Wednesday, January 30, 2008

TMI

(umma, in case ur wondering, TMI = too much information)
today i got to teach the word "lingerie"

playing taboo w/special rules:
the word: Wedding

me: list things you buy for this event
student: well, personally, i bought the innerwear. you know? the sexy ...
me & class: yes we know

Tuesday, January 29, 2008

a wee bit annoyed

blargh. or as liz lemon would say, BLURG.

work was annoying today. after the first hour of class, i find out that the english classes are all practicing for their plays today. during my classes. and no one told me. so apparently i only have 50 minutes PER section today instead of the 1 hour 50 minutes that i usually have and PLANNED for. add that to my list of things i don't like about lady boss (there are many). so whatever. i suck it up and cut my lesson in half. i'll do the last chapter for my 1st two classes tomorrow. and then i had to rearrange to do tomorrow's lesson TODAY for the last class because for whatever reason their class is AFTER their exam tomorrow. so i HAD to teach the final chapter today. so all my plans for teaching tomorrow have been thwarted and i have to rethink and stuff.

i dunno why. but when koreans are NOT good at english and INSIST on speaking to me in english even tho it's the MOST INEFFICIENT mode of conversation it drives me nuts. (example, yesterday and lady boss' comment). am i a HORRIBLE person? i HATE when adults, esp. older adults INSIST on speaking HORRIBLE TERRIBLE english that i REALLY can NOT decipher for the life of me. it's soooo AWKWARD. i keep asking "what" or "excuse me" or give them blank looks in the MOST polite way possible. and it goes nowhere. and so i'll switch into korean, and they STILL speak (TRY to speak) english to me. and i don't know what to do. ugh. it just really annoys me. and i know it's not just because they're mangling the language. there's just SOMEthing about these situations that drives me nuts.

also, for whatever reason, i think that when korean people speak english, it sounds very rude. i don't know if it's the context and i'm just used to all the formality and honorifics in the language. or maybe the style of english they learn/teach. or maybe it's just because i'm used to speaking korean with these people and it's just a "cozier" language. i have NO idea. but seriously, koreans speaking english (even when it's fairly fluent/good) just sounds rude. maybe bc it's not as casual as what i'm used to in english? but wouldn't greater formality sound polite, if awkward? not rude? it's very strange. or maybe direct (or close to direct) translations of korean (which is how it normally goes) just becomes a very rude sort of rough/crude translation? i'm not sure. but this "rude english" makes me uncomfortable, too.

there is this one SUPER RUDE teacher in one of my classes and he puts me in a bad mood. ok i KNOW im like 10 years younger than him and so what if my career path is WAY more exciting now than his ever will be, he is SOOO rude to me in class. he TALKS while i'm talking/teaching/explaining/answering questions. he doesn't "shush" when i start talking after a talking activity. he just keeps on talking until HIS conversation is finished and then maybe tunes into what i say. i don't know how to deal with it or what to say. (i've never really been treated this rudely so i don't know how to react). so normally i just talk over him (stopping to wait for him just encourages him) and ignore him. =( grrr but apparently he's like this in another teacher's class who's TOLD him it's not cool, so he's kindof a douche.

one of the judges for the plays gave a speech about english education in korea and in other countries where he observed/learned and altho i understand he was trying to be encouraging to the teachers by saying that having perfect pronunciation is not the point of their learning english and citing studies where the only way to achieve native speaker-like pronunciation is to BE a native speaker or move to the target country before you learn to speak he said something that TOTALLY annoyed me. he said that, even if koreans go to english-speaking countries, they are seen as koreans, as asians, and so it's much better to speak korean well than to speak poor korean/neglect korean and speak perfect english. you can see how this kindof pissed me off. it's hard to translate the connotations of the words/language he was using but he was basically saying koreans who speak perfect english but are not good at korean SUCK and are SUCKY koreans. and that REALLY annoyed me. seeing how i'm 봉사ing (community servicing) in HIS freaking province, in HIS freaking country, for a YEAR of my life. my young life that could just as easily be spent traipsing around europe or backpacking in australia or getting a head start on law school. GRRRRRR!!!!

Positive Things About Today:
the plays were very funny tho and i could tell my teachers put a lot of effort into them. altho some of the english was questionable. haha. it was pretty enjoyable, to see them not being my students and in another context.

also, i saw one of the students who loves me most (i am her favorite person after her parents) on the way into my apt and that made me smile and a little less annoyed at being in korea. she was skipping past me, and we both did the long look, walk past, turn around and OHHHHH!~~~ she goes, OH, TEACHER!!! and runs at me and hugs me!!! and then i asked her where she's going in korean, and she goes "oh, KOREAN SPEAKING!" so then i asked her, where are you going (in english) and she said, home!! then i asked where she's coming from and she said "playground"!!! SHE SPOKE ENGLISH!! we had a CONVERSATION (ok, kindof) in english!!! yayy!!!

i got lots of compliments yesterday during my "describing people's appearances" lesson. =) i would repeat but i'm afraid that my blog will turn into "emotional vomit" so i'll restrain. ok, no i won't. because i need to be cheered up
student: how do you say 롱다리?
me: you can say, she has long legs. or you can say, she is leggy. altho leggy includes an element of sexiness.
student: christine, you are leggy

today on the drive home my driver teacher told me that her class has grown attached to me and they like me a lot. and they think it's because they think i'm pretty. =) on a day when my skin disappointed me before breakfast, this was a comfort.

and i am eating a roll (stack? column? line?) of mini chocolate chip cookies with milk. so i'm happy now. at least until i have to make a new lesson plan. =]

today was a lot of ranting. sorry. i promise more positive energy soon.

