Seems like spring is just around the corner...

The sun is shining (and does it's best to peek between the buildings), the birds are chirping, and the temperature is rising slowly.  While the changing of the seasons is still 22 days away, it feels as though Mother Nature may be cutting us a break.  Feels as though spring is nearly here!

Before moving to Korea, I was extremely frightened by the thought of winter here.  I hate to be cold, don't like gray skies, and wasn't quite sure what I should wear.  I was also worried that my mood would be effected by the lack of sunlight.  I survived!  Maybe it's because I was expecting the worse.  Maybe it's because my parents got me a wickedly warm Eddie Bauer coat and Timberland boots for Christmas.  I'm not sure which, but amazingly I feel like winter wasn't too bad.  Considering this was my number one fear for life in Korea, I now feel better than ever about living here long term.

Today I thought about spring.  I thought about wearing cute sandals.  The really strappy ones in an array of colors.  I thought about my toes being painted instead of covered by leggings, two pairs of socks, and boots.  I started to get really excited.

Then, I thought about spring again.  This time I thought about wearing a summer dress or *gasp* a bikini. I started to get REALLY frightened.  Springtime is gym time!  I think it's about time I bump my two-day per week minimum up to three or four or five.  I think it's about time I start drinking more water and less coffee.  Maybe I can appreciate winter after all...

Spring is nature's way of saying, "Let's party!" ~Robin Williams

Totally Random Tuesday

I found myself walking home tonight with the biggest smile on my face, so I wanted to get back quickly and write a post.  If I could bottle up this feeling and bring it back to share with everyone, I would.  Instead I'll settle with trying to capture it here.

I had already thought about blogging tonight.  Because it was a random Tuesday, which I had spent at work all day, I decided I should probably include some highlights of my day.  Things I'd like to share with you happen EVERY day, but usually never make it to print.  As I was walking, I was penning this post in my head.  It was Robert from Pegasus class (Pre-K) that said something funny today. 

I was asking why another student wasn't there.  Jerry said "He has same as me," and pointed to his dry skin spots.  Robert said "He has energy.  Sometimes I have energies here."  He meant ALLERGIES, but it was still funny nonetheless.  He's also the student who says "tay oh pention" instead of "pay attention."


Despite having some "level tests," which help determine if students should advance to the next level, it was a pretty average Tuesday.  I was pretty proud of my first grade reading comprehension lesson.  We have been discussing fiction and nonfiction stories.  Because today was a review day, I decided to continue with that theme.  First we warmed up by doing a worksheet in which the students were shown two sentences and had to choose which was fiction.  The kids thought the sentences were silly, so it was fun.  The worksheet wasn't my own creation, but to the back of it I copied a blank Venn diagram.  We compared and contrasted fiction/nonfiction as a class and the kids filled in the diagram. 

The creative juices were flowing today and I thought up the last activity on my own.  I wish I had an attachment to show you.  Basically, I made a sheet with room for four books.  The kids had to list the title, circle whether they thought it was fiction or nonfiction, and then list three reasons to support their idea.  As a class, we went to the library.  I told the kids to fill out one book at a time.  As they finished a book, they would show me the sheet.  For each book they correctly identified, they got a sticker.  I'm definitely keeping that one for my teacher file.

Anywho, tonight I had dinner at the little conveyor belt sushi place that is by my local subway station.  I had been in there last week with a coworker friend and really liked it.  The chef speaks decent English and the food is very reasonably priced.  I wasn't exagerating when I said it's little, though.  There is only one counter with room for maybe ten (?) people. 

I'm still not ready to travel the world alone, but I love how Korea has helped me to become more independent.  I didn't feel at all awkward to go eat by myself.  I sat down and grabbed the first plate that looked appealing.  If you've never heard of these places, this is how it works:  1.  the food passes on the conveyor belt.  2.  You grab the plate that looks good.  It usually contains two pieces of sushi or some other small portion of food.  3.  As you eat, stack the plates and keep track of the color of each.  Each color represents a different price.  4.  When you're done, figure your total and pay.

Yummm...bacon!

The first plate I took was a unique sushi-like mound of rice topped with bacon, onions, and white sauce.  After that, the waitress brought a cup of miso soup.  I ate a little and read my book.  The chef came over to say hello and brought a "service" (free) plate of fruit.  He said "You're by yourself?"  I nodded.  "Why are you by yourself?" 

If that would have happened state-side last year, I probably would have cried into my soup whilst singing "All by Myself" a la Celine Dion.  Ok not REALLY, but I would have been bummed.  In Korea, I'm pretty used to these questions.  One of my Korean coworkers asked me "When will you marry?''  O_o  How exactly is one supposed to answer that question?!  "Ummmm, hopefully before pigs fly..."

I took another plate.  This time it was salmon topped with onions.  The chef came and took my soup cup.  He refilled it and told me "Slowly, eat slowly...Mmmmm."  haha  Anyone who as ever eaten with me knows that I'm always eating "slowly."  I read some of my book, so I could pause between plates.  He came back to give me another free plate.  I thought he was saying something in Korean, but turns out he was trying to tell me his name.  I repeated it back and told him mine.  I have a feeling that I may become a regular at that little shop.

