summarizing

In the last month I've done so much! Vacation was awesome, although a week off always goes by SO much faster than a week at work. That Saturday (7/25) I went with some friends to a music festival in Incheon, Pentaport. I chilled most of the week, said good-bye to some friends heading back to Canada--and boy, have I missed them! Later in the week I headed to Muuido with some friends. We stayed one night, and after some broken/injured toes, decided to head back. I spent the last few days of my vacation icing a baby toe and watching TV. Really though, much needed rest.

I came back to work Monday and that evening found out that one of my coworkers might have been exposed to swine flu, and was in quarantine. After the mandatory week, the coworker was fine and everyone breathed a giant sigh of relief.

On August 9th I went to a Lady Gaga concert in Seoul that was pretty awesome. She's not generally my type of music, BUT there are only so many concerts in English. I really enjoyed it though and I even got to meet the band. . .the drummer was a really hot Swedish guy.

That weekend was Andrea's dirty 30 celebration in Hongdae. Fun times were had. I know someone really enjoyed the spin-the-bottle that night but after a week of acute tonsilitus probably isn't a fan anymore (totally not me!).

The next week saw all of my flights finalized, my 23rd birthday, and going away party in Hongdae. There are pictures somewhere!

Anyway, I spent the better part of yesterday packing a suitcase and cleaning my apartmen--I still have a lot left to do. Hopefully I'll finish everything by Tuesday because I don't want to be up late on Wednesday. Thursday is my last day teaching. I'll head to a hotel that night and my flight takes off early Friday morning. I'll be in ATL early Saturday morning!

MAMA, I'M COMIN' HOME. . .

july

July has been amazing. It seems everyone is happier when it's warm.
For the 4th I went with a bunch of friends to Hongdae. One of my coworkers is in a band. His show was great, and it was fun to be out with different people in Hongdae. I went to my favorite club. . .FF, for the first time in months.
Last weekend was MudFest. It was basically a weekend at the beach with vats of spa-quality mud. Good times indeed!
This weekend I went to another of my co-worker's shows. It was an even better performance. I ended up back in Bundang and hung out for a while. Then I was attacked by a demon kitty. . .I had a million tiny scratches on my arms.
I had to wake up early on Saturday for a dentist appointment. Not fun, nothing too bad though. I'll have to go visit him a couple times before I leave. He's a kids' dentist and he said he'd treat my like a baby (I have a little bit of an anxiety problem when it comes to the dentist's office).
Next week we don't have ANY paperwork at school!!! Our vacation starts on the 25th--we have a week off.
When we come back from vacation I'll have less than a month left!!!
I spoke with my boss this week and she said I'd definitely be flying home on AUG 29.
Yay for things falling into place.
I'll certainly miss Korea and all of the wonderful people I've met, but it's time to go HOME.

last day of june!

I don't know how many times I've said that time is flying by but I have to say it again!
Today is the last day of June! I have two months left!!!
The last two weekends were AMAZING. The weekend of the 20th I went rafting on the Donggang River. It was beyond beautiful!
Last weekend I went to Busan with Harrison's friends. Random but fun. There's a definite difference in weekend plan preparation between my friends who've been here for a long time and those that have been here for under a year. Everything worked out though and I had a blast at the beach!
As much as I love Korea--especially the other foreigners that I've met here, I'm ready to go home. I seriously considered (and still am to some extent) signing on for more time in Korea--at a different school of course. I'm not so sure now though. A lot of the people that I know and love here will still be here, but not all of them, so it won't be the same. I miss my family and all of the comforts of home, and although I think I've dealt with the well over the last 10 months, I'm tired of missing things. And then there's the whole North-Korea-is-crazy-and-may-start-nuking--which really worries me.
If I can find a good job at home I'll probably stay in the USA.

summertime!

Spring in Korea was absolutely gorgeous. Cherry blossoms galore! Amazing.
My family came at the beginning of May. It was awesome to have them here. It's kinda weird seeing pictures of my sister chillin' with my friends here, or my mom on a ferry on the Han with a Cass in her hand. Their visit was way too short and I miss them even more now--I didn't think that would be possible.
School has been steady, although my schedule changed. Although I have a 3 hour break during the day on T/TH, I'm at the school from 9:15-7 everyday. I wouldn't mind it so much if they hadn't told me when I got here that I could choose whether to work the early or late class on T/TH this semester (my second semester here). Oh well--it's almost over. As much as I absolutely love Korea I can't say I'm the biggest fan of my school. The family that runs it is cool. They help out their teachers in many ways, and often go above and beyond anything I would have expected but in other areas the school falls short. My insurance and pension were started after I'd been here for 6 months. Last I checked my pension balance was way lower than it should be. I've heard horror stories from past teachers about getting their last bit of pay/deposit back/etc.
So, I've pretty much been living for the weekends! After my family left I went to the World DJ festival in Seoul. Honestly I didn't see a lot of the show--we got there a little late and then after 10 minutes in the crowd we relocated to the grassy lawn near the back.
The following several weekends saw camping @ Muuido, HBC Fest, Midnight birthday capture the flag, a galbi/Cranium night in Yongin and a much anticipated return to Hongdae(this may have happened a few times).
Muuido is a small island off of Incheon. It was nearly perfect. Little minbaks on the beach, nice weather, the OCEAN. A roaring bonfire--and the Captain that my family brought me from duty free :) I definitely want to spend some more time on the beach here.

On the ferry going to Muuido.

