마지막 인사 (Last Farewell)

Big Bang has even prepared me for leaving by providing a fitting title for my last blog. Video can be found here. Of course, everything else about the song and video doesn't really fit, but since they're so incredible we can bypass all of that.

It's my last few days in Korea and I've been trying to squeeze in some things that I haven't quite experienced yet. Let's see, things I've done...

1) Jjim jil bang (public bathhouse)
       I was a bit concerned with the whole public nudity, but after having taken showers at the gym, I figure how much worse can it be at a jjim jil bang? Let me tell you, the Dragon Hill Spa I went to in Seoul was the fanciest place everrr (not that I have much to compare it to). There were showers as well as places you could sit and wash. Then there were the hot baths. There were soo many! All of which are different; the mineral salt water hot bath, the ginseng hot bath, the functional hot bath, the massaging hot bath, and more. There was one cold bath. And there were more baths in a small outdoors area. Since we were on the 3rd floor and were kind of sanctioned off, visibility was near impossible by outsiders (so yes, I went outside) There were also 2 sauna rooms. But the ultimate highlight of the experience was probably the body scrub. Oh body scrub, how you make my skin feel very smooth. Here's how it all went down. My friend and I were chillin in one of the hot baths, when some ahjummas tried asking us if we wanted the body scrub. We politely declined. Eventually they came back for more. They're like vultures!! Hovering around until we agreed. I figured "when else will I get a body scrub?" So I went for it. We laid down on this table, and the scrubbing commenced. The feeling? Like getting my skin rubbed raw. I got used to it eventually. I saw pieces of something on my skin, thinking that the scrubber they were using had some kind of exfoliating agent on it and it was rubbing off onto my skin. Then I realized "Oh no, that's not it. That is the skin that is being rubbed off of my body.......ew." Not gonna lie, part of it was awkward, as I lay there naked being rubbed down. At one point she remarked on a mole to her scrubbing friend. Yes, I have some moles. Sorry for not having perfect doll-like skin like lots of other Korean girls have. Anyway, we were glad when that experience was over. After all the sauna action, we went back to our lockers and changed into our jjim jil bang gear: a loose shirt and shorts in a light blue color with the dragon hill logo. At this point it was pretty late, so we headed to a sleeping room for the night, which consisted of mats and a "pillow", which was more like a semi-soft brick. I didn't get much sleep. The whole sleeping on the floor thing just doesn't go well with me. Overall, it was definitely an interesting experience. I think my favorite moment waking up was walking around in the morning, seeing people sleeping pretty much wherever; the landings of the staircase, the massage chairs, cushioned benches, and my absolute favorite- in a chair of an arcade game.

2) Yudal mountain
       Somehow I never made it to the most well known mountain in Mokpo. I finally went there last Sunday morning with a few friends! It was a nice hike, but man, was it hot!! And of course, we were the ones sweating while everyone else was totally fine. It was a nice workout though! And we got to see all of Mokpo, as well as some of the islands.

3) Baseball
       I forgot how long it's been since I last wrote! I was able to hit up a baseball game in Gwangju. Go KIA Tigers! Unfortunately, they lost, but it was a great time. It was interesting to see how different the games are here from back home. Outside of the stadium were a bunch of food sellers. What were they selling? Chicken! Didn't get any, but enjoyed looking at all the different stands. We got our super awesome thunder sticks and cheered along with the crowd during the game. The cheering was led by a couple of men and "cheerleaders". And what I mean by "cheerleaders" is more like girls dressed in short skirts and tees dancing along to the cheers. I felt bad for how hot they must have been. Then that thought passed quickly and I moved on. Somehow we were able to accomplish the wave. Multiple times. Yes, the wave made it's way full circle at least 5 times. That's dedication. The spirit that everyone has for baseball is so contagious! Anyway, it was great fun.

I'm finalizing all of my packing and will be embarking for Japan in just 3 days!! Thinking about going back home is exciting and also a bit nerve-wracking. I'm more concerned about leaving and having to say good-bye to such wonderful people who I've been so happy to get to know. Saying that I'll miss Korea is an understatement. This past year has been a roller coaster of an adventure like none I've ever experienced before, and when I return home it will be the beginning of another new excursion in that little thing called life.
Btdubs, kudos for making it through this. I always end up writing way more than I originally intended. And sorry if my farewell seems lame. There are so many things I would like to say, but words are failing me right now. I just refuse to accept the fact that I'm leaving until I'm on the plane. I'll do another blog about my short stint in Japan, and then that might be it for this here blog...eek!

Season Finale??

This very well may be my last post on this here blog. I entitle it "The Bad Things About Working At A Hagwon (Academy)"


When I first came to Korea, I didn't really think anything too bad about my job. My director treated me pretty well, which isn't bad compared to a few other directors I've heard about. When I started to get extra projects and had to work outside of work, it was a pain. I can't really complain too much about that, though, since doing that project got me my laptop. Work was fine. I worked long hours (10-7), but all in all, it's wasn't too bad. Over the months we lost a few students, not too uncommon here for a few reasons:

1) The parents want to send their students to the brand, spankin-new academy with the fancy computer lab. "Newer is better"
2) The parents decide that they don't like the program/books you're using and decide to take their kid elsewhere.
3) The parents decide they don't like the teacher (hopefully this hasn't been the case for our kids!!)
4) The student doesn't want to study anymore
5) The student wasn't to take a break from learning english

Moving on, after our 7 year olds "graduated" from our kindergarten program, we lost more students. When I say "graduated", I mean the 7 year olds were starting public school so they couldn't come in the morning anymore and had to change to coming in the afternoon instead. We didn't pick up a whole lot of new students in the morning, so we started to get a little concerned.

Then the really big concerns started coming about a month ago. We started to not get paid. Maybe just a part of our paycheck came in. This is also one of those things that stinks about working at a hagwon. If you ever have the desire to teach in Korea, you have to make sure you get paid. For some people, it's not a big deal, but for others it might be something you have to deal with. Reminding our director became a recurring issue, and what he would do was pay a part of our paycheck, then maybe the next week pay some more, pretty much stretching our one payday into pay installments over a duration of about 3 weeks.

The past 2 weeks have been a definite eye-opener of how serious our situation is here. When the water in my co-teacher's and my apartments was shut off, I thought it might have been contributed to our director having not paid the rent. I'm about 90% sure that's probs the reason why. Then I found out that rent is due in multiple places, including the building our school is in. My landlord wants me to move out of my apartment. Our school could close any day now. There is no money.


Scary. I've taken this week to pack things up and start shipping them back home. I'm basically preparing myself to be ready to leave at any point. I've thought about possibly staying longer, but since it's so close to the end of my contract, I've decided to just go home. The big concern is "Will I get paid??" Right now I'm owed a month and a half's worth of pay, which will equate to about 3 million won (approx. $3,000). If our school were to close at the end of today, then I'm owed 2 and half month's worth of pay. My contract also says that I get a severance at the end of my year. I'm hoping I get that! Even though I didn't work the whole year, I'm not the one quitting, so I should be able to get that money. I'm also supposed to be given a paid flight back home. Sure hoping I get that too. A friend of mine told me about a government office I can go to to get my money. And though I'm sure they can get my that money, I'm not sure if they'd give my the severance pay and money for the flight back. Gotta check my contract! Though I'm not sure if there's anything in there pertaining to if the school closes...

Anyway, that's the situation. Like I said, I'm preparing to come home and will most likely be home before my contract officially end. So for peeps back home, you'll see me soon! For those here in Korea, I'm going to miss you all. I've had a wonderful time here. The experiences I have been blessed to have are beyond numerous. To think that just a year ago I graduated from college! I definitely plan to come back, whether it's just to visit or to come back and teach (definitely choosing a public school job next!) I'm extremely thankful for everyone I've met and come to know (even if it was just once). Truly, how many people can say that they've taken a chance like this?!?! Well, really, quite a number of people can, because Korea is kind of obsessed with learning english, so there are a lot of teachers. But besides that, even though my english has slowly become terribly bad, and I've gotten used to Korean practices and customs (don't be surprised if you randomly here me speaking Korean or not saying "Bless you" after you sneeze), my time here in Korea has been extraordinary. I really can't say how much I've loved living here! Gah! Now I don't want to leave!!!! I'm beyond excited to see everyone back home and begin a new adventure back in the States. Gosh, I'm gonna start crying...no, I refuse!! Not yet! Ok, I need to stop. I'll keep everyone updated, so don't worry!!

random. mer. title fail

So it's been a while...

