Christmas in Korea

Yes, I know... I've been a blog slacker. Luckily, I have lots of interesting (and a couple not so interesting) things to share. In the time since I last wrote, I've made it through Christmas Eve, Christmas and a Japan trip. This post will be dedicated to Christmas in Korea since I believe it's important for one to realize that although acknowledged, it doesn't seem like it's as big a deal here as back home. For example, I worked on Christmas Eve. Yuck.

We had our birthday/Christmas party on Thursday, so really the morning was all fun, aside from the fact that I was unknowingly thrown into the position of party MC since Naomi decided not to go to work that day (thanks Naomi!). We celebrated all the kids who had birthdays in the month of December... and then we switched to the Christmas party where we had a carol contest and Santa came.

The kids wait for Santa to call them up one at a time, then show off all their presents.

Santa was pretty funny. He was this nervous Korean guy from another school, and he basically just repeated himself like 30 times to each  the kids. "Were you good this year? Will you  be good next year? Merry Christmas." The kids loved it though, so it was all good. They all mostly got huge gifts so they were happy.

Doesn't my homeroom class and I look thrilled? Hehe.

Gerstungkinder 2009

Then, we got our buffett. The kid's moms brought food for the school to eat, so we had all sorts of goodies including pizza with sweet potato (which was interesting), lots of fruits, kimbap, chicken wings, sandwiches, and a bunch of other little random foods. It was pretty good though. One of my students told me I was being unhealthy when I poured myself a Coke... haha, I told her it was Christmas so I was allowed. Whatever, I just love Coke.

The afternoon classes were a bunch of BS because I actually had to teach, no fun party for the older kids. Luckily, after my last student left at 5:25 I went to the teacher's room to see if there was a meeting and she said everyone else was leaving early so there wasn't one. I asked if I could leave early and thank goodness... she said yes! Off to Brigid's...

I spent about an hour and a half getting to Banghak station where I met Brigid and Sarah at "the Galbi place" or so it is known as. They already had quite a bit of soju and Cass... so it was my turn to finally try Soju. It wasn't too bad... would have been better if I hadn't recieved a half cup full of only soju, but it wasn't as terrible as I thought. Would be good mixed with something.

Anyway, from there we went to Camp Red Cloud, where we met Mark... hung out for a bit. Acted slightly ridiculous and then ended up at the Veteran's Club, where supposedly the officer party was supposed to be. Well...definitely no "party" but a bunch of guys older than my parents and for a brief moment the cute MP who we met on our way to the bunker earlier in the night. He was married and only 20, but he was cute enough toat with and look at for the 15 minutes he was there. Then... a rum and Coke, 4 beers and a shot later, I ended up fast asleep on Brigid's floor mattress, which was actually quite comfortable. Overall, and despite being at work for 8 hours, it was a pretty fun Chrimstas Eve.

 

Pictures: My Christmas Eve dinner... a shrimp cocktail. Me trying on Mark's gear and realizing how heavy it is. Brigid being slightly intoxicated.

I spent Christmas day with Brenna and her family, which was really nice. I bought a cute cake from Paris Baguette. They had really delicious looking cakes with chocolate and fruit and little characters, so I just had to buy one for them! They invited some other friends over too, so I basically spent my day eating delicious American foods (turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes, salads, bread, pies… etc. etc. etc.) Then, we watched Elf and played all sorts of different games on the Wii. I totally kicked butt in bowling… and that’s about it. It was a nice relaxing day though.

Brenna was even kind enough to get me some cool gifts, Victoria’s Secret body wash, sprays, lotions, etc. She kept my tradition of getting goodies from VS! I was so excited!


Overall, Christmas was real enjoyable and a lot better than I expected. I was being a bit of a Scrooge this year, but really there was no need. I have made some really great friends who made the holidays really awesome!

 I have lots more pictures on Facebook so add me on there if you want to see more.

“I just like to smile, smiling's my favorite.” –Buddy the Elf.

Well, Korea, here it is...

…the list of things I want to do while I’m here. By November 1st of next year, I want to have all of these things completed. For a year’s worth of things, this really isn’t that much… but it’s a goal list and that’s all that matters.

In alphabetical order since I'm just like that, I want to:

• Go hiking at least once (like actually make a day of it...)
• Go on the DMZ tour through the USO
• Go to an art gallery
• Go to at least 15 new restaurants (7/15)
• Go to a museum
• Go to a performing arts show 
• Go to a sporting event (I'm hoping a baseball game...hehe)
• Learn one new Korean word each week (0/42)
• Make Pancakes (Mainly because I've had a craving since I got here)
• Put at least half my paycheck into my savings account each month
• Read at least one book a month (1/11)
• Sing at a Norebang karoke room  
• Take at least one interesting picture a week with the Nikon (0/42)
• Take at least one picture a week with the Sony (0/42)
• Try as many new foods as I can (10)
• Try soju
• Visit another country
• Visit at least one noteworthy place a month (0/11)
• Write at least one article every two weeks for either an online site or a local magazine/newspaper/whatever I can find (0/21)
• Write at least one blog post a week (0/42)
• Watch the sun rise or set

I'm sure there's more than this and the numbers might be off because I did them quickly... but this is it for now. So, what do I want to take away from Korea?

• A new sense of independence-- being able to do everything alone without thinking twice
• An appreciation for everything I take for granted back home including ease of communication and the convenience of being able to get around easily, as well as a ton of other, more eye opening things
• A new understanding and compassion for children that I never had before
• A new understanding of the world, experience of travel 
• Courage to do what I want with life
• Money to start doing what I want and to find my place

Gwanghwamun and Myeong dong

I love bookstores. I love books. I love that I finally bought Gone with the Wind today, and I can't wait to read it. I also can't wait to read The Predictioneer's Game. Both will be amazing.

The Kyobo bookstore in Gwanghwamun (Line 5, exit 3) was really cool because there's a big "Foreign Books" area. It's also easy to get to. It literally took me about 15 minutes to get in, find my book, and get out. It probably would have been less but the number of people in the bookstore alone was insane. The number of people in this city and at certain places at particular times never fails to shock me.

After the bookstore, I went to Forever 21 in Myeong dong (Line 4, exit 5). That place will make me go broke if I go there too often. I love it! Too bad it's more expensive here... but there's 4 or 5 floors of clothe, shoes and accessories, it's HUGE.

