Tuesday, August 29, 2006
And the clock keeps ticking
So, I started teaching three new classes yesterday (Monday). I have two 40 minute general kindergarten classes, with about 10 to 15 4 and 5 year olds in each, and I have a new English class with three 4 year olds. I got to give them their English names, and I named them Alli, Faith, and Felix! Aren't those the cutest names? Anyhow, along with these new classes, I lost two of my students...I am a victim of my own abilities, I guess. My favorite students, James (the little karate boy) and Sally both got moved up to the higher level class. I seem to have a knack with the remedial students, so I will be teaching a class with all of the kids that can't be put into the other classes for whatever reasons, be they behavioural, or level wise. I am really sad that I don't get to teach James anymore, but it was good that he got moved up...I hadn't been able to give him the attention he needed, cause the other kids in the class were more time consuming. I miss him and Sally. They were such darlings. I think that this is really the first thing I have discovered that is really bad about teaching, the kids keep passing through your life. It really sucks. You have them for a few months, or a year, and you grow attached, and then they are gone. That is definately the worst part about teaching. It is also the part that has made me realize just how much I want kids. So that I can watch them and help them through their entire life's journey. But the clock rolls on, and I have some absolutely adorable and sweet new kids to teach now. So I am still loving this job so much! When I think of all of the other crap I could be doing with my life, I know that I have made the right decision! Night!
Thursday, August 17, 2006
Cultural Differences
So, we all remember snack time in kindergarten, right? There was milk, and cookies or something of that nature, and it was great. Well, at my job, everyday I teach an advanced kindergarten class of 5 and 6 year olds. I say advanced because they are at a very high level of proficency in English. Anyways, everyday, at 3pm, we start our conversation class off with snack time. I make the children line up outside the bathroom and they go in, two by two, and wash their hands. They have to tell me what they are doing as they do it too, part of their English usage. And then we all sit down around a table for snack time. This includes milk and some kind of snack, usually muffins or jelly sandwiches or mandu (a high treat). Things that, for the most part, you would find at snack time in an American kindergarten. Except that today, we had something a little different. And before I tell you what we had, let me tell you that my kids were more excited about this snack than anything else we have had so far. That includes muffins, cookies, cake, jelly sandwiches, and other assorted pastries. The snack du jour? Boiled sweet potatoe. The purple kind. They had been scrubbed, but all the skin was still on, and they were kind of rooty-looking. The kids grabbed them, broke them in half, and started eating them like they were candy! I proceeded to tentatively try one and found it to be delicious. But still, the thing was a squiggy root! What 5 year olds do you know that would sit down and eat a boiled creepy looking root? Anyways, goes to show further the cultural differences! I love this place!
Friday, August 11, 2006
Neato finds!
I just discovered the funniest new site...YouTube...and then discovered a new love! Check out these guy's blog! They are absolutely hilarious!
TwoChineseGuys
TwoChineseGuys
Monday, August 07, 2006
I know these are a little late...
But I just got these from Jillian, so here are some more pics of my birthday!
Becoming established
So, I am now more than a full week into my third month here in Seoul, and am feeling less and less like a tourist, and more like a resident. Granted, I still can't read a lot (although my grasp on the alphabet IS increasing, as is my vocabulary) and I tend to want to stay in places I am familiar with, if I am going to be by myself, but I think the "lost little American" look has finally left my face. I am practically innured to the stares, and I am shocked when I see another westerner, or overhear spoken English. The transition is finally hitting me, and I have found it to be an incredibly interesting alteration of perspective.
Where I was completely exstatic about everything Korean when I first got here, like the food, the fashion, the city layout, I now recognize and acknowledge the aspects that are less than desirable, such as trash, stray animals, and an overwhelming vanity. Where I was all set to completely immerse myself in Korean culture, like straight black coffee, I am now more likely to ask for just a little western "sweetener." I am starting to seperate the "propoganda" from the reality, and to see past the shiny polish that everything was covered in when I first arrived. And these changes in understanding accompany, indeed aid in the development, of an ever deepening love for this strange and unique country.
The mindset of the people here is one so different to Americans. For the most part, working for 10 hours a day is an accepted, unwritten standard, and being sick truly is not an option. When it comes to work, these people are dedicated, driven, and industrious. A huge portion of the population holds Master's Degrees; indeed, an MA/MBA is looked upon basically the same way a Bachelor's Degree is looked at back home. But the people also play very hard. It is no longer so shocking to see a 60 year old man puking his guts out in the gutter while his friends look on and laugh (I am convinced that the only thing keeping this country from having an alchoholism rate of 100% is the fact that they don't acknoledge alcoholism).
