Speak Now Tour!

One of my students, who is also a huge Taylor Swift fan, told me she was coming to Seoul a few months ago. Fast forward to last night, and Keara and I were there! Not up in the nosebleed section, but down on the floor.

I can't pinpoint exactly what made the concert so great.

Was it because it was at Olympic park?


Was it the excitement?




Was it the cowboy I spotted?

Was it the same cowboy who got creeped out when he saw me take a picture, and moved to the other side of his wife?


Was it the ukulele she played on a small stage in the back?


Or was it the guitar she played on a small stage in the back?


Was it the man sitting next to me singing along and dancing with his purple skull and crossbone pants?


Was it the music?


Was it because Keara was with me?


Was it because Taylor brings cowboys with her on tour?


Was it because of the cute sound guy?


Was it because she walked within 2 feet of us?

I love you! Who are you wearing!? Will you be my best friend?


I'm not sure, but I can tell you one thing:

Taylor Swift is a rock star!

추워

As Taylor Swift says, "this is me swallowing my pride..."

For those that know me back home, you probably know that I hate the Texas heat. I complain. My face turns red easily. I sweat. My hair frizzes even more than usual. I always fight with my Dad about the A/C. Hannah can't ever sit in the front seat when I'm in the car, because she gets too cold.

I always said, "I can't wait for winter!"

However, I've come to realize that there are different definitions of winter.

Texan winter- a mildly cold season ranging anywhere from one week to two months; average highs in the 50s, possibility of snow one day a year resulting in a holiday

I know Texas has had some freaky weather this year. Be glad its freaky and not normal.

Korean winter- the closest one can get to death without actually putting one's self out of misery, ranging anywhere from 3 months to eternity; average highs in the -200s, possibility of sun one day a year resulting in absolutely no snow or ice melting

Even though winter is coming to an end, I still feel as cold as ever. The happiest moment of the day comes when I walk into my apartment, immediately throw on my sweats, and jump under the covers for an hour to thaw out.

Oh how I miss thee
let me count the days

I miss the days flip flops didn't give my feet enough breathing room.

I miss the days of walking around my apartment without socks and a hoodie on.

I miss the days of needing to put ice in my water.

I miss the days my A/C blew 100 degree air for the first 5 minutes.

I miss the days when more than 2% of my body could be exposed to the sun.

I miss the days of wearing flip flops on Christmas.

I miss the days when I could feel my toes.

I miss the days I couldn't sit in my car without putting a towel down to keep my legs from getting 3rd degree burns.

I miss the days when I had to watch out for mosquitos at night.

I miss the days when it was too hot to even go swimming.

I miss the days when I had to change my shirt during the day because I was sweaty.

I miss the days when my nose didn't run...all the time.

I miss the days I would burn the bottoms of my feet when walking to the pool.

I miss the days when ice cream wasn't cold enough.

I miss the days when Uggs were ridiculous.

I miss the days pants simply were not an option.

I miss the days when my shoulders didn't have to be tensed up in order to walk.

I miss the days when the only bumps I had were from dull razors, not geese.

I miss the days when my breath was invisible.

I miss the days of sunburn, rather than windburn.

I miss the days of showering to cool off.

I miss the days when scarves were an accessory, not a necessity.

*Shout out to my 친구, Laurie, for her input with some of these!

"We may or may not get back tonight."

Those were the sweetened words from Laurie's mouth about the cold hard truth.

All I could do was freeze for a second, then proceeded to laugh it off, and order some sweet potato cheese balls and water.

I walked to the counter and placed my order only to find my water in an actual glass cup with red hearts.

"Look at this! Has nobody ever ordered water here before?"

There was a stack of the normal cups, two of which were used for our cokes. They were sitting next to their water machine.

laughing, laughing, laughing, "I just don't understand why they gave me what is clearly an employee's glass."

laughing, laughing, laughing, "We are in Korea, Rachel."

Daegu, Korea to be exact. A few minutes after 3:00am.

"Our sandwiches and french fries were so good. And the nachos and burrito we had tonight."

"OMG that Tex Mex was so good! And don't forget the popcorn we had at the GoGo bar."

"That GoGo bar was so seedy."

"But we still had fun drinking our vodka mangoes. Remember those? Those were so good!"


"Almost as good as the shirts we bought from the same seedy bar! Good idea, Laurie. Now we'll always have something tangible to remind us of tonight."

"I should just say again that we may or may not get back tonight. That in itself might be enough to sear this night into our memories."

It's true. We had, in fact, stumbled across a seedy downstairs bar that was clearly the Daegu U.S. military hot spot. For 2 1/2 hours, we sat at the bar drinking our unlimited vodka mangoes while contemplating life, popcorn, guys, and everything in between. Three things happened at around 1:45am. Every single military guy immediately left to make it back before curfew, every single tiny Korean girl left because the military guys left, and Alex and Jodi left the hip hop club around the corner to come get us.

After purchasing our bright pink GoGo shirts, we hopped in a cab and sped off into the night. Since we were visiting A & J, there was no need to pay attention to the details of navigation. After all, its their city, and we were on vacation.

We arrived at their apartment, but Laurie and I discoverd, after taking a few goofy pictures of ourselves in the shirts, that we weren't sleepy. Not in the least bit.

We were hungry.

And you can't stop two margarita, sangria, and vodka mango filled girls from satisfying a hunger like ours.

Alex and Jodi were already asleep in the other room, so we decided to sneak out. As if A & J are our parents and we are going to meet Victor and Cody (or whoever you would hang out with in your younger sneaking out days).

After creeping down the stairs, ever so loudly, we start walking down the street to hail a cab. But as we walk arm in arm with our "GoGo vinyl" shirts on, we realize A) there's no restaurants anywhere nearby and B) we have no clue where we are.

"Oh! Here's a road sign for a girl's primary school. I'll text it to you, and it'll be saved in my phone. Then when we need to get back, we can just say this school. Easy leasy pemon squeezy."

"Good idea Rach! I think we should walk back the other way though to get a cab in that big intersection on the bridge."

A few minutes later, a cab was pulling over for us. We hopped in, giggly and upbeat as ever.

"Uhhhh, Lotteria?"

"or McDonald's?"

Cab driver: "Lotteria? Ok"....laughing

Cab driver: laughing..."Hungry?"

