i. hate. snow.

This is why I'm not too excited to go home. Although I'm extremely excited to see my family and friends I have this to look forward to. For those of you who do not know my hometown I am from Sioux City, Iowa which lucky for me is #12 on this list. Yay! By the way, I will be traveling to some of these places during my stay in the states. Driving, safety and a lot of snow don't really go together. I might have to rethink my travel plans.

http://www.thedailybeast.com/galleries/2010/12/10/america-s-25-coldest-cities.html

HOLY KIMCHI, it's been 3 months since my last post

I apologize for my absence, but the past three months have been pretty hectic and I seriously (for the most part) did not have time to write. I am truly sorry and hope my lovely avid readers will forgive me? So I’m sure you’re wondering what’s been goin on? What’s the 4-1-1, the news, dets, info, lowdown? Well let’s see…there has been a ton of drama at work. And when I say a ton I mean a shit load. Several people have quit/were fired. There has also been some confusion on whether or not kindergarten will be available after February and also whether or not we’re changing locations. Do note I am (for the safety of others) leaving out a lot of the juicy stuff. I will say there's been some nasty things going on. Along with dealing/hearing about all of this nonsense I just had a lot of things to do for work: report cards, portfolios, calendars, portfolios, monthly plans, portfolios, changing desk=not happy and oh yeah…PORTFOLIOS! If you’re wondering what I mean when I say portfolios, myself along with eight other teachers were blessed with taking 10-15 photos of each student and making essentially what we call scrapbooks for each student. This was a pain, but I won’t lie I did enjoy it...a little J

Let’s see what else has happened. Oh yes! I went on wine train; one of the best decisions of my life. You get on a train and drink (all you can drink) wine! Later that night I found myself making my own Soul Train as I danced to cupid shuffle (with others) in the aisles. I did have a slight headache the next day, but I don’t regret a thing. I also realized I'm not very good at rock, scissors, paper.

For those of you not aware of when I’m leaving I only have two weeks left at work. I KNOW. I can’t believe it! Time has gone by so fast. Although I’m done with my one year contract I will not be back in the states until the end of December basically January. I’m going to the PHILIPPINES; another exciting thing that has happened the last three months. Only because the ticket was way more than I wanted to spend I wasn't that excited about this trip at first. BUT NOW I’M ECSTATIC! Not only will I get another stamp in the passport, but I'll spend Christmas with my dear friend Hilda and her family. AND the weather will be amazing!

Halloween also passed - favorite/best holiday ever! My mom who can drive me crazy at times pulled through and sent me the best package ever. Love you mummy! It was filled with Halloween candy and assorted spider and bat rings. The kids loved them! Halloween was spent in Busan with friends. Although the weekend trip didn't go as planned (stupid fireworks festival) I still managed to have a good time as Steve Urkel.

Thanksgiving has also just recently passed -- wow, once I start writing about the holidays I realize how long it's actually been since my last update. Anyway....I want cornbread stuffing. As you can guess I didn't eat the typical Thanksgiving meal. BUT my coworkers/friends put together a dinner party/game night in it's place which was great!

Let's recap the last three months: I love fall weather. Halloween is awesome. I think my friend Shanna has become a wino since wine train and I don't mind. Boys are stupid. I can't wait for Thanksgiving in January. Thank god I'm done working at my job in two weeks -- no more drama. Philippines in 2 weeks whoop whoop! I love Hunger Games.

Just another obsession...

Look what I found at Home Plus!!!!

Tonight I went to Home Plus and stumbled across this beautiful box. In case you're confused by the name...those are Fruit Loops. It literally made my day!!! Now I wouldn't say my favorite cereal is Fruit Loops, but just the fact there are now two familiar cereals at the store is exciting!

I love me some Home Plus Plus:

Why is it always so loud?

This morning I had the opportunity to wake up to wonderful drilling...again. They really need noise ordinance laws here. I've never wished and hoped for winter to come faster than this year. As soon as the snow starts falling there's no construction and I can't wait.

ps----not sure what's wrong with the video, but you get the gist of the drilling being annoying.

Long needed vacation

The time has come for me to pack my bags and leave Gwangju. I can't say I'm sad because I'm not. I've been looking forward to this five day vacation for two months now. You would think because of my excitement I would be traveling and exploring other parts of the world, but I'm not. I'm just sooooooo excited for a break and the opportunity to do nothing. The lady pictured will be hosting my stay for the next 3-4 days. I do have a request; you must wear your hair like this 2 days out of the 4. Thanks Ashley! Bags are packed, apartment cleaned, trash taken out...it's time to go.

By the way -- Taking pictures while chatting on Skype can be pretty entertaining.

I'm tired Korea. I'm tired.

