Upcoming Events

So, it is now Friday, and some of the girls are coming over to my apartment tonight for Kimbap (Korean burrito) and Mandu (Korean Chinese Dumplings)and good times. And then tomorrow, a couple of us are going to see the traveling Picasso exhibit, here from France. I am especially excited for that, as I was totally bummed when I missed it in Phoenix a couple of years ago. He is not one of my favorite artists, but his work is so strange and evocative...it is the kind of thing that sparks thoughts and feelings into even the least appreciative. It should be a great time.

I am really busy for the next couple of weekends, and I am really happy about it. On Saturday, July 8th, several of us are taking a trip up to see the DMZ (de-militarized zone between North and South Korea). It will be the second DMZ I have seen (saw the one in Nicosia, Cyprus back in 2000—they just started dismantling it about a year or two ago now). I hear it is just incredibly beautiful and full of little happy tree creatures...who sometimes get run over by tanks! Here are a couple of links I found—one is positive, the other is overly dramatic, but interesting.

Tourist's Guide to the DMZ

Dramtic CNN

Then, on Sunday, July 9th, I am going to see Mamma Mia with some of the girls here; yes it is in English (I am pretty sure). I've never seen it, and I love Abba, so it should be great.

Mamma Mia in Korea


The following weekend (MY BIRTHDAY! YAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAY!) I am going to the Mud Festival (Mud Festival) and am going to get wicked crazy and roll around in a bunch of mud and drink some beers, and just turn 26 in muddy style! So, quite a few fun things planned on the ol' calendar for the next couple of weeks. Stay tuned for pics and updates!

What a freaky week!

Ok, so I started the week out with little James getting stitches in his tongue. I then moved on to a pretty awful flu, which kept me plastered to the floor of my bathroom for all of Tuesday night. I finally finished emptying my guts at about 4am, and slinked into bed, to come to school the next day and teach. Can we say rough? Anyways, I now know that it was a 48 hour virus, because I am feeling much better, but Christie is ill with it now. Yes, I am the JM plague bearer...Anyways, Miss Lee took the entire staff (with the exception of Christie who was home sick) out for Kalbi (Korean barbeque) last night. My stomache was still a little tender, but I enjoyed myself. I am including some pictures for ya'll. It was a lot of fun, and the food was delicious.

Well, here are those pictures from dinner last night...I am including a good one of the actual spread, and several of my coworkers being silly! Enjoy!






In the pictures of the table, you can see all of these little bowls and then what looks like grates with hot coals in them...For those of you who have never had or seen Kalbi, this is what it is. They bring out these pots full of hot coals and place them in the middle of the table. Then there are these tube-things that come down from the ceiling and they vent away the hot air from the coals, so you are not feeling like you are sitting in front of an oven. Once you sit down, on little mats on the floor (my legs are always sore after a Kalbi meal) the server brings out all of these little side dishes and a salad for each person. The side dishes usually include these really sweet cold mashed potatoes, pickled mushrooms and cucumber, kimchi, cold spicy crab, spicy red paste, brocolli with sweet and spicy red sauce, and raw garlic cloves. They also bring out two different kinds of salads for everyone to share—greens with spicy red sauce and iceberg lettuce with sesame seed dressing—and several plates piled high with lettuce and sesame leaves (think lettuce wraps). And each person gets a personal salad, consisting of cabbage in a wasabi vinigrette (this is delicious). Then the server brings out these plates of pre-marinated meat, pork usually, and they place them on top of the grates over the hot coals. The smells that come off of that meat when it is first put onto the heat is incredible. You start to drool right then and there. After the meat has cooked for awhile, the server comes back and turns it over, and then comes back again and cuts it into bite-sized pieces and pushes it to the edges of the "grill." He or she then brings another plate of meat and starts the whole smell-thing over again. But this time, you can start eating while the new meat is cooking. You take a piece of lettuce or sesame leaf and put whatever sides you feel like into it, and then put some of the meat in, roll it up, and there is your Kalbi dinner. It is really excellent. You eat what seems like a ton of food (but is really healthy), and sit around talking for a couple of hours. It is a nice experience. There is no rush, and you can sit back, digest for awhile, and then dive back in. Well, I hope I made you all hungry...luckily, I just ate bip-bim-bap (can't really describe now) and am too full to be hungry. Loves!