After selecting and eating another salmon set, I decided to leave.  My total for two cups of soup, 8 pieces of sushi, two small skewers of chicken, and a plate with strawberries and pineapple came to a whopping $4.50.  Yes, I really do adore this town.

After my meal, I headed two doors down to the Baskin Robbins to get a pint of ice cream.  As it is right outside the station, I usually stop in every other Sunday night.  I buy a pint with three flavors of ice cream.  That way, when I'm craving sweets (most nights) I can eat a few (or ten!) bites.

I walked home in the blissfully warm weather.  Hold on, let me check the temp...3C.  I never thought that 37F would feel warm!  It's nice not to need a hat or gloves, though.  I don't know, maybe it's in the air pollution, but there's just something about this place that makes me unusually happy.  Don't get me wrong, I have bad days, too.  For the most part though, I'm loving it!  How was your Tuesday?

Happiness often sneaks in through a door you didn't know you left open. ~John Barrymore

Blogging about blogging

So I finally decided to write another post.  I was inspired by seeing others' posts and realizing I needed to jump back on this wagon.  At least I'll get in a couple ideas before January is over O_O.

I was looking at a friend's blog link on FB.  At the top of the Blogger site you can click on a link that says "Next Blog>>"  See it??  So because I was procrastinating writing my own blog/uploading pictures/washing dishes/sending an e-mail/and half a dozen other things, I clicked the dang link. 

I immediately fell upon a page that looked pretty awesome and artsy.  The girl's most recent post was about this really cool website right hur.  I especially liked this picture among others:

Credit:  Silhouette Masterpiece Theatre- Wilhelm Staehle

I returned to the girl's blog and was just scrolling down quickly while browsing.  She had a bunch of magazine-like clothing/accessory collages.  All of it was pretty trendy.  I stopped dead in my tracks when I saw this post: 

"I'm turning 15 today.

Nine of my friends are coming over at 6pm and seven are staying the night.

Can't wait!"

Record-stopping screech sound...what the hill?!  This girl is fifteen and her blog is FAR cooler than mine.  I really need to step my game up.

I've decided to do a 365 Project/ 365 Day Photo Challenge.  I started it on Facebook, but will also post weekly on my blog.  On days that I don't forget to take a picture, it can be hard to narrow it down to 1 picture.  I think I might post a couple per day here.  So there goes, now you can see a weekly photo montage of my life.  I figure that way even if I don't write a ton, everyone can still get an update.  Interestingly enough, the same gal that made me think to write tonight, is the one I got the photo challenge idea from.  If by chance you're reading, thanks Emily!

I went back to check out the collages the young girl had built.  You can make them on this fabulously fun site:  Polyvore.  Here's my first attempt:

dreamin' of warmer weather by streetsalefashion featuring black booties

Ok, this is enough for one night.  I might have to add those photo challenge pictures later...

“On matters of style, swim with the current, on matters of principle, stand like a rock.” ~Thomas Jefferson

The Best Fieldtrip Ever (80 photos)

I'd like to share my Snapfish photos with you.
Click here to view photos

Unusually Awkward Encounter

Some people wonder what it's like living in Korea.  What happened to me 10 minutes ago is the perfect example:

Let me start by saying, I went out with coworkers last night until the wee hours of the morning.  I slept in nice and late, discussed tonight's plans with friends, and decided to check Facebook.  I was still in my pajamas when the doorbell rang.

My "apartment bill" was around $30 higher this month.  I asked my boss why and she said it was the heating bill.  I explained that I have not touched my heater.  She said that she would send the apartment man (ajoshi) to check something under my sink?  When the doorbell rang, I closed the bedroom door and ran to answer the door.  An ajumma, complete with visor, was just starting to walk away.  She came back and tried to talk to me.  I told her "Hangul ope-so." (I don't have Korean/I don't speak Korean.)  She had one of those touch screen devices in her hand and was saying "gas-uh," so I figured she wanted to check the gas.

I invited her in (gesturing) and she tried to speak some more Korean to me.  She said "gas-uh" and again I gestured for her to follow me.  Something she said or did made me wonder if she wanted to know if the gas was working.  I went to the kitchen and checked the gas.  It worked.  While I was in there she's still speaking Korean.  She's coming towards the kitchen at this point, but she's on her hands and knees.  "Is she feeling for the ondol?  I wonder." 

I point to the lit burner, to show her that the gas is in fact working.  She's halfway standing up now.  She tries to ask me something else in Korea, and I finally think to call a friend.  She says "ani, ani" (no, no.)  At this point, she starts to head back for the door CRAWLING AGAIN.  Only then do I realize she is crawling so as not to walk on my (not very clean) floor.  OMG. 

Korean tradition mandates that one remove ones shoes when entering someone's home, some restaurants, and I'm sure occasional other buildings.  Every other visitor I've had, removed their shoes and either walked in socks or slipped on the plastic sandals I keep by the door for that purpose (they've been here since I moved in.)  I personally wear my brown Old Navy flipflops around the house.  Not this lady, though.  She chose to CRAWL on her hands and knees all the way down the hallway. 