The store had Christmas music playing and Adam Sandler's Hanukkah Song came on. I couldn't help but laugh. It's so funny when some music comes on and hardly anyone knows what the lyrics are saying. Heh.

Anyway, I now have 6 new shirts, a new necklace and hat, and because I’m a dedicated shopper (haha) I got a free planner! I’m excited about that, I’ve been wanting one and it’s in English. Perk.

I'm not a pillow.

Three people on the subway decided I looked comfortable enough to lean on while they slept. Ok, so they weren’t literally laying on me… but they were a little too close for comfort. I was also a human tissue yesterday when one of my students got hit with the door because she was playing right by it. I side hugged her while she cried, then she took the bottom of my shirt and wiped her face on it. Needless to say, it was disgusting, and I highly dislike snot.

My students have the ability to make me laugh. I really do like them most of the time.


Case in point… this is what one of my students wrote on his test. The directions said, “combine the following groups of sentences to make one sentence.” These were the sentences:

-The stream was pretty.
-The stream was little.
-The stream was fast-moving.
-The stream was safe to drink from.

Instead of getting the correct answer, which would involve using commas between the adjectives to make one sentence, this is what I got:

“I go to mountain. The stream was pretty, and fast-moving. I drink it because stream was safe to drink from. I drink a lot so stream was little.”

This makes me smile and chuckle every time I read it. I really want to give him points for creativity and think I will. I mean, he at least knew what the sentences meant, bonus points.

"To laugh often and much; to win the respect of intelligent people and the affection of children; to earn the appreciation of honest critics and to endure the betrayal of false friends. To appreciate beauty; to find the best in others; to leave the world a bit better whether by a healthy child, a garden patch, or a redeemed social condition; to know that even one life has breathed easier because you have lived. This is to have succeeded." — Bessie Anderson Stanley

Teacher Amanda needs teaching practice.

Explaining the meaning of words is not my strong point. I'm actually really awful at it, and I think it's because I think about it too much. I'm not trying to sound like a brainiac or anything, because that's not it at all, but seriously, when a student asks me the meaning of a word my mind goes into overdrive.

For example, today in a class with only one student, we read an article that had the words "explosives" and "drugs." (It was an article about dogs working for people). So, I let her read it to herself and underline any words she didn't know. Of course, she didn't know "drugs."

Insert for those of  you who aren't aware: Koreans don't do drugs. At least not in Korea. At least not that I've ever heard of or heard talk of. Well, they probably do... but they definitely don't let you know about it. Ok... again with the over thinking...

Anyway... the word medicine came to mind. Bad effects. Not wanting to let my ten-year-old student know that drugs make some people feel good. Bad. Bad. Bad. Medicine. Then, a large list of names came to mind and then I decided to stick with saying illegal medicine as my final answer.

Her response?

Are they what Obama drank when he was younger?

My response?

Did you read that? I have no idea. Probably... Yeah. (Thinking maybe she's referring to alcohol, but then I'd have to explain that).

Her response?

Yes he did. I read. Why people do that?

...silence...

She looked at me and then said that maybe other people reccommend they do drugs and that's why. "A"++ for student. "F" for teacher.

Ok... maybe I was just having one of those days. I also got asked what "geez" was after I used it a couple times in class today...luckily, that was by a kindergartener and they lose interest quickly.

Sleep time for Teacher Amanda. I need an "A" day tomorrow. 

"Begin doing what you want to do now. We are not living in eternity. We have only this moment, sparkling like a star in our hand — and melting like a snowflake.” --Marie Beyon Ray

Umm... yeah...

My Nikon literally has dust on it. Guess it's time to start taking more pictures with it and set the Sony aside for a bit.

I decided to take a picture of my dinner: Kimbap.

I forgot how much I love my Nikon.

I love my Sony too...

that is all.

"All photographs are there to remind us of what we forget. In this - as in other ways - they are the opposite of paintings. Paintings record what the painter remembers. Because each one of us forgets different things, a photo more than a painting may change its meaning according to who is looking at it." ~John Berger

Favorite part of the day? Listening to music on the subway ride home.

Or to work.... or wherever I'm going. What would I do without music? I have no idea. My favorite thing about it is that one song can bring you back to any moment or place in time and can make you feel exactly as you felt when you heard it for the first time.

I can't wait to get my iPod Touch. All I've been doing lately is organizing my itunes, getting my 4,299 songs ready to travel with me.

I've been really thinking about a lot of things lately. I had a lot on my mind last week, and I'm starting to realize there's some things in life I need that I'm not getting... as well as things I do that I need to stop for a while. Have you ever had a moment where a huge weight was lifted off your shoulder and things were put into perspective? Well, I feel like that. I know, you have no idea what I'm talking about... but that's ok.

Uijeongbu: Take 2.

I didn't get lost.... or end up at the wrong station. I really like traveling to northern parts of Seoul because I get to see mountains. I'm not sure why, but I'm completely infatuated by them. I really want to go hiking, but I'm still on a hunt for someone to go with who will put up with my slack ass.

I took this out Brigid's apartment complex window while waiting for the elevator.

I would love this view.

Anyway, here are some things I learned this weekend:

1. I'm a terrible bowler. Awful. Probably shouldn't even be allowed, and my enthusiasm level when playing is pretty pathetic.

2. I really really miss American food. I ate a bacon cheeseburger and it was amazing.

3. Korean fights are funny because I have no idea what’s going on and the argument sounds like really pissed off babbling. I had a perfect seat on the subway this weekend for one, and couldn’t help but laugh when one of the guys pushed the other one off the subway at one of the stops and the doors closed on him before he could get back on. He punched the window as the train left.

4. Some Korean men get really happy to see American women. It’s slightly creepy and slightly flattering in a… well… creepy way. I had a guy stare at me on the subway and when the seat next to mine opened up he was more than happy to take it. It was fine until he tried to play footsy. No way Jose… or whatever guys are called here.

5. People who wear high heels walk slowly and it annoys me. It also annoys me that I’m like a magnet for people… as soon as I try and pass a slow walker they move in front of me. It also annoys me when I’m waiting for the subway or bus and someone comes up and stands directly in front of me to get on first. Can anyone say “asshole” in Korean? Ha, I sure can’t.

Korean Food...

