2 years ago today...

If I would have known 2 years ago, today, that I would be about to meet a passionate, patient, funny, adventurous, creative, athletic, caring, hot southern boy, and one of the best things that'd happened to me, in Korea, I'm not sure I'd believe it!  In fact, I'm SURE I wouldn't!   But, as I've been taught since I was a little girl, God  works for the good of the people who love Him, and let me tell you, I do! 

This picture is actually from exactly 2 years ago, the VERY FIRST TIME we hung out!  Thank you Julie for having your camera that night to capture this moment!

In the past two years, Aaron and I have experienced life to the fullest together! 

I love you A.  Thank you for loving me, wholeheartedly, and for taking me out on the town tonight to celebrate!!

40,000

Today, I hit 40,000 views on my blog!  WOW!  I hope that by sharing my life, thoughts, and experiences so openly for the world to see, that I've somehow inspired you to live the life you want to, and to enjoy it to the fullest!  I know I do! 

Thanks for sharing in my adventure!

Get this thing out of me!

So, I went back to the dentist near my apartment yesterday and instead of pulling my tooth, he took a laser to it and cut off a bunch of the gum around it and said to come back tomorrow for the same procedure!  WHAT?!  I don't want the gum cut, I want this stupid painful tooth out!

So, when I got to school this morning, I told Okk and NaRae (another teacher) what happened and that I was in more pain this morning than ever.  Luckily, NaRae speaks English perfectly AND is related to a dentist that specializes in wisdom teeth extraction!  So, she immediately called and made me an appointment for this afternoon! Talk about an answer to prayer!

So, after classes were finished, Okk and I jumped in NaRae's car and drove the 45 minutes to the PNU area, where the dentist is!   THANK YOU NA RAE!

We arrived in the area while the dental staff was at lunch, so we stopped in at Mr. Donut to grab something to eat!  They both said, you should eat a lot, because you'll be really hungry after the surgery and won't be able to eat anything!  So, with their excellent advice (wink, wink) I ordered myself two yummy glazed donuts and a berry smoothie!

Then, when 2:20pm came around, we packed up and walked over to the dentist office nextdoor!  The girls both came back with me to talk to the dentist about my condition and what had happened at the previous dentist!  This was so nice, and so much better than me trying to explain it on my own!  The language barrier seems to feel much larger when the topic at hand is medically related!  I don't know all those big fancy words, you know?!  Luckily I have two wonderful bi-lingual friends who could translate for me!  Once everything was worked out and the dentist agreed to take out my wisdom tooth, the girls headed over to the waiting room, and chatted till I was done! (All of these pics were taken with my iphone, hence the less than great quality!)

Within about 2 minutes of sitting down, he gave me 6 shots into my gums!  I may or may not have cried during that part!  I'm 30... I'm a big girl... but ouch!  6 shots into my gums!  NO THANK YOU!  At this point, I was clawing at the arms of my chair in excruciating pain! 

After the shots were given, my face quickly numbed up and my smile became crooked!  This, of course, made me laugh, and in turn, everyone else laugh!  I was taken to the Xray room, where they took 1 Xray, and then sent me back to my chair.  Within a minute, this image popped up on my individual TV (attached to the chair) and he explained what was happening with my teeth!  Don't mind the multiple fillings... I ate Jolly Ranchers like it was my job as a kid!

The tooth on the far right is my wisdom tooth!  I hate that tooth!

While the shots were definitely painful, the actual tooth extraction was PAIN FREE!  Thank goodness!  Something I thought was kind of funny was they set this green cloth over my face, with a little hole over my mouth and nose, so I could breath... but everything else was covered up.   Maybe they don't like making eye contact with their patients, so they cover us up!  haha.  The dentist yanked and chisled, and yanked and chisled some more, for about 10 minutes, until it was all extracted! 

Then he stitched me up, threw some gauz on the hole, told me to bite down and not talk for 1 hour, said farewell with a smile, and sent me home!

Stubborn little tooth!

I think it's worth noting that for 6 shots, an X ray, and a wisdom tooth extraction, my total dentist bill, without dental insurance, was 21,100 won ($20.04)!!  And, my prescription pain medicine and antibiotics were 1,300 won ($1.23)!

I was told that the worst pain will be tomorrow... but, for now: my aching wisdom tooth is GONE... The pain meds are currently in full effect... I'm comfy in my bed about to watch a movie... and I'm about to eat ice cream and mashed potatoes for dinner... !