I felt so bad and was trying to tell her to stand up.  When she finally gets done crawling across my in-desperate-need-of-a-sweep floor, she stands and does the most unusual thing.  She tells me (gestures and Korean) that I have a nice face!  Ugh the horror. 

"Hey lady, thanks for coming to my country without speaking the language, inviting me into your messy home in your pajamas, and allowing me to crawl across your apartment to TRY to explain something you should probably already know, but you've got a pretty face."

I. LOVE. KOREA. 

They may have some unusual customs, but how can you fault that which makes you laugh?  I bowed and said "kamsamnida" and saw her out the door.  I still don't even know why she was here.  Well, on that note, I'm off to sweep the floor before I have any more visitors!

“Kind words can be short and easy to speak, but their echoes are truly endless.” ~Mother Teresa

Angel vs Devil

Back and forth they battle, perched high upon each shoulder.  At times, it appears to be a clear victory for one side, at others, the lines are blurred.  The devil's nicknames are stress, fear, frustration, or paranoia.  The angel's are hope, inspiration, love, and power.

As tensions grow at work, as rumors seep from room to room, and as pressure drowns out creativity, it is easy to succumb to the horned beast.  Tonight I followed a breadcrumb trail of internet links to some very inspiring videos.  First, by recommendation, I watched this video:



Sir Ken Robinson is very entertaining and makes several valid points on the faults and future of the modern education system.  I appreciated the video so much that I watched another of his that appears first in the sidebar of the TED Talks website.  This is the second time in two weeks that I have been intrigued by a TED Talk (but that is a whole other post!)

I find my chosen profession to be very constraining at times.  Some of my fellow university students, past mentors, and current colleagues have been successful at bending or even breaking down the walls that I feel held captive by.  I feel that I am an OK teacher at times.  I know that I am still new at this, but someday I want to be better.  I want to do MORE.

I am reminded of a fantastic movie I watched in an education class in college.  I did a quick Google search on what I thought the title might be, but it was made much before the digital age.  I think I will e-mail my professor in order to get the info.  Anyway, the video discussed creativity killers.  It sought to identify ways that teachers knowingly, or many times unknowingly stamp out the creativity of their young students.

I hope and pray that I am not, and will not become, that very teacher.  I know what it takes to be fantastic.  It's just that it is so easy to get tired, to succumb to the stress, to settle with mediocrity in my lessons.  These are all merely excuses.  I feel that I am ripping off a touching quote, but I honestly can't remember where I heard "Are students learning because of, or inspite of me?"  Ahhhh it just kills me!  I don't want to be the "inspite of" teacher.

Wowzers this post is getting loooong.  Anywho, the third video I watched was this one:



Jane Goodall has fascinated me since I was very young.  I honestly remember researching and wanting to go to Central Washington University so that I could participate in primate studies in this program.  I thought I would teach sign language to them haha!  (There was also a time when Frank Lloyd Wright inspired me to be an architect.) I was very pleased to see that Jane is still alive and well.  She is still working to understand and improve upon our planet for future generations. 

In the video, Jane discusses her Roots and Shoots program.  I have not looked at the website yet, but the way she talked about it made me want to get involved.  Some of her efforts remind me of Kiva.  It is a global microfinance program that "enables enterprising workers to start a business to achieve financial independence."  The loans are established with a mere $25!  I have already made it a personal goal to complete five of these loans in less than three years.  I am also now interested in looking into the Roots and Shoots program.

There is a constant battle waging.  From watching tonights' TED videos, to hearing about my cousin Lucinda's upcoming 11 month mission trip, the devil's shouts are temporarily being drowned out by the angel's song.  I believe that if I continue to spend time seeking out inspiration, find ways that I can help others, and start putting some of these ideas into action, I will become the teacher and person that I desire to be.

I hope that you had time to check out some of the link-tastic-ness in this post.  Maybe in the future, each of these topics that is near and dear to my heart, can become it's own post.

While I was writing, I thought of this song:



Like the rest of this post, this might be a pretty cheesy.  It was one of the songs that my sister and I used to belt out when we were younger, and will always hold a special place in my heart.  I love you Cassey!

It is easier to build strong children than to repair broken men.  ~Frederick Douglass

Things my students say...

I love singing songs in my pre-K phonics class.  This is what happened today after we finished our workbook pages:

Me:  Ok, I'm going to try to find us a long "i" song.  (turning on computer)

Class:  Yay! Long "i"!!! 

Me:  I'm going to TRY.  I'm not sure that I'll be able to find one.

Vitus:  Teacher you don't have to try.  You're a GOOD teacher.

Me:  Aww thank you, Vitus!

With all of the pressure from the parents, bosses, or myself, it is easy to feel stressed.  I need to remember that the kids are the ones that count and obviously I'm making a positive impact on them.  And on a related note:

Me:  (computer turned on typing in google.com)

Dennis:  (raising hand)

Me:  Yes, Dennis?

Dennis:  Teacher, yesterday I google.

Me:  (astonished) Oh really Dennis??