Kung-fu Update

So James was back in class today, and full of pep and vinegar. I briefly felt relieved, until he ran up to me, stuck out his tongue and showed me his 3 little stitches. I kind of lost it. I grabbed him and gave him a big hug and kept mumbling about what a brave little guy he was. He couldn't really understand me, but he didn't seem to mind the hugs. Calvin and Sally saw my little display of affection and both wanted their share too, so, within the hour of my class, I received 4 kisses, 9 hugs, and 6 demands for kisses on various boo-boos.

I had a very hard time not being too strict today with them though. Everytime they would start to get a little excited, I would immediately make them sit in their chairs and calm down. I don't want them to not have any fun though, so after class, I talked with Christie briefly, and she made me feel a lot better. She pointed out that ouchies will happen, and that 6 year olds will get excited, and I can't worry too much about it. So, thanks Christie, I appreciate the pep-talk! And maybe now I can stop being a total nazi, and go back to being fun!

But here are some pictures of James, recovered in spirit at least, if not totally in body yet!

Funny Picture!

So, Jillian took this picture of me as we were getting ready to go out Saturday...I can't decide if I like it or not...it kind of looks like one of those pictures where the girl dresses up in old fashioned wild west hooker clothing and tries her best to look sexy. And we all know that I am just not a sexy person...so I feel like I am looking at a caricature. But I thought I would throw it up on here, and give all the kiddies back home a giggle! Luvs!

My First Movie...

I went and saw my first movie in Korea last night...Posidon. It was ok. The graphics were awesome, but the plot line was pretty standard for a disaster movie. But hey, I had a great time, so no worries. After the movie we (Laura, her boyfriend Jung, Jilian, Christie, and Laura's friend Inhee) went and ate dinner at FRIDAY'S! Ahaha! I ordered a big ole cheeseburger and fries, and enjoyed myself immensely! There is something to be said for only getting to eat a cheeseburger once a month. It just tastes so amazing!

Here is a picture of the 6 of us at FRIDAY'S. I am adoring Inhee, and we are going to hang out again! She is a total sweetie!



Anyways, can you all believe that on Monday, I will have been in Korea for a month? And I am still loving it. Hope all is well back home!

Two More Teachers!

So, we have a new Korean coordinator. Her name is Katie, and she just moved back to Seoul from Chicago. She is so sweet, and I am glad I will be working with her! She seems like a lot of fun, and is absolutely adorable!



Another teacher here is Hans (that is pronounced Haahns, not Hanz--like Penny's Hanz). He teaches the older students, and took his degree in the US. He speaks beautiful English and is so very nice and charming! He gives me all of his English language papers after he is done with them...something I very much appreciate!

Some New Pictures

So, these pictures aren't incredibly exciting, but they show a little bit of the upper-crust architecture around here. I went to church Sunday, and my church is located in the middle of this really wealthy neighborhood. There are these beautiful brick houses and apartment complexes, with huge windows. I love walking through the neigborhood to get to church! I also caught a couple of shots of some of the people I have met at church, and there is a good one of Christie and her friend Matt (the only nice guy I have met form the military so far). There are also a couple from the subway and one that I just thought turned out totally cool, and is now my desktop picture! I promise to get some more interesting shots soon...

Why?

It is stuff like this that makes me sad to live in the world. Why does this have to be the reality of so many people? It is truly disgusting and disheartening. I fear for the human race when actions and behaviours of this nature are allowed to occur.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/5105102.stm

Sunday Seoul

I just got home from church, and I think that I can safely say that it was one of the most moving services I have ever been too. It was one of those things where you spend almost two hours with goosebumps, and you just feel so uplifted, and confident as you leave. We got a new pastor at our church--he just moved back to Korea from Chicago--and he was wonderful! He made his sermon so accessible and human. I really like him, and am very glad with my church's choice of a new spiritual leader. Also, the whole worship band was here today, and they totally rock. The drummer is especially good. ANd there is this amazingly great girl who sings...she has some serious pipes for such a tiny little thing! All in all, it was an awesome morning!

