Korea comes in like a lion, goes out like a lion.

It was pouring rain the day I got here, it's pouring rain the day I'm leaving. Not that I believe that's a metaphor for anything, because I don't. I've spent the past 2 days cleaning my apartment from top to bottom. It was left filthy for me when I moved in, so I vowed to leave it sparkling clean when I moved out. Who knew how dirty windowpanes could get?! WOW. It was like thick, black tar. I was supposed to head to the beach city of Busan this weekend (the city I'm flying out of), but it was so rainy I decided to wake up WAY too early tomorrow so I can make my flight on time. (4:30am).

And now... actually, I have to cut this short. Time has escaped me and it's now been 3 hours since I started writing! Maybe I can finish during my layover in Tokyo. I love you all! Speak to you next on American soil!

xxo

i've totally slacked

And I apologize. Lots of developments have been happening, including that I am leaving Korea after this week. It was a hard decision, but it's for the best. I promise a long, juicy full-on Korean blog before I leave. I've just literally not had any time! And now I suddenly have to pack for America. And I'm moving to Madison, WI with Greg in August.

I promise, I will update lots. I have completely neglected the internet as of late.

Please forgive me!

gross.

It thunderstormed last night in Daegu for I'm pretty sure the first time since I've been here. I had my window open, because who doesn't love the sound of a thunderstorm. 20 minutes later, after the stormed had died down and I kept the window open simply for the breeze, I heard something. At first it sounded like someone pouring liquid out onto the street. But I quickly realized it was much more disgusting than that when I heard a clearly audible fart and some other sounds I'll leave to the imagination. Yes, I am pretty sure a human was not only peeing right outside my window (luckily I'm on the 2nd floor) but also defecating. I have now truly seen (heard) it all.

a great weekend

Everyone knows the World Cup started this weekend. South Korea played Greece yesterday, and up until last night I didn't have a clue how big a deal it is for ANY team to make it to the World Cup. But apparently it's a huge deal :)

I went to Duryu Park in Daegu to watch the game on a giant outdoor screen with some friends of mine. I honestly thought it'd be a small smattering of people, on blankets, watching the game. I had no idea that thousands of Korean fanatics would be littering the entire open area, smashed together, wearing light-up devil horns (yes I bought some of my own to support my 'local' team...) 3 of us weaseled our way into a tiny patch of grass, literally about 3' x 1', careful not to sit on any of the Koreans all around us. After a few moments of uncertainty about whether or not we'd get yelled at for sitting there, we were immediately at ease when the girl behind us invited us to share her mat with her and her boyfriend. Every single person watching this game outside, Korea being the complete underdogs against Greece, was a SUPERFAN. It was the most fun sporting event I have ever been to in my entire life. I'm not even a follower of soccer, but being there, in that atmosphere with cheering, chanting Koreans made me hope so badly that they would win. They scored 2 goals, both of which were amazing. After each goal was scored the entire crowd got to their feet, hugged their neighbor, did high-5s everywhere, and clanked their bottles of beer and soju together in jubilation. It was truly a unique experience that I am very thankful I got to be a part of. (Korea won, 2-0 against Greece... and let me tell you, Greece was playing DIRTY!)

I really wanted to watch the England/ America game also, but being on the other side of the world, it wasn't showing here until 3:30am! Needless to say I definitely did not stay up for it, and had to hear today how that game panned out.

After the game we all got dinner together downtown, where the streets were just lined with people celebrating EVERYWHERE. Everyone was yelling "De han min guk" which is the long version of 'Hanguk' (Korea). So we were yelling it down the streets too, even though we're obviously not Korean! It was such a cool experience. Everyone was so happy and united, as sports commonly brings people together, if only for a few weeks every 4 years!

After the game and dinner downtown I took a cab home. Everything was normal, just a regular old cab ride home, until I was less than a block away from my apartment. I'm about to tell the cab driver to stop so I can get out, but just before I can I see a man lying literally in the MIDDLE of the street. I yelled "YOGI-YO!" (Here, please) This man needs help!!!! I won't lie, I thought he was dead. The cab driver looked around nervously, took my money quickly out of my hand (not even the full amount of the fare, he just wanted to get out of there, and FAST). I ran out of the cab and over to the man, whom I was uncertain as to whether he was alive or dead. After yelling at him a few times, and trying to shake him awake, I noticed he was actually breathing. For some reason I have a fear that I am going to come across a dead body one day, I have no idea why. But I thought this was that day. After a few minutes a man came by on a scooter. I flagged him down, and it was evident what I needed help with. After some pantomiming back and forth, we agreed the best thing to do first would be to extract him from the center of the road. I got the man's feet, and scooter man grabbed him under the arms. He wasn't heavy, but it was extremely awkward to lift him, and I simply didn't have the strength to even get him up on the curb onto the sidewalk. So we ended up basically dragging him to the side of the road, next to the curb, between cars. We patted his pockets looking for a cell phone so we could call someone, but his phone had a password lock on it, so we couldn't use it. Scooter man decided he would call the police and let them deal with it, and I wasn't about to just leave this man there with no one to help him, so I stuck around. Eventually the cops showed up, and they sat the poor man up, and pounded on his back until he indicated that he is, in fact, alive. The cops were just making jokes about it, saying he drank too much soju (Korean rice wine). He could have had a concussion (from falling in the street) or alcohol poisoning! Or both! Who knows, but no one took it seriously but me, and they just let him stumble away after he finally came to. Then the cops got back into their car, waved goodbye to me, and went on their way. I was appalled by the acceptance of this severe public intoxication. If I didn't come home right when I did, any car could have run him over. It was scary and disturbing :(

Today I took part in a scavenger hunt, which definitely deserves its own blog. I want to get a copy of the ridiculous list of 100 tasks we had to complete so everyone can get a full understanding of a scavenger hunt in Korea. This weekend, with the exception of the scariness of last night's possible dead man, was an extremely fun one.

And just cutting to the chase, my team won the scavenger hunt :) (which means we won a free night in a suite in the nicest hotel in Daegu!) YAY! I promise to post soon full details of the hunt. But right now I'm headed to bed!

road trip to Wando, etc

Just gonna get this out there first thing- I apologize there are no photos with this post. My computer will literally blow up if I add anything else to it. So until I can purchase an external hard drive, I can't post new pics.

Last weekend we had a Friday off due to it being Buddha's Birthday, so 6 of us decided we'd be the first foreigners in Korea to hire a van and create a roadtrip of our own (nearly every ferry/ train/ plane we looked into booking was unavaible, weeks even months before). Our van got dropped off in our neighborhood, and we immediately stocked up on waterguns (and water) at Homeplus (again- like a Walmart). The original plan was that we'd all take turns driving, as we knew we'd be leaving Daegu at around midnight to avoid traffic. Well, it became apparent almost instantly that the 2 boys would take the helm up front, and the girls would stay in the back. I rode backseat the entire time. Fine be me- I kind of hate being in charge on group outings. So I was content to let the masses make the driving decisions. There was a mini tray-table in the back seat, so Charlotte and I set it up, me allowing it to hold my midnight coffee. Not 20 minutes into the trip we broke it. OK- I broke it. For the duration of the weekend we rigged it up with a garbage bag so it wouldn't bash us in the shins. (Upon returning to Daegu I ghetto-rigged it back up with some superglue, for appearance-sake when the man we rented it from would do a cursory inspection).