However, the constant rush and bustle, and ant-like industriousness of so many people has still not intruded upon my own sense of time. You know how at the end of "Queen of the Damned," Lestat and the girl walk away down the street, and the people blur into streams of light around them, and yet they seem completely unconcerned? Yeah, that is how I see myself when I am walking with Koreans...I am in slow motion, and they are just little darting beams of light. It makes every journey interesting. *For those of you who want to be contrary and miss the entire point of this comparison, I know that Lestat and the girl are actually the ones moving quickly...I reversed the image for my own purposes...thanks for dealing with it!*
Also, I am starting to have a greater respect for the feminine here. For a culture that is quite obviously patriarchal, there is an incredible respect and awe for all things feminine. Something that we seem to have lost in America. Women here still fight for equality in the work place from what I understand (although they are farther ahead in the political arena than in America, as the leading opposition party is headed by a woman), but you would not know it to look out at the street. Women are gentle creatures, full of laughter and beauty, that are tended with great care and pride. Perhaps that is the love Western men have for Asian women, that they are not hardened like so many American women have become. Women here wear dresses and heels, and they do their make-up and hair, and they are dainty and sweet; I know every feminist that reads this will hate me, but perhaps embracing the feminine is just as powerful as rejecting it...we are the more beautiful of the two sexes, so should it be lessening ourselves to cultivate that aspect? Also, it seems to help the female to female relationships...there is not the constant back-stabbing and competition that drowns so many women back home. And men here admire that softness...it is not even questioned that a man will open doors, hold umbrellas, offer a hand when a woman is exiting a car, or carry her bag if it gets too heavy. I can not even imagine any of the guys I have dated ever offering to do something similar, but then, being immersed in the sense of the feminist as I was, I always made it prefectly clear that I could do for myself. But these women here can do for themselves, they just gain joy from letting their men do for them...I don't think that is so terrible. And in return, they respect their men, and, to the outside world, seem to cleve to the men's wishes (however, what little I have seen makes me question how far into the home this "submissiveness" goes). So there is a perspective that has changed in me.
Anyways, what I am saying is that I no longer sense the alterations in me. The changes are not noticable. So where once the changes in my perspective were like that of losing a limb or gaining a super-power, now they are like getting a tan, or growing longer hair. They are slow, and intregal, and are more powerful, I think, because I do not notice them so quickly. I just looked up one day and realized that I no longer felt as I had. The alteration of my self is...exciting. I am becoming a new me.
Where I was completely exstatic about everything Korean when I first got here, like the food, the fashion, the city layout, I now recognize and acknowledge the aspects that are less than desirable, such as trash, stray animals, and an overwhelming vanity. Where I was all set to completely immerse myself in Korean culture, like straight black coffee, I am now more likely to ask for just a little western "sweetener." I am starting to seperate the "propoganda" from the reality, and to see past the shiny polish that everything was covered in when I first arrived. And these changes in understanding accompany, indeed aid in the development, of an ever deepening love for this strange and unique country.
The mindset of the people here is one so different to Americans. For the most part, working for 10 hours a day is an accepted, unwritten standard, and being sick truly is not an option. When it comes to work, these people are dedicated, driven, and industrious. A huge portion of the population holds Master's Degrees; indeed, an MA/MBA is looked upon basically the same way a Bachelor's Degree is looked at back home. But the people also play very hard. It is no longer so shocking to see a 60 year old man puking his guts out in the gutter while his friends look on and laugh (I am convinced that the only thing keeping this country from having an alchoholism rate of 100% is the fact that they don't acknoledge alcoholism).
