SPAM and bloodshed!!!!!

1)... it speaks for itself, before you decide on what this is, admit... it looks tasty!
2) Katie, her cousin and a few random Koreans who insisted on being in our picture- at the 518 Memorial Park
3)/4) Democracy Uprising




Not to be a snob but never in my life did I think I would eat canned meat (spam). Well… this week I did it. I really need to practice what I preach- don't knock it until you've tried it right?! D-E-L-I-C-I-O-U-S indeed and happy I was. Now of course I doctored it up a little bit. I made a tasty breakfast out of it… corned beef hash. Korea would not even know what to do if they tasted meat like real corn beef. So… I skinned and chopped a few potatoes, threw in a little onion, diced the spam, tossed it in… a little spice… BAM, (as Emeral would say) got it all brown and pretty, a fried egg on the side and there it was, my breakfast dinner! Speaking of fried eggs, for the first time in my life I made a perfect over easy egg. For something I enjoy so much, why has it taken me 23 years to perfect it!? I didn't just do it once, I did it twice… on two different evenings. Man, I'm so easily amused!

I don't know what to do with my children. Korean culture is such a kick in the ass and it really kills my younger students. These poor kids, ages 4 and up, (American age that is… Korean age, 5 and up) go to school all day long then have to come to school again with us. Our English Academy is obviously far from a cake walk. Some of the older students do other extracurricular activities after English academy ends…. hapkido, violin, tae-kwon-do, etc. The little bit of free time they have is spent doing homework. I really do think it's child abuse. Luckily, my 4th graders can handle it. Yea, they are hungry because they don't leave TNE till 7:30 which means they don't get home till at least 8:00.. thats a pretty late dinner for a 4th grader who has to do homework before bed at who knows what time. My first graders are not too bad but it's only the first month of school. In my class of seven, I have had three students fall asleep on more than one occasion. When this happens I have to yell at them and write a note home, which I hate doing. If I don't take these precautions then I will get a bad write up in my evaluations via the cameras in the room. The worst is my after school Kinder class. This class is three 4 year olds… I have taught this class every day since the first of March and little Paul falls asleep almost every day. This kid is impossible to wake up and keep awake. He even falls asleep standing with a lollipop in his mouth- hazardous. CHILD ABUSE! Poor kids… they need their sleep and if it was up to me we would have nap time every day!

The weekend was pretty much the same old, same old good fun with good people. I'm wondering if I will ever be karaokeed out. We sing so much, so loud and without hardly ever taking a breath, I feel like I'm working out. I actually woke up Sunday with no voice. I'm a teacher, I should know better… I need to save my voice for yelling at Luigi (my chaotic, misbehaved Kindergardener…. he used to be Bruce Wayne but his parents changed it). On Sunday I went to the 518 Memorial park with a few friends. 518 (5/18/1980) was the date of an intense Democratic uprising that lefts 100's of people dead and even more wounded… some called it a blood bath. I just call it depressing and extremely mournful! Once called a communist-linked rebellion, the uprising is now one of the most venerated chapters in modern Korean history. I watched a documentary about it before I went to the park. If your interested, 518 is vividly explained below. I found it to be quite intriguing. Sunday ended fabulously. A delicious meal… made by me, cooked for an adorable boy …that's always a good way to end the weekend. I'll just leave it at that, it's quite possible he's reading this ;)

Korean Facts/ Randomness:

-Gwanju (the city that I live in… also spelled, Kwangju) means city of light. Gwang means light and Ju means city.
-If you're Korean, it is considered rude to look someone in the eyes when you're talking to them.
-Children are babied way too much in this culture. Often, the Korean secretaries try to take over at lunch and spoon feed my kids (what the hell… I get SO angry at them). They are perfectly capable of doing it themselves but the Koreans just can't stand to not help. It drives me absolutely insane. Just like when I had Jen and Jenny for the first few weeks, they screamed their heads off and I wanted it that way so that they would see that crying got them no where but NO…the Koreans had to come in and sooth them.. hold them… carry them like babies. Once I convinced them that my methods would work, they backed off and what do ya know… it worked! I swear… I'm not a child abuser haha ;)
- Not only are children babied but they are also not disciplined. Kids are extremely rude, they will scream at you and call you names in Korean and the moms just laugh and smile. Now… if I did that as a child my mom would have either stuck a bar a soap in my mouth or my dad would have smacked me with the paint stick.