After church, Cristie and I stopped at a little stand an bought some kimbap and ate lunch on a park bench, just watching the world go by. Then we parted ways at the subway, cause she was going to meet another friend, and I wanted to run some errands back home. Walking back to my neighborhood from the subway, I received several smiles and head nods, and basically enjoyed a brisk breeze wlaking through the lake park, from the pictures in the earlier post. I was totally looking forward to an ice-pop when I got home though.

P.S. I just finished the most amazing ice-pop. Seriously, Korea has the best ice-pops of anywhere I have ever been. And it is a good thing too, cause whoooo-wee, today was humid! I think I am going to take another shower, and then watch some korean music videos on MtvKorea and finish up my laundry. Sounds like a perfect Sunday, Seoul-style! Luvs.

SK Out of World Cup Running

This is so sad. I hve never been a big fan of sports, never had a favorite team (except the Harlem Globetrotters--I love their antics), and watch sports matches only rarely. I have always liked Hockey, but not realy as a sport, more as a fight. LOL! SO it took me by surprise how disappointed I was this morning by Switzerland's win over my poor South Korea. Especially considering how important it was to most Koreans here. I know that I am going to see a lot of long and angry faces today. And I really feel for them. They were so hopeful. Is this what it feels like to be a fan? How strange.

"Back to Immigration" or "The Lovely Man"

So, I had to make the trek back to immigration today to pick up my alien registration card. Jeesh that is a journey! And silly me, I let my vanity overrule my better judgement, and made the three hour trek in heels. I thought I would try to blend in a bit by dressing a little better than tennis shoes and jeans. The girls here are all so feminine and wear heels with everything. They are all gorgeous and wear dresses most of the time, as well. They always look so put together. I feel like the country bumpkin mouse that went to visit her little mouse cousin in the big city (you all have seen that cartoon, right? classic!). So, I put on my trendiest capris, a stylish little black stretch tee, and the Calvin Klein wedge, ankle-wrap sandals that I got before I left home. I thought I looked fairly ok. As ok as I can look, anyways. I mean, I had no illusions about competing with these girls...I didn't even think I would blend in, considering I am three (ok, mybe 4) times the size of the biggest grown girls here, but I hope to at least look passable. So, anyways, I hadn't even reached the office and my feet were hurting. And by the time I got back to my neighborhood, I was in agony, and limping along like an old woman. So much for trying to look passable! LOL! But, one highlight of the trip...I saw the most interesting man.

I was riding the train to the Immigration Office, and had finally gotten a seat on the subway (it is very crowded in the mornings), when I noticed him. First off, let me begin by saying he was a very attractive Korean man, probably about early 30s, in a suit, reading a paper. I first noticed him for his looks, but he really caught my attention when, after about 3 stops, he pulled a neatly folded hankerchief out of his pocket, mopped his brow of sweat, folded the hankerchief back up, and slipped it back into his pocket. It was probably one of the top 5 sexiest things I have ever witnessed in my life. It was just such a simple action, and you could tell he didn't even really think about it as he was doing it. It was totally a part of his routine. It was beautiful in its simplicity. So after seeing this, I started looking at him a bit closer. I was suitably impressed.

Watching him fold his kerchief, I noticed that he had lovely fingers, long and tapered, with neatly cut nails. They were the kind of fingers you would expect on a concert pianist, a sculptor, or a serious guitar player. And it seemed as though they moved seperately from the rest of the man, like he spoke with his hands so much, that he no longer even noticed his fingers moving. Z had fingers like this. The man wore no rings or other jewlery on his hands, but the delicate way they moved as he folded his kerchief back up were a decoration more brilliant than any metal could provide. He had smaller bones in his wrist, and you could see the muscles work as he moved his hands along the well worn folds of the cloth. I noticed the rest of him after he had tucked the kerchief back into his pocket.