…is so cheap! We got all of this for only $10. Since I went with Naomi it only came to $5. It was super delicious too! I quickly got over the fact the shrimp still had arms and eyes and that there were squid tentacles scattered randomly in the big bowl. I didn’t eat them… but I got over it and enjoyed my meal.

Christmas is slightly depressing this year.

I really just want it to be over and for it to be March so it’ll start warming up. I really hate the cold… I really wish I had family or someone here to share Christmas with and watch A Christmas Story and drink hot chocolate…and I really want to buy Christmas presents and send cards and see my cats (I realize the cats thing is randomly thrown it, but whatever, these are my wishes). Plus, Christmas is way more fun with little kids around.


Luckily, I was invited to Brenna and her family’s house this year. Oh, and I get to spend Christmas Ever with my students, because, well… I’m working.

Bah Humbug.

Photo op: it had to be done.

Yeah, I suppose I can crop this to make it look better, but I’m lazy. Oh, and thank god I finally found a curling iron for less than $45 yesterday... my hair is in major need of help... sheesh.

“No matter how qualified or deserving we are, we will never reach a better life until we can imagine it for ourselves and allow ourselves to have it.” -Richard Bach

Once a while you just need to reassure yourself.

....it is or it isn't... I will or I won't... and I do or I don't. I refuse to waste any more time sitting around and thinking what might or might not happen or what I should or shouldn't do. Life's too short for silly mind games... from now on, I'm going with the flow and seeing where I end up.

Next stop: back to Uijeongbu for bowling....

....to be continued.

"A man who dares to waste one hour of time has not discovered the value of life." --Charles Darwin

Uijeongbu, Nogyang, and Bosan... it's not too hard getting lost in the subway station.

And by "lost," I mean unable to be found, as opposed to not knowing where I am. I thought I knew where I was the whole time. However, I really didn't. I was in the completely wrong station, wondering where everyone I was supposed to meet had gone off to.

This is why I need a cell phone.

I went to Uijeongbu station first, which was about an hour ride from my station. I waited for an hour, asked a few English speakers if there were other exits in the station that I was possibly missing... and then went on a hunt for a PC bang. No luck, so without a phone number written down or access to a computer, I decided to head to the next station (the one I thought we were going to for our movie), in case they decided to go there and wait.

When I finally got to Nogyang, I realized that I had finally made it to the actual station I was supposed to go to first. I also noticed a PC Zone across the street from the station so I decided to go check it out. I was freezing and there was no sign of Brenna or her family. I took the elevator to the 7th floor and heard all kinds of computer game noises and walked in looking helpless. The guy was nice and spoke a little English, so he helped me get set up on a computer and a lady who worked there brought me a cup of coffee. I got Brenna's number, stayed a minute to warm up... then head back to the station.

I snapped this picture before stepping inside the station: I thought it was pretty.

Pay Phones... Pain Phones... same difference.

I had no idea how to work the darn thing, and I even had a lady try to help me. The language barrier was holding me back from having any idea what she was saying except "no." Even our game of charades wasn't totally working. I decided to wait around a minute to see if Brenna would get my message and come rescue me from the station (I'm assuming you realize by now that I had no idea where she lives from the station) but that didn't seem to be happening either.

I went to the information desk and asked if they had a phone I could borrow and showed them the number to emphasize my point. The lady pulled out her cell phone and started dialing, and I was super grateful. I was finally in touch with Brenna and they were at a completely different station because they thought maybe that was where I had went. So, my journey to Bosan was about to begin.

Did I ever tell you that subway trains can be a pain in the ass?

Long story short... the stupid thing took me to the very next stop and then after a lot of people got off, it decided to head back to Nogyang instead of going forward and in the direction of Bosan. I was so mad. So, I got off... walked down the stairs and back up to the opposite platform to get back on a train heading toward Bosan and 15 minutes later I was finally on my way.

Finally...

I saw Brenna and her kids standing there! I was so happy, it was already past 4 p.m. (my adventures began at 11a.m.) so we decided to head to the food court and eat before our movie.

Taco Bell, oh how I love you.

Yes, I got to eat Taco Bell! The perks of knowing people who can get me on base. I was so excited. It's the little things in life that mean the most...

New Moon.

Good... not great. I mean, I'm sure I'll watch it a billion times, but I definitely love the books way more.

Subway Tales... again.

Wow, an empty subway? So rare...

Shortly after Brenna and her family got off, I made a new friend on the empty train. Actually, he made me his friend, I continuding my own business but he kept trying to talk to me in terrible English and mostly Korean.

Since I’m a fairly nice person, I answered him and tried to understand him through a game of guessing and charades. In the end… this is what I found out about my friend:

He is a 60 year old who sells shoes with his wife. He was on his was to buy alcohol, drink, then head back home to go to sleep. He told me I was beautiful and was shocked when I told him I was 23 because he thought I looked 11. He was also shocked that I told him I don’t drink alcohol. (Lies… but I did not want an invite).

He was nice, slightly creepy but I don’t think he was trying to be, and he gave me a individually packaged cookie before he got off the train. I was happy this morning to eat it.

So, overall this weekend was quite an adventure. Luckily, I now know where I’m going if I ever want to visit Brenna again or if I want to meet nice soldiers who want to take me to Taco Bell. =)

This was sort of all crammed information, but I’m tired and need to get my music organized for my Christmas present, yay!

Until next time.

“Time passes. Even when it seems impossible. Even when each tick of the second hand aches like the pulse of blood behind a bruise. It passes unevenly, in strange lurches and dragging lulls, but pass it does.” –Stephenie Myers, New Moon

I'm Officially on the Teacher's Page.

Check me out.

http://www.gerstungkinder.com/SEP9/homepage/pageview/pageview.asp?CateCode=INTRO23

I'm also a bit of a fibber... but you wouldn't have known if I didn't tell you, right? Hehe.

My Newest Accessory

Provided graciously to me by my school today:

I was going to rebel and not wear it, but I happened to be teaching the littlest kids at the time it was handed out (equivalent to about 3 and 4 year olds in the states) and right after I took it off they started pointing to their faces. "Teacher, why no?"

Fine. I'll wear it. I only did for that class though. I mean, can't the germs just crawl around the darn mask into the side holes and get me that way? I don't think this helps much unless I'm trying to prevent giving my illness to others.

And I'm standing by my theory no matter what you say.