-518: The park was beautiful and went on for days... I walked around for hours just enjoying the fresh air and reflecting on history.
(Historical Significance)… "The May 18 Democratic Uprising was an explosion of civilian dissatisfaction with the military junta that had seized governmental power in a coup d'etat and circumvented the progress of democracy in Korea. The fact that there were no reports of looting during the crisis sets the Uprising apart from other instances of civil unrest around the world and shows that the attention of all the people was on putting Korea into the path of democracy (this doesn't surprise me in the least… as I have mentioned before, the majority of Koreans are incredibly trusting. Robbery/stealing are not issues in this country). Other examples that demonstrated the oneness of spirit and purpose and the morality of the people include the long lines of citizens who waited to donate blood and the free supplies contributed to the Uprising by show owners.
After the bloody suppression of the Uprising, at the demands of the people to closely investigate the truth for resorting the honors were completed including the conviction of crimes for the new militarists forces of 1980, designation of May 18 as national commemorative day, completion of the project to make the May 18th Cemetery a hallowed ground and the honorable treatment for those involved in the democratic movement.
The May 18 Uprising began by exposing the immortality of the Fifth Republic, which was an extension of the Yushin Regime of Park Chung-hee, but it eventually led to the juntas destruction and the advent of a civil government. It was the background for the first peaceful and democratic changeover of power in 50 years. That is, the May 18 Uprising did not not merely inherit the spirit of independence democracy and peace, which have been expressed in other major civil uprising in history, but it is also recorded as a monumental civil rights struggle in the development of democracy in modern Korean history."- Gwangju City

(The Beginning and Development)… "On May 17, 1980, a politically minded military clique declared marital law to consolidate power after a successful coup d' teat. Martial law was declared in an attention to quell a growing demand by the people for democratization. This clique, led by Major General Chun Doo- wan, sent paratroopers to Korea's major cities, showing their intentions for those who opposed their authority. They also began Operation Brilliant Leave, which was a special plan, utilizing the 3rd, 7th and 11th Airborne, to crush deep rooted pro-democracy feelings in Gwangju.
In the spring of 1980, these feelings for democracy were at a zenith in Gwangju, which led to demonstrations by professors and students against the new junta. The Gwangju Democratic Uprising officially began at 10 o'clock in the mooring on May 18, 1980, when students demonstrating against the schools closing in from of Chonnam National University front gate were beaten and chased off by paratroopers. The students regrouped and began marching to the downtown area. Paratroopers again moved in and began beating and arresting demonstrators as well as innocent bystanders. Angered by the brutality, regular citizens began to join the demonstrations.
High school students joined in the demonstrations, and in an unprecedented show of support, on May 20, taxi drivers, horns blaring and headlights glaring, made their way downtown. In the afternoon, that same day, protesters seer the Munhwa Broadcasting Company's studio on fire for distorting reports of what was happening in Gwangju.
On May 21st, paratroopers indiscriminately fired into crowds of citizens who had gathered to demands as apology for the beatings and arrests of the previous few days. As a result of the bloodshed, the demonstrators began to arm themselves, forming a defensive force called the Citizens Army.
Although Martial Law Forces had completely isolated Gwangju from the outside world, citizens continued in every means of spreading the news of what was happening. Representatives from all walks of life gathered and organized a Citizens Resolution Committee, whose purpose was to find a peaceful end the the Uprising through negotiation and compromise with martial law authorities. But at dawn on May 27th, paratroopers from the 3rd, 7th and 11th Airborne with soldiers from 20th and 31st Divisions of the regular army led by tanks moved on the demonstrators gathered at the Provincial Hall. The Citizens Army fought valiantly, but the rag-tag army was no match for the suppression force. In about an hour and thirty minutes, the mop-up operation was over and the Gwangju Democratic Uprising came to a bloody end, nine days after it began. It was at this moment that the hope for democracy was at its lowest in this country."- Gwangju City

Singing Emilie Teacher...