He had a trim, athletic build, the kind you can always see to best advantage in a nice suit...which is what he was wearing. It looked tailored, as it fit his shoulders and arms perfectly, the cuff came up the perfect amount when he stretched his arm out to hold the subway handle, and it did not pull across his back at all. It was of a really fine material, I am not sure what, but it had the look of an incredibly light wool. The suit was navy blue, with what looked like lavender vertical pinstripes. He wore a soft white shirt underneath with no tie. Instead, the top button was undone. Not in a "guido" kind of way, but more as a nod to the intensely humid weather outside. The white shirt was light enough to hint at transparent, but was thick enough that the transparency was almost only an illusion. The shirt was tucked into a nice leather belt with a silver buckle, and untucked just enough to not be pulling if he sat down. He had a flat stomach to compliment his nice shoulders and arms; he really brought to mind the executive who works out on his lunch hour, or plays racketball 4 times a week. The pants of the suit fell at the perfect length as well; they hit right at the top of his arch, and were hemmed, rather than cuffed. He also had very sensible, manly black leather loafers on. All in all, the perfect business man's ensemble.

His face was equally as pleasing. A strong jaw, prominent nose, smooth skin, and moderately slanted black eyes. His hair was such that if left long, it probably had a natural wave. As he had it cut, it was full and thick on top, perfect for running fingers through, and trimmed neatly on the back and sides. It was, in typical Korean fashion, black. His eyes were very kind, and when they passed over you, there seemed to be a genuine warmth contained in their dark depths.

Last of all was his smile. As I moving towards the subway doors for my stop, he had to step aside for me, and when he did, he smiled and gave me a perfectly respectful bow of the head. His teeth were slightly crooked, but very white. And his smile was just a little off-center. It was absolutely delightful.

Ok, so, sorry I had to go all into that, but so many of you have asked me about the people here, about the differences, and my adjustment. As long as there are lovely people like this man in the world, I am at home no matter what!

I think I am going to see a movie this weekend, and maybe take in some sights, if it does not rain too much. So hopefully I will have pictures to upload next Monday! Love you all. Take care!

Threat from the North?

So, I don't kow how many of you have been keeping up with current events, but the situation with North Korea seems to be getting worse. With threats of a developing nuclear arms program, long-range missile tests, and refusals to adhere to previously agreed upon stipulations, Kim Il-Jong is pushing against a very threadbare line of peace. I have been reading up on the situation most voraciously, and will admit that I am a little worried. I also see that much of the rest of the world is failing to respect or take seriously the threat that this small country, and last "bastion of communism," could present. The threat of these missile tests, even if they are just that, a threat made to get the US into talks and to lessen recent restrictions placed upon NK, are still very powerful, and I believe, serious. I encourage everyone to follow this situation, as I think it could truly become one of those world events that affect history, and make future generations of history books.

With NK opening it's borders for the first time in years to certain travel expeditions, now is the best time to learn and attempt to understand this country that has been so shrouded in mystery and hysteria for the last several decades. I am facinated by the cultural and political intricacies it presents, and am enthralled with the possibility of being so close to such a potenial for world change as is presented by this rising power in the international community. Fear and facination...is that not what always brings about a downfall? But I cannot not learn more about this facinating place. I encourage all of you to take the time and learn as much as you can as well. And not just from US news sources. Check out the BBC news website for a less tainted version of current happenings, and also, on the links section of this page, I have included a link to the Korea Herald, Seoul's major English news site. Both of these places provide excellent sources of information of the escalating situation here in the east, and in the world for that matter.

Keep an open mind, and learn. That is always the best way to understand.