I only have 10 full weekends, 74 days, 48 working days (hopefully) left! I'm planning on going to Busan once more--I haven't been back since I went in October. A big group of teachers is heading to Mudfest in July. I also have vacation time from 7/25-8/2. I really wanted to go to the Philippines but I don't want to be broke when I go home. I think it'll work out for the best this way. There's a music festival the first weekend of my vacation that I think I'll check out. A couple of my friends will be here and have vacation as well so I'm sure it'll be a fun time :-D

Alright, everyone should be caught up!

Much love!

Spring is here!

Woah, it's been a little while since I've updated. Busy. busy!
April was fun. Normal work schedule, no days off. I even had to go in one Saturday for teachers' training which while informative, shouldn't have really happened on a Saturday.
The count down to the famiy visit went by so fast, but not nearly as fast as their visit has gone by. Today is their last full day here!

Catching up

March flew by! It's the start of the new school year in Korea, so I have all new students and 2 new coworkers. Many of my friends have switched jobs, or left. It's crazy how quickly I've really bonded with a lot of the people here. I feel like I've known them for years, not months--or in some cases, weeks. But when you see the same people as often, sometimes moreso, than you'd normally see your family at home I suppose it's bound to happen.

Goodbye Val; enjoy your travels! You will be missed!

Anyway, the biggest change in my schedule was that I went from teaching preschool to kindergarten. They're almost as cute!

I'm feeling a lot better! I went back to the doctor today. (They only give you 3-4 days worth of meds and ask you to come back so they can see how you're doing/if it's working.) I still have an ear infection but everything else is much better. He gave me 4 more days of antibiotics--hopefully that will fix my ear problems.

Ahhh, the shot

So I've only experienced going to the doctor twice in Korea. The first time was worthless. I had some serious sinus infection/bronchitis going on and he told me it was just my asthma. If I weren't sick so often as a child and young adult I may have believed him. But it turned out that 10 days in the sun helped it out and by the time I came back from Indonesia I was a lot better. Eventually it all went away.
This time I just thought it was a bad cold combining with the yellow dust. I got a bit better and then way worse. So today I bit the bullet and went to the doctor. Yes, the same one, because I know where his office is and that he speaks enough English to tell me what's going on.
It went much better this time. I now have the Korean packets of antibiotics/cough meds/Tylenol/etc.
A visit to the doctor here is two things that it's not at home: fast and cheap. I go in, and he asks a few questions, and then proceeds to vacuum out my sinus! No lie! Then he took pictures in my nose/sinuses and my ears, and then explained to me what was going on--including diagrams. All in maybe 7 minutes. A nurse came and took me for a breathing treatment--and it really helped. Next came the dreaded SHOT. Even when it was just my "asthma" last time they insisted on giving me a shot. This time, diagnosed with sinusitis, tonsilitis, and possibly bronchitis they still gave me the same shot--or so I assume. No one actually told me what it was either time. Apparently it's pretty standard to get this shot EVERY time you go to the doctor here. It really helps though. Last time it was like pure caffeine. Even though I didn't feel great I was zippy!

sick

I cannot breathe. My ears hurt and my sinus are experiencing so much pressure that it's giving me a headache. It really sucks. It all started last Tuesday. BUT with tons of sleep and DayQuil/NyQuil I was feeling much better by Friday. But by Sunday I was worse again. Now I'm retrying the Vicks and sleep method without success.

I'm sure many of you are wondering why I haven't gone to the DR. It's simple, he doesn't listen to me. Last time I went in I had some pretty nasty bronchitus going on. He told me it was my asthma. No, it wasn't. The medicine he gave me didn't help @ all.

I'll still try to go in the next day or so though. Maybe he'll listen this time.

time

I went out to dinner with Harrison tonight. We both have much better T/TH schedules this semester, and we get off a little after 4 instead of @ 6:30! Woohoo! Anyway, we were discussing that fact that we've just past the 6 month mark and the we've been here longer than we have left! Pretty exciting.
He also pointed out that my family would be here in less than two months! At first I thought his math was off, less than two months?!?! But no, he's totally right! I'm so stoked! It seems just around the corner now. With the way that time flies in Korea. . .

The next several weeks are going to be intense.
Val leaves. I hate goodbyes!
Nicole is switching jobs.
We're getting 2 or 3 new teachers at the school. I'm pretty sure it's going to be 3. From what I understand it should be one female and two male teachers. Harrison's pretty excited because he's been in the estrogen zone since we've arrived.

I've been thinking a lot about what to do when my contract is up. It seems crazy to try and find a job at home for 11 months. (There should be 11 months between when this contract ends and grad school begins.) With the 9% unemployment rate in GA, and the fact that people that are way over-qualified for the crappy jobs they're getting, I doubt I'd be able to find one anyway. BUT I really want to go home! I think I'll take a mini trip before I go home, maybe the Philippines? (It seems crazy to miss the opportunity to travel while I'm here!) Go home for a month, and then come back to Korea on a 6-10 month contract. After that contract I'll head home and get back on track (grad school). It seems logical. There are 6 month contracts available. Now I just have to decide where I want to go to grad school and what I want to study.

new beginning

Tomorrow is the start of a brand new school year here in Korea. Most of the students have had the majority of the last two months off of school. Now they all level up to the next grade. Ohhh, the excitement!

This means that we have all new classes tomorrow. Many of the students are the same but most of the teachers will be teaching different classes made up of students they haven't taught before. The biggest change for me is that instead of teaching preschool I'm moving up to kindergarten! They're 7 Korean age which means that most of them are 5 by Western age.

I'm pretty excited about it. It will mean a little more work but less pants peeing and a more structured environment.

I loved working in the preschool--I really loved the little kids. They learn so fast! But this shouldn't be too different.

Saying good bye was a little difficult but I'll see most of the kids because they'll be in the first level of kindergarten.

halfway

What a week! I'm going to tell the abbrieviated version.

