teaching at The Catholic University of Daegu.

Daegu, SOUTH KOREA.

This is a typical timetable when teaching at Universities in countries like China and South Korea.

You can see that I don't work a 9-5 job when I work overseas. In addition, I receive about 2-3 months holiday per year, in the UK I'd get around 25 days.

The accommodation is also free and usually has free Wi-Fi, but sometimes you have to pay for gas, water and/or electricity depending on the place.

Accommodation is also on campus, which means you don't need a car. So, what I don't spend on a car, I spend on travel to neighbouring countries in the holiday periods, and have done this for 16 years. This is how I have managed to visit 40 countries and hundreds of places.

Daegu, SOUTH KOREA.

The very first class with new students I always do this - introducing myself and giving important information to the students.

Firstly, I give them my E-Mail address and phone number - the knife with blood dripping off it tells the students if they call me at 1am (like one student did) I'll kill them!

I then tell them where I come from, and my country. Actually there is a lot of confusion in The World of the meaning of Britain, England, and United Kingdom - you can actually say you are from either of these 3 places. I explain we have sheep in Wales, cheese in England, and moutains in Scotland etc, and were I come from there are factories which did make steel.

I then explain the course to them in terms of grading i.e. Attendance, Presentation, Participation, Midterm exam and Final exam.



Daegu, SOUTH KOREA.

Typical class at The Catholic University of Daegu.

Daegu, SOUTH KOREA.

Teaching at The Catholic University of Daegu - messing around with one of my students.

She wanted to take a selfie with my on her phone, she then sent it to me.

Daegu, SOUTH KOREA.

End of the semester...

Daegu, SOUTH KOREA.

Teaching at The Catholic University of Daegu - me with the same student as above, plus her friend.

She wanted to take another picture with the blossom trees in full flower. 

The blossoming trees are a very famous attraction in South Korea.

Daegu, SOUTH KOREA.

Teaching at The Catholic University of Daegu - these were the trees blossoming on the University campus.

Many students came here to take photographs.

The students recommended I visit the city of Jinhae which is famous for its annual cherry blossom festival every spring.

Jinhae, SOUTH KOREA.

I went to Jinhae to see the cherry blossom, but most of it had fallen. It doesn't last long.



Travelling, SOUTH KOREA.



Daegu, SOUTH KOREA.

I liked working at The Catholic University of Daegu, but it's hard to find a place which is just right.

For example, working at this University had many pros, but also some significant cons.

The biggest con was that even though the place was called The Catholic University of Daegu, the campus was not actually near the city of Daegu. It was actually located in a small town called Hayang in the countryside and getting into Daegu city was a pain because it took busses and subways and 45 minutes of travel to get there.

Getting back to the campus in the countryside was even worse if you went into the city at the weekends to drink. Taxi drivers would refuse to take you back to Hayang because they could not find any customers on the way back to Daegu. Trains and busses has also stopped until 7am.

Also, many Korean students choose to study in the city where they live so they can live at home with their parents for the 4 years of study and save a lot of money compared to say, living in Seoul for 4 years. So this University resembled a school whereby the students came to classes in the morning and then went home about 4pm-5pm. This meant there was not a lively campus atmosphere compared to other places where I'd worked.

Ulsan, SOUTH KOREA.

I visited the city of Ulsan, not a bad city I suppose, but then again, most South Korean cities look identical.

The cities in South Korea probably look identical because much of the country was devastated by the the Korean War i.e. 68 nations of The World turned up for a fight!

I guess when cities were rebuilt they all followed the same blueprint.

This city is famous for a large Ferris-wheel in the city center. It gives good views over the city (see next photograph).

Ulsan, SOUTH KOREA.

South Korea cities look space-age at night. This one looks like something from the movie "Blade runner".

Ulsan, SOUTH KOREA.

I got a little surprise when I was exploring the city center of Ulsan, I ran into one of my students at The Catholic University of Daegu - small World!

Seoul, SOUTH KOREA.

Food is sold everywhere in South Korea, even small supermakets have microwave ovens and boiling water for the customers. There are also street vendors and cheap small restaurants everywhere. This works out well when travelling as you can get s snack 24-hours per day.

This is Korean street food, it's cheap and really spicy.

Daegu, SOUTH KOREA.

In the West we have crisps as a snack, in South Korea they have this and there must he 100 different flavours to try.

I like this one, it was really hot and spicy, the also have a good cheese flavour too.



Every supermarket and small store in South Korea sells these types of noodles, you can prepare them  by looking for the water boiler in the supermarket or store.

Daegu, SOUTH KOREA.

These places are everywhere and can be found on any city street.

You choose what you want and they generally cook it with a blowtorch.