Dennis:  Yes. (smiles enormously)

Oh goodness...I know that I am addicted to Google.  I use it as a verb for Pete's sake.  When I had an iPhone, I would look up anything and everything on the spot.  Whenever someone asks me a question, my reply is "I don't know, but did you try Google?"  I seriously can't remember what I did before it came around.  Now, my impressionable pre-K students are using it too.  I'm not sure if this is a good or bad thing.

Pictures of the two little guys:



Vitus from Scorpio class.  No, this is not how he dresses everyday!  This outfit is traditional Korean dress or hanbok.  He was wearing this for Chuseok.  Vitus likes playing soccer and baseball, and is also fiercely competitive.





Dennis from Scorpio class (on "hospital play" day)  One of the best things about Dennis is his cheesy grin, but he rarely shows his teeth in pictures.  He is very smart and wants to be a dentist when he grows up!



PS-  Hooked on Phonics has some awesome fun songs that you can find on youtube.com (via google.com of course!)  Here is Scorpio classes's favorite song.  I put motions to all of the lyrics so we get to dance along:

The "Big Pig Song" is great for reinforcing the short "i" sound.

A teacher affects eternity:  he can never tell where his influence stops.  ~Henry Adams

Overwhelmed

I still need to post the blog I have in the works, another about getting Lasek, and I'm sure a dozen others.  I was feeling a very urgent need to post this instead.  I don't know if it's because I think the writing will be theraputic or if I just wanted to share a less positive topic.  Before I started writing this blog, I knew that I would have a difficult time writing about the negative aspects of being here.  I really want to be honest though! 

I. feel. so. overwhelmed.  This is insane!  It's not even work I'm talking about.  I just feel like there are a zillion and two things I WANT to see and do and don't have enough time to do all of them.  We work all week long until way after the sun sets.  Because of this, all other activities have to wait until the weeknd.  I have been here roughly 3 months or 14 weekends.  In that time, I have seen and done soooo much.  I've never lived in a big city and it is all so unbelievable.  I don't even have to look for things to do here. 

Every week someone at work mentions something amazing that I don't want to miss out on...film festivals, expos, exhibits, palaces...the list goes on forever.  Other friends are wanting to do things too.  I don't see them during the week, so the weekend is the only option.  With the time difference, the weekend is the perfect time to Skype friends and family back home.  I've found a church that I really love!  When I get done at Jubilee, the day is already almost over.  Also, I need weekends to regroup, relax, and get ready for the coming week.  Aggghhhhh there's just not enough time.

The funny thing is, my complaint is hardly a complaint at all.  I love Seoul, and I love that there are so many amazing things to do here.  One of my friends said it best though, "We are trying to act like we are on vacation here even though we still have to go to work."  That might be a slight misquote, but she was dead on.  I need to take the time to enjoy life here and not cram every weekend full of things I have to see.  I'm planning on being here for a couple years, so if I miss somthing this year, I'll just catch it next time around!

 "I would I could stand on a busy corner, hat in hand, and beg people to throw me all their wasted hours."  ~Bernard Berenson

How did it get so late so soon?

It's night before it's afternoon.

December is here before it's June.

My goodness how the time has flewn.

How did it get so late so soon?

~Dr. Seuss

Typhoon Update

Well, I promised I would update after the typhoon.  It was pretty disappointing.  Turns out it was over before we knew whether or not it had started:

I woke up at 6 am because the wind was really loud.  When I look out my window I can see a large tree across the parking lot.  The wind was completely thrashing it around.  I said a prayer and willed myself to go back to sleep, but I kept looking at the tree and getting nervous.  The wind was just blowing a little and then every 2 minutes or so there would be a large gust that lasted for about 15-20 seconds.  It was really strange.  It was raining, but not super hard or anything.  I decided to get up and get dressed just in case.  I ate breakfast while trying to figure out where the typhoon was.  I couldn't find any live doppler for the area and all of the weather reports were conflicting.  Most of the news articles on Kompasu were at least a day old, so I didn't know which was accurate. 

Here is my first attempt at uploading a video to my blog.  It is the view from my veranda when the wind was bad, but not quite at it's worst:  I have a video to put here, but can't seem to get it to load.



I decided to leave for work a little early in case it took me awhile to get there.  I donned my raincoat and boots and grabbed my umbrella.  By this time, the wind was barely blowing and it was raining lightly.  I made it to school with plenty of time to spare, so I decided to stop at a bakery.  As I was walking back to school from the bakery, a large wind gust turned my umbrella inside out and snapped the joints.  Looks like I'll be buying a new umbrella!

So when I got to work, we weren't sure if the typhoon had already passed, or if it was just getting started.  I recently signed up for safety alerts from the U.S. Embassy.  This is part of the message I got yesterday:

This warden message is being issued to alert U.S. citizens residing or traveling in the Republic of Korea that the Korea Meteorological Administration has issued alerts for a Category 3 storm, Typhoon Kompasu. As of 1230 (local time) on Wednesday, September 1, Typhoon Kompasu was located approximately 263 kilometers or 163 miles southwest of Cheju island and traveling north at 33 km/h (20 mph). It is expected to turn in a northeast direction and pass very near Seoul at approximately 1500 (local time) on Thursday, September 2. The Korea Meteorological Administration reports that the maximum sustained wind speed in the storm is 157 km/h (98 mph). While Typhoon Kompasu’s winds are expected to decrease over the next 36 hours, sustained maximum winds when the storm reaches Seoul are still predicted to be as high as 150 Km/h (93 mph).