Classes Cancelled

I get to sleep in tomorrow! Well, only a little bit. Instead of being there at 9:30, I get to go in at 10. The kindergarteners' classes have been cancelled for the next three days. This means I don't start teaching until 2:30 tomorrow and Friday, and on Thursday I might not be teaching at all... and if my one student does show up I won't start teaching until 4.

So, why do I have to be there at 10 you ask? Supposedly, we get to clean. I'd prefer teaching a billion times over cleaning some random room in the school. They'll learn quickly that they should just hire someone to clean because I'm not much help. Then, I'll be getting paid to do a lot of nothing for three days.  Except complaining about sitting around being such a waste of time.

Finally.

I finally found nail polish remover and hair spray. Thank goodness... so what if it was from the random little store around the corner? I am happy... and my unmanicured toes are wriggling for joy.

"He who hesitates is a damned fool."- Mae West

Made My First Million

I'm rich!

Ok, not exactly, but technically I do now have over a million... won. Which equals absolutely nothing close to a million USD.

Luckily, it will be convenient having a bank in my building. Maybe next pay day I'll have direct deposit? Maybe? Yeah, counting this much money was definitely  pain in the behind, you'd think there'd be a larger bill than 50,000... and you'd think I'd at least gotten a couple of them. Oh well. Considering last month flew by, it makes me feel good to know what I'm actually doing here.

I'm also starting a list of things I want to leave with (physically or emotionally... or whatever) thanks to Naomi who had a great list herself.

I can't wait to start saving! I know what I want, and I plan on getting it.

Plu... "teacher, how do you spell plu?"

"Is that English?"

"Yes teacher, plu."

"What does it mean? I really don't think it's a word."

"Plu is English! Sick."

"Ohh, flu... f-f-f-flu."

"No, plu."

Haha, this was about a 5 minute conversation today between me and two of my students in one of my afternoon classes. I'm assuming "p" and "f" get mixed up often, especially when I heard one of my students call a phone a pone. Oh well, I can't say much... they know more in English than I do in Korean.

Speaking of flu... all our kindergarteners were sent home today because around three or four students at my school have or have had swine flu. I spent half my day doing a whole lot of nothing, and took a little bit longer lunch and enjoyed the peacefulness of Starbucks for a while.

I'm anxious to see how many parents send their kids to Gerstung tomorrow. It seems most parents freak out about the flu already, let alone knowing some kids actually had it. It might be another easy day...although it goes by a lot quicker when I'm teaching.

Well, fingers crossed I don't get it... that would blow...

“Money is not the most important thing in the world. Love is. Fortunately, I love money.”

Coffee and the Comfort of Cats

One of the most difficult things about leaving behind everything to come to Korea for a year was having to find a temporary home for my cats. They are my children, and I even travelled from Georgia to Minnesota to make sure they would have a good home and be well taken care of. I miss them, and there are days I wish I would come home and have them run up to me like they did back home. Instead, I come home to an empty apartment.

Cat Cafe: Gio Cat

Yesterday, I was invited to a cat cafe. I couldn't help but wonder exactly what that meant. Was the decor all cats? Was it just an interesting name? Was the food... well, cat?

To my surprise, it was a neat little place that serves coffee and lets you pet and play with cats. There were about 20 cats walking around, sleeping in large cat stands, or laying in customer's laps. Aside from the cat smell (which naturally would be lingering with that many cats), it was quiet, clean and a really interesting place.

Before entering you are required to take off your shoes and change into slippers, use hand sanitizer and then store coats and bags in a locker. They give a list of "rules" and a chart with each of the cats names and traits. You are required to order one thing from the menu, so naturally I got a White Chocolate Mocha. Mmmmm.

Then, you can either sit and enjoy your coffee and wait to see if any of the cats want to use your lap as a sleeping bag, or you can be procactive and sit right in the middle of things. I wanted to see if any cats would come to me... so I went to where the action was at.

Well, supposedly, my new laundry technique (the smell test-- if it still smells relatively good it doesn't need to be washed yet) isn't working as well as I thought because majority of the time I looked like this.

Yes, this is me sad faced with no cats in my lap. Everyone else had at least one cat come up to them and crawl in his or her lap to sleep and be petted, but not me. I think secretly they knew they could never replace Chaisey and Tommy... but boy did this make me miss them even more! Stupid cats. Eventually I was handed a pity cat... he didn't really want to be in my lap but then found he liked my necklace a bit so he stayed.

These two cats were a couple of my favorite. I love love love this first one and the smaller grey one was just too darn cute.

Research...

I did some research and found out that the owner originally wanted to run a cat adoption business. He wanted people to be able to come experience the cats before choosing to adopt them in order to understand what they would require and learn how to take care of them. His goal was to lower the amount of cat abandonments due to people not knowing enough about cats.

Pretty cool, huh?

Anyway...

If you're in Seoul and miss your pet, you should check it out. The cats seem to be happy and healthy and the atmosphere in the care give off a nice chill vibe.

And at the end of the day (or if they get sick of people) the cats just walk throught he giant cat mouth into the cat hotel.

“In order to keep a true perspective of one's importance, everyone should have a dog that will worship him and a cat that will ignore him.”

Jibberish.

Well, as my mother pointed out in my last post, the demise of my writing and speaking skills has already begun. Either that or I was terribly tired when I wrote yesterday's post.

Although, what do you expect when you're teaching kids how to speak English all day? I mean it's already hard enough for me to explain simple things like the word "before," let alone speak complete sentences without seeing all my words float in one ear and right out the other. They like to ask what common knowledge (to English speakers) words are, and I have such a hard time explaining! I'm trying my best though.

I'm basically the teacher all the students dislike right now because they thought they'd be able to get away with doing nothing in my classes, and I'm proving them wrong. One of my students even supposedly flicked me off today while I was writing something on the board. She's lucky I was already so mad at her and the class I decided just to not say anything else since the bell was about to ring. (Obviously, this was one of my older students).  I think I'm just in a bad mood and hopefully it'll go away soon, the students did not help though.

E-mart

Oh, how I love E-mart. I finally got a webcam! I also got a really cute scarf that I thought was cheaper than it really was. No wonder my bill was pretty high. I can't really complain though... I've been here a month and have hardly spent any money, so I figured I could get a few things today. Snickers were a must have. I've been having such bad cravings for Chocolate!

Things I've Seen Lately:

1. An older lady spit a ferocious lugee. Man, people do not care about spitting here. They just do it, even if someone is standing right next to them. It was insane.

