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Bye Everyone

I'm letting go of this blog and moving on to other things. Thank you for all your support over the years. You can always reach me via e-mail.

Chinamonics 1-25

Start reading Chinese in as little as an hour with these high quality (300 dpi) printable Chinamonics flashcards. Two vocabulary examples and three associations are provided for each character to help you remember both the word and the meaning. This first set includes basic pronouns, nouns and verbs. A review test with sentences is provided at the end. Download immediately for only $1.25

 

View Chinamonics 1-25 Sample.pdf (opens in browser)

KLB - Special Edition

KLB - Special Edition (synopsis):

In addition to the complete Island of Fantasy - A Memoir of an English Teacher in Korea (see reviews below), this special edition of Korea Life Blog contains a thick collection of popular theme-based posts no longer available online. These include The Windy Times, Korean Food, Chongak and the Stray Cats and more. Alive with photos, reader comments and a variety of bonus material, this book is made for anyone remotely interested in a foreigner's life in Korea. (297 pages)

 "Shawn has consistently provided some of the finest descriptions and commentary about everyday expatriate life in Korea that you'll find anywhere. In fact, I've always felt that people who really wanted to learn about life in this country should be reading KLB." -- The Marmot

 

View KLB - Special Edition Sample.pdf (opens in browser)

Free! (PDF e-book is free with a contribution of any amount to China Life Blog)

 

 

(to order the published printed edition click here)

Island of Fantasy

"In the book, we get the uproariously funny and sometimes painfully realistic details of the author's exploits upon arriving on Koje-do, a small island off Pusan, for a 12-month teaching stint." --The Korea Times


"This is an easy book to recommend: a thoughtful, thorough memoir by a writer with a subtle sense of humor and an easy-going way of expressing himself, filled with interesting characters, amusing anecdotes and some enlightening information on both Korea and on how ESL programs tend to work. It's a lot of fun." --Trenchman.com

Island of Fantasy - A Memoir of an English Teacher in Korea (synopsis):

In this fascinating memoir, the author says goodbye to a mundane existence in America and, given a free air ticket and apartment, ventures to teach English on a remote island off the coast of South Korea. Dubbed The Island of Fantasy by its inhabitants, Koje-do is a mixture of charm and peaceful beauty. But in its city center sits Wonder School, a place of frantic chaos and disorganization. Treated like an English-speaking slave by the school's owners, Shawn Matthews struggles to teach students unlike anything his recruiter, the unscrupulous Mr. Wong, had depicted. Outside the job he meets a cast of memorable characters including the mysterious Choi and two-timing Natasha. Eye-popping and downright hilarious, the chronicle spins into a whirlwind that leaves the reader either stunned or laughing on the floor. (189 pages)

View IOF - Memoir of an English Teacher in Korea Sample .pdf (opens in browser)

 

(to order the published printed edition click here)

Free pre-CLB e-book

Not long before there was China Life Blog, there was an e-book, a project I fiddled with until I decided to stay in China and start this site. Full of the usual photos and offbeat commentary, this once-in-a-lifetime e-book, typos and all, takes you back to the very first day I arrived in Beijing and chronicles that endearing first month. From stalker-like photos of girls dancing in a bar to Jake enjoying scorpions-on-a stick -- oh, and a shot of the most disgusting restroom you've ever seen, there's something in here for everyone. Get your free copy today by e-mail. Just ask me.