So we were at working thinking "if the storm isn't supposed to come until 3pm, and what we just saw was the edge of the storm, it must be REALLY bad!"  Turns out that at that point the storm was already over.  It is extremely surprising how inaccurate the warning was. The message does say "local time," so we were not sure if that meant local time in America.  It makes zero sense to send a message to Americans living in Korea and list the American time. 

No classes were cancelled at our school and it ended up being a normal day.  Another typoon is south of Korea and heading in a northerly direction, so I wonder if we will see any more action.

“If you spend your whole life waiting for the storm, you'll never enjoy the sunshine.” -Morris West

Wild Week (and it's only Wednesday)

It's been a semi-eventful week so far.  I wanted to give ya'll an update.  I wrote this quickly and after a draining day of teaching, so please forgive any grammatical mistakes.  Kamsamnida!

The semester ended on Tuesday and I got ALL new classes today. At first I was pretty bummed because I have to learn the names/learning styles/etc. of a zillion new kids. I get to start fresh though and introduce all my rules and we got all new books. The reason I have all new classes is because I switched to all 2nd floor. Before, I taught half the day on 2nd floor and then had to go upstairs to 4th floor. So if I needed to plan or grade anything, I'd have to run up/downstairs to get my stuff.


Before, I used to teach a ton of reading. Now I don't teach ANY reading. Reading is a little bit more difficult to plan for because they just tell us what story to do and what practice book pages. We have around six worksheets but those have to last for two weeks usually. With my new classes, (grammar, vocabulary, writing, math, reading comprehension, speaking) there is less prep work. Mostly it is one lesson per each class. I will usually plan fun activities to do in my classes, but it's not like I HAVE to come up with tons of other stuff. I was super excited to get to teach math again, until one of the teachers told me it's a pretty confusing curriculum. I've only glanced at the book, so I'll have to see what it's like later.

I only got all new first-third graders.  My pre-K classes stayed the same.  From what I hear, they never switch teachers because the younger kids need stability.  That makes complete sense.  I feel very blessed to teach my adorable pre-K kiddos every morning and wouldn't trade (most of) them for the world!

Wow!  I almost left out a very important part of my week (well I did leave it out and added it later.)  On Tuesday night, we had a sort-of-going-away dinner for a foreign teacher.  Her usual contract has come to an end, but she has agreed to teach part-time in order to help out the hagwon.  All of the pre-K teachers, and all of the Korean co-teachers headed to a little restaurant that specializes in dok-boki.  You know as I'm typing this, I'm not 100% certain that is the name of what we ate that night.  I will check with someone and edit this later.  The meal was a wee bit spicy for my taste, but overall really delicious.  They even give you aprons so that you don't splash the juices onto your clothing :)

After dinner, we went to a small, mostly-empty place called Ice Bar.  It was great to get to hangout with coworkers and I even got to sample some beer from North Korea!  Apparently the maekju slightly altered my sensibilities, as I agreed to go to noraebang with the group.  We sang and danced our hearts out and finally called it a night much, much to late.  After the anxiousness of waiting for and receiving a new teaching schedule, it was nice to cut loose, have some fun, and bond with the group.

So as some of you know, my hot water has been off for an INSANE amount of time; 12 days so far.  They are cleaning and possible repairing the plumbing. I was at Erica's place on the third day so I got to take a hot shower then. I freaking loathe taking cold showers!  Plus, I feel less clean after several days without hot water. My solution? I went to the jimjilbang tonight!

I paid $6 entrance fee and got my uniform and 3 small towels. I had to take off my shoes and put them in a little locker. Then, I walked around a corner. I immediately noticed stuff for sale. They had food, lotions, shampoos, clothes, undergarments, accessories, and lots of scrubby tools. Next, I noticed naked ladies. O_O I knew that this was what I was getting myself into so, "when in Rome"...I headed for the locker and stuffed all my clothes in. I went and bought little packets of face wash, shampoo, and conditioner. Then, I went into the "bath" room. All along the walls they had showers and on one end of the room they have little vanities. Ladies sit at those and wash/scrub themselves and each other! I took a shower and used all my little packets of Korean cleansing products. I left the conditioner, or "rinse" as they call it here, in my hair. After that, I went and sat in a hot tub. So awesome! I dipped my toe into another hot tub, but it was way too hot. I tried out another tub with clear brown water. I have a feeling it was some kind of tea. After the tea tub I rinsed off again and rinsed out the conditioner.

I thought about going into the sauna, but when I opened the door my glasses fogged from the overwhelming heat. Next, I went to the scrubber ladies. The scrubber ladies wear undies while they exfoliate people. I didn't know they would only take cash, so I only had $3.50 left on me. They had one service that cost $3 so I pointed at that one. The lady seemed confused. She motioned that it was a hair shampoo and I agreed. She was trying to get me to do the $5 service, but I mimed that I only had a card. She told me to lie down on her table and washed, conditioned, and scrubbed (ferociously) at my head. It was assah!