"Yes, yes! Hungry."

As Laurie and I discuss our insatiable need for french fries, the cab driver is zipping through the light 2am traffic. We arrive at the Lotteria, and he drives off.

Its at this moment I say "Man, I wish he would just wait on us to take us back. That way we won't have to worry about directions."

"We'll be fine. We've got that primary school's name."

We mosey on in, order our generic McDonald's wannabe meals, and proceed to inhale the most delicious food of all time.

It's amazing how time has such an important affect on how food tastes.

Well, that and vodka. and tequelia. and sangria.

After reluctantly leaving the heart covered glass in the restaurant, we leave. Somehow we remember to cross the street to get a cab going back the way we came. We hop in as I'm pulling out my phone.

I read off the romanization of the hangul* for the school.

"Hyeomyeong girls primary school"
Cab driver: "???"
"Uh, Hyaemyeong primary school?"
"Hyomong hakyo?"
Cab driver: "???"

He just starts driving. Its at this moment we realize we seriously may or may not get back tonight.

As we are driving, though, Laurie spots something familiar.

"Oh! There's that big Homeplus! We definitely passed it on the way."

But after a few more blocks, the cab driver stops, asking us which way. He can turn left or go straight.

The vodka quickly retreats from our brains, leaving us with the cold empty shock that comes from being lost at 3am in a city that is not ours.

"rencho?"

After hesitantly telling him to turn left, he confidently flies down the street, leaving us with nothing familiar in sight.

"Hey we're in a school zone. Maybe its Alex or Jodi's school!"

"Yeah maybe. Or maybe its not their school at all. Maybe we aren't even in Daegu anymore. Maybe we accidently told him to turn north and we are headed for Kim Jong-il's house right now."

"Like I said, we may or may not get back tonight."

Then a miracle happened.

"THE BIKE STORE! I've seen that before! RENCHO, RENCHO!!"

"THE DOG STORE!!! We made it! Yogi, yogi!!!"

Yes, ladies and gentlemen, we miraculously steered him in the exact location we needed.

There's a lesson in all of this.

Never drink alone. Do it with a friend. It makes for a much more fun night.



*Hangul is the Korean alphabet. A lot of times, when they use the roman alphabet to translate, the sounds don't exactly match up. For example: my town is spelled Seongnam, but its pronounced Songnom. In other words, its pointless.

Also, after proofreading this, I realized that reading THE DOG STORE in Korea might elicit a disturbing image in your mind. This is a pet store, like to get dogs as pets, not snacks.

This is the year that never ends, yes it goes on and on my friends...

This will be a quick post. A streaming of thoughts, if you will.

Final exams were December 7-10, 2010.

What has happened since December 10th?

3 weeks of class: one week of which I had none due to going over the exam, another week of which I was on my death bed, and one week of a Christmas game

Then school let out for winter vacation. Ah, but you are on the other side of the world. I need to explain further.

vacation- n. a period of suspension of work, study, or other activity, usually used for rest, recreation, or travel; recess or holiday

vacation in Korea- v. a period of suspension of rest, recreation or travel, usually used for extra studying at academies, winter English camp, or group study in a freezing classroom

Remember when I said that final exams were December 7-10th?
Well, today is February 7, 2011, which clearly means that kids should come back to school for one week.

This is not the first week of the new school year. This is the last week of the school year. The one with the final exams on December 7th.

"What the hell is going to happen this week?" you might ask.

Today is Monday. The first day back after over 6 weeks of no public school classes. So naturally, students have end of year exams. These won't count for anything due to the the final exams already being taken and recorded.

The next three days, class is as usual. By usual I mean kids will not listen and be stir crazy due to the fact that they literally have no reason to pay attention. And by usual, I mean I will be teaching another holiday lesson, because the book only has enough information to fill approximately 2 weeks out of a school year.

Friday is Graduation day. This means the principal and a few 3rd grade students will go into the video room and have their ceremony, while other students sit in the classroom and watch it on TV. Then kids will stay until sometime after 4:30 (my ass is out the door after that), studying in freezing classrooms.

What's in your kitchen?

I promise this blog is not going to turn into a food blog, or even have a food section. Its just that last night, I happened to actually cook. Thus, it needed to be documented. And today at lunch, I was so tired that I drank a cup of coffee. Thus, its 11:30pm and I'm wide awake. and bored. Yes, its weird that I'm awake at 11:30 ok? I know you are cool and go to bed at this time every night, but like I've always told my mom, I'm a 40 year old trapped in a 23 year old's body. (Sorry to all the 40 year olds I may have offended...and kudos to you if you still stay up late!)

Anyways, I got to thinking...maybe some of you wonder sometimes, "What does Rachel's kitchen look like? What kind of things does she buy from the grocery store over there? Can she buy the same food she does at home?" Well, for all 2 of you, I'm about to scratch that itch!


Starting from the back, we have some unhealthy cooking oil. This was bought my first week here when I was too terrified and exhausted to even search for good oil in the grocery store. Next we have soy sauce. This was bought at the same time, when I thought that since I'm in Asia, I should eat soy sauce. But you know what? I don't really like soy sauce. Since having realized that, the bottle is now purely decorative. The next two are EVOO and balsamic vinegar. I like to call these my lifelines. Next to the end is red pepper paste. I mix this with rice or sometimes eggs. And saving the best for last is my pepper grinder. Its not just any pepper grinder though. No sir-ee. Do you want one like this? Well you can't buy it! My Grandpa handmade this. BAZINGA.


If you turn around to face my island, you can see all of my morning and late night goodies. Oatmeal (thanks parentals!), yummy cereal, bananas, kiwis, oranges, and apples, a healthy attempt at chocolate, and coffee. Oh yeah, and a cute bread shaped cutting board. I bet you can't guess who made that for me too.

Cereal is a lot more expensive than in the U.S. That box cost $7! Most people eat rice and kimchi for breakfast. No lie.
Oatmeal is almost nonexistent. I can order some online, but its not the same as back home and its more expensive.
While some fruit is a little more expensive than back home, I don't even blink an eye before buying it without moderation. Fruit is just that awesome. Isn't that right Uncle Homer?