Care Package Neccessity

Ok, for those of you who feel I am off in the uncivilized hinterlands, briefly I will admit you are right! LOL! That being said, there is something I desperately need (not desperately as in I will die if I don't get it, but desperately as in I am going to be a raving beotch come a certain time of the month without it)! There are no ovens here. Which means that there are no fresh baked chocolate chip cookies, or brownies, or blondies, or pies, or bread sticks, or anything remotely good that would come from your grandmother's kitchen! Yes, I know! It is tragic! So here is what I want/need! A Hasboro Easy Bake Oven. You can get them at Wal-Mart, Amazon.com, and Toys'R'Us for about $20–30 and the mixes for about $5. If you love me at all, please help me out, and send me such a magical contraption! I am dying without homemade baked goods!

My favorite dinner!

This has become my favorite meal! Chamchi Kimbap (Tuna Korean Burrito) and a Cafri (Korean Beer). FOr those of you who know me, you know I HATE beer. But I actually really like this stuff. It tastes like Heinekin tries to.

Ahhh! I knew I was in the right place!

A Duracel battery float? Seriously, I am in heaven. At least I will never have to worry about a "power shortage!" *Wink, Wink* LOL!

First Real Bout of Homesickness

Ok, so I just got off the phone wth my mom, and the poor dear had to listen to me completely break down. I had my first official bout of homesickness tonight. Bawling about missing my mom, my dog, my cat, my friends, driving in Phoenix, being able to read restraunt signs! This was the very first tiem I actually wanted to come home. I know it will pass, but right now, I am very sad, and very lonely! I miss everyone so much! Goodnight!

Pictures!

So I finally posted my pictures! I know...it took me long enough! Anyhow, I split them into 4 different posts, so check them all out! If you click on each individual picture, you can see it larger and with more detail. The first, Alien Registration, is more for anyone living in Seoul and looking for info. So people not doing that may want to skip that first post! I miss everyone, and hope you are all well! I hope you enjoy the scenic visit to my new home that these pictures give!

It is raining right now, as I write this. Being from the desert, I have never really experienced rain like this. I actually own an umbrella! A first, I must say. Mine is so cute, it looks like a confetti cupcake, with a ruffled edge! I love it. Anyways, I am chilling to some Andre Bocelli, courtesy of Pollyanna, and am just loving life right now! Peace out!

P.S. It is now 4 hours later, and I have just gone back through and read all of my posts, and looked at my pictures. I was very surpirsed to realize that nothing looks foreign to me anymore. It is al so familiar already, and I think of those places as home, and normal. I am amazed by my adaptability. It is good to be home.

Soul Immigration: Alien Registration

This is for anyone looking for information on registering with immigration in Seoul. I wish someone had made a site like this for me, as it was a bit stressful figuring it all out. First, your school should give you all of the neccessary paperwork (School certificate or statement of employment), but you will also have to take with you the 10,000 won fee, a passport sized photo of yourself that was taken in the last 6 months, your passport, and your patience. The immigration office is located off of the purple line, #5, at the Omokkyo(or Omokgyo) station. Once you arrive there, look for exit number 7, as this is the one that puts you on the right side of the street. There is also an information board which tells you which exit from the terminal you are looking for, right as you are getting to the main swipe out area. If you have found the correct exit, you should go up some stairs, and will see a KIA Car Dealership on your right hand side. Keeping this building on your right, walk straight down the street. You are going to go for about 4 or 5 American city blocks, perhaps a half a mile, until you come to a major intersection. You will pass two or three smaller intersections before the big one, but you will know it is the big one, because you can not go straight any longer. You will veer towards the right, and take that street down for two or three more blocks. At this point, towards you left, you will see a huge grey building that says Seoul Immigration. You will have to cross katty-corner to get to it, but just keep it in your sights, and you will do fine. Once you get to the building, you will go in the main doors, and go down the stairs one level. Here is a waiting room, and you go in and there is a little shop kiosk. This is where you pay your 10,000 won to get a little stamp. Take this stamp back up the stairs to the original floor you came in on, and turn to your left. There will be a desk inside the doors you have to walk through, and you should fill out one of the papers made available there. Then, you go to the little ticket number machine, and press 1, this will give you your number for waiting. Kind of like at the DMV. Once you get up to a person, you will give them your paperwork from the school, the form you just filled out, your picture, and your passport. Don't be scared, they will keep your passport this time, but will give you a little receipt that says you have paid. They will ask you if you can come back to pick your registration card up, as it takes about 10 days to process. Tell them no, that they should mail it to you or to your school, whichever you prefer. This is much easier, and saves you an extra trip. Take your receipt and head on back the way you came. Good luck!