I don't necessarily want this to be a Debbie Downer post, but it will most likely be. Sorry. The past week has literally been my breaking point. I've reached my limit of what I can handle. For starters, I've had the pleasure to listen to construction workers drill holes in the street at 7:45 am for the past two fucking days. This drilling continues to last the entire day, which I know because I come home for lunch and the annoying sound of drill entering cement is still going on. I also have to enter a construction site to enter my building -- I'm literally walking down this [pictured] street while an excavator is loading dirt into a dump truck. Now mind you, I don't tend to carry hard hats in my purse so I'm praying debris wont come crashing down on my head killing me instantly. As I was walking home today, the drilling looks complete however the construction is not done. 

There's just a lot of annoying things going on at work again. A student was taken out of my kindergarten class and put with another teacher. This had absolutely nothing to do with me. It was completely down to try and make the other class a little bigger and add a male student to make two. So I completely agree that this was a necessary move. I just don't agree with how it was handled. If I'm the teacher (which I am) I should be informed on what the hell is going on, but no. I found out about this on Monday by walking in on a conversation two other teachers were having. As I asked questions to figure out why and who will be moving I suggested all teachers have a meeting to decide on who will be moving or at least get us all on the same page. Now I definitely understand if my supervisor did not want to have a meeting, but I should still have been informed. I tried asking numerous times about who/when the student would be moved, but no one seemed to either A. want to tell me or B. didn't know. My last conversation ended with me telling my supervisor to please tell me when something is decided. I found out the next day by the student's new teacher asking me if I got the memo. I responded with, "of course I didn't." She then informed me with what was going on.

I know this does not sound like a huge deal and independently it really isn't. HOWEVER, two other co-workers of mine do not have hot water because the bill was never changed into their account. They've been here five-six months now. Not only do they not have hot water, but they have to pay the past 6 months of bills. This also happened to me except and thank-god it was only with my home phone. Another co-worker will be finishing her contract July 27th, but because of "confusion" she now is working until August 5th. We also don't have a replacement for her yet. Yay.

Overall, I really miss common courtesy, quietness, personal space boundaries and organization at work.

On a better note, Mud Festival was an absolute blast. The beach was packed full of foreigners (~60%) while the rest were Koreans. I didn't do anything crazy. It was just a lot of playing in the mud, hanging out on the beach, swimming in the sea, repeat. I was up until 4:30/5 am Saturday, which I regretted the next day. I would definitely do it again -- it was just nice to hang out with old friends as well as meet some great people.

Mud Festival

I don't have much to say today. Another long day at work, but for dinner I went to one of my favorite Gwangju restaurants - Lemon Table. They have delicious burgers and sauteed vegetables. Probably one of the only places that serve cooked veggies as a side. I've personally never been disappointed with my meal.

I'm not going to write too much tonight because I'm getting up early to catch a bus to Boryeong, which is where Mud Festival will take place. What is Mud Festival? It's basically a big beach festival with a ton of mud. So yes...you get dirty. I can not wait until this weekend starts. I've literally been looking forward to Mud Festival since I heard about it three months ago.

More info here:

http://www.mudfestival.or.kr/english/festival/festival1.php

I'm going to be a dirty girl this weekend and I can't wait! Good night.

I finally got my wings

For the most part today was just another Thursday at school. Except...I finally got my wings. For my kindergartners today was actually field trip so the morning (like every other field trip) took a lot out of me. Thank goodness we didn't do anything that required me to exert myself. Today we attended the musical "The Prince and the Pauper." Everyone seemed to really enjoy it including myself who was able to sit back and relax!

By the time my afternoon classes started at 3pm, I was already exhausted. I literally thought if I was home [home being U.S.A.] this would be a day to go home "sick." Don't worry I stuck through it. Plus, I'm fairly certain if I was truly ill I still would not be allowed to go home.

As I, with my dreary eyes, walked into 3rd period my hyperactive 8 year olds ran up to me screaming their random thoughts. I immediately went into robot mode. As I'm getting the classroom together I only respond with "yes," "yes," and "wow." I know this sounds horrible, but anyone who has worked with kids knows how tiring some things are and how it's difficult to always engage in every little thing an 8 year old wants to tell you. As I finish writing the necessary information on the white board I turn to see Kayla standing right behind me. She points to her backpack and says, "Angel Teacher, I have your wings." This immediately changed my mood! It was probably one of the funniest things that has happened.

So much to do and I'm exhausted

Monday through Friday I work at 9 am. Unfortunately, I have a huge break from 10:45am - 3:00pm. At times this break can be nice if I have errands to complete, but for the most part it's annoying. I would much rather work straight through and get off at 6pm. I just feel like I'm wasting time.

Today during my break I was planning to make a visit to the post office. I've literally had a bag full of letters, postcards and random other items to send to friends for months. Mom, Dad & siblings - you will get your stuff when I come home; be patient. I told myself I would definitely send these things on Wednesday during my break. Seeing how today is Wednesday and I have a ton of journals and essays to correct my visit to the P.O. will have to wait.

Every week I get about 10-15 journals to correct. These are not necessarily my assignments, but assignments from Korean teachers who need their students essays/journals corrected by a native English speaker. I don't mind correcting them, but when I look over at my desk and see 15 journals awaiting to be corrected...let's just say it's not the highlight of my day.