These places are really cheap, but the quality is a little low.



Daegu, SOUTH KOREA.

Another good snack food when travelling is dumplings. Available anywhere and pretty much 24-hours per day.

But, you get what you pay for when it comes to dumplings. If dumplings are cheap the meat inside will be low quality or there'll be very little of it. I'd recommend going to a restaurant if you want to eat proper dumplings.

Daegu, SOUTH KOREA.

Travelling around any country gives you a chance to try out local dishes of the places you visit.

This meal for 1 has got many small side dishes with it, this is very common in South Korea.

Daegu, SOUTH KOREA.

In England we have Fish & Chips, in South Korea they have this - it is called Bibimbap.

Bibimbap is served as a bowl of warm white rice topped with namul or kimchi and gochujang, soy sauce, or doenjang. A raw or fried egg and sliced meat are common additions. The hot dish is stirred together thoroughly just before eating.



Daegu, SOUTH KOREA.

Generally, most South Korean dishes look like this - colourful, spicy, sour, and hot.

Many dishes are kept warm by a gas stove underneath like this dish.

Daegu, SOUTH KOREA.

South Korea is hot and humid in summer.

Crushed ice smoothies are really popular during the summer months.

Giethoorn, THE NETHERLANDS.

Winter travel in Holland.

Travel.

I have spent most of my working life in Asia.

Asia is a great place to live and work, but the travel times are bad getting there and back.

It can take me between 24-36 hours to get back to my home in England from China, this is usually because there is a stop-over for refueling.

Menwith Hill, ENGLAND.

One advantage of living in Yorkshire is that we are a primary target for Russian nuclear weapons called ICBMs.

A Russian first-strike will almost certainly target the American early warning and eavesdropping base at Menwith Hill which means Yorkshire people will be spared the horror of survival!!!

This is good to know.



York, ENGLAND.

York is one of my favourite cities in England.

Daegu, SOUTH KOREA.

Me with Korean University students.

Guangzhou, CHINA.

Me in downtown Guangzhou.

Hong Kong, CHINA.

Hong Kong is one of my favorite cities in Asia.

But it's very expensive. A beer in a bar is typically £8 or around US$10 and that is just for a can out of a refrigerator. Draught beer is even more expensive.

Hong Kong, CHINA.

One of my favourite beaches in Asia - Repulse Bay on Hong Kong island.

This is a very rich neighbourhood, property here costs tens of millions of US dollars i.e. there is a Ferrari showroom next to the beach!

Hong Kong, CHINA.

Because bars in Hong Kong are so expensive, you sometimes see this.

Instead of going to bars, some people just visit a 7-11 convenience store and drink outside it on the streets.

Basically supermarkets become bars at night.

Hong Kong, CHINA.

When you cross from Kowloon to Hong Kong island the famous Star ferry drops you here.

Hong Kong, CHINA.

Open top busses are a good way to see the city and all the skyscrapers.

Hong Kong, CHINA.

One unusual sight in Hong Kong is this - crowds of Filipinos sat everywhere an anywhere in the city.

At first I thought these were homeless people because they were using cardboard boxes, but they're not homeless people, they are just socialising in the street.

Hong Kong, CHINA.

More Filipino people socialising on a pedestrian overpass.

I always wondered why they didn't go to the parks.



Hong Kong, CHINA.

Hong Kong island at night.

Hong Kong, CHINA.



Looking back towards Hong Kong island across the harbor at Kowloon.

Hong Kong, CHINA.

Me in a plush hotel downtown, I could afford a drink here, but you wouldn't want to pay for a room in a place like this, the room rates are ridiculous.

One thing about Hong Kong is that large corporations are happy to pay crazy room rates in order to make their corporation present a wealthy and prestigious image.

Hong Kong, CHINA.

It was really convenient for me to visit Hong Kong at the weekends when I lived in China because, by chance, a bus departed from Huadu district (where I lived in Guangzhou) to downtown Hong Kong about 6 times per day.

This is me in Hong Kong waiting for my bus back to Guangzhou at the end of the weekend.

Hong Kong, CHINA.

When flying back to England, I'd usually fly out from Hong Kong airport.

You can see in this photograph that Hong Kong is actually a collection of big and small islands.

Guangzhou, CHINA.

My students bought me a birthday cake.

Guangzhou, CHINA.

Department staff photo - I am at the back (red arrow).

Guangzhou, CHINA.

One of my favourite classes.

Hong Kong, CHINA.

After exploring Kowloon all day, I relaxed at Hong Kong harbour.

Hong Kong, CHINA.

Kowloon overlooking Hong Kong island on New Year's Day.

Guangzhou, CHINA.