However, the constant rush and bustle, and ant-like industriousness of so many people has still not intruded upon my own sense of time. You know how at the end of "Queen of the Damned," Lestat and the girl walk away down the street, and the people blur into streams of light around them, and yet they seem completely unconcerned? Yeah, that is how I see myself when I am walking with Koreans...I am in slow motion, and they are just little darting beams of light. It makes every journey interesting. *For those of you who want to be contrary and miss the entire point of this comparison, I know that Lestat and the girl are actually the ones moving quickly...I reversed the image for my own purposes...thanks for dealing with it!*
Also, I am starting to have a greater respect for the feminine here. For a culture that is quite obviously patriarchal, there is an incredible respect and awe for all things feminine. Something that we seem to have lost in America. Women here still fight for equality in the work place from what I understand (although they are farther ahead in the political arena than in America, as the leading opposition party is headed by a woman), but you would not know it to look out at the street. Women are gentle creatures, full of laughter and beauty, that are tended with great care and pride. Perhaps that is the love Western men have for Asian women, that they are not hardened like so many American women have become. Women here wear dresses and heels, and they do their make-up and hair, and they are dainty and sweet; I know every feminist that reads this will hate me, but perhaps embracing the feminine is just as powerful as rejecting it...we are the more beautiful of the two sexes, so should it be lessening ourselves to cultivate that aspect? Also, it seems to help the female to female relationships...there is not the constant back-stabbing and competition that drowns so many women back home. And men here admire that softness...it is not even questioned that a man will open doors, hold umbrellas, offer a hand when a woman is exiting a car, or carry her bag if it gets too heavy. I can not even imagine any of the guys I have dated ever offering to do something similar, but then, being immersed in the sense of the feminist as I was, I always made it prefectly clear that I could do for myself. But these women here can do for themselves, they just gain joy from letting their men do for them...I don't think that is so terrible. And in return, they respect their men, and, to the outside world, seem to cleve to the men's wishes (however, what little I have seen makes me question how far into the home this "submissiveness" goes). So there is a perspective that has changed in me.
Anyways, what I am saying is that I no longer sense the alterations in me. The changes are not noticable. So where once the changes in my perspective were like that of losing a limb or gaining a super-power, now they are like getting a tan, or growing longer hair. They are slow, and intregal, and are more powerful, I think, because I do not notice them so quickly. I just looked up one day and realized that I no longer felt as I had. The alteration of my self is...exciting. I am becoming a new me.
Sunday, July 30, 2006
What's up with...
Seriously, what is up with Koreans and Steven Segal? And on a tiny bit lesser level, Jean Claude Van Damne (sp?)? Every time I turn on the fricking television, there is at least one movie staring one of these creepy guys. Seriously...I am getting scared. Korean people, these guys are gross! Stop watching their movies! LOL!
Saturday, July 29, 2006
End of vacation!
So, it is Saturday, and my week of summer vacation is officially over. Tomorrow is Sunday, and that starts the "getting ready to go back" process, and therefore does not count as vacation time. So today is my last day...and I didn't do a damned thing for the whole week! It was mildly heavenly. I even forgot as my 2 month mark slipped by (July 26th) and spent the week sleeping in and going for walks in the rain--yes it is still raining here--jogging (a mile and a half, three times a week so far), and attempting to utilyze my Windsor Pilates series (jeesh is that HARD)! I also made the trek to Insadong with Jillian (about a 30 minute subway ride) and bought the cutest little fan...it is pink with a soft wood frame and I just adore it! I feel like Karl Lagerfield (Jacob will get that reference)I walked about a half mile to the kimbap place several times, and discovered a new treat there...hasta su mandu...basically mandu in a sweet and spicy sauce with lots of veggies. It is delicious, but I am saving it as a treat. Seriously though, this kimbap place that I go to is regarded as fast food...I would love to see one of our fast food places back home serve up a filling meal, with as few calories, for the approximately $2.50 I pay at this place for an order of kimbap and mandu!
Ok, I just erased about a half a paragraph on what I cooked and ate this week. I determined that it was just incredibly boring, and no one would be interested in reading about it! LOL! Isn't self-editing the bomb? Anyhow, I only have one more thing to tell about from my vacation week...I went NOREBANGING! For those of you not in the know, a Norebang (pronounce nor-ee-bahng) is a place where you go to do the karyoke...bu thte best thing about these places, is that it is your own private room. I mean, I went with Jillian and another girl Danielle, and we had our own room, but there were rooms that would hold 20+ people. Inside, there is a disco ball type light, a nice 4 screen tv display, and 2 microphones. There is also a table, two booth style couches, and a tamborine (which I seem to have a bruise from today). The rooms are sound proof, and the glass in the door is frosted so that you can only see in through a little slit, I suppose so that the proprietor can make sure that no hanky panky is going on! ANyways, we snuck in a couple of bottles of soju and some jiuce, and proceeded to get fershnickered! Now, you all know that I am totally against singing in public, and so I didn't realize quite how smashed I was until I realized that I was singing Scorpion's "Rock You Like a Hurricane" in my best rock star voice, at the top of my lungs. Needless to say, I had a blast, and have no voice today!
Well, anyways, that is the end of the excitement for my vacation...tune in again to see what happens next, in the life of Sojourner_rho!
Post-note:
As my fabulous "little-bro" points out in his comment, I totally failed to mention the most awesome news! Baby Ethan is now a full-on member of the free-breathers! Welcome Baby Ethan...you are so beautiful, and your parents love you with all of their hearts! I can not wait for the day I get to meet you! Listen to your big brother Logan...he already knows the ropes! All my love goes out to the family in MO!