Basically when you work in Korea your boss owns your visa. If they don't release you from it or cancel it you can't get another one until the original one expires. My boss threatened to fire me saying that she would give me the letter of release. My responce was, "A letter of release would be fine." Really my job isn't the worst ever but there are many more out there and this is the time of the year with the highest demand for English teachers. In two days I had another job lined up (better area here, better apartment and about 15 hours less a week at work, all for the same, if not a little more, pay) and went in on Friday to tell her that I'd accept the letter or release. She said she'd release me but only in the two months that my contract states I have to give her.

Technically I do have to give her the 2 months notice because it's in my contract. I'd really like to be able just to switch over, but it's not going to work out that way.

I think I'll just finish out the year here and dig a little deeper into the school before my next contract. Really, the family I work for has been awesome, but the job is a little unorganized. We get different information from the director and the manager and they change their minds often about what they want. Sometimes they expect us to be mind readers.

All-in-all, not much change came about.

The weekend was fun!

Low-key night Friday in Bundang with some friends. And then Saturday we went to Hongdae. We ate at Rockey Mountain Tavern--a Canadian themed bar, pretty good. Then we went out dancing of course.

good people, good times

Ahhh, Bundang.

These last couple of weeks have been tons of fun! Nights out with amazing people and some major bonding time.

Wednesday's theme @ FD was 80's Tight and Bright. I don't have much bright stuff, and no one wants me to wear tight, so I didn't really dress up but some of my friends went all out. As always, the food was yummy! After the dinner we went out to Dubs and then Andrea and I headed to LA. There was a group of kids that had just graduated from high school--trashed! Koreans calcuate age differently. These kids are mostly 20 by their system and 18 by ours. The legal drinking age is 19.

Charlotte's going away party was last night. Everyone went out for Indian--so good! Then we went to Dubs and LA. I took a little break from the partying for some dolsot bibimbap and then met up with the group again @ Noraebang.

Something I didn't even know I wanted!

I love the mornings that Mom goes into work late because we get to have little chats! Tonight she was telling me about the new phones that my dad ordered for them. I was excited for them, and then she told me that they bought one for me too.

It's random and unexpected but exciting. I don't know when I'll actually get it. . .apparently there's so global function with it. . .I really have no clue. But, at the very least, I'll have a fun new phone when I go home!

nothing is lost in the end

I just spent the last hour of my life on Facebook. It's an addiction.
I was looking through college pictures and I realized that I have so much less stress here.
For the last few months I've felt like something was missing. I couldn't figure it out. But tonight looking back--I realize it's the pressure and stress that I've had for my entire life. School--learning, leading, succeeding--was always my focus. I mean, I had my fun too, but I worked really hard. Here I don't really have to work hard. Sure I have some paperwork at school--it pales in comparison.
I don't have to worry about papers, exams, deadlines, conferences, running meetings and organizing events. My life is so much simpler. But with that lack of stress comes a lack of focus. How is it that I decided to come here in just a couple weeks, and without too much hesitation, but now I have no clue what to do next? I've discussed it with many people. Made pros and cons list (yeah, I'm a dork)--no dice.
I try not to be too anal about things, but never in my life have I had such a hard time making a decision! I feel like I'm stuck on repeat, contemplating. It's insane. Luckily I still have some time to decide, but will it be an easier choice in 3-4 months?
I've said somewhere in one of my blogs that I feel like a simplified version of myself in Korea. It's because I don't have so much that used to be such a big part of my life! I'm not THE STUDENT anymore. I go to work and I go out with friends. That's pretty much my existance here--which is really okay with me.
I sort of feel like staying here for another 6 months would be easier. I wouldn't have to go back and readjust to life at home. (As much as I love my home, I know it won't be the same. At the very least simply because I'm not the same.) I wouldn't have to try and find a job at home (which these days would be a challenge). But where does that put me at the end of that contract?
It's a vicious cycle!

Saturday in Bundang

I came home to an apartment trashed by my bunny. I left her cage open by mistake. It took me nearly an hour to straighen up her mess. Why did I get a bunny? What a silly idea.

I nearly finished my sock monkey tonight! I think that the amazing Jenny will finish it for me tomorrow.

I went out as the third wheel that wasn't supposed to be the third wheel, but totally was the third wheel tonight.

I think I may need to boycott clubbing in Bundang for a while.

LotteWorld tomorrow. I hope anyway!

Good night!

so tired. . .

I have been unreasonably tired these last couple of weeks. I've watched friends' jaws drop as I leave early. It's weird. I've always had the philosophy that I can sleep when I'm dead, but my body has been disagreeing quite frequently!
Nothing too crazy has happened. Pretty much the daily grind. I'm almost to the halfway mark. I'm so torn on what to do next. I'm temped to stay a bit longer, or go home and come back, but at the same time I'm ready to go home for good. I love it here--the people, the kids, and the fun. BUT I miss a lot about home. Not that I'm constantly dwelling on the fact that I'm not at home or even that I'm missing home constantly. . .
So, I don't know.

HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY!!!

Sock Monkeys/Biggest Loser

Tonight was sock monkey night. It was so much more work that I thought it would be--but still a lot of fun. Even after sewing a million bears I sucked at the sewing; it was a lot different though. Even though we spent four hours working on them, most of us weren't finished. We're finishing them up next weekend though! I can't wait to see the finished product.
It's finally warming up here! Next week temperatures should be in the mid-high 40s with a couple days going into the 50s! I went and pumped up my bike tires this afternoon. I'm going to start biking to work again. It's way faster than walking. The ride home is all downhill and goes by so fast! It's so much fun, it almost feels like flying!
My schedule changes back to working later on Tuesday and Thursdays because winter break is over for the kids. It's a bummer, I was really enjoying seeing some sunlight when I finished work!
Ohhh, Biggest Loser Bundang is starting tomorrow. I bought a scale and I've lost like 25 pounds since my medical check (my first week in Korea). Pretty exciting!
Alright, time to finish my weekend paperwork.

