Like the 1st day of school all over again!

I had no idea my new hair cut and color would be such the talk of the school today... I'm used to changing my color and cut often, so it really didn't phase me, but almost all of the kids at my school were going crazy! They would knock on my office door to see it, and most of them did double takes when I walked by. It was as if they thought I was a stranger that looked awfully familiar. When they would finally realized it was me, and that I wasn't wearing a wig, they would run after me and stop me so they could just stand and stare. It was the funniest experience! It was a little bit like the 1st day of school all over again, when they were intrigued by everything about me, but this time we all knew each other. Since my hair is darker, I said "I'm Korean now" and some of the kids are now calling me by my Korean name, which is Song Ee. I kind of feel like a brand new person... Funny how a new hair style and color can do that!

Can I please go?

So, in August, I'm going to Thailand for summer vacation. Apparently, in Korea, all goverenment employees, including me, have to ask the government for permission to leave the country. So, today, Stella helped me fill out a page of detailed questions about when I would be leaving the country, where exactly I would be traveling to, and how many days I would be at each location. On top of that, I had to write what my expectations are for the trip and what I think I will learn while I'm there. Can you imagine the uproar it would cause if this was the rule in America!?

Is this a performance or a florist shop?

2 weekends ago, I went to a recorder concert, and yes, you heard it right, I went to a recorder concert.  I was invited by one of my co-workers who was a performer in the concert.  She was so excited about the night and wanted all of her friends to be there, including me!  I was honored, and couldn't refuse.  She is the one to the right of the man in the middle.

Now, if you don't remember what a recorder is, think back to your elementary school days when you played the plastic instrument that produced music similar to that of the original Super Mario Brothers soundtrack for nintendo.  More than the shocking reality that people actually enjoy the sound of the recorder and came to listen to an hour of it, was the fact that nearly everyone in attendance came equipped with an elaborate bouquet to give to their friend or family member performing!  I'm not gonna lie... It made me double think my opinion of the recorder and had me wondering how I too, could join the recorder ensemble!

It's the little things in life...

... that make me happy, like this popsicle maker that I found for 1,000 won.  No longer will I dread walking up the big hill in the suffocating humidity to get home, because I will have orange juice popsicles waiting for me in the freezer!

Kids say the darnest things...

Today, during my after school club class, one of my students said, "Teacher Alexis, beautiful necklace. It's Diamond?"

 

Can you imagine?!!!

Girls Night #2: The Carnival Extravaganza!

Jessica, Kristen, Kate and I have all decided that we need a night to ourselves to talk about life, encourage each other, and ultimately have fun together! Last Friday was our 2nd night of the weekly tradition. The first week, we had dinner together at a vegetarian restaurant and then watched "LOVE ACTUALLY" at a DVD Bang. Last Friday, we started off the night at Kristen's apartment in Gwangali, where she cooked some bulgolgi, which is a famous korean dish! Then, at about 9pm, we walked to the beach and strolled along the boardwalk to the east end, where there is a makeshift carnival of sorts.

We paid the eqivalent of 50 cents to drive this oversized stuffed animal around the main area... It's feet actually move, as if it's walking. I was trying to run over Jess, while she was taking our pictures!


After that, we got brave and tried out the bull!


Jess was quite the pro


After we each had our turn at the bull riding, we walked around and spotted the gem of all gems... a trampioline area, with 4 trampolines all attached to each other - 1 for each of us! I begged the young guy to let us jump for free for a couple minutes, and whala - we were in! That's me in the background, on the right, doing a back flip!


Then, we found ourselves completely shocked at what we saw! This ride was the craziest ride and would NEVER EVER EVER be allowed at a carnival in America. There were no seatbelts, and the thing spinned around super fast and then would bounce, sending people flying in the air!

And lastly, the Crazy Flip ride was definitely CRAZY! The ride was about 2-4 stories tall, and would flip and angle itself all crazy... It should have been called WHIPLASH, since that's basically what it did!

All in all, it was a great night wih great friends! Can't wait to see what we come up with for next week!

