I Caught Her!

There is something that really gets on my nerves: junk mail. I really hate receiving those glossy fliers in my mailbox, under my windshield wipers and especially, taped to my door! Tonight, though, I intercepted! As I approached my doorstop, there was a woman standing near the keypad. She was holding a couple of familiar things: a roll of scotch tape, and a big stack of advertisements to tape to our doors. I wasn't about to let this happen, so I tried to block her (as politely as possible). I stood in front of her as I punched in the building password, but somehow she got around me and saw two of the four numbers needed to get in. I looked at her, pointed to the papers in her hands, and said some of the few words I know in Korean: ahnyo, kam-sah-hahm-nida(no, thanks). I slipped inside and closed the door behind me. She proceeded to punch numbers into the box, using the clues she got from me and failing every time. I reached the fourth floor and could still hear her trying combinations. Finally, after putting my things down, taking off my jacket, and pulling a different flier from my door, I decided enough was enough. I went back down and opened the door again. I politely pointed to the papers and said, "no thanks" again. I tried to be kind, but firm about not wanting the papers. She said, "yeh, yeh," and turned down the sidewalk. Success!

Soon... :)

Cool Music

Lately, I have been listening to a lot of new music. A nice thing about being here is that there is more exposure to international music (although, I haven't really gotten into Korean music yet). I have included a video of one of my new, all-time, favorite artists: Mika--a Lebanese-born British artist. I love his songs, including: "Relax," "Love Today," "Happy Endings," and "Lollipop." Also, I have been into Kate Nash, another British singer. Her songs are funny and honest. And, if you happen to speak German, Silbermond is my favorite non-English group--beautiful songs, even if you don't understand all the lyrics! But, of all this new music, I LOVE, love, love the soundtrack from the movie, "Once!" It is so good--if you haven't seen the movie, I really recommend picking it up ASAP! It was a pretty low-budget Irish film, so you don't have to trip over all the sparkly and flashy things Hollywood likes to throw into movies. Also, there isn't much dialog, just lots of music and real-life acting.

Begging For More

Today's class was great! We played scattergories and the students LOVED it! Two-thirty rolled around and they begged me to do one more round and said they didn't mind if they stayed late! This is definitely a first for me! I broke the students up into four groups and passed out the score sheets. I played the part of the English Nazi and subtracted points whenever I heard people speaking Korean. They seemed to really enjoy the competition!

I have taken it pretty easy this week and have become lazier and lazier! I get going around 9 most mornings, hit the gym, go to school, back by 3.30, and lay low the rest of the freezing cold day. I have re-organized ALL my cupboards and drawers, washed (and hand washed) ALL my clothes, scrubbed my toilet, cleaned under my bed, and even sorted through clothes and taken out ones to get rid of. This doesn't sound lazy, but all of it was done days ago, so today I literally sat around for hours! I hate going out in the evenings--it is pretty crowded and way too cold to manage the slow-moving crowds. While I am sure there are fun things awaiting me just steps from my front door, I choose to recline on my pillows with the remote in one hand and the laptop at the other. Just two more days of winter classes then vacation time! :) Can't wait!

P.S. Aren't those flowers nice? They sit at the turn of the stairs just down a half floor from me. I pass them every day and think they are beautiful (even if they are FAKE)!

Random Good News!

Today I heard that my school doesn't actually start until March 2nd. This is strange because my co-worker had previously told me that I needed to start up again on the 12th of February. Hmm. Well, it turns out that we have 3rd grade graduation on the 12th and opening ceremonies for the new term on the 14th. Then, two weeks of vacation. It's a little different from the way we do it in the US, but I guess I won't complain! Now, I just need to make sure to take advantage of the time I have! :)

Funny Korean Commercials

Here are some examples of what kinds of things are on TV here. My favorite is the second one when the guy throws that girl up in the air! Great! Enjoy! :)

Lazy, Lazy, Lazy

Today I was so lazy! Actually, this weekend I was so lazy! For two days I have been sluggish at best, so I decided to get some air. I walked around my neighborhood with a friend this afternoon and finished the day off with some Vietnamese noodles! Mmm! Here are a few things I saw today on my walk...the first: what looks like a planter full of cabbage! It must be some kind of flower, but I don't know what kind--whatever it is, it looks very beautiful! :)
Next, a little pagoda/patio in the middle of a park. My friend and I walked up the hill to a former olympic training center. There were a few paths around and some work out equipment for public use. Most of it was metal...I suggest keeping your tongue inside your mouth if you use it or you could end up stuck, stuck, stuck!
Even statues get cold sometimes. I saw these guys cuddled up outside of a Chinese restaurant. Brrr!
And finally, the jelly hotel. Interesting.

These are a Few of THEIR Favorite Things

All week, my students have been working on a "favorite things" unit. It has been a lot of fun and they have really gotten into the theme! We talked about clothes, foods, possessions, and worked on the song from The Sound of Music. Today, the assignment was to re-write the lyrics in groups of 4 or 5. Students had to pay attention to rhyme, syllables, and rhythm. They did a fantastic job, too! Some things they included (not surprisingly) are: mp3 players, televisions, beautiful flowers, video games, and chocolate bars.

What Happened?