Give the new baby a kiss for me, Brettimus!
Ok, I just erased about a half a paragraph on what I cooked and ate this week. I determined that it was just incredibly boring, and no one would be interested in reading about it! LOL! Isn't self-editing the bomb? Anyhow, I only have one more thing to tell about from my vacation week...I went NOREBANGING! For those of you not in the know, a Norebang (pronounce nor-ee-bahng) is a place where you go to do the karyoke...bu thte best thing about these places, is that it is your own private room. I mean, I went with Jillian and another girl Danielle, and we had our own room, but there were rooms that would hold 20+ people. Inside, there is a disco ball type light, a nice 4 screen tv display, and 2 microphones. There is also a table, two booth style couches, and a tamborine (which I seem to have a bruise from today). The rooms are sound proof, and the glass in the door is frosted so that you can only see in through a little slit, I suppose so that the proprietor can make sure that no hanky panky is going on! ANyways, we snuck in a couple of bottles of soju and some jiuce, and proceeded to get fershnickered! Now, you all know that I am totally against singing in public, and so I didn't realize quite how smashed I was until I realized that I was singing Scorpion's "Rock You Like a Hurricane" in my best rock star voice, at the top of my lungs. Needless to say, I had a blast, and have no voice today!
Well, anyways, that is the end of the excitement for my vacation...tune in again to see what happens next, in the life of Sojourner_rho!
Post-note:
As my fabulous "little-bro" points out in his comment, I totally failed to mention the most awesome news! Baby Ethan is now a full-on member of the free-breathers! Welcome Baby Ethan...you are so beautiful, and your parents love you with all of their hearts! I can not wait for the day I get to meet you! Listen to your big brother Logan...he already knows the ropes! All my love goes out to the family in MO!
Give the new baby a kiss for me, Brettimus!
Monday, July 24, 2006
Mud Festival
So, we went to Mud Festival, and I discovered a very important fact about myself...I HATE being dirty! LOL! The weekend was ok, but it rained the whole time, and everything was covered in MUD! Go figure, right? Anyways, here a re some pics for ya'll to take a look at...like the new way of displaying them? Loves!
Friday, July 14, 2006
Korean Commercials
Wow! Korean commercials are a total trip! I have three top favorites that I want to share with you!
The first is three Korean girls sitting around a table drinking lemonade. It is an American brand, which caught my attention. What really kills me though, is that the three girls sit around this table, drinking their lemonade, and they all suddenly start having massive orgasms. It is totally surreal!
The next commercial is this guy sitting in a pew in a large traditional church. All of a sudden, you hear this horrible sound of someone gulping (like nails on a chalkboard times 10 to me). The guy looks over his shoulder and this priest is sitting there drinking a glass of milk! He gives this little guilty shrug, and the first guy kind of giggles. It grosses me out every time!
The third is my personal favorite! It is an ice cream commercial and it starts out with this ice cream cup thing walking down the street. It is very obviously a "she" by the long legs and sulty walk. The "she-cream" goes past all of the "he-cans" of soda, and then, once she gets past them, she turns her "back" to the camera and then opens her "coat." All of the "he-cans" suddenly blast their pop-tops and spray white liquid high up into the air...Quick zoom around to the "she-cream" and you see all kinds of chocolate and nuts and caramel swirling around in her innards...The "he-cans" continue to blow their tops! It is fricking hilarious! I am sure most of you can see why!
Anyway...Korean commercials really trip me out!
The first is three Korean girls sitting around a table drinking lemonade. It is an American brand, which caught my attention. What really kills me though, is that the three girls sit around this table, drinking their lemonade, and they all suddenly start having massive orgasms. It is totally surreal!
The next commercial is this guy sitting in a pew in a large traditional church. All of a sudden, you hear this horrible sound of someone gulping (like nails on a chalkboard times 10 to me). The guy looks over his shoulder and this priest is sitting there drinking a glass of milk! He gives this little guilty shrug, and the first guy kind of giggles. It grosses me out every time!
The third is my personal favorite! It is an ice cream commercial and it starts out with this ice cream cup thing walking down the street. It is very obviously a "she" by the long legs and sulty walk. The "she-cream" goes past all of the "he-cans" of soda, and then, once she gets past them, she turns her "back" to the camera and then opens her "coat." All of the "he-cans" suddenly blast their pop-tops and spray white liquid high up into the air...Quick zoom around to the "she-cream" and you see all kinds of chocolate and nuts and caramel swirling around in her innards...The "he-cans" continue to blow their tops! It is fricking hilarious! I am sure most of you can see why!