I have been backpacking in The World for 21 years in 40 countries.

Here I am packing my trash to visit Hong Kong for the weekend as it was close to Guangzhou.

H

Xuzhou, CHINA.

Winter travel in Jiangsu province.

Travel in China.

I visited the 3 Gorges Dam, which at the time was The World's largest engineering project.

It is a dam and hydro-electric power-station, and is still breaking output records.

But this dam was controversial because thousands of people were forcibly moved from their homes, and whole towns were flooded so the dam could operate.

Rotherham, ENGLAND.

I live close to this estate called Wentworth Woodhouse.

The front is wider than Buckingham Palace.

Rotherham, ENGLAND.

I am from Yorkshire.

Yorkshire people survive by eating this - Fish & Chips (with curry sauce).

Rotherham, ENGLAND.

A lot of Yorkshire looks like this.

Rotherham, ENGLAND.

Me and my mother.

York, ENGLAND.

York is a nice place to live but it often gets flooded (see next 2 photos).

York, ENGLAND (2021).

When I was in England in January 2021, York was flooded.

York, ENGLAND.

I usually sit by this river and have lunch, but not today.

Hong Kong, CHINA.

Spending the weekends at Repulse Bay.

Hong Kong, CHINA.

When I came to Hong Kong at the weekends, I'd spend Friday night in Kowloon, Saturday exploring Hong Kong island, and Sunday at the beach at Repulse Bay.

Here I am checking the time of my bus ticket back to Guangzhou in order to be sure I get back for Monday morning classes.

The best place to live in China if you want visit Hong Kong often is the city of Shenzhen.

Hong Kong, CHINA.

The beach at Repulse Bay.

Rotherham, ENGLAND.

I sometimes miss English food when I am overseas.

Guangzhou, CHINA.

Meeting new students, I can write a little Chinese on the board. I learned about 1,000 characters, but I didn't really write them, I draw them.

Guangzhou, CHINA.

I enjoy working as a teacher at Universities and colleges in China, the campuses are good.

Busan, SOUTH KOREA.

South Korea is not a bad country to live and work, but it is a small country like England and there is not much to see.

Sometimes at the weekends I would go to Japan. It is only 125 miles from Busan, and takes about 2½ hours by hydrofoil ferry (see inset).

Sheffield, ENGLAND.

I live close to the city of Sheffield.

There's nothing much to see in Sheffield, but it is a good base for exploring the countryside in the Peak District.

Sheffield, ENGLAND.

I sometimes work in schools in Sheffield as a Supply Teacher.

Sheffield, ENGLAND.

I live close to the city of Sheffield.

In this photograph I'd just been offered a place on a PGCE course at Sheffield Hallam University to teach Computing in High schools.

But I changed my mind in the end because I'd already been teaching in High schools without a PGCE for 16 years as a Supply Teacher. I also read that many newly qualified teachers in the UK quit teaching after just 5 years citing overwork, stress, OFSTED inspections, etc. Finally, I already had a Masters Degree in Teaching which was a higher qualification than a PGCE anyway.

Rotherham, ENGLAND.

Me in the countryside near my home (Abdy) in winter.

Rotherham, ENGLAND.

This is what Abdy looks like in the summer.

I managed to catch a rainbow in this photograph.

South Yorkshire, ENGLAND.

This part of South Yorkshire is in The Peak district.

This is the view out of my car window arriving there.



South Yorkshire, ENGLAND.

The Peak District is a nice place to relax.

Here I am taking a break and having a few beers next to Damflask reservoir.



South Yorkshire, ENGLAND.

There are hundreds of small villages in South Yorkshire.

This one is called Wentworth.

West Yorkshire, ENGLAND.

This small village is called Holmfirth.



A famous English comedy is filmed here called "The last of the summer wine".

Rotherham, ENGLAND.

Me visiting England when I lived in Guangzhou, China.

Travel.

If it's a good school I like working as a Supply Teacher.

If you want to be a Supply Teacher you have to get used to driving to different schools everyday, but I don't mind this.

Wakefield, ENGLAND.

Working as a Supply Teacher.

Rotherham, ENGLAND.

I miss food like this when I am working overseas - curry.

You can find it in China and South Korea, but only in the big cities or the capitals.

My favourite movie - Apocalypse Now.

I also like Goodfellas and Casino.

Manchester, ENGLAND.

I was lucky in a way because I got to see my favourite movie Apocalypse Now in IMAX format at the Trafford Center cinema.

Cu Chi tunnels (near Saigon), VIETNAM.

My own version of Vietnam was not as dramatic as Apocalypse Now, it just consisted of me going into the Viet Cong tunnels at Cu Chi and firing an American Armalite M-16.