1) St. Patrick's Day fun on Saturday night!
2) Some classroom art in honor of what my students call, Green Day


I'm a little bit embarrassed… please try your hardest to excuse my bad grammar and incorrect spelling. Emilie teacher is human and she does make mistakes… silly ones. Hey Jack… it is a plus that I can spell excited… it certainly sounds better than exited. You would think my English would improve being that I teach it all day long. Sometimes, i'm beginning to think it's dumbing me down. With my 4 year olds I often speak in broken, fragmented sentences, always leaving out the important "be" verbs and the essential articles. It's definitely necessary in the beginning since these kiddies don't know any English. I'm starting with basics (abcs, 123s, simple vocabulary… you get it). Last week, I helped them speak their first sentence: My name is ___________. We are slowly moving along. Then there's my 4th grade class. Last week I taught gerunds. Some of you are probably saying, what is a gerund. Basically, a gerund is a verb ending in -ing. But… and this is when it gets confusing… it's not always a gerund. It could be a present participle. I'll explain for anyone wondering. A gerund is a verb, that when -ing is added, turns into a noun (example: sing (verb), singing (noun)… Singing is fun.). A present participle is when you add the -ing to the verb, making it an adjective or keeping it a verb (example: verb form- Emilie teacher is singing… adjective form: I have a singing teacher)- you know, I do love to sing. You're really enjoying this English lesson, aren't you!? Wait though, I'm not done. Okay so gerunds… did you notice that some of them have a double consonant at the end when -ing is added? But how do you know when to double the consonant? Ahhh… when, the word ends in a vowel and a consonant, like stop (OP), you double the consonant. This is all wonderful and the students are just loving my gerund lesson until we get to the word eat… um, teacher, teacher, eat ends with a vowel and a consonant so shouldn't it be eatting, not eating. Oh yes… and here's where I fumble. Technically the rule means we double the "t" but thats wrong. We all know that eating has one t. The book doesn't tell me anything about this one- thanks a lot teacher's edition. This is when I tell my students, oh yes well this is the exception to the rule. I wish I was the smartest person alive and that I had all the answers.. it's really too bad. Do you see my point in all of this? English is a tough language. There are so many weird rules, spellings and exceptions. I admire the hell out of my students for learning English as a second language. It's hard enough learning it as a first language!

Other than the fact that I am a bit frazzled every now and I often have a teaching brain fart, work is good! I feel like I've turned into this crazy… singing teacher. I think the norae bongs (karaoke rooms) that we go to every weekend bring it out in me. I guess this isn't a bad thing. The parents hear me when they come into the school and they have actually asked the management why all the classes aren't singing. They even requested for their kids to be in my class… I'm very flattered. By the way, I'm not a good singer, ask my sisters! In the last month, I've had an excellent rapport with my colleagues and I am hoping it will stay that way. The worthless schlep is for real fired and out of the building- hallelujah! Today was the first day of spring which means good times all around… so, I think things will only get better… I think, I hope, I pray! I can never be too sure about things around here.

This weekend was a bit sorrowful. It started off with farewells and a few tears. Friday night was Dominique's last night in Korea. A small group of us shared a few bottles of wine at her apartment. I hated to see her go but I know that it wasn't a forever good bye. These friends I've made here are definitely friends that I will keep forever. A reunion is a must in the next year. Sunday was Laura's birthday. It's been a while since I've gone out with Laura (she is my lovely, American co-worker). What a night we had… it started way to early and ended entirely too late, or should I say early!The rain was a fun twist.. don't worry, I haven't grown an extra toe or anything. There was a warning for Korea because of all the radiation that leaked from the nuclear reactors in Fukushima, Japan. Stay out of the rain was one thing we were told to do… I tried my best on Saturday night but it was unavoidable. I'll let ya know if anything strange starts happening to my friends and me. Don't worry mom.. I'm being a little bit dramatic here, we are all just fine and dandy! Overall the weekend was wonderful except for the fact that it was far too short.

Korean Facts/ Randomness:

-Monday of this week (March 14th) was White Day. I've mentioned this before but, White Day is like Valentine's Day. The difference is, on Valentine's Day the girl gives gifts to the boy but on White Day, the boy gives to the girl.
-I went and had burgers with my friends this week at a really tasty burger place called Lemon Table. I am used to being stared at around here but at Lemon Table, we really got some interesting looks. When our burgers came to the table we used our hands to eat them… immediately the Korean workers brought extra napkins and wet naps. They could't believe we were using our hands and getting all messy. They, on the other hand use a a knife and fork. I was not a bit ashamed… a cheeseburger is an American meal and I was going to eat it like it should be eaten.
- I just found out that if your going to take a sick day, you have to get a formal doctor's note. This doesn't sound like a big deal but it starts to become one when the note itself costs 15,000 won (about 15 bucks)..as if its not a pain in the ass enough to be sick. You will not get paid if you don't bring in your doctor's note. Those doctors don't mess around either, you really, truly have to be sick to get a note.

Good Bye Sanity, Good Bye Friends!