Bachelorette Tuesdays

Every Tuesday two friends and myself get together to cook and watch The Bachelorette. It's my new obsession. Well, actually TV shows in general are my new obsession. Especially since it's monsoon season I spend most of my free time laying in bed staring at my computer screen. Don't get me wrong I use to watch T.V. back home, but never like this. I've reached my all time low. I can and have spent hours watching shows. I know...this is a little disgusting.

This rainy Tuesday evening was no different than any other Tuesday in the Ju (that's slang for Gwangju). I finished work at 6 pm and headed to Shanna's place. It was her turn to cook so she made South African Indian chicken curry! It was amazing and delicious. I absolutely love Tuesday evenings. Not only do I get to partake in one of my obsessions, but I get to indulge in another. Cooking. Since living in Korea I do not get to cook like I would like. My kitchen disgusts me so I rarely use it. Correction. I never use it. I tried to use it once, but after I turned the stove on and saw a baby cockroach crawl out I immediately turned the stove/gas off and walked away. Needless to say I haven't used my stove since. Now, the kitchen at Shanna's apartment does not disgust me. I actually think it's really cute and very nice to use when cooking. Unfortunately, I've only had the opportunity to cook twice, but next week is my turn and I'm not quite sure what to cook. I'm thinking chicken fajitas.

ps---I secretly love Ames from The Bachelorette. Not only because he's named after the town I lived in for six years, but he's so damn goofy and funny. Seeing how I've followed the show and basically know Ashley I don't think Ames is the one for her. I'm thinking Ben F. will take this one.

Trying something new

Hello hello. It's Monday and today I am extremely tired. I'm really not quite sure why I am so tired, but I literally could not stop yawning today which oddly enough came in handy. One of my lessons included learning adjectives such as happy, sad, tired, etc. So every time I yawned I just used this as an opportunity to reinforce the meaning of tired. Things have been really uneventful. I'm really just working and trying to stay dry. It's monsoon season and it constantly rains. I mean it pours from the morning until late at night. I finally broke down and bought rain boots this weekend. Seeing how my right foot is slightly bigger than the left, they don't really fit. However, I would definitely rather have dry feet/legs than have my shoes/socks continue to get soaked and smell of mold.

I've been here seven months now and although things are becoming somewhat tedious for me I feel you would like to read more on the randomness of living in S. Korea. So everyday I've decided to take a photo and give a brief story/passage (yes I said passage) on my thoughts at the moment and what was going on. I can't promise I will continue to do this the rest of my time in Korea; enjoy this while it last.

The KJB: This first photo is not too exciting. I took it while waiting at the bank. Kwangju Bank (KJB) to be exact. I haven't sent money home for a while and really needed to get cash home. Things like student & car loans don't care about you exploring life overseas. They just want their money. So I walked the five minute walk to the bank and sat for fifteen. The usual guy was no where to be found and seeing how he's the only one who knows or is comfortable with their English, after ten minutes I realized I was waiting for him. He eventually came and money was successfully sent home. I hope.

Before taking this photo I had taken others. During this time I noticed a bank employee looking at me. She had caught me taking pictures and I'm not sure what the rules are of taking pictures inside a bank. I mean, you can't take pictures inside casinos why not banks?! As I was turning my camera off she started to walk towards me. I of course started perspiring. Seeing how I was tired I wasn't really in the mood to be yelled at. There's just something about being yelled at in Korean. It's exhausting. And loud. As she's getting closer I start to channel the "Sorry I'm foreign, I don't know what I'm doing" attitude. She then taps me on the shoulder and hands me a yogurt drink. It was the highlight of my day!

Today in class:
me - If you had a robot what would you make it do?
Gwen - my chores.
me - great! Anyone else?
Macy - Nothing. Robots are jerks and fools.

Another odd thing my kids are doing. They're smelling me. I don't mean they walk by me and maybe they get a whiff of my perfume, which I don't wear to work. I mean they are literally pressing their face into my hair, back, arm and.....pits. A girl today literally smelled my armpits and said, "teacher you smell like shooka shooka, mmmmm so good teacher." I didn't know how to respond so I continued to grade her homework.

Shooks shooka - is a noise the kids make, particularly this student, when referring to something cool or funny.

Songs of the week

Current obsession:

Previous obsession - the drummer gets me every time:

Familiar food & faces

I've been here almost seven months and I'm really starting to miss a few things. Without hesitation I miss mexican food. I miss mexican food a lot!! I miss the cheesy-gooey deliciousness of fat on fat on a crispy flour tortilla. I miss salsa. I miss guacamole. I miss juicy seasoned meat that screams viva la Mexico once you bit into it. Now, don't get me wrong they have a few mexican restaurants in Korea. However, they tend to lack flavor; it's just not up to my standards.

I also miss the Ol' Jimmy Johns deli sandwich. I would love to just call up JJ's and put in my order.

#5 Vito - no tomato. substitute mayo for guacamole. jalapeno chips. cherry coke.

Mmmmmmmm. One can only dream.