Today I had to change rooms for my English class because the heater doesn't work in the room I was previously in. I walked into the classroom and wondered what in the world had happened before I got there! Looks like a lot! :) (School doesn't start for a few more weeks, so there is time to clean up the mess!)

A Friend

Mmm! What is better than a couple of fat-filled pastries, a latte and a couple of hours of girl talk? Well, this morning I met one of my few Korean friends (explanation to follow) for coffee at Paris Croissant. We ordered some treats and settled into the over-sized, comfy chairs.
The reason I look a little pale here is that I wasn't feeling that well this morning! :( I can't say that I got better as the day went along, but my class was easy today and I was able to come home by 3. The rest of the day I spent laying in my bed and taking things easy.
This is my friend from work. We sat next to each other in the teacher's office and got to know each other throughout the semester. Making friends here is pretty difficult, actually. There is kind of a traditional separation between men and women--people have told me that Koreans don't believe that men and women can be "just friends." So, the chance to make guy friends is slim. The women in this culture have pretty tightly-knit groups already (and seem to stick to two general groups in my observation: married and unmarried). The other stumbling block is the language barrier. English is difficult to learn! Also, I have a little skepticism around this issue. I have often had people approach me and ask me for dinner or coffee or other things, but I feel that there is an underlying agenda: free English practice. It sounds pretty harsh, I know, but the reality of it all is that Koreans really, really, really want to learn English! Anyway, all that to say that my Korean friendship tally is at about 2 1/2 after five months! So nobody starts to feel sorry for me, I have to say that I have quite a few non-Korean friends here. I met a bunch of people at teacher orientation in August and have maintained contact with many of them. So, I'm not entirely lonely!

I have made a list of things that I have yet to do here in Korea--places to see, temples to visit and mountains to hike. I am excited to get going on this next seven months...just as soon as it warms up, darn it! It has been so cold here lately (I know it isn't as cold as MN, but cold is cold)! At least I figured out my Korean heating system (see past entries for details)! :)

Class Today

Class today was sparse. Only half of my students showed up! It was snowing this morning, so I like to blame it on the snow rather than my teaching abilities! This week we are doing a unit on our favorite things (using the Sound of Music and Julie Andrews). Today we made picture collages and each student had to share in front of the group, and the group had to come up with two questions to ask about the presentation. Now, for native speakers, this is no problem, but these students had quite a bit of stress over this assignment! It is good practice for them!
After class, one student pulled me aside to give me a gift. It was so sweet! He gave me a letter, a hand warmer (the coffee cup above) and two charms for my phone. He was really shy about it--so sweet!
Last week, we had a group conversation using conditionals ("if I could fly, I would___."). One question I asked was: "If you had a million dollars, what would you do with it?" The student who gave me the gift said he would buy the school. He said he would fire all the teachers and I gave him a hard time about losing my job! So, on the outside of the envelope, the student wrote, "If I buy this school, I will never fire you!" Aahh, thanks!

Brrrrr!

It's Finished!

This construction project is finally finished! This was the reason for all the months of crowded exits (especially on Friday nights!). It looks good and feels so much bigger! The only other thing they could work on is the removal of the flyer-ad ladies. These women stand right in the middle of the exits viggerously handing out flyers to anyone who will take them (and sometimes to people who don't want them)! You can see one of these women in the picture. She is the one just at the top of the stairs wearing the light-colored jacket.

Etiquette Bell

What is an etiquette bell? Well, it is what you use if you are trying to avoid ackward or embarassing bathroom noises! I have heard of these things before but didn't recognize it when I saw it! Someone told me that many people will flush the toilet several times during a visit so there are no noises. In order to save water, this was invented! The cover-up noises are mostly one of these three things: rushing water, chirping birds, or ocean waves. Always new discoveries for this traveler!

Christmas Vacation!

Christmas at home was wonderful! It was so nice to go home after all these months! I spent the first half of my trip home with my family in Minnesota. We had Christmas with the extended family--even Martin's stepdad came from Switzerland to join us! Martin and I received a pair of couple's mittens (I am not sure they would be called "a pair" since there are three pieces...oh well). They are especially made for easy hand-holding action! :)
The family tree in the living room... My brother Tony is in the corner of the picture. ALL of those presents under the tree are for me (ha ha!! just kidding!)! :)
The second half of my trip was spent in California! Martin and I drove his car back to LA, but were able to stop in Kansas to see my friends Dana and Randy! It was a quick stop, but definitely worth the trip! We ate dinner with them, then headed on our way (we left KS around 11!). After crossing the border into California, we had the most unfortunate flat tire ever! It was really, really early in the morning on Saturday night (nothing is open or will be open till Monday) after Needles, California. Where is Needles, you say? That is a good question! We had AAA come and fix it for us and finished the last 250 miles into LA on a spare in the wee hours of the morning! In the remaining days of my time in the States, we visited our favorite restaurants, and locations. It was really great to speak English quickly and to also understand what was being spoken to me! :) I didn't have to guess at what people were trying to tell me! Awesome! :)
And finally, a clear day in LA. The clarity lasted only a few hours after the rain until the smog rose again! It was a great time home! Definitely!

All in all, it has been nice to be back in Korea, too. I don't call it "home," but for the time, it is where my life is! I started working again on Monday (I returned from the States late Saturday night) and have been enjoying my small class of students! This class will last for three weeks, then it will be vacation time again!! :) Woo-hoo!