What more could I ask for?!   

I'm teething... at 30!

For the past couple days I've been in some of the most intense pain I've ever experienced, as 1 of my stupid wisdom teeth has decided to rear it's nasty little head in my 30 year old mouth!  A little late, don't ya think little guy?! 

After lunch with Okk and Monica at a fantastic Japanese restaurant and gelato on the beach afterwards (that's a story for another day and time!) I went to Okk's dentist to have him take a look at my tooth.  The office was a surprisingly gorgeous, state of the art place, right near my apartment.  Bad news was, I went alone, and NO ONE spoke a lick of English!   The nurse literally just stood over me, staring at my face and hair, until the dentist came.  Awkward a bit?! For some Koreans, it's their first time ever seeing a foreigner up close! 
Apparently I was the lucky first for her!

So, there I was, laying comfortably in my padded chair, watching my own personal TV,

while the dentist was looking around in my mouth, when all of a sudden I was unpleasantly disturbed by a gigantic needle entering my mouth!  Hello, can I get a warning, please?! Luckily I made it though the whole ordeal, and for the astoundingly low price of $4.00!  And yes, that's the price without insurance!  Such a deal, eh?!  Bad news was, he said my tooth needs to come out!  Uuuuggghhhh!  Here I was thinking I was free and clear of the dreaded wisdom teeth extraction fiasco, but now I have to get it done in a foreign country! Lovely!

So, Thursday is my big day!  Good news is, I asked today, and the total price for pulling my wisdom tooth will be $19!  I'll be going to work and then meeting Aaron at 4:00pm to go to the dentist's office.  He's my support, and will hopefully wipe the drool from my mouth when I can't swallow, and feed me ice cream in bed all day!  Aaron, I hope you're reading this!  My favorite flavor is vanilla!

Then, Friday I'll be heading back to work!  There's NO rest for the weary in Korea!  If you're not dying, you come to work, regardless of the 11 days you're given of sick leave each year!  Luckily, Okk and I had scheduled to show an English movie on Friday, so I'll just lay in the back of the room with gozz in my mouth and motion with my hands when I need something!  haha! Wish me luck! 

Summer camp!

This is my 5th English camp since working in Korea! That's right, my FIFTH!  Summer English camp is a lot different than regular everyday teaching in Korea, where you teach from a text book, and have classes full of 25-30 students!  In English camp, I can create my own lesson plans, play games, read storybooks, cook, do art projects, or whatever else I can think of... and I only have 10-14 students at a time!  SCORE!  So, I'm gonna give you a run down of a typical English camp day (for beginners) in my classroom! 

Here's how it went down today!

We started with the Phonics Song!  My kids love this song and always sing along!  I, on the other hand, could do without the darn song getting stuck in my head all day long!  Suffer for the kiddos!

Then, we talked about numbers and how to spell them! These kiddos are still learning to read English. So, I made this handout for them to see the #, the English spelling, and then how to read it phonetically in their own language!  It also says "O'clock" because I'm going to use it later in the week when I teach how to tell time!

Then, I gave them this math worksheet and asked them to add the numbers and spell them in English.  This is one of my 3rd graders papers.  You might think this looks boring, but my kids LOVE stuff like this! 

How funny is 0 + 0 = "oclock"?!

 Then, we played numbers Jenga!  I found this on http://www.gmarket.com/, a Korean shopping website, and thought it would be a great way to incorporate learning numbers with a game!  After each students pulled out a Jenga piece, they would say the number AND spell it.  Most of them used their cheat sheet (above), which was okay because my goal wasn't to get them to memorize the spelling, but rather just to learn how to say the letters.

 They had no idea they were studying while playing! :)  I'm tricksy like that!

After numbers Jenga, I taught colors.  There's a great website called www.BarryFunEnglish.com that I pay $12.00 a year to be a member of.  They have games, power points, flashcards, tools, etc, that are perfect for ESL English camps, and since my classroom's computer is connected to a projector, it's a piece of cake to project the computer screen onto the wall so everyone can see.  So, today, we reviewed colors and then played the Speed Game!  One student said a color in Korean, and the other student (with his/her back to the board) said it in English.  Whichever team said the most colors in a minute, won!