Family Time

So, tonight was a family night. Some of the people in the FD went out to The Toad--a Korean restaurant/bar and then to the new Monkey Beach/Last Angel/whatever it's called. I was the first one to leave. Yay for learning limits and being rational. I know I would feel like crap if I stayed out any later. It was a really fun night. We played the cup game at the Toad and Jenny had a stellar performance--as seems to be the norm. It was so funny because normally she's the sober one laughing at everyone. Not so much tonight. For the majority of the night I was the sober one laughing at my friends. I love them!
Oh what I've learned since cutting back. It's amazing how much people open up--and you remember--when you're the sober one! Really though, for being 22 I've been rediculously responsible lately. One slap-in-the-face experience and I learned a BIG lesson.
So, maybe someone was right in saying that Feb is the new Jan. Or maybe I just willed it into truth.
I need another long weekend!
I need a big hug.
I miss my family. Like no one could believe. But I can't cry about it. I can't cry about anything these days. Not that I was ever much of a crier. But seriously, May can't come soon enough. My family is at the passport office right now! I'm so excited about their visit!

FD/crying kids/low-key nights

Family Dinner! So I wrote a couple weeks ago about Taco Night at Tom's. Well, yesterday we had a pasta night and the FD was founded. We're going to a have weekly, themed "family dinner." AND there may be a family portrait. . .what a brilliant idea!

I love my preschoolers, really I do. Today was day of crying though. Ohhh, how they cryyyyyy. My boss's brother (who used to teach) told me a couple months ago that it ties in with the weather. It was a rainy day and the tears were falling.
Today way gray and overcast, and once again, the crying. Normally someone will get in trouble and cry, or someone will fall and cry. Today it was for no reason. Or silly things like "she touched my paper" or "he cleaned up my cards!"
Luckily a pat on the back and "it's ok" usually fixes things.

In happier news, I had a low-key night out. Nicole and I had a mini E-Mart trip and then I went to Seohyeon to have dinner with Jenny. AND I got to have some bonding time with her adorable cat, Toto.

Tomorrow is FRIDAY. This week flew by! And I don't have much paperwork for this weekend!

Soon!

When my mom told me that she'd come to visit me in May it seemed so far away. Now she's looking into flights and grilling me about hotels. She and my sister have passport appointments on Friday! Less then 3 months until they're here! It's too bad that my dad can't come. He works too much and can't leave for a week :-(

These last 5 months in Korea have flown by. I thought last year went by fast but this is--without a doubt--the fastest that time has ever moved in my life. Things that happened 2 weeks ago seem months old. I even heal faster here! It took just over a week for my face to heal!

I love my dad's cheesy kid smile! I guess really do look like him.

Life seems so normal now. Was there really I time when I drove everywhere and saw stars at night? Do clothes dryers really exist? Is dried squid in every convenience store really strange? It will be really interesting to see my family's reaction to everything here. I remember what it was like when I first got here. The smells, the people, the randomness. Different but not as foreign as I thought it would be.

I'm hoping that May in Korea is beautiful--I think it will be.

I can't wait for the cool spring days--I know that they'll be here soon. I miss being outside and actually enjoying it. I can't wait for the cherry blossoms! I want to go camping! I want to ride my bike along the river! I bought it in September but I never went. By the time I got off of work I wasn't interested--I just wanted to get home, and I don't know where all of those weekends went before it got too cold for me to enjoy riding my bike. You know, I never thought I'd be excited about riding a bike. I sold my bike at home before I moved here because I hadn't ridden it since I started to drive. I guess it reminds me of the freedom I felt as a kid zipping around the neighborhood.

Three day work weeks rock!!!

Tomorrow is Friday and I didn't start working until Wednesday this week.
Really the last two days have flown by! Both days were pretty normal and actually really productive. I had a lot of paperwork to do in only two days (because, of course, I didn't do it over the long weekend!).
I've been switching between being really busy and really lazy. I'll do tons of paperwork or clean something and then I'll spend two hours online catching up on Grey's Anatomy. It's working for me though.
I didn't go out last night, which was the right call because some of my friends ended up closing the bar (and then drunk dialing me @ 8:30 this morning).
Harrison found a group of restaurants somewhere in Jukjeon with decent food--salads and burgers! Pretty exciting since we normally have to go to Seohyeon for a good burger. Apparently to walk to this new restaurant takes about as long as it takes to walk to as Ori station--so yay!
Tomorrow night I'm going with a bunch of people for all you can eat cham chi (basically tuna sashimi). I love tuna in sushi but I don't know how much plain raw tuna I can eat. (I know there's sauce, but still!) I'm going though because I'm sure it'll be delicious!

Year of the Ox

I liked the regular old Solar New Year much better.
This isn't going to be my year.
I'm never drinking Scotch again.

Saturday in Hongdae

Haha, what a night! I haven't been to Hongdae with Jenny and Andrea since my first weekend here. I saw a lot of people I know last night. It's kinda weird because there are so many clubs there, and it's a holiday weekend. I guess fewer people are traveling than I had expected. Club FF had a good live show. I went to Rocky Mountain Tavern and Owl Bus as well. The music was ok--they were packed well into the morning (or at least until I left).