Another amazing movie - The Shawshank Redemption.

Doncaster, ENGLAND.

Teaching IT.

Phnom Penh, CAMBODIA.

Me with an American Armalite M-16 at a shooting range.

I also threw a grenade.

Firing a rifle like this is harder than it looks. I didn't even hit the target once with a full clip (magazine), I was either too high, too low or left or right.

Keswick, ENGLAND.

I live a few hours drive from the Lake District.

It's a nice place to explore and is very scenic in places.

I am hot and sweaty because I just climbed a big hill overlooking Keswick town.

#

Travel.

I seem to spend my life filling up Passports, and filling out Visa applications.

I once submitted a Visa application to work in China and the whole process took 6 months!

Travel.

This is all the paperwork I need to work China.

It's also expensive:

• New 50 Page Passport £152
• Z-Visa cost £182
• New ACRO Certificate £40
• Notarization of ACRO £65
• Apostille of ACRO £54
• Chinese attestation of ACRO £95
• Notarial certificate of ACRO £75
• Korean Masters apostille in China £45
• Medical £90
• Masters Degree apostilled + legalised £161
• 
  

Nanjing, CHINA.

Chinese friend, she sent me a photo of her wedding day.

Seoul, SOUTH KOREA.

This is an ultra modern building in downtown Seoul.

Daegu, SOUTH KOREA.

Walking in rice paddies is hard work, the wet mud sucks your feet in like a vacuum.

Daegu, SOUTH KOREA.

Heading to class at The Catholic University of Daegu.

Unlike Universities in China, this University had air-conditioning and heating, and as you would expect, this is a huge difference in working conditions when working in these countries.

Daegu, SOUTH KOREA.

South Korea is kind of like a 24-hour society. Supermarkets are everywhere and are open day and night, bars open at 7pm and close at dawn, and you can find restaurants open until the early morning, and internet cafes stay open 24-hours.

A lot of South Korean students get into this 24-hour lifestyle and images like this are common with students sleeping over their desks. This was one of my classes when I arrived, nine were asleep.

Daegu, SOUTH KOREA.

Looking happier because the summer semester is over.

Travel, SOUTH KOREA.

Travelling in South Korea is particularly easy and convenient because it's a small country and they also have an excellent bullet train network (called KTX)  and bus network so I got to visit many places in South Korea.

Travel, SOUTH KOREA.

This graphic shows where I have travelled in South Korea.

But, the country I have travelled the most is China (40 cities).

Travel, CHINA.

These are the 40 cities where I have travelled in China:

1. Beijing (北京)

2. Shijiazhuang (石家庄)

3. Taiyuan (太原)

4. Suzhou (苏州)

5. Shanghai (上海)

6. Zhouzhuang (周庄镇)

7. Ningbo (宁波)

8. Tianjin (天津)

9. Dalian (大连)

10. Dandong (丹东)

11. Hong Kong (香港)

12. Guilin (桂林)

13. Yangshuo (阳朔县)

14. Shenzhen (深圳)

15. Nanjing (南京)

16. Zhenjiang (镇江)

17. Yangzhou (扬州)

18. Xi’an (西安)

19. Hangzhou (杭州)

20. Chengdu (成都)

21. Qingdao (青岛)

22. Lhasa (拉萨) + Mount Everest

23. Gyantse (江孜)

24. Sakya (萨迓)

25. Shigatse (日喀则)

26. Dinghai (定海区)

27. Putuoshan (普陀山)

28. Chun’An (淳安县)

29. Yichang (宜昌) + 3 Gorges Dam

30. Wanzhou (万州区)

31. Chongqing (重庆)

32. Kunming (昆明)

33. Lijiang (丽江)

34. Xuzhou (徐州)

35. Hefei (合肥)

36. Xiamen (厦门)

37. Yixing City (宜兴) + Qiandao Lake.

38. Guangzhou (广州)

39. Yunfu (云浮)

40. Foshan (佛山)

There is a good cluster of interesting cities in Jiangsu province and Zhejiang province.

There is very little to see in western China.

Daecheon, SOUTH KOREA.

Sunset at Daecheon beach.

Busan, SOUTH KOREA.

This is probably South Korea's best beach.

It is called Haeundae beach.

Travel, SOUTH KOREA.

Fireworks at Daecheon beach.



Travel, SOUTH KOREA.

At Daecheon beach.

Travel, SOUTH KOREA.

South Korea is a little like the British Isles, in that it has hundreds of small islands around its coast.

Here I am island hopping to explore new beaches.

Travel, SOUTH KOREA.