There's been a lot happening now that the weather's much nicer. Festivals, trips, awkward situations, the usual. Korea's a great place to be in the spring because of Festivals. I've been to a few, mostly all flower related. Here's a list of the ones I've heard of:

The Sea-Parting Festival (I don't know if that is it's actual name, but I don't know otherwise)
Cherry Blossom Festival
Tulip Festival
Green Tea Festival
Strawberry Festival
Hi Seoul Festival
Lotus Lantern Festival

I'm sure there are more, but these are the ones I've either been to/heard of that have already happened. There's also mud-fest coming up in July, which I'm super psyched for. Lately I've been thinking about how much I love living here, and that I definitely want to return here after coming home. Then that got me to thinking about things that I don't think I'll ever get used to while I'm here:

1) spitting
  It's just nasty. Especially when they do that narsty sound that comes from getting prepared to spit. ugh.

2) "health" habits
  Korea has some interesting perspectives on what is healthy for you to do. Such as smacking your stomach after eating to help aid in digestion, or really just hitting anything that seems tense or in pain. I've done it before, but I'm not sure if it's actually doing anything. There's also the idea where if you're experiencing indigestion, you can wrap your thumb with thread, then poke the area just under your nail bed with a needle. Supposedly if the blood is a dark red, then you definitely have had some indigestion, but the release of the "bad" blood will get rid of the indigestion

3) Public walking
  Ok, I've been here for a little over 9 months and have STILL never figured out which side of the sidewalk to walk on. For reals. It doesn't help that Korean people will NOT move from their path, making you the decision maker. I've done everything. Gone on the left, right, through the middle, and the awkward 2-person shuffle while you both try to go the same direction at the same time. In Seoul, they have signs designating which side to walk on (the right), but how often is it followed? Some of the time. Oh well.

4) Physical ideologies
  The mentality around plastic surgery is very different than back home. Back in the states, if someone has plastic surgery, it's almost a scandal and very looked down upon. In Korea, plastic surgeons are the most prevalent. So many surgeries are done, and it's not a big deal at all. Surgeries done on eyes, noses, everything. Which, first of all, I don't understand why Koreans want to get surgery on their eyes to make them bigger. I've tried explaining this to some of my korean friends, that their eyes are gorgeous, they don't need to go on a diet, etc. But it's just a completely different perspective for them. They are so bombarded with western advertisements and concepts that they feel they need to have whiter skin, big eyes (or in some cases, a double eyelid) and high noses.

5) The school system
  I've mentioned a few things before, about how kids study for most of the day, moving from school to academy to academy to academy until very late at night. You can see it the most in middle school and high school students. Completely ridiculous. On the other hand, it definitely makes me feel like I don't study enough and that I can learn so much more if I were more dedicated to learning (*ack* *cough* korean studying fail *cough*)

Well, there you have it. Kind of a lame post, but I couldn't think of anything else at the moment. Tomorrow is Buddha's birthday, so we have the day off. Woohoo!!!

Things to Do: The Sequel

Alright! Time for some more things to do here in Mokpo!

4) Movies

Mokpo has 4 movie theaters. The unfortunate thing is that the movies are shown for a very short period of time. Say around 3-4 weeks. After that, it's GONE. I've been wanting to see Tangled recently, but waited too long and missed it by the time I finally went over to Lotte Cinama. Shame. But wait! In Korea, everyon downloads everything! Movies, music, you name it! It's downloaded. Which is actually really sad if you think about it. Not exactly the best mindset to have about those kinds of things. But I digress.

5) Bowling

If you don't feel like hitting up Lotte Cinema, just head down a few floors and go bowling! That's right, the bowling alley is in the same building as the movie theater. Crazy. Here's a warning: if you ever go bowling in Korea, prepare to get beaten. Koreans have some kind of supernatural ability when it comes to bowling. They're all good. And they're hardcore too!! Lots of older men wear the hand contraptions that do whatever the heck it is that they're used for.

6) Screen Golf

Screen golf? What's that? Well, my friends, it quite an amazing thing. There are many golf places around town, in which most of them have a small practicing area so they can work on their game. Some places, however, will have screen golf. These are separate rooms which your party goes to. Inside said room is a platform. On the platform you can practice your swing by literally hitting a golf ball at the screen alongside a wall. A few friends of mine have already tried this. Let's just say that is was fantastically awesome as well as slightly embarrassing. Not only were men looking into our room and watching us most of the time, but we also took the longest amount of time possible for 9 holes. For reals. One of the workers came into the room and told us we set a record for taking the longest. We still had a hilarious, fun time.

7) Hiking

There are many mountains in Korea, and most mountains will have some kind of trail that you can hike up. Wait, let me clarify that. Most mountains will have thousands of sets of stairs that you can climb up. Also, there's usually some exercise equipment at the top, so after you spend all that time climbing stairs, you can do some more exercising at the top of the mountain before heading back down! It's not that bad, though. It's when the old men pass you in their hiking clothes that you feel bad about yourself for not being able hike any faster.

That's a majority of the things that are possible to do here. On a completely different note, I went to my first k-pop concert last week!!!!!!!!! We went to see only the best group of all time, BIGBANG. The excitement cannot even be expressed here. Anyway, once we got to Olympic Park (where the concert was being held), we noticed the massive amounts of young girls in our midst. Oh dear. Whatevs, can't let the young-ins bring you down! I even bought a light stick and awesome headband with the shape of a crown on it (a symbol for BIGBANG apparently). So when we were finally being let in, we get to the bag check when we're stopped!! We weren't allowed to bring our cameras in. The only way I got caught with mine was because I had the case in my purse. If only it weren't so! So we were then "shown" where to take our cameras. And by "shown", I mean the person gestured to an ambiguous area and said "There." K thanks for the help. Not. Anyway, so we had to say goodbye to our cameras, get back in line, and get our bags checked (again). Whew. Anyway, we made it in!! We were pretty far back, but the set up for everything was actually a lot better than I had expected. I snapped a few photos on my phone (which they didn't make us leave behind), and my anticipation grew as the starting time moved closer. Let me tell you, it was......FANTAWEWONDERSUPERSCRUMPTIOUSLY AMAZING!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! They are an incredible group to watch live. They know how to work a crowd and had great transitions between old and new songs. They also showed a video about halfway into the concert. It had to deal with a korean drama that was super popular a few months ago, in which they did their own parody version. HI-larious. I was able to capture a couple videos on my phone, when--what?!?! One of the security people called me out of the stadium to delete the videos I had taken. FOR REAL?!?! They're hardcore about capture content at concerts. Lame. Anyway, it was so spectacular, I don't even think another concert can do any better. Yay, long blog! And finished.

Things to do in Korea (yeah, I know, real creative...)

I feel like I've had an epic blog fail, due to the general lack of all things Korean on it. Lots of people have been asking me what there is to do here in good ol' Mokpo, so here are a few:

1. Coffee Shops

Korea has about a bajillion coffee shops. Of course, there's the chains like Caffe Bene, Angel in Us, Tom n Tom's, Holly's, and so on. (Sorry, folks, but Starbucks is completely absent in Mokpo. It's in other- bigger -cities though!) Then there are the independently owned shops, which offer their own unique vibe. And don't forget the cute baristas (hur)!! We frequently go to coffee shops because, well, there isn't that much to do in Mokpo. Unless you do the few number of things ALL. THE. TIME. Anyway, I've gotten much more into coffee shops. Stamp/point cards fill my wallet.