The job!

These are pictures of my job! I work for the JM English School, about a half a mile from my house, and it looks like a crayola crayon box. If you want to see a picture of it, check back to my second post on this blog! This is my little desk area...I have since gotten a computer and a lot more crap to put on it! The Korean lady is my boss, Miss Lee. She is the director of the school, and lives in an apartment over it with her mother. Her brother owns the place. She is a typical boss, but still very nice! This is the classroom where I teach, and these are my kids! Well, some of them are mine. The two little girls are Grace and Emma, and they are actually Christie's students, but since I trained with her class, they all talk to me too. The three kids in the picture together are my students...yeah, I only have three, and then two later in intensives (that is like one-on-one tutoring). But I will be getting more classes in July. The little girl is Sally, the boy in front is James, and the boy in back is Calvin. See what I mean about the English names? James is my absolute favorite and I am a total sucker for his antics! He is the cutest little thing, and I love having him in my class! Check him out in his "Go Korea" (soccer is huge here, and everyone wears red and screams go korea!) headband, doing a king-fu pose for me! I hope I have a little boy just as crazy and mischievious as him some day! Anyhow...these are my pictures of life here in Seoul! I will post more as I take them!

Addendum! Unfortuantly, I was a bit of an idiot and deleted some of the pics that were in this post, so here are the ones I could find...darnit!

My co-workers!

So, I work with 4 Americans, 1 Canadian, and 2 Koreans. In total, it is 6 girls, and 2 guys. All of the Koreans have English names, that they use in English settings, in addition ot their own Korean names. I know that Sophia's real name is Sora, but I am not sure of Sally's. Sally is the girl in the white t-shirt with red lettering that says "I love ACC." the other girl is Sora! I adore Sora and have hung out with her several times now! She reminds me a lot of my friend EK in TX. The tall blond girl in the pink shirt is Christie, the Canadian. She just turned 27 and is so incredibly nice...she is the one I have been going to church with! Jillian is the burnette, and is 23 from TX. She is so much fun, but is more of a partier than me and wears me out! She has so much vibrant energy! The pale blonde in the grey t-shirt is Laura, she is 24 and from all over. She went to school in Hawaii (Bringham Young-I think) and met her Korean boyfriend there. She is totally cool and we get along really well! The blonde guy is Shawn, 24 from New England (Boston). He is a total character, and cracks me up on a regular basis. He is a totally sarcastic shit and reminds me a lot of some of the guys from back home! The last guy is Matt, 25 from Oklahoma, and most recently from Thailand. He is pretty different, but incredibly cool. He loves to travel the world, and is just working here for a year in order to travel the world some more. He is so cute, and look at the adorable pose he did for me with my umbrella! Everyone is so amazing, and I am so grateful to have met everyone!

Da hood and Seoul!

So this is my neighborhood! Isn't it adorable? I was told that it is a pretty upper middle class hood, and that it is mostly working families and single professionals. The building with the four curved looking "balconies" is mine. I am in the upper left one. That is my window! I have also included a picture of my street, and some of the other buildings in my hood. Anyways, all of the green and the lake and amusement park is this big rec area right down the street from me. I jog (jog/walk) there just about every morning. Isn't it beautiful? That amusement park is called Lotte World (pronounced Lo-Tay), and is a total rip-off of Disneyland in CA. But it is still really cool! I am also throwing in some views of the skyline around my hood. This neighborhood is called Seokchon-Dong, and the lake is Seokchon lake. All located off of the Jamsil (pronounced Cham-shil) subway station, on the #2 green line! I take the subway everywhere (it is about a mile from my house, I can't believe how much I walk here!), but i don't have any pictures, cause I don't want to look like a total tourist! LOL! Anyways, this is the hood, and i love it...there are several little markets, and lots of Calbi houses (that is Korean bar-be-que). There are also several laundry places, hair places, and service stores...All in all, it is a great little neighborhood! And I feel completely safe here...I can walk to the market at night with nary a care! I love this place!