2. A drunken fight outside the bar by my apartment. I'm assuming it's a bar because there's pictures of beer mugs on the window... and I'm assuming the men were drunk because they were kicking and slapping one another. They start shoving right as I walked by and two other men ran up and separated them.

3. Other foreigners in my area! They are here, and supposedly they like Starbucks. I get so excited everytime I see another foreigner... it's like "Where's Waldo?"

4. The dog with pink ears again. I can't help but feel bad for the poor thing... although, maybe it's a she and she really likes her pink ears. Who knows...

5. High heels and slow walkers. There's no way I could wear high heels and walk up and down the subway stairs every day. It'd seriously be like committing suicide. Almost all the women here wear them though, and boy do some of them practically waddle down the sidewalk. I refuse to be uncomfortable all day just to look good. Plus, there are some really cute flats. I fear mine only have about another month left with how much I walk here....

Well, that's about all. I feel like work has taken over my life this week, so maybe after the weekend I'll have more interesting stories to tell. Aquarium tomorrow? Probably. I feel like my camera needs to be put to use.

"A thing of beauty is a joy for ever. It's loveliness increases. It will never pass into nothingness but still will keep a bower quiet for us, and a sleep full of sweet dreams, and health, and quiet breathing." --the super random quote from the little notebook I bought today.

Thanksgiving in Korea is just like any other day.

What can I say about my 2009 Thanksgiving? I ate Kimbap for dinner, along with some other little snack thing I have yet to figure out... and drank a Coke. I guess it wasn't that different from last year considering I was in Vegas and decided the crab legs at the buffet were more appealing than the turkey. I worked, which is something new, but oh well, Thanksgiving isn't in my top 5 favorite holidays anyway.

Maybe I'll make it a new tradition to be somewhere different for Thanksgiving every year... Las Vegas last year, South Korea this year.. next year I plan on visiting mom in England during November. Then maybe it'll make it to the top five, only because I'll know I'm going somewhere. Although, if I get my happy little house in Florida I so badly want, I won't mind if everyone wants to come to my place. (Print this out and show it to me in like 7 years...)



Is it really holiday time though? I'm seriously stuck in summer mode. I have a feeling Christmas is going to fly by, especially with no one around to really do the whole gift thing with. I am experiencing the cold of winter time, and I'm getting used to it! I even thought it felt good outside tonight, and it had to be in the 50s at most. I'm sure by the time I fully adapt to the weather, it'll change. I can see the sweat dripping now when I walk to work. Yikes.

Phone! And gifts from Santa...

I found out I will actually be able to get a phone before I get my ARC, thank goodness! I won't have to worry about getting horribly lost and having no way to get in touch with anyone anymore. My director said he has a line I can use until I can get my own, and then just switch it to my name. Thank goodness....

Also, I found out I'm getting a totally cool gift from Santa! I'm super excited! My poor old iPod that I bought about 5 years ago, well he's going to retire. Yay for new one. =) I love my music.

Ah, Korea. You never fail to amaze me.

I couldn't help buy stare at one of my 7-year-old student's jacket yesterday. He ended up accidently leaving it after school, so I took the opportunity to take a picture.

Is it me... or does the symbol resemble what my oblivious grandmother would call "a pretty plant?" (Yeah, she should live in Korea... obviously they think it's pretty too...)

Hilarious. It was like a jumpsuit right out of a rap video. I realize since this country has pretty much no tolerance for drugs it would make sense they have no idea what that looks like, but imagine if they did?

Oh whatever. I don't smoke, but seriously, if I wouldn't be thrown into a torture jail (haha or wherever...) for doing it here, I probably would.

The kid who wore this actually told me today that he doesn't listen to me because he doesn't like me. It took everything I had not to tell him he's the biggest pain in the ass himself and that I really don't like him either.

Another one of my students told me I give him a headache because I'm so loud. Imagine that, me loud... I told him I get a headache trying to talk over all of his classmates. Then I talked in my normal voice to prove my point, and guess what? Yeah... no one heard me.

Really, I think I'd love this job if I didn't have to discipline all day. I mean, I know kids don't really want to be in school... but at least back home they know they have to at least fall asleep or scribble on their books while pretending to listen. Here, it's like, what random object can I play with next or who can I talk to while the teacher's talking, or can I go to the bathroom/get a drink/see so and so, blah blah blah.

Ok, just a quick rant. It's really not too bad, but there's some days I just feel like it's a bigger pain than it's worth.

Oh yeah, and supposedly the parents who can look in on our classes, can also hear us. Joy.

I think that's just my lack of turkey, gravy and stuffing talking. Don't be alarmed anyone who's thinking of coming here. There are some really good things about being here. I'm forming a list for another day... ;)

"I think people need to be educated to the fact that marijuana is not a drug. Marijuana is an herb and a flower...." -Willie Nelson

Korean TV isn't always lame.

Man... I hate to admit it, but I'm a little too overly excited that Twilight is playing on my TV in English. I also don't want to admit that I'm thinking about going to see New Moon this weekend if I can find a theater that is playing it in English or with English subtitles. Yes... I'll go alone. I'm lame. Whatever. It doesn't take much to make me giddy these days.  Plus, I really like the Twilight soundtrack.

I wish I could read the whole series again. I really want an e-reader and iTouch. Moreso the iTouch, but an e-reader would be awesome because then I wouldn't have to lug books around. I may treat myself. I've been a cheapass anyway since I've been here, so why not?

Short post, but I'm tired. School is super busy this month. Is it really Thanksgiving week? Wow.. this has been the fastest year ever....

"'Twilight again, he murmured.' Another ending. No matter how perfect the day is, it always has to end." --Stephenie Meyer

Amanda Teacher... Imagine That.

You know you're a kindergarten teacher when....

you get cool random presents! It's a cute little (and by little I mean big) handkerchief (why does this word look so funny? Google say it's correct...) In case you can't read the note, it says "I love you Amanda." with a heart and a smiley face.

I'm not going to say much, because it was really nice of her to give me this... but mom must have been watching the classroom camera from online the past two weeks. Presents do work, however, in winning me over. I won't lie.

What to do with crying kids?

I like kids... and I feel really bad when they cry, but I never know what to do! I hugged one of the little girls one time while she was crying, and she wiped her snot all over my sleeve. It seriously grossed me out. So, now I stick to patting backs and getting tissues. But what the heck do you say when a kid cries because they've been goofing off with another kid and get elbowed in the eye? Especially the ones who can't even speak English. I probably look terrified when they come to me crying and speaking Korean. Yikes.