Monday, January 28, 2008

mixed feelings

this morning started out totally bummeriffic. well, first of all, it was monday. so that was strike #1. 2nd of all i was waking up at 7:20am. that was strike #2. but imo made pancakes for breakfast so that was ok. anyways, i get to school, and the boss lady of this english camp said something that totally blew me away.

lady: so, is it difficult to teach teachers?
me: mm no, it's better than i had expected. it's ok
lady: i think you're better teaching children
me: ?!?!?!??!

so this was minutes before i went into my first class for the day and it TOTALLY bummed me out. the whole first hour i couldn't think of anything else but what she said. or meant. or whatever. i totally thought she was trying to tell me i'm not good at teaching teachers. i don't deal well w/criticism. esp not at something i enjoy doing or think i'm marginally good at.

during my 2nd hour of class i started thinking and reasoning with myself. maybe she didn't mean it like how i had taken it. maybe something was lost in translation. because seriously, that's a totally rude thing to say to someone. i started to think maybe she had meant something else, like i PREFER teaching children or that i'm more suited to teach children, i don't know. but i started thinking that i didn't care what she meant bc i just couldn't afford to. i had more important things to worry about: like what happens next in ugly betty. haha.

anyways, i got lots of reassurance from the other girl english teacher (i told her what happened) and 2 of my loveliest lady friends here in korea. so that made me feel much better. altho i WAS nervous that someone told the lady boss behind my back. mostly because of an incident last week. i always ask the teachers if they understand or if they want me to repeat or if i should slow down. and they always respond that everything is fine (even tho i don't always believe them). and then friday the lady boss takes me aside to tell me some students think i'm talking a little too quickly, could i maybe slow down a bit? and i don't know why but it really upset me that they couldn't tell me to my face and went to her. (mostly bc this woman treats me like i'm an idiot - i don't know if it's on purpose or just her normal tone of voice bc it seems that maybe she's just condescending in general) and i didn't want her to have any reasons for thinking i'm incompetent. or unaware of the fact that i'm a fast talker. so that's why i was nervous that maybe some students DID go to her and tell her i'm a horrible teacher.

ok, so that was part 1 of why i was not in a good mood this morning. but over the course of the day i decided i AM a good teacher. or at least putting forth a lot of effort. i DO. and that's something you can't deny. i try my best at things i do. because i am a huge nerd like that. and that's why i am so health conscious because i know my stress level is high and i do things to only add to it and i don't want to have a heart attack. or an aneurysm. or anything like that.

moving on. today during the day was also kindof springy weathery. and almost february. which reminded me thaaaaaaaat JCREW SPRING LINE WOULD BE OUT. so whoopee i checked online when i got home and it is. and i didn't like THAT much of it (i usually don't) their 2nd iteration of spring/summer clothing is usually much better. buuuuuuuut jcrew spring line meeeeeans SPRING IS COMING!!! YAYY!!! and i miss getting catalogs. a LOT. i LOVE jcrew catalogs. and circling stuff and folding down page corners. =) it really doesn't take much to make me happy.

p.s. i also found out that i am not a COMPLETE waste of space. i am actually QUITE accomplished in this past month. so a friend of mine called me to console me about the mean lady boss thing, and she confessed that she had watched ALL 10 SEASONS of FRIENDS in this past month. aaaaaaaaahahahahhaa. that made me feel good. becaaaaaauuuuuuse i had watched pirates of the caribbean 1 and 2, both seasons of 30 rock, caught up on the last 2 seasons of entourage, watched season 1 of ugly betty, and as of last night, am 4 episodes away from the rest of season 2 of ugly betty. so yes, clearly it has been a productive month for all americans in korea. ok, so maybe just 2 of us. whatever. it was totally worth it.

ok that was long. i'm hungry. and i need to type up my lesson plan for tomorrow before watching some more of ugly betty season 2. hehe.

i miss my family. and i miss my duke favs. and ppl in NJ who are like my family. a LOT. they are so wonderful. and i miss my girls here in korea. i haven't seen any of them in over a week. i think it's that part of the cycle again. i think probs a few times a month the homesickness/missing ppl i love-ness becomes unbearable. and i want to cry all the time. and EVERYTHING reminds me of them. and the past few days have been like that. =T

Sunday, January 27, 2008

cheesy (me, not food)

hellooooo~~~

i'm super duper cheerful today. and i'm not EXACTLY sure why. altho today the weather was super SPRINGY and the air even SMELLED like spring so that could be one reason =)

sometimes i get the feeling my weekly back massages might be counterproductive BECAAAAAUUUSE altho after it's over i feel WONDERFUL, during it, i'm in so much pain the rest of my body tenses up in response to the pain my back feels in getting loosened up. but whatever, no pain no gain, correct?

my life lately has been kindof boring but wonderful. i've had loads of time to read and watch TV (american!) and write letters and organize my thoughts. =) which is something that i always want and never get. TIME i mean. FREE TIME. YIPPEEE i love free time. kindof. i'm one of those people who thrives off pressure and deadlines and general busy-ness. or so i've been told. and ok, i kindof admit it.

examples: how i'm always sick when i'm bored. how i was always sick during breaks in college. how i go crazy and all morose when i'm on break and don't have enough to do. how much i love "projects".

