Who are all of you?!

Dear Readers,

On February 11, 2010, I added a little counter to my blog so I could find out if anyone was actually reading it other than my mom, sister, a few friends, and my aunt Barb! Low and behold, I've had 3,000 hits in just over 1 month!

So, to whoever you are... Thanks for taking time out of your busy scheduled to stop by and read about my adventures! I am really curious though.... Who are all of you silent blog stalkers?! :)

Love, Jill

Daegu weekend trip!

Most of you don't know.... but my dear friends Jess and Carlos moved a couple hours north of Busan at the beginning of March. They had the itch to live in the countryside, and so, well.... that's what they did! Unfortuntately we don't get to see each other very often, but we're going to make sure to get together as often as possible! This weekend was our first visit with them since they moved!

We decided to meet between Busan and Gyungbuck (sp? their province) at a city called Daegu! So, Aaron and I jumped on the train yesterday and went to go see them!

When we arrived, Jess, Carlos, and their friend Kelly (who they met at their orientation last week) were a subway stop away from us, so Aaron and I decided to stop into this little restaurant called "Mom's Touch" to grab some lunch!

I saw a picture of this cup full of chicken nuggets on the menu for 3,000 won, the equivalent of about $2.50, and had to have it! When it came, I was shocked at how HUGE it was! We both laughed and said, "How are we gonna eat all of these..."

Then, the big shocker came! I noticed there was a straw sticking out of my cup... which I thought was really strange... Then after looking a little closer, I noticed my chicken nuggets were sitting inside of another cup... so I lifted them up, and realized there were hardly any, and there was a cup full of coke underneath! Good thing I didn't tip it over, huh?!

We finally met up with the gang and headed over to the local market! Jess is thinking of cutting her hair, so we stopped into this wig shop so she could try some different styles! Wigs are actually pretty common around here! You would never think it, but it's true!

I love, love, love pajong! I waited here for about 5 minutes while this woman grilled some for me! (Korean pancake with squid)!

Kelly, Jess and I with the lotion bottle! :)

Carlos and Aaron with Donald Duck!

I orginally took this picture to show this girls ridiculous outfit, but then noticed the store name, which made me laugh... Think it's a knock off of "baby phat?"

These boys are like two peas in a pod when they are together... never embarrassed to be goofy or make fun of themselves! I love it!

We stopped in this restaurant to eat some Samgetang for dinner! Kelly had never tried it, and it's a really famous meal in Korea! It's basically a bowl of soup with an ENTIRE chicken in it! Here's Jess picking up a big chunk of her chicken for you to see!

The fun part about Samgetang is the fact that there are always wishbones hiding in your soup! Aaron found this one for us to play with! Can you sense the intensity!?

I was the big winner!! And no, Aaron's finger was not on purpose!!

After dinner, it was off to show Kelly "Makoli", a famous Korean rice wine that is drank out of a bowl! mmmmm!

After Makoli, we decided it'd be a good idea to find a place to stay for the night so we could drop our bags before we went back out! Jess called the information hotline and asked for a cheap hotel! We ended up staying at a place called "The Water Park Motel..." and no, there was not a water park attached! Infact, it was so small and so ghetto that we were the only people staying there! The owner ran out into the street to meet our taxi driver and ran alongside the taxi until we arrived at the entrance.

Yes, this is the entrance! YIKES!

We knew right away that it was a love motel (A cheap motel often used for hourly visits... if you get my drift!) Yes, this is a red light on the ceiling in the boys room! The girls room had one too!

It came with a tray of toiletries for people to use after they've come to the love motel, done their thing, and then have to fix their hair before they go back to work! Disgusting...

The girls bed was a huge pink CIRCLE bed! Yes, it was pink, and yes it was a circle... and yes, there was a box of tissue and 2 condoms on the headboard, next to the mirror!!! WOW!

Here we are... all cozy together!

This morning, we got up and took a taxi back to downtown Daegu and looked for some breakfast. Aaron got a breakfast sandwich at this place, and as he went to pay for it, the woman working there pointed to these boxes. We looked in them and there was money! So, Aaron put his money in, and took his change out! Koreans are soooo darn honest!