Electronics...

I want an Itouch and E-reader, but don't know where to get them. Anyone know? Anyone...?

Imagine all the people...

living for today. Yes, John Lennon was playing when I left the subway station today, and it made me really happy. It made me even happier that a Korean guy was standing there singing along with it... the English lyrics. I wonder if he really speaks English or just memorized the lyrics. I guess I'll never know.

I do want to bring country music to my older students one day. They were singing some pop song in class today. Well, it sounded like pop. I love my music and it amazes me how it can totally change my mood.

Speaking of the subway...

it's my place to think. I always think of things I want to write then forget them. Today, I basically thought about where I wanted to stop and buy some cookies. I tried some seaweed thing at lunch today and seriously had to spit it back out into a napkin. There's no way that thing was making it down my throat without every other thing I've eaten today coming back up with it. Awful. Ugh. It grosses me out even thinking about it.

On that note... I'm eating another cookie.

"You may say that I'm a dreamer, but I'm not the only one. I hope someday you'll join us, and the world will be as one." -John Lennon

Yeoksam, Appujeong and back to Sinjeong.

Supposedly, people here can order food at any hour of the night, as I found out around 2:30 this morning when I heard knocking on my door followed by a strange ringing (which I'm guessing was my doorbell). I opened the door to a man with a helmet handing me a bag of food. I had no idea what was going on since I had just fallen asleep and didn't expect someone to come knocking on my door, so it took a good minute to realize this was not for me. The communication wasn't happening so after a good 3 minutes we both realized it was a mistake and he took the food and tried to find the correct apartment. I know he tried to find the right apartment, because for the next few minutes I could hear him speaking Korean in the hall. Interesting. I'd like to know where he came from in case I ever get hungry at 2 a.m., not that I'd really be able to order anyway.

Tomatillo

I finally got some mexican food. It was quite nice, even though I had to wait longer than everyone else because they gave my food to some other lady on accident. I got a quesadilla, and it somewhat resembled cinnamon bread with icing (it was sour cream). I didn't go for the lime margarita like I planned, but I was on a budget due to not bringing my passport to exchange money on Friday. I'm not sure why I've waited so long. It's been somewhat nice being here a month and only spending $250 though. Hehe, I can imagine the bank account in a year already...

Oh! I ran into Evan (a guy I worked with at Best Buy) and his wife at Tomatillos. It was pretty random. Small world, huh? Hopefully we’ll all be able to go grab dinner one night.

Monkey Beach

No, we didn't go to Thailand for the night, but we did venture to a bar that is supposedly based off the beach there. It has been a while since I've been to a bar or a club on a Saturday night, so it was slightly shocking at first. One of the girls asked me if I was scared. I wasn't, I was examining the stripper pole cage thing and the poles in the middle of the tables. I was also looking at this one girl dancing alone with glowstick bunny ears and a lady who could have quite possibly been a Russian prostitute, although that's an entirely different blog altogether. See picture below for the bunny eared girl, she was actually quite funny, but as Natasha went to snap the picture she ended up looking quite normal. The bar was interesting nonetheless.

I did decide to drink here, seeing as how a place like that usually makes me want to right away. Despite all the nasty germs, we all decided to go in on a bucket.

Cranberry juice and vodka.

Mom told me to take  a picture, so I thought I'd make her proud. I dragged Brigid in to make it look like I wasn't drinking the bucket alone. Heh. Notice the girl in the background? Well, it totally doesn't look like it on the blog post, but in my camera photo you can totally tell she's looking at the camera and smiling. Everyone's always willing to take a picture, and I guess the smiles come out when alcohol is around.

Here's Miss Bunny:

Her and her man were having a good old time. I don't think she even noticed when he went off to the bathroom... she actually looks slightly shy in this picture. I should have recorded her dancing...

Can someone please tell me why the subway doesn't run all night?

I thought I was going to miss my ride home last night. Supposedly, the last train comes between 11:45 and midnight... and it was like 11:53 when I got to my last transfer. Luckily, I made it. I actually ran and got a stomach cramp. First time I've run in... ever, maybe?  Yeah. I have no idea how I would have told a cab driver to get me home. Next goal: get my address written down in Korean.

I was given a handy subway map though, which I'm super thankful for! It makes taking the subway soo much easier. Look!

                       

Dinner:

I  made spaghetti. I really wasn't thinking at E-mart the other day and bought noodles but no sauce. So, I went to the little market on the corner and made an attempt to find some. Luckily, I did! It was actually somewhat decent for mising all the good ingredients like cheese and meat.

                                       

Now, I could totally go for a big bowl of chocolate ice cream. Even though I just finished a box of these, my new favorite litle treat:

Delicious!

Well, I think next weekend I might venture to the aquarium. I figure it's nice and warm and it's relatively cheap to get in. Works for me!

"Work like you don't need the money, love like your heart has never been broken and dance like no one is watching."

Pizza flavored potato chips.

are amazing.

So is the fact that my students think I look beautiful when I have my hair pulled back, even if it's only because I woke up 20 minutes before I had to leave for work.

Interesting randomness in the past two days:

- My students telling me I had hills on my chest and asking me if I was pregnant up there. Then, I had to endure countless pokes. I guess kids here aren't used to boobs.... and I guess maybe I should avoid tight fitting shirts unless I want to have permanent finger indentations in that area.

-Fire drills in the schools here (well, actually I really only know about my school) involves real smoke. It's quite interesting...

- Two of my boy students kissed today. The entire class watched as they got closer and closer and then finally kissed. The class then smiled and continued doing their work. I like how that type of thing really doesn't matter here. If only that were everywhere...

- The cost of Pantene Pro-V is crazy... as well as good body lotion... and a darn loofah. I couldn't find hairspray. Big towels are also expensive. I eventually found one for 7,800 won and was happy. I guess that's actually really not that expensive, but I somehow spent close to $40 USD at E-mart.


I'm trying not to choose favorites.

I've officially picked the Korean kid I'm taking as my own when I leave (ok, obviously I'm joking, for parents and whoever else may read this). But seriously, he's one of my favorites. I'm trying hard not to pick favorites, but it's so hard when some of the students make teaching so diffcult.