I found a beach on Sapsido island that was completely deserted because the island does not have any shops, hotels, bars, restaurants, etc just a police station and some residential houses. I guess the islanders must do a weekly visit to the supermarket etc, by ferry.

Travel, SOUTH KOREA.

Meeting some of the locals on quiet Sapsido island.

These two little girls spotted me walking down the street and came over to say "Hi".

They were really curious, possibly because they had never seen a European before.

Travel, SOUTH KOREA.

This beach is on Muuido Island.

Muuido island is about 3 miles across.

Travel, SOUTH KOREA.

I am not sure what this beach was called, maybe it sould be called "Hurricane beach" - it was so windy here as you can see.

Travel, SOUTH KOREA.

Some of the islands do have small villages on them like this. But for things like Internet Cafes, Bars, Hotels etc, forget it.

This is a small fishing village on Muuido island. In this photograph I am going to walk over a bridge to the tiny island of Somuuido, about 0.3 miles across.

Travel, SOUTH KOREA.

Crossing the bridge to Somuuido island, possibly the smallest inhabited island I have ever visited at just 0.3 miles across.

Jeju island, SOUTH KOREA.

There is a large island directly south of the mainland called Jeju, and is really famous for its scenery and beaches.

This was the best beach I saw in South Korea, it is called Hyeopjae beach.

This beach compares to some I visited in The Philippines like Borocay beach.

Travel, SOUTH KOREA.

My trip to Jeju island looked like this. It was a little complicated because getting airtickets here is almost impossible during the holiday season. Although there are a lot of ferry services, these are also book up too.

Jeju island, SOUTH KOREA.

Even if you manage to get a flight or ferry to Jeju island, if you are wishing to tour the island then finding hotels with rooms available is a nightmare. This graphic shows how small Jeju island is compared to the UK which means it has problems accommodating all the tourists wanting to holiday here.

Andong, SOUTH KOREA.

This is me visiting a Korean folk village near Andong.

The Queen of England actually visited this traditional place when she did a state visit to South Korea in the 1980s.

Travel, SOUTH KOREA.

This is the first time I have ever seen a band playing music on a train.



Daejeon, SOUTH KOREA.

Eating iced noodles.

Daejeon, SOUTH KOREA.



This is a very good Korean dish, it's spicy meat on the bone.

Daejeon, SOUTH KOREA.

Some Korean food I would not he able to eat without being sick.

I saw this in my local supermarket - silk worm pupa.

In South Korea (and China) they eat dogs too, but I think this is changing now as dogs are becoming more and more common as pets in both countries.

Daegu, SOUTH KOREA.

This is a popular Korean fast-food restaurant called Mom's Touch.

They sell really good friend chicken and you can choose which spices you want to add - this one is onion spiced chicken.

Fried chicken and beer restaurants are everywhere in South Korea and are very popular with students.



Daejeon, SOUTH KOREA.

This was my favorite restaurant in my local area when I lived in Daejeon. But it wasn't a Korean restaurant, it was a Chinese restaurant, and they had hundreds of different dishes with photos of them all on the wall.



Daejeon, SOUTH KOREA.

Although this dish is basically just some beef and some vegetables, the food at the Chinese restaurant was amazingly presented.

I think the food in China is the best in The World. Some of their restaurants are immaculately decorated and lit.

Daejeon, SOUTH KOREA.

This was Korean hotpot, which had a pretty elaborate setup for cooking it.

This was incredibly spicy and I kept coughing when eating it and restaurant owners kept looking over at me to see if I was able to handle myself eating this!

I like spicy food, but I think this was going a little too far.

Also, this was really expensive.



Daejeon, SOUTH KOREA.

South Korea has hundreds of cheap-eat places like this.

They are usually family run, and are cheap. These places are usually full of students when morning and afternoon classes finish.



Daegu, SOUTH KOREA.

This is Korean BBQ restaurant. You pay for a big cut of meat and then you cook it yourself.

However, this helpful restaurant owner is cooking it for me because the last time I came here I almost set fire to the place, and there was smoke everywhere.

Daejeon, SOUTH KOREA.

This is an example of a Korean restaurant where you sit on the floor.

I tend to avoid these places as they are just too uncomfortable.

I always feel stiff when I get up after finishing a meal.

Daejeon, SOUTH KOREA.

You will be given this side-dish with any meal you order in South Korea, and it is free.

Or, you will be able to help yourself.

It is called Kimche and is basically fermented and salted cabbage with spice added. To Westerners it tastes similar to pickled onions.



Daejeon, SOUTH KOREA.

This student of mine called "Sophie" was a Culinary Arts major i.e. she was training to be a chef.



So she made this for me.

Daejeon, SOUTH KOREA.

South Koreans are really really into spicy foods.