1) Sunday lunch… tears of joy
2) Last hurrah (Molly, Krish, Dominique)
3) Arts and Crafts… that's Bruce (well… his parents recently changed his name to Luigi). How perfect… the kid finally knows himself as Bruce now he's a 1980's game character
4) Japan's aftermath




Seven months to the day… I can not believe I have lived here that long! Seven months sounds like such a long time but really, I feel like I just got here. These last five to six months are going to really fly.

So, I am sure most of you heard about the terrible earthquake that shook Japan. An 8.9 on the richter scale seems like it might as well knock the Earth off its axis, just slightly. This quake was the worst Japan had seen in over 100 years. The worst part of it all was the tsunami that came later. On Friday night I stayed up reading story after story, watching numerous videos just flabbergasted by the heart ache that Japan is now suffering. I recently read that the death toll was in the thousands. Wow, my heart goes out to all those people who were disturbed by this terrifying natural disaster. If you look at a map, you will see that Korea is not that far from Japan. It's a pretty simple ferry ride away actually. I am perfectly safe though… the earthquake hit Japan on the East coast, I live on the West coast of Korea- so really, it's no where near Korea. The threats were way worse for areas off the East… Indonesia, Hawaii, etc.

This week… work… god. I have been working SO hard and trying to stay so positive. I've always had a pretty strong work ethic so when I am given a task, it has to be perfect… no less! This is by far one of the most challenging jobs I've had. Most of you who know me well are saying… "well, Emilie, you haven't really had many jobs!?" I realize this you guys but there is something in me saying.. I don't think it's supposed to be this hard all the time. Part of me really loves this challenge because I know it's making me a stronger, more appreciative person. This struggle that stresses me out is basically the culture difference… language barriers that are all wrapped around so many issues/tasks. The teaching, like I've always said, is so rewarding. Of course, it's always a little exhausting but I adore my students. Those precious faces and the constant progress is so worth my hard work. I don't think anyone really understands how taxing ESL really is until your the teacher of 3 and 4 year olds who hardly speak a lick of English. Just the simple things are so far from simple… example- when it's time to do math, I can't say to them, "okay, it's time for math, everyone take out your math book and turn to page 10." I have to show them the math book… explain with motioning how to get out the math book. Once everyone has their math book on the desk. I have to turn each of their books to page _____ … 5 minutes later it's time for the real test, teaching what's on the pages. I love when they are actually getting what I am teaching, it makes me feel like the best teacher in the world. I often stand back and take a big, long sigh/breath when I finish a page.

I was really surprised with myself this week. I got poked in the eye with a pencil (on accident of course)… the point of a pencil shot straight up poking me under the eye and then stabbing me right in the crevice of my eyeball. The pencil actually broke the skin under my eye causing bruising and a broken blood vessel. I'm fine, I promise! A few tears later and I was hardly phased. Poor Suri, she had no idea what she did. You can be sure I showed them how to hold a pencil, after that. If that wasn't bad enough in the beginning of the week… Thursday came around and I got pooped on. Not just poop you guys, diarrhea. And… on my freshly dry cleaned sweater. Now, that is me being selfish as hell. In midst of it all I felt terrible for poor Jen. Bless her heart, she was a little under the weather and just couldn't hold it. She soiled a pair of pants, straight through to her teacher who was holding her. These far from joyous moments are all part of teaching… it's pretty much inevitable that this kind of stuff will happen on a regular basis. I just got a little unlucky this week, thats all.


So.. I didn't think I could mess things up with my older students but I did. I try SO hard to be perfect at what I do that I get on a roll and then, just when I start to de-stress, it all crumbles down. When it comes to the lesson plan, you've got to follow it precisely. Any teacher will tell you that your lesson can and should stray from it's original but NOT in Korea. When you create your lesson, it goes on the TNE website via Excel (by the way, I've mastered the excel program… something I never thought I'd do). Parents go online and look at each day to see what is done. Some parents even sit in the parents room and watch the TV- cameras to make sure your teaching the right book.. the right page at the exact time you said you would teach it (talk about pressure, right!?). One day, I taught the wrong pages in the grammar book. A parent called and threatened to quit TNE because the lesson plan said I was going to teach pages 6-9 in the grammar book but I taught 6-14 (god forbid I move on in the book when the material is too simple- woops, I should have known better). It's a huge chain reaction when this happens. The parents call management then management calls me to their office to discuss the issue then I freak out because, OH NO… do they dislike me now. Are they going to make my life hell? I kiss SOOOOO much ass it's not even funny - you can't over do it around here. Sometimes I think they like me more on days when I look really cute. The black eye I had goin on for a few days definitely didn't benefit me.