I didn't overdo it this time though and I stayed out until 5am without doing anything terribly stupid. I danced and danced and danced to every imaginable kind of music!
For the first time there were gay boys! I think at first they thought I was a boy--thank you new haircut. And then, when they realized I'm not a boy they thought I was gay. And then when I told them "not so much" we just danced. I was reminded that I am not, in fact, a good dancer. In comparison to gay boys I have no dancing skills.

Harrison found Jews and was excited (being that he is very Jewish). I was the only non-Jew at our 4am Burger King run. It was kinda weird but not really 'cause I love the Jews!

So yay for queers and yay for Jews, good night!

Tomorrow's Friday!!

It's going to get cold again and I'm not happy about it. This week wasn't too cold but this weekend, -11(C--Koreans and Canadians use metric, so it's all I hear), ouch!

This week has been interesting. Way too interesting for me to open the blog with the weather, so it goes.
I fell on Tuesday and ruined a BRAND NEW pair of glasses. And cut my face. I dropped my cellphone, reached down to pick it up, and found myself on the ground, bleeding. Smooth. They called me Grace when I was a kid, I thought I'd grown out of it (Ok, maybe not, but MY FACE, WTF?!?).

We went on our monthly field trip today. It was, as most of them have been, interesting. Now, we were told that we were going to see ice sculptures. While I don't really think ice sculptures are exciting for the 4-6 age range, idk, I'm in Korea and it meant a whole morning of not teaching.
There weren't any ice sculptures. There was the cheesiest magic show ever and man-made snow. The snow was fun with the kids. Andy couldn't walk on the snow so he clung to me. Luckily I had better balance today than on Tuesday and didn't crush a small child.

Our boss took us out for dinner, which is always nice. Lots of sushi--and tons of other food, not really good sushi, but better than the other sushi I've had in Korea. And it was really nice of our boss. She takes us out pretty often and it's usually a fun time. My boss's brother is a really cool guy and he invited us over afterwards for coffee. He has a nice place in Jeongja. A defined living room, bed room and a big kitchen (for Korea). He ordered Guitar Hero: WT and it should be in soon. I'm so excited! I realize I'm a dork, once again, so it goes.

After work tomorrow I'm free for 4 days. I loved vacation vacation but I'm really happy to have some chill time in Korea. I wanted to go to Japan, but between Indo and the current weakness of the won/strength of the yen, it wasn't going to happen.

Soon though!

'Night--I hope everyone has an amazing Lunar New Year/Chinese New Year!

I'm not crazy, just stupid

My weekend was entirely an act of bad judgement. Not really bad, just "maybe that wasn't the best choice" bad judgement.

I broke up with my boyfriend at a bad time. To be completely honest I don't remember everything that was said but such is life. Or my life in Korea anyway. He's a nice, smart guy. BUT I didn't really feel that spark. And it didn't feel like a relationship. We barely talked, and when we did it was over FB. The last few times we've hung out I tried to push him away--which wasn't really fair or very nice. I hate break-ups though and attempting to drift is usually an easier solution. It didn't really work and so I waited until a ridiculous time in the morning outside of a club for the talk. NOT SMART.

Okay, continuing on the geniousness of the night--I went on an adventure with Kenny and Andrea! Dubs, Monkey Beach, noraebang, MadDogs, RKR, and then onto a bus for a tour of the HITE factory. All-in-all about 15 hours of adventure. By the end I was so sleep deprived. I forgot that they don't peel shrimp for you in Korea and at brinner brunch I made the mistake of ordering a shrimp salad that I then had to peel. WOAH, not a good idea.

I slept forever when I got home.

Harrison took all of the foreign teachers at our school out for a movie today--it was depressing but good. Defiance I believe. There was a lot of Russian and German though and the subtitles were in Korean. For about 1/4 of the movie I had no clue what anyone was saying.

My bunny has discovered how to escape from her pen. Bad news because she WILL NOT have free run of my apartment. Bunnies are messy and chew things. I already have a lot of extra cleaning because of her. So now she's in her cage inside of her pen. I feel really bad--I use the pen so she'll have more room to frolic. I don't know what to do. Either I can try to find a top for the pen or find a new home for her.

Lessons learned: Don't break up with people after drinking. Go home after noraebang no matter how tempting anything else sounds. Don't get messy pets in foreign countries--even if they're really cute and fuzzy. Don't drink with the Irish (j/k that's not gonna stop).

Taco Night @ Tom's

Tonight felt a lot like home. A friend who works for a public school and is on a month-long vacation invited us over for tacos and Guitar Hero. The tacos were awesome--read the chicken wasn't spicy and there was LOTS of cheese! The chill time was great. And the Guitar Hero--fun as always!
On my way home it started snowing. Just a little. By the time I got out of the cab there were millions of huge snowflakes drifting slowly to the ground. It was beautiful.
Nights like tonight I love Korea. Nights when I have quality time with quality people.

Missing

I was walking home from work a few days ago and I thought of all of the family members I didn't get to talk to at all this Christmas. Christmas has changed over the years--as it's bound to as you grow up. Different family members have moved all over the country--we are a good 750 miles from where I grew up. That move meant a big change. Celebrations became much smaller--which isn't always a bad thing, but was a big change. When I was really little I the house was always packed. I remember being SURROUNDED by family. Running around with my cousins. Hearing all the stories of the past.

Setting the table.



Dad and Mom

Every year until now I've at least been with my immediate family. Even though I was very lucky and I spent my Christmas in paradise, I still missed them--a lot. Not just being with them, or eating the amazing breakfast that Mom makes every year. Not just the excitement in every one's eyes early in the morning--especially Dad's. His blue eyes shine on Christmas. (I think he is even more excited than me and my sister.) But being in PJ's all day, having no agenda, and passing phone after phone as all of the grandparents, aunts, uncles, and cousins call. It's weird to think that I missed Christmas at home. Talking to my family and seeing them online helped me keep some sanity.