After breakfast, which was actually more like lunch, we walked over to this adorable coffee shop and sat around for a couple hours, just chatting and catching up! Carlos, Me, and Aaron

The coffee shop had all these hand painted wood blocks on the walls... My guess would be that customers painted them! Thought it was a cute and artsy idea!

The whole gang! Carlos, Jess, Aaron, Me, and Kelly before we said goodbye!

Aaron and I managed to figure out the train situation... We had to transfer once, and ultimately had a nice little ride home through the countryside on the good old KTX train!

All in all, it was a great weekend with awesome friends!

Really guys?!

At lunch today, I had a cultural shock conversation with the new after school english teacher! Here's how it went:

Joy: Alexis, do you like Korean food?

Me: Yes, I love it!

Joy: Oh, that is great! The foreign teacher at _________ Elementary School (sorry, I'm not telling what school) doesn't like Korean food, and is angry because the principal will not allow him to leave the school during lunchtime.

Me: He should bring a lunch then.

Joy: I think he lives alone, so he can not prepare a lunch.

Me: How old is he?

Joy: He is in his mid 30's!

Me: What! He's in his mid 30's and he can't make his own lunch?

Joy: No, men in Korea can not prepare their own lunches. Their wives or mothers do it for them.

Women, be thankful you live in America!

It's still here!!!

The snow is still here today! Check out the view from my classroom window! :)

Design on a Korean Dime!

A big thank you goes out to Aaron for trusting me with decorating his new place! His only 2 requirements were "no clutter and organization!" Done and done! :)


After 1 week, here's what I came up with! (Remember, Korea doesn't have Target, Hobby Lobby, Big Lots, Goodwill, Joannes, or Michaels which are my favorite stores when decorating a space) I had to be extra resourceful, and put my feet to work, walking the town, searching for the perfect fabric and organizational items!


I surprised Aaron and broke into his apartment (there's a keypad, I didn't break a window people!) and assembled everything while he was at school today! (I had the day off because of the snow, which was perfect!) Aaron was completely shocked when he walked in and LOVE, LOVE, LOVES IT and said he never wants to leave! I was so happy!





The bedding was hand sewn by guess who?! ME! About 3,000 stitches went into that duvet cover, which is reversible, depending on what mood Mr Aaron is in! It can be brown or blue, both of which match his sheets! I love the duvet cover, but I love the decorative pillow even more! This was made from a tweed skirt I picked up at Gukje Thrift Market for $0.75!! Buying old suit jackets or skirts from thrift stores is a great way to bring a masculine fabric into a room for minimal to no cost! It's finished off with a button I had leftover from the duvet! Pillow $0.75, Duvet $12.00, 2 white pillows $6.00, Sheets $10.00, (from Big Lots in America) Shelf $15.00, and Asian Style touch lamp $20.00



I hand sewed these curtains with some white fabric I found in Gukje Market and blue, brown and tweed fabric scraps leftover from the bedding! This is a great way to tie in bedding with curtains!
Curtains $5.00, Curtain Rod $3.00, Plant $7.00, Glass Plant Bowl $10.00, Wood Box $2.00



This is Aaron's entry area where he puts his shoes. I decided to use this space as a place for him to put important papers, schoolwork, and the change he acquires throughout the day, and dressed it up with some pictures and a nice plant! Every room needs a plant! Brown Paper Holder $7.00, Plant and Pot $ 3.50, everything else Aaron already had!



The pictures on the wall are from a calendar that Aaron's mom sent him with a Christmas package! They are the covers of old UNC football programs. He loved the pictures (and so did I), so I decided to incorporate them! Wall Art: $FREE!






I found this leaf shaped wood in Daiso, a dollar store in Korea! I love the rustic-ness of the wood, mixed with the softness of the candles for romantic dinner dates! Wood Platter $2.00, candles $6.00



This is probably my favorite part of the room! I found this clock today at NewCore outlet (the equivalent of the neighborhood Nordstroms). I'm actually going to paint it to make the numbers pop on the white wall behind it, but the design is pretty awesome! Clock: $25.00



No clutter - check!
Organization - check!
Happy customer - check!
Grand Total: $134.25!


I'd say it's a success!