Anyway...Korean commercials really trip me out!
Thursday, July 13, 2006
My Birthday Weekend--Dirty Fun in the Sun
Ok, for those of you who forgot...here is your reminder! Saturday is my birthday! Yaaaaaaay! E-cards are very acceptable gifts...especially if they are incredibly cheesy! Anyways, Friday night, we are FINALLY going to see Pirates of the Carribean 2, and I am very excited. Then, on Saturday, I have to go to GS Mart (think giant super-dooper wal-mart) with Christie and Jillian to find clothes for the Mud Festival, and if we don't find it there, then we are going to head over to Itaewon (there are more western clothes to be found there) and then have dinner at one of the foreign places there....there is this awesome Indian food place that has incredible chai tea! We will make Saturday night a pretty early one, as we have to be up and on the subway by 8 am the next morning, to meet the bus going to the festival...then it is two full days of dirty fun in the sun! I can't wait! So, I will have pictures and updates for everyone next week. I am so excited for this weekend, that I am not even focusing on the fact that I am now officially OLD! Ok, well, at least not completely! I do feel that maybe I should bring some arthritis medicine for after the mud games...Anyways, cheery-o and all that butter!
Wednesday, July 12, 2006
Weekend Past
So, its been a fairly exciting last couple of weeks. The night with the girls went over really well, and we all had a blast. We hung out at my place and ate junk and played cards and goofed around for a couple of hours, then some went home and the rest of us went out to Mr. Yu's...That is our bar! The owner loves us and is so nice. It was a lot of fun, and little Jerry was there again, and he was very drunk, as usual, but still very funny. The poor guy went away to the army on the 10th. They have mandatory serving time here; two years he will be up along the norther border. Poor Bambino (my nickname for him, as he is only 20). Well, here are a couple of pics from that night.
We started off at my place...
Sahng-mi and Sunjung playing around...
The girls heading out to Mr. Yu's...
Laura and InHee glammin' it up for the camera...
Mr. Yu himself (aka Kevin) and Jerry (Bambino)...
That Saturday day, Jill, InHee and I all went to the Picasso exhibit. It was amazing! I still say he is not one of my favorite painters, but his work is incredible. He has this one painting called "Femme de fluer en gris" (I think that was it's name) that just captivated me. I seriously stood in front of this piece for about 20 minutes, just staring at the amazing depth it conveyed. I was in love! Unfortunately, I look like a giant troll in my only picture from the exhibit, so I am refusing to post it...just take my word for it...I went! LOL!
Last Saturday evening, Kevin (Mr. Yu) took Christie, Jill and I out for dinner. It was a lot of fun, and I enjoyed myself thoroughly. I was nervous at first about this older guy taking us to dinner, but seriously, he just enjoys our company, and practicing his english, so it is all kosher...for those of you with alarm bells going off! LOL!
This weekend, I did not go to the DMZ on Saturday, like originally planned. And no, it wasn't because of the whole missile catastrophe with the North...we all just decided that we had a lot going on this month, and in the interest of finances, we decided to put it off till September...plus, it will be all nice and cool then, August is supposedly a beotch here! What we did instead, was have a pretty crazy weekend. Friday night kicked it off with Jill dragging Christie's and my butts out for an evening on the town. I had really not wanted to go out that night, as I was incredibly tired from the week, but I was really glad I did, it was so much fun. We went to Sinchon, which is the next hood over from Songpa-gu (my hood). This is a prime people watching place, as it is where all of the young people go to do their drinking and partying. It is kind of like Mill Ave in Tempe, only with less hippies and lesbians! LOL! Anyways, Christie and Jill know the owner of a bar there, too, so we went to Crista's and were given the total VIP treatment. I mean, this table they gave us was beyond the best in the house. It was right at the front of the bar, in front of the big picture window that looked out over the street and all the goings-on down there. It also had a nice unobstructed view of the television which was showing, you guessed it, soccer! We ate this awesome chicken dish, and had marinated cuttlefish, and drank kiwi soju! All of these random people kept walking up and talking to us, as well. And it was just a ton of fun...We left about 12:30pm and took a cab back to our street. Then, cause we were all still talking, we sat at one of the little tables outside of our local convenience store (People do this a lot here, as you are allowed to drink in public, and these little stores all sell beer and food) and ate ice cream. And again, random people kept coming up to us and talking...they would ask to sit, join us for 10 or 15 minutes, and then leave again. It was so fun and interesting meeting all of these people. I love Korea so much! I didn't take any pictures of these things, unfortunately, but this next section has a ton!