2. Noraebongs

Into karaoke? Don't want to go to a bar and have to sing in front of complete strangers? Never fear, just hit up a noraebong!! Noraebong is literally translated as a "singing room", and that's basically what it is. Once there, your group of friends are shown to a separate room just for you. Each place differs, but there are couches, a table, a ginormous tv screen, some neat lights, microphones, tambourines (some of them light up!!), and you're good to go. Feel free to goof off without embarassment (usually ^^). Sing whatever kind of song from the selection, and have a blast!

3. Shopping

If there's one things that all Korean's love, it's fashion. For cereal, I've never been in a place where looking good is so important. I feel awkward going out in just jeans and a t-shirt. This also means that I've gotten much more into shopping here. Like coffee shops, there are a gaggle of clothing shops, Some being brand name, and others are small boutiques (some of which can only hold a few people comfortably). The downside to shopping in Korea: things are much more expensive than back home. But to be completely honest, if I'm going to wear it that much, and it's better quality, then I'm going to buy it.

Then of course, there's the fashion statements. While tons of people back home wear flip flops, Korean women wear heels. Yes, heels. Everyday. And not small heels either; some of these shoes are killer. High school and college students also love their Converse shoes. In the winter season, there are some pretty sweet fashion staples. Here they are:

1) Shorts with leggings: I thought this was such a weird thing to do at first, but now I think it's fantastic and I can't wait to try it. I'm a bit nervous about it, seeing as it would probably look totally different on a non-asian person. But whatevs.

2) Puffy, shiny coats: I don't know what it is about these kind of obnoxious coats, but people love them here. Fubu (yes, Fubu) sells them. Outdoor clothing stores sell them. Millions of Koreans have them.

3) Green coats (usually with some kind of fur lining): they're everywhere. Guys, girls, they almost all have them. The styles vary, but the general army green color is seen anywhere you turn.

4) Uggs (or Fuggs): Unfortunately, these shoes are also popular here. I don't care about them enough to comment on them.

5) Skinny everything: Since Koreans are so stick-thin and have no hips, they can pull off having everything being super tight. Skinny jeans, suits, skirts, you name it. This also makes it practically impossible for me (or anyone else with hips) to buy pants here, because they don't carry larger sizes.

6) Lots of loose fitting things: Despite the coolness of skinny things, most girls will also have loose fitting shirts, sweaters, and sweater dresses. They're able to pull off so many looks, it's ridiculous.

7) Couple outfits: There is nothing as fantastic as a couple wearing matching coats, shoes, shirts, or all of the above. They look so cute when they do it!! There's even couple lingerie. But there is no possible way that matching outfits will fly back home. You'd just get straight up made fun of. People would think you're crazy ridiculous. Shame.

How adorable is this??

There are even more fashion styles I could talk about, but I first started off that last point with the amount of shopping that can be done. So yes. You can do a huge amount of shopping here.

I'll continue with more things next time. Until then, 잘가!! (Literally means "go safely", but it's used a lot when saying goodbye)

Halfway there!

The time has finally come when I've been here for 6 months. Let me tell you, this last month went by so. slowly. I felt like I kept saying "I've been here for about 6 months" for the past 2. But that doesn't mean that it wasn't eventful! Here's the lowdown:

The last few days of December and early January were spent in Seoul. My mom and sister came to visit!! Words couldn't describe how excited I was. They would say things that they noticed were interesting, which made me realize how immune I've become to the way things are here. Anyway, it was also my second time in Seoul, so I was the fearless (or maybe not-so) leader as we navigated our way through the city. We had some pretty stellar times.

This month is pretty much a gateway to exciting things to come. We had originally planned on going to Jeju for Lunar New Year (this Thursday), which is pretty big. The few traditions I know of are: the consumption of 떡국(duk-gook, or rice cake soup), spending time with family, and playing 윶놀이(yut-nori). Nori mean "game", and the game involves 4 wooden sticks. The giving of gifts is a big deal, and I've gotten a few gifts from my students already. We'll see what happens tomorrow.

In the meantime, I've moved to a new apartment. I love my new place, but the entire moving ordeal was...interesting. First of all, I didn't know that I was moving until the night before, when my director came into my classroom while I was teaching and asked "Is it ok to move your furniture to 208?"

...What? 208? Why does my furniture need to be moved?

After we got on the same page, it was settled that I would move the next day. Fortunately, I already had 1 1/2 suitcases packed. The worst thing about the whole situation is that the landlords have zero communication with me. They would come and show my apartment without letting me know beforehand. The first time was ok; I was at work so it's not like I had to talk to them. Then again, who's to say that they couldn't take anything? The second time wasn't as great. It was a Sunday and I was just about to get out of the shower when my doorbell rings. I stood there thinking "Who could be at my door?" It wasn't until I heard my door unlocking that I started to freak out. So I did as much as I could: "Hello?...Yes. Hold on a minute." (This was all in Korean) So I rushed out and hurried to get some clothes on. I don't think she realized what she was about to walk in on until I answered the door with towel around my head. So there I stood, waiting as these strangers looked at my mess of an apartment for a few minutes, then left.

..awkward..

I brushed it off. Moving back to the day before I moved. I slept on the floor (my bed had already been moved, and it was actually nicer than I thought it would be). The people that moved my furniture did a fantastic job, let me tell you. They removed the food from my fridge before moving it to the new place, my washer, and my bed. They must have thought "She's probably a strong person. Let's let her move the tv, couch, and desk as well as all of her other stuff." AWESOME. Thankfully my couch can be separated into 3 chairs, so carrying them wasn't that bad. The kicker was Saturday morning, when I was woken up at 8am by the landlady coming into my apartment to clean the bathroom. Yes, please, just kick me out of my apartment. Anyway, I'm officially, officially settled here (it only took this long).

Ok! That is quite a lengthy story. I apologize. I tend to go into too much detail.

Since the Jeju trip fell through, I'm going to Seoul! That's always an exciting time. The end of February is going to be the series of LEGENDARY events (yes, that is stolen taken from the book series). Friday kicks off the weekend with only the BEST CONCERT Seoul will see in a long time. That's right. Big Bang. The Fantastic 5: G-Dragon, TOP, Seung-ri, Daesung, and Tae-yang will bust a move at Olympic Park in front of thousands of adoring fans. I'm psyched. Saturday night I'll be hitting up a different show: Elton John and Tim Rice's "Aida". Korean style. I've been meaning to see a musical, and I had to take this opportunity!

From here on out, instead of counting how long I've been here, it'll be how many months are left (eek!) So much time, not enough to do! Strike that, reverse it. So much to see, experience, and explore! Anxiously awaiting warmer weather...

PS: I feel like I should add some kind of Korean phrase to show off--I mean, demonstrate my Korean skills! Also, you can learn how to say something in Korean! Ok, let's learn: "I can('t) play the piano"

Alright, let's build it up:

I = 저는 (jeonun)
piano = 피아노를 (same pronunciation + r/l-ul)
can play = 칠수 있어요 (chilsoo issoyo)

Here's the grammar: 저 is the formal version of "I"
는 denotes the subject of the sentence that focuses on the object.
를 denotes the object of the sentence.
치다 means to play and from what I know so far, is used for playing at least piano and tennis
     -since you want to say that you can do it, take the verb before the infinitive ending (다).
     -this verb's last sound is a vowel, so all you have to do is add -ㄹ수 plus the verb 있다 (which is not
      conjugated at this point and means to be)
     -let's use the informal formal verb ending (that's right, within the formal conjugations, there is a
      formal and informal). Separate 있다 from the infinitive ending. The last vowel sound is ee, and
      when that is the last vowel sound, the next vowel sound in the verb ending is uh. The final "yo"
      sound isn't needed if you're talking to:
           -a close friend
           -someone younger than you
      but I'll keep it in here because you add it for everyone else.

And that's how it works!! So here's how it is all together: 저는 피아노를 칠수 있어요 | jeonun pianorul chilsoo issoyo.

To say that you can't, you only have to change one thing: the final verb. Instead of saying issoyo, say ohbssoyo (which looks like this: 없어요 and means to not be)

Yay! You're a trooper for making it through my language explanations.