Somehow once we got on the highway, we neglected to stop to pick up a ticket (like on American turnpikes- you collect a ticket, then pay once you exit the turnpike, based on how far you've driven). Anyway, stopping at what we though was the place to pick up a ticket, we were being ASKED for our ticket. Needless to say we didn't have one, and we had to slowly merge off to the left of the 8-lane ticket booths, make a "phonecall," then the problem was solved. Again- the guys took care of this, so I'm still not even sure how the problem was rectified. But it was funny being probably the only non-Koreans on the road- and we're the ones being "quarantined."

After driving all night, and every single person stayed awake the entire time (due mostly to playing question games such as "Would you rather have one giant nostril, or one eye?" and so on), we arrived at a weird man-made beach in Wando at sunrise. After a quick walk to the beach, we set up our tent and decided to pass out for a few hours. Our alarms were set for 11am, as not to waste too much of the day. Well, this was not problematic at all, as around 9am a bulldozer started digging (what I'm not sure) literally 20 feet from our tent, and a gaggle of visiting Koreans in giant sunhats and matching bright pink tee shirts stomped, laughed, and talked right by our tent. They were so close I think a few of them stepped on me. Not really... but they did totally wake us up.

Deciding that there was no way we could make this our campsite for a second night, we drove into the actual port city of Wando. It was a typical little town, and the people were incredibly friendly. Charlotte and I were enjoying sandwiches on a bench by the sea, when a middle-aged man walked up to us, presented us with gifts of some corn drink and some rice tea (?????) for seemingly no reason. Then he kept pointing at my sandwich, then to himself, then to the drinks he'd just given us, then back to the sandwich and himself again. Assuming that I was now supposed to give him a portion of my sandwich, I did. He ate it, chattering away in Korean the entire time, burped loudly in our faces (gratitude, I'm assuming) and walked away.

Then we checked out the ferry terminal because we wanted to just get on a boat. But this was not to happen. All of southern Korea had the same idea to board a ferry, so we got back in our 12-passenger van and just drove. We came to a beautiful beach that was once the site for a Korean film- the name is escaping me at this time- and it was GORGEOUS! We posed for pictures with cut-outs of famous Korean filmstars, played in the sand, and jumped off a pier into the water (though explicitly told we weren't allowed in the water). We all escaped with only minor injuries- the worst being some barnacle cuts from exiting the water. They left the movie set just as it was during filming, so none of the little huts were actually well-maintained or sanded down or anything, and it wasn't until after we'd climbed onto one for a photo-op that we'd all discovered we were covered in billions of little tiny splinters! It took awhile to get them all out. I can best compare it to the time I accidentally hit my elbow on a cactus I had in my windowsill.

Walking back to the van soaking wet, and being stared at like fools by everyone else, we decided to drive to our second campsite. We ate dinner by the sea and built the best campfire in the world. The entire world. Before the trip (literally minutes before) I popped into a hiking store and purchased a head torch- mostly for night peeing. I was so excited to have a lamp on my head (I've clearly never owned one) that I kept offering to light up anything and everything. "You guys need help? I've got a light!" Everyone but one of us had their own, so in the end I only ended up helping myself. The bonfire was so relaxing and so much fun. We were all exhausted, and by midnight we were in the tent, fast asleep. In the morning, we all heard severe rustling, wind, rain, etc. But I think we were too cold and tired to care or to do anything about it. Maybe a bit of denial that this day wouldn't turn out to be the sunny day we'd previously had? I'm not sure, but it was lousy weather. We had a quick breakfast in the tent (I've never eaten so much bread in my life as this weekend), and we just kind of drove north deciding it was useless to hang around the beach when we couldn't even enjoy being outside.

We ended up in a little dump of a town, in a pizza joint for 3+ hours because there was literally nothing else to do. Since we couldn't sleep in the tent due to the monsoon, we staked out a cheap hotel that had 2 large conjoining rooms, where we all passed out on the floor after watching about 37 episodes of the Simpsons. (Slept on the floor because there were no beds, just a cabinet full of bedding- that's Korea!) It was still downpouring in the morning. We drove north some more for a bit. Our aim this day, our last day, was to check out a green tea plantation, then maybe visit a traditional Korean village if we had time. The green tea plantation was gorgeous. Even though it was pouring rain and I was grumpy due to my leaky $1 poncho, it was still such a pleasure to visit. At the end of walking around it, we decided to warm up with some, well... TEA! I know we were probably extremely offensive in the faces we made, but I couldn't help it. The tea literally tasted like chicken fat.

After the plantation, we went to the traditional village. I'm not going to lie, I wasn't too keen on seeing either one, and before actually seeing them I was wondering why we were wasting our time. OH MY goodness. What a fool I was! The traditional village was amazing. It's not like in America where the history isn't very rich- and if you visit a historical site you get volunteer workers in period-dress, "churning butter" or "baking bread." No no no no no. In Korea, people still actually live in these villages, much like they would have 6 centuries ago when they were erected. The general rule is that if a gate is open, you're allowed to enter the home (at least the 'grounds'). If there is a branch or a post laying across the gate, you are not to enter. We saw a man standing outside of his "hut" and he looked overly eager to have us come closer, so we did. After snapping a few photos with him, grinning wildly, he gestured towards the front door of his home. He slid it open, and I swear I can't make this stuff up- a woman (who I assume was his mother- though she literally looked about 180) came crawling- not walking, not even hobbling- crawling into the doorway, showing us 3 teeth. Then she started chanting "DON! DON!" at us, which means money. Not knowing what else to do, I quickly snapped a photo right in her face, knowing I'd want it for future story-telling. She didn't like this. I think she might have even hissed after we all kind of quickly shuffled away. Her son was practically kicking her back inside, as if to say "I almost HAD them, Ma! You ruined it!"

We definitely got a good giggle over this for awhile. Then we just wandered around the village. I bought some original pottery for dirt cheap (it will most definitely make the journey back to America in my carry-on baggage). We saw an old prison, statues of beatings, and lots of history. From the brochure I picked up:

Within the fortress perimeter of 1,410m remain well-preserved Choson Dynasty government buildings, nine traditional residences designated as important folklore material, and other old houses, people residing in this folk village still carry on traditional custom and manners. With its relics and unique living heritage, Naganeupseong gives visitors a direct look at Korea's history and traditional ways of life, customs and manners, and folk events.

Population and households: 288 people in 120 households (82 within the fortress walls, 38 on the outside).


After traipsing around the village for a few hours, we were more than ready to drive back to Daegu. Making rounds and dropping everyone off and cleaning the van back to its original state, I finally walked in my door late Sunday night, nearly collapsing, but not before doing 2 loads of laundry because everything I took (including the comforter off my bed because I don't own a sleeping bag) smelled like dog. A hot shower and some light reading later, I definitely fell asleep tired and happy, calling the weekend and the roadtrip a definite success.

sorrrrryyyy!

Ok, I promise there is a big juicy update coming soon, I just couldn't be bothered to write it all up yet. But I had a great weekend last weekend that I really want to write about. So be patient, and within a (few) day(s) I should have it completed.