Next time, I'm for sure going to take cash so that I can get a full scrub down. If you don't want to pay to have someone scrub you, then you just go with a friend or relative. I saw lots of mom/daughter and friend/friend couples scrubbing on each other. In the nude. So unusual.  I rinsed off again, changed into my uniform, and paid around 10 cents to blow dry my hair.  Not too bad for my first jimjilbang!  My skins feels squeaky clean and rejuvenated.  They also have a unisex sleeping room (pass out on the floor), a small restaurant, and masseuses.  I sooo would've gotten a massage if they took debit cards!  This guy does a really good job of explaining jimjilbangs.
 
In other news, Typhoon Kompasu is supposed to hit Korea tomorrow!  I wouldn't be very nervous about this, except that it looks like the eye is going to pass straight through Seoul.  Most of my coworkers are unconcerned, but we did talk quite a bit about whether or not school will be cancelled.  Most likely not.  I read in one place that it was a category 3, but I believe it has been down-graded to a 2.  I will blog with an update after the storm passes. 
 
 

"God moves in a mysterious way, His wonders to perform. He plants his footsteps in the sea, and rides upon the storm. " -William Cowper

Quizzical Queries from Erin- Part 1

1- How do you wash your clothes?

Washing clothes here is similar to in America.  I have a cute little LG washer that makes fun sounds:

 Like I said, WASHING is pretty much the same, but drying is completely different.  Dryers are not very common in Korea.  I don't have one so I have to hang dry all of my clothing.  I have a drying rack hanging from the veranda in my apartment.  I usually hang all the shirts and stuff on hangers and then just hang the hangers from the rack.  It looks kind of like this thing, but with metal poles instead of wooden boards:

I also have one of these do-dads for hanging small things:

 

Fun right?  The only bad thing is that it seems like some of my clothes get really stretched out.  I had seen some "wash bags" in several stores, so I decided to give them a try.  I figured that maybe the machine spinning the clothes stretched them out and then I don't have a dryer to shrink them back.  I'm not really sure if the bags make a difference or not.  I pile about five or six things into each back, zip it, and throw it in the washer.  I put all the little things together into a smaller bag.

 

2- Where do you buy food?

There are several places where I can buy food.  For starters I can get take-out from a restaurant or fast-ish food type place and bring it home.  This is usually what I do for dinner.  I have eaten all kinds of take-out from my neighborhood.  Here are some examples:

1.  Hisar Kebab- Has semi-authentic Doner Kebab.  The guy is very nice.  He's Turkish and speaks good English.  I don't know why the kebab's are so different.  Maybe he's just trying to appeal to what Koreans will like.  If you order a regular kebab it comes with honey mustard, Tabasco, and some other type of sauce on top.  I get mine without the honey mustard and Tabasco!  He doesn't have my favorite Tzatziki sauce, but maybe that's more of a Greek thing?  That's probably for the best, or I would want to eat there every night!

2.  The coffee and bagel place-  Actually there are at least two in the area.  Both serve sandwiches on fresh baked bagels.  Who could ask for more?  I love the salmon bagel- cream cheese, salmon, capers, and onions!

3.  Kong's Rice Ball-  I like this place because it is one of the only ones between my apartment and the school.  They serve these glorious not-so-little rice balls, as well as soup and who knows what else.  One rice ball is $2- $2.50.  It is usually some sort of meat on the inside surrounded by a healthy portion of rice.  That is rolled in kim (dried seawead) and sometimes sesame seeds.  D-Lish!

Also, there is a little underground grocery store right next door to my apartment building.  They have all of the essentials of a large scale grocery store but the prices are slightly higher.  The difference in the price is sometimes worth not having to pay for a taxi or carry my groceries on a fifteen minute walk.

Alright folks, I think that's enough for one post.  Please stay tuned for questions to be answered in the future and PLEASE submit your own questions!

Now they show you how detergents take out bloodstains, a pretty violent image there. I think if you've got a T-shirt with a bloodstain all over it, maybe laundry isn't your biggest problem.  Maybe you should get rid of the body before you do the wash. -Jerry Seinfeld

Quizzical Queries

So it turns out that I have been utterly useless when it comes to blogging.  In my pitiful defense, the hagwon schedule is pretty draining.  Horrible excuse right?  Ok, so after some gentle prodding from my best friend Erin, I have resolved to become a better blogger.  She reminded me that not EVERY blog needs to be a long picture fest! 

Erin asked me some questions that I have decided to turn into blog topics.  Here are those questions:

1- How do you wash your clothes?
2- Where do you buy food?
3- Do you get insurance? Is Korea part of National Health Insurance (like in Europe)?
4- Is it true almost everyone speaks English there?
5- Do they take out taxes on your pay? What's going to happen when you return to America and its tax time?
6- How much are you really making after taxes (if applicable)?
7- What are some things you really really miss about America that you cannot buy there?
8- Can you take pictures of your school and class?
9- Are there any cute boys over there?
10- Have you bought cute clothes/tiny midget shoes yet?