Oh, there’s no place like Korea for the holidays…

I’ve been trying to figure out how I would feel about Christmas for a while now. To be completely honest, it still doesn’t feel like it’s going to be Christmas tomorrow. Then again, that usually happens every year. There’s something about being in a different country that alters your mind set. You stop thinking about how things are usually done in your home country and accept whatever new situations arise, despite how different they may seem. So that’s what happened with Christmas.

Yes, I miss home. I miss the overall Christmas spirit that everyone is a part of, Christmas carols, lots of snow, fires roaring in the fireplace, but mostly the family togetherness. At the same time, I’m really excited that I’ll get to spend Christmas here in Korea, with my friends. There will be laughter, food, movies, and friendly togetherness. A fairly low-key Christmas. The biggest difference between Christmas here than back home is that it isn’t a huge deal. People don’t peruse catalogs and ads Thanksgiving night thinking of all the swag they’re going to try and score in the wee hours of the morning on November 26th.. There’s no big hullabaloo about working on Christmas Eve (even though I did that back at good ol’ Chili’s). I’ve been asking my students and friends what they plan on doing Christmas Day. Most responses have been “nothing much.” The normalness of Christmas is such a huge contrast with how it’s celebrated in America, and that’s the oddest thing for me. Although in the past few decades or so, Christmas has been a growing holiday here. The part that’s celebrated, however, is the secular aspect. Gift giving is done by some, although with the rise of Christianity in the area there are a growing number of people who celebrate the religious aspect (woohoo!).

So that’s my Christmas observation. On a completely different note, there have definitely been some interesting things that have happened lately. Sticking with the Christmas theme for now, I’d love to mention a great commercial that’s been showing. It’s for a bakery called Paris Baguette, and I think they’re trying to advertise to singles around this holiday season. It shows a man sitting in a couch alone watching a romantic movie. He then hangs his head, somehow showing that he is in such misery, when lo and behold! A snowman comes out of his tv, handing him a cake. If that isn’t odd enough, then the additional music tagline “You are not alone” will surely get to you. Thank you, Paris Baguette, for telling me to feel miserable for being single and alone. Oh wait! If I eat cake, then I’ll have food for company and feel great!

Moving on, what did I do Christmas Eve? I worked. But I was super excited to walk out of my apartment and see snow falling!! It snowed a good majority of the day, so it looks like Mokpo will have a white Christmas (another side not, it is impossible to find White Christmas online to watch. Terribly depressing). I headed to school with my bag of goodies for the students, as well as gifts for the other teachers. Kindergarten went well; we made snowflakes, played games, and made reindeer cookies. We also gave out presents that the students’ parents’ brought in. And guess who got to dress as Saint Nick? Yours truly. Of course, the moment I walked out, everyone kept saying “Maria Teacher!!” I then had to firmly deny this. But how can you do that well when costume resources are low and I decided to do it the day before? I did as well as I could, I guess. Anyway, everyone got to open their presents and many, many pictures were taken.

 Some of these parents go all out, man. There were 2 students who got a cell phone. Let me remind you that those kids are 7. Seven. 일곱. Siete. Sette. But it’s Korea. Everyone and their unborn children have cell phones. Another student got a Nintendo DS. There were Lego sets, books, toys, and other gifts. It was still a great day. The afternoon was less exciting, since we weren’t doing anything Christmas-y for those students. How is it that we have a whole day of Halloween, but only a half-day for Christmas?

Anyway, the rest of the day went by, and then it was time for church! One 25 minute taxi ride later (thank you traffic/snow) and 6,300 won poorer, I got there! Usually it takes 10 minutes, and only costs around 4,000 won (depending on traffic and lights). Anyway, Mass hadn’t started because of how bad the traffic was. I don’t know if I’ve mentioned this, but I’m the only American that goes to this service. Mostly everyone else is Filipino. Not that that’s bad, because it’s not, but it just shows how many Korean people are Catholic (actually, that’s not a good statement. 1- It’s the English service. 2- there are Korean people that go to said service). Anyway, after Mass, they all eat dinner together on a different floor. I went a couple times when I had just started going there (and they asked me to join), but since then I haven’t gone. Today was a different story. After Mass, they all wanted to take a “family” picture. I got to be in it too. Little awkward, slightly embarrassing. Then one of the younger guys wanted a picture with me. Sure, I’m the token American, take a picture with me! I was then invited to dinner. I gave it a shot. I really do want to be a little more engaged there so that the culture difference isn’t so palpable. Boy, am I glad that I did. Another guy, Neb, started talking to me, and we got talking. We ate, talked some more, and I got to meet his friends. We have a huge thing in common: we’re all foreigners living in Mokpo. A few usual antics pursued, such as a guy named JV (not sure if there are vowels involved or not) asking if I could teach him English, whether or not I have a boyfriend, etc. Today I got a new one: “Do you need a bodyguard? I will apply.” AWESOME. They were a hilarious, friendly group of guys, and I am so glad I stuck around.

Well, that’s it for the Christmas edition. Sorry for making it so long. I have lots more to talk about, but 1) it’s not Christmas related and 2) I’ll just write later. Wait, I’ll have even more to write about because I’ll be going to Seoul to see my…….MOM AND SISTER!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I guess you could say I’m a little excited. Oh my. Look forward to reading more from me soon!!



Merry Christmas to all!! Stay safe and warm, and enjoy it!!

It says Merry Christmas in Hangul. 메리 크리스마스!

November in Korea

This month went by rather slow actually. But there are some pretty sweet things to mention. Like...Pepero Day!!! It's kind of a combination of sweetest day and valentine's day. Couples get all mushy gushy (even though they already kind of are in general) by getting peperos. Some even come with small stuffed animals! The range between basic peperos and extravagent ones is pretty ridiculous. What is a pepero? It's a snack comprised of a cracker stick that's dipped in chocolate. In Japan, they're known as Pocky, which I know are selled in the States, so if you're familiar with those, then it's basically the same thing. Except that there are a bajillion different kinds of them!! You can get bigger ones, ones with nuts, ones that are also dipped in strawberry, ones with caramel, etc. Being the nice teacher I am (hah), I bought some for my students. How often am I going to celebrate Pepero Day? I also received peperos from my students. It wa a bit overwhelming at how much I got! Here's what I accumulated from the kindergarteners:

It was pretty fantastic. Moving on, since my friends and I didn't want to hang out and be totally surrounded by couples in their matching outfits and overall cuteness, we had our own pepero party. Nothing elaborate, but lots of peperos to eat! It was a fun day.

I also went to Gwangju for the first time. Well, technically it was my second time, but the first time was solely spent in the bus terminal. Anyway, we were in Gwangju. Our mission: shopping! There was a pretty big shopping area that we traversed. We walked. We browsed. We shopped. It was a good day.

Work has been pretty much the same. Lots of work to do. I'll save you from the boringness.

We had Thanksgiving at school though! Just for the kindergarteners. They did a few craft activities, and we made mashed potatoes and an oreo dessert. My friends and I had our own Thanksgiving "dinner" which was oodles of fun! Turkey is not available in Korea unless you want to spend lots of money on one. Green beans are also considered a foreign food, so no green bean casserole. Well, we could have made it by getting green beans from a special store that sells foreign foods in Gwangju, but we weren't able to get them in time. Anyway, we had chicken, mashed potatoes (regular and sweet potatoes), cheese and crackers, crescents, pumpkin, and deviled eggs. Pretty good! We even had a pecan pie (say what?!?!) Pies aren't common in Korea. It's a cake country. They're totally missing out. Anyway, it was a great night to enjoy with friends.

Now it's Christmas season!! Lots to do, lots to do! So I'm definitely keeping busy with work, learning Korean, planning trips, and relaxing on the side.

I hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving!! 4 months down, 6 to go!

It's been so long!

I figure it's time for an update. I haven't written in quite a while, but frankly, there hasn't been much to write on. Which means that I need to do something new! Thank you Mokpo for being a little boring from time to time, but I still think you're a cool place.