My Apartment

These are pictures of my apartment...Notice the crazy bathroom/shower set up. I have since come to the conclusion that it is absolutely brilliant, and I do not know why Americans waste time with the seperate shower stall! My bathroom has never been so clean in all of my adult life! Also notice the cool sliding doors on both the closet and the laundry balcony. I love them...they are so Asian! Yeah, that blue thing is my washing machine...the way the apartments are set up, I have this little indoor balcony area, where the washing machine sits, and my drying rack, and the big windows to the outside are there...and then there are those sliding doors to seperate the balcony area from the rest of my apartment! It is a really neat idea...As you can see, there is no dryer, and I have to hang dry all of my clothes...man I miss soft, just out of the dryer towels! I guess we all miss the little stuff, huh? The rest, you can see--my bed, my tv, my gas rangetop, and the other odds and ends in my studio. The space is actually plenty big, and I am so comfortable and at home there. I also threw in some pictures of the food that they had stocked in my fridge when I first arrived. All that writing freaked me out at first, but now I am so used to it, I just wish I could read it-LOL! Lastly, notice the wood-like floors, it is actually wood-like vinyl. In the winter here, they heat the apartments through the floors. There are hot water pipes running underneath, and they make the apartment all cozy. It is why Asians sit on the floor so much. There is also a button you have to press to turn on the hot water. Don't make the mistake of forgetting that and stepping under your shower! It is right underneath the phone-looking apparatus, that is actually my security system-visual and audio identifiers to buzz someone into the building or the front door! Ok, done with my apartment...the next post is of my neighborhood!

I'm Here!

So, I was goign to wait until I had pictures to post on here, but it is going to be at least another week as genius here left her camera's battery charger at home. Thanks to a wonderful mother, I should have it and the missed mac and cheese by the beginning of next week. But until then, I thought I would give everyone a much awaited (hahah! I know) reaccounting of my first week here in Seoul, Korea!

So, I arrived on Singapore Air at about 8pm Friday night; the flight was not too bad...a little turbulence, but otherwise good. The flight attendants were awesome, they were all multilingual, and they were all crazy-dedicated. TL will totally appreciate this...I am positive she is glad she doesn't work for this airline...They all wore these long Thai-style dresses, and I swear to God, every time I looked, each girl had perfect make-up. I mean, perfectly drawn on, cupid-bow lips, in a color that would have made any firetruck loving whore proud! They were beautiful, smiling, gracious living dolls.

Anyways, I got off the airplane, went through customs, collected my baggage, and went out to meet the manager from JM that was supposed to be there to meet me. Well, I got out to the greeting area, and looked along the line of signs held up, trying to find one with my name on it, but no luck. So I wheeled my cart overflowing with 4 hot pink bags to one side of the greeting area and looked around, and then wheeled it back to the other side and looked around. I did this for probably an hour and a half, and was really starting to freak. I had brilliantly forgotten the number to the school at home in Phoenix, and didn't even have a calling card. So yes, panic began to take hold. I was really starting to sweat, when I realized I was sweating right next to the information desk. Can we say "Lightbulb?" So I went up there, kind of shyly, and yelled (just incase they couldn't speak English, I wanted them to at least be able to hear me!) "Can you help me?" The girl smiled and said in almost understandable English "Blah bleee blah balh blub!" Ok, not really...she was very nice, and paged my name over the loudspeaker, saying that I was waiting for my party at the info desk. Well, that is what I am assuming she said. She could have said something abouit some weird yelling American at the info desk and if anyone knew the name, please come get me as I was hurting her ears...it was in Korean, so...either possiblity is open! So, I sat patiently (pacing back and forth in front of my luggage) until this adorable, tiny little Korean girl came up to me, looking as relieved to see me, as I dare say I looked to see her. She said my name and held up a full sized 8" by 11" picture of me! Yikes! But I smiled gratefully and that was my first meeting with Sophia! She then looked at my mountain of luggage...did I mention it was hot pink? She kind of laughed and we got on our way. I soon found out the reason for the laugh, when I discovered we would be taking a bus across the city. Aaaaaiiiiieee! SO anyway, she bought my ticket for me, and we gave my bags to the driver and got on our way.