 

Then, we did a color by number picture of Mickey Mouse!  I used to love color by numbers as a kid!  So, I printed a picture of Mickey off the internet, wrote different numbers all over it and made copies!  Then, I wrote the numbers 1-8 on the board and asked them what color they wanted to color that number.  Then I wrote the color next to the number, so later they would have to read the color to figure out what it should be!

Quietly and diligently coloring! :)

Ta Da!  After they were finished, I did a verbal quiz, asking "What color is Mickey's hat?"  "What color is Mickey's basket" etc, and gave a lolipop to the students who answered it right!

Then, I gave them this paper with pigs.  I told them to "Color 1 pig pink."  "Color 2 pigs tan." etc.  When we were finished coloring all of the pigs, we played BINGO!  I wrote each color, one by one, on the board, so they had to read it in English and then find that color pig!

The first student to have 3 lines (vertically or horizontally) was the winner!

Then, we topped off the day with a fun game of UNO! But not just your average UNO.  I had them say the color of the card, and the number, and if I heard them speaking Korean during the game, I hit the bell and they had to pick up an extra card!  haha! 

Then, I had them present their All About Me worksheet that they did yesterday!  Whoever could read a section of theirs would get a sticker on their nametag (an incentive program that they love!)  This is Kenny's!

Last but not least, we ended the camp by eating mini chocolate cakes and cleaning the room before saying goodbye for the day!  So, there you go!  That's what I'm up to over here on this side of the world!

So You Think You Can Dance?!

S.Y.T.Y.C.D. is one of my favorite shows on TV right now, and Twitch (one of the former season's B-Boys) is one of my favorite dancers to ever grace the stage!  There's something about the way B-boy's dance that's exciting, funny, and creative... and I'm a fan!  So, today, when Aaron and I were walking through Nampodong and ran into the beginnings of a Killa Monkeyz B-Boy show, I was so excited! 

Remember when I went to their B-Boy studio back in September to check out their practice?! 

Click here for that blog!  I love these guys!

Best part about it was, because we got there early, we beat the crowds and got a front row seat!  And yes, that's 3 fingers instead of my usual 2!  I'm starting a new trend! :)

As great as these kids were, it was this old Korean man who completely stole the show!

Work it old man, work it!

Can't beat a surprise show in the middle of Nampo, during a shopping spree!  I love Busan!

Joining the Team!

Aaron and I just recently joined a Busan gaelic football team!  Random, yes?!  Fun, definitely!! What is gaelic football, you ask?!  Well, it's bascially a mix of football, soccer, volleyball, and basketball, all rolled into one crazy fun Irish game!  Aaron went to practice last Saturday while I was with Okk in Ulsan, so he had at least one practice to figure it all out before our match yesterday against Daegu! 

The boys team played 3 games, and the girls team played 3. 

Each game was 20 minutes long and pretty darn intense! 

Aaron was a stud out there!  He played soccer in college, but this was my first time ever seeing his athleticism in full gear!  I was a proud girlfriend!

We rented out an artificial turf field at a middle school campus in Da Daepo.  Schools NEVER have grass fields in Korea.  It's either artificial turf or dirt!

I'd say at least 80 percent of the guys on the Busan team are from Ireland, and had played back home for years! 

Aaron played goalie for one of the games!  Check out that save! :)

Save # 2!

In the 3rd game, Aaron went up to catch the ball while the other teams goalie (the big guy in the green shirt on his knee) went up at the same time and knocked Aaron in the face!  Ouch!  He was down for a couple seconds, but was tough and got right back up and kept playing! 

Meagan is on the girls team with me!  It was actually her idea to join!  She's friends with some of the Irish guys on the guys team! 

 The girls teams from Busan and Daegu all together!  Everyone was so friendly!  And no, I didn't wear my flipflops for the game! 

Believe it or not, this was my first time ever playing and I made 2 goals!!

Let's celebrate!

Yesterday was our last day of teaching for the 1st semester, so after work, all of the teachers went out to dinner at an oceanfront sashimi restaurant!   Unfortunately I'm not a huge fan of raw fish, but I'm always okay to eat the side dishes.  Monica went above and beyond though and ordered me a special bowl of abalone jook (porridge), which was very sweet of her!  :)

After dinner, the "Chilsung group" headed over to Cafe Bene for some gelato, coffee, and yummy Korean style honey bread and whipped cream!  This was not all for me!  Everything that was ordered was shared amongst the group - it's the way we do it here in Korea! Regardless, it's not great for the summer body!