October wasn't very thrilling, and I pretty much just worked all the time. That's kind of how it's been lately, so why bore you? Anyway, there were a few things that you might find interesting. We had a Halloween party! Korea doesn't celebrate Halloween, but kids who go to English schools know about it. Some schools do something, some don't. We got to be one that does! The entire day was dedicated to Halloween. Usually we would just do something with the kindergartners for part of the time, but definitely not a whole day dedicated to a holiday! There was lots of prep work to do, and the day was tiring, but it was still fun! The kindergartners dressed up as vampires and princesses (boys and girls, respectively), wearing capes that we made for them and donning masks they got to decorate. They also got to make treat bags, paint pumpkins, and of course, trick or treat. Except that the trick or treating occurred in just our school. They still loved it though! In the afternoon the kids did things a little differently. Some dressed up on their own, but others didn't. They also got to make treat bags, go trick or treating, and bob for apples. Stellar. Oh, there was also a haunted house! We used one of the rooms to create a room of horror. The kids thought it was pretty sweet. So all in all, my Halloween was pretty nice. Oh wait, it was on the 22nd. So when actual Halloween came around, it was just a regular weekend. I didn't really miss it all that much.

Another event---ok I have to interrupt this to write just a smidge about something on tv I just saw. There's a group of runners and they were warming up a little beforehand, listening to music. They did a few hand movements to..."Tik Tok" by Kesha. Fantastic. Moving on!

There was an event in Mokpo and Yeongam: F1 racing. This thing was HUGE. There was a massive influx of people in the city, which also included large amounts of foreigners. Now, not to bash foreigners since I am one myself, but I got used to seeing only Koreans. So when I saw foreigners, I felt like they were invading my city!! I was a bit anxious for the weekend to be over so that they would leave...mean? Yes. Maybe I've gotten too accustomed to living in Mokpo.But I'm getting off topic. The event kicked off on a Thursday night with a concert in Peace Park. Who was performing? 2NE1, only one of the most popular groups in Korea right now!!!

I was beyond psyched to see them. All I had to do was finish decorating the school for the Halloween party that was going to happen the next day and I was free!! Wait, what's that? We're going to be decorating until 9:30? I'm going to be at school for almost 12 hours? *hopes crashing down like shattered glass* there goes that. But alas, there is still hope! I heard that SHINee was going to be playing on Friday!! SHINee is also another super popular group.

Yes, I am aware of the horrible leopard-ness matching going on here.

So all my hopes were then magnified for Friday night! We listened to a few groups beforehand, some of which were pretty good. Time kept passing...where was SHINee? Turns out they weren't there...super lame! I still had a good night regardless.

October flew by, and November is doing the same! A quarter of my time here has been completed. The next quarter is going to be great! We're having a Thanksgiving Day party at school this coming Friday (I know it's early, but our school schedule couldn't let it be another day). Lots of preparation to do! My friends and I are also having our own Thanksgiving shindig. Although, there won't be turkey. Green bean casserole is a possibility! Mashed potatoes are also do-able. So Thanksgiving will be quite an adventure.

December means...my mom and sister come to visit!!!!!!!! So it's time to plan. Lots of things to do! It's a bit hard to plan when I work a lot and have 2 Korean lessons each week, but I'll get there! Korean is going well; my teacher says that I am learning very quickly, but I need to work on speaking. Writing can only do so much!

I guess this wasn't that uneventful. Then again, I talked about 2 events that took up 4 days in the past month and a half. I need to do some new things and go to new places!! A little tough when I'm saving up for other things. But things are going well. I haven't taken many pictures as of late, so next time hopefully I'll have something more interesting!

Kickin' it up in Busan

So this is wayyyyy overdue, but it's time to talk about Chuseok! I traveled to the wonderful city of Busan, also known as the second largest city in Korea. Let's see, how shall I describe Busan...

Well, it's pretty fantastic. It has actual beaches, as opposed to the rocky, slightly sandy seashore that Mokpo calls a "beach." We had gorgeous weather and were able to do a lot of things.

The first night was mainly traveling, taking the train to Masan, about 45 minutes from Busan, and then a bus into the city. But the traveling doesn't end there! After the bus, we hopped on the subway to Haeundae, the area our hotel was at. After lugging our things into the room and settling for a bit, we hit up Gwangali Beach. It was super nice out, breezy, by the ocean, all those good things. Got to listen to some swanky music by some duo. I think my favorite was "Take Me Home, Country Roads." Perfect. I just tried uploading a video of it on here. It didn't work :(

The next day was Chuseok, so many places weren't open. We found a building with numerous western restaurants open. We had Bennigans. Delish. It was rainy, so we found something inside to do. What was that inside place. The Busan Aquarium!!! That's right, folks, the aquarium. It was fantastic. The whole thing was underground and quite big. Now, it's no Shed Aquarium, but it was still pretty stellar. Afterwards it was still rainy, but luckily there was a heavenly place just across the street- *cue choir singing softly* Angel in Us. Delicious coffee was then consumed, followed by our own crazy antics.

Later, we found Chinatown. It was probably the shadiest Chinatown I've ever seen. And also the one with the most Russian shops too. Rain continued to fall, so we went to the Bus Terminal nearby for a while, then headed back.

Thursday we traveled to a huge fish market. Now I've never been to a fish market before, but it was better than I thought it was going to be. Thank goodness it wasn't inside so the smell of fish didn't completely consume me. There were many interesting things I saw, some of which were a bit odder than I would have liked. Close to the fish market was a ginormous shopping area. And when I say ginormous, I mean GINORMOUS. You can easily get lost within all the different side streets. It was also packed. But it was still fun! Many hours later, we had some bi bim bap for dinner and headed back.

Friday was a beach filled day. We had some lunch, then Lisa, Naomi, and I walked along the beach to find the observatory. Pictures were taken, but that's not unlike us. The observatory was, well, I don't know if you should call it an observatory. There was a building, which is where there was some national leader's meeting or something. And then outside of that, there was a walking area, trees, things like that. I guess when I think of the word "observatory" I think of a place with a huge telescope where you can look into the sky, but this place would be one where you can walk around, sit, and observe the ocean, other building, those things. Still pretty neat.

We met up with Yuyong (I have no idea how to spell it in English. His english name is David), Naomi's friend. Had some dinner, then went to Shinsegae. We got there a bit too late, because it was closed. But not everything in there was closed! Their movie theater was still open. Oh, I should mention. This Shinsegae is the largest department store in the world. !!!! To say that it is huge is an understatement. Not only did this place have a movie theater in it, but also a skating rink, multiple restaurants, a huge bookstore you can spend hours in, a driving range, a spa, plus the actual department store. Anyway, we went to a Korean movie! Cyrano Dating Agency. It was so cute!

On Saturday we went back to Shinsegae since it wasn't open the day before. We did some shopping, had lunch, and checked out the skating rink as well as the bookstore. It was fantastic and way expensive (most things). Then it was time to start heading back to life in Mokpo. Our trip to Busan was fantastic, and I very much liked the time off from work. Now I've been back to work, the usual stuff. Lately we started planning for Halloween. It's going to be pretty stellar. Not to mention exciting! Can't wait.

Heart and Seoul

There were a lot of play on words I could have used for this title, but I decided not to focus too hard. Before I forget everything that happened from this past weekend, I figured I'd post.

So I went to Seoul! Sounds easy enough. It was a fabulous weekend, but very, very tiring. I took a 6:10 am train into the city, and, being the kind of person that doesn't sleep on transportation vehicles, did not sleep any more. Nothing too exciting happened.

We got into Seoul, but unfortunately were not entirely sure on where we had to go. So after getting on the wrong track and more or less guessing where we had to go, we were on our way. Mind you, we were carrying not only our own stuff, but other things for the person we were meeting up with. It wasn't bad at first, but combined with the tiredness, the extra weight, and getting a bit frustrated with not knowing where to go, it felt a lot worse. However many subway stops and transfers later, we made it to to Hongik University stop. We then were (almost) instructed on how to get to the hostel, but, again, our directions weren't necessarily the best. At least it wasn't raining!! We finally made it there and set all of our stuff down. The hostel was...interesting. I think the main point that bothered me was that when we entered, we had no idea who was even running the place. I mean, there were a few Korean guys in the living room, but there was no "Hi, are you Rhea's friends?" or "Hey, how's it going?" They were just kind of chillin' there with some other foreigners. They didn't seem like bad guys, but a little courtesy is all I'm asking for!