BUUUUUT i also LOVE LOVE LOVE catching up on my TV and doing a lot of NOTHING but lying around during my breaks. mostly because my non-breaks are CRAZY BUSY. in korea, even during teaching, i've had loads more free time than i ever did at school. and i've gotten lots of things done.

i organized my iPhoto. i actually got photos printed and put them in albums (bare minimum FAVORITE pics from college = 8+ mini albums). i write several letters a week and often 10 or more postcards a month. i reorganized my files on my computer. i'm FINALLY making teensy weensy dent in my reading list. and ok, i KNOW i made fun of this one ETA bc she said she spent the YEAR catching up on her reading but, i've done my fair share of travel so i think it's time i get to take some down time. the first few months (i.e. august through december) all i did was travel and tire myself out.

and the more i talk to ppl and the closer i get to it, i get the feeling law school (esPECIally 1L) is going to EAT ME. yup yup yup. currently i get around 9-10 hours of sleep a night. and just THINKING how i'll be back to the 6 hours of sleep a night if i'm LUCKY in law school makes me cringe. BLECH. THAT plus internships, PLUS actually being a lawyer and waking up to work out at 6am then go to work and work past dinnertime ...EEEK!!! i totally deserve this time off.

geez, i'm such a nerd for having to justify relaxing. i'm not going to lie. i totally feel guilty and useless anytime i'm not actively DOING something (aka like this time right now during break when i'm not totally jampacked with work). so i have to justify to MYSELF that it's ok. pathetic. ok lesson planning for the rest of this week (ok, maybe just 2 days' worth) i'll put off the last day til later. =) and THEN i'll finish up season 2 of Ugly Betty. (she gives me hope for love, kindof). haha. (p.s. it's been a while since an AMERICAN tv show made me cry this much/often - which is sad bc ugly betty is totally genre-ized as a comedy).

Saturday, January 26, 2008

love-full

ok. i didn't know what to title this post. it started out as "i love ..." and i then i couldn't think of what it is exactly that i love. but i am filled with loving feelings. WHYYYY you may ask?? well ...

yesterday (friday) TWO separate people complimented my eyes!!! yup!!! my EYES!!! they said they were beautiful, and i have beautiful eyelashes and they admired my eyes!!! on two separate occasions!!! the first was the lady teacher who drives me to and from the class i'm teaching (it's about 20 minutes away by car) and the second was one of the other english instructors (from canada).

this is a BIIIIGGGG deal to me bc my eyes are one of the features that i have the least confidence in. =( i've always been told and thought that i had teensy weensy little eyes. and i've always admired people with big prettily shaped eyes. (except lil cricket with her big dumb deer eyes) haha. so IMAGINE my surprise when two people IN THE SAME DAY complimented my eyes!!! yippee!!!

then i told my mom today, and she was like OF COURSE. you have VERY BEAUTIFUL EYES. especially in korea where everyone has those WEIRD ROUNDISH ARCHED FAKE SSANGKAPEUL (double-eyelid) eyes. and she did a demonstration of what they looked like (we were webcamming). and it was hysterical. she goes, you have very beautiful natural asiany eyes. we should get insurance on them. or call UNESCO and make it an asian treasure. then of COURSE she ends with, you should thank me for your beautiful eyes. i did such a great job.

anyway, those compliments tickled me pink. bc i am so self-conscious of my mini-eyes and snuffaluffagus eyelashes (they point straight down!). yippee!!!

ok, i'm being silly now. anyways, so i was supposed to go skiing today. but i wasn't feeling up to it. which is weird. i think i'm getting old. bc last time i went skiing, i wanted to stop skiing before the day was over (there was still sunlight) bc i was cold and tired. and usually i'm fighting to be the last one on the mountain. ppl have to drag me off and make me go home. and today i thought it'd be better to stay home and rest and catch up on writing letters and maybe lesson plan instead of skiing. i AM getting old. yeeeeesh!!! (see? that was even an old lady sound!)

ok so now i'm rambling. oh but wait. imo is coming back home tomorrow!!! yayy!!! she was in cambodia for the last week with her college students on a medical service trip type thing. and i missed her!!! so she is coming back tomorrow morning and i will have someone to talk to. oh yes, i will update soon on my relationship with the hostfam (getting better and better). =) ok. back to doing other things. bye bye.

Wednesday, January 23, 2008

english english fun fun

student: teacher, i watch drama and i hear many things i do not understand
me: ok, tell me
S: mmm this boy is told this girl "im crush on you"
M: i have a crush on you?
S: yes, he said that what does it mean
M: it means he likes her, it is a very light kindof thing, not LOVE, but he likes her
S: oh, and also, "steer clear of you"
M: that means to stay away
S: to avoid?
M: yes exactly
S: oh ok, thank you
M:this sounds exciting what drama was it?
S: FRIENDS

ok i have a full-fledged CRUSH on one of my students. except this time it's ok bc my students are older than me. =) haha. and i know jungmin unni said not to fall in love with a country bumpkin korean boy and live in the mountains and she made me promise to return to america. and i totally will. but one of my students (he is a elementary teacher) is soooo cute and funny and wonderful. he is not so good at english but he tries so hard it's great. i'll ask him a question and he looks totally blank and bewildered and put on the spot and he just says, "YES" to everything. and ykno how sometimes ppl's voices change when they switch languages? (i'm told mine does, VERY drastically). his ENGLISH-speaking voice is all husky and manly and muhshissuh. i was surprised. but haha, yes he is my new crush. i will only see him 4 more times and my crush will be gone. but that's ok. after all, i can't afford to fall in love and stay in korea. haha.