Saturday day, Christie, Jill and I all went to COEX (big mall!) and went shopping. They insisted I take the following picture...I guess he is some big Korean Movie star. My face is way too big...I look like a bobble head! LOL!
Saturday night was absolutely CRAZY! We all went out for Christian's birthday (friend of Christie's). We went to the Hongik University area and had dinner. We had Duk Galbi, which I was not too keen on at first because it is incredibly spicy, but it was so good. I mean, it was definately spicy as all hell, but the flavor was incredible, once the fire went out! Then we went to this bar called The TinPan. Here was where the craziness started. At first, I really didn't like the place...it had a terribly seedy feel too it. You know how, in college, or younger days, we used to go to bars where the "frat boy" partied, and he would be incredibly drunk, and just hitting on anything lacking a penis? Well that is what this bar felt like, only they weren't frat boys, but the "western guy" and the girls were all these really dumb Korean girls...It seriously had the feeling of a "Me Love You Long Time" kind of place. The girls came here to be picked up by western guys, and the western guys came here to do the picking. It was a drunken meat market. But then I started gettting plastered, and really didn't care anymore. I was having a lot of fun with my friends, and guys are stupid everywhere (No offense to those of you who are not stupid!), so I just ignored the worst of them. There were a lot of fun western people there too. I met a couple of really nice girls in the bathroom. I can't remember their names, cause I was pretty loopy by then, but they were very nice! LOL! Anyways, we also met some really funny people that night...there was Chris from the UK, these two really cute Korean girls, one of whom we did get a picture of dancing with Jillian, the other I liked a lot...she was very sarcastic! And I got hit on by my first Korean guy. It was actually kind of hilarious...he walked up to me and said, "I want to tell you something, but you will get mad." And of course, I was all "What? Just tell me!" So he leans in real close, and whispers, "You have really big boobs...they are great! Korean girls all have no boobs. I like your boobs!" Ahahahahahhahaahaha! I just about died, right then and there! And he really did keep calling them "boobs." It was just too funny. I had joked about meeting a guy with a breast-fetish, and here he was! And he was kind of cute too...really good arms! LOL! Anyways, I talked to him for a little while, flirting, and trying out my "western game!" It was fun. We also met a very drunk guy from Boston who later got into a fight during ABBA's Dancing Queen (How do you get into a fight during that song? I mean, seriously?) and then, after we left the bar, we met two brother's from Ireland, whom I entertained by asking if they all knew how to dance the Riverdance (They laughed and said no, but Phillip did a wonderful impression of a Leprachun's side leap...nowhere near as good as Turk's though), and if they farmed potatoes (Yes I was drunk and very playfully mean). I also asked if they had see the movie "Darby O'Gill and the Little People!" They hadn't though. I was very disappointed. Anyways...the first of the brothers told us his name was Phillip (In the pic with me, wearing the red shirt and wristband), and I immediately blurted out that that was not a very Irish name, and shouldn't he be called Seamus or Lachlan or something of that nature, and his brother (the very cutest of all boys, whom we only got a side view of, but it shows his rather fabulous nose off to advantage) laughed and sheepishly told me that his name was Lachlan! I about fell over I was laughing so hard. Anyways, we were going Norebanging (Karyoke) and invited them to join. Lachlan wanted to go, but Phillip wanted to go to another bar. Lachlan and I were both a little disappointed...I will venture out on a crazy limb here and say that I think he was maybe at least a little interested in me...but I was drunk, so my perception of reality was really not what it should have been. Anyways, after they walked on, and Lachlan turned back to look and give me a final wave (tee-hee), we decided we were too tired for Norebanging anyways, and all piled into a cab and headed to Christian's house, after which, I left and came home. The cab dropped me off in front of my place at about 4:30 am. I did not get up for church the next morning...matter of fact, I didn't even get up for lunch, or dinner. I just barely made it to Mamma Mia!
Here are Jill and Christie! Aren't they pretty?
Jillian dancing with her Korean friend!
Me and the birthday-boy, Christian.
UK Chris.
My Korean boyfriend with the "boob-fetish!"
The drunken Boston fighter, when he was much happier.
Irish Phillip.
Lachlan...my future Irish husband...as soon as he comes and finds me! LOL! Don't you just love his nose? I have discovered that I am a nose girl...I am totally turned on by his schnoz!