This weekend is a friends wedding. I (for obvious reasons) had to miss it. Not only am I sad I couldn't be there, but I'm really sad that I'm missing this rare occasion of the girls together in one place. I miss you all and I hope you enjoyed your time together. Congratulations again Kaylee & Nick! Can't wait to see pictures.

Work Frustration

The past week has been pretty frustrating. I keep telling myself it will get better, it will get better, it will get better. However. it's. not. getting. better. I would say I'm a pretty laid back person, but when I'm at work I completely transform into this type A person who needs organization, neatness, people who use time wisely, organization, communication, and oh yeah...organization. If I've learned one thing about working over seas it's learning to chill out and try as much as possible to go with the flow, but sometimes things are just so fucking irritating.

I did have a meeting with my supervisor tonight and things may become better. I received this gorgeous book schedule (the first one I've received since being here). Okay, I lied. It's technically not the first one. I've received schedules prior to today, but it was always two months in, which is just enough time to realize "shit I'm behind in the book!" Now, I'm not exaggerating about this book schedule. It literally took my breath away. Not only was it color coordinated, but it had a list of every book I teach and to what class I teach the book to. It also has the date when each book needs to be finished. I'm telling you...I almost fainted.

Tomorrow is the start to our new semester and I'm just hoping things will go smoothly. I've lost my one class that literally gave me hell. Thank god! I actually think I will look forward to teaching Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays.

P.S - I know this is late, but way to go New York! Now you're on the same page as Iowa.

Temple Stay

A few weeks ago I had the opportunity to do something I've always wanted to do - stay at a temple. Although I was only there for two days and one night (twenty-seven hours in total) I still gained so much from this experience. It gave me the opportunity to not only understand the practice of Buddhism, but to also clear my mind and figure out a few things for myself.

Friday night/Saturday morning: We stayed at Sudeoksa Temple in Geumsana which is actually not too far from Gwangju, but because we (my friend Shanna and I) went through a tour group we had to catch a super early bus. The bus was at 4:30 in the morning and of course because I was so anxious about catching the bus and bringing the correct things I didn't sleep much. I mean...I didn't want to offend anyone by accidently bringing an item that was frowned upon. So I carefully packed that night and tried to get as much rest as possible. Unfortunately, 3 am came faster than I wanted. As for traveling to Seoul everything went smoothly. We arrived at the bus terminal on time with enough time to get breakfast.

Saturday: Six hours later we finally arrived at the temple, but first things first. Orientation. This included a meet and greet, handing out the monastic wear, settling in our rooms and of course a welcome. After completing the basics we went right into learning how to properly bow.

Next, the thing I was at the same time dreading and ecstatic for - completing the 108 bows. Our instructor again carefully explained with every bow to add a bead to our string. She also reinsured us if we are unable to complete all bows this was ok, which was definitely reassuring to hear. Then the bowing began. I would say about 50 bows in my lower back began to kill me. I literally thought I slipped a disk and was already thinking of ways to handle the situation. If I really did slip a disk everything will be fine. I'll just go to the doctor and that's it. What if I can't work? Should I stop? No keep going. you really want to do this. Just keep going. Damn, this really hurts. I'm sure I'm fine. Just working muscles I don't use. What number is this now? We had to of reached 100.  MY BACK IS KILLING ME. I'm not sure if this is what enlightenment feels like, but a light bulb went off. HELLO ANGEL, you're lifting with your back and not with your legs. Once I realized this and switched lifting techniques the pain resided. You would think my experience working in a Physical/Occupational Therapy clinic would prepare me better for bowing, but it didn't.

Unfortunately I did not complete all 108 bows. I stayed on the ground a few times to get a quick break. However, I did finish adding beads to my necklace and by the end of the session I was soaking with sweat, sore and full of amazement that I had just taken part in pure awesomeness. To finish off the evening we were left with a silent dinner, Yebul Ceremonial Service (chanting) and tea/conversation with a few monks. Dinner was actually hard. First, you must finish all food. Monks do not believe in wasting food, so what's taken must all be eaten. Second, it was silent. There were random chit chatting by others, but our group was instructed to not talk once entering the dining area. I don't consider myself a talker and actually prefer to not talk at times. It was still surprisingly very difficult. I really wanted to talk and actually did a few times. Whoops.

Later that night the group had tea with about seven or eight monks. Most were from Russia and Poland, but the master was Korean. I suppose they came since they could speak English. By this time I was pretty tired and was working extremely hard to keep my eyes open. I was sore, sweaty, and exhausted from traveling, lack of sleep and the bows, but I still really enjoyed sitting and having tea with them. Not only did they have amazing things to say and advice to offer, they were hilarious and full of life. One of my favorite things one of the monks said, "Your future doesn't create you, you create your future." Prior to saying this he was talking about how our outcome in life has already been decided. Buddhist believe in reincarnation and karma. If you were bad and sinned in a previous life then you will pay for this in your next life. In this next life, although your future has already been decided, this doesn't mean you should let this define you. If you are reincarnated and paying for bad karma you can still do good with this life.  While I don't necessarily believe in reincarnation I do believe what has happened and will happen in my life is meant to occur. This includes both the good and the bad things; and because these things are already planned as my future I shouldn't let this shape who I am.So again, "your future does not create you, you create your future."