some of his better quotes from today's class:

once in a blue moon there was tigers in korea and now and then there are never tigers

comparing a picture w/2 coffee shops called bill's coffee and one coffee. they had to think of reasons why bill's was so crowded and one was empty:
-bill's coffee has coffee, tea, cake, sandwiches and one coffee has ONLY coffee (b/c name)
-bill's is grand opening and all his friends are there
-ppl w/lots of friends go to bill's and ppl w/no friends go to OC
-there is no clock in OC so ppl dont like to go
-OC is self-service there are no waiters

Tuesday, January 22, 2008

i have a big head

i just got back from my first day of english out of 6. and for the most part i loved it.

i am by far much younger than any of the other lecturers and also a lot younger than my students. mostly because in korea you graduate college at 26 and then even the youngest ones have been teaching for a few years already. so a lot of them were surprised at first that i was their instructor.

now, the big head part. they LOVE me. i am their little genius princess. they all can't get over how young and "accomplished" i am. a lot of them have never even travelled outside korea, so they think i'm an international jet-setter (which, you know, duh, i AM - haha). and they loved the pictures i showed them of duke and my house and family in new jersey. they loooove that i'm going back to go to law school even though they want me to stay in korea. in general, they have been wonnnnnnnderful~~~

also, one of the other english instructors can't stop gushing about how perfect i am and how my school is so lucky to have me and how they are going to miss me so much and isn't there any way she can convince me to stay in korea? anyways, i'm glad i have my family and friends to take me back down a few notches after this wonderful haven that adores me. haha.

having my hostbro call me ajumma and telling me i can't afford to skip yoga/pilates should do the trick.

also, i was waaaayyyyy nervous on the way there but it's actually not so bad. they told me 39 teachers and i thought PER class but it's broken down so i have 3 classes of 13. and actually the 2 hours per class kindof flew by. so that by the time lunch came i was starving and hadn't realized it was already 1pm. and i'm done at 4pm each day. and one of the other english instructors drove me home today and she'll be driving me home tomorrow, too. but the last 4 days they found me one of my students who lives in the apt. complex next to mine and she'll be picking me up and driving me both ways. (so i get to save the 120,000won travel stipend!) yayy!! the only downside is that students are done an hour after i'm done teaching ... but it's okay they have a pretty sweet instructor lounge and i'll bring a few of my books =)

i already have a favorite class but i don't feel too badly about it bc one of the other english instructors (there are 3 of us) says that is her favorite class, too. they were my first class and i'm so glad they were my first bc they made the transition back into teaching soooo easy.

oh, YESTERDAY!!! i had a daytrip (a lunch trip) into seoul to see cecilia ajumma and it was sooo wonderful and refreshing. after being in cheongju (and mostly IN my apt hehe) for 11 straight days w/o work, hauling my butt up to seoul was nice. and halmunni was there, too!!! ajumma gave me my stuffs that my mommy sent and she asked me what i wanted for lunch and i couldn't think ... but then divine providence sent a man with a CPK (california pizza kitchen) bag past me and i was like OOOOH THAT!!! and ajumma called 114 (info?) and we got to CPK and i ordered 2 of my favorites AND AND ANNNNNND STRAWBERRY LEMONADE!!! yippeee!!! i was so happy!!! plus KOREAN cpk is better than american bc it's HALF as salty. so i was suuuuper happy. and we talked about my parents and family and i was happy to be with ppl who loved me and knew me in america. haha.

anyways, i should try to make a lesson for tomorrow or take a nap before we go to VIPS for hostbro's bday (i woke up at 7am today after sleeping in til 10:30am or later for over a week). YESSS. i'm so psyched for food. =)

Saturday, January 19, 2008

young and techy.

ok two main points. age. and technology.

MY NEW HAIR PLAN IS NOT WORKING!!! basically, all the random ppl i meet in korea think i'm a STUDENT. sometimes high school. and sometimes college. but ALWAYS a student. so i was like, ok remember when i chopped off all my hair for locks of love? and ppl said i looked "mature" and like a "woman of the world" (props to jg)? so i decided to chop it off again and emulate that older more mature look. unfortunately, my mom is of the opinion that my hair person in NJ is much more skilled than my hair person in seoul and while before i just looked mature for my age, i now look like i'm 30. WELL, apparently my plan to look older IS NOT WORKING!!! last monday when i went rock-climbing the instructor man asked if i was a high school student. ... AND AND AAAAAND I GOT ID-ED on friday!!!! i haven't been ID-ed ... since ... well i don't really even remember. but i certainly did NOT get ID-ed on my 21st and that made me a little bit sad. that's the whole point!!! and i don't think i've ever been ID-ed in my last two years of college ... MY HAIR PLAN DID NOT WORK. p.s. the drinking age in korea is like 19 (technically as long as you graduate high school you're a legal drinker) so the barlady thought i was in high school is the point of my rant ... grrrr

point numero two. I NEED THIS it's the new macbook AIR. here's the ad for it: AIR AD.



i KNOW it's probably gonna have a bunch of problems bc it's brand new ... but whatever i wasn't planning on buying a new laptop until late july or august anyway (before/for law school). i want an ultra portable ... i think. i started taking notes with my laptop n my last 2 semesters at duke and i could take MUCH better notes (more quickly and thorough AND i could look up/cross-reference stuff online at the same time) than i did hand-written. the only problem was diagrams but i RARELY had classes where diagrams were used/necessary. sometimes i get distracted by the internet/wirelessness of classrooms but that's my own demon to deal with. i'm a huge note-taking nerdmachine so anything that helps me take better notes makes me happy =). and it was easier to organize and compile notes for midterms/finals and term papers. esp. with control+F to find the relevant materials.