I am very, very sad! One of my good friends, Dominique is leaving Korea to go home to Canada. I've got such an ache in my stomach because I can't bear leaving the friends I've made here. Dom is the first close friend to leave. On Saturday night, a big group of us went out for one last hurrah with Dom. When I left America, I knew when I would see my family and friends again but it's different here. When friends leave and when I later leave… I don't really know when I will see them again. It's all very bitter sweet! As excited I am to come home… I will be absolutely crushed to leave my friends. Luckily, a lot of them live in America but some live in other countries.

After a night of drinking, we took our hungover selves back downtown for a sunday lunch. I swear to you, our food was drugged. 10 minutes after eating, we were all acting like fools. Felicity would tell you we turned into a group of muppets. We laughed so hard we were crying- I can't tell you the last time I did that! We moseyed through the streets of downtown like slugs… giggling and making no sense at all. When I finally made it home, I passed out which was around 7. I am just now waking up (1 am)and feeling like my normal self- what the hell was in that food?

Korean Facts/ Randomness:

-When kids loose their baby teeth, they don't pull them out themselves. Once a child has a loose tooth, they go to the dentist to get it pulled. They still believe in the tooth fairy so once the dentist pulls a tooth, he gives it to the child.
-Dental care if very expensive… you will often see people with really messed up teeth. Braces are not as common here.
- I'm so grossed out by this… very often you will see men peeing on the side of the street. A lot of times, they don't even go behind something.. they simply turn the other way and hope no one is looking. I can't tell you how many times during the day I see a man peeing- ugh! These are not grimy men either, they are men in their business suits.
- I know fully understand why you can not wear your shoes inside.
- Notice the ascot that Bruce/Luigi is wearing in the picture above. You wouldn't believe how many kids wear these (girls and boys). It's the hot trend for kids in Korea. I think it's hilarious!

Korean Soccer!

1) Celebrating after a win
2) The beautiful world cup stadium
3) Tailgating outside the stadium



I'm recovering from quite a full week. Not only has the work load/ work drama been intense but, I'm getting over tonsillitis and a pretty awful cold. Being sick always makes everything a little more difficult.

On Monday I worked diligently to prepare my classroom, lesson plans and materials for the new school year that started Wednesday. Luckily, we had Tuesday off and even though I was sick I went in and worked all day. I don't know what I would have done without that day because it allowed me to fully prepare for my new classes. Speaking of… the new classes are great… it's nice to switch things up a little bit and start fresh. So, this might very possibly bore you to tears but.. here is what my week looks like. I begin every morning with my 10:00 Bell-Kindergarten class (there are three levels of Kindergarten and Bell is the youngest). We do a variety of different actives, everything from math to phonics until 12:30. Lunch is at 12:30 then I have until 3:20 to work on lessons, material preparation, extra work (I'll go into that later). I used to have a 30 minute break in which I could come up to my room but for whatever reason, they took that away. This solid two hours really helps- I can usually get a lot done, unless management is calling me downstairs for yet another meeting. My Bell Kindergarten class has their afternoon activities from 1:00-2:30.. the brand new teacher (Brian) teaches those and I usually try to pop in and out to make sure my kiddies are on task and following Brian's directions. At 3:20 I teach an after school class, they are on a Kindergarten level but they only come for 50 minutes a day… not 5 hours like the other Kindergarteners. That 50 minutes with them really flies by… this class will definitely be a challenge. I only have two of them… Suri and Paul (I named him after my friend from home… he's a younger, Korean version of my American friend, Paul- haha). Suri came in with her English name. They are such cuties and they are pretty comfortable with me because they already attend regular school. After I finish up with Suri and Paul on Tuesday and Thursday, I'm done! Ah.. I love Tuesdays and Thursdays. On Monday, Wednesday and Friday I work a bit longer. After my 3:20 class ends (4:10), I teach a Leopard 3 class (equivalent to 1st/2nd grade). I have 7 students in this class and I love all of them, especially the boys. They are so responsive and very eager to learn. At 5:45 I teach my last class of the day which I also LOVE! This is my higher level class- Giza 2 (equivalent to 4th grade.. I have quite a mix of ages, everything from 10 to 14). Some of the girls in this class have been with me since I got here in August so we are very close. I have a blast with this group of 8… I've got a nice group of young adults. I am silly and sarcastic as hell with them but it really makes learning fun. Maybe that sounds bad but, we have a great time!