Whenever the 7 of us all get together, we always each pitch in 10,000 won (about $10.00) and share whatever food or drinks are ordered.  Then, whatever money is left over atfer the bill is paid, gets carried into our next outing together!  It's Korean style and I actually really like it! 

 Gyung Wha, Okk, and Monica...

MinJung, Me, HyunJung, and Hahnna!  All night, they wouldnt shut up about how tiny my face is (a sign of beauty in Korean culture), so when we took a picture together, they made me sit way forward so their faces wouldn't look so big next to mine!  Haha!  Hence why I'm the only one completely out of focus!

Luckily I'll see Okk the next two weeks because we're teaching summer camp together, but I probably won't see the other five girls until September 1st!   It's gonna be a long 5 weeks without my ladies!!

Did you know?

I was thinking about all the things I am experiencing here, and realized you may not know a lot of them, so this post is dedicated to telling you the itty bitty details of my life in the form of a "Did you know?" list!

So, with that said, did you know....??

July 30th will be the 2 year anniversary of the first time I met Aaron... I'm coming home (NC, CA, and AZ) for Christmas!... I live on the 2nd floor of my apartment building, which used to be a love motel... yesterday I ran 1.35 miles around my neighborhood, in the rain, (the longest I've EVER run without stopping!)... I just started tutoring a middle school student, near my apartment, three times a week, and am making $30.00 an hour!... I eat rice and kimchi everyday!... I am no longer addicted to diet coke! Hallelujah!... I have a gigantic TV in my classroom that I am encouraged to use... I am on my school's TV show every Wednesday for an English broadcast... I listen to Cornerstone Christian Fellowship's church service, on my iphone, every Sunday night with Aaron... I haven't owned a car in almost 3 years!... I live above a Samgyupsal restaurant... My school is 5 stories tall and I work on the 5th floor (105 stairs up!)... I'm completely obsessed with this season of the Bachelorette and am rooting for JP because he reminds me so much of "A" (minus the jealous side)!... I don't have a TV, microwave, dryer, bathtub, or oven at my apartment... I've written over 1,000 blog entries!... I bleach (weave) my own hair in my bathroom at home and save about $90 a month by doing it on my own!... I live less than a 1 minute walk from the ocean... I can read and write Korean... I go by Chelsey at work because Jill means vagina in Korean!... I teach 3rd, 4th, 5th, and 6th grade english... my favorite iphone apps are Words With Friends and Train Conductor... I have a wall full of windows in my classroom/office with a beautiful view of a mountain, the village, and the ocean... I feel even closer to my family since moving to Korea! :)... I'm going to Vietnam for 16 days, with Aaron, in 3 weeks!!!... 6th grade is my favorite grade to teach... I'm asked to do my female co-worker's hair, in up-do's, at least twice a week!  This morning they coined one of the styles "the Chelsey!"... I'm totally in love (as if that wasn't already clearly obvious!)... When I teach, I speak English and Korean... My best friend is getting married in 23 days and I live in Korea, so I can't be there!  Uuugghhh... Sometimes I lean out my classroom window and pick gingko beans off the ginko tree!... I walk a 1/2 mile to work everyday and wave to the same 5 people... I give seashells that I've collected from traveling, as prizes to my students, when they get perfect test scores.  You'd think they won the lottery!... I really miss eating Taco Bell double deckers... If I don't sit by my Principal at lunch, he thinks I don't like him! It's kind of an issue!...  I just started driving the scooter on my own!  I drove to the grocery store twice this week!... I have 3 different indoor slippers for school (because we can't wear our shoes inside the building): 1 brown, 1 black, and 1 white pair! It's important to match my clothes!... I really miss Target!... My utility bills are only about $30 a month!... Sometimes trucks drive up my street selling socks, fruit and veggies!... I'm thinking about staying another year to work at a University!... My helmet got stolen off the scooter last week, so I bought a new one. That one got stolen too! I think I live in the Korean ghetto... I really miss cupcakes (actually, just the frosting!)... I pay my bills at ATMs...  My apartment is about 300 square feet, so it only takes me 10 minutes to clean it!... I drink a cup of coffee every morning at 9:30am... I'm completely obsessed with making lists and keep track of everything I spend, everything I eat, and every time a class is canceled!... I'm a western size 6, but everything I buy in Korea has to be an X-large!... I check facebook at least 5 times a day... I'm supposed to teach twenty two 40 minute classes a week, but I usually only end up having to teach between 14-16!... I listen to the Dave Ramsey podcast everyday to learn how to be even more financially savy... I have a keyless entry for my apartment... I've traveled to 7 countries since living abroad... I only have a mini fridge at my apartment... at the end of every class, my kids stand up, and simultaneously bow to me and tell me to keep working hard!... My co-workers compliment me the most when my skin isn't tan... I never wear my shoes in my apartment! (It's just habit now)... My cheeks usually hurt at work because I smile and laugh so much!... I love my two co-teachers, like sisters!...I can hum the tune of the Korean national anthem, but don't know all the words!... The bell at my school sounds like an ice cream truck... and more and more, everyday, I feel like the luckiest girl alive!  