This is my next door neighbour for example, he seemed to have some kind of chilli growing business.

Daejeon, SOUTH KOREA.

Shopping in markets the food is very alien to Westerners. I don't know what any of this is and how you would cook or eat it.

The supermarkets are a lot better, but even then a lot of the things they sell a mystery to me.

Travel, SOUTH KOREA.

Boryeong, in South Chungcheong Province, in the countryside next to rice paddies.

Daegu, SOUTH KOREA.



Me in downtown Daegu.

Seoul, SOUTH KOREA.

A traditional guard ceremony in central Seoul, maybe similar to Trooping of the Colour outside Buckingham Palace in London.

Seoul, SOUTH KOREA.

In England the Prime Minister lives at 10 Downing Street, in South Korea the President lives here - the Blue House.

Seoul, SOUTH KOREA.

Downtown Seoul.

Seoul, SOUTH KOREA.

This is Cheonggyecheon, a stream in central Seoul.



Daegu, SOUTH KOREA.

The worst part of being a Teacher is marking. Keeping track of so many students can be a headache. The trick is to keep on top of it and not leave it to the last few weeks.

Chasing up students who you've not seen for a month, or haven't handed in coursework and be a pain.



News Report, SOUTH KOREA.

I was working in South Korea at a very worrying time.

North Korea was threatening the USA with nuclear weapons.

Many American fighter and bomber planes started arriving in South Korea.

The military build up continued for many weeks, but once 3 aircraft carriers turned up I decided that it was time to leave.

News Report, SOUTH KOREA.

When these 3 aircraft carriers arrived in the Sea of Japan, myself and many people in South Korea were expecting the USA to attack North Korean nuclear facilities.

News Report, SOUTH KOREA.

Each day things seems to be getting worse and worse, and it went on for weeks.

News Report, SOUTH KOREA.

If the Americans decided to pre-emptively strike at North Korea's nuclear facilities the first wave of the attack was expected to use these - Tomahawk cruise missiles in order to degrade North Korea's air defences first, then followed by waves to stealth aircraft to destroy the nuclear facilities.

But the fear was that South Korea would be targeted, especially Seoul, which was in range of thousands of North Korean artillery tubes.



Seoul, SOUTH KOREA.

In usual fashion, North Korea seemed to enjoy the political crisis in South Korea and had its say on the events.

Seoul, SOUTH KOREA.

South Koreans like spas.

This is a spa in Seoul. The water is extremely hot. I can only stay in for a few minutes.

Seoul, SOUTH KOREA.

Many of the spas in South Korea have swimming pools, restaurants, sleeping rooms, steam rooms, hot rooms, ice rooms, etc. They're also open 24-hours per day. Sometimes I would not get a hotel for the weekend in Seoul, I'd just stay at the spa.

Seoul, SOUTH KOREA.

This is a little door into a hot room.

There are different rooms with different temperatures - low temperature, middle temperature, and hot temperature, or as I would phrase it "Really hot temperature", "Completely over-the-top temperature", and "Cremation temperature".

I could only tolerate the low temperature room, the others made me feel sick and dizzy.

Seoul, SOUTH KOREA.

This is what an ice room looks like at a spa.

I don't understand what the appeal is with roasting yourself for 30 minutes in a dry sauna, and then freezing yourself to death in an ice-room. I can't imagine this is good for human thermoregulaton.

Seoul, SOUTH KOREA.

South Korean people like to sit on the floor even if it is hard marble like this in the spa. This can look a little strange to Westerners.

For this reason, when ever you go into a Korean's home, you must take off your shoes.

Failing to do this will be a serious faux-pas. Similarly, if you walk into a Korean restaurant where people are sitting on the floor, take off your shoes at the door. There may or may not be shoe racks to place your shoes near the door.

But, I think more and more Koreans are choosing the western style and buy couches/sofas, etc now.

Seoul, SOUTH KOREA.

This is a steam room at the spa.

These places are great to visit especially if you've just spent the day walking the city streets.



Seoul, SOUTH KOREA.

Spending the day walking the city streets.

Seoul, SOUTH KOREA.

Still walking the city streets - me outside Seoul city hall.

Daejeon, SOUTH KOREA.

This is downtown Daejeon, I have lived in this city twice, both times working for Woosong University.

Daejeon, SOUTH KOREA.

70% of South Korea is covered in mountains, so most cities like Daejeon are surrounded by small mountains.

I took this photograph from a mountain viewing platform overlooking the city.

Daejeon, SOUTH KOREA.

This is a view of the city from near where I lived.

Daejeon, SOUTH KOREA.