The family minus Mom (she was probably taking the picture).

I knew at some point in my life I would grow up and move away, but I always assumed that I would go home for the holidays. My parents always saw their parents on Christmas when I was little. Really, I did have an awesome time in Indonesia. If you can't have family a gorgeous beach definitely comes in a close second. And this isn't meant to me a "oh, poor me" post. I guess I'm still a little shocked at how different this winter has been from the others in my life!

While there are many things I really love about Korea, I don't know if I can stay here for any longer than I'm obligated. Most of the friends I've made here have stayed, or plan on staying, for more than a year. I understand the draw. The freedom is amazing. I spent my four college years out of state, but being a world away and not having roomates is totally different. While there are things I miss at home I know that when I go back there will be a lot of things I miss about being here. Grad school is calling. But I do like it here. I miss my family. I'll miss my friends here. I miss clean, fresh air and being able to walk into my backyard and look up at a beautiful, star-filled sky.

Ahhhh, I don't know.

(P.S. All of the pictures are from Christmas 2007.)

Indo Photos part 1

Adventures in Bali.

On our last day in Indonesia we hired a driver that took us all around the island all day. We started off at an art museum outside of Ubud. Then we went and had lunch next to a giant volcano. It was so pretty and the air was so fresh up there! From the volcano we went to the monkey sanctuary--wild! We ended the trip at the traditional fire dances at Uluwatu.

Sama Sama--great music, amazing friends, and awesome Jamaican rum!

The sunset from Lombok.

On Gili @ sunset.

The island we stayed on was beyond beautiful. We didn't see too many sunsets because of the rain BUT this was the first one. Oh, how I miss the beach!

Indo 2008/2009

The sun was shining down, the waves were gently hitting the shore, and my feet were in the sand. Honestly my feet weren't in the sand for very long before I was in the water. The clearest, bluest water EVER. Coral reefs at my fingertips. Gorgeous fish and amazing coral formations--things I've only seen in aquariums before. Vacation was amazing. And once more, with feeling, VACATION WAS AMAZING!
Four teachers from Bundang in Indonesia. The funny thing is that it feels so far away now. I'm back in school, freezing, hearing Korean all around me. It seems like a happy dream and that I'll never be able to fall back asleep.
Anyway, I'm sure the pictures will be up soon. Does anyone that hasn't already heard about the vacation really care which beaches I was on or what sights I saw?

randommm

This is random and you shouldn't waste your time reading it. BUT I wrote it so I felt the need to post it. . .

I love blogger overall but I miss the LJ feature where you could designate each post as "friends only" or "private" etc. Just because, like I said, it's random and you shouldn't waste your time reading it!

I love music. Not just in an enjoy it kind of way. But in a it changes my mood, brightens my day, and breathes life back into me kind of way. When my mp3 player dies I get a little pang of panic.
Willie Nelson, AC/DC, and Led Zeppelin, especially Kashmir, remind me of Dad and always will. Tom Petty and Meat Loaf remind me of Mom and always will. My Uncle Karl played Johnny Cash's "A Boy Named Sue" on the day he taught me to drive a manual. There have been times that I've heard it and had to call him. So much music reminds me of Aunt Tina--from "Falling Slowly" to "Closer to Fine" and just about everything from Bonnaroo.

A little over a year ago my sister gave me something like 9 gigs of music. A lot of it she had just because others had given it to her--mostly random people on the GT network. I had been on a huge classic rock kick but had been getting into indie. Oh the gems that were now in my iTunes! I made a mix that stayed in car stereo for months.

First Day of My Life--Bright Eyes was the first track.

I wasn't a smoker. I didn't like the smell, much less the taste, of cigarettes.
Savannah Jordan enters with a pack of cloves.
"You have to try these."
"I don't smoke, but thanks."
"They're different."
"If you insist."
How I bend to peer pressure. . . or maybe just the will of cute red heads.

Djarum Blacks

Senior year was pretty much turn on the car, roll down the windows, light up a clove.

This is the first day of my life
swear I was born right in the doorway.
I went out in the rain
suddenly everything changed.
They're spreading blankets on the beach.
Yours is the first face that I saw
I think I was blind before I met you. . .

Savannah's favorite band at the time: Bright Eyes. Forever I will associate that song and Djarum Blacks with Savannah Jordan.

I just got back from Indonesia. I spent 10 days in the land of the cloves. Everyone smokes them there--they are better in the States though. Harrison brought me back a pack from home. I just listened to that song and smoked my first US clove in a month an a half. What I would give to go have some sushi with Savannah right now.

I miss the days of puppy cats, Evan Williams, and Wednesday night at the Alley.

How weird is it that now I have just about everything I could've imagined wanting at that point in my life but miss being in Columbia and all that my life was then? For most of my four years I didn't like Columbia. It grew on me in the end.

Now I have a good job--in Korea, new friends, all the freedom anyone could ask for, and most significantly an adorable, sweet, and intelligent boyfriend.

BUT I guess the grass is always greener. . .

If only I could chill at Cathy's being silly and playing RockBand late into the night. Watch a weird movie with Kristen and Jesika. Have a random bonding moment with Layla or Little Jessica.

I want to sing Bohemian Rhapsody at the top of my lungs with Chelsea, Crystal, Sara, and Vic. I want to roll into Rhonda and Sara's townhouse with a handle of Captain. I miss drunken conversations with Chelsea about random stuff. I realize that most of the things I miss aren't even there anymore but it doesn't matter. It's been almost a year since THE BREAKUP. Crystal is in Arizona for grad school. I have no clue what Vic and Chelsea are doing, but I am pretty sure they aren't in Columbia.

