It's been over a year since I posted anything here it seems. It must be because I've been so busy thinking about, and planning for, what we're calling 'Bike Back Home' - a 15,000km cycle from South Korea to Ireland. We're going home after four years of living in Korea, and we leave tomorrow!
It's going to take us somewhere between 7 and 9 months to do, all going well, so it will probably be another year before I post anything else here again! In the meantime, we (Nick and I) will be posting on our biking blog at Bike Back Home as often as we can for anyone that's interested in our journey home the long way!
Showing posts with label Ireland. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Ireland. Show all posts
Wednesday, 3 April 2013
Food Stamps for the Poor and a Pay Rise for the Queen
I have a read a couple of things over the course of the last week that have caused me a certain degree of alarm. Alarm, and a sense of increasing uneasiness.
The first was an article by Suzanne Moore in The Guardian where she talked about how food has become the ultimate class definer and divider. She talks about Britain being one of the richest nations in the world but that there are people all over the country 'who go to bed early with a bag of chips to keep warm.' She goes on to say that television programmes such as Master Chef are seeing contestants whip up meals that are becoming more and more outlandish and alien to us, and often bear little resemblance to what people actually eat on a daily basis but they are increasingly a talking point, a driving force of culinary competition and neighbourly rivalry. What you eat and where you source your food, has become another status symbol, another rung on that ladder to a place of social utopia where not only have you kept up with the Jones', you've surpassed them.
Eating lots of fresh, local produce, as is encouraged by the ever-increasing number of celebrity chefs, is to be applauded, certainly. Its numerous benefits, from health to environmental to economic, can't be argued, but it all comes at a price, literally. So to combat this and help disadvantaged people make ends meet and to eat better along the way, and this is where there alarm began to set in, the British government have announced the introduction of food stamps, claiming that it will aid in the move away from a welfare and entitlement culture. From now on, local residents who apply to the council for emergency assistance, will be given a one-off food voucher, as opposed to the cash loan that was given previously. It can be used to buy food and nappys but not alcohol or cigarettes.
The term 'food stamps' brings Junior Certificate history lessons to mind, and with it, images of 'The Emergency' in Ireland during WWII where petrol, butter and bananas were all rationed and regulated via food stamps. Then and now seem hard to compare in the same light, and the idea that policies of old are back in use, seems even harder to comprehend.
The aim, I presume, in this fantastic time of austerity, is to save cash. Why then, are the councils who are switching to providing food stamps rather than providing short-term loans, also 'preparing to give cash grants to food banks to enable them to take on full-time staff and increase opening hours' and therefore increasing their expenditure. Putting money into people's hands, rather than vouchers which can only be redeemed against items approved by the government, increases spending power and therefore helps to stimulate the economy, or have I got that all wrong??
The second alarming piece of news came today, from the same newspaper. It was this article, which states that the Queen is to get a £5 million pay rise from the taxpayer. The article goes on to say that about £10 million of this is to be spent on staff wages, wages which have been frozen for a number of years and have not increased along side the Queen's substantial pay rise. The total paid to the Queen this year, known as the sovereign grant, is set at £36.1 million and provides for the running costs of the Queen's household. It does not however, cover the cost of security or police protection.
Food stamps for the poor and marginalised and a £5 million pay rise for the Queen. After a week which saw 2.7million Facebook users changed their profile pictures to an equals sign in support of gay marriage, it would appear that the idea of equality for all hasn't quite reached the fat cats in Westminster.
The first was an article by Suzanne Moore in The Guardian where she talked about how food has become the ultimate class definer and divider. She talks about Britain being one of the richest nations in the world but that there are people all over the country 'who go to bed early with a bag of chips to keep warm.' She goes on to say that television programmes such as Master Chef are seeing contestants whip up meals that are becoming more and more outlandish and alien to us, and often bear little resemblance to what people actually eat on a daily basis but they are increasingly a talking point, a driving force of culinary competition and neighbourly rivalry. What you eat and where you source your food, has become another status symbol, another rung on that ladder to a place of social utopia where not only have you kept up with the Jones', you've surpassed them.
Eating lots of fresh, local produce, as is encouraged by the ever-increasing number of celebrity chefs, is to be applauded, certainly. Its numerous benefits, from health to environmental to economic, can't be argued, but it all comes at a price, literally. So to combat this and help disadvantaged people make ends meet and to eat better along the way, and this is where there alarm began to set in, the British government have announced the introduction of food stamps, claiming that it will aid in the move away from a welfare and entitlement culture. From now on, local residents who apply to the council for emergency assistance, will be given a one-off food voucher, as opposed to the cash loan that was given previously. It can be used to buy food and nappys but not alcohol or cigarettes.
The term 'food stamps' brings Junior Certificate history lessons to mind, and with it, images of 'The Emergency' in Ireland during WWII where petrol, butter and bananas were all rationed and regulated via food stamps. Then and now seem hard to compare in the same light, and the idea that policies of old are back in use, seems even harder to comprehend.