In the cupboard we have peanut butter, rice, and...wait what is that? POPCORN!
That small jar of peanut butter was about $5.50, but I don't care. If I go too long without peanut butter toast, I start to go a little crazy. Popcorn is not that hard to come by, but you get one choice and its only sold in the individual packages. Each bag costs about 80 cents. Before, I thought that only the Daiso (dollar store) in Suwon sold popcorn, so I would stock up when I stayed with Laurie. But I was wandering down the imported foods aisle at my grocery store this week and spotted the beautiful blue and yellow colors at the very bottom corner of the shelf. I quickly jumped down with joy to grab some!

It goes without saying that the rice is cheap.


Soy milk, sliced jalepenos (for my huevos), mini gherkins (I bought these tonight!), and some caffe latte drink a student gave me. Unless any of my friends want it, it will remain there for the duration of my stay in Korea.


Don't worry, this is the last picture. Damn this was longer than I expected.
From top to bottom, left to right we have salsa (courtesy of Costco and Rosalyn), prunes (In case you didn't know, I love fruit.), and my agua. No plastic bottles in this fridge!
And on the bottom shelf we have sliced carrots, some left overs from last night's gourmet meal, sesame leaves, and eggs. And do you see the open drawer at the bottom? And do you see that brown bag? Well, if you put your xray vision glasses on real quick, you can see that inside that brown bag is a plastic bag. And inside that plastic bag is a locked tupperware. And inside that tupperware is kimchi.

And, finally, a math lesson to finish this up.
Kimchi + a sealed tupperware container + a sealed plastic bag + a brown bag + a closed drawer = a still smelly fridge.

Good night.

Watch Out Rachael Ray

My co teachers often ask me if I ever cook at home. I tell them no, because I normally don't go any further than scrambled eggs. However, I got a little fancy this evening.

Step One: Gather kimchi (courtesy of my Korean savior), eggs, and sesame leaves.


Step Two: Dump the rice and carrots into the hot tub until they are steamy and completely relaxed.


Step Three: Saute the kimchi, rice and carrots, and eggs.


Step Four: Voila! The sesame leaves are perfect for making little kimchi rice and egg wraps.


Step Five: Enjoy the meal in bed under the warm covers while watching Friends.

Step Six: Dessert. Let's see, what do I have....

Winter Break

Since real school let out for winter break at the end of December, my days have been mostly peaceful and a little boring.

My favorite 1st grade class on our last day. They are my favorite in spite of the girls who simply must hide their faces in all pictures. They are lucky their boy classmates make up for that.

It wasn't always boring and peaceful though. I had two weeks of winter English camp. One week for each grade. I was excited for the 1st graders, as they aren't too cool for school just yet. Those 15 campers were fun, behaved, and all had high levels of English. But for some reason, on the last day the boys decided to surprise me and "act a fool". Nonetheless, I called that week a success.


Lovely well behaved girls on the last day of camp, playing the game correctly.


Demon boys on the last day of camp, drawing grotesque pictures inbetween their wrestling matches, since having miraculously finished the game 30 minutes before the other two groups.

The next week was the 2nd grade winter camp. I was not looking forward to this, since the 2nd graders during normal school are in that "I'm too cool and smart to listen to you, and even though I love pop music, I'm going to look bored out of my mind when you spend a whole class listening to my favorite songs" phase. Eunji even said she felt sorry for me, because she had to do summer camp and the 2nd graders were horrible. Thanks Eunji.

However, the spell I attempted must have worked. There were only 7 that came every day. They were all well behaved, laughed at my dumb jokes, and got my sarcasm. Hell, even a couple of them coul throw something back every now and then! Rachel Teacher was impressed. But nothing compares to their taste in music. While doing "work sheets" and "English" winter crafts, I would ask them what they wanted to listen to.

Muse!
Green Day!

Hell. to. the. yes.

Me: "Do you know 30 Seconds to Mars?"
Paul: "Yes, play their songs!"
Me: "Do you know Jet?"
Students: "No. Will you play their songs still?"
Me: "Hell to the yes!" (On second thought, I probably just said yes.)

While winter camp is over, I still have a parents' class twice a week. Apart from the blind date setter-upper (see my George Bush has Charisma post for more info), the moms are fun to talk to and very smart. We have talked about things like North Korea, where their parents were during the Korean war, Korean versus American schools, food, traveling, and their stories from when they lived overseas. One mom even told me about her mom's living in Hiroshima and evacuating right before the bomb was dropped.

One mom works for a marketing company.
One mom used to work in finance at a multi-national company.
One mom used to be a news anchor!

And they all love to talk. So basically, I sit there for one hour and listen to them talk to each other in English and occasionally ask them questions and answer theirs. Its pretty sweet.

Side story: The Georgey Bushey lady wanted to take us all out for noodles after class on Thursday, so we took two cars to get there. As we pulled up to the restaurant, I noticed there was no available parking spots. There was, however, some orange cones out front to keep cars off the sidewalk in front of the doors.

So what does Miss Georgey Bushey do? Gets out and moves the cones, so the two cars can just pull right up to the door.

Korea, you never cease to surprise me.

Anyway, when I'm not working for those 2 hours a week, I'm deskwarming. This term has many meanings for native teachers. Some meanings are:
-watching movies
-reading
-thinking about lesson planning, then surfing the internet
-chatting on Facebook and Gmail
-irresponsibly shopping online (Mom and Dad- there will be a package delivered soon)
-thinking about lesson planning, then watching TV online
-2 hour lunch breaks, nap included
-And for poor Laurie teacher, it means double duty winter camp this week. :(


It also means cleaning out and organizing one's desk for the first time since arriving in Korea.



I wonder how long this will last once school starts again. And by "this", I also mean the quiet hall ways, small classes of good students, and the silence of the deafening bell.

Public Nudity

I can't believe I almost forgot to post this. I guess since I told my parents all about it, it escaped the "this must go into the blog" file. I feel that this is the most cultural experience I've had in Korea. And also one of the coolest.

A couple of weeks ago, I went to my first jimjilbang. I met my friend, Keara, and we had lunch first. She had been there many times, so it was nice to have somebody there who knew the ropes. We walk in and pay our 7,000 won. The lady gives us a towel and our shorts and t-shirt. First, we put our shoes in a locker. Then we give the shoe key to a different lady, and she gives us another key for our clothes locker. This is the part where I felt a little weird. Here in a big open locker room, you strip down. After getting over my initial "oh my god im walking around naked in front of all these Korean women and Keara" moment, we make our way into the public baths area. You are required to shower first before doing anything, so we head over to the only shower head not being used.

