Its Not Over 'Till the White Lady Sings

Today all of the teachers (about 50) went on a trip.

When we got on the bus, they gave us our own little goodie bags and some kimbap for lunch.

Obviously I did not partake in the "squid jerky". If you don't know why, please refer to my "Don't Mess With Korea" post.

We went to visit another middle school, because they are doing something new in Korea. They don't have homerooms; just subject rooms. We walked around the school after the short presentation, and I couldn't help but notice phrases on the walls like "Catch the English", Ladys Only, and Guys and Dolls. The building itself was similar to ours, and it was surrounded by mountains.

Anyways, after that, we went to the national arboretum. But I won't bore you with writing about the scenery. Just see for yourself...


That's right, I live in this country.



Eunji, Vice Principal Oh, me, and Principal Lee




In case you can't tell, I'm the the second one from the right.


English Translation: Jessica's Railroad Company


I called for Tuck a few times, but he never came...

By the time we were done walking around, it was dinner time. We went to a very traditional Korean restaurant, which for those of you who don't know, that means sitting on the floor. I've done this once before with Alex and Keara, but this time I was with only Koreans. This means that when I took off my shoes with everybody else, I suddently noticed I was the ONLY one not wearing socks. Alright ROK, I got it...always wear socks. Always. Nevertheless, I had no choice but to walk in and sit down with everybody else, so I just hope nobody else noticed my...gasp!...bare feet.


Traditional Korean meal: soup, rice, and approximately 500 side dishes = some deliciously creative lettuce wraps. And notice....there's no meat! Yay!

I also tried Macoli for the first time with dinner. It is traditional Korean Rice wine. It has the same rice taste as Sake, but its thick like milk, and is sweeter. It was delish!

After this long day, Eunji and I were both tired and had planned on sleeping for the 2 hour bus ride back home. But wait...

What do Koreans do after dinner?

NOREBANG!......What if there isn't a norebang nearby though?



That's right...the bus suddenly becomes a portable norebang. Complete with extremely loud speakers and eager participants. I should note here that the man you see standing toward the front is the Korean equivalent of Anthony Long. Seriously, I think they were separated at birth...and one of them has a permanent hair color job and skin color change. I just haven't figured out who yet.

OK, back to my story.

Eunji and I were both appalled that we had to listen to this the whole way home. That is, until the vice principal requested that I sing a song.
Then I was appalled AND terrified.

So I was searching through the book for a song they would never have heard. Preferably a country song. I came across Dixie Chicks' "Long Time Gone".
In my nervousness, I immediately thought this was the "Taking the Long Away Around" song...you know, the one I know by heart and would loudly sing in my car in Texas?

But this was not the same song.

This was an older, louder, and faster song. A song whose melody I don't remember too well.

It was horrible. I was climbing Lyric Mountain wearing stilettos and basketball blinders...during a mudslide. All I could do was embrace the hick accent deep within in me to help the situation. Now that I think about it, that probably just made it worse.

After it was over, I still thought my self esteem was intact. They were all singing Korean songs that sounded perfect to me, so maybe since it was an English song I sounded the same right? But then one of the male teachers chose a song. He said in the mircophone "for Rachel"...and went on to beautifully sing an English song. So basically they all knew I couldn't sing, because these Koreans are secretly talented in the art of American music.

As if giving in to the vice-prinicpal's request wasn't enough for one night, I convinced Eunji to sing "As Long As You Love Me" as a duet to redeem myself. Don't judge me-the Backstreet Boys are awesome whether or not you admit it.

So for the second time in one night, I sang in front of half of the teachers and principal and vice-principal.

I don't know where I get these ideas.