anyway, my main point is, i love this thing. my only REAL beef with it is how durable/sturdy it'll be and i guess lots of ppl are complaining about the no optical drive. but i only use mine to watch dvds and movies and stuff so i can use the wireless remote disc thing ORRR not watch movies in law school and study my butt off. haha. (or not be poor and get a tv/dvd player). anyway, ok my other REAL beef is that it only comes in the 13.3 widescreen. i mean i guess that's pretty standard for a laptop but i've had the powerbook 15incher for almost 3 years and whenever i venture near my sister's 13inch macbook it seems kinda tiny. i dunno i'm old school and want desktop monitor size on my computer... so i'll be following the reviews and customer complaints on the macbook air until i get home to make my final decision for if i want IT over the macbook pro (5.5 lbs IS pretty heavy to lug around). the air at 3lbs is nearly HALF my current baby's weight. yippeeee i love pretty things.

Hunger!!!

ok. so i have been known to cry over food in the past. food elicits many tearful emotions for me, to name a few:

1. pain at having eaten too much and not being able to move
2. disappointment at being told the ONE thing i really looked forward to was not available
3. happiness at glorious taste of long-anticipated food
4. the hole in my heart (stomach?) caused by not being able to eat something i really crave...

so now i will write about #4. if you have questions about the others and would like anecdotes, let me know and i'll see what i can do.

ok, the other night i cried, yes i CRIED, because liz lemon from 30 rock orders a meatball sub and all i could think was how badly i wanted to taste a meatball sub and COULDN'T. i could IMAGINE the taste, the texture on my tongue, the texture on my fingers, i JUST WANTED A MEATBALL SUB SO BADLY i considered making one for myself with whatever i could find in korea. but it's not the SAME. i want the EXPERIENCE of ordering a meatball sub and having it made right in front of me and then unwrapping the paper around it and GAHHH!!!! I JUST WANT IT SO BADLY!!! i can't live. i can't die. i can't eat. i am so miserable. =(

other foods i CRAVE:
waffle sundae from nj diners
ordering randys pizza (durham)
lobster dip at firebirds
artichoke cheese dip at cheesecake factory
ANYTHING from cheesecake factory
refectory
sullungtang (i dunno it's just better in america)
kalbi my mom makes
grouper sandwich from loop
that chicken/tofu thing i liked from that thai restaurant (I DONT EVEN REMEMBER THE NAMES ANYMORE!!!)
chicken pad see ew with tofu from THAI CAFE (thanks JB for remembering)
fried rice from pao lim
el rodeo
bbq from qshack
HUSHPUPPIES
cosmic quesadilla
popeyes biscuits
cookout shakes
blue devil shakes from quenchers.
crab rangoon.
chow fun.
jimmy johns, with the chips in the middle of my special sandwich.
saffron rice.
elmo's diner.
pho. w/coconut bubble tea minus the bubbles.
pauly dogs.

anyway, i can't list anymore, cuz i'm already heartsick enough as it is.
let me tell you one story about how much i love the chicken pad see ew (CPSE) at thai cafe.

it's a thursday night in late spring and i'm in the middle of my yoga class. and all of a sudden the only thing i can think about is chicken pad see ew. and how badly i want it. and how i HAVE TO HAVE IT. well. my yoga class went from 7:30 to 9PM. and i was REALLY worried that thai cafe would close around 9. so the whole rest of my yoga class i'm devising a plan to get the CPSE and also debating with myself that i don't really NEED it. that i can just get something else to eat and i'll be ok. so despite the roaring debate in my mind (clearly i failed at meditating and clearing my mind that night) as soon as class ended i BOOKED it out of there and started taking the shortcut i had been thinking of during yoga to student parking to my car and i was SOOO glad i had brought my car keys with me to the gym (i normally don't bring any of my keys). as i'm walking out of the gym i called 411 and asked for the number to thai cafe and had them direct connect me. (after i hung up of course i saved their #). i called and asked what time they closed (10pm i THINK) and i ordered a take-out CPSE w/tofu. they said it'd be ready in 20 min. WHEW~!!! at that point i was delirious with happiness and i felt the RELEASE of my pent-up stress and anxiety about maybe not being able to eat CPSE that night. after i got there i took a call from my sister in which i detailed my plan and success. she basically was stunned at what a huge food nerd i was being. and how i couldn't stop telling her how this was the most delicious thing that i ABSOLUTELY had to have just then. the drive back to my room was painfully long but in the end it was all worth it for the DEEEEELICIOUS CPSE i ravenously ravished in the happy glow of success. =) Mission Accomplished.

Friday, January 18, 2008

효과 or effects

(originally 12/27)

today (and yesterday) has made me super grateful that i'm teaching. and i've been feeling fulfilled (does that make sense?) about my work here thus far. english camp has been an eye-opening experience for me. it has super helped me to realize how capable my students are at english.

sometimes you really jsut need to see people in a different situation (however slightly different) to see otehr sides of them. i'm amazed at students' grasp of classroom english, they're much better at figuring out what i want/mean when i speak in all english than they were just a short 4 months ago!!!

some of the improvements are in more vocab, more confidence, and a quicker grasp of situational english as well. i know my MAIN goal is SOMEWHAT to be an english teacher (more as cultural ambassador) but it IS nice to know that i'm having SOME effect on the students' language skills or at least their perceived competence. some of my quieter kids have been coming up to me and trying novel sentences on their own and trying to ask me questions and tell me things!!! i'm soooo proud of them and soooo excited to see them grow over the next few months also!!!