So, there you go!  Now you know! :)   

Saturday in Ulsan with Okk!

Okk's older sister lives in a neighboring city called Ulsan, which I had never been to, so she invited me to go with her to visit her sister and ride bikes around a huge park for the day!  I of course was all for it, so yesterday we had a nice little mini girlfriend vacation!

We met at the subway and took line 1 to the very end: Nopodong station... then jumped on a city bus to Ulsan, for a total of 2 traveling hours, and about $3.00! 

Luckily her sisters apartment was just a couple minutes from the bus stop, because it was REALLY hot and sticky and we were both in desperate need of some "air con!" We stopped in at a little grocery store to buy her some peaches, (a common thing to do when visiting someone's home - even family!)  and spent about an hour hanging at her sister place, playing with her adorable 16 month old baby girl, Min Ju.  Then, I, Okk, her sister, sisters husband, and MinJu all walked down to the local coffee shop and sipped on some yummy coffee before heading to the park!

When Okk and I got to the park, we stopped in at the bike rental counter, and for $3.00 an hour, rented a cute red bike with a basket for my purse!  PERFECT!

First stop on our ride around the park was this little waterfall area, where tons of kids were playing and catching waterbugs in little plastic bags!

Okk and I

We jumped back on the bikes and headed further down the bike path to this part of the park with this!!  AMAZING!

The park was gigantic and I don't think we could have riden around the whole thing if we tried... although we did ride for about an hour and a half, in the heat of the day!  We were both sweaty messes by the end!

Okk borrowed her brother in laws tiny little foldable bike for the day!  We laughed about how it was the perfect size for her, cuz she's so tiny!

We may, or may not, have done a little off roading into this field of wildflowers!

Did you know the blood supply to nearly every organ is connected to your feet?!  I didn't!  Okk explained it to me, how this part of your foot's (pointing) blood supply is connected to your heart, stomache, etc...  She said Koreans are very concerned with their body's blood circulation, so if I look more closely, I'll notice these little pebble walkways all over the place!  So, we walked the foot path, which is a path containing all sorts of different pebble formations, spikes, wood planks etc, to help your body's circulation!

This is actually really painful!

While we were riding our bikes in the park, Okk's sister called saying she wanted to take us out to dinner before we went back to Busan, which I thought was very thoughtful and generous!  We went to a fantastic Indian curry restaurant and feasted on the most delicious chicken and shrimp curry!  YUM!

After dinner, we went back to their house for some watermelon, and then said our goodbyes and headed back to Busan!  We both had such a great time, and laughed more than usual, which is a lot!  So glad she had the idea to go and invited me to come along!

Party Time... Communist Style!

When I was a little girl, I had a terrible time sharing my snacks! Heck, who am I kidding? I STILL have a hard time sharing them! ...When I first started dating Aaron, I would give him the look of death if he took any of my food from me! You'd think I was starved as a child or something! I honestly don't know why I'm like that! I'm obviously still a work in progress! The first step is admitting you have a problem, right?!

So, today, when my after school English Club students came to class with their snacks for our "last day of class party," I was shocked, when they asked me for plates, so they could divvy up what they brought for their friends! Tell you what, I've got a lot to learn from these oober sharing kiddos of mine!

"Taken with Instagram for iphone"

No thank you!

While walking in Nampodong on Sunday afternoon, Aaron and I found a secret escalator that lead to a gigantic underground arcade!  It was like a magic little world under there!  Inside one of the rooms was this gigantic spinning ride, set on hydrollics, with NO seatbelts!  You couldn't pay me enough to get on that thing... but there were tons of Korean kids and teenagers paying money to give it a try!  

No Thank you!

