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)! :)