I was fairly exhausted by this point, and after making small talk, I asked if she minded if I zoned out. She understood, and started messing with her supercool phone, while I put on my music and stared out the window. My first impressin of Seoul? L.A. at night! Seriously...Minus the graffiti (sp?) of course. Well, we finally got to the big hotel, where we exited the bus, and dragged my luggage down to the corner, and a bright yellow van pulled up. Yeah, I know what it sounds like! No, the driver of the van was none other than...Mr. Moon! Ahhhhh! I would come to find out in the next week that Mr. Moon is the resident "do-everything!" Anything you need or want, he does or takes care of! Well, Sophia had a date to watch the soccer game (Soccer is HUGE here!) with her boyfriend, who she kindly showed me pictures of on her phone on the bus ride, so we dropped her off at some bar, and then Mr. Moon drove me to my new home. Real quick aside here...Mr. Moon doesn't speak much English, so it was a very quiet ride! LOL

After navigating these tiny little side streets, where I was sure we were going to collide with another car, or person, or both, we pulled up outside a building, and Mr. Moon parked the van. He then got out and I assumed I was home. Realize that he still hadn't said anything! Well, we struggledand got all of my bags out of the van, and then started the arduous process of carrying them up three flights of stairs...I live on the third floor...but were met almost immediately by this absolutely gorgeous hippie traveler type! Oh my! He was speaking English too! I thought i was halucinating! But he took two of my bags and Mr. moon took the other, and I carried my carry-on, and we made it up the rest of the stairs, where there were two other girls waiting! I know I was coming here to expereince another culture, but can I say how comforting it is to see other westerners when you are as tired and, I'll admit, overwhelmed as I was? I have never before been able to identify myself with a group of people based on physical appearance alone, so this was an incredibly strange sentiment, but I was tired, so I decided to analyze it later.

Anyways, the two girls-Christie and Jillian-were so nice and welcoming, and the hippie-his name was Matt (I know!)-was so cool!But I was just so tired, Matt said his hellos and goodbyes all in one breath, and then faded from my perspective...I think he mumbled something about catching up later. At this point, Mr. Moon also left, so I was alone with the two girls. They very kindly ran through a bunch of stuff, but they realized I was too tired to take it all in so they gave me their phone numbers and made plans with me for the next day, and then they were off. I'm sorry this part isn't more descriptive...but I was almost incoherant at this point.

So, now I was alone in my new home, and had a moment to take it all in. It is this adorable, good sized studio, with a nice big bed (full-sized; I was worried as I had read about some teachers only getting a yo-a stuffed mat), a long table with two chairs, a cute little kitchenette area, a night stand, two book cases, one closed, the other opened, a big closet with a plastic chest of drawers, and a little back area where the washing machine was. There was also a t.v., a air conditioning unit, a phone, and a cute little bathroom. They had also very generously stocked the frig. All in all, it was perfect.

I was so tired at this point that I couldn't sleep, so I unpacked all of my stuff, and ten, cause I was kind of hungry, ate teh salad they had left in the frig for me! It was so good after my long flight, it had this crazy lemon dressing that was absolutely delish! Anyways, after eating, I figured out how to use the shower, took on, and then passed out cold. So ends my first day in Korea!

Ok, I think that is all for tonight. I will post more about the rest of that first week later, in shorter form, I promise. But this was my first night, and I wanted to share all of the details with all of you! Anyways, It is midnight here, and I am ready for bed, so I will say good night! I love everyone! I promise I will write more tomorrow night, and try to get you all caught up! Later Peeps!

Rho

(Yeah, I go by Rho here...they think Robin is a man's name! They all ask "Offa Rawxery?"-Say it out loud...you will get it!)