Global Community

(132) DAILY ROUTINE : AFTERNOON

(131) DAILY ROUTINE : MORNING

Expat Cyclists Reach Finish Line

Former English Teachers Complete 14,000-Kilometer Charity Journey By JR Breen Contributing Writer Almost being washed out to sea by torrential floods, sleeping in strangers' backyards, shedding 18 kilograms of body mass ― wrap all that up with 14,000 kilometers of cycling and you have the makings of a perfect six months, at least for some. For an adventurous foursome of English teachers, these were just a few of the experiences on their mammoth cycle journey from Seoul to London. "It's like having all your emotions slammed at you every day," said Jared Mitchell, a member of the multinational quartet. The group completed their journey last Thursday in the British capital, bringing their six-month slog to an end. The four teachers ― Jared Mitchell, Katie Tibbetts, Tom McCloy and David Glashan ― began their epic trek on April 11, with the aim of channeling the fruits of their efforts into Kiva, a developing world micro-lending charity. On the trip, they promoted the organization mainly through meetings with potential fund-raisers and blogging on their We

Minerva to Give Talk at EUCCK Seminar

Infamous Korean blogger Minerva is among the speakers slated to attend an EU Chamber of Commerce in Korea event scheduled for Oct. 28. He will be featured alongside leading Korean think tanks and other experts at the EUCCK morning seminar, "Korean Economy: Forecast for 2010," which is an annual date. The so-called Internet financial wizard, real name Park Dae-sung, who made successful predictions on his blog, was locked up earlier this year over allegations he spread false financial information with the intent to hurt the public interest, though he was eventually found not guilty. The event, being held at the Grand Hyatt Seoul hotel, starts at 9 a.m. and is followed by a luncheon with Chin Dong-soo, chairman of the Financial Services Commission. For further information or to register, call (02) 725-9202, e-mail niemela@eucck.org or visit www.eucck.org. community@koreatimes.co.kr

Advice on Parenting Abroad

A parenting abroad seminar is being staged to help those raising their children overseas steer through the potential challenges of carrying out the task in an alien country. The Oct. 30 event, organized by the Itaewon-Hannam Global Village Center, in cooperation with the Korea Family Counseling Center, will be led in English by Joo Eun-sun, one of the counselors. Participating parents will listen to a lecture and have the opportunity to take part in a discussion. Organizers said there will also be the possibility of arranging follow-up sessions in which people could get more specialized counseling for particular age groups or situations. There is no charge for the seminar, but spaces are limited, they added. Registration for the event, being held at the center, can be made by calling Sarah Jang at (02) 796-2459-60, or sending an e-mail to itaewon@sba.seoul.kr. community@koreatimes.co.kr

Thespians Prepare for Winter Shows

The Seoul Players theater group is set to begin working toward its winter production of "Black Comedy." Auditions for the next set of shows are complete and the eight-man cast has been filled, meaning rehearsals are now set to begin. The all-foreign cast ― which includes Britons, Canadians and Americans ― will be performing the play "Black Comedy," a one-act piece by Peter Schaffer, first performed in 1965. Beginning on Nov. 28, it will continue through Dec. 12, showing at Roofers Bar, Itaewon, on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays. Seoul Players, a non-profit organization, was founded in 2001 in an attempt to fill the void of English-speaking theater in Korea, and has been holding biannual productions ever since. Among other unique productions, the group's most recent contribution to the Korean world of theater was "Night of the 1000 Plays," which was performed earlier this month. The "Black Comedy" shows will be on Fridays at 9 p.m., Saturdays at 6 p.m. and 9 p.m., with shows on Sundays as yet undecided. Tickets will be 15,000 won. For more information, cont

Seoul Scribes Book Sales Going Well

Seoul Writers Workshop is seeing record attendance at their gatherings, resulting, organizers say, directly from the launch of their latest publication, "Every Second Sunday." Angela McLauglin, editor of the book, the group's second anthology, says the work has been more widely received this year, and that the first book "opened the door." The book launch, hosted by Berlin Cafe & Lounge in Itaewon, Seoul, received a crowd of around 60, with the anthology selling 100 copies that day alone. It is being showcased in Itaewon's What The Book bookstore, which is selling the work without commission because the group is donating the proceeds from sales to charity. They also hope to gain international attention when the book features on Amazon at the end of the month. The charities benefiting are the Korea Sexual Violence Relief Center ― which fights against the scourge for both expats and Korean nationals ― and moonbears.org, an organization protesting the Korean bear trade. "Every Second Sunday," made up of numerous short works, took four months to produce, and includes m

Flea Market for Foreigners Seeks Participants

By Bryan Kay Staff Reporter Seoul Global Center is encouraging foreign nationals to take part in its 2009 flea market specially set up for expats in an effort to spur cross-cultural exchange and promote recycling. The event, scheduled to take place Oct. 31 at Seoul Folk Flea Market, Sinseol-dong, will see participants sell their second-hand goods, with a price ceiling of 20,000 won on items put up for sale. Members of the foreign community are invited to participate ― as vendors and/or buyers ― in the Flea Market for Foreigners to be held by the Seoul Global Center, organizers said. "The purpose of this event is to promote cultural exchange between foreign and domestic residents of Seoul and to encourage the use of recycled and second-hand goods," an organizer said. "Foreigners who participate can sell their second-hand goods or are welcome to come as a spectator to purchase goods. Korean citizens may only come as a spectator, unless they have a foreign partner for the event." Items suggested as appropriate include clothes, shoes, foreign-language books, toys and

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