:)

korean dairy comes from dogs, cats, and genetically modified birds

Yesterday I went to Daegu Stadium (largest stadium in South Korea) to watch Usain Bolt run in the World Pre-Championship meet (world championships will be held in Daegu in 2011, and this was kind of a mini preview meet- not every event was run). He, of course smashed the competition in the 100m, then did a 400 minute victory lap, pausing all over for photos, posing in his famous lightning bolt pose, and just generally cheesing for the crowd. I've never been to such a big track meet in my life, and full of Olympic medalists- including David Payne, University of Cincinnati alum and silver medalist in Beijing 2008 in the 110m hurdles. I ran track at UC when David was there! So cool to see him run in an international meet in Korea! Small world. Lots of photos were taken :) The stadium itself was really cool to see. Definitely the largest stadium I've ever been in. Now in Korea I've been to a baseball game, a rugby game, and a huge track meet! I'm just trying to sample a little bit of everything that I can in my time here.

Daegu Stadium- seats 65,857

David Payne- about to run the 110m hurdles


Mostly Americans and Jamaicans lined up at the start of the 100m

Usain Bolt- camera shy


Usain Bolt killing it in the 100m

Today we had open class at school. This means that for all the kindergarten classes in the morning, the students' parents come in to observe the class while we teach. I had to prepare lessons for 2 different classes. We've been talking about this day for weeks! Though, I have to be honest, I did most of my work in the past few days. I can never do something ahead of time. I work best under the pressure of doing everything last minute! But everything went smoothly, and I was really comfortable having the parents in class with me. I think it made all my boys really hyper and they all wanted to show off how much they've learned. I've been teaching these particular students for about 2.5 months and they have come so far. My favorite is when they tattle on each other for speaking Korean during class. I have a little boy called Steve, and today during open class his mother leaned over to him and whispered something, and Steve immediately exclaimed, "Teacher! Mommy is speaking Korean!" We all got a good laugh. It's amazing how quickly children can learn a foreign language. I'm so proud of them.

Tonight after work 5 friends and I are piling into a rental van and going on a roadtrip! We've been told by a Korean friend that we're the only foreigners he's ever heard of renting a van in Korea. And we're pretty sure it's the kind of van that businesses rent, not 6 American, Canadian, and British foreigners! (It IS a 12-passenger van, afterall!) We'll be armed with a GPS, and a plethora of guidebooks. We have a rough idea of where we'll be heading, but since we'll have our own transportation (a total rarity!) we are free to go wherever we please. We're heading southwest, to an city called Wando. There are many islands in the area, lots uninhabited. So we will be camping on the beach at night, and lounging on the beach during the day. We also plan on hiking, and just generally spending as much time outdoors as possible. I've been looking forward to this for weeks and weeks. We'll be driving all night tonight to hopefully avoid the traffic. We have a 3 day weekend because tomorrow is Buddha's Birthday- a national holiday in Korea. Hopefully lots of fun is about to be had!

updates!

1) I think I've finally gotten a handle on my sore throat- after 4 hospital visits. I was refused a strep test, for reasons unclear, but after 2 courses of antibiotics and a slew of other unidentifiable pills, I seem to be almost 100% again.

2) I'm ridiculously obsessed with hiking.

3) Korea becomes weirder and weirder the longer I'm here.

Last weekend I went hiking near my apartment, at Mt. Apsan. (Technically just Mt. Ap, as "san" means mountain, so saying Mt. Apsan is redundant....) I went with 3 friends. We packed lunches, headed 'up,' and just soaked in a day of nature, no street noises, and the occasional Kenny G song softly streaming from speakers disguised as rocks along the path. (I have video for proof- and will post it if I can figure out how). As we were hiking we came across an obstacle course. We had fun walking across rope bridges, swinging on rope swings, and just generally reveling in the weirdness that none of us had ever seen- except for in Korea. I mean really. You'd never see a ridiculous obstacle course (well-maintained) set up on the middle of a mountain in the US, anywhere. If anyone has seen this, I stand corrected. It was the kind of thing I came to Korea to see.

Middle of the mountain- I cannot figure this out. Those are my friends Alina- from Russia- she's here studying, and Jessica, from Long Island- she's here teaching also.

Last week at work was just like every week. Not much to note except that I have a really funny list going of all the things I hear my students say that make me giggle. I think I'll post it all at one time once it gets good and long. Kind of like my quote book, for those of you familiar with that. Kind of related- it's been really hot here now, around 80 every day, so I've been wearing short sleeves (we aren't allowed to wear tanktops, which REALLY narrows down my choices to about 4 different shirts to wear a week). I've previously mentioned how my students are blown away by my freckles. They simply do not understand what they are. This week I received, "Ohhhhh! Teach-eerrrrr!" (deliberate pointing to my arms) "Burn, Teacher? Fire? Burn?"

They think I was burned badly in a fire, and my freckles are the aftermath. I then drew a picture of the sun on the board, pointed at my skin, and tried to convey that in the same way the sun gives most people a tan, it simply leaves me pale with millions of tiny brown dots everywhere. Their looks of confusion told me that had no idea what I meant, and at this moment my director popped her head in the door and I said "Jenis, can you PLEASE explain to these kids what freckles are so they stop looking at me like this!!!"

Tuesday was another fieldtrip for our Kindergarten classes (we typically go on one a month). We went to an amusement park in Daegu. The kids were extremely excited for this! It was hard to keep them contained. We were able to take them on a log ride, a mini roller coaster, the carousel, a car ride where they all got to drive little fake cars, and a couple other small rides. It was fun, but we only had a couple hours there so the teachers weren't able to go on anything we wanted to go on! I'm sorry, but I love amusement parks!

Kelly- obviously displeased with the carousel.



Jaden- One of my kindergarten students proudly displaying Bugle fingers.


Today I went hiking again in Gyeongju (about an hour bus ride away- costs about 3 bucks to get there). We got off the bus at the station, then piled into a cab, hoping he'd understand our remedial Korean speaking. He did, and dropped us off at the base of Mt. Namsan (again, technically Mt. Nam). We followed a trail up and down and around, just guessing where to go, venturing off the trail every now and then. We saw a temple, a pagoda, people praying, people resting, and 2 women hiking in high heels. Seriously... and at the point that we passed them, they were nowhere near the bottom of the mountain, so they'd been hiking in heels, and I mean like stilettos, for at least a couple kilometers. One of them had a strand of pearls neatly hugging her neck as well. There really are signs here saying "NO HIGH HEELS." They chose not to pay heed apparently. When we finally got to the other side of the mountain, we'd seemingly forgotten the part where we wouldn't have a clue how to get back to the bus station. After some glancing around, no cabs/ buses/ signs in sight, we decided we'd try hitch-hiking. So thumbs out! The first guy that saw us stopped, and actually glanced around his car like he'd move stuff out of the way for us to sit down. But after we stated where we were headed, he sadly informed us he was headed the opposite direction. Strike one. Our next prospect came in the form of 4 elderly men piled into a flatbed truck. Our thinking was that we'd happily sit on the truck bed. After standing with thumbs out, a couple of them glanced our way, then immediately jerked their heads back forward and completely avoided any further chances of eye contact with us. Strike two!

Fountains like this exist all up and down the mountains- You simply grab a red ladle, dip it under the non-stop stream of water, and sip from the ladle. It's weird, they'll wear face masks everywhere, but when it comes to sharing things like water bowls in the middle of the woods, germ don't exist. Us white-folk, we filled up our waterbottles (and for the record, this water tastes 3000% better than any water I've ever tasted in my life).


Contemplating life from the top of a rock, close to Geumobong Peak (438m) on Mt. Namsan.

