Merry Icemas!

top (1): the goodies I contributed to the Christmas party- YUM!
2: the Kinderloca Christmas pageant
3: haha... please read the story then come look at this again (cab driver eating chicken)
4: What's going on here.. looks like a marriage- proceed to read!




I hope everyone had a very Merry Christmas! Mine was…. I guess you could say, jolly… the best part, of course was seeing my family on Christmas morning (USA-Christmas eve). We all enjoyed each others virtual company (Skype is an excellent invention) while opening presents. I sent home a box FULL of Korean goodies for everyone in the family. They really got a kick out of some of the things I sent home… the dried squid snack, the canned silk worm pupa (jokes). I got some lovely presents as well… speaking of, i'm enjoying one of them right now!! Maybe you guessed what it was that I'm drooling over…. yes, I'm currently biting into a buttery, chocolatey, crunchy butterfinger. Ohhh man, no candy beats a butterfinger- thanks mom. If I spoke to any of you, you saw that I was quite the emotional sap this Christmas… the no family thing REALLY got to me. I spent my Christmas with Laura, shopping for our "Drifters Christmas Party". It was a gorgeous day and people were everywhere… I am so used to stores being closed and people being inside, not out and about shopping. Every store in town was open… as you can see, Christmas is not that big of deal here. Laura and I searched far and wide for Christmas decor… or at least some red and green plates, cups, etc. HA… that was a joke, the closest thing we found was a lime green tray and some poinsettias (another plant for Clarence… maybe I'll have better luke with this one). A touch of snow fell from the sky that busy Christmas day… it was so beautiful and yet oh so sad, I felt like I was in a movie haha…just picture it- sunny skies with the faint midst of snow slowly falling… so beautiful as the sun touches it, it looks like glitter… Laura and I painfully walking down the street.. stares from all directions (the stares will never stop on this continent)… boxes, bags, and purses at hand… there I am on a street corner.. kids laughing speaking what sounds like "mskfkjsghsg glgkdhgdghnvnjh dfgkdhg" at me.. I'm trying like hell to hail a cab.. I wave my large lime green tray with hopes that a taxi will come my way! 20 minutes later, backs aching… we are saved! For the rest of the day, I cleaned, I chopped, I boiled, I fried, I sauteed… no baking though (can you tell, I really miss my oven). I made some very delicious goodies for the party: fried/sauteed mini pork burgers with sliced onion, sprouts, velveeta cheese and balsamic mayonnaise- they were a hit! I also made a very savory macaroni salad (mom's recipe). We had all kinds of snacks… it was kind of like a Christmas barbecue. I must say, for all the people who said they were coming and didn't show… you really missed out! We were expecting 15 or so and 6 (including myself) were there. Oh well, the decorations (oh yea, we borrowed a Christmas tree from work) were great, the food was delicious and the company was wonderful… and snow falling all night long was indeed the cherry on top!

Let me back track… I'm good at that! The work week couldn't go by fast enough… a break is much needed among the TNE staff UGH! It didn't help to know that all my friends in America and in Korea were off work for most of the week or at least on Christmas eve. After a chaotic week, I decided to treat myself a little early and head downtown with some friends for Thursday night QUIZ/Trivia. Do you remember me telling you about this before? Well, a foreign bar downtown called Speak Easy holds something called QUIZ every other Thursday evening at 10 pm. Each team puts in $5 and has a sheet of paper where they record answers for every themed round- there are 6 rounds, 10 questions in each. This weeks trivia was themed around Christmas. It was so much fun…everyone was out because most people didn't work the next day. There was so much Christmas spirit… or maybe that was just the alcohol but either way, it was a good time. Out of 11 teams, our team got 2nd place… I was so proud!! The 2nd place prize is that you get your entry money back. The night didn't stop there, we went to celebrate our win at Bubble bar where we enjoyed some Long Island Iced Teas and the company of some very attractive military men. This night was so out of the blue random and crazy… I only wish I could relive it sober! Let me just throw out some fun details…. AJ, one of the military guys told us he was an ordained minister.. so what did he do, he married Laura and Ryan. I was happy to be her bridesmaid that snowy Christmas eve in Korea, wow… she will never forget that! I made best friends with these military cuties (in fact, I'm making my way to the Gunsan military base in a few weeks to visit). Ryan is obsessed with the chicken at the mini mart (I don't even know if it's really chicken) so we went there after Bubble and he bought all they had. Our cab driver couldn't stop talking about the haunting chicken aroma… he couldn't stand it so half way through our ride home, he stole some chicken from Laura and devoured it- so hilarious I almost peed my pants!!!- you know I got a picture!! 5 am we made it home safely and bed time it was. It's not too bad going to bed at 5: 30 am every now and then… especially since I don't have to be at work till 1…. or so I thought!!!!!!