Am I really seeing this?!

Carlos sent me an e-mail of cool places to check out in Korea during the summer, and this one blew my mind! It's called "The Moses Miracle of Jindo" for the obvious reason that people are walking across the ocean!


Jindo Island is the 3rd largest island in Korea and is made up of 250 smaller islads, and its famous apprearance of a dry road in the middle of the sea only certain times of the year. When the water recedes, a road about 30-40 meters wide and 2.8 km long appeas, which stays for about an hour before being emerged again!

Dinner with the Moms!

Tonight, I went out for anju (appetizers) and soju/cider with the 5 moms from my "English for parents class."  We had a blast together, and I learned a ton of cultural, funny, and interesting things about Koreans...  

1. They said that 3-4 people die a year from sleeping with a fan on and the windows closed!  

2. They swear that red onion juice can significantly lower cholesterol.

3. Crack an egg.  Use only the egg white, and spread it in a pan.  Use a hairdyer to dry it, and then take a ruler to scrape it off the pan.  Then pick up a little bit, crush it in your fingers and apply it on your eyelids and cheekbones for some natural looking shine! 

4. When women get married, they are pressured to have babies immediately after the wedding  With that said, 3 of the 5 moms had honeymoon babies, 1 got pregnant 2 months after the wedding, and the other one was smart (in my opinion at least) and waited 6 years!

5. They all cook dinner for their families EVERY SINGLE NIGHT... not because they want to, but because they will be considered a bad mother or wife if they don't.

6. One of the moms is 28 years old (my age!), has 3 sons (4, 10, and 11) and cooks dinner for 11 family member every night! (her, her husband, her 3 sons, her mom, her dad, her mother in law, her father in law, and her sister in laws.  

7. Koreans call pigeons "doves."  

8. It's common for moms to pick acacia tree branches, strip the leaves, and use the branches as curlers to curl their daughters hair.  They did it to my hair in the middle of the street to show me!  

9. When eating at a restaurant, the oldest person at the table ALWAYS PAYS!  (Note to self, always make sure at least 1 person is older than me when going out to dinner!)

10. If a guy and girl want to get married, they have to have their parents permission!  

11. If a family member of the bride or groom dies, they cannot get married within that year.... Even if the wedding is completely planned!

12. Siblings cannot marry in the same year.

13. Oder siblings have to marry before the younger sibling can get married.

14. Korean women do NOT SHAVE THEIR LEGS!  They barely have any hair, so it's not noticeable, but during class today, one of the moms noticed my legs were smooth and was shocked that I shave them!

15. When women have babies, one or two years apart, they call the babies "vienna sausages" because vienna sausages are linked together... (It's hard to explain... just think about it.)

Homemade Kimbap!

I did it... I made it... and it was yummy! 

I didn't have time to put all of the traditional ingredients in it because Kev was excited to start making a burrito with the tortillas I found him, and there's about 3 square feet of counter space in our kitchen... Doesn't work so well, if you're trying to share the cooking space.  So, my yummy kimbap had egg, rice, tuna, and potatoes and I made it in 3 minutes!!   

Mmmm... smells like roses...

I got up from my computer and told Stella, "I'll be right back. I'm gonna go potty" and reached for the toilet paper roll, which we usually keep near the door to our office. (Remember, there is NO toilet paper in the bathrooms.) This time, though, I noticed that it was a brand new roll, and as I picked it up and began to unroll it, I instantly smelled the fragrance of roses! I lifted it to my nose and, yes, right before my eyes (and nose) was a fragranced roll of toilet paper... and it was a STRONG fragrance! So, from now on, I'll forget buying expensive fragrance candles, real flowers, or air fresheners... I'll just buy toilet paper rolls!

I'm a celebrity!

I've talked before, about how we feel a little bit like celebrities here. Yesterday was a great example. I was eating lunch at a little restaurant in Haeundae, all by myself, in jeans and a T shirt, and about 20 young guys in police uniforms were eating across from me. One of them walked over to me and asked if he could take a picture with me and asked for my e-mail address, so he could "send me the picture." I obliged, of course. I mean, what's the hurt in 1 picture right? Anyhow, he sent me the following e-mail and picture this morning. I thought it was cute enough to share.