Well, there was no strike 3, so you can calm down, Mother. We eventually found a bus heading back towards the bus station, and I live to tell the tale of the first time I have seriously attempted hitch-hiking. Now I'm sitting in bed, flipping through all the amazing photos I've gathered over the past few weeks, and watching episode after episode of Modern Family online. Hope everyone's had a great weekend!
Kimchi pots! Mmmmm fermentation.

finally better!

I had to take Monday and Tuesday off this week due to this stupid illness. (Today was a holiday- Children's Day- so no school). It didn't develop into strep, I don't think... but I am feeling better. My uvula is no longer the size of my thumb, and I can swallow without feeling like knives are being swallowed. I even left my apartment today! Where did I go, you ask? Why, downtown to rent a car for an upcoming 3 day weekend, of course!

I got an international driver's license before coming here, just in case. The same rules apply here- you have to be 25 to rent a car. A small group of us has been trying (unsuccessfully) to book a trip in a few weeks. All flights/ ferries/ etc have been booked solid because it's a pretty big holiday in Korea, Buddha's birthday. So apparently everyone leaves? I don't know. But after trying a million ways to book something, we got the idea to rent a van and just drive it to wherever we want. All we want to do is camp on a beach. Is that too much to ask!?

So 3 of us met our Korean friend Jumbo downtown this afternoon. If he wasn't with us A) we would have never found the place, and B) the rental would not have happened! It took about 45 minutes to figure everything out, but we left with a 12 passenger van booked for the weekend! (There's only 6 of us going, but the extra space will be nice). Now all that's left to do is to figure out where we're going to go!

I can't wait! Something to look forward to :)

I've been sleeping about 18 hours a day since being sick. I don't know how I'm going to finally go back to school tomorrow! But luckily it's Thursday so I'll only have 2 days til the weekend.

strep?

So this morning I was still in severe pain, so I called my boss and kind of whispered into the phone that I was really sick. She came to pick me up an hour later and took me to an ear, nose, and throat doctor. Just like the previous doctor, I was seen immediately. When I opened my mouth, barely said "ah" and winced in pair, tears welling in my eyes, it was evident to him that I've got a throat infection. He said I also have an ear and nose infection. My uvula is swollen up like 4 times its normal size. It is literally touching my tongue, and every time I swallow I feel like I am gagging on it (along with all the knife-scraping pain). I've barely spoken in almost 3 days. But now it feels like it's getting worse. My ears are ringing and and my throat is throbbing even without swallowing now. Maybe it gets better before it gets worse? I don't know... but there's no way I can teach like this.

He gave me antibiotics, but also said if it's no better tomorrow to come back in. At this rate, I'll be there when they open! For the second day in a row I've done nothing but go to the hospital, and stay in bed. Though today I received 2 shots in the butt instead of one! Still don't know what they're injecting me with.....

Hope everyone else is staying well! This is no way to enjoy the finally amazing weather!

sickness is upon me

It was bound to happen- last night after a long day at a rugby match, followed by dinner and the batting cages, I developed a nasty sore throat. By the time I got home, the sore throat was accompanied by severe chills and a fever of 102. I popped some acetaminophen and went to bed early. I woke up every 2 hours, on the dot, all night. I could hardly move today, but when you force yourself not to swallow except once every ten minutes because it's so painful, something has to be done. I literally waddled (I'm not sure why feeling sick makes me waddle/ shuffle, but it does) to a nearby hospital, Korean translation book in hand. I don't speak Korean anyway, and even if I could I can't speak at all due to the throat. So I circled all my symptoms, and took special care to circle sore throat about 30 times and put stars next to it for emphasis. I could barely even say "Ahhhh" when asked. The doctor said something about an infection, and injection, and a prescription. Just wanting drugs, I didn't really register much of what he said. Before I knew it I was in the next room with my buttocks exposed, receiving a shot of who knows what into my left cheek, nurse massaging it in. But I was also too sick to care. It cost about $7 for this doctor visit, and even though it was a hospital I was in and out within 15 minutes. The pharmacy was next door, and for less than $2 I received 9 packages of various pills to take over the next 3 days. I also have no idea what these pills are, but I know one of them is Tylenol. I've been in bed all day, sleeping most of it, writhing in discomfort the rest of it. The worst part is that today was 75 degrees and sunny, the best day I've seen in Korea, and I was supposed to meet my friends for a picnic at Suseong Lake to plan an upcoming beach camping trip over a 3 day weekend.

I sure hope this goes away, or at least subsides slightly by tomorrow. I do not want to teach 9 classes feeling like this!

Thanks to my mother I realize that I haven't posted in awhile... Maybe because I feel more like I actually live here now, and maybe things don't seem as exciting anymore. Some highlights over the past 2 weeks include going bowling (they're super serious about bowling here...), going to the batting cages (twice!), something I haven't done in probably 14 years, attending both a baseball game and a rugby match (I think Korea lost both), and the usual- hiking, biking, and night running. I also feel like I'm finally settling into a great group of friends. They're more into the things I'm interested in, and for awhile I was afraid that I wasn't finding the right people to spend my time with. But these people leave me feeling encouraged and positive after every time we hang out.

Hiking on Mt. Apsan- really close to my apartment.

Korean rugby team. Got squashed by the Japanese team.

I wanted to post a funny picture that I drew. One of the lessons in a kindergarten class of mine was to draw a picture of your family. I know this is a little skewed, and in no way reflects my actual drawing abilities, but it's funny nonetheless. And the kids thoroughly enjoyed it. I've also found that kids are amazed when I say, "Yes, I have a sister, a brother, a mom, and a dad." It's almost like they think I appeared out of thin air and don't have a family or friends back home. "Teacher! You have a brother? and a sister?? Wow..."

100% accurate representation of my family.

Teaching has given me a whole new perspective. It's been a little over three months, but teaching is hard work. I know that as a kid I never thought of my teachers as real people. That sounds ignorant, but it's kind of like how kids see their parents. You see them as 'mom and dad,' not as actual people living life and making decisions, sometimes very hard decisions, all the time. I guess it's because as a child, you think like a child. That being said, I definitely respect every teacher I've ever had, and I finally understand why my mom got angry, slammed her hand down on the desk, and called her students "a bunch of LUMPS!" one time when I came into school with her. I definitely yelled at a class this week, saying that if any of them left their slippers behind in class that I would come out into the hall and throw them at them! Luckily I didn't have to!

Ugh, time for more bedrest. My nightstand is littered with throat lozenges, hot tea, gingerale, water, and a spit cup (to avoid swallowing). And some donut holes, which surprisingly feel really good on my throat! Hope everyone's had a great weekend!

life in korea

It's one thing to say you want to live in a foreign country. It's a whole different thing to live in a foreign country! It's pretty safe to say that I took most everything for granted before coming here. I can't even mail a letter without assistance from my director! I never knew how good I could possibly become at pantomiming. With some creativity, you can communicate, though extremely shakily. Trying to get a passport photo taken for a visa to China tonight, it took the clerk a patient 5 minutes to explain to me that for 8,000 won I was getting 8 photos, not 1.

I was in Dunkin Donuts yesterday ordering a latte, waiting on some friends to go to the Daegu shooting range (more on that in a bit), when I was very aware of the most adorable little girl staring at me with a teensy shy grin on her face. I've gotten this so many times- little shy kids who are probably taught by someone just like me, and they so desperately want to get my attention and proudly say hi. Her mom was sitting next to her, and I could tell that she was nearly mouthing the word "hello" to the little girl so she could say hi to me. She finally did, and over the course of 10 minutes and countless attempts at building enough courage, she said "How are you?" then later told me "You are beautiful." It made me feel good the rest of the day. It's funny, I've seen some of my kids outside of school, and it's like they forget every word of English they know! They're so chatty in class, but then I think they get embarrassed or something once they vacate school premises.