Sunday: Another bright and early morning. We awoke at 3 am to shower and get ready for dawn Yebul. We took part in morning prayer, which of course included more bowing and chanting. We also watched a drum ceremony and than participated in a walking meditation that lead into sitting meditation. I personally really enjoyed meditating; I saw it as another opportunity to clear my mind. After meditation came silent breakfast accompanied by a monk. The breakfast was very interesting. There are certain ways to set your bowls in front of you, serve the food and even how to finish the meal. At the end, everyone was given tea to rinse out their bowls. After rinsing the bowls we drank the tea; this ensures you were able to get every last piece of food. Following breakfast we went on a hike (literally up the mountain) and ended our time making lotus flowers.

Overall the stay was a success. I met some amazing people and had a wonderful time. If I had the chance I would definitely do it all over again. I actually hope to one day complete a longer stay. 

6 months...say what?!?!?!

Today marks six months living in Gwangju, South Korea. A part of me can't believe it's been six months, but the other part of me want's to yell....that's it!!!

It's been an amazing past six months and the months literally feel like they are flying by. I've met some really great people and can't wait to have more adventures.

Visiting Ulsan

This past weekend I visited my friend Ashley who lives in Eonyang which is a rural district of Ulsan. This trip was pretty nice because not only was I able to visit a friend, but I was finally able to experience a rural area in South Korea. Monday was Memorial Day so I did not have to work and had a three day weekend because of this...which again is great! Since I wasn't in a huge rush I did not get up crazy early to catch a bus. The only thing I required from myself was to be out of the apartment by 10am. Some of you may still consider this early, but I still had ~3 hours on a bus and wanted to meet Ashley around 2pm. Typically if I want to get the most out of my day I leave around 6am.

My morning was looking good. I woke up at a decent time. The weather was great - sun was out, it wasn't hot and there was the perfect breeze. Got my ticket with no worries and boarded the bus to start my travels. As the bus starts to pull out I thought, "this is going to be a great three hour ride!" I had my music and my book that I've been trying to finish for a while now. Everything was going good until about 10 minutes into the trip; then I met Mr. Head Bobber.

The first few times were tolerable and even a little funny. HOWEVER, after an hour and a half I was not laughing anymore. Throughout the entire trip Mr. H.B. continued to jerk his body back and forth; into the aisle than onto me. Back and forth back and forth. After about ten minutes of playing this game I elbowed him in the arm. He immediately awoke. I of course frantically grabbed my book and pretended to read as he stared at me for about 15 seconds. Unfortunately this didn't stop it. It continued most of the bus ride. I've inserted a picture of the culprit so you can actually see what I was going through. At this moment he is leaning into the aisle (head parallel with the ground), which I'm actually somewhat impressed with. He slept like this for about 30 minutes. I do wish I had this talent of yours Mr. H.B. Although I would not use it to annoy innocent bus takers like you.

Dear Mr. H.B.,

Next time you are extremely tired and need to sleep while traveling, do not have your chair at a perfect 90 degree angle. If you slightly tilt your chair back you wont play the body bob game. It's simple physics.

yours truly,

Annoyed

That's taken care of...now lets move on. The weekend as a whole was pretty fun. I actually met Ashley in Busan so we could attend the Sand Festival on Haeundae Beach. We had a great time, ate Mexican food, drank beer and stumbled onto a beach concert.

Waiting at the Mexican restaurant.

Haeundae Beach - Sand Festival 2011

Random concert...."I can't believe I wore that hat all night!"

While in Ulsan we rode the scariest ferris wheel. Not only is this ferris wheel huge, but it's also on the top of a seven floor building.

Heading to Geumsana for a temple stay bright and early in the morning so good night.

May Fun

Don't be shocked, but I'm actually going to sit and write...well some. So much has happened since the last time I actually posted. Can you believe it's been over a month since my last actual update?! Let's recap this past month with a few photos. Breakdown of photos: a weekend spent in Busan which included a visit to the aquarium, beach, The Golden Buddha and a bar. The album also includes a weekend spent trying to get into North Korea (just kidding, it was a DMZ visit) and a temple visit that never actually happened. The Golden Buddha was absolutely breathtaking. I would definitely go again. As for the DMZ trip -- I was disappointed by the trip. However, I still feel if you are living in South Korea you should definitely go. Just pay for the better tour in which you actually get inside the DMZ and step foot into North Korea. If you are looking to understand the war and separation of North & South Korea this tour probably isn't for you. It literally is just an opportunity to look into North K.

 

A lazy few weeks

It's been a while since I've blogged. I'm having a lazy day--mmm, more like a couple of weeks.