"hi~ This is our picture in HaeUnDae. And my Engiish name is Toby. call me Toby. My korean name is YounHyuck and my family name is JaeGal. I am 23 years old in Korean age. I'm in Military service at the correction justice Republick of Korea Pusan. And i have just fourty-four days left. I live in DaeGu. If you have a chance to vistie Daegu, call me ~ Then, I can introduce my hometowm for you. Thank you to take a picture with me. wishing your answer.... Toby~ "

Saturday...

Why is it that some days just turn out to be wonderful?

Today started with a nice Skype chat with Kev's parents... Then I headed off to school for Stella's kimbap making class with the 6th graders. I arrived about 20 minutes early, so I decided to walk up to the Insane Assylum to get a closer look at the building and to see if I saw anyone interesting enough to watch. Apparently they all stay inside on Saturday's because it looked deserted. The point of this is that I discovered a beautiful pathway through the forest behind my school that I am going to hike one day after school; maybe this week!

The kimbap class was great! I was in a group with 4 other 6th grade girls. I was in charge of cutting the kimbap rolls. Whenever I cut one wrong, or if it fell apart, one of the girls would pick up the crumbled kimbap, put it right in front of my mouth and say "eat." Koreans love to feed each other... It's the funniest thing! Anyhow, our group won for the BEST TASTING KIMBAP and BEST PRESENTATION. It was Korea's own version of the iron chef contest! Anyhow, we all celebrated with the news of our victory with high 5's and cups of cider!

After class, Kevin and Jinho scooted over to my school to pick me up to go to the beach where we basked in the sun, dipped in the cool and jellyfish-filled ocean water, built a sand castle, watched it crumble, talked about politics and drove the scooter on the boardwalk! Oh, maybe I should clarify - I DROVE the scooter on the boardwalk. Yep, Kev gave me a lesson and I didn't even crash! It was hit and miss there at the beginning, but I think I've got it now.

After the beach we rode the scooter to a huge bookstore about 15 minutes across town to try to find new books to indulge in on the beaches of Thailand in August. I picked out "Honeymoon with my Brother" which I had a hard time saving for the trip. I'm already on chapter 4.

Today, I'm the student!

In addition to Monday - Friday, Korean students also go to school every other Saturday.  Luckily, my contract has prohibited me from having to work on Saturdays, so I get the pleasure of having 2 day weekends, every weekend!  But today, I'm going to work anyway. Although, I'm not going to teach... I'm going to be a student.  

Stella, in addition to teaching English, also teaches the equivalent of Home Ec, and today she is teaching the 6th graders how to make kimbap, and I will be one of her students!    

You think you know... but you have NO IDEA!

This is the TRUE LIFE story of Korean kids!

Before I moved to Korea, I expected the kids to be perfect students in and out of the classroom. I pictured them sitting at their desks with their hands folded in front of them, bowing to me as I walked by, answering my questions with perfect english grammar, sitting silently as I taught, and studying every extra moment they had outside of the classroom. Afterall, that's what American's always think Asian students are like, right? Boy was I in for a big surprise!

While my students are darling and polite for the most part, they are also absolutely NORMAL kids! During breaktimes, they play games, run around, scream at each other, tumble in the building, and run up and down the stairs! It's mass chaos - but somehow, I love it.

Today, I decided I would document the student's breaktime. Oh and PS... There is absolutely NO supervision. Teachers stay in their classrooms and work on planning while who knows what is going on outside... and contrary to popular American belief, the kids are usually fine and if there's a fight, they work it out themselves - most of the time at least! Enjoy!

Playing cards on the floor is a favorite for 5th graders...

Pretend fighting in the hallways is common with the 6th graders...

You can always find a group of 4th grade girls sitting on the stairway, chatting and laughing together..

and you're sure to hear the recorder during every break! Every kid has one, and almost every kid plays it!

