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