Could you blame me for choosing him though? Of course he's adorable as can be (although if that was what it was based off of would be difficult, because most of them are super cute), but he's also such a sweetie.

For example, during our "activity day" yesterday, a firewoman came to speak to the students. Of course she was speaking Korean, so I just sat there and tried to make out what she was saying from the slide show she brought. All the students and Korean teachers started laughing at something she said. My student did that thing where you look at someone to laugh with them and realized I had no idea what she said. He started explaining to me what was so funny and has done that for me at least three more times the past two days when something funny was said in Korean. Here's this 7-year-old translating Korean to English for his teacher who can only speak one of the languages.

I also have a favorite little girl who sat in my lap for about an hour while we watched a movie that afternoon. The movie was awful, but whatever, it was nice having a break.


Research.

I'm researching getting an e-book reader. If I can find a good one it may be a Christmas present for myself. Write and read... two goals while I'm here and two things I love. Also, getting pictures. I took two on my way home from work today but they were somewhat blurry because it started to rain so I kept walking.

Oh well. Almost bed time for me. I think I'm geting my cold back. Dangit.

"Never give up on something that you can't go a day without thinking about." - Unknown

I'm trying to be a "yes" person, but today I just had to say "no thank you."

I've been pretty open about eating different food while I've been here and have tried pretty much everything when I've gone out to dinner with my coworkers. I even tried something yesterday my supervisor offered me after she warned me it was extremely spicy. I didn't think it was too bad, but one of the girls I work with asked if I was alright because my face was red.

Today did me in. I've been eating lunch at the school because it's free and a lot easier than trying to find somewhere nearby with workers who would understand me. I've also been avoiding the Mcdonalds across the street because I figure that would be much too easy and I don't want to become addicted. (I did however see a scooter thing this morning that was yellow and said McDelivery... I really wanted to take a picture but I needed to get to work. I was excited nonetheless).

Anyway, I went to the kitchen and filled my tray with a bunch of random foods (since I never really know what they are). I went back to my classroom, opened my book (yes, I read during lunchtime) and got my chopsticks ready to take a bite of some brown something on my tray that looked somewhat similiar to something I had eaten the other day. Since I'm now a chopstick professional, I picked some of it up and was bringing it up to my mouth when I noticed some eyes starting back at me. Ew. It was some little fish or something, but I was so grossed out I really couldn't finish eating. I thought I was going to puke. Then, I got the bright idea I should take a picture to show you, but I didn't want to offend anyone else nearby who might have been eating the nasty little creatures.

Needless to say I came home and scarfed a sandwich and some chips. I'm now eating some chocolate chip cookies and couldn't be happier. I might just have to go ahead and give in to Mcdonalds from now on. My appetite has been all messed up anyway since I've been here, I'm not sure if I'll be able to eat random food anymore without carfully examining it. I have found I really like chips. I've never been a big chip person, but I ate pizza chips the other day and bought some barbeque type ones today and love them. Yum.

I'm not evern going to talk about the kids today. If I come home with grey hair, you'll know why. I really think I could like this job if some of the little devils wouldn't act so rude and spoiled. It'll get better.... it'll get better... it'll get better....

“If you reject the food, ignore the customs, fear the religion and avoid the people, you might better stay at home.” – James Michener

This quote made me think of how everytime a student sneezes here I really badly want to say "bless you." I said it once and got a crazy look, so I'm thinking the saying doesn't apply here. I feel really bad when I don't say it though. Not that I'm religious in the least bit... but considering it was only a few years ago that I learned I was suppsed to say "bless you" and not "bleshu," I feel like it's mandatory. Oh well. I guess we don't really serve food with eyes at our schools back home either, some things I'll just have to get used to.

"And I find chopsticks frankly distressing. Am I alone in thinking it odd that a people ingenious enough to invent paper, gunpowder, kites and any number of other useful objects, and who have a noble history extending back 3,000 years haven't yet worked out that a pair of knitting needles is no way to capture food?" -- Bill Bryson

Don't forget your floss.

Have you ever looked in the mirror and thought, "I look decent today," then smile and notice you have some big green piece of something in between your two front teeth? Well, that happed to me today and that's the type of day I pretty much had.

Thought the kids would be good, and they were... until the last 10 minutes of class or until the next class. Thought I'd be warm enough with two long sleeve shirts and a medium jacket, and I was... until I left work and froze my butt off. Thought maybe I was rid of my cold, and I was.... until my nose started running again and I started sneezing again. Thought maybe I'd wake up and not feel like I'm missing something important, and I did.... but it's back.

Oh well. I guess we need those types of days every now and then. Basically I'm writing this post to let people thinking about coming here know it's not always going to be easy. Most of the time it's pretty cool though, but there will be days where you have something green stuck in your teeth and nobody tells you.

I am quite surprised none of the munchkins told me about the green thing in my teeth. They are normally so... honest.

Drunkard.

I did, however, witness the first scary man I've seen yet coming home on the subway today. At first I was convinced he was crazy, but the more I thought about it I decided he was probably drunk. Anyway, it was like a movie scene.

I walk close to the door of the subway as it pulls up and see a man heading my way talking. I figure he's (let's just call him Bob, for the sake of the story) talking to the man in front of me, since I obviously have no idea what he's saying. The man in front of me looks at Bob like he's crazy as we all board the subway, and then Bob starts saying what sounds to me like a hex or something. The subway is jam packed, but people start moving away from him and trying to stand as far away as possible. I decided since I'm short and only have two stops to go, standing behing a random slightly taller man near the door was my best bet. Anyway, Bob starts just talking...to no one in particular and then he starts singing while leaning against one of the railings on the seats.

The subway gets to Mok dong, and everyone gets off the subway who is standing except me and Bob. So, luckily, he could tell I had no idea what the hell he was saying so he kept singing and kind of just looked at me. I stood close to the door looking at signs I obviously couldn't read.

Anyway, I was happy that Bob stayed on the subway at my stop. He was pretty creepy... and I'm sticking with drunk. Crazy people don't normally hex then sing, I don't think... I'm pretty sure a crazy hexer would go find someone else who understood him to bother. I could be wrong.

That's my story.

I'm tired. Not much else really going on. It's a busy week at school. Almost Thanksgiving! Not that that really has anything to do with being busy seeing as how Koreans don't celebrate Thanksgiving. Haha.