Mamma Mia was AWESOME! It was Jill, Laura, Christie, Sora, Sahng-mi, and I, and we had the best time. It was all in Korean, but there were captions, and of course, I knew all the lyrics to ABBA's songs, so I totally was rocking out. You all know how excited I get at stuff like that. I was giggling and bouncing around in my chair the whole time. I guess at one point, the Korean couple behind us laughed and the woman said to her date, "She must really be enjoying this!" Sahng-mi told me about it at work the next day. But it was such a great production, and the actors were amazing singers. I cried at the part where the mom gives her daughter away at her wedding, for obvious reasons, and cheered at the end! I was also one of the louder singers, although definately not one of the better, in our group. At the end, they play all of the songs again, and everyone gets to sing along! It was fabulous! Anyways, that was my weekend, and I hope you all enjoyed reading about my crazy antics in Korea! Here are pics of Mamma Mia night! Lots of love!
This is the theater...isn't it cool looking?
This is us before the show...
This is the giant Mamma Mia sign...good pic, huh?
And here is Sora and Sahng-mi next to a blurb about the play, written in Korean. They are supposed to tell me what it says! LOL!
We started off at my place...
Sahng-mi and Sunjung playing around...
The girls heading out to Mr. Yu's...
Laura and InHee glammin' it up for the camera...
Mr. Yu himself (aka Kevin) and Jerry (Bambino)...
That Saturday day, Jill, InHee and I all went to the Picasso exhibit. It was amazing! I still say he is not one of my favorite painters, but his work is incredible. He has this one painting called "Femme de fluer en gris" (I think that was it's name) that just captivated me. I seriously stood in front of this piece for about 20 minutes, just staring at the amazing depth it conveyed. I was in love! Unfortunately, I look like a giant troll in my only picture from the exhibit, so I am refusing to post it...just take my word for it...I went! LOL!
Last Saturday evening, Kevin (Mr. Yu) took Christie, Jill and I out for dinner. It was a lot of fun, and I enjoyed myself thoroughly. I was nervous at first about this older guy taking us to dinner, but seriously, he just enjoys our company, and practicing his english, so it is all kosher...for those of you with alarm bells going off! LOL!
This weekend, I did not go to the DMZ on Saturday, like originally planned. And no, it wasn't because of the whole missile catastrophe with the North...we all just decided that we had a lot going on this month, and in the interest of finances, we decided to put it off till September...plus, it will be all nice and cool then, August is supposedly a beotch here! What we did instead, was have a pretty crazy weekend. Friday night kicked it off with Jill dragging Christie's and my butts out for an evening on the town. I had really not wanted to go out that night, as I was incredibly tired from the week, but I was really glad I did, it was so much fun. We went to Sinchon, which is the next hood over from Songpa-gu (my hood). This is a prime people watching place, as it is where all of the young people go to do their drinking and partying. It is kind of like Mill Ave in Tempe, only with less hippies and lesbians! LOL! Anyways, Christie and Jill know the owner of a bar there, too, so we went to Crista's and were given the total VIP treatment. I mean, this table they gave us was beyond the best in the house. It was right at the front of the bar, in front of the big picture window that looked out over the street and all the goings-on down there. It also had a nice unobstructed view of the television which was showing, you guessed it, soccer! We ate this awesome chicken dish, and had marinated cuttlefish, and drank kiwi soju! All of these random people kept walking up and talking to us, as well. And it was just a ton of fun...We left about 12:30pm and took a cab back to our street. Then, cause we were all still talking, we sat at one of the little tables outside of our local convenience store (People do this a lot here, as you are allowed to drink in public, and these little stores all sell beer and food) and ate ice cream. And again, random people kept coming up to us and talking...they would ask to sit, join us for 10 or 15 minutes, and then leave again. It was so fun and interesting meeting all of these people. I love Korea so much! I didn't take any pictures of these things, unfortunately, but this next section has a ton!
Saturday day, Christie, Jill and I all went to COEX (big mall!) and went shopping. They insisted I take the following picture...I guess he is some big Korean Movie star. My face is way too big...I look like a bobble head! LOL!
