Articles by Doug Nienhuis
I am a Canadian, and I am currently traveling through Asia with a touring bicycle. These are stories and pictures from my trip.
002 – Rocky Mountain Route 66 & Arkel Overdesigns
Preparing for Ethiopia 2 – Rocky Mountain Route 66 & Arkel Overdesigns
I had my wheels. The next step was to find a stock bike with the frame I wanted. The guys at “Two Wheels” would strip it and “spec” it for me. But that was easier said than done. I spent days going over bikes and test riding them. Occasionally I thought I’d found the …
001 – Sun Rhino Rims and Alpine Spokes
Preparing for Ethiopia 1 – Sun Rhino Rims and Alpine Spokes
I’d gone on three cycling trips before I decided to go to Ethiopia. The first was a short weekend trip when I was a teenager. I put a backpack on my back and rode down the St. Clair River from my hometown of Sarnia, Ontario in Canada. I learned on that trip why cyclists use …
Korea 029 – The Foreigner Party
THE FOREIGNER PARTY
One of the highlights of English teaching life in Seoul is the foreigner party. There are many types and all are worth attending. Some are hosted by long-term ex-pats with real jobs with real companies, real houses, real incomes and real lives. For the English teacher, it is a treat to go to these. The spacious rooms, actual furniture, fully functioning bathrooms, and …
Korea 023 – The Guys and Itaewon
THE GUYS AND ITAEWON
Each night when I returned to the Inn Sung Do, my pace quickened as I approached the door. There was sure to be another teacher there, fresh off a stressful day and we’d head off to a place with lots of people and loud music to unwind. I was very lucky in the people who ended up calling the Inn Sung Do …
Korea 022 – Student Nicknames
In spite of their bizarre ways, my inability to adapt and the resulting trauma, I became very fond of my students and Korea. It was like being faced with a child so obstinate and so aggravating that you just had to laugh. And through laughter liking grows.
Sometimes my students even surprised me with a flash of imagination, but predictably it was always in a very …
Korea 021 – My Battle Cry
On the rare occasion when he had something to say to all the foreign teachers, Director Lee communicated with us through Barry, a New Zealander in his early forties. Barry had spent many years teaching English in Japan and spoke good Japanese. He had been employed at FLS long enough to rate his own desk beside Director Lee’s. He was the “Person to Person” specialist …
Korea 020 – Mr. Lee the Director
The front door was usually locked with heavy iron bars that early in the morning. I went in through the back doors and walked up the stairs. There was an elevator, but I could never be sure the power was turned on. It was a very old building with a permanent odor from the restaurant on the main floor. There was always an Ajimah pushing …
Korea 019 – Insane Bus Drivers
In the end, things worked out very well. Some other classes were formed and my hours increased and FLS became the cornerstone of my life for the next six months. My routine didn’t change much from the Munwha days except that my commute was now on a bus, an entirely different though as absorbing an experience as riding the subway.
Rather than turning North outside the …