YAYYY!!! after all the frustrations and setbacks and difficulties that are requisite of the teaching lifestyle i have here, it's nice to SEE/EXPERIENCE SOME effects that i'm HOPING are at least partially attributable to me (and not just (i hope) they're hakwon teachers). haha.

presents, symbolism, love, and happiness

(originally drafted late dec)

Ok, so here are 2 nytimes article on presents and what they mean
article 1
article 2

in short, they sum up what i mostly believe: gifts are symbolic of what ppl think of you, how they want you to think of them, how they view you, what they want you to be/do.

and so it DELIGHTS me when i receive a completely appropriate wonderful gift and kindof makes me "blanch" at gifts i get from ppl i THOUGHT knew me but then the gift makes me go, "WHAT???"

next thought: love - if that is where horrid gift stems from, is it really just the thought that matters? or does "thought" encompass how much "thought" they put into it/how well they know you?

to me happiness comes from successful gifting and receiving well-gifted items. i LOVE giving gifts that DELIGHT people or make them be like, OMG HOW DID YOU KNOW??? not only is it a good gift it's a signal to both the recipient and to me that, YES i do know you that well and i care enough about you to think through all your interests and hobbies and personality to pick out such an appropriate gift.

for example, so far i know that my family and most of my friends enjoy their gifts. this brings me immense immeasurable pleasure because it reaffirms to me that i know my loved ones well, and the feedback says it makes my loved ones happy and that clearly makes me happy.

receiving gifts that show ppl know me well are another kind of happiness. but sometimes getting gifts that are like WAAAAAAT what the HECK do you think of me that made you think i would enjoy this? is a real wake-up call to my relationship with that person.... and it makes me wonder if they know me at all? or if it's even necessary to know a person well enough to give them gifts that they enjoy to "know them well". is it possible to know someone really well and still give them gifts that make them say, "WTH mate?"

my 22nd bday gifts from fam/friends

Sunday, January 13, 2008

yummo

just being happy ^^


thanks to care packages from seester and random travel allowed by breaktime meaning i get to skip yoga/pilates/running, i think i have gained a million lbs. or kilos. whatever.

so far i have et: scooby-doo macncheese, curly noodle soup, box of cheezits, half of nutella jar, dried mangos, half of mrs. field's cookies, ... mm i THINK that's it so far ... and that's less than half of my food!!!

i've also started dipping everything/anything in either nutella or peanut butter ... OOOooOOOoooHHHH maybe tomorrow i will start dipping everything/anything in BOTH!!! YUMMO!!!!!

ALSO, (most importantly) dipping chocolate bars a la snickers or kit kats IN nutella and THEN eating them = AMAAAAZING TASTE SENSATION ... i dunno i've been on a sweets binge lately ... all i want is sweet food

update on life: korea is cold. my skin is better and i'm attributing it to any of a few factors: weekly facials, i finally found/bought my vitamin case after losing my first one at the ambassador's house before thanksgiving so i've been taking my vitamins/fish oils regularly since tuesday, i've been eating at least one substantial meal of meat a day for about a week, i've stopped teaching. haha

those are my main reasons. i think either the restoration of the fish oil and/or meat(protein) to my diet has helped my skin get back on track the most tho. which you may think is the WRONG cause. but before it was SOOOO dry and peeling all the time as a result of my dr. skin regimen and i think my skin was trying to overproduce oil to counteract the dryness. and now it's a nice healthy level of shiny oiliness. yayy!

HEALTH/ATTITUDE UPDATE
i recently got a letter from a friend who kept up with my blogging and she said that it seems from my entries that i am not enjoying korea REALLY. and then at dinner the other night i was not feeling well and hostmom said something about how i have NEVER NOT ONCE been 100% healthy the whole time i've been living here.

so i sat and cogitated on that for a bit and i think the two are totally correlated. i HAVE always been a little under the weather healthwise since coming here. first the broken foot and nonstop colds/exhaustion/sore throat/cough since then. and obsessing about my health makes it hard to enjoy much else. pretty much any time i am doing anything that i would mildly consider enjoyable (even eating) all i can think about is how great it'll be when i go home to my room, my bed and i can sleep or nap or just REST. that's pretty much like 80% of what i think about AT LEAST whilst here. clearly, that takes a toll on how much time i spend "enjoying" my life in korea.

imo has a theory that my body is in constant breakdown as a result of my past 4 years of college life. basically that i was always too tired and stressed but being in a constant stressed out mode, my body couldn't relax but now that i have the time and means to relax a little my body is just going haywire. and i see the truth in those words. EVERY year after finals i would break down into 2week strep or flu and be bedridden for any length of time that i spent at home. in the middle of may. so maybe since i'm not all "focused" and intense right now my body senses it can loosen the grip a little and so i'm feeling every wave of illness that comes my way (weakened immune system).

i always think that health is one of those things you can't take for granted. it makes SUCH a huge difference in how you take life and everything it throws at you.

on a lighter note. tomorrow i have a massage/facial appt and then i'm going indoor rock-climbing with one of my favorite teachers and her hu-beh she's introducing me to. YAYY!!!