I would love if everyone who's reading (all two of you haha!) would pitch in some questions of their own.  This way I will have greater incentive to blog.  I promise to answer every question truthfully and as informatively as possible.  Do you love how I cheated by making a blog post about blogging?


Update:  Literally less than one minute after I pushed "publish post," I got a message from Erin with another question.  She's cranking out questions faster than I can answer them.  That's always been her style.  Gotta love her!

 QUESTION 11- Who is Ach Lee and how did you meet?

"Judge a man by his questions rather than his answers." -Voltaire

Daiso!

What?  Two posts in one day??  I'm spoiling ya'll!

So after the gym today, I went to my favorite Korean store- Daiso.  It reminds me very much of my favorite American store- Dollar Tree!  For those of you who remember my Dollar Tree obsession, this is just as bad. 

Now everything in Daiso is not $1, but many things are 1,000 or 2,000 won.  1,000 won is actually a little less than a $1, but since I'm being paid in won, I need to start thinking in won.  I've bought many small things that I needed for my house at this store.  In the past I've gotten candles, cleaning supplies, hangers, chopsticks, a dish-drying rack, magnets, and much more.  They have everything you can imagine from stationary, to beauty supplies, to dishes and home decor.

Here's what I bought today:

1. a swiffer-like cleaning tool with ten replacement cloths- $3
2. 3 cute spoons- $2
3. cheese soup mix (pack of four)- $2
4. 1L water bottle to keep at the gym- $1
5. absorbent "sports towel"  to keep at the gym- $2

Another reason I like Daiso, many of the labels are at least partially in English!  Until I did a quick Google search, I had no idea that Daiso is actually a Japanese store.  They have over 300 branches in Korea, and branches in countries across the world.

When I was there today, two girls ran up to me and were asking me random questions.  It was soo cute!  At first they asked where I'm from and what my name is.  We talked for a moment and they walked off.  I continued shopping.  Then they pop up again and ask what my favorite color and animal are.  We talk and they walk off.  This happened SEVERAL times.  I think they were just excited to practice their English.  Some of their other questions were:

1. How long have you been in Korea?
2. What is your favorite food?
3. Are you married?
4. Do you like______?  (the name of the band playing overhead)

Amongst these questions, the girls would point at random things and say the English words haha.

I've been to Daiso so many times that the jingle gets stuck in my head:  Take a shop in Daiiiiiso :)

The quickest way to know a woman is to go shopping with her. ~Marcelene Cox

Working On My Fitness :)

I signed up for the gym today!!!  I had originally tried to go to a fancy, expensive gym.  It was brand new and even had classes.  I had difficulties trying to pay with my card either because it was American or debit.  I'm not really sure which.  I had heard about another gym from some coworkers, so I went to check it out today.

My new gym is conveniently located between the school and my apartment.  Location is very important to me, because if a gym is too far away I'll find excuses to skip.  It is located below ground and is very "warm" in the summer.  By warm I mean freaking hot.  Sauna-like= bonus! HaHa.  The gym does not have classes, but it does have all of my usual machines.  The ellipticals are not as nice as back home, but I found that to be true even in the fancy gym.

So when I went in to sign up the owner was SUPER nice!  He told me that three months is 60,000 won.  That's like $17 per month!  I was unable to pay with my card and I only had 55,000 won on me so he said "service-uh."  Service = FREE!  I got to pay just 55,000 and I'm signed up until the beginning of November :)  Plus the guy threw in two free days.  I love Korea!

I started this first workout off easy with a tiny bit of cardio; ten minutes each on the treadmill and elliptical.  Not even halfway through the elliptical and I was sweating buckets.  So need to remember to take a towel next time.  I was standing in front of a big fan to cool off, when the owner comes over and turns on the A/C.  I tell him "kamsamnida" and stand there for a good five minutes.  Next, it was off to do some machines.

I did some chest presses and flys first.  Then, I went to do a rowing machine.  I finished one set and was resting.  The owner comes up to me again and hands me a piping hot cup (dixie cup sized) of coffee.  He even brought the packet over so I would know what the mysterious brown liquid was :).  Now, I wasn't really in the mood for anything HOT, but when in Rome...

I finished off with some tricep pulldowns and free weights (squat pushes- thanks Amy!)  The owner made sure I had some water before I left even though I had already helped myself to two bottles full.  I get my very own permanent locker at the gym, so next I went to my favorite store for some gym supplies!

A bear, however hard he tries, grows tubby without exercise. ~A.A. Milne

My Korean apartment!

OK, so I know I've taken FOREVER to post this.  The wait is finally over.  Here are some pictures of my Korean apartment:

This is my front door.  The cabinet to the right is for shoes.  In Korean houses (and some restaurants) you take your shoes off as you enter.  Mostly I change into a pair of flip flops that I leave by the door.  Sometimes I cheat and run back in with shoes on or put my shoes on while I'm getting ready. 

Shh, don't tell!