So, Daegu shooting range. I have a map of the city hanging on my wall right beside my computer, and I saw there was a shooting range, and for whatever reason I decided I'd like to try that one day. I was out with some friends the other night and I suggested we make a Sunday sojourn to shoot some guns. I could never guess how excited a group of Brits and Canadians (I was the sole American) would be to hold firearms! After signing my name to some waiver written entirely in Korean, suiting up in my bullet proof vest and clamping giant yellow headphones on, I was "ready." The first gun I chose was the glock 9mm. I have no idea why- maybe because rappers talk about glocks, and to be honest it might be the only gun I'd actually heard of! Ok, that little thing I mentioned above about not even being able to mail a letter on my own in this country... hahaha- try taking instructions on how to aim and fire a gun! Shot number 1 was the scariest thing I have ever done in my life. My hands were shaking so terribly. I had no idea what to expect, and this gun was way too powerful for me. After almost tearfully glancing back at my friends as if to say "Oh. My. Goodness. What am I doing?!" I tried it again. I don't think I breathed the whole time and just kept praying each shot was the last!! It was terrifying. However, out of 10 shots, I hit the target 5 times.

The second gun was a Smith & Wesson 22. I'm so happy I decided to try shooting again! Disregarding the fact that dude moved the target about 10 feet closer, this gun was so much easier to use. Plus, it was a revolver, and not to sound like a dopey gun-happy American, it was smooth and awesome. I hit the target with all 10 shots, and the proof is now hanging on my wall in my apartment. Yay for new experiences!

Smith & Wesson 22


I'm going whitewater rafting outside of Seoul in 2 weekends. I'm about to book a flight to Beijing in a month (hence the Chinese visa I have to get). Spring is here, which means baseball games, bike rides, night hikes, etc. The weather has been beyond gloomy the entire time I've been here (minus a few gorgeous days). Greg comes back in 3 months (too soon to count down? ha, probably....). His second visit will mark my halfway point of this adventure. Today is actually 3 months exactly that I've been here. It seems like nothing and forever at the same time. I have no idea how that is possible. 9 months to go!

My kids are continuing to say hilarious things, and my little 4 year old Suin finally likes me! It's so rewarding to see him acknowledge me with a smile, then run up to me and wrap his little tiny arms around me. Today I pushed up the sleeve of my shirt and asked him to count my freckles on my forearm. According to his very accurate counting, I have 19 freckles (skipping number 16, so really only 18). Ha, if you've seen my arms you know I have more like 19 bajillion freckles.

This has nothing to do with anything, but one thing I miss more than anything (sorry family/ friends/ boyfriend) is good Mexican food! Last night I ordered a vegetarian burrito from a place downtown. Somehow it tasted like pizza. FAIL! Reason 82 that I cook 98% of what I eat here!

Busan

Cherry blossoms right outside my apartment

Haeundae Beach, Busan, South Korea

Lighthouse in Haeundae Beach, Busan

Dude is totally smoking



I went to Busan this weekend for my friend Tashia's birthday. She's leaving soon and she wanted to celebrate in a beach town away from Daegu. It was a fabulous weekend full of laughs and birthday celebrations. Busan looks like southern California, if so-Cal had only Koreans! We ate Mexican food (completely lackluster), got our hair done (I felt like I was going to a wedding), and just generally spent the weekend hanging out and having fun. We tried to go to a casino, but I think that 20+ foreigners scared the staff, and a couple people didn't have their alien cards, so they wouldn't let us in. The hotel we stayed in is what's called a "love motel." Deduce what you'd like from this moniker, but we were only staying one night, and it was less than $35 per room. Sold! No, it wasn't trashy like it sounds!

On Sunday we set out to have an authentic Korean brunch, at Bennigan's! Ha- obviously not authentic Korean. After eating the most gluttonous, disgusting, calorie-ridden meals of our lives, we took a walk along the beach towards a lighthouse I spotted in the (not so close) distance. It was a very beautiful walk full of scenery. Busan is a great city- and definitely has a different vibe than the mountainous city that I live in.The KTX train ride there and back was great, too. (Though we got shushed once- you aren't "allowed" to talk loudly on trains- which is weird because it seems that most rules and laws are mere suggestions here, except for that!) We could see all the landscape outside, including the famous Korean cherry blossoms. They are so beautiful here. I guess they're blooming later than normal this year, but once they bloom they'll be around for about a month. I'm so excited that spring is here. 3 cold months in NYC followed by almost 3 more cold months in Korea was brutal! I was cold for almost 6 months straight.

Field trip tomorrow at school! We're going to the arboretum! Yay.

"she" is PEE!

It all makes sense now. "Pee" is blood. "She" is pee. Yesterday I was teaching a new, pretty low level class very rudimentary vocabulary words. "Repeat after me, 'she'." Little Paul, who is probably 7 years old, says "Ah, Teacher! She!" and pulls the front of his pants down chanting "She! She!" Luckily the waistband of his corduroys was restrictive enough that they wouldn't stretch to expose the inevitable and we were all spared! And, I could be mistaken, but I'm pretty sure by the end of the class they were all chanting "Emil-she!" There's no way they could have known my childhood nickname- Emil-pee though. NO WAY!

Separate class- we're reading "The Itsy Bitsy Spider." Pardon my cursing- but they have trouble with this, constantly pronouncing it "The Itchy Bitchy Spider."

And Suin tried to give me a ponytail.


And one class kept whispering to each other and cracking up, all agreeing that I look like this female pilot from their textbook:
It's better than what I get from my kindergarten class of boys. They say "Emily Teacher is a boy-girl!"

:) :) :)

The best thing my parents ever taught me was how to ride a bike. I can't name many more things than just taking off on a bike somewhere that make me that happy. I was wasting away a gorgeous day yesterday, when I finally just hopped on my bike and took off in a vague general direction. Unfortunately, I forgot my camera. And my cellphone. And a watch. But it worked in my favor, completely freeing me of any possible distractions. The only thing I regret is that no one was there with me to see my jaw drop at the ridiculous beauty I saw, or the permanent smile I had on my face all day.

At first I just set off heading west, but when I saw 4 junior high girls on bikes turn the to right in front of me, I decided to follow them because they looked like they were headed... I don't know... somewhere. Well, my stalking didn't last long because I got distracted by a group of geriatrics playing croquet. If there was a day to forget my camera, this wasn't it. But if there was a day to remind me why I came here- this WAS it. I just kept biking and biking and eventually I came to the Samunjingyo Bridge near Hwawon Resort in the Seongsan-ri section of Daegu (southwest of the city, if you're looking at a map). Sidenote, just spent 20 minutes searching google for some photos to post, but no dice. So you'll have to wait until the next time I go back!