Friday, January 11, 2008

falling behind (I LOVE BOOKS)

so i feel totally behind on my blog entries. not because i don't think i update enough (which all of you tired readers must think i surely do!) but because i have so many thoughts that this cannot possibly keep up. this is one of the cons of living kinda isolated from a supportive and ever-present (omnipresent?) group of my peers/family/friends. i have more thoughts inside my head that never get uttered bc i don't always have an audience.

if you know me well enough to care enough to read my blog (or are really just that bored, haha) you should also know that i am a nonstop talker. the thoughts just keep on coming... but since i don't have my trusty friends/classmates/mom on hand(on the phone) all the time like i'm used to having for the past 4 years (college), the thoughts just keep getting mixed up inside my face and then i have all these half-written ridiculous drafts of posts. as i write this i think i have 20 posts in draft-mode.

well, un-needless to say, i will probably be falling even more behind in the coming weeks/month. and this is why: i GOTS BOOKS!!!

ok, here comes my big nerdy confession: I LOVE BOOKS. I LOVE READING. I LOVE BOOKS AND READING MORE THAN I LIKE FOOD AND SLEEPING. I love books and reading even more than i love shopping.

me, on a weekendnight senior year spring semester (reading...for fun)


evidence for these statements runs aplenty. when i'm in the middle of a good read, i'll cancel all other plans - to meet people, to see people, to eat, to sleep, to shower even. if the book gets boring i usually grab a granola bar or a banana and continue reading. at SOME point in my relationships with most of my friends, if i've suddenly cancelled on you or pushed back meeting you because i was "sick/tired/just have too much work" ... at one point at LEAST i was lying. i reneged because i was at a really good point in a really good book and i couldn't stop. and i'm not even a good liar... if i TEXTED you that i was sick/tired ... that was probably when i cancelled due to book-ing. it's an illness, people, it really is.

if you think i'm a compulsive clothes/shoes shopper, wait til you see my record with books. at home, we have a WALL from ceiling to floor from one end of the room to the other FILLED with books. and it's AFTER i gave away half of my books during our move to the new house after high school. and i still have stashes of books in my room and my sister's room (not to mention my dorm room-or apt. right now). for my last birthday, my wishlist was ALL books. in korea, despite vowing to not buy books bc they're heavy to ship home and keep me cooped up in my room instead of out and about travelling this country, i've bought .. well, too many books for the vow to have worked. i currently have a stack of books (ok, 9) that i have yet to finish, and somehow that never stops me from buying more. i've TRIED the "i don't need to buy books until i've finished all the ones i have" line and somehow that is NEVER a good enough reason to NOT buy more books.

this past week i was in seoul with less than $4 in cash to my name and somehow i was faced with 3 books i wanted ... (ok more but i had to compromise) ... and i KNEW i was getting a box of books from home ... and i KNEW i had to buy lunch ... but i bought the books instead. i thought to myself, "what is more important: food or books?" and somehow the books were on the counter and i had whipped out my credit card...

and NOW i finally let myself open my box from home (only AFTER i cleaned up my room) and i am OVERJOYED at how many new books i have to read!!! 12 new ones!!! so now i have 9 (original) + 3 (seoul) + 12 (home) = 24 new books!!! i'm so psyched!!! it's an illness really. a disease. an addiction. you REALLY have to drag me out when i'm in the middle of something i can't put down.

this is why my insomnia will never really be fixed i think. people are always like, oh read a book it always puts me to sleep. yea, that NEVER works for me. even when i pull out a book i think is boring ... i end up reading it until like 7 am when the daylight under my curtains catches my attention and i take a 2 hour nap before waking up at 9 for class or work. and then the whole time in class or at work the only thing i can think about is how soon i can get back to finishing that book. i'm gonna have to work out a schedule for reading ... because i have too much to be doing and seeing in these next few months ... and sometimes it's time to find a fix for our addictions.

Monday, January 7, 2008

jan plans

at the risk of sounding totally cheesy, i can't believe a week's already passed in the new year!!!

schedule for january:
last week:
12/31 head up to seoul w/kimmy
1/1 ONE concert, come home
1/3-4 kwangju/gwangju to visit family
1/5 skiing at high1 w/tom oppa, mary han & co.
1/6 didn't change out of PJs all day

this week:
1/8 go to seoul, hang out with U.S. aka albert
1/9 a few more duke interviews
1/10 DMZ trip w/ramie&rebecca
1/11 뒹굴 with jess, duke alum gettogether
1/12 see wooj and co.
1/13 head back to cheongju

next week:
hang out w/maia, find substitute activity for getting our nails done, prepare 6 English lectures, detox
1/17 make bank (aka get paid; i'm so ghetto fabulous)

last two weeks of january:
1/22 English lectures
1/23 English lectures
1/23-24 camping w/lydia's 3rd years?
1/25 English lectures
1/28 English lectures
1/29 English lectures
1/30 English lectures

maia was an absolute doll and came over for dinner and then cake date even tho she's been in korea for less than 24 hours and she had to teach after less than 10 hours of being in the country. poor jetlagged sweetheart, i don't know how i made the 2 weeks without her (don't worry ash/wint, i still love you two the most!). we swapped gifts (mine from the heart of seoul and hers from the states) and she knew jus how to take my breath away!!! we had spaghetti and garlic bread that imo made before going to get cake and fruit smoothies/juice at my absolute #1 favorite cake place in cheongju. i'm so lucky it's a short walk from my apt.

also, i'm trying to think of korean ppl-y things that are positive. and one of them is family and how impt it is/can be. i will hopefully update on that soon. i know i update too much (compared to other program kids) and in general but i also don't update enough. you have no idea (and probably really would prefer it that way) of all the thoughts in my head!!!

p.s. i've decided my new short/curly cut is NOWHERE near as cute as the original i got in jan 06, so i'm gonna go and complain or something and have them FIX it.