Soccer is a favorite during lunchtime!

Tumbling at the top of the stairway is always popular for the 3rd grade boys!

and climbing on the jungle gym is an all time favorite for the 3rd grade girls...

It's always mass chaos on the playground during lunch...

and your bound to see at least a few boys fall while trying to run down the slide...

Ah, to be a kid again, huh?!

I can't believe I...

... ate 2 silkworm cocoons at dinner last night... climbed up a cliff overlooking the ocean, holding onto only a rope... ate something raw out of a seashell... have 4 different recycling/trash bins at my apartment (paper, plastic, glass, food, and trash)... walk and ride a bus to work... taught two 29 year old Korean women how to use a tampon at a coffee shop... work at a school with holes in the ground for toilets... take showers in the middle of my bathroom and the water sprays everywhere... tripped and fell on the stairs at my school 2 times in 1 day... sang Hotel California in a NoreBang (Karaeokee room) filled with all my Korean speaking cowokers... drank an entire cup of makeju (beer) because I lost in rock, paper, scissors 4 times in a row with a teacher at my school... ate the side of a fish head... paid 35,000 won (equivalent of $30.00) for a tube of tinted sunscreen... don't own a car for the 1st time in 12 years... have never had to pay at a restaurant that I ate with another Korean at ... walked home from Nampodong Market - 3 hours in the dark and I was completely safe... have yellow hair... am addicted to DVD Bangs (private movie theaters)... had a 3rd grade student wearing playboy barrettes in her pigtails today... my school overlooks the ocean... blog almost everyday. Who knew I was such a writer?!... love pancakes mixed with shredded veggies and seafood... am married to a man who owns a scooter... can buy new and fashionable clothes for the equivalent of $5.00!... saw a teacher at my school hitting one of the 6th grade boys... have to use a Korean version of Microsoft Word and Powerpoint at work. I have no idea what anything says!... work at a school where the kids are allowed to have the keys to their classrooms... wear stockings to work everyday ... was teaching about Mexican food and none of the moms in my parents class had heard of tacos or tortillas!... was on a subway that stopped because someone had jumped on the tracks... see small white dogs on a weekly basis with pink, blue, or purple dyed hair... have a cell phone charm... carry my groceries up a hill and then 5 flights of stairs to my place... taught an entire 50 minute teacher class on the topic of: New Kids on the Block... get to wear comfy slippers at work... live in a country where there's no toilet paper in any of the bathrooms... get free stuff, from the clerk, everytime I shop at the market by my apartment... eat bowls and bowls of fresh cherry tomatoes everyday ... am living in a studio apartment the size of my childhood bedroom... and believe it or not, I love it here!

Yes, even I can't believe the things I've experienced sometimes!!! Cheers to all the things I can't believe have happened since I've been here... and another cheers to all the things that are bound to happen in the future!

The Insane Assylum

So, it turns out, there is a huge Insane Assylum behind our school. Lovely, huh?! You would think that the government would think twice about putting an Insane Assylum within 500 feet of an elementary school... Hey, gotta love Korea.

More funny Engrish!

Yesterday, at lunch, Stella said, "When women LAY a baby, the husbands usually give them a beautiful necklace (as a gift)." I laughed and said, "Stella, Chicken's lay eggs. Women give birth to babies!"

I asked our school nurse how long she had been married. Her response was, "2000 years," which made me laugh! Obviously she meant 9 years, since she got married in 2000.

I got a funny compliment last night when I was shopping. I was trying on a rain coat and the woman working at the store said, "You are beautiful door." I asked her, "a door?" and motioned like I was opening and closing a door, and she said, "Yes, You are a beautiful door." haha

Last week, I was on the subway, talking with some Korean high school age boys. When we got off the subway, one looked at me and said, "You have small face and big nose." At first, I was shocked at his remark, since having a big nose in America is far from a compliment, but in Korea, they all want bigger/higher noses... so I quickly turned my frown upside down and said, "Thank you!"