Anway, we went to Friday's for lunch. I think my favorite part was that the servers all had to wear some kind of accessory on their head. Yes, even the guys. For the girls working, it usually consisted of a hairpin, or, a headband with cat ears on top. That's right. Cat ears. There was also another girl that had an overly large, red, sparkly bow that pretty much took up about a third of her head. But wait. It gets better. Some of the guys wore fedoras, which is just awesome in general. There were 2 guys, however, that wore some kind of ruffly, red flower hairpiece that was just too good not to chuckle at. Moving on, the other highlight of lunch consisted of me mistaking one of the servers in that I thought he was asking to take my plate (I was done eating), when in reality, he was asking if I wanted a refill. Too bad I had already handed him my plate. He got confused and then I realized that I had totally made myself look like a fool. I got so embarrassed! I was covering my face and everything. And then, I kept saying "Ne (yes), aniyo (no)" in a flustered manner. It's unfortunate that I don't have a video of this, because it really was a sight to see. That guy probably went to his friends and said "Hey, so this foreigner is definitely weird, listen to this..." It was hilariously bad.

Later, we headed to Insadong, a shopping area in Seoul. Hello, people. Holy shnikies, there were bajillions of people. It was so overwhelming with all of the shops and people and tripping over a badly designed street multiple times.We did find this neat area of stores that were basically in a square, but were connected by ramps; kind of like a spiral. Hard to describe. Check Facebook.

Then it started to rain quite heavily, but luckily we found an underground shopping area. Except that they didn't have any cameras. I found a Red Mango! Thanks to Kathy for this one. She told me about Red Mango back in June. It's a frozen yogurt place where you can add on a bunch of fruit toppings (amongst others). So we stopped by. mmm. Delish. By that point we decided to go see the North Seoul Tower. Not only is it located on a mountain, but (and here's my inner Korean nerd coming out in me) it is also a place where the drama "Boys Over Flowers" shot a few scenes. Considering that Lee Min Ho is my Korean celebrity crush and that the scenes shot at that tower were so cheesily fantastic, I had to go.

BUT FIRST, we stopped at Shinsegae (the Korean Macy's, except wayyyyy bigger) so that I could find a camera! I also found a Coach store, so, naturally, I had to check it out. I saw some uber cute bags that were also uber expensive. Anyway, we made our way to the camera area (on the...9th floor. Of many) and I checked out some cameras. After I found which one I wanted, I paid the guy (which was in itself a slightly prolonged experience), and while we waited, 2 of the employees working behind the counter were attempting to talk to us. One man asked me "Where..from?" After I replied Chicago, he said "Oh...uh...Bulls! You..know..Michael Jordan?" To which I answered "Yep." He then remarked on his -short- professional golf career, and that whole conversation ended abruptly. Well, then he asked if I knew any Korean celebrities, to which I answered Lee Min Ho and Lee Seung Ki (both actors). The second Korean guy (who was quite shy) mentioned Gumiho, which is a drama entitled "My Girlfriend is a Gumiho" that is on right now (I'm currently on episode 2. Gumiho literally means "nine-tailed fox). It's Lisa's favorite, so she said that, to which the shy Korean said "Me too." It was kind of adorable. We left shortly afterwards with...my new camera!!!! It cost 300,000 won, which equates to around $250. Not bad.

So THEN we headed to the N Seoul Tower. We had to take a cable car up to the tower since it was on a mountain, but it only took us to the base of the tower, where you then had to buy another ticket to go to the top. Lame. It was foggy and rainy and nighttime, so the view wasn't the best, but it was nice to see regardless. There was an area with the "Locks of Love," a wall that is comprised of hundreds of locks, usually with some kind of love note that couples lock on the fence. It was pretty neat. We headed back down, and made our way back to Hongik University. We found a Mexican restaurant, which was actually far better than I thought it was going to be. It was probably as close to being authentic as Korean-Mexican cooking can get. We headed back to the hostel and pretty much crashed. Our legs and feet were sore, it was late, we were tired from all of the traveling, and exhausted.

Sunday we met up with Korean friends Sera and Jeanie in Itaewon for lunch. We went to a pub called the Wolfhound, which was quite good. We made it over to the National History Museum of Korea. This area was huge. For cereal. They had steps outside the museum so that when you're looking at them from a distance, it makes a picture of an ancient Greek temple. Go Korea for making things look cool. We could also see the N Seoul Tower from the top of the stairs! 

So. Museum. It was free! Stellar. We made it through half of the first floor in around 1.5 hours. There were 3 floors. That's lots of history. I didn't have time to even keep going! Lisa and I had a 7:00 bus to get to. That's ok, though. I'd love to go back to Seoul sometime in the future to experience more, because there's a lot.

So, 7:00 bus. We didn't make it. We really didn't make it. By the time we got to the bus terminal, it was 8:30. Luckily, there were buses leaving fairly frequently, so we just exchanged our tickets for a later time. Well, the next bus wasn't until 9:40. We were pretty much thinking that we wouldn't get back to Mokpo until around 3 am. Our bus driver must have been flying because we got back at 1:30am, a lot better than what we had hoped. I got back to my apartment and went to bed. My legs and feet were so exhausted from all of the walking!

Seoul is a great city, but I'm kind of glad that I'm in Mokpo. As nice as Seoul is, it doesn't seem like "real" Korea. There were lots of foreigners (not that that's bad) and western food places. It kind of seemed like the city had to cater to dealing with them. I'd much rather stay in a smaller city where not everything is in English and be totally immersed in the Korean culture and lifestyle. What I can tell you is that I'm pretty good at the subway system now. I can't even begin to tell you how much I was on the subway this weekend.

So that was my weekend in Seoul! Next week I'm traveling to Busan (a city on the SE part of the peninsula) during one of our breaks. Exciting!

1 Month and Counting

So I've been in Korea for a month. It has gone by so fast! I'm still learning a lot every day and hope to continue more in the months to follow.

Here are some things I've noticed:

1. Korean age. It's different. They celebrate birthdays to an extent, but the people don't actually age one year. Here's how it works. Koreans believe that when a person is born, they are 1. Then, on January 1st, everyone ages one year. So if someone was born on December 31st, they're 1. And on January 1st, they are already 2. I am considered 23 in Korean age, but 22 in American age.

2. Couples. Not only are the dynamics different, but they dress differently. The guys are always trying to look calm and composed, with the girls kind of hanging around them. They carry their girlfriend's purse (even if they may have a man purse of their own). I think my favorite part of couples is their matching couple shirts. That's right. Matching shirts. I saw 2 cases just yesterday. One of them even had matching shoes. It's pretty fantastic.

3. Getting things done/saying what you want to say. Nothing is said directly. Meanings are hidden in implied statements. For example, I asked my director for a stove the other day. He asked if I wanted a gas one or an electric one. I would prefer gas, but he replied with "Electric you can take other places." Which means, I gather, that I will be moving out of my current apartment sometime soon in the future. About time.

4. Driving. Where should I begin? Well, the light system is pretty funky. Of course, when the light is green, then cars go. Then there's the flashing yellow light, which of course means that the light will soon turn red. And red means stop. Well, sometimes if there aren't a lot of cars around, then some people will just cross while the light is red. Especially the guys on mopeds/motorcycles. They are crazy ridiculous. At night, some of the lights just turn off and cars go whenever they want or if there isn't another car in their way. It is very confusing. I would never, ever drive here. And then there's the lack of seat belts. Not necessarily that there aren't any seat belts, but there are no buckles to fasten them in. Safety, anyone? I guess not. 


5. Police. They don't really do much. Their main priority is looking out for drunk people, because that's pretty big here. Some police officers will be located at intersections late at night, doing breath analyzer tests on every drive that comes by. Hardcore. I saw some police officers catch a drunk driver at a gas station. It was interesting. They handcuffed the guy and just walked back towards the station. Were they forcing him along? Nope. They walked and the guy just followed them. Talk about respect of authority.