Me at Daejeon Immigration trying to get a Residence Permit. You can imagine it is a long and frustrating process, and last time I came here they refused to give me back my Degree certificates even tough I was leaving the country. They finally agreed and accepted colour photocopies instead.

Daejeon, SOUTH KOREA.

This is what you need to work in South Korea, once you have this, you can then apply for the Residence Permit.

Daejeon, SOUTH KOREA.

This is a Residence Permit.

Daejeon, SOUTH KOREA.

Me at Woosong University.



Daejeon, SOUTH KOREA.

Fireworks over the campus on the hill.

Daejeon, SOUTH KOREA.

I find that each class I have has a different personality. Some classes are very serious and don't say anything to you, some just come and sleep, some are really enthusiastic, some are chatty and never be quite, some are dying to meet you and want to know everything about you, and some are totally indifferent to you.

This class was OK, they were quiet at first, but after about Week 3 they started to open up.

Seoul, SOUTH KOREA.

This is probably the most interesting museum in The World I have seen.

It is the Korean War museum and exhibits perhaps every weapon used, there is even a B-52 Stratofortress bomber in the gardens.

Seoul, SOUTH KOREA.

Me at the Korean War museum. Behind me is a Cobra gunship helicopter.

Seoul, SOUTH KOREA.

Namsan tower can be seen from just about anywhere you are in Seoul.

This is the tower seen from the Korean War museum.

Seoul, SOUTH KOREA.

There is a cable car up to the Namsan tower.

Seoul, SOUTH KOREA.

There are restaurants and observation decks at the top of the tower.

Seoul, SOUTH KOREA.

I chose a bad day to visit Namsan tower. It was the middle of winter and foggy.

This was the view of downtown Seoul.

Seoul, SOUTH KOREA.

At Namsam tower in winter.

Seoul, SOUTH KOREA.

Trees made of love locks.

Seoul, SOUTH KOREA.

Heading back down to the city by cable car.

Seoul, SOUTH KOREA.

Many Westerners living in South Korea descend on Seoul for the weekend.

Most end up in an area called Itaewon, there is also a large American base close by called Yongsan, so you can find yourself chatting to off duty American soldiers from the base.

The bars (pubs) in England have last orders (last call) at about midnight, but last orders in South Korea is about 5am.

This is me at a bar at 5:05am.



Seoul, SOUTH KOREA.

My favourite bar in Seoul is an English themed pub called the Rose & Crown. They sell a lot of English beers and ales. But they cost about double the local beers because they've been imported.

Budweiser from the USA is probably the cheapest foreign beer you will find in South Korea.

Seoul, SOUTH KOREA.

Just arrived in Itaewon on a Friday night. I could reach Seoul from Daejeon in just 55 minutes by KTX bullet train.

Seoul, SOUTH KOREA.

Downtown Seoul in a taxi.

The building in the distance is actually a gate called Namdaemun (남대문) gate.

Haeundae beach, Busan, SOUTH KOREA.

The beach is just as popular at night as in the day.

Students and young people drink in the bars next to the beach and then sit here all night long, drinking, smoking, eating, and chatting.

Gwanganli beach, Busan, SOUTH KOREA.

This beach is smaller than Haeundae beach and has the view of a suspension bridge which is lit up at night with light shows.

Deajeon, SOUTH KOREA.

This is a typical neighbourhood student bar, and they almost always look like this inside.

The beer in these small bars is the cheapest you'll find in South Korea.

But they don't open until around 7pm and then stay open until dawn.

Daejeon, SOUTH KOREA.

Me at Woosong University.

Woosong wasn't a bad place to work, but there was nothing of interest in Daejeon.

Daejeon, SOUTH KOREA.

Woosong University expanded and built an international business school called Solbridge.

They assigned some of my classes here but it was a different setup to teaching to just Koreans.

Instead, working at Solbridge my classes would have students from all over The World e.g. Uzbekistan, Nepal, China, France, etc, etc. It was OK, but I was in Korea to teach to Koreans, and the fact that I'd just spent a few years doing a Masters Degree in teaching to Koreans meant that working at Solbridge didn't make much sense.

Daejeon, SOUTH KOREA.

Teaching an international students class at Solbridge looked like this. They are from Vietnam, Japan, China, South Korea, USA, and Nepal.

Daejeon, SOUTH KOREA.

I was teaching Business English at Solbridge, but the English proficiency level of different students from different countries was uneven, some were good at English, some were borderline at best, so I drew everything on these huge whiteboards for them to make sure everyone knew what I was talking about.

I think in this class I was discussing how to write formal and informal letters.

Daejeon, SOUTH KOREA.

Another day at Solbridge.

I think in this class I was teaching how to write procedures, and gave using an ATM machine as an example.