Eh, I don't have the motivation to look for a quote tonight, just wanted to tell you all about Bob. =) Next time I'll do two to make up for it.

Boys will be boys...

Supposedly, one fun thing about learning English for elementary school boys is that they get to learn all sorts of dirty words and human body parts in a different language. So, instead of paying attention to my delightfully exciting class about using commas to put more than one adjective in a sentence (haha), they decided to look in their vocabulary books and on the translation cell phone thing one of them has and ask me if I knew all sorts of fun words (breasts, genitals, naked, etc. etc. etc.).

Normally this class has three boys and one girl, but luckily the girl was missing today, so I got to be sole witness to the giggling, no holds barred, ridiculousness of some of the words they were asking me about. Honestly, I felt like these boys just saw a porn magazine for the first time with how badly they begged me not to say anything to anyone about the things they were asking.

I tried to be teacher Amanda... but really, some of the things they were asking really were funny. Especially when one of the boys said "sexy" and the other two flipped out like it was the worst word ever. The boy got embarrassed and decided to actually pay attention after that. As tough as I was trying to be by telling them to put their stuff up and pay attention, I think I slightly egged them on by laughing when they asked me if I knew what one of the words was (I'd tell you, but I can't remember right now... there were so many).

U.S.A... South Korea... it doesn't matter where we are, boys will be boys at that age. I hope I have a son one day... otherwise my daughter is never leaving the house when she gets to elementary school with all the pervy boys around. Haha, ok I'm kidding... but seriously...


Anyway...

My Japan trip is cancelled for next weekend. Supposedly the flights are all booked. I'm not too upset... although I'd really like to have my health check be over and be able to get a cell phone. Guess I'll just have to wait.

I have a killer headache, so I'm gonna call it a night.

"Boys will be boys. And even that wouldn't matter if only we could prevent girls from being girls.”     

-Anne Frank

I guess I should explain myself...

I know that I have close to 52 weeks before I get back to the States... probably even more since I plan on visiting England for a few weeks after leaving here. I know that I want to spend New Years Eve of 2010 with people I care about and hopefully start 2011 off with a good job in a decent state. I know that a part of me didn't want to come here in the first place, that I wished I would find a journalism job in Florida and that things would just work out for once.

I also know now that I am extremely happy to be here, and even if I continue to count down how many days I have left, that won't stop me from enjoying my time and taking advantage of every opportunity to see everything I possibly can while I'm here. I want to be here and spend a year living a life completely different than I'm used to.

I've realized I'm the type of person who would rather be happy doing what I want than living the "perfect" life. My perfect life will be living near the beach with my animals and hopefully someone special one day... and you can laugh if you want, but I guarantee I'll be able to make it happen. My time in Korea is just one stepping stone leading me there.

I really do miss a lot of things from back home... and it's only been two(ish) weeks. It's crazy. Just thinking about my cats made me really sad the other day! But, I've got this. A year will go by pretty fast... maybe...

Second weekend... or third...or something.

I'm pretty sure this has been my third weekend here in Korea, and I basically spent it in my apartment reading and writing. Luckily for me, those are two things I love to do. I ventured out briefly yesterday to get a few things, but I've been a homebody the rest of the weekend. It was nice though, especially since my cold made me lose some sleep last week.

Next weekend I get to go to Japan! Hopefully I'll learn the details of that little exursion tomorrow. It'll be neat to go, but I heard Japan's expensive, and I've kind of gotten used to how cheap everything is here. (Can't you all already see how lovely my savings account will look when I get home?)

I can't believe Thanksgiving is only a couple weeks away! What the heck? It's already been a year since I was in Vegas, that's crazy. No idea what I'm doing yet... if anything.

Oh well. This blog is kind of lame since this weekend consisted of doing pretty much nothing. I need to start taking pictures...

“Once in awhile you get shown the light, in the strangest of places if you look at it right.” -Robert Hunter

Listening to: Scarlet Begonias, Grateful Dead

Rainy Day

Kindness of Strangers

Some lady let me stand under her umbrella this morning while I waited for the bus, since for some unknown reason I didn't feel the need to purchase an umbrella in a country that supposedly has a monsoon season. The lady huddled close to me so to make sure I wouldn't get wet, and I felt really bad that she didn't understand that I was thanking her. I guess she probably knew what I meant in some way... I mean, I figured out that she wanted to share her umbrella with me. But, I've been in a slightly mushy mood lately (I'm unsure why... really, maybe the book I'm reading? I don't know) so I was kind of touched that this random lady was so nice.

After work I decided it was time to invest in an umbrella. So, I went to the Family Mart that's downstairs in my building and bought one. I also bought some kimbap, which is one of my new favorite things to eat because it's easy to recognize--a long round package-- and it's like a surprise every time because I can't read the wrapper to determine what's in it. Yesterday was tuna, pineapple and cucumber.... today was crab, and I didn't really look at anything else because I ate it so fast. Good, nonetheless.

Itaewan

I finally got to visit Itaewan, and like everyone said, there were tons of foreigners. It was slightly more shocking to me to see so many because I've gotten used to not seeing any. I'm usually excited when I do see one because it's like "Where's Waldo?" and it was a bit overwhelming seeing all different kinds of people in the restaurant/bar thing we ate at. I liked it though.

I also liked the large expensive burger I got... and beer (which I actually didn't ask for but he brought anyway, I had no idea what Cass was when everyone else ordered one. Now I do)

Anyway, it was a good time and the girls are really nice. I feel somewhat bad because I had a killer headache before I met up with them, but it started to die down once I got some food so that was good. I even had some lady talk to me while I waited for the bathroom, in English, heh. It's the small things.

I'll definitely be going back for another burger eventually.

Skype...

is wonderful. Free computer to computer calls and chat. I also got a subscription to call landlines and cell phones now so that will be pretty cool. Not sure how the quality will be, but the computer to computer is definitely clear so hopefully it won't be too bad. I'll be testing it out this weekend.

Speaking of the weekend

This month is busy at my school. Open classes, 3-month tests, evaluation cards and me getting used to teaching is a lot to handle. So, this weekend will be dedicated to getting a lot of school stuff done. Especially since I think I get to take my fun little trip to Japan next weekend. Can't wait.....

Today, give a stranger one of your smiles. It might be the only sunshine he sees all day. ~Quoted in P.S. I Love You, compiled by H. Jackson Brown, Jr.