The aim, I presume, in this fantastic time of austerity, is to save cash. Why then, are the councils who are switching to providing food stamps rather than providing short-term loans, also 'preparing to give cash grants to food banks to enable them to take on full-time staff and increase opening hours' and therefore increasing their expenditure. Putting money into people's hands, rather than vouchers which can only be redeemed against items approved by the government, increases spending power and therefore helps to stimulate the economy, or have I got that all wrong??
The second alarming piece of news came today, from the same newspaper. It was this article, which states that the Queen is to get a £5 million pay rise from the taxpayer. The article goes on to say that about £10 million of this is to be spent on staff wages, wages which have been frozen for a number of years and have not increased along side the Queen's substantial pay rise. The total paid to the Queen this year, known as the sovereign grant, is set at £36.1 million and provides for the running costs of the Queen's household. It does not however, cover the cost of security or police protection.
Food stamps for the poor and marginalised and a £5 million pay rise for the Queen. After a week which saw 2.7million Facebook users changed their profile pictures to an equals sign in support of gay marriage, it would appear that the idea of equality for all hasn't quite reached the fat cats in Westminster.
Wednesday, 20 March 2013
It's been a while!
August 12th, 2012??! I knew it'd been a while since I last posted anything, but I didn't think it had been that long!
I suppose a brief synopsis of what's been going on since then is what's called for....
I did get Laser Eye Surgery. LASEK to be exact. It was massively painful at the time but I can see perfectly now, and have been able to for months and I'm told my eyes are in excellent health. Success. Money very well spent. Delighted.
Next, winter came to Daejeon but not before Nick entered a Chinese Dragon Boat race on the local stretch of river and won, I went to Seoul for a Hen Party, and we both went to Busan for a wedding. When it did come though, winter came in a suit, ready for business. Temperatures plummeted and the lovely warm weather of Autumn quickly became a thing of the past BUT I can't say we minded too much because at this stage we, Nick and I, were on the count down to Christmas at home!
We headed off from Daejeon on the 22nd of December, clad in matching Christmas outfits (which blended in nicely in Korea, not so nicely in London or Dublin!), leaving our apartment and our jobs to two of our friends to take over. This made the packing process somewhat easier, knowing that anything we wanted to leave behind would be safe in our now old, apartment, awaiting our return! After something awful like 36hrs on the move, we landed in Dublin, where it was 30degrees warmer than it had been in Seoul! From -15 to +15 just like that!
There really is nowhere like home, and no more so than at Christmas time. It absolutely flew by and now seems like a distant memory, dominated by oodles of rich food and washed down with plenty of festive gargle. Great fun altogether but it really highlighted the badness of our diets back home. Food that was too rich, too processed or too sugary when I first got home soon became normal again, not that it stopped me from wolfing it all down and having a grand ol time for myself!
I spent a total of 9 weeks at home, and nick was there for 10. In that time, we went to a friend's wedding in Roscommon, we visited relations and friends in the west of Ireland, we acted as beaters on a woodcock shoot, we ate a very fancy dinner post-shoot in Markree Castle, and we caught up with as many friends and family as possible. At the same time, I was on the look out for a job back in Korea, starting about the 1st of March, and Nick was furiously studying for the Oral Defence of his Ph.D.
After much job hunting, and much study, we were both successful! I got a job and Nick got his Ph.D! Delighted, the pair of us were!
Week three in my new job is almost drawing to a close now. I'm teaching conversational English to college students in Hyejeon College, just outside of Hongseong in Chungcheongnam. It's a small enough college about an hour outside of Daejeon, tucked away in a quiet little mountain town. The college has provided me with a nice apartment just off the campus, as well as a huge office on campus, next to my classroom. They did however mis-spell my name as 'Step' on the door of my office which means I'm probably going to be Step from here on in! However, I only work a trying 14hours a week, and I have every Friday off. Each of the two terms in the college year are 16 weeks long, and the rest is holidays, paid holidays at that.
The last few weeks I've been wandering around, pinching myself, wondering how in god's name I ended up here, with this ridiculous job, where I have tonnes of free time, loads of holidays and all the while earning a salary decent enough that I can put some money away for a rainy day!
And that folks, in a nutshell, is it. The past 7 months, crammed into one little blog post!
I suppose a brief synopsis of what's been going on since then is what's called for....
I did get Laser Eye Surgery. LASEK to be exact. It was massively painful at the time but I can see perfectly now, and have been able to for months and I'm told my eyes are in excellent health. Success. Money very well spent. Delighted.
 | |
| The last shot of me wearing glasses! T minus 30mins to surgery! |
 |
| Post surgery! Trying to put on a brave face and pretend it didn't hurt too much! |
Next, winter came to Daejeon but not before Nick entered a Chinese Dragon Boat race on the local stretch of river and won, I went to Seoul for a Hen Party, and we both went to Busan for a wedding. When it did come though, winter came in a suit, ready for business. Temperatures plummeted and the lovely warm weather of Autumn quickly became a thing of the past BUT I can't say we minded too much because at this stage we, Nick and I, were on the count down to Christmas at home!