11 am… I'm rolling around in my warm bed, thanking God that I have at most another 1 1/2 hours to sleep until I get a loud, abrupt knock on the door, "EMILIE, WHERE ARE YOU, OPEN UP, LET'S GO, COME ON, EMILIE, EMILIE!" I look at my phone to make sure I'm not late (I'm the most punctual person I know, of course I'm not late)… I ignore the knocks and the pounds and the rings for 5 minutes until I can't take it… did someone die!!!??? I finally yell out, "I'M SLEEPING, GO AWAY"! "EMILIE, IT'S MICHAEL (you know him, my hall mate, the middle man boss, my liaison).. YOU HAVE TO COME TO WORK NOW, WE NEED YOU AT THE KINDERGARDEN CHRISTMAS PAGEANT". No one told me I had to be there so I simply tell him no thanks, I'll see you at 1:00 sharp when work starts… good bye! More pounds, more knocks… Oh my GOSH! REALLY!? "EMILIE, IT DOESN'T MATTER, YOU HAVE TO COME, WE REALLY NEED YOU THERE… THIS IS JUST SOMETHING YOU HAVE TO DO." I dragged my tired ass out of bed, threw on some clothes, smacked on some makeup and headed down to the Christmas pageant. I was not happy and I made sure Michael knew it. Do you know that I was NOT needed at this pageant. The only reason they wanted me there was to show me off. All the KIndergarden parents were watching… no one looked twice at me.. they were watching their kids- DUH! Okay, okay… the pageant was adorable but I was still pissed off. I mean really, how freaking rude…. the downfall of living in the TNE building! Let me just say, it's a good thing I lock my door because Michael has no problem just barging in (one time he walked in on two of my co-workers in bed together)… that man has got to learn some manners!

I was exhausted that entire day but half of my students didn't come since it was Christmas eve. I didn't have to teach my entire Giza 1 class because no one showed. My night class (5:45- 7:05), 3 out of 7 kids came. It blew my mind that kids were coming to class at all…it's dinner time on Christmas eve (like I said… Christmas just isn't the same here). The most touching part of my day was when I showed "How the Grinch Stole Christmas" to all my students…. maybe that was a "no,no" but oh well! None of them have ever heard of Dr. Seuss and no one knew what a "Grinch" was. I explained in detail and proceeded with the original, Dr. Seuss, "How the Grinch Stole Christmas". I have never seen a child so in love with a movie in my life. They had smiles bigger than you could imagine.. even my older students (11, 12, 13) were wide eyed with excitement! Even Terry… one of my new students who is a complete punk/bully… he wouldn't smile if you let him spend a week at Disney Land… the kid shows no emotion, until he watched the Grinch! He was laughing and smiling… I was beside myself. Shit, I don't even care if they get mad at me for taking 25 minutes to show a movie instead of teach… I made that kid smile and that made his day and mine!

Well, back to the grind tomorrow morning… our official vacation starts on Wednesday where I will wake up at 5 am to meet the skii crew!! I am soooo nervous to skii/snowboard.. I've got to try it though. My next blog should be interesting!