On the Road Again - Teacher Field Trip

Last Saturday, (which is technically one of my days off) all of the school's staff was required to go on a staff fieldtrip to Jirisan... a 4 hour drive away from Busan!  Uuuggghhhh.  In a way, I was excited to see Jirisan, because I had heard lots of great things about it, but I was told my Principal planned the entire trip and didn't care about having anyone's input, so it was probably going to involved a lot of hiking and riding on the bus!

Good news was, as soon as we loaded the bus, the head teacher handed out these bags full of yummy Korean snacks for each of us!

Then, the Vice Principal got on the microphone and made a little speech.  No Korean event, big or small, is complete without a formal speech!  And yes, this is a "NoraeBang Bus"  (a karaoke bus), hence the colorful lights and microphone!!

I sat next to Okk... and MinJung and HaNa sat behind us!  I love these girls!

After sitting on the bus for 4 HOURS, we finally made it to our first destination, a famous seafood soup restaurant!  Apparently only the "Herbs" are welcome here!

It poured all day long... not too sure why the trip wasn't just canceled.  From the little I understood, it seemed as if the Principal was too prideful to re-schedule it for a better day.  Sad...

The entrance of the restaurant boasted this huge wall of photos showing all the news reporters and famous people who had eaten there.

주어탕 (Seafood soup)  This is quite possible my favorite soup in Korea now!

Sweet HyungJung...

Yes, that's everyone... young and old, sitting on the floor!  It's how we do it here in Korea!

You better believe the Soju (Korean alcohol) was flowing at the mens table during lunch!

There was a beautiful garden outside the restaurant where these gigantic "Angels Trumpets" were blooming!

As I was walking back to the bus, I was chatting with a couple teachers and looked up to see one of them chewing on a mint leaf she had picked from the side of the road!

After getting settled in the bus, we headed off on another long journey... this time stopping at a nearby mountain, where we all hesitantly exited the bus into the pouring rain and thunder and lightning storm!  This was, afterall, what the Principal wanted to do!  And when a Korea Principal says "Jump!" You ask "How high!?" 

I was proud to see that some of my co-workers were smart enough not to walk, holding metal umbrellas, through a million trees, during a lightning storm, regardless of the Principal's wishes!  So when he was out of sight, we scurried back to the bus, where we sat for 2 hours and watched a movie!  haha

... and shared our snacks with each other!

When the teachers got back, they were all soaked and frustrated that they were asked to hike through the downpour for hours!  GyungHwa and Monica...

I feel like the theme of this day should have been, "On the road again," because when we got back on the bus, we drove another 3 hours to the middle of Jiri Mountain, where we ate Goat Stew at a Pension in the middle of nowhere!  

They also served us entire, mangled looking, chickens!

... and that's not all!  We were also served goat intestine!  Yummy.... :(

The Principal went around, serving Soju to every staff member.  This is a tradition in Korea for a manager, principal, or CEO to pour a shot of alcohol for each member of his or her company. 

I sat with "The Chilsung Gang!"  That's what we call ourselves!  It's the three 6th grade teachers, Me, Okk, Monica, and HyunJung!  Chilsung means "7 stars" in Korean, and it's also the name of a drink we all like.  HaNa, Me, and GyungHwa

HerLan, feeding our maintenance guy!  This is something that's kind of saved for close friends or husbands and wives, so it was really funny to everyone watching!  He was really shy and hesitant, but everyone was egging him on to let her feed him!

3/7 of the Chilsung Gang at dinner!

Today was a crappy day for all of us.  No one really wanted to spend their day, sitting on a bus for over 14 hours, just to eat some seafood soup, goat stew, and watch a movie, but this dinner moment made it all worth it!  We were all sort of delirious at this point, and were being silly, trying to make the best of our situation!  Yes, those are goat intestines wrapped around my fingers!

On our way home from JiriSan, the clutch on our NoraeBang bus broke, and we were stuck on the side of the road for another hour, while some of the guys fixed it.  Luckily, (hence the sarcasm) the Karaoke machine was working and we could start the competition!  Yes, EVERYONE sang a song, including me!  Uggghhhh.  Not one of my prouder moments!  Picture Cameron Diaz in My Best Friends Wedding!  The clutch was finally fixed, and off we went back to Busan, singing all along...  and ultimately arriving around midnight!  I've decided that next time there's a field trip, I may quite possibly opt for a "sick day" at the beach instead! :)