 |
| Nick, the rest of the team, and 1,000,000 won prize money! |
 |
| Snowy walk to work |
 |
| Outside our old apartment in Wolpyeong |
 |
| Finished work on Friday evening and came outside to this! |
 |
| The local park of an afternoon! |
 | |
| Incheon Airport wearing matching Christmas couple outfits, and under Steff Hotdog to boot! |
There really is nowhere like home, and no more so than at Christmas time. It absolutely flew by and now seems like a distant memory, dominated by oodles of rich food and washed down with plenty of festive gargle. Great fun altogether but it really highlighted the badness of our diets back home. Food that was too rich, too processed or too sugary when I first got home soon became normal again, not that it stopped me from wolfing it all down and having a grand ol time for myself!
 |
| The over-eating induced lull after Christmas Dinner! |
I spent a total of 9 weeks at home, and nick was there for 10. In that time, we went to a friend's wedding in Roscommon, we visited relations and friends in the west of Ireland, we acted as beaters on a woodcock shoot, we ate a very fancy dinner post-shoot in Markree Castle, and we caught up with as many friends and family as possible. At the same time, I was on the look out for a job back in Korea, starting about the 1st of March, and Nick was furiously studying for the Oral Defence of his Ph.D.
 |
| Kathy & Kev's Wedding on New Years Eve in Roscommon |
 |
| Family Fun in Kilmuckridge. All ten adults and 5 children worth of us! |
 |
| Stunning, bleak, Connemara scenery |
 | ||
| The woodcock shoot we were beaters on. Gas day out! Unfortunately there wasn't enough tweed to go around! |
 |
| Very fancy post-shoot dinner at Markree Castle |
After much job hunting, and much study, we were both successful! I got a job and Nick got his Ph.D! Delighted, the pair of us were!
Week three in my new job is almost drawing to a close now. I'm teaching conversational English to college students in Hyejeon College, just outside of Hongseong in Chungcheongnam. It's a small enough college about an hour outside of Daejeon, tucked away in a quiet little mountain town. The college has provided me with a nice apartment just off the campus, as well as a huge office on campus, next to my classroom. They did however mis-spell my name as 'Step' on the door of my office which means I'm probably going to be Step from here on in! However, I only work a trying 14hours a week, and I have every Friday off. Each of the two terms in the college year are 16 weeks long, and the rest is holidays, paid holidays at that.
 |
| Hard to make out but this is my office door and it says 'Step Ruth Russell'! |
 |
| 'Knock knock, open wide, let's see what's on the other side'! |
 |
| The view over campus from my office window! |
The last few weeks I've been wandering around, pinching myself, wondering how in god's name I ended up here, with this ridiculous job, where I have tonnes of free time, loads of holidays and all the while earning a salary decent enough that I can put some money away for a rainy day!
And that folks, in a nutshell, is it. The past 7 months, crammed into one little blog post!
Tuesday, 28 August 2012
Whats it gonna be then, eh?
Where am I now? Well, right now, I’m in my bedroom, sitting at my desk, and shock horror, on my laptop! But, more metaphorically, I’m in the throes of booking corrective laser eye surgery. Or more accurately, I have booked surgery but I’m not sure I’ve done the right thing.
There are a few simple facts and they go like this:
My vision is pretty awful without glasses or contact lenses, which I have worn everyday since I was thirteen years old.
I’ve wanted to get laser done for some time now.
Its less than half the price here, in South Korea, than at home, in Ireland.
However, unlike at home, the clinics here let you choose which kind of laser surgery to have, LASEK or LASIK. But who the hell am I to choose? What do I know about it? What are the doctors for if not to advise? Because I am a suitable candidate for both, due to the health of my eyes and the thickness of my corneas, I have been told with much Korean enthusiasm, by more than one doctor, that I get to pick the procedure I want. Lucky me!
So will it be the painfree, quick recovery of vision (24hrs to one week) but the slightly increased risk of side effects with LASIK or a substantial amount of pain, a slow recovery of vision (one week to six months) but a decreased risk of complications with LASEK.
Maybe I should just stick to my contact lenses for a while longer!
There are a few simple facts and they go like this:
My vision is pretty awful without glasses or contact lenses, which I have worn everyday since I was thirteen years old.
I’ve wanted to get laser done for some time now.
Its less than half the price here, in South Korea, than at home, in Ireland.
However, unlike at home, the clinics here let you choose which kind of laser surgery to have, LASEK or LASIK. But who the hell am I to choose? What do I know about it? What are the doctors for if not to advise? Because I am a suitable candidate for both, due to the health of my eyes and the thickness of my corneas, I have been told with much Korean enthusiasm, by more than one doctor, that I get to pick the procedure I want. Lucky me!
So will it be the painfree, quick recovery of vision (24hrs to one week) but the slightly increased risk of side effects with LASIK or a substantial amount of pain, a slow recovery of vision (one week to six months) but a decreased risk of complications with LASEK.
Maybe I should just stick to my contact lenses for a while longer!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)