Those are just a few. There are a few tiny differences that I notice here and there, but overall it's been interesting and exciting learning about Korea and their customs.

 Work has been very work-filled lately. Director gave me a project that involved making vocab sheets. Doesn't sound too bad, right? Well, it consists of defining 1,470 total words over 9 books and writing example sentences. So it's taking some time. I only have 4 books left! I also made my first lesson plans last week. It actually wasn't that bad. We also got a new teacher! His name is Tarek (pronounced "tar"-"ick") and has a nice, open personality. It's nice that Naomi and I get a new friend to have at work!

This coming weekend will be my first trip outside of the city. A few friends and I are traveling to Seoul for the weekend. I'm pretty excited! Not only will I get to see Seoul, but I will have just gotten paid ^_^. I'm hoping to buy a camera so I can finally show you pictures!

That's all for now. I don't know about you, but I'm ready for cooler weather. For sure.

Birthday Weekend

I have officially had a birthday in a foreign country. Though I wasn't able to spend it with family and friends from back home, my friends here set up an evening of fun for me. While at work, I was given a list entitled "Picture Scavenger Hunt." This list comprised of 22 things that I had to do around Mokpo and take picture of. So I started. I would do one here, walk around for a little bit, find another one I could scratch off the list, etc. It was a lot of fun! Naomi and I met up with Amy, Lisa, and Paul, and continued in my pursuit to do all 22 things!

Lisa made the list. Here it is:

1. If only you could find Lee Min Ho (Korean celebrity)...
2. Find or make a calendar of August. Try to find someone else who has a birthday in August!
3. Find a really creative hiding place that you would use in a game of hide and seek.
4. Catch a bus and say a prayer!
5. Find a stage or platform. Put on a show and take a bow!
6. Find the most outlandish ring you can and try it on for size!
7. Strike the most peaceful, relaxed, and happy pose you can!
8. Find balloons and have a contest to see who can blow their balloon the biggest in one minute (we changed it to 10 seconds)
9. Bust a move
10. Find something that clearly represents Tokyo or London
11. Find something bouncy to jump on!
12. Have you seen any "Queen" Mary's in Mokpo?
13. Find a Korean teacher and snap a quick photo with them!
14. Create a maternity moment.
15. Decide on a "true" color and create something using only that color
16. Drum up a parade
17. Vogue.
18. Find something that has the word "funk" in it and snap a photo
19. Find a sign in Korean saying "Do not touch."
20. Let's see some creative "shadow" art
21. Give us your best poker face. Must include cards of some kind.
22. What are three things that you are dreaming of for this year? Find a way to make a list using pictures.

So I had quite a lot of work ahead of me. I'll just say right now that I didn't finish Thursday night. Hunger got in the way. And the need for a birthday cake. I won't post pictures here, because there would be too many. Check Facebook. Anywho, I had a lot of fun, but we started to get hungry. We hadn't eaten dinner yet, so we went to a restaurant and ordered a chicken dish. It was ginormous! (Facebook pics) It contained chicken, cabbage, potatoes, rice cakes, ramen, cheese, and a red pepper sauce. DELISH. Oh yeah, we had some quail eggs too. That was interesting. It was really just like a hard boiled egg, but smaller.

After dinner, I was led to Baskin Robbins, where I got to choose an ice cream cake! I decided on a chocolate cake with a vanilla center. It was quite scrumptious! We took it to a coffee house and ate it there while sipping delicious caffeine goodness. We may have let some of the ice cream get to us, because we pretty much laughed the rest of the night. Before we knew it, it was almost midnight, and we headed home. I still had 7 things left to do on the list, so we decided that I would have the weekend to finish it.

Saturday evening was girls' night in! Naomi, Lisa, Yung Suk, and I met at MaRee's apartment. MaRee made the best pumpkin spring rolls ever! Then again, I've never had them before. Yung Suk made a noodle dish that was excellent, and we also had some veggies courtesy of Naomi. Everything was so good and we were so full afterwards! MaRee also made rice krispies treats and cut up a bunch of fruit. I was full for the rest of the night! We played picture telephone and hilarity ensued. And I kicked butt in Bananagrams ^^. I didn't end up doing any more of my scavenger hunt list, so Sunday would have to count!

And it sure did. But I'll get there eventually. I got a call from Jay's (one of my students) mom, who invited me to lunch. I had already eaten, but she insisted, so I said yes. She as well as Sally (another student) and her mom picked me up and we went for coffee. They are so nice! I was invited to dinner at Mrs. Jay's (I have decided to call her that) house on Friday. I'm pretty excited.

I went to church, and afterwards I did another objective on the list. I put on a show and took a bow. That was fun. We headed to Smoothie King and chilled there until I went to the Catholic Mass. After that, I met back up with Lisa and we continued doing the scavenger hunt. There wasn't much left. After much walking, we decided that there are absolutely no bouncy things in Korea. Unless we bought some kind of bouncy ball, which we didn't feel like doing. So unfortunately, I did not complete 1 item from the list. But it's the only one! I'll get a ball sometime this week though and finish the list. Otherwise it was a great weekend that went by way too fast! I'm not ready for another week of work!


On a random note: I got a card from my mom and little bro! I was beyond excited when I got them at school. For serious. It was fantastic.

Thanks to everyone who wished me happy birthday!

1 week down!

I have been in Korea for 1 whole week. It seems like it's been a long time already! I have done quite a few things already. I'll break it down by day:

Monday: After school, Director, Susan, and I had dinner ordered. I don't remember the name, but it was a noodle dish that had shrimp, mushrooms, and a few other vegetables in a dark sauce. It was really good! We also had a pork dish that was in another kind of sauce that was also very good. In Korea, side dishes come with meals automatically. Kimchi and pickled radish are always 2 of them, and the others vary. What's kind of neat is that when you're done eating, you set the dishes outside of your place and someone comes to pick them up! (the food wasn't put in to-go containers) That pretty much sums up that day.

Tuesday: Susan took me to dinner with a few of her friends (Lisa and Amy), who are also English teachers. We went to a place called Kirin, which Amy has been raving about. It's considered a bistro, but it serves Korean food with a few outside influences. It was also really good, and I'm so glad that I got to meet Lisa and Amy. We walked back to Susan's apartment and hung out for a while.

Wednesday: After school, Susan and I went to dinner with 2 moms of some of our students. They took us out (it was Susan's last day) to her favorite restaurant. It was one of those places where there are separate rooms with the really low tables and a door that you can close. The table had a grill, as well as a whole lot of dishes with toppings in them. We ordered a beef dish, and the server brought us a pan that had rolled up pieces of beef, mushrooms, and clams. You could use the toppings as you wanted them. There were lettuce leafs (so you could make a lettuce wrap) as well as square egg noodles. The toppings were: shredded cabbage, 3 sauces (a hot sauce, a traditional Korean sauce, and a oil-ish kind of sauce), pickled radish, kimchi, sweet potato, some kind of salad, cherry tomatoes, and garlic. Oh man, it was so good. And there was so much food! Just as we were finishing up the food on the pan, the server brought out another one that had roast beef and more mushrooms! Susan said "Yep. This is Korean style. Just when you think you're done, there's still more food to come." I was so full! Jay's mom and Sally's mom were both extremely nice and I had a great time.

Thursday: It was pretty low key. I cooked up some pork with rice and packed my things up to move into Susan's apartment. Naomi, my co-teacher, was going to be coming back, so obviously I couldn't be staying her apartment any longer. So currently I am staying at Susan's old apartment until Director finds my own place to stay.

Friday: We had a field trip for the kindergartners! We went to the children's library and they got a tour of the place. The last thing we did was watch a film. It ended up being Rugrats! Only it was the older version of the show, so it wasn't like the classic. Still. It was awesome. For lunch, we got to eat kimbap!!! Oh my goodness, I have an obsession with kimbap. It is sushi, but the authentic kind. Not those california spring rolls you can buy at the grocery store. I had a bunch of different kinds, and they were all soooooo good. Seriously, I can't get over how good it is.