We also discussed how to fill in English-style forms.

This was a particularly large class, maybe more than 60 students. I prefer classes of 15-20 students as you can get to know each of them.

Daejeon, SOUTH KOREA.

In comparison to having large classes at Solbridge I also did evening classes at Woosong Language Institute.

For this class only 2 students booked on the course, and it was a very informal, and I got to know these two really well.

Believe or not, the guy on the left was actually a millionaire and owned a pharmaceutical distribution campany in the city. I could never understand why he'd spent his evenings in a classroom.

Daejeon, SOUTH KOREA.

My smallest class ever... 2 people!

Daejeon, SOUTH KOREA.

Marking student presentations. They could choose any topic they wanted, the guys mostly chose sport, especially football. I think these guys were talking about Arsenal.

Daejeon, SOUTH KOREA.

Treating my kids class to pizza.

Daejeon, SOUTH KOREA.

Downtown Daejeon.

Woosong University, SOUTH KOREA.

Each semester the students had a gala and they did stage performances.

Daejeon, SOUTH KOREA.

The student galas were really popular and lots of the teachers would go too.

Daejeon, SOUTH KOREA.

Because there was nothing of interest in Daejeon, on Friday after classes, I'd pack my rucksack, and head out of the city - usually visiting Seoul, Busan, or Daecheon beach.

Seoul, SOUTH KOREA.

Arriving in Seoul by KTX bullet train.

This is a famous landmark building you can see crossing the river into downtown Seoul.

It's called the 63 Building.

Travel, SOUTH KOREA.

Arriving at a campsite in South Korea.

Deajeon, SOUTH KOREA.

In the neighbourhood around Woosong University were many restaurants.

This was a great place to eat BBQ meat.

Daejeon, SOUTH KOREA.

An average class at Woosong University would look like this.

Daejeon, SOUTH KOREA.

Looking a bit happier because this was my last class for the semester.

Daejeon, SOUTH KOREA.

This was an example of a busy timetable because I took on extra classes in the evenings for extra money.

Daejeon, SOUTH KOREA.

Woosong University library at exam time.

Daejeon, SOUTH KOREA.

Graduation time.

Me with one of my students at Graduation day.

Travel, SOUTH KOREA.

Island hopping in South Korea.

Travel, SOUTH KOREA.

Most of the South Korean countryside pretty much looks like this everywhere you go.

70% of South Korea is covered in small mountains like this.

The mountains are generally safe, but because the mountains are covered in trees you're effectively in a mountainous woodland and without a GPS you could easily get lost here.

Sapsido island, SOUTH KOREA.

Being attacked by an over-affectionate dog.

This dog was very much a "people person".



Daecheon beach, SOUTH KOREA.

This beach is 2-hours bus ride from Daejeon.



Daecheon beach, SOUTH KOREA.

Relaxing on the beach at sunset (again).

The best sunsets I have seen were not in South Korea but in Saudi Arabia.

Travel, SOUTH KOREA.

Travelling home from South Korea was always a pain.

It would sometimes take 36 hours to get back to Rotherham by car, taxi, bullet train, subway, and aeroplane.

Incheon, SOUTH KOREA.

When you fly to Seoul, you don't actually land at an airport in Seoul. You actually land in a city close-by called Incheon, and get a high-speed shuttle train into Seoul city center.

Incheon airport is really busy and there are often long queues of aircraft on the runways waiting for their take-off slot.

Travel, SOUTH KOREA.

The flag of South Korea is quite complicated compared to some other nation's flags.

The flag of South Korea, also known as the Taegukgi, has three parts: a white rectangular background, a red and blue Taegeuk in its center, and four black trigrams one toward each corner. 

The white background represents Peace and Purity.

The blue and red yin-yang symbol represents Balance.

The top left trigram represents Heaven.

The bottom right trigram represents Earth.

The bottom left trigram represents Fire.

The top right trigram represents Water.

Travel, SOUTH KOREA.

I was looking for somewhere to put my litter, this made me think a little - Cans, Bottles and Pets????

Maybe you dispose of your dead cat here.

Rotherham, ENGLAND.

When I arrived back from South Korea I'd call my Supply Teaching agency and they'd find me work in comprehensive (high) schools in my local area - Sheffield, Rotherham, Barnsley, and Doncaster.

It works pretty well because you could not make a living being a Supply Teacher as your sole job, but it's OK for someone like myself who can make some extra cash when I am visiting my parents.

Rotherham, ENGLAND.

Working at St Bernard's Catholic high school (11–16 academy) in Rotherham.

Rotherham, ENGLAND.

Teaching kids is OK, but I'd much prefer to teach adults.