Double Holiday

Today is Children's Day! Not only do I get a day off, but these kids who are constantly busting their butts studying and commuting from school to their Hagwon  to violin, taekwondo, math academy, etc finally get a day to do whatever they want. I have yet to comment on a typical day of a Korean child, but I feel today is appropriate.  A lot of my students have insanely long days. They wake up early in the morning to attend their normal school. After this, many (when I say many I mean most) continue on to some type of academy or activity. In South Korea, this academy is called a Hagwon. This means a private after school academy that focuses on subjects such as English, grammar, science, math, social studies arts and music. There may be other subjects, but these tend to be more common. Students do not receive grades at their Hagwon, or at least at mine. I can't speak for all of Korea. However, they of course are often tested on what they are learning. In reality it doesn't matter how they do at their Hagwon, it has no real effect on getting accepted into university. Now, since Hagwon's are businesses if the student is not performing well this looks bad on the Hagwon and they may loose business because of this. Don't worry, Hagwon's don't let their student's look bad. It's bad for business. Continuing on topic---after a child is done with their normal school around 3pm they attend a Hagwon or an activity (violin and taekwondo are the most common) for a few hours. Basically, what I am trying to point out is it is very common for a six year old to attend school all day until 2pm or 3pm and than after attending their Hagwon and activity of choice they are not home until 6pm or later...much later. Children's Day is an opportunity for children to relax, not sit in a classroom, spend time with their family and enjoy being a kid again.

It is also Cinco de Mayo today also known as the 5th of May!! Thought to be the Mexican Independence Day, but this is untrue. The holiday celebrates an unlikely win against the French at the Battle of Puebla. This holiday is mostly celebrated in Puebla and in the United States of America. In the U.S, it's a day to celebrate Mexican American heritage much like St. Patrick's Day is used to celebrate being Irish American.

I can only do so much in living Korea, but I'm personally celebrating this holiday by cooking Mexican food and drinking tequila.

Feliz Cinco de Mayo!!

Osama bin Laden is die

The time has finally come. After organizing what I personally believe (along with many others) to be the worst terrorist attack on the United States, Osama bin Laden has been killed. Watch to see students at my alma mater celebrate.

AMES CELEBRATES: Following the news of Osama bin Laden's death, hundreds of ISU students took to the streets to celebrate

I don't wish to go on and on about September 11th, the war, or even my personal beliefs about Osama bin Laden. I will state I find his death to be somewhat of a paradox - we fight violence with violence. Although his death will not bring any life lost back, I do hope knowing he is no longer out there will put many minds at rest.

Yoga & Kpop

Seeing how it is my goal to become active again. I have been trying to attend yoga since I've moved to Korea.  Of course, starting this goal over holidays that focus on eating like Christmas and Valentine’s Day is especially difficult. Plus, it’s been cold. I mean why would I ever leave the comforts (and warmth) of my home to attend a yoga class…that’s just insane. So I thought in order to light a match under my butt I will buy new shoes. It obviously worked because I got my a** out of bed and went downtown to class. It also helps that it is no longer cold outside. 

I haven't stretched or done anything strenuous for a really (I mean A REALLY) long time so I was a little worried going into class. I'm also still getting over my sinus infection so it's a little difficult to breath. Overall, the class was good and in actuality I think it helped clear my sinuses more. At times I was a little frustrated with myself because I couldn't keep my balance with certain poses like the one demonstrated in the upper right photo. I'm still a little annoyed I kept falling over. In my young years I could do this with my eyes literally closed. I do plan to practice a few yoga poses and kick butt in the next yoga class.

At one point the instructor did tell everyone to strike the candle pose and then she looks at me and says, "have you done this pose before?" I of course tell her, "no." I mean, I've done yoga before, but I was never a regular. As I'm telling her this I look around the room to see everyone doing this (exhibit B to the left). She then starts to grab for my legs and enthusiastically says, "I can help you." I immediately jerked my legs away and politely declined. Maybe next time.

Everyday I have students show me new music videos or songs from very famous Kpop stars. Unfortunately, I've started to really like these songs and I'm not ashamed. So you can also enjoy these catchy songs I've dedicated part of this post to spreading the joy of Kpop! Enjoy.

My favorite: Miss A - Bad Girl Good Girl

My other favorite: GD&TOP - High High

Kan Mi Youn - Paparazzi

Dal*Shabet - Suppa Duppa Diva

Fast forward to 1.45: IU - Good Day

Secret - Shy Boy

Introducing Venus

The past two months have been so busy that I haven't even introduced my new kindergarten class. So here they are! Since my school is so clever, each kindergarten class is named after a planet; hence the name Venus. Most pictures were taken recently during our field trip. Enjoy!

   

Update on cold: The cold isn't too bad. Yesterday I felt like death, but I was actually able to get rest last night. Well, until construction began on my apartment building at 7:45 am. Even with more rest and somewhat cleared sinuses, I lost my voice today. Instead of teaching I played scrabble and word games with all of my classes.