I met Naomi in the afternoon, and after school, she took me to a chicken place. We ordered a chicken dish that had a sauce that is kind of like the sauce used for orange chicken, but a little different and a little spicier. It was good! All of the food that I've had so far here has been really good. After dinner, we were going to meet up with Lisa for coffee (*side note: there are 3 things to do in Korea hanging-out wise: get coffee, go to a noraebang - I'll explain later, or see a movie). The thing was that we weren't going to be meeting up for a while, so we went to go pay Naomi's phone bill. It started to rain, so we got a little soaked. We went to the phone place, but apparently they were closed. Even though the sign on the door said open. We still had time to kill, so we ended up going by the coffee place (Angel in Us) because there were a lot of stores near it. We ended up at smoothie king and had delicious smoothies. I found out that both Naomi and Lisa love Glee!! The three of us are also very interested in Korean dramas. I just finished watching one entitled "Boys Before Flowers." I liked it, but other Koreans think it's cheesy. We went to the coffee place, and were there for a while. Naomi was extremely tired since she wasn't quite used to the time difference yet. So we left and went to bed

.Saturday: I did nothing until 6. I lounged around the apartment until then. I went to dinner with Naomi and Lisa. We had kimbap! Afterwards we went to 11 am (a coffee house - Lisa has a coffee addiction). One of Lisa's friends, Paul, met up with us. Paul is hilarious. He's Korean, but he hadn't been in Mokpo for a very long time. But, he's pretty cool. We went to a noraebang, which is a place to do karaoke. It's totally different from doing karaoke in America. They have a bunch of different rooms with couches, so your group of friends all stay together and it's just your group that does the karaoke. It was actually pretty fun, despite how much I don't really care for karaoke. We even sang (well, tried to sing) some Super Junior songs!

Afterwards, we got poppingsu for dessert. It's a dish that has shaved ice on the bottom, topped with small red beans, sliced fruit, then with frozen yogurt on top, sprinkled with corn flakes and with a strawberry syrup drizzle. It was delicious! That concluded our night.

Sunday: Somehow I managed to sleep until 1:30 pm! Well, I guess it didn't help that I stayed up late talking to Kathy until 3 am. But still, I slept very late. Church was at 2:30, so I hurried to start getting ready for that. I went to a church that Naomi, Lisa, and Paul go to. It's a community church that has an English service, so I checked it out. It was nice. I liked the music and afterwards there was some food and fellowship. Everyone was very kind to me and very interested in getting to know me. I really enjoyed that. My only concern is that it wasn't a Catholic Mass, so there was no Liturgy of the Eucharist. I haven't found a Catholic church yet, so I'm not exactly sure what I'm going to end up doing. After fellowship, Naomi, Lisa, Paul, and I went to a new Angel in Us coffee house by the harbor. Sang-il met up with us. He's another friend of Lisa and Naomi and it was his last Sunday in Mokpo. A few other people joined us: Juan, Joshua, and 2 other guys (I feel so bad! I can't remember their names!). We hung out there for a while, then got some dinner. I got bi bim bop. It looked like this:

 

except it was a little bigger. Underneath all of the vegetables and the egg is rice. I also had some mandu, which are dumplings. We decided to go to the beach. On our way there, we passed all of the museums. There are a lot of museums! They're not ginormous, but there's a maritime museum, a natural history museum, a cultural history museum, a ceramic lifestyle museum, and at least 2 other ones. We got to the beach, but it really isn't too much of a beach. The slope from the road to the shore was a bit steep, so there wasn't a whole lot of room for sand. It was still really nice, though. We were there for a while, and then headed back. And that bring me to now!

Teaching so far is going well. I'm getting used to it a little now, and I think this next week will be a bit easier since the schedule won't be as funky as this week's was (there was testing and with susan leaving and me coming and naomi coming back, it was a weird schedule). I already have some favorite students and others that I don't like so much. It's not that they're bad kids! They just lose focus easily and it's frustrating trying to get them to do work.

That's it for now! Sorry for writing the longest blog ever. Maybe next time I won't wait a whole week before posting again. I miss everyone and I hope you're all doing well! I'm on Skype, so if you want to talk to me in person, feel free! My Skype name is mer637, and I'm 14 hours ahead of central time. So long!

Maria

I have arrived!

31 hours. That is how long it took for me to finally arrive in Mokpo. Let's start from the beginning, shall we?

The first part isn't too exciting. Left for O'Hare at 4, had a little hiccup when checking in, but got on the first flight fine. I then endured a 4 hour, 45 minute flight into San Francisco, only to think that my second flight would just be twice as long, and then a couple more hours. JOY. Anywho, I didn't have trouble navigating myself to the international terminal, where I was bombarded by what? Stores. Lots of stores. And not just lame stores like, say, those cheesy gift shops (although there were a couple of those), but stores like Gucci, Burberry, and Coach(!). I thought about stopping in Coach, of course, but didn't have much time before boarding started for my next flight.

The second flight was, simply, long. It was 11 hours, so by the time I landed, my body felt like it should have been 2 in the morning. Somehow I managed to sleep a little on the plane, so I wasn't completely wiped. The worst part was that I couldn't take sitting down anymore! We were given lunch on the plane, which was super good considering it was airplane food! I had a chicken dish that had some kind of sauce on it, with rice and peas. It was soo good! Moving right along, we finally landed in Incheon, where I then followed the herd of people towards customs. Everything went swimmingly, I got my baggage, and headed for the exit. I had to buy a bus ticket that would take me to Mokpo, and a very nice airport worker asked where I was going and pointed me in the right direction. It was a little after 3 pm at this point, and my bus wasn't until 6:20. So I got to wait! Let me tell you, it was very exciting...but not really. The bus finally came, where I got to sit some more! This time it was more exciting because I could see the country. There are mountains! They're not the Rockies, but remind me very much of Appalachia.

 The bus ride took another 4-5 hours, but thankfully there was another person who knew English. He translated what the bus driver said for me. At this point I was so tired, I couldn't not stop falling asleep. We made a quick stop somewhere ( I don't know the name), but it was a ginormous rest stop with a bunch of stores and there were so many people there! I finally made it into Mokpo a little after 11 pm (9am central time), where I met my director as well as one of the teachers and her friend (also a teacher, but at a different school). We made a quick stop to pick up some groceries at a store called E Mart. We were trying to be quick; Susan and Rhea were directing me around the store, gathering what I wanted, and telling me what was going to happen in the next couple of days.

I am currently staying in another teacher's apartment while she is gone for the week. I don't have my apartment yet, but I will be getting it very soon. It's pretty nice for a studio. Naomi (the girl whose apartment I'm staying at) has a dog. His name is Jack. Susan told me that I wouldn't have to do anything in terms of care; he's just here. They keep him in the bathroom so he doesn't get pee all over the floor because he has a problem piddling. Sure enough, he's already gone a few times because he's so excited that a new person is here. The ONLY problem with Jack is that he's a brat! I tried to go to sleep, so I put him in the bathroom and closed the door. He would not stop whining! For serious, it was beyond annoying. I ended up bringing him out for a bit, and putting him back in, but the whining just got worse afterwards. So I thought, made he'll sleep on the bed. Bad choice. It tots didn't work, so I ended up putting him in the laundry room and left the light on. There was still some whining, but it wasn't as bad, and I got to sleep!

I am very badly in need of a shower now. Speaking of which, there is not shower! The entire bathroom serves as my shower, and there is only a hose type thing that I use to shower. You know, like those detachable things that also spew water? Yeah. So that is how I will take showers! I will thus embark on that and see what it is like. Today I am on my own; Susan and Rhea had to go to Seoul for the day, but thankfully Susan left me her phone in case I need to get in touch with her via Rhea's phone or Sunny (my director). Susan said Mokpo is a very safe city, so I think I will walk around for a bit. There's a walkway by a small river that I'll probably take and start to get a feel for the city. Tomorrow I am heading to the school to see what it's like before all the kids come.

Well, that's all for now! It's shower time!