Korean Facts/ Randomness:

-The Christmas slogan around these parts is: "Merry Icemas"… wonder why? The big thing for Christmas is cakes. Everyone and their dog buys a cake. Baskin Robbins came up with, "Merry Icemas" for their Christmas cake slogan. When I was out shopping Friday and Saturday of this week, everyone had a big cake box at hand… I don't get it.
-Kids call Santa, Grandfather or Grandfather Santa (they think it's so funny that he never ages… he's always a grandfather)- they are very logical… well at times, listen to this…..
-This blows my mind… okay so first, you know that when your born in Korea, your automatically 1 year old, well…. for every new year, you turn another year old. This means that, on January 1st, I will be 25. In America I am 23 but when I came here they add on that extra year (24)… now, all the sudden i'm another year older in a week (25). My friend Soo Yeoung is a aunt as of Friday. That baby is born 1 year old… next week he will be 2 years old. WHAT THE HELL… IS THIS SERIOUS? Your telling me that a baby who was born 1 week ago is 2 years old. Crazy!

"Korean Tension... A Look at the Conflict!"

Top: North Korea's leader, Kim Jong-il with his son, Kim Jong-un.. his soon will be taking over as leader in the near future
Bottom: as you can see, a burning of a North Korean flag- Kim Jong-il isn't really favored around here, as I'm sure he's not in most places


All ya'll (that one was you Ohioans)... I can't imagine what's going through your heads right now. The media has portrayed the tension between the Koreas to be so fearful and unnerving when really.... here's what it's like in my neck of the woods: no one at work cares (trust me.. I'm not working with a bunch of naive idiots either). I'm always asking questions and everyone just tells me not to worry or they laugh in my face when I tell them how freaked out my family is (no offense you guys)... I'm trying not to be a hypochondriac/ not too naive all at the same time... man its tough. I am sure that if things get bad enough the US embassy will get all the Americas out of here. Please, try not to worry. If feel safe and so do all the people I hang out with and work with. I am posting something from CNN... I realize I could link it but I want to have it saved in my blog (after all, this is my electronic journal)

*I have blogged for this week already so be sure to scroll down and check it out :)... "Auntie Em"

Korean tension: A look at the conflict

(CNN) -- A disputed maritime border. Long-standing tensions. And on Monday, South Korea began scheduled live-fire military exercises -- a move the North threatened could ignite a war.

How did the latest hostilities begin?
South Korea said North Korea fired artillery November 23 toward the border between the two nations. The attack killed four people -- two marines and two civilians; 18 soldiers and civilians were wounded.
South Korea had been conducting maritime military drills, which the North called "war maneuvers."
The North accused the South of "reckless military provocation" for firing dozens of shells inside North Korean territory around the South Korean island of Yeonpyeong.
Plumes of smoke billowed from the island of 1,300 people but it was not immediately clear how much damage was incurred. Many residents were fleeing to the South Korean port of Incheon.
See more of CNN.com's special coverage of the Koreas

Why did this happen?
Tension has been running particularly high in the Korean peninsula after the March 26 sinking of the South Korean warship Cheonan. The November 23 shelling, however, is one of the most serious that has occurred in recent years.
The hostilities come as North Korea is undergoing transition -- the ailing and reclusive leader Kim Jong Il is believed to be in the process of transferring power to his son Kim Jong Un. Some analysts believe upcoming internal changes have prompted North Korea to flex its military muscle in recent days.
November's violence was also preceded by the revelation of a North Korean uranium enrichment program.

Has this happened before?
Yes, Yeonpyeong Island has come under attack before. Last January, South Korea reported that the North had fired shells that fell in waters north of the Northern Limit Line, the de facto inter-Korean maritime border.
North Korea wants that border redrawn farther south.
Over the past six decades, small-scale skirmishes have flared repeatedly along both land and sea borders as each state aims to reunify the peninsula according to its own terms and system of government. Deadly naval clashes occurred along the demarcation line in 1999, 2002 and 2009.

What is the history of conflict?
After Japan's defeat in World War II, Korea became a divided nation, the capitalist South supported by the United States and its Western allies and the communist North an ally of the Soviet Union.