Anyway, so I'm peddling across this ridiculously long (and totally empty except for me) bridge, and a gathering of parachutes in a flat field right next to the river on the opposite side piques my interest. Like a creep, I park my bike directly above them on the bridge, and in genuine stalker fashion watch them for the next 20 minutes, trying to will myself the courage to suck it up and go down there and talk to them. What did I have to lose? I'm already completely out of place just by existing here, so I had nothing to lose! I wound my way through the sand until I eventually got to the field they were in. I precariously parked my bike in the sand, and walked slowly and unsteadily as if I'd never walked before into this group of foreign strangers, just because I was in awe by what they were doing. They all smiled at me (about 8 middle aged men and one woman) and waved, a few saying hi, one asking me where I was from. Basically they were paragliding, only not leaving the ground. So it looked more like a mix between paragliding and flying a kite! I could tell it was hard work. They were all sweating. But it was a truly unique experience to be right in the midst of something like that. The picture below is basically what they'd be doing if they were actually leaving the ground. Perhaps they were just practicing? I may never know.

After the paragliding, I saw this little pagoda on the top of a mountain and it was my next goal- to figure out how to get there. Trees have started blossoming, and it's quite gorgeous to bike through a park in early spring with nothing but blue skies above you and flowering nature surrounding you. After winding my way up into the mountain, I finally get to the top, and to my surprise there's a petting zoo! But also to my surprise, even the deer here didn't know what to make of me! They were walking riiiight up to all the Koreans, feeding directly out of their palms. They ran away when they saw me, then slowly yet skeptically approached me again. I had to laugh.

Yesterday was the kind of happy, carefree, encouraging day of exploration that makes all the other emotions I'm feeling here totally worth it. I probably had bugs in my teeth from the constant barrage of smiles I was producing. It was nice. Really, really nice. I'm sad I don't have any pictures to show, but I will most definitely be returning. To top of my day I bought a few new plants to adorn my apartment, make it feel more like mine.

Today I was stopped in the hallway at work by one of my Korean co-teachers. She had something to tell me. "Emily, I just wanted to let you know that David's mom and grandma wanted to thank you for being such a good teacher to David. He says you're really fun and energetic and that he always enjoys coming to your class. They also went on to say that before coming to ILS (my school) and being in my class, that David was always really unhappy and kind of depressed. This surprises me because he's always really happy and outgoing in my class. Equally surprised were his mom and grandma, but for the opposite reason! T o my co-teacher this may seem small, but for me it means so much. Getting through the difficult days that leave me wanting to scream makes it all worth it to be thanked by my students' parents.

Remember my difficult 4 year old? Well, he seemed to have had a breakthrough last week. This time when he looked up at me and his little black eyes were dripping with tears, and he started screaming and wailing, he actually let me comfort him. Before he would have just pushed me and walked away sobbing. This time he let me hold him and even though we don't understand each other, I am really happy to see him caving a little! His mom also told a different co-teacher of mine to thank me for being so nice to Su-in even though he hates me. I promise- those were the words used. The kid hates me. But I also know it's because he's 4 and he's frustrated. Well, I'm 27 and I'm frustrated, too!! That's another thing his mom said- that she knows it's got to be difficult for me to teach her son because he is very difficult in general. I taught him a new game yesterday though. He has now started to hate learning from the book, but I make him learn the same material in a different way aka I trick him. Yesterday we spent 80 minutes giggling and tossing a stuffed doll back and forth. "Catch! Throw!"

I've said it before and I'll say it again- teaching these kids has taught me that I have an incredible reserve of patience that I would have forever sworn didn't exist if I never came here to do this. Maybe it's because I'm so used to working with adults, and my patience for those who should know better is very limited. Children have an excuse- they shouldn't know better! They're kids. I like the youngest ones best. It's so rewarding to see them understand something that even a week ago was out of the realm of their comprehension. I still have a class of three boys (ok, ok- my favorite class) that insist on pronouncing "pennies" as "penis" and another class slips in the word dong (feces) in wherever they can. It's hard being the authority sometimes! When I was in school I know for a fact that everyone was doing the same thing to teachers. We never had a foreign teacher come in, but I can best compare my position to being a substitute teacher. I don't quite receive the respect I deserve because the kids think they can get away with anything. In a way, this is a similar situation to subbing. It's transient. In 10 months I'll be back in the US and my kids will be hanging off their new teacher- "Emily Teacher" long forgotten!

To end this I'll tell a funny little story about my morning at the gym today.
Ok- I know and accept the fact that I am very particular about tiny little things that most people don't even think about or notice. In restaurants Greg and I do a mental scan to locate the table farthest away from all the other tables, and the most out of the way. We hate feeling crowded or being bumped into. On the subway platform I head to either the front or the back- statistically the 2 least likely crowded locations. (Not the case in NYC...) Since my gym assigns lockers upon each visit and I can't choose mine in the farthest back corner, I silently pray each time that I won't be directly across from a naked butt bending over to apply lotion that might accidentally rub up against me (the butt, not the lotion). I can only guess I'm not alone in hoping that no strangers' butts will touch me during my gym visits. Anyway, so today I enter the lockeroom. Turn into the aisle in which locker #83 is located, and can hardly contain my gasping surprise to see not 1, not 3, but 8-10 elderly special needs naked Koreans all sitting/ standing, mumbling to themselves. Some partially dressed thanks to some nurses. Guess where locker 83 is located? Yup. right in the middle of this gaggle. I think I was touched by perhaps 3 naked butts this morning. Now, that's just too much to handle before I've had my morning coffee!!!

discovering even more

I've had a really great weekend. Met some new people to hang out with, bought a bike today (yay!) and just biked all over. The bike is unlike any other bike I've owned, but it is by far the most comfortable to ride! High handlebars, a basket, a bell, the works. It's perfect. Weighs about 3000 pounds, but I only live on the second floor, so I can manage carrying it. And it fits perfectly in my laundry room, so it's entirely out of the way. Road bikes seem impractical here (since I would die if I rode in the street- everyone rides on the sidewalks).


I also went on a really great 5 mile run yesterday. As I was running I had no idea that I was at the Daegu Arboretum- I discovered that today when I biked kind of the same way. It was a beautiful run that I'm thrilled to have discovered. As everyone knows, running on a treadmill is torturous, as is running on city streets constantly. I'm glad I've found some nature to submerge myself in. Most of the cool spots I've discovered, I found them completely by accident. Daegu is the kind of city that is hard to explain to someone where to go or how to get somewhere specific- for one thing, most streets lack names. Which drives me nuts! But I have a pretty good sense of direction, so just pedaling around or running can be quite fun for exploring. Today I saw so many cool things. I also ran into, separately, 3 students of mine! It was probably really weird for them to see their American teacher cruising around on a bike in some remote part of the city in a old farming village! Ha, that's where one of my students saw me. He was with his sister and his mom, and he is one of my most misbehaved students in my worst class. But you'd never know it by him seeing me today, because he was so shy! I saw another student learning to ride his bike with his dad. It was adorable.



Tomorrow begins my 10th week of teaching. That's crazy! In some ways it's seemed like forever, but in other ways it has flown by. I've learned so much. I would never lie and say any of this is easy. It's hard. I miss my friends and family. I miss Greg. I miss my baby niece! It's tough being away from people. I guess I knew that'd be the case, but maybe I didn't know quite how hard it would be. The internet makes it entirely possible to keep in touch with everyone, but even then it can never be like the real thing.

Ok! Enough of that! I'm seeing really unique and interesting things. The people are what make Korea. Some people have a natural furrow in their brow or a scowl on their face, but all it takes to make them crack is to smile and say hello. Old ladies have, on numerous occasions, reached into their purses on the subway and shoved pieces of candy into my hand while telling me I'm beautiful. People stare like they're never seen a white person, and that's not going to change. But no one is mean, no one is malicious. The hospitality here is remarkable. That was one of my first impressions that I am positive will hold true the entire time I'm here. One of my favorite things to do is to say hello in Korean, and just see the smiles spread across the faces of whomever I say it to. True, I can't say much more beyond a simple hello, but this is a gesture that really means a lot to me and to the people I'm saying it to.

fat-N-sassy

I'm in a serious food coma ZZzzzZzzzzzzzzz...