Before I go any further, let me paint a little picture.

Its a big square room with tile floors. Along one of the walls are the shower heads. There's also bath stations throughout the room where women sit on plastic stools and wash themselves. Another wall is filled with massage tables covered with naked ladies being scrubbed down by the workers. The back wall is home to a wet steam room and a dry steam room. The remaining wall has a cold water bath, a freakin' cold water bath, and a tepid water bath. In the middle of the room are the heated baths. Oh and there's also an area with heated stone floors to lay down on. Naked.

And it wouldn't be Korea without sinks for brushing your teeth.

So after I shower, I go into the dry steam room first. Its pretty crowded, so I'm forced to stand for a minute or two until somebody gets up. I then take their place, setting my towel on the bench before sitting down. I'm not going to pretend my eyes weren't wandering around. After all, its not everyday you get to see what Korean ladies' bodies really look like. I was surprised at all the flab. Of course there were a few of the typical Asian beauties, but the majority had pretty average bodies.

After a few minutes, my lungs felt properly saturated in steamy humid goodness. I got up and went over to the heated stone floor. You lay down on your back, naked of course, and just relax. I did cover myself with my towel, since it wasn't going to be used for anything else. A Korean lady was lying next to me, and Keara walked over for a minute. As she was walking away, the Korean lady threw her head up to watch her walk away. I guess Koreans are as curious as I was.

Picture this sans clothes and Star Wars towel-do

After my back was hurting from lying in one position, I decided I wasn't ready for the lying on my side with my ass hanging out yet. So, Keara and I tried out the warm baths in the middle. She then wanted to try out the cold baths, and for some reason, I went with her. I could only get in up to my stomach, and I quickly got out to jump back into the warm bath.

During all this, I observed. Old ladies are walking around careful not to step on their boobs, and little kids are running around without a care in the world. But the sweetest thing I saw were the moms washing their kids. It almost felt like we were in ancient Rome. And it may sound gross, but it was so clean. Everywhere you look, you see women exfoliating in the shower, lathering on the soap, and brushing their teeth.

Its interesting to think about from a cultural standpoint. Here you've got a typical conservative Asian country, where tank tops and flip flops are frowned upon. Yet, you walk into a jimjilbang and women are completely comfortable in their own skin with no inhibitions about being naked in front of their friends and strangers.

America, however, seems to be the opposite. Women can get away with wearing practically anything (nothing, rather), but get us into a locker room and eveybody's reaching for the towel from behind the shower curtain.

But there's more to a jimjilbang than public nudity. We walk out of the baths, and put on our matching pink shorts and shirt. After walking down a long hallway, we reach the co-ed part. There's little cubbies filled with Koreans napping, reading, eating, and talking. There's all kinds of different heated rooms to sit in. For instance, a salt room, charcoal room, lavendar room, etc.


They also have massage chairs (1,000 won for 10 minutes), which we took full advantage of.

Again, old people walk around, little kids run around and play. It's like an indoor central park. There's even a snack bar and restaurant!

I can say with full certainty that won't be my last trip to the jimjilbang. I feel clean and relaxed just writing about it.

George Bush has charisma, and Obama is an adulterer.

One of the parents I teach asked me to go to dinner with her tonight to practice her English. When she asked me, she specifically said, just you and me. This lady is very spastic, intense, and just a lot to handle. But, she's also very nice and sweet, and who are we kidding? I'm not one to turn down a free meal.

So, I got home from school, did pilates, threw on a shirt, put my hair in a messy bun, threw on my sneakers, and walked to the restaurant. Whatever, just get this dinner/English practice over with, so I can be warm in my PJs.

She walks to the door to meet me, and takes me to our table. As I'm putting my things down, I realize there's two guys sitting at the table RIGHT next to us. They are looking at us like they know her or something. One of them is really really really cute too.

"Rachel, this is my nephew and my son!"

Oh shit.

I immediately see the cute sweater hanging in my closet, the stylish black boots next to my door, and my hair straightener and brush just lying by the bathroom sink.

Luckily, my mind wakes back up in time to meet Max, the Korean with the heavy Australian accent from Melbourne who will graduate with an Accounting degree next year. And her son, who I've taught for four months, but have no recognition of who he is. Don't judge- I see 750 students each week. Still, it would have been nice if he were one of the few kids whose face and name I do know.

Her English level is low, but she is asking me all kinds of questions about myself. Questions like: Do you like sports? Max likes sports. I've heard Koreans like to fix people up and set up blind dates and such. I just didn't realize they would do it without asking you first. But, don't get me wrong. I'm not complaining. I kept waiting for the moment she would put food in her mouth, so Max and I could talk. After all, its not everyday you get to speak to a Korean who is fluent in English, has an Australian accent, weighs more than 100 lbs, likes Harry Potter, and gets sarcasm. And has an Australian accent.

Ugh, but then Korea and its common questions had to go and rain on my parade.

She asked me how old I was.

"23 in America, but 24 in Korea." (FYI-technically I'm 25 in Korea now, since its after January 1st. Everybody turns a year older after the new year. However, I refuse to say I'm 25.)

I then asked Max how old he was.

Smiling, he says "I'm 19 in Australia."

Fuck wank bugger shitting arse head and hole.

Anyways....Grace then says "You from Texas Austin! Georgey Bushey from Texas Austin!"

Me: "Yes, he is, unfortunately."

Grace: "I love Georgey Bushey! You don't like Bushey? Why?"

Me: "I don't think he was a good president. Why do you like him?"

Grace: "Oh, he has charisma!"

She then tells me she has a dog, and wanna know what her dog's name is?
Georgey Bushey.

Grace:"Do you like Obama?"

Me: "Yes, I do."

Grace: "He cheat on his wife. She is crazy and angry!"

Me: "Obama? Why do you think this is true?"

Grace: "It is in the internet! Go searchey in internet. It is there."

Oh well, at least I got a free meal with a side of ear candy.

Bodily Fluids, Blurred Vision, & B.O.

Warning #1: I have been under the effect of cold/sinus medicine and an abnormal amount of hot showers for the past few days. My writing may have been effected. Yes, effected.