Last Wednesday, some of the 5th grade girls in my after school class asked me if my eyelashes were fake. I obviously took that as a compliment, but they legitimately could not believe that my eyelashed were as long as they are! :)

Today, in my after school English class, we were playing a very competitive game. It was boys against girls and when the boys team lost a point, one of them said, "Oh shit!" Mind you, this kid can barely say "Hello, how are you?" Why can he say "shit"? Lovely...

Our Saturday with Stella and Mr. Gong!

Yesterday (Saturday), Kev and I spent the day with Stella and her fiance, who I call "Mr. Gong."  We started the day off with lunch at Outback Steakhouse.  It was the 1st time we had gone to a Western style restaurant since arriving in Korea, so it was a nice treat!  What was even nicer was when Stella and Mr. Gong offered to pay for it!  They said it was their birthday gift to us and a "thanks" for letting them hang out at our apartment while we were in Japan!  

After lunch, we drove to a beautiful park and took a walk along the coast, down this tree lined path!

Stella said we looked like we were in a magazine and snapped our picture. :)

I had a feeling Stella and her fiance did not have many pictures together, so I snapped a bunch of them throughout the day to develop and give to her as a gift for taking us all around the city.

During the walk, we stumbled across the APEC building, where many of the world leaders met for a summit meeting in 2005.  It was a fascinating experience.  Just outside the APEC building, I spotted this budding photographer... What a cutie huh?!

We continued on our walk along the coast, past this lighthouse... 

We stopped for a little hip exercise!

...enjoyed the view...

... said "hello" to the mermaid...

... and ended our walk at the west end of Haeundae Beach.  We jumped back in the car and headed for our next adventure.  We stopped here, in a quaint little beach town with this beautiful pagoda.   This was where Stella and Mr. Gong had their 1st date.

We spotted this sign and are praying for great weather this Tsunami season!

We were all having so much fun together, so once again, we jumped in the car and headed east.

They ended up taking us to Yongsung Temple, which is perched on the rocks around the Sea!   This is one of 12 statues that commemorates people's birthdays.  Since we were born in 1981, we are turkeys!  gobble, gobble!

The entrance...

The lanterns...

There was tons of mist in the air, which was really cool... You could actually see it rolling through the temple grounds.  

We ended the night with a tour of their future apartment, and a really great dinner.  Yesterday was one of those days where I am so thankful that we chose Korea and that I was placed with Stella - my Korean sister.  :)

The Long Walk Home

So, tonight, I went shopping at Nampodong Market.  I ventured over there by myself, because Kevin was at a friends house for dinner.  When I was finished shopping, I looked at my watch and realized it was only 5:30pm.  There were no good movies to see at the theater, and I had already had dinner, so there was no reason for me to stay in the Nampodong area, but I wasn't ready to commit the rest of my night to sitting on my bed and playing on the computer, so.... I decided to walk home!  (7 subway stops)  Yes, I walked home from Nampodong to Goejeong, through the Daeti tunnel and everything!  3 hours later, I made it home, safe and sound, with 1 blister, 2 tingly legs, and a huge smile on my face knowing that I could tell Kev I walked home from Nampodong!!  I can't wait to see his reaction!     

Who wants my leftovers?

Tonight, Kevin and I went to the Wa Bar, a couple subway stops from our apartment to watch the Korea national team vs. the Saudi national team soccer game! When we got there, we ordered some fried chicken, which is fairly uncharacteristic of us, but it looked so good on the menu!

We ended up eating all but 3 pieces of the fried chicken, so naturally (well, it was natural to me), I picked up the 3 remaining pieces, placed them in a napkin and proudly walked them over to the table next to us. I thought it was completely normal, and generous of me to give my extra food to my table neighbors... but when I saw the looks on their faces, and realized they weren't all that interested in my fried chicken, I gave my best smile, handed them my "gift" with both hands, and pretty much wanted to die! Seriosuly, why do I do this stuff? And why in the world do I think it's normal?!!

Kev said it's because sometimes my heart is bigger than my mind. I'm not sure that's such a good thing, but I appreciate the encouragement!!