My sister mailed me 3 giant bottles of barbeque sauce all the way from Tennessee. I was all set for yet another stir-fry for dinner, but luckily I got to instead make the best meal I've eaten since leaving the US. Fried bbq tofu sandwich (covered in about 50 million oz. of bbq sauce) and made from scratch, skin still on, garlic and chive mashed potatoes. It took me about 45 minutes to make dinner, and all but 10 minutes to consume it. I don't think I breathed the whole time. Just for you, Greg- I'm feeling fat & sassy. Mmmmm, if I weren't out of bread, I'd make another sandwich.

Just.... wow.

Today at school I ripped up a paper airplane, then as I was striding confidently back to the front of them room, I tripped on a chair.
Yesterday I had to calm down 2 sobbing 8 year olds because one got an extra piece of candy over the other.
I routinely have to physically sit students as close to me as possible so I can keep an eye on them, and so I can yank out of their hands whatever distraction they're playing with that day.

I have discovered though that the 4 year old loves chocolate covered sunflower seeds. And he LOVES to cover my palms with as many layers of oil crayons as he can before it all cakes up and flakes off. So, naturally I let him do it. Otherwise he cries and punches me. School has now become very routine, with me relishing in my very infrequent breaks, taking to the couch in the corner to read a book and sip coffee like I'm not surrounded by 30 screaming children. But I'm learning how to cope, even though I spend most days counting down the minutes until the final bell rings so I'm free!

Last Saturday I went on my first organized group bus trip to a city called Cheongdo. There was about 150 foreigners piled onto 4 buses. We went to a wine tunnel (wine tasting in an old train tunnel- where we sampled some persimmon wine). Though I typically steer clear of group travel arrangements, I had a really great time. After the wine tunnel, we all hopped back onto the buses and went to a Korean bull fight (bull on bull). It felt somewhat surreal to be in a bullfighting arena surrounding by Koreans cheering and yelling at what looked to me like 2 very tired, very lethargic bulls! We didn't know what was going on for the most part, but we cheered right along with everyone else. I'll admit it though, due to the lethargy of the bulls, it was a little boring, but exciting nonetheless. After the fight we boarded the buses to head back to Daegu. To my happy surprise, the bus we were on was fully outfitted for karaoke! Flatscreen in front, songbook, and microphone! So everyone took turns singing songs from the very limited selection of English songs that a Korean tour bus has on hand! All in all, it was a great day. I may just decide to do another group event in the future!
And the following pictures are from Suseong Lake that Kathryn and I went to on Sunday (this is in Daegu)

hangman

It was bound to happen. Inappropriate anatomy drawn on hangman when I wasn't looking. Actually, I was looking, right at the boy as he drew... well... you can imagine what he drew. The class got a good, hearty 5 minute laugh about it. I, being the responsible-mature-adult-teaching figure spearheading their learning, immediately erased it, though I was laughing pretty heartily myself.

my first field trip!!!

Today my school went on a field trip with all the kindergartners. It was so much fun! We all piled onto 2 buses at around 10am, and drove to I have no idea where, to a place called I have no idea what. BUT! The kids all wore their sweats and they got to run around this tiny little "amusement park" for kids all morning. And don't think I didn't play with them, because I did. There was a ball-pit, a giant lump covered in smooth tarp-looking plastic that you could climb up (if you were graceful enough- the jury's still out on whether or not I was graceful enough...), a giant piano that played the notes as you walked on them (think BIG!), among many other things. The kids had a great time, and 2 little girls in particular kept grabbing my hands and dragging me around with them to everything. By the end I was a sweaty mess just like them. But it was definitely fun, and we all enjoyed not having to teach this morning!

All bundled up and ready to go!

Giant piano! There was about a 1.5 second lag after stepping on each note, but with patience you could play a song. A very slow song.

Giant white thing that required grace and poise to ascend.

On the bus- Ava trying on my Ray-Bans.

They are fascinated by my hair. No matter how ratty it is/ looks, they still love playing with it.

I am happy, truly happy right now. I'm feeling positive and very, very excited. I've just discovered my new favorite place in Daegu. I set out today with a backpack, not really sure of where I was headed. Well, that's a lie- I was headed to the Arboretum to check it out, maybe sit down and read somewhere. As I was walking I noticed a pathway veering off the the left of the road I was on, and my curiosity told me to follow it. I ended up hiking all the way to the top of whatever mountain I was on- in my white Vans sneakers- hiking boots were purchased mere hours later for next time!- and my black motorcycle jacket. Not only am I white, reddish-haired, and wearing completely inappropriate footgear, I'm also wearing a ridiculous biker jacket and skinny jeans. (Everyone else is donned in full on hiking gear, half of them with hiking poles, too). But I didn't care- I would stick out no matter what. Anyway, my new favorite spot was in a small clearing, away from everyone and everything, overlooking other mountains and nature. It was 4 mounds- and I'm not at all sure what the mounds were for (or who they were for). I really missed the outdoors living in NYC. But from this vantage point, all I see are trees and mountains.


After hiking up the mountain a little more, I saw something circular dangling from a tree. "What in the world?" So I keep following it like a drug dog looking to bust someone, and I come across an entire area with a sprinkling of "fitness equipment." One guy was working out on a balance beam (one horizontal tree branch tethered to 2 neighboring still upright trees). He looked curiously at me at first, but then immediately went back to doing leg-lifts on the beam.

I had a really uplifting weekend. The past month and a half have been an entire whirlwind of emotions, constant ups and downs, lots of encouragement, but also lots of sadness. Anyway, my weekend was really great. Aside from the hiking I stumbled upon yesterday, my Saturday was equally amazing. Ashley and I went to Gyeongju (I went there several weeks ago one afternoon with Greg while he was here). I had been daydreaming all week long about just biking along the river and generally exploring. When Greg and I went we saw this hot air balloon looking thing in the sky, and Ashley and I saw it again this time. We decided to bike towards it, and after our friend Tashia met up with us we decided to go up in it. This was amazing!! We got to soak in some incredible views of Gyeongju and Bomun Lake. There was also ATV rentals- so next time I go back I am definitely renting one.
Then there was just general merry-making, biking around and taking photos everywhere like it's our senior portraits.
Oh- see the above photo? We watched a little old woman walk her bike across this, water flowing heavily. I took a video because I was convinced her diminutive body and giant bicycle were going to be swept away by the rushing current and well... I... wanted a video of that...??? I don't know, but once we got up to it we saw what an incredible feat she had accomplished.

Right before I went to bed last night I developed a nasty sore throat. One of those where I postpone swallowing because it feels like a bouquet of razorblades is making its way down my esophagus. And Mondays are my looong day. 9 classes in a row with no break. So naturally I woke up this morning feeling completely sub par, and dreading the day. It actually went by extremely fast. I saved my voice all day, didn't yell at anyone once, and got through it without much hassle. I still accomplished my lessons, and with relative ease. My 4 year old, Su-in, that used to cry every time he saw me, has now done a total 180 and runs up to me yelling "EMILY TEACHERRRR!" and grabs onto my legs. So I guess that's cute, much cuter than him welling up with tears at my sight!