I am happy though. I think I made the right choice in coming to Korea. I've learned a lot about my self and the world. I've met amazing people that will certainly change my life.
In a year will I write a blog about missing Dubs and noribang with Andrea, Jenny, Harrison, Nicole and Val? Craving bulgogi, kimchi, or Korean rice (it's so different from regular steamed rice!)? Wondering how I could possibly have missed driving and praising the public transportation in Korea?

One thing is for sure, "Welcome to My Paradise" will always remind me of Indonesia and the 10 days I spent with Andrea, Jenny, and Val. :-)
And the blog comes full circle.

Good night, I love you!

December pictures update

The reason Valerie doesn't take shots . . .or so I assume.
I love the face!

At a hookah bar with Harrison (Chris and Nicole were there too!).

It snowed!

My class on Andy's birthday.

Noraebang after the ugly sweater party. "Total Eclipse of the Heart"

Bundang Adventures

So, the lack of updating has been so kindly pointed out by my favorite sister. Really though the things that are happening here are mundane. Or they're just not family oriented and therefore not for this blog. j/k :-)
Over the weekend I met some friends at Andrea's for a game of flip cup. Flip cup didn't happen but another game did. It was surprisingly mild for the people I was with though. I think if it had happened a few hours later. . .
After Andrea's we headed to Dubs, really where else would we go?
Saturday we went into Hongdae for Rubber Seoul--a World AIDS day event that was awesome. My money went to some great causes and I had a blast!
Sunday was pretty calm. It snowed.
Last night I made some awesome mashed potatoes for dinner. My bunny bit me when I was trying to feed her (no, not mashed potatoes!).
Tuesdays and Thursdays have gotten a little better for me recently. My class time was changed and now I finish at 5:00 instead of 6:30. I have a date tonight.
The last one is a little exciting but seriously people. Life is life. It's not such an adventure to be here anymore. Fun?--of course, but the exciting and new feeling has worn off a bit.
School today has gone well. We had to go to the portrait studio to take pictures with the graduating kindergarteners. Just before lunch we have our monthly birthday party. My little Andy is a birthday boy; he's so adorable in his tux.
Christmas shopping is really tough because I have no idea what to get anyone. I've ordered some things for the people at home but even that is tough because you don't know what everything is exactly like. How soft is that sweater? Is it more teal or green? You know?

friday night

So, Friday night in Bundang. What a night, what a night. The night started off at a friend's apartment and ended up at Dublin's and then noraebang. :-)

Happy Thanksgiving

Happy Thanksgiving to all those who celebrate it. Mine was just like another day in Korea. No days off, and no crazy shopping adventures today. I did get to talk to the family though, which is always nice.

I thought it would be a lot harder to miss out on Thanksgiving because it's a pretty big deal at my house. It wasn't so bad though.

Tonight is the BSC meeting for November so I'll get to have some family-away-from-family time. A (hopefully) nice dinner out and then adventures at Dublin's!

Tomorrow the teachers are heading to Costco! Woohoo! American products that aren't inflated beyond belief (once again, hopefully).

Anyway, here's to a good weekend!

Fieldtrip #3

After going to the zoo and digging for sweet potatoes we took on the Samsung Car Museum this time. It was really weird at first because there was a whole video about looking both ways when crossing the street and then a practice course where the kids had to use their new safety skills. I thought that was all and that it would be the lamest field trip ever.

It turned out to be pretty fun the the museum was interesting.

I've been to a couple of similar museums. One of the Smithsonians or a National Museum in D.C. is full of cars and planes and such. I remember my dad being a chaperone on that field trip--it was like 5th grade. Our bus ended up breaking down outside of Baltimore and I think I would've been really freaked out had he not been there.

Anyway, the kids seemed to enjoy everything and there are lots of cute pictures!

On a completely random note. It's so cold here. I knew it would be colder than home, but today's high was 35, tomorrows forecast for home looks like it's in the low 50s. Not to mention the wind chill here. If November is so cold what is January going to be like?!?

A lack of depth

You know, I'd love to make a long post about how being in Korea has changed my life--how I'm fulfilled and finding more about life and being. It'd be filled with lies.

Being in Korea is fun. No doubt. There are cool people, fun places to go, and plenty of things to do and see. But it's not fulfilling, life here. It feels like I'm not just taking a year off a school but a year off from real life. There are some awesome, quality people. People I'd spend time with at home, don't get me wrong. We're all here for similar reasons, we all have something in common even if it's just that we're in Korea. But many of the people here are so different at the same time. I haven't even been here for 3 months but I've already had to say goodbye to a coworker. That's the nature of this industry. You stay until you leave.

The people you spend months getting to know will eventually say goodbye. It's like normal life, far away and in super speed. You never really know if you'll see them again. At the same time we all do this throughout our entire lives. There are people from high school that I spent tons of time with but haven't talked to in years. Same with college. Hell, it's been almost a month since I've talked to my own sister. I mean really? A month. I never thought that would happen--that we'd lose touch so fast is so sad.

I think the whole situation leads to people becoming simplified version of themselves. I've only had deep, meaningful conversations with two people here. And they're on rare occasions. Maybe I'm doing the same. Going through the summary of why I'm here and where I'm from one too many times. Thinking that a personal summary is all I am.

I have friends--I am happy. It's on a totally superficial level. I work like I'm supposed to. My kids are fun and being a teacher is always interesting. On the weekends I go out and each weekend seems to be a repeat of the last. Sometimes the places change. Often the faces change but the outcome is pretty much the same. The weekends fly by leading into another week of routine. It's the weekend again, what to do? Oh yeah, find friends, drink, dance, and sing. Enjoy until the sun comes up and then sleep away the next morning. Repeat. Oh, it's Sunday. Go to the store, do a load of laundry. Time for bed. Monday morning again.