Warning #2: If the title didn't give it away already, this is me holding nothing back. If you're a smart cute single guy who isn't crazy, please stop reading this.

As some of you may know, I've been sick this past week. In the states, when you catch a cold, it was no big deal. You take some nyquil, drink lots of fluids, sleep all weekend, and you're back on your feet in no time.

That's not Korea's style.

This cold/sinus infection/Korean death plague* was horrendous.
If I were to blow my nose using Orlando Bloom instead of a tissue, this is what you would see:

Sorry Orlando!

So much for a fun-filled Christmas day. After opening my presents and skyping with the family, I spent the rest of the day sleeping, taking steamy hot showers, watching movies, and cursing at the pharmacy downstairs for being closed.

20 minutes after arriving at school on Monday morning, it was decided that I was going to the doctor after lunch, and it was suggested (ordered) that I sleep in the heated bed in the teacher's lounge until that time came.

Normally in Korea, when you are sick, you don't go to a doctor's office. You just go to the hospital. The hospital isn't just for emergencies and surgery. However, the spirits of the universe were on my side that day, and we got to visit the nose and throat clinic that just happened to be in Yatap. Not that it really mattered.

You'll read why.

After a 2 minute wait (no appointment was made), I walked into the room. There were all kinds of medical utensils on the little table next to my chair, and a TV screen in front of me. The doctor quickly shoved this little tube up my nostrils to take a picture. It didn't hurt at all, but then I realized the pictures were on the screen. I don't like seeing anything related to the inside of my body, or anybody else's body for that matter. It wigs me out. Then he made me open my mouth, and shot this blast of weird tasting air into my throat. Now, I'm not sure if he discusses the medical problems will all of his patients or if he just wanted to practice his English, but he began to tell me I had a sinus infection, and pointing to the insides of my nostrils on the screen.

As if I really needed to hear about the details of the grossness happening inside my body. Really, why can't doctors examine you, give you medicine, and not speak a word about why? If I ever get cancer or get a kidney stone or break a bone, I don't want to know about it. Just fix it, and tell me when its over.

Anyways, as we were walking back toward the waiting area, I got that familiar feeling. The same feeling I got the first time I went to a chiropractor. The feeling I get before, during, and after getting blood taken. The feeling I get after getting any kind of shot. But I'm in Korea, with a co worker, and I have to be a big girl about this. So what do I do?

"Sungsook, where's the bathroom?"

Unfortunately, it was all the way down a long hall. I quickly walked out, but the closer I got to the end of the hall way, the more these black spots got in my way. I kept ignoring them thinking they would give up and bother somebody else, but they weren't having it. They may as well have been Ryan Reynolds with his shirt off. I just couldn't help but notice them. I never did find the bathroom, but there was a couch at the end. How I got there, I'll never know.

After a few minutes of laying down to let my dignity run for the door, I started to feel better, so I walked over to the pharmacy where Sungsook, aka my Korean savior, had just gotten my medicine. We walked back to her car, when I realized I didn't pay for anything.

"Sungsook! How much do I owe you for the medicine?"
"Oh, its 4,400 won."
"Oh yeah, and the doctor's visit. How much was that?"
"3,000."

Yes, folks, a doctor's visit, antibiotics, and cold medicine for a whopping $7.40.
I tell ya, that damn national health insurance...its...well, mmm...its great!

The large silver packets in the corner are the antibiotics. Take one pill twice a day...pretty standard.
Those other goody bags? Indulge in one of those after every meal. That comes out to 14 pills a day!


Yes, this is a Hello Kitty humidifier. It was the cheapest one they had, and its supposed to help in this dry winter air. I know, I know. I'm officially a dweeb.

On a completely different note, I've been using Secret Clinical Strength deodorant for a long time now. It has always worked like a charm. For some reason, though, lately it has most certainly NOT been working like a charm. I've been giving that area extra attention in the shower, switching between the two types I have...nothing was working. So today, I decided to just go without and see what happened. After all, Koreans never wear deodorant, and they never stink.

Wouldn't ya know, I came home, did the sniff test and...nada!

So that just goes to show, kimchi has more benefits than vitamins and fiber.


*Source: Keara, Facebook comment, profile of Rachel Howell, December 24th at 7:16pm

Christmas Eve

Even though I had to work today, a few little things made it feel like Christmas Eve. My coordinator gave me a Christmas present, because she knows how big of a deal Christmas is in America. I'm fairly certain she is the sweetest person since Mother Teresa.

I also had a Christmas card in my mail box from the parents...and I got my Christmas package from my Grandparents! As hard as it is, I'm going to wait until tomorrow morning to open it.


As for my Christmas eve night, Just Friends is on TV, pizza is in the fridge, and I've still got some "gold" left! I just hope my friends will still recognize me when they see me tomorrow.

Merry Christmas to all, and to all a good night!

The Best & Most Complicated Care Package Ever

I had a note taped to my door last night when I got home. Speaking of going home, last night I pulled a smart one and got on the wrong bus in Suwon. Why was I in Suwon? Laurie and I felt it necessary to improve Korea's economy by devouring dinner and dessert at TGI Friday's.

Anyways, back to the side story. I said my final goodbye (she is going back home for Christmas, the lucky mee chin nyun) and hopped on what I thought was bus 720-1.

I was so tired due to my small cold and 2am viewing of Sleepless in Seattle the night before, that I fell asleep. When I woke up, I noticed we were passing a sign that said Tancheon stadium was to the right, but we went straight. Mmmmm, that's odd. I live next to Tancheon stadium. Why aren't we going that way?

After a few more stops, I begin to realize either
A) I'm dreaming,
B) the route has changed or
C) this bus driver is an idiot who doesn't know the correct route.

I begin to get up to yell at him for not taking me directly to my apartment and not serving hot cocoa on the bus, when I glance at the list of stops. It's there that I see the damn -2 in the corner.

So those little tiny numbers after the dashes really do mean something, in case you were wondering.

At this point, its just a Korean lady and me on the bus, and he is now flying down a windy dark road with no traffic. He finally stops in front of some quiet dark apartment complexes and tells both of us to get off.

Whoops.

So I start walking across the street to the other stop, to go back toward AK plaza where I can either take the subway home or get on the right stinkin' bus.

Did I mention the street was dark and quiet?