Ok, time to nurse my throat with some faux- Sprite.

snow!

Late last night and into this morning it snowed, mightily. I didn't even know it was going on, because I was tucked safely into my apartment, watching episode after episode of Friday Night Lights online (Greg and I became obsessed while he was here). At school today one of my co-workers was telling me how slippery the roads were last night, and how she nearly got into a wreck. Then she told me this was the biggest snow in Daegu in 50 years! And it's the middle of March! I'm really sick of winter weather! 2 months in NYC, followed by 2 more months here.... ugh, I'm ready for spring!

I've seen some minor improvements at school this week. As I mentioned before, last week was rough because of a new schedule and new students. It was a really upsetting week for me, because I was letting every little thing get to me. Since I'm only 1.5 months into my year here, I vowed late Sunday night to not have another week like that while I'm here. Half of my morning classes are teaching a 4 year old. ONE 4 year old. He is probably my most difficult to deal with because, let's face it, I have no idea what to do with a 4 year old that speaks no English and cries every time he sees the freckled foreign girl. Also, his mom comes in every day, so of course the first thing he does is run to her, and she's a huge distraction, not to mention a giant crutch for him. However, this week he tickled me one day, yesterday he let me color with him, and today he ran up to me and clutched my legs until I had to peel him off. So compared to last week, this is a great sign!

I end 3 of my days a week with my most rotten class. You know the types- smart alecs, pretending to not be able to read when they really can, cracking jokes in Korean, acting like I have no authority over them. Inevitably I have to throw at least one student out to the hallway per class. Today was no different. Though I have been letting my anger and frustrations disappear with them this week. I find that all I do when I yell at them is upset myself. If I'm going to be teaching them until next January, then obviously I'm the one that has to make a positive change for them. There will still be bad days, I'm sure, but one of the biggest challenges I'm facing here is to not let so many things upset me. I am seeing improvements almost daily, so I'm pretty happy about that!

I'm planning some trips in the next month or 2. Local trips- meaning trips in Korea. I don't know where or when yet, but it's time to start exploring! More!

Time for bed. Love and miss you all! Feel free to email me too! elbutcher@gmail.com

success!

All I have to say is that with a positive attitude comes a great day. I'm slowly but surely figuring out how to deal with difficult classes and students, and I've gone in this week with a much more positive attitude than last week, and it's working. I got some really sound advice from my mother, who's been teaching 30+ years: yelling does not work. Word searches, candy bribes, and targeting one student per class as an ally and one student as a target for some light mockery does work! As does making the most misbehaved student sit in a small chair at the front of the class, right beside me. My goodness, that embarrasses them.

twizzlers

I need to start this post with an apology to Laura Sjogren. That's right, Ladybird. I'm talking to you. See, Laura helped to send me a very thoughtful care package, including a couple framed photos of herself, no less than 4 of the USA's trashiest gossip mags, some hair spray, and some candy. This is where the apology comes in. I hate twizzlers. I am thankful for them, but I do not like them. Since I was having a rough time with my new students all week last week, I finally thought to bribe them- with an exotic American candy. Pull-n-peel Twizzlers. My idea was to give each of my afternoon classes one twizzler apiece.

The first class I gave them to was 3 girls and a boy. I explained to them how to peel the twizzler apart, and they struggled with it. This should have been red flag number one. Then one girl started making gagging noises and I thought she was just being a wuss. And you know how kids are- if one sees another not liking something, kid B will follow kid A and also 'not like it.' So pretty quickly I've got 4 gagging Korean 7 year olds, and I'm upset because I wanted to do something nice for them. But they HATE it. They think I've purposely given them something horrific. They all run out of the room and chug water at the water cooler for the next 5 minutes. So then I tell them I promise not to give them anymore American candy. (Though I don't understand, because I'm pretty sure I've tasted way more disgusting Korean candy here).

After the first Twizzler debacle, I was kind of scared to try them again on more students. But since I now dread my last class on Fridays, I thought I'd give them some to try. They are my most difficult class, they never listen to me, and they're always mocking me. Bribing them is something I'm going to have to get comfortable doing. Well, I think I've been knocked back down the ladder of 'cool teacher' by making an entirely different class of Korean students gag, mock-hyperventilate, and dart for the water cooler. I mean, I don't like Twizzlers, but the taste of them doesn't exactly render the kind of dramatic reaction that I got out of every one of these kids!

But I still need bribes, so I'm going to have to come up with something better.

Sorry for the giant hiatus!

Hello! I'm sorry I've been lax in posting for a bit, but my boyfriend was in town for a week. So can you really blame me for not spending all my time updating some silly blog while he was here visiting from NYC?!



I had a really great time with Greg while he was here. It was so nice to spend so much time with him, even though I still had to work the whole time. During the days, he mostly chilled out while overcoming his jetlag, exploring my neighborhood by foot some while I was at work. He came into my school a few days, too! My boss was introducing him to all the students as the new teacher, "Greg Teacher." Somehow, the kids saw right through it and didn't believe he was a new teacher.



While he was here we got to experience something uniquely Korean: noraebong. Bong means room, so I can only assume that "norae" means " singing zany Korean pop songs in a little room while what appears to be a 'madam' (though she wasn't) serves you Pocari Sweat drinks nonstop." In other words: KARAOKE. My boss treated all of the foreign teachers and the Korean teachers (and Greg) to a Korean buffet dinner, then we all went to the noraebong. I'm pretty sure Greg was scared out of his mind, but then again he and I sang a Taylor Swift duet as the 3rd song of the evening, so he couldn't have been too uncomfortable.



The next morning, Saturday, we woke up early, around 8am. We had all the reason in the world to celebrate for the rest of his visit: he checked his email and found out he got into grad school at the University of Wisconsin for creative writing (and for those of you who don't know- he was one of only 6 out of over 600 applicants- accepted every 2 years!!!) So we did some light hiking on Mt. Apsan, did a little shopping, and generally just hung out, eating and being merry. On Sunday we boarded a bus to a town called Gyeongju, about 50 minutes away. I heard it was very historical, and I figured we should see some of that while he was here. About 10 minutes away from our destination, we came to the semi-frightening realization that we barely even confirmed we were on the correct bus, and even if we were (we were) we had no clue what we would do from the bus station. Was it in the town? On the outskirts? Would there be maps? Would anyone speak English??? Well, everything turned out fine. We ended up renting bikes from right outside the bus station, then we found a tourist map nearby. We made our way to one sight, a tomb of a king of some sort (over a thousand years old) but spent the rest of the day simply biking around, along the river and into some mountains. It was gorgeous!! Though since it was a holiday weekend- lunar New Year, the traffic was heavy, and people were gawking at us left and right out their car windows. I wouldn't be surprised to discover that the sight of us caused a wreck or 4. We also got to witness, by chance, the burning ceremony celebrating the New Year. Everyone gathers around this giant pile of branches that look like Christmas trees, and fireworks are set off- then the whole pile is lit on fire. Seems like a lawsuit waiting to happen, though this is a lawless land. Something like that would require waivers and whatnot in America.


Greg left very early Tuesday morning. It was sad to see him go, but it just gives me something to look forward to when I see him again :)

I got new classes at school this week. To avoid sounding negative, they're going to take some getting used to! I'll write more about them at a later date. Right now it's already taken me about 37 years to write this entry, and I'm tired!