Cold War tensions erupted into war 1950, devastating the peninsula and taking the lives of as many as 2 million people. The fighting ended with a truce, not a treaty, and settled little.
Technically the two Koreas are still at war.
Besides the border skirmishes, other incidents also have proven provocative. In 1968, North Korea dispatched commandos in an unsuccessful attempt to assassinate South Korea's president. In 1983, a bombing linked to Pyongyang killed 17 high-level South Korean officials on a visit to Myanmar. In 1987, the North was accused of bombing a South Korean airliner.
What happened with the Cheonan?
South Korea said a North Korean torpedo last March sent the warship Cheonan to the bottom of the Yellow Sea off the Seoul-controlled island of Baengnyeong. The sinking, also in the border area, killed 46 South Korean sailors.
South Korea was outraged by the incident. North Korea vehemently denied any responsibility, even after an international investigating team blamed North Korea. The United Nations Security Council statement condemned the attack but stopped short of placing blame on the North.

Will the two nations go to war?
South Korea put its military on high alert following November's exchange of fire. But whether that will translate into further military action is impossible to predict.
Events in the past few months suggested a slight thawing of icy relations.
North and South Korea had begun discussions on the possible resumption of reunions of family members separated by the Korean war and North Korea has requested military talks. In early September, the South offered food aid to the impoverished North for the first time in three years.
Given the closed nature of North Korean politics, it is hard to tell what changes the new leadership of Kim Jong Un will entail or whether re-engagement is on the table. Another wild card is the influence of China; some South Koreans fear a Chinese takeover in the event of a North Korean collapse.
Some analysts viewed November 23 exchange as North Korea flexing its military muscle in the light of its leadership transition. Others said it was related to the nuclear issue.

How will nuclear talks be affected?
Washington accuses Pyongyang of running a secret uranium-based nuclear program. The United States, along with the two Koreas, Russia, Japan and China, have been involved in what is called the six party talks.
But those talks have been slow and arduous and in limbo since 2008. And after the recent revelation of the North Korean uranium enrichment facility, the resumption of talks seemed in jeopardy.
Stephen Bosworth, the U.S. special envoy on North Korean denuclearization, said recent hostilities will prove a further obstacle.
Choi Jin-wook, senior researcher at the Korea Institute of National Unification, said the North is "frustrated with Washington's response to their uranium program and they think that Washington has almost given up on negotiations with North Korea."
"I think they realize they can't expect anything from Washington or Seoul for several months, so I think they made the provocation," Choi said.

Auntie Em!

Top: My favorite student, Candace! She's 13
Bottom: See what Santa brought... my Christmas goodies! :)


Allow me to begin this weeks blog with some exciting news…several months ago I informed you that my sister Katey was pregnant..hold on, no baby yet… these things take time ya know. She is due in exactly 2 months and I only wish i could see her sweet baby belly in person (Skype doesn't quite cut it). Yes, most of you know all of this… but, what you might not be aware of is that baby number two is in the oven. Not twins- gosh… wait! Colleen, my other sister is pregnant. I am so happy for the Almond Family, congratulations again you guys! I've hardly been able to sit still… this news is just so stirring! I can not believe that when I return to America, there will be babies! Not just any babies, my nephew and ___________ (Colleen and Dave find out the sex of the baby in a couple of weeks)- I'm ecstatic!

So, you know me… I can't be without my paintbrush for too long. I sketched around for a while with my pencils, some colored pencils… hey, I even got happy with some play doh at school until…. one day, I found the hidden stash of water colors tucked behind the P.E. equipment (thank god I'm teaching P.E. now) . I've been borrowing them for a while- shhh! No one was using them… they were yearning to be freed from the dusty shelf in the corner. I finally got off work, ready to paint and realized… I forgot to "borrow" a brush. I searched my apartment for any form of a paintbrush (it was late, stores were closed and I just needed my fix). I resorted to my makeup brushes… isn't it pathetic! They worked great for me, for a while that is (one day). I finally found an art store and bought a few brushes of my own. I've been filling my sketch book with memories from Korea… it's actually turning into a rather spectacular scrapbook of my many Korean adventures (big and small). I would love to give my new nephew and ____________ something bold, bright, happy and beautiful when I come home… I'm currently working on ideas…. sisters and brother-in-laws: throw your ideas my way, I'm waiting!