 Close up of the front door.  See how safe I am?  There is a hotel-style bar lock thingy, a dead bolt, and a regular lock.  Plus there is a locking mechanism on the screen door.  I use that because anyone can open that hole in the bottom right corner.  (Please note: this door is not super tall, that is one petite peep hole)

 Propaganda speaker OK, not really.  I have no clue what they're saying because it's in Korean.  The only time I've heard it so far was at 9:15 pm.  I was in bed.  It was very loud and angry sounding.  I was nervous that I had done something wrong and they were coming to get me...true story.  Below that is the phone where I can speak with the doorman downstairs.  The one time I needed to use it, (was trapped inside my apartment) he was not there.

This is pretty filthy looking.  I took the picture before the I scrubbed it.  This little light is so darn useful!  I push the top button and it stays on long enough for me to change my shoes and get outside, or get to the other light when I'm coming in.  Ugh so now I really want to go time it.  I'll be right back.  It stays on for 1.5 minutes.  Cool, right?

These are pictures of my "bedroom."  My bed is not currently in there.  I was told that it is better to leave the bed near the air conditioner in the summer.  So for now it is the closet room :)  It is fairly small so I think it would be a tight squeeze with the bed and wardrobe.

This is a picture of my bathroom before the massive scrub down and new caulk.  I am just so insanely excited to have a tub and not a "wet bathroom" where the shower head is on the wall and there is a drain in the middle of the floor.

 I love these "magic sponges."  The one on the left is a brand new sponge.  On the right is just ONE of the sponges after cleaning the bathroom.

Standing to the right of the fridge while looking down the hall.  The first door on the right is the bathroom. The second is the closet room.

 Standing to the left of the fridge while looking into the living room/bedroom.  The kitchen table is on the right.  There are doors on my balcony that go in the door opening here, but I like the open feel.

They left a bunch of yummy snacks on my table the first day.  I love my little, modern table!

My kitchen.  Pretty good cabinet space, but no stove.  If it can't be cooked in a pot or a pan, it's not getting cooked!

 

This is my lovely, little fridge.  Brand spanking new from LG :)

Close up of my gas burners.  I used them last night!  There was one pot and pan when I moved in.

I'm not sure who got to pick out my dishes, but they did a great job!  In this pattern, I have three bowls of different sizes, a salad plate, a dinner plate, and two mugs.  I also have another bowl that says "I love vegetables!"  I wonder if the subliminal message works...

This is my awesome bed.  The mattress is super duper firm;  like nothing you've ever experienced.  I think it's actually pretty good for my back though.  Again, whoever picked out my bedding, did a fantastic job!  That little remote is for my air conditioner :)

These are pictures of my balcony thing. I'm not sure that's what you call it, because it is flush with the outside of the building.  I don't have a dryer, but when I close both sets of doors, it gets hot enough to dry my clothes!  I didn't really take a picture of it, but there is a drying rack suspended from the ceiling.

Last, but not least:  my amazing little LG washer.  Everything is in Korean.  I don't have all the settings figured out yet, but I'm working on it.  Good thing there is a "play" button!

Alrighty, so now you've seen almost everything in my apartment.  For sake of accuracy, I took the measurements with my tape ruler.  Not including the balcony thing, my apartment is a perfect rectangle: 14 x 35 feet.  I was still jet lagged so there is a +/- 1 foot error rate. :)  From what I've heard, this is pretty big for a Korean real estate! 


Where thou art - that - is Home. ~Emily Dickinson

Quick Note

Everything is super wonderful here in Korea....adventures every day!

I get my Alien Registration Card today, so several exciting things will happen in the next few days:

• I get a bank account.
• I can sign up for a gym.
• I will get internet and tv at home.  Yay!
• I MIGHT be able to get a regular Korean cell phone with a plan.

Sorry this isn't much, but I just wanted to give everyone a quick update.  I will be able to update much more frequently once I get internet at home.  Love and miss you!!!

I don't believe that there are aliens. I believe there are really different people. -Orson Scott Card

First Full Day- June 23 part 1

My apartment doesn't have any U.S. outlets (some of the other teachers have them) and I didn't bring any adapters.  Duh, kinda important! Because my phone only had half a battery and I wasn't able to plug in my alarm clock I was nervous to oversleep.  So after going to bed just before 1 am, I woke up at 5:30.  I'm guessing it was the jet lag because I was wide awake and felt great!

I had plenty of time before school so I unpacked some more things.  I took a nice hot shower with plenty of water pressure!  Other than the stuff that Matt bought for me, there were a few things left by someone.  I'm not sure if it was the school or a previous tenant but there was a large bottle of water, large bottle of tomato juice, hot and spicy Pringles, grape tomatoes, and a bunch of bananas.  For breakfast I ate a banana and a pb&j sandwich.

After I finished getting ready, I met Matt outside at 8:45.  We walked to the school together and he explained some of the neighborhood.  Right next to our apartments is a little clump of stores.  Within this are two "corner stores," a dry cleaner, a fried chicken place make that two fried chicken places (apparently very popular here,) a drug store, and some other little shops (two hair salons).

Ok, so I'm writing this from a PC Bang (internet cafe) and there are a bunch of Korean men playing online video games and chain smoking like crazy!  I want to post a little for ya'll to read but I'm going to have to finish this later because the smoke is driving me batty.  Later gators!