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.)