This week sure was jolly… Santa found me in Korea, can you believe that! That man is something else, I tell ya!! A rather large package arrived at TN English early Tuesday morning. I was thrilled to find many, many wrapped presents, those of which I neatly placed under the Christmas tree (Clarence- poor fella has yet to be adopted). I look forward to opening all of them on Christmas morning with my family via Skype. There were a few unwrapped goodies that I quickly devoured- those double stuffed, peppermint ores were to die for. The snowman peeps had to be shared… kids in Korea don't have peeps! Although… after the very positive reaction I got from my students, I'm thinking I should start a peep business in Korea. You would have thought I gave them each a million dollars- good work mom…. woops, I mean "Santa!"

I can not believe Christmas is in 6 days… A lot of my friends are going on vacation for the holiday but since we have to work the Monday and Tuesday after Christmas… I couldn't go to Malaysia or the Philippines- dammit! Laura, Ryan and I thought it would be nice to throw a little Christmas party at TNE… come one, come all to the "Drifters Christmas Party"- those who are left, come eat, drink and be merry! I am pretty excited because I plan to make some very tasty hors d'oeuvres (I'll tell you all about them in next weeks blog… let's see if anyone likes them… they might not be worth talking about). It should be interesting… like I've said before, no ovens, no microwaves, Korean ingredients. No worries, I've got something up my sleeve!

Other than hours or drunken karaoke, late nights and hungover mornings.. once again, you're a proud parent, aren't you "Santa"?!…. the best thing I've got to tell you about the weekend is… Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 1. Gwangju has an incredible IMAX theater that is attached to a huge mall and bus station. The theater was just recently built and finished before I got to Korea. This movie came out right around Thanksgiving in America but everything is always a few weeks late in Korea. I promised my favorite student Candace that we would go see the movie the week it came out (no way would this fly in America but here.. no biggie). The movie was in English with Korea subtitles. We enjoyed an afternoon of good food and great cinema! Dad, If you haven't seen it yet, you have got to go… it's awesome! I wish I could have gone with you because you're my favorite Harry Potter buddy!

Korean Facts/ Randomness:

-This one is for Katey and Fabian (my sister and brother-in-law): I was told that February is the last month of the tiger… According to the Chinese zodiac (that which Korea follows) the year of the white tiger is especially auspicious as it comes around only once every 60 years. "Local legend has it that there are four guardian gods in Korea," Kim Sang-hoe, a prominent Korean fortune teller explained. "They are the chungryong (blue dragon), hyunmu (turtle-snake), jujak (phoenix) and baekho (white tiger). Unlike the other three creatures, who are fictional, the baekho is the one and only real animal. For that reason, white tigers have been highly respected. In addition, the chance of a white tiger being seen is one in a million, so people in the past saw white tigers as a good sign." Koreans see it as being extremely lucky to have a baby this year and next (before the end of February). Your baby will be strong, respected, powerful and wise.
-Remember me telling you about the Hapkido classes I was going to take. Well, turns out the teacher for that class in my area moved back to America… I'm on the search for some other form of martial arts…. any ideas?
-Korean babies are named by their grandparents, not their parents. Usually grandparents choose a name that has some significance. They don't just choose names because it sounds pretty… I am sure that is a plus but never the main reason.
-When a Korean picks his or her English name/ parents pick names, they try to pick something that sounds like their Korean name (not always but this is common). For example, my friend Dan Bee sort of sounds like Tammy so that her name.
-If a new student comes to your class without an English name, you get to name the student. Crazy huh!!!!? A co-worker of mine had two new students this year without English names… brother and sister. He got to name them, can you guess what he named them, hahahah…. Bonnie and Clyde! What a dork.. I love it!
-When you go to the movie theater, your seats are assigned (I was surprised by this today). I can't decide if I like this idea or not. When going to the movies, most people buy their tickets in advance online. Here, they can choose what exact seats they want to sit in.

Eggnog.... the perfect homesickness remedy!