Conversation between Gwen (one of my students) and I:
me - popped a cough drop in my mouth during a game of scrabble
Gwen - Ugh, teacher give me candy.
me - It's not candy. It's a cough drop. It's medicine.
Gwen - what?
me - It's not candy. It's a cough drop. It's medicine for your throat.
Gwen - Oh, mo candy?
me - NO! It's medicine.
Gwen - Yes teacher. Mo candy?
me - Looking at Gwen sternly. Gwen, no it's medicine.
Gwen - Teacher I know. Mo candy is Korean for cough drop.

I'm not sure if that's how you spell cough drop in Korean, but that's basically what Gwen was saying (mo candy). After I realized what was going on I just burst out laughing. Gwen is pretty smart so she also caught on and after our laugh we continued to play scrabble.

They got me

You know the scene from movies where a person is sick, hair is a mess, they look like death and they’re in bed lying among snot filled tissues? That person is currently me. I’m not sure when the germs decided to attack my body, but it doesn’t matter. The only thing that does matter is they did. Bastards. I haven’t been able to properly breathe since about 4 o’clock yesterday and because of this, forget sleep. Between coughing, sneezing and wheezing when I breathe I’ve successfully slept three hours tonight. Yay for me! I’m not 100% sure when I was attacked. It could have been when a fellow colleague of mine, who is also sick, handed me a glass to use or when a little girl named Macy coughed in my face. I’m personally leaning towards Macy. She probably was pissed I gave her homework and decided to get back at me the only way she knew. Make me ill. Regardless of how it happened my face and head hurts. Plus it’s now going on 7 am and I’ve been up since about 4:30 am. I shouldn’t complain. I do have an eight hour work day filled with teaching and loud children to look forward to. Yay for me again.

What a great weekend

It's Sunday evening and I can honestly say it has been a great weekend. Saturday morning was spent in my Hangul class, which by the way is basically done. I just have one last class and then I'm done! I could take the second part, but I'm going to give myself time to digest/really know what I've learned so far. But, I'm definitely happy I took the class -- it makes life so much easier. After my Korean class I grabbed a fast lunch and went to Sun Bin Orphanage to volunteer. It's an all girls orphanage and although I've only volunteered maybe three times now, I definitely like it and will continue to give my time. Plus I've also met some awesome people! After volunteering I met some friends and we headed towards the Kia Tigers baseball game! It was my first baseball game so I didn't think I would be so into it, but I was and the Korean crowd is great! They cheer like football fans do back home. I personally thought fans were quiet at baseball games. If this is true for home it's definitely not true for Korea. They are loud, intoxicated and excited to cheer their team on...it was great and I want to go back!

Sunday was spent at Moodong Mountain. We hiked a little, picniced in a bamboo forest, went to a tea house and took a lot of pictures of cherry blossoms. Again great.

Tea House: green tea with smashed rice mixed with green tea leaves. Sounds weird, but pretty good.

Random photo from earlier this week. I've decided it's Octomom before giving birth.

I'm Back

So much to update. First, I finished my online TEFL course. YAY FOR ME!! Now, it's done and I don't have to pay hundreds of dollars to get an extension. Second, I've finally started my Korean class and can now read Hangul. I know amazing right?! I can barely believe it myself. I literally am walking down the street and I can actually read most (okay not most, but a lot) of the signs. Unfortunately, the words are typically in Korean and although  my Korean vocabulary is growing it's definitely still limited. Regardless of this.......I CAN READ HANGUL!

A few weeks ago I went to Busan to visit some friends and celebrate Kim's birthday. It was a great time and just nice to see people from home! I also came across possibly one of the most interesting books I've read in a really long time. Several people, well more like a table full of people suggested I read The Hunger Games. I did and I loved it -- I suggest reading it! Both Kim and Ashley are planning to come to Gwangju in about two weeks and I'm looking forward to it.

Let's see......what else has been going on?! I was able to utilize my party planning skills to co-plan/co-host a cocktail birthday party. The party was last weekend and it was fabulous. Maybe when I grow up I can be a party planner. Maybe. 

I haven't done really anything today. I had Korean class this morning and have done nothing else all day and I like it. Sorry to cut this short, but since I haven't blogged in a long time I forgot how exhausting it is to try and be creative. I'm too tired to be creative. I do have a few things I want to blog about still. It will just have to wait until next time.

Chelsea and SK, I hope you both had a great birthday!

Julie & Julia

I'm currently (yes currently) watching Julie & Julia. I am simultaneously writing in my blog and watching a movie and I’m realizing….I miss blogging. It’s been a long time since I’ve actually written something of substance besides just posting pictures with a quick note. I apologize. I’ve just been so busy working away at finishing TEFL and since I enjoy blogging I’ve limited my time online until I finish this god damn course. Okay, that’s a lie. I’ve just told myself I couldn’t blog as much. So far my “discipline” has been working great. I’m 78% done with the course. And no I didn’t come up with that number all by myself. Luckily every time I finish a module I get an update of how far I’ve come/a reminder of how far I have left to go.

Besides the strong urge to blog I now have this deep desire to go to Paris or France. Basically, a place that is very French and where I can eat tons of delicious bread, drink a lot of wine and eat the greatest pasta and cheese ever. Mmmm cheese. Maybe in the near future?!