Nonetheless, when I start to cross this empty street, the ajumma grabs my arm and starts talking to me in Korean. She was probably saying something like,
"Idiot foreigner, you can't cross the street if you aren't at a cross walk and the pedestrian light isn't green! With this quiet road, there's no telling how many cars will start to fly past as you quickly cross the street."

So we walk down to the cross walk together, and make it ever so safely to the empty bus stop to go back the other way.

After the bus ride back, followed by a quick subway ride, I finally arrive in Yatap. Only when I swipe my T-money card, it says error and won't let me go through.

Did I mention I was holding a bag filled with popcorn, hangers, oreos, and a huge heavy jug of red wine? And that I have a cold and was up since 2am watching Sleepless in Seattle?

Anyways, I started to walk toward the handicap gate to hop over it, when a sweet Korean girl said no, no, it will work now...and she was right, somehow. I guess the one gate I chose was freakishly slow. Go figure.

How in the hell did I get on this subject? Oh yeah, there was a note taped to my door when I finally got home.

I brought it to school today for Lilith to read for me, and it said I had a parcel waiting for me at the security desk. Yay! I anxiously waited for 4:30 all day, so I could race home and see what it was. I walk to the security desk first, and show him this note. The same note my co teacher read and immediately understood that there was a package at the security desk.

But the security guy never gave me a package. Instead, he just looked at the note like it was written in English, and kept talking and asking me questions. I showed him my apartment # on the note, but he clearly didn't have a package for me. So I pointed up, thinking maybe he was telling me I needed to go to the actual apartment office. He nodded his head yes.

So I went to the top floor, and gave the lady the note. She then jabbers on in Korean for about a gazillion seconds, and then pulls out her bank book and starts asking me questions.

I start to wonder if I'm being punk'd. Where are you Ashton Kutcher?

I call my coordinator to translate for me, and she then asks me if I paid my bill.
"Yes, I got the bill two days ago, and paid it yesterday morning."
"Oh ok, she was going door to door to find out who paid a bill but didn't leave their name, but she has yours so you're ok."

Alright, so I came up here with a note about a parcel, and now we are talking about a bill, so did the note actually refer to the bill? I point at the note again and she points toward the neighboring apartment building and jabbers some more. I just look at her and say Ode yo (where)? Finally, she brings a maintenance guy to walk me to wherever I'm supposed to go to pick up this blasted package.

We get to the first floor. We walk toward the security desk.
The security guy sees the note, and immediately produces my package.

The same exact note!

Korea, you really confuse me sometimes.

No matter though. The important thing is this:


And this is why my parents will always be better than yours.

Answers Part Il-gop

Question: What are your top moments since leaving the U.S.?

It's only fitting I save the best question for last. When I first read it, my initial thought was "Whoa, I haven't even thought about that. This will take forever to answer." I must be honest here. I still haven't thought about it! I've been so busy this week reading, playing on the internet at work, working on my Christmas puzzle-I know, I know, my life has been hard these past couple of weeks.

Thinking out loud, I can conjure up a few things.
Things like:
Doi Suthep
Sunday Walking Street
Khao San Rd
River cruise down the Chao Phraya in Bangkok
Namsan tower in Seoul
Gyeongbuk Palace
Changdeok Palace
Lotte World
G20 concert
Hwaseong Fortress
Insadong
Soedaemun Prison
National Arboretum

These are all good and fun, but as I reflect on these past 146 days (is that all?) I'm realizing that my top moments seem to be the smallest and simplest ones.

In no particular order here they are:

1)Early morning walk in Chiang Mai: On my third morning in Chiang Mai, I woke up early and decided to venture down the other direction of the street. Of course, the day I chose to do this, it started raining. This turned out to be all for the better, because I saw the monks who walk the street every morning taking their collections doing the exact same thing, while holding umbrellas. It doesn't seem like a big deal, but for some reason it touched my heart. These monks are so dedicated and peaceful. The generosity of the Thai people just pushed this moment even deeper into my heart. As the monks walked the street each morning, the Buddhist people were always waiting outside for the monks to pass, so they might feed their stomachs with food, and feed their souls with offerings for Buddha.

2)Seeing a movie at the paragon and enjoying a Starbucks meal: After my trek to the Korean embassy, I simply couldn't make it all the way back to Khao San Rd. I stopped at the Paragon (Galleria of Bangkok), all sweaty and gross, and ordered a chocolate pastry with an iced green tea latte. I wrote and wrote and wrote out all my frustrations and thoughts on the backs of the extra visa application I had with me. I love moments like those, when all of the sudden my mind just floods my fingers with words. After that, I wanted to sit in just about the only cold place in Bangkok: the movie theater. Even though I watched the most atrocious movie ever made, I was happy.

3) My first walk down the Tancheon river: On my second day in Seongnam, I had the day to unpack, buy necessities, and get a general feel for my new home. I took a long walk along the Tancheon river in the afternoon. As I walked down the tartan path following the meandering river, I couldn't stop gazing at all the mountains around me. My eyes still wander over to the mountains all around me on my walks to school. I don't think I'll ever get over the initial "wow!" factor of seeing mountains all the time.

4) Sitting down to lunch one day and not dropping a single thing with my chop sticks: This may sound dumb, but I felt so accomplished that day! My first couple of weeks during lunch was so hard. I was rushing so much to eat at the same pace as everyone else and was constantly dropping things or having to just give up and use my spoon. Amy would be finished with her meal and I would just be half way through. But, one day after I finished (at the same time as her), I realized that I had eaten everything with chop sticks and didn't even struggle. What a relief.

5) Hiking Seoraksan: At the time, I probably wouldn't have ever put this on my top moments list. It was just so damn hard and not all what I expected. Hiking trails in Korea are more like rock climbing or an endless stair master if you ask me. But, the fact that I finished it, and that my students were all amazed when I told them what I did that weekend, made it all worth while. But only that one time.

Answers Part Ta-sot

Question One: Have you done anything that's a norm here in America but is considered rude or odd in Korea?
I don't think I've done anything too bad. You are supposed to bow to your bosses and even other teachers at school. There's quite a few times I either forget or just don't. Its so different than what I was taught growing up: eye contact, firm hand shake, smiling, all that jazz.

Plus, if I were to bow to every teacher that walked by, I would start doing it automatically as a reflex when students do it to me...and the students would probably laugh at me for bowing at them.