Top: Katie, Erica, Dominique (host of the holiday party)
Middle: one of my new classes: Kindergarten students during P.E. (Damon, Julien, Jack, Joanne, Ted)
Bottom: It's not a night in Korea without karaoke... Saturday night :)



I've really been enjoying my new, busy schedule. The days goes by even faster than they did before. I've got a few problematic students in my new class but i'm already seeing a lot of progress in their attitude and work ethic since I started teaching this month. I do so many strange and silly things to try and make my students smile and laugh… I really wonder what they say about me outside of class, especially the older ones. I hate that they have to be in class for 2 hours (anyone will agree that 2 hours… even 1 1/2 hours is entirely too long for a 7, 8, 9 or 10 year old to sit and pay attention). If a kid gets tired and puts his head down, it's my ass because the cameras see that a student is tired which means the teacher is not doing a good job. Maybe if we had a bigger classroom and we were allowed to do hands-on activities than students might be more intrigued. I always try and make time for a fun video or a stretch break… something different that will give the kids something to look forward to. I constantly give praise and rewards (stickers and candy) to those students who work hard, try their best and have a good attitude- it makes a HUGE difference even for my 13 year old students.

Most Korean schools have exams (like college- in the middle of the year and at the end). A lot of students don't come for the whole month of December because of their big exam in school and because of the holidays/winter vacation. I had so many students drop out of one class this month that it is now just one girl and myself. The students that do still come in December seem to be a lot lazier because they are supposedly studying for their exams… I'd just assume they not come. I don't blame them anyway… they've got so much else going on and English is an extra curricular.

This weekend was so fun and relaxing. After resting up Friday night and Saturday, I attended a holiday party hosted by my friend Dominique. Dom was more than hospitable… she provided snacks (this included smores… she had been collecting necessities to make these for a few months) homemade egg nog that was out of this world and alcohol. It was so festive… not only was there a plethora or decorations but she had a Christmas card for all of the guests. All my girl friends here are so cute… they made sure to play a few Hanukkah songs just for me- their cashew (Catholic/Jewish friend) buddy. We had a fabulous evening feasting on smores and spiced egg nog. After playing a number of card games, we headed downtown and danced the night away. I probably danced until 5 am…. my legs are still sore today!

I've finalized my plans for winter break. I would hardly call it Christmas break because we don't have Christmas eve or the Monday after Christmas off work (for those of you who aren't aware, Christmas is on a Saturday this year). All my girl friends are going to Malaysia for their break and I would love to go with them but… we don't have the same days off so they are leaving way before my break even begins. You know.. we aren't allowed to take off work… on that note, allow me to digress… one of my co- workers took a day off because he had a head ache and just didn't feel like being at work. A personal day is totally understandable (We only get two days off all together so we should be able to choose when they are). Management threatened to not pay him for the month because he would not bring in a note from the doctor- reallllllyy?!?! I don't understand them… looks like if I want to take a day off I better plan on going to the doctor with a fake illness. My god they are ridiculous! Ok anyway… so sorry…So, an old friend of mine from high school moved to Korea a few months ago with her husband and her precious baby boy. Kelsey is her name by the way… her husband is in the military which is why they moved here. They are so kind to let me visit them during the holidays. Before I visit them, I am going skiing with some of my co-workers. This should be really interesting because I've never skied before. My boss has a big house in the mountains. He invited all of us teachers to join him and his family for a evening of fun and a day of skiiing/snow boarding. I decided this would be a good chance for me to finally try snow skiing… I guess if I'm awful at it, I can at least say I tried!

Korean Facts/ Randomness:

*I don't have any good facts for you this week but I always have good "randomness" …..
- My students can not understand for the life of them why my eyes are so far back in my head hahaha! It's really confusing for them because they don't have any diversity in their country. Seeing a white person is like seeing a naked person in public. Telling them, "we are different" is not good enough. I finally have to just say, "well, why are your eyes so squinty?!"
-I have a student that always questions whether or not my eye lashes are real . He is sure that I am lying to him because you know… his mom takes hers eyelashes off every night so I must too.
- I've noticed that a lot of Korean women all change their style right around the same time/age.. I don't know if it's gradual or what but this is what I've observed: Once women reach a certain age (i'm guessing anywhere from 45-60) they stop wearing high heels (perfectly understandable) they discard the stylish pea coats, dress pants/tight pants and instead wear wind suits and brightly colored vests. It seems that they all cut their hair short and get a perm. I often see these women in groups out on the track walking.. they all look the same. Now, I understand that comfort is important, especially in your old age but I just don't see why dressing the same and getting a perm is so necessary. It's very interesting to me… I wish I knew what was behind all of this.
-Remember Clarence? He's my plant… I know, it's pathetic that I named a plant but whatever. I think my homesickness was rubbing off on him last week… he was flourishing but now, he looks terrible. He is dropping leaves left and right. I water him every Thursday and always open the blinds… I guess the light that comes in through my front window is just not cutting it for old Clarence. Im going to see if one of my friends will adopt him… it's worth a try. Wish him luck! ;)
-Korea really knows how to decorate for Christmas... just when I thought they couldn't do it like us Westerners, they pull out the big stuff! I really feel at home now!! Although... no one here, that I've heard of, has real Christmas trees... that's where we've got them beat!
- I got some great flip flops/slippers to wear inside throughout the day... I am happy to report that my feet and back no longer ache. It's amazing what a difference shoes can make!

Bamboo!

Top: part of the bamboo forest
Middle: Katie's fan-left, my fan- right
Bottom: Thanksgiving... a little late- at this point it's a Hanukkah dinner



Well I finished out the work week with a bang! Even though management screwed up my lessons for all my new classes… I was quickly able to get it all back into order. They think they are doing us a favor by making our lesson plans but they are really just creating extra work and confusion. It's the same story, they want quantity rather than quality… when are they going to get it!

The new Kindergarten class I teach is so cute. I adore them… they remind me why I love teaching so much. Every Wednesday I teach a cooking class with them. We were talking about growing and how healthy food/diet helps you grow big and strong. I asked them how often they think they grow… I loved their responses… "well Emilie teacher, I am pretty sure I grow on Thursdays"… "yea, me too teacher but, I think I grow every Sunday afternoon… only Sundays though!" So cute… it sure is refreshing to teach little kids again". The best part about it is that their curriculum is a little more flexible in the sense that I can do more hands on things with them. My older students all have to follow a strict, structured curriculum- If I get bored then I know the kids are bored to tears. My college professors would not approve of this strict … no manipulative… no hands-on activities kind of curriculum.

I don't know if I told you this but we are not allowed to sit down while teaching… it looks better on the cameras if we are standing and walking around the whole time (moms and management are constantly watching us teach). I am certainly not a lazy teacher but I really need to sit down every now and then. It doesn't help that we have no support on our feet (can't wear shoes). Now that I have a busier schedule I am standing a lot more. After a few more weeks of doing this… my back is going to be a mess. For those of you who don't know… I had spine/ scoliosis surgery when I was 18 and I have arthritis in my lower spine. I haven't said anything to them yet but once the back pain starts setting in… that's it, I am going to have to sit a little bit while teaching (sometimes it helps the students when I am sitting with them because they don't feel so intimidated) . I don't think I deserve any special treatment but I gotta do what I gotta do… not too much to ask right?!?

So, even though management is screwing up a lot…. I guess they try and redeem themselves at times. This week they gave Laura, Ryan and I 50,000 won each. Why, you might ask… well, a few weeks ago when the three of us went to the engagement/ham for our boss, the brides father gave the ham holder envelopes of money. Well, apparently that money was supposed to be used later that evening for a celebration- a night out on the town. Since my boss was entirely too drunk, we didn't go out. He felt bad so he split up the money between the three of us and Michael. That was my groceries for the next couple weeks- thanks Seth :)

This weekend was great… especially after the homesick week I had. Friday night I went out with two of my favorites… Laura and Ryan (who did I mention are completely and utterly in love… it's very sweet). The best part about Friday night was that I finally learned how to play pool. Why on earth did I not play it till now?- it's probably one of the best games out there… other than soccer and hockey of course! We made some new Korean friends who played with us. I was pretty proud of myself.. I won a game which says a lot because Ryan is pretty good!