Saturday night was absolutely CRAZY! We all went out for Christian's birthday (friend of Christie's). We went to the Hongik University area and had dinner. We had Duk Galbi, which I was not too keen on at first because it is incredibly spicy, but it was so good. I mean, it was definately spicy as all hell, but the flavor was incredible, once the fire went out! Then we went to this bar called The TinPan. Here was where the craziness started. At first, I really didn't like the place...it had a terribly seedy feel too it. You know how, in college, or younger days, we used to go to bars where the "frat boy" partied, and he would be incredibly drunk, and just hitting on anything lacking a penis? Well that is what this bar felt like, only they weren't frat boys, but the "western guy" and the girls were all these really dumb Korean girls...It seriously had the feeling of a "Me Love You Long Time" kind of place. The girls came here to be picked up by western guys, and the western guys came here to do the picking. It was a drunken meat market. But then I started gettting plastered, and really didn't care anymore. I was having a lot of fun with my friends, and guys are stupid everywhere (No offense to those of you who are not stupid!), so I just ignored the worst of them. There were a lot of fun western people there too. I met a couple of really nice girls in the bathroom. I can't remember their names, cause I was pretty loopy by then, but they were very nice! LOL! Anyways, we also met some really funny people that night...there was Chris from the UK, these two really cute Korean girls, one of whom we did get a picture of dancing with Jillian, the other I liked a lot...she was very sarcastic! And I got hit on by my first Korean guy. It was actually kind of hilarious...he walked up to me and said, "I want to tell you something, but you will get mad." And of course, I was all "What? Just tell me!" So he leans in real close, and whispers, "You have really big boobs...they are great! Korean girls all have no boobs. I like your boobs!" Ahahahahahhahaahaha! I just about died, right then and there! And he really did keep calling them "boobs." It was just too funny. I had joked about meeting a guy with a breast-fetish, and here he was! And he was kind of cute too...really good arms! LOL! Anyways, I talked to him for a little while, flirting, and trying out my "western game!" It was fun. We also met a very drunk guy from Boston who later got into a fight during ABBA's Dancing Queen (How do you get into a fight during that song? I mean, seriously?) and then, after we left the bar, we met two brother's from Ireland, whom I entertained by asking if they all knew how to dance the Riverdance (They laughed and said no, but Phillip did a wonderful impression of a Leprachun's side leap...nowhere near as good as Turk's though), and if they farmed potatoes (Yes I was drunk and very playfully mean). I also asked if they had see the movie "Darby O'Gill and the Little People!" They hadn't though. I was very disappointed. Anyways...the first of the brothers told us his name was Phillip (In the pic with me, wearing the red shirt and wristband), and I immediately blurted out that that was not a very Irish name, and shouldn't he be called Seamus or Lachlan or something of that nature, and his brother (the very cutest of all boys, whom we only got a side view of, but it shows his rather fabulous nose off to advantage) laughed and sheepishly told me that his name was Lachlan! I about fell over I was laughing so hard. Anyways, we were going Norebanging (Karyoke) and invited them to join. Lachlan wanted to go, but Phillip wanted to go to another bar. Lachlan and I were both a little disappointed...I will venture out on a crazy limb here and say that I think he was maybe at least a little interested in me...but I was drunk, so my perception of reality was really not what it should have been. Anyways, after they walked on, and Lachlan turned back to look and give me a final wave (tee-hee), we decided we were too tired for Norebanging anyways, and all piled into a cab and headed to Christian's house, after which, I left and came home. The cab dropped me off in front of my place at about 4:30 am. I did not get up for church the next morning...matter of fact, I didn't even get up for lunch, or dinner. I just barely made it to Mamma Mia!
Here are Jill and Christie! Aren't they pretty?
Jillian dancing with her Korean friend!
Me and the birthday-boy, Christian.
UK Chris.
My Korean boyfriend with the "boob-fetish!"
The drunken Boston fighter, when he was much happier.
Irish Phillip.
Lachlan...my future Irish husband...as soon as he comes and finds me! LOL! Don't you just love his nose? I have discovered that I am a nose girl...I am totally turned on by his schnoz!
Mamma Mia was AWESOME! It was Jill, Laura, Christie, Sora, Sahng-mi, and I, and we had the best time. It was all in Korean, but there were captions, and of course, I knew all the lyrics to ABBA's songs, so I totally was rocking out. You all know how excited I get at stuff like that. I was giggling and bouncing around in my chair the whole time. I guess at one point, the Korean couple behind us laughed and the woman said to her date, "She must really be enjoying this!" Sahng-mi told me about it at work the next day. But it was such a great production, and the actors were amazing singers. I cried at the part where the mom gives her daughter away at her wedding, for obvious reasons, and cheered at the end! I was also one of the louder singers, although definately not one of the better, in our group. At the end, they play all of the songs again, and everyone gets to sing along! It was fabulous! Anyways, that was my weekend, and I hope you all enjoyed reading about my crazy antics in Korea! Here are pics of Mamma Mia night! Lots of love!
This is the theater...isn't it cool looking?
This is us before the show...
This is the giant Mamma Mia sign...good pic, huh?
And here is Sora and Sahng-mi next to a blurb about the play, written in Korean. They are supposed to tell me what it says! LOL!
Monday, July 10, 2006
Friday, June 30, 2006
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!
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!
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!
Tuesday, June 27, 2006
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!
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!
Monday, June 26, 2006
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!
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!
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...
Sunday, June 25, 2006
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
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/5105102.stm
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