So, all these new teachers… maybe your confused or maybe you haven't even noticed the chaos. We got a new teacher- Kevin, a few weeks ago. Well… remember that bad feeling I had in the very beginning when I told you that he already missed his flight here… hmm, that bad feeling was right on point. He was a nice guy but….he really couldn't cut it here as a TNE teacher. This business doesn't mess around and so they told him it was time to go! This blew my mind, I found out that there is a 30 day return policy on teachers. I was sure this was a joke but it's not. If the teacher you (the school/academy) get doesn't work, send him back within 30 days and you can get a new one- HAHAHA! He will be on his way back to who knows where, tomorrow. As for Brian… he's the OTHER new teacher and he just got here a week ago. They threw him into things pretty quick but he's been adjusting just fine. Brian's 33… still making me the baby of the bunch, that's okay! I am positive he will be able to survive TNE- it's a tough business but he's got that fire in his belly!

So, that bandwagon of negative teachers is pretty much gone… thank god because it has made a world of difference in how I act. I really hate myself for hoping on that damn wagon so often but now that it's gone I can breathe easy. I wouldn't really say all these teachers are gone… they have been placed in secluded areas of the school in which they can't leave (one really worthless one especially). I guess that's what happens when your that much of a schlepper. Now, the teacher's room is mostly filled with smiles and positive attitudes (this is the teaching world that I prefer… "la la la… happy day.. finger painting, singing songs"- you get it).

So, the management has decided to put my skills to good use.. I'll definitely take that as a compliment. I am now working with them to create a comprehension curriculum for the 1st/2nd grade level. It's really a lot of trial/error and meeting after meeting. If I was working with English speakers, this task might be halfway done but since everything is translated it takes 3 times longer. I am excited to give them something concrete that they can use forever after I am gone. Oh…. did I tell you? Speaking of cirriculums, you know the art curriculum that I worked my ass off on? Well, I didn't think they were going to implement it but at the last minute, they decided they would. Oh, I am so happy! Not only did I create it but now I get to teach it- good times!

So, Friday morning I woke up with no voice. I toughed it out, scaring my kiddies half to death. They already don't understand me cause I'm speaking another language. When I started speaking to them with my barely of a whisper voice they looked at me like I was a monster. I worked with it… I made silly voices all morning to counteract the weird/raspy one. I read monster stories and basically made a fool of myself (pretty much what I do everyday). I finally got them laughing and actually got my one cryers (Jason) to stop crying for the first time in 2 weeks. Of course, after all my younger classes were finished, I got my voice back. What a day!

Enough about work… finally, I got to see some soccer! Gwangju just got a new professional soccer team for 2011. On Saturday a group of friends and I went out to the world cup stadium to watch the new team play against Deagu. We won, 3-2! It was a perfect sunny day…. a huge crowd of foreigners gathered in the parking lot for some tailgating. At 3, we all went into the beautiful stadium with our food and beverages. I love how you can take anything inside, they don't even search you. We enjoyed a great game and of course, each other's company… they even had us on TV. It's rare that you see 60 plus foreigners in one place. After the game, a big group of us went out for a nice dinner. I went home early… still trying to take it easy. I sure as hell don't want to be sick for the work week! Sunday was another beautiful day that had to be spent outside. I took the subway downtown and met my lovely friend Molly for a walk, shopping and a delicious lunch… buffet style! Even though it's been so nice and sunny, the weather is still playing tricks on us. Just when we thought it was getting warm, it got really cold again. I have terrible spring fever. I can't wait to put my winter jackets in a box, send them home and forget about them for many, many months!

Korean Facts/ Randomness:

-Just like at the movie theater… similar scenario at the soccer game: forget the popcorn, enjoy a squid (have it dry or crisp it up on the self serve grill).
- When Korean parents see a group of foreigners and they have their kids with them, they often encourage... even push their children to talk to us. They want so badly for their children to practice the English they know. This happens often but at the soccer game this Saturday, it happened at least 6 times. Sometimes, you will even see a parent shove their child into our group and they walk away so the child is trapped with us. It's all very odd!
-I'm sure I've mentioned this many times before but I'll say it again… the stereo type of right- Asians are terrible drivers. What gets me is the fact that every single cab driver has a little TV attached to the dash board… great idea, huh!?
-In all of Asia, Korea is number one in television entertainment. So… Korean television…it is very interesting… there is at least 5 porn channels and they certainly don't wait till late at night to play their shenanigans. There are about 6 English channels and they often play some really good movies and shows.