On Saturday I got up early and met my friend Katie at the bus station. Have I told you about Katie. She is such a nice girl.. she's 27, from Arizona, beautiful and just as sweet as she can be. We went to a town called Damyang which is about 25 minutes away from Gwangju. The town is known for it's bamboo/ beautiful bamboo forest. Katie and I decided we are a great traveling pair… she's got a great sense of direction (god knows I will always struggle with that) but, she's a little shy.. that's why i'm her other half…i've got the outgoing personality that will talk (attempt to talk/hand motion) to anyone that crosses my path. Katie is 4, almost 5 years older than me so it's like i've got my big sister with me- it's very comforting! After wandering around the tiny town of Damyang, we finally headed to the bamboo forest. WOW… it was so beautiful, i've never seen so much bamboo in my life, and it was so lush! The path was confusing as hell.. probably because we couldn't read the Korean maps haha! We came across a little village… me, being the talkative one decided to try my Korean out on a little man who was outside of his house. Turned out he spoke excellent English! He invited us inside where we took a few shots of rice wine, and watched him paint fans- this was incredible!!!! I can't even begin to describe this experience, it was spiritual, relaxing, inspiring… ahh so many emotions were running through me. He would look at each of us, as if to get some ideas/inspiration and then he could continue to paint. After he finished the first fan he told Katie it was for her then he signed her name and went on to paint one for me. For my fan, he painted the most gorgeous flower. When he was in China during the war he always saw this flower that was just so breathtaking. He said I reminded him of this flower- moran (not to be mistaken for moron). I didn't even know what to say, I was so impressed with his work and flattered by his compliment. Katie and I had goosebumps when we left there, we couldn't believe what we got to see and what we got to take home with us for free. A fan like the beautiful ones he painted would cost between 70,000 and 100,000 won in a store- WHOA! We went to one of the bamboo shops and bought traditional, bamboo fan holders. Now i've got some asian decor in my apartment.

Saturday night I rushed back to my apartment, got ready and scarfed down some dinner. I grabbed a bottle of wine and a nice ribbon at the store and headed off to a friend's house warming party. Remember my friend Jacob… I haven't brought his name up in a while. He was the one that got fired because he dates an older Korean woman (ahhh stupid reasons.. it's still beyond me why they fired him and not the stupid shlep that parents loathe). Anyway, he and his wonderful Korean girlfriend are the ones who hosted the party. It was so much fun. It reminded me of college again. I miss going to house/apartment parties so this was a nice change from downtown.

Still not done… this weekend was eventful! Laura has been wanting to do a Thanksgiving dinner for some time now. She finally found the time to do it tonight… Sunday. She went to the underground grocery store (a small grocery downtown where they have an expensive assortment of American food)… expensive meaning 5 bucks for a can of Campbell's Soup. Even though you can buy what you want there, doesn't mean we can cook it. We don't have an oven so no turkey. Instead of a turkey Laura made some delicious chicken and dumplings. This wasn't a traditional Thanksgiving, it was a do what you can with the food you've got, Korean Thanksgiving. There was Greek salad (it had feta- oh my god cheese- yum), garlic mashed potatoes, fruit salad with vanilla yogurt dressing, home made stuffing, garlic french bread, cranberry relish (I made this… mom, you would be so proud of my it tasted just like yours and everyone loved it) and wine. It was all so yummy! Three of the guys I work with have Korean girlfriends and it was great to see them enjoying some American style dishes. Hats off to chef Laura… she really out did herself!

Korean Facts/ Randomness:

-Korea is the only Asian country that uses metal chopsticks (hence the reason why I got all of you- family metal ones for Christmas) :)
- The schedule has changed so much at our school… not only is it frustrating for the teachers but the parents are so irritated by it that they have pulled their children out of the school- I don't blame them!!!
-I know I said there wasn't a lot of crime here but there is rape. The majority of rape that goes on is between old men and little girls (Korean ones).
Don't worry mom.. my Korean co-workers said they have no interest in American women!
-The holiday spirit is really starting to come out. I keep seeing more and more Christmas decor everywhere I go! Yay... a little more like home :)
-Check out my last blog... I posted a picture of what a a fire escape slide looks like