I don't know what I really want. If I'm just starting to really get homesick. If I'm jealous of all of my younger friends thinking that college is so hard. You have a clearly defined role and expectations. Go to class, do the work, participate. Party on the weekends. Have fun fall breaks, and then go through the motions until Christmas Break. Enjoy.

When I get home I'll be freshly 23 with a degree and a year's experience teaching abroad. Where does that put me though? Grad school? Is it my goal because I really want to go or because I don't know what else to do?

Happy Halloween

I had an awesome Halloween weekend! I kept it local Friday and headed up to Dublins with one of my co-workers. We didn't stay out to late but we had some fun.
Saturday I slept in and all the teachers headed to our recruiter's party in Sinchon. It took forever between bad traffic and communication barriers. We made it though and the food was good. After the recruiter's party we went from Sinchon to Hongdae. Saturday was a late one. I slept in Sunday and went out for some Shabu Shabu with some friends that I hadn't seen in a long time. The Shabu was stellar!

Jenga in Jeongja

Tonight was a fun one! I met some friends in Jeonga--only two subway stops up. We had some good burgers and then found an import store. They had Kraft Mac and cheese, American medicine, and Doritos!!! Next we found a really cool bar that was full of old albums. There were comfy couches and the whole atmosphere was awesome. Most places here are pretty modern so it was different. One of the owners picked up our groups tab and old us to come back--which we will definitely do!

I'm really looking forward to this weekend, only one more work day.

Busan Weekend

So, the weekend before last I went to Busan. It's Korea's second largest city and a beach. Tons of fun!

Busan

7 weeks!

This week was fun. Sadly it was Laura's last week. It's pretty crazy how people come and go here. I know she'll be back but it sems like these last 7 weeks have flown by.

Thursday was our monthly field trip with the pre-school/kindergarten classes. We went to a sweet potato farm nd dug up sweet potatoes!

From KoreaOctober

They had a blast!

From KoreaOctober

Andy was proud of his potatoes!
Tell me my kids aren't adorable!

I had a pretty chill weekend. Friday night was Laura's going away party. Laura was only there for an hour before going on a Daegu adventure. I ended up at a Noribang with all of my coworkers. It was fun but I was feeling pretty sick. I've been fighting a brutal cold and ate something that was too spicy. My stomach was not happy :-(

I slept in Saturday and then went to Suwon with Valerie and bought some cool new shoes. After Suwon we met a bunch of people at the GS and caught up.

From KoreaOctober

From KoreaOctober

Today I went into Seoul with Harrison and Carleen. It was cool. We voted--I still have to mail the form but I've completed my patriotic duty. The International food festival was in Itaewon and I grabbed a couple delish shawarmas!

Heading into week 6

The last few weeks have been a little milder but still lots of fun. Last week was pretty much average as far as work goes except that it was only a four day week which is always amazing! Thursday night Valerie, Harrison and I spent the evening with all of the other foreigners in Bundang at Dublin's. Friday the three of us met Lucy (see the previous post about "Spider Lucy") and went to shopping at this huge outdoor market, Namdaemun, and then into Seoul to see the Seoul International Drum Festival--which was tons of fun. We got to the festival at the perfect time. We had plenty of time to play with the different drums, grab some dinner and then find seats for the show. Some of the drummers were amazing! It was definitely a fun experience.

When the festival was over we hopped back onto the subway and started heading back to Bundang. I got off at Seohyeon and made some new friends at Dublin's. (It was only 11 and everyone else was going home and to bed!)

Saturday I slept in and then headed into Seoul once again. This time for the fireworks festival which was amazing! There were literally a million people there. We were stuck in a massive crowd and couldn't move independently! It was still worth it though because the fireworks were awesome. Unfortunately none of my pictures came out. After a quick dinner near where the fireworks were we starting heading back. I met Valerie and Jenny in Gangnam and stayed there for a little while. No one was up for being out too late so I was home at a relatively decent hour.

Sunday was a nice lazy day. I got to talk to my parents, take care of some laundry and cleaning--nothing insane. This week has been pretty normal so far. This weekend I'm supposed to head to Busan. South Korea's second largest city (after Seoul) and largest port. Yay for the beach!

My adorable kids!

Here they are, my little monsters!

School

The big update

It's been a little while since I've posted any pictures and they're starting to pile up. I have several from around here and from adventures over the past couple weeks.


This is the front of my building. The only really cool windows aren't actually in the apartments. In fact the only windows in my apartment are in the bathroom and laundry room. I've not taken any pictures of my apartment yet because it's never quite clean enough. It's basically a small box with wooden floors, white walls and purple trim. Yes, purple, go figure.


Our apartments are some of the smallest buildings around. You can't see them from anywhere on the block because they're only 3-4 stories tall!

The picture to the right is of the section of Bundang I live in, Ori. I'm so not in Dacula anymore! There is constantly something going on. Buses, cars, scooters, people, always movement all around. The great thing is that there's always something to do and I live just far

enough away to not to be bothered by the noise all of the time!

My first week here another teacher at my school, Valerie, took us (me and Harrison--the other new teacher) out to a bar, Dublin, not too far away. She sang in the open mic night. Very mellow for a bar, but she has an awesome voice.





I met the crazy kids on the left and right of Valerie. Andrea is on the left and Jenny, the right. They took me to Hongdae for the first time. They even have the pictures to prove it! :-(

We live and learn, right? They're also the one's taking me to Daegu this weekend.




Alright, you're now caught up on my social happenings in Korea. Have a wonderful weekend kids!