This movie also makes me miss cooking. I really miss cooking. If I could have one thing in Korea, it would be an oven and a working stovetop. I know a lot of people hate to cook, but I actually enjoy it. It’s my beer at the end of a hard working day or my daily run runners must have. I don’t necessarily like to cook every day, but from time to time it's my stress reliever. It would be nice to be able to play music and just cook away.

If I could cook anything right now I would cook steak medallions topped with blue cheese, sautéed asparagus in butter (of course) with a pinch of salt and garlic red mashed potatoes.

Can someone please make this and send it to Korea? Or better yet, send me an oven.

Happy Birthday Jalyssa!

ah-nee-oh (No) Thumbelina...sad face

My kindergarten class graduated. Although, this past Saturday was a very crazy and hectic day it went very well! Overall, each class did great and no child was beaten for misbehaving. It's a little sad because I really enjoyed the Thumbelina class. I currently do not have a kindergarten class, which makes it sadder considering this is my favorite age group. On Friday the new sessions starts and I'm pretty excited to get a new class. Hopefully they are good.

Nothing too exciting since the weekend. Yesterday was the Korean Independence day so I did not have to work. Unfortunately, they didn't do much for the holiday. At least in Gwangju...maybe they do more in Seoul. It was nice to see Korean flags everywhere though...and I mean everywhere.

I can't wait for this weekend. It's just not the same to get one day off.

Pets & DWTS

New editions to my home: Zoe Zoe the wood bird and Rosco (Ross for short) the plant

Counting down to DWTS 2011 premieres.....GO KENDRA!

http://abc.go.com/shows/dancing-with-the-stars/cast-announcement-12

Rango + gifts

I want to see this movie.

These people know what I like. For my birthday Amy & Vanessa sent me these:

and my sister sent me this! Mmmmmmm...

Thank-you so much!

Way too long....sorry

Man, there’s so much to talk about. First, I don't have much time so I will not be proof reading. I'm apologizing in advance for the typos. Second, sorry I haven’t written in a while….it’s been pretty busy. I’ve been working hard at TEFL. I paid ~$330 to get this certification and it must be done by the end of March. I have to complete 13 modules plus this other section; I’m currently on module 6. You probably now understand my urgency/stress to complete this.

Second, I went to Seoul (capital of S. Korea) a few weeks ago…it was a blast! We went to an aquarium, ate delicious food, drank a lot of sangria and went to a tea shop. I love tea! Overall it was just a nice weekend away; nothing too exciting. I will definitely be back soon! I plan/hope to go to Seoul tower and do more touristy things. Maybe a temple stay? The whole time I was there I kept thinking, “why am I not here?” I absolutely loved the city feel and would love to live there. Unfortunately, now that I’m back in Gwangju, I feel a little different. Gwangju is still a city, but it feels small and it doesn’t have as many foreigners as Seoul. Although I loved Seoul I don’t know if it’s Korea enough. There are tons of foreigners and I just felt like I was in the U.S. Does this make sense? Here are a few pictures of Seoul weekend.

     

 This was in one of the fish aquariums...really?!?

Tea anyone?

Out in Seoul...

So far this week has been extremely busy preparing for our 7 year olds graduation ceremony and their talent show. This is happening all this Saturday. Wish us luck!

It's been a while

Sorry readers. I haven't really been inspired to write anything, but I figured I should catch you up. So, here I go. Mmmm, my birthday was great thanks to the many Happy Birthday wishes I received...thank-you! I can't believe I'm 25. Also, thanks to my friends Amy & Van for sending me a great package filled with goodies!

I'm currently on another vacation because of Lunar New Year. I have Wednesday through Friday off plus the weekend = exciting! Myself along with a few other teachers decided to stay in Gwangju over the holiday, but this Friday we will be heading to Seoul for the weekend! As for celebrating Lunar New Year, which is tomorrow I will be attending a festival. I'll make sure to take plenty of pictures. It's year of the rabbit.

To read more here's a decent site. Plus there's a video :)
http://www.koreanbeacon.com/2010/02/14/happy-lunar-new-year/

I'm a Tiger. What are you?
http://www.gotohoroscope.com/chinese-astrology.html

I finally finished Eat Pray Love. Let's just say it was ok. I didn't really enjoy it. I suggest The Other Side of the Sky. It's a memoir and it's a survival story about a girl from Afghanistan during the late 90's. It's a story of how she survives stepping on a land mine, losing her family and escaping her country. Great and inspiring story. Read!

An old friend to remember

Dear KT$,

I often think of you and wonder if we would still be friends today. Every year on this same day, I think of you and wonder was there anything I could have done? Could I have been a better friend? Could anyone have changed the decision you made that day? I can sit and ask myself question after question and fantasize about the “what-if” scenarios, but unfortunately this won’t change anything. How much I wish you were still around won’t change anything either. Although, you may not have necessarily seen yourself this way, in my eyes you were a kind, loving and care-free individual. I hope you are in a better place now and I miss you.

angel