Also, at the movie theater, doctor's office, post office, bank, etc... you walk up to a small machine and take a numbered piece of paper to get your place in line. I guess since there's so many people, it helps keep everything in order. However, its nice to play the foreigner card every now and again. Laurie and I didn't realize we had to have a number to buy a movie ticket, but the cashier helped us anyway. I'd like to take this moment to say sorry to all the Koreans in line behind us!


Question Two: Here is the MOST important question. Are there any cute guys?!
FYI- I copied and pasted this question. My friends just have their priorities in the right order.

The answer is: yes, ne, oui, si, ja.
Here's the thing though. Before I came to Korea, I thought most Asians weren't very attractive. But when you see them in person, its completely different than seeing a picture. So keep that in mind if you ever see me freak out when I see a picture of Rain. Also, Koreans are the tallest out of all the Asian countries. So that's always nice as far as eye candy goes.

Kang Dong Won & Rain

Since I'm bored right now, here's a better way to show you some hot Korean guys. Alright, you might not think they're cute, but its the music and dancing that's so hot! Plus, people live and breathe Kpop over here. It seeps into my system even when I'm sleeping, and I wouldn't have it any other way.
Sorry you can't see the entire screen! I don't know how to fix it.

Answers Part Yeo-sot

Question One: Is it hard to shop over there? I hear that sizes run very small.
Small sizes would be an improvement. The only Americans that could shop at your typical Korean store are the ones that work on runways. One of my co teachers is taller than me and about the same size, so she buys most of her clothes online. But, the website is all in Korean.

However, there is a Forever 21 and an H&M in Seoul. So all is not lost! And they have American sizes...I bought clothes from both stores last month, and can't wait to go back.

Shoes though? If you are bigger than a size 8, forget it. Luckily, my parents are great with the care packages, so I'm not walking to school barefoot in the cold.

Question Two: Do they like having American stores?
It seems so. On every corner you can find either a 7/11, Dunkin Donuts, McDonald's, Burger King, or Starbucks. There's also a lot of Pizza Huts and Papa John's. The odd thing is, Starbucks and Dunkin Donuts don't open until around 7 or 8. And NOBODY goes to Dunkin Donuts in the morning. But when I walk by one at night, its a mad house.

The only American store I go to here is Starbucks. The music is the same, the atmosphere is the same, and its just as fabulous!

As far as the American/European clothing stores go (Forever 21 and H&M), its mainly foreigners shopping there. Which makes sense, since most of the clothes would probably swallow these beautiful petite Korean girls that command the streets.

Why is there a Costco? Do they have American things or Korean things?
If you read my Thanksgiving post, we had a pumpkin pie from Costco hence the question. While I've never actually been to one here, I've heard its amazing. There's one in Seoul and one in Daegu. A lot of foreigners go to get the things they miss from back home, and apparently they have an awesome food court. I'm sure they have Korean things as well.

You still have to get a membership though, so I probably won't be going anytime soon. Plus, it would not be fun lugging all the stuff back home on a crowded subway or bus.

Answers Part Net

Question: What the's best/worst thing you've eaten since you've been there? Thailand AND Korea.

I'll start with Thailand. The best thing I ate was pad thai from a street vendor in Chiang Mai. Unfortunately, I don't have a picture of it, but it was amazing! Most places have already cooked noodles that they just heat up again. But this guy would make everything right there in front of you. He would start with some grease (healthy I know), and add the fresh noodles. After that, he would add some tofu, a little sugar and spices, and a few sprigs of a green vegetable. Then he would crack and egg on the burner and put all the noodly goodness on top, while wrapping it up in the egg. Sprinkle some crushed peanuts on top, and BAM! you've got a delicious meal.

Did I mention this cost $1?

The worst thing I ate in Thailand was a bug.

Which actually wasn't THAT bad. But I definitely didn't want seconds.

Since being in Korea, I've enjoyed a lot of the food, and hated a lot of the food.
So I can't pick just one favorite!
Fave #1- tofu soup at lunch. It's simple, but the broth is so good.


Fave #2- bibimbap. Lots of vegetables, red pepper paste, and rice.
Easy peasy...and pleasy!


Fave #3- kimbap. Bibimbap "to go"...essentially its the same ingredients as bibimbap, but its all wrapped in seaweed.
I can get a huge roll at a place in my apartment building for $1.


Fave #4- kimchi soup. My mouth just watered.


There have been a few terrible moments since I've been in Korea. They all involve food.
Enemy #1- baby octopus being cooked alive in front of you. See my "Don't Mess with Korea" post if you're interested. I don't even want to talk about it.
Enemy #2-tiny dried salty fish*. See my "What the hell did I just eat?" post if you're curious.


*I just googled the dried minnows since I don't have an actual picture. This is what showed up on the listing.

WTF?

Answers Part Set

Question: What do you miss most about Texas?

The vastness, the long country roads, the sports culture, guacamole, salsa, cheap red wine, the familiarity, the smell of hay and cows, cowboy boots, muscles, everybody knowing English, seeing the flag everywhere, Lake Kiowa, being able to eat oatmeal, wheat germ, hummus, and spinach everyday, peaches, strawberries, blueberries, raspberries, hearing y'all, Barnes and Noble, as Good as Gold Toffee, fireplaces, yards, barbed wire fences, my car, Mom's deliciously unsweet spaghetti*, Mom's strong coffee, Mom's dump cake, Mom's peanut butter cookies, Mom's lucky cats, Mom and Dad's back porch, Dad's grilled vegetables, and jalapenos.

It goes without saying, of course, that my family, dogs, and friends are at the top of the list. :)

Question:What do you wish you had in Texas that you have in Korea?

Subways and buses everywhere, unlimited healthy side dishes with every meal, kimchi, kimchi pancakes, tofu soup, crazy fast internet, K-pop, cute Korean guys, the ability to walk around with just white noise because I don't understand what everyone around me is saying, mountains and rivers everywhere, cheap cute socks, scarves, earrings, and rings, Konglish!**, Laurie, Keara, Alex, Jodi, Misty, Rosalyn-to name a few, a free furnished apartment, extremely affordable health care, the ability to not ever be affected by advertisements, cheap popcorn and coke zero at the movie theaters, street food, fall colors, a real winter with snow, having a pizza place, rice porridge restaurant, and kimbap restaurant on the first floor of my apartment building, noraebangs, and my walk to work.

*Korea's tomato sauce is SUPER sweet...like you can feel the granules of sugar in the sauce. Gross.
**Konglish-the use of English words in a Korean context aka hilarious phrases that make no sense, but somehow, make sense. You will most likely see some examples on my clothes when I return. Buying sweat shirts with funny Konglish phrases is my new hobby.

Answers Part Dul

Question 1: Have you been dating, and, if so, who's the lucky lad?

No. I'm beginning to think I'll never date again. Or even meet a single cute smart funny interesting guy who isn't condescending and arrogant. I've met single guys. and cute guys. and funny and interesting guys. and arrogant and condescending guys. But none who fit all of those qualities (minus the last two of course).
I'm not bitter at all though. Clearly.

Next question!

Question 2: What's the nightlife like?

Before I answer this, it should go on the record that I'm not really a "nightlife" person. I'm more of a "lets go get coffee and read/chat person". I did go to a few bars and clubs in Daegu for Halloween, and it was pretty similar to the ones back home. I even got to play fooseball! But the epitome of Korean nightlife is in Seoul (in Hongdae), and its apparently a real happening place. It's close to a lot of the major universities, so there's tons of dance clubs and bars. Also, the subways close around 11:30! You would think this would make people leave earlier. But, it actually just means everybody stays out until the following morning. Clubs and bars don't have a specific closing time. They can stay open as long as they want. Also, the noraebangs (karaoke) and DVDbangs are open 24 hours a day.

One night, my friends and I went to Sinchon (right next to Hongdae) and stayed at a bar until around 1am. Since we couldn't get home cheaply, we went to a DVDbang until 5am when the subways open.

They have tons of movies to choose from. You pick one, they put it in for you, and it shows up on a big projector screen in your room. Although they tend to be popular for couples (if you know what I mean), ours was very clean.

Korea is also famous for their public baths or saunas. These are open 24 hours a day, and usually cost about 6,000 won to get in ($6). I haven't been yet, but there's hot tubs, pools, and nap rooms. The thing is...you take a shower first, and then you're naked! I get stared at so much with my clothes ON. I don't want to think about the stares I would get if they could see ALL of my white skin.

As much as Korea has a variety of fun things to do at night....my friends and I went out in Suwon last weekend (city of 3 million people and 14 universities). Every single place was D.E.A.D. I asked a girl I know who has lived in Korea for 2 years why, and she said "Everybody works hard during the summer to get a boyfriend/girlfriend, so they just stay in together during the winter when its cold." Come to think of it, this paragraph should probably be moved to question 1.

Question 3: Do you live near a U.S. military base? Do you ever run into any U.S. soldiers?

A) Not really. There's an air force base maybe 30 minutes away, but I never go that far south on the subway.
B) I met one guy (his fiance is an english teacher) in the army, and he is a really cool, nice, down to earth guy. But he's from Texas, so that's a no brainer.
However, unfortunately, the other soldies I've come across have been complete jerks. I realize they didn't choose to live in Seoul, but they were embarrassingly rude to other Koreans and extremely close minded about other cultures.

I KNOW I KNOW I KNOW that's not how most of the soldiers are, but I've only come across a very small group, and they were all like that. Which is probably why they were all hanging out together. But really-I know a girl who used to be stationed here, and she is nothing but nice and polite, so please don't get the wrong idea!

Answers Part Hana

Question: How on earth did you ever find out about teaching in Korea?
I knew I wanted to teach english overseas. It, for me, was the easiest way to live abroad and still make money. After going to www.nomadicmatt.com and doing some research, South Korea seemed like the best spot...aka, they are on the upper end of the pay scale. I stumbled upon a TESOL course in Thailand that also guaranteed a job in South Korea, and bam...exactly 4 months after deciding to do this, I arrived in SoKo!

However, it wasn't as easy as it sounds. The application process was long, uncertain, and stressful. If it weren't for my mom, I would not be here right now. She ran errands for me to get the correct documents I needed, shipped some for me, and more importantly, helped me keep my sanity. I had to get background checks from every state I've lived in. And get them apostilled (had no clue what that meant, but I sure do now).It was rough doing it in Florida and having to keep it a secret from my boss. I volunteered to work so many Saturdays just so I could actually use the copier and fast internet. I also had 2 phone interviews. One of which, I forgot the time change was also a day before, so it was unexpected. Luckily, I was at home and not sitting in a movie or something.

Then, once I got to Thailand, my recruiter informed me that I no longer had the position in the central province of Korea. So for almost two weeks, I was searching for jobs in Thailand instead. I did NOT want to work in Thailand, but I really had no choice. One day, I received an email for an interview near Bangkok. Luckily, the next day my Korean recruiter informed he found me a job in Seongnam. Whew, close one!

Alright, so I answered a little more than "how did you find out", but there ya go. And the visa-getting process? Even more stressful. My "Getting There Is the Battle" post in August paints a pretty accurate picture.

Question: Are you raking in some big bucks for this teaching gig?
Yes. Well, I shouldn't say I am. My two credit cards, my bank, and the US department of education are raking in some big bucks. This accounting grad is doing some lesson learning this year! Granted, the debt was worth it...I went to Europe last summer, and lived by the beach last year. So, while my paycheck is pretty nice considering my apartment is free, more than half of it goes straight into my US account and pays all of my bills. So, not really, no.

Curious Readers

It has been a while since my last post. Furthermore, I don't plan on doing anything too terribly exciting until next payday. So, unless I have a random Korean experience, I've got nothing to blog about! But instead of letting my blog sleep for 3 weeks, I have an idea. I'm sure its lame, but sometimes lame is better than nothing.

Here's the plan- I will answer any questions you have. It can be about anything: Korea, weather, chapstick, why students have to say teacher in such a whiney voice, teaching, me, Korean food, beetles, the Beatles, penguins, sleeping...you get the gist. Except I have no idea why students say the Korean word for teacher in such a whiney voice. I do have an idea on how to stop it. But I need duct tape.

Anyways, I'll wait for a few days to see how many questions I get. Depending on how many questions (and how good they are), will determine how many posts I write.

Remember there are no stupid questions. However, if you can ask some, please do so as I always love free entertainment.

Anyong!