Sunday, January 6, 2008

깨달음, or realization.

first, i was brushing my teeth before bed and i realized i hadn't changed out of my PJs all day. now THAT's a good day. =)

more importantly, what i've been realizing more and more lately (sometimes painfully) is that i don't think i came to korea to travel, or "see the world", or become more worldly/well-travelled. i know that sounds kindof, well, DUMB considering i decided to forego a year of law school and basically put my friendships and everything that was comfortable and known to me on hold for a year. but i really don't think i came to korea to know korea better either. let me explain.

i recently had the opportunity to travel through taipei (taiwan), hong kong (china), and shanghai (china) for 10 days in january and when push came to shove i decided there were more productive uses of my time and (meager) savings/earnings. i struggled with this decision penduluming between "of course i should go and make the most of my time in this hemisphere, isn't that one of the things i really wanted to do? travel asia?" and "i should stay in korea and really plan out my winter lectures and rest". practically speaking, i know i made the right decision (i would've left this thursday 1/10 and returned 1/20 the day before my 2 week lectures started).

but did i make the right decision goals-wise? WHY did i come to korea? WHAT am i doing here? reading some of my fellow Programmers' blogs today, a few of them were blatantly putting it out there, that they had pretty narrow cultural upbringings and the reason they did this program WAS, in fact, to see the world and experience many new cultures and travel as much as they could. admittedly, i now think that summer 2005 that i spent in europe was my "time to travel". i travelled all but one weekend out of geneva (switzerland) where i was studying abroad and spent time in at least 5 countries (germany, france, italy, switzerland, spain, monaco) and 1 principality. plus i returned to the states for 2 days before flying back to germany for an international catholic youth festival. and although i didn't feel it at the time, my next semester at school my body showed the effects of flitting around the euro-continent nonstop.

if not to travel, then why did i come to korea? to teach? one look at my resume will tell you i love children and teaching and esl so it might seem as though i came to korea to further my career path. but that's not true. i don't want to teach children. i don't want to teach esl. i'm going to law school in july. WHY AM I HERE? hmm, maybe to have my last hurrahs? a year of crazy and wild fun before the first year of law school - what a current law school student terms as the "amistad". well, this is certainly NOT the means to achieve THAT end.

so why am i here? i know one of the reasons i always cited when explaining my decision was to "grow up"-to become more independent. to learn to live on my own, without the immediate support i am familiar with and have no problem turning to when things get a little rough. well, let me be the first to tell you, when you embark on an adventure halfway across the world from everything you know and love, you're just SCREAMING for all the support, love, and prayers you can get from the people who know you the most/best. the FIRST thing you DO (ok, the first thing I did), is reach back for ALL the reassurance and "don't worry, you'll make it out alive" you can get.

moreover, the first step on a journey anywhere is the journey to yourself right? or did i just read that somewhere? in any case, i just found this in an old CAC email (oh, orientation and CAC memories...)

This probably sounds a little silly but my greatest motivation for coming to Korea on this grant is to grow up. I wanted to be abroad away from my immediate family and friends to learn about independence and trying to make it (sort of) on my own. I've been on this trying to get out of my comfort zone since graduating from high school. I purposely chose a college that was far from home and that I didn't know anyone else in my class. I want this experience to be one where I can learn to be myself and to adjust and learn to live with others who are different from me. I figure I have so many things to learn about dealing with myself and others during this year and it'll be an experience that I'll carry with me for the rest of my life. I thought Korea would be good place to try to do all this so that I could learn about my ethnic heritage also.

so there you have it. i came to korea to "grow up". and so i will devote myself to the task of "growing up," which has fallen by the wayside during orientation and my 4 months of teaching, during break and try to remind myself of it throughout my last 6 months here. please feel free to call me out on super-negative thinking/attitudes and acting immature about korea because i need the help. i know i haven't really been working on the "growing up"ness of my aspirations just by recalling all the negative and hateful entries/comments/remarks i've made about korea and koreans lately.

i need to breathe and start over. FRESH NEW LOOK. i said it msyelf, i want to adjust and learn to live with ppl who are different from me. i sooooo lost sight of that. let's try again, shall we? =T

Saturday, January 5, 2008

life is sweet. literally.

i'm sitting in my room, drinking some swiss miss and eating crackers smothered in nutella (thank you lil seeester) for breakfast at 1:33 in the afternoon because i woke up at 11 and talked to my family and best friend(s) until 1, and i'm about to watch my favorite movie EVER, pirates of the caribbean just to pass the time ...

AND i cant help but think ... life is sweet.

it's not always what we imagined or pictured or thought would be perfect, but it's still sweet.
(this coming from the girl who only yesterday afternoon was ready to LEAVE korea because there was too much pushing and shoving in the ski lift line ...)

fickle, we humans are. but this moment is hugely enjoyable nonetheless and i will revel in it until my next IHK (ihatekorea) moment. =)

Friday, January 4, 2008

stuff that is so not really related to 광주

pics of new hair at the end. and yes you are allowed to skip.

an interesting convo:

aunt: so when ur a rich and famous lawyer, don't forget us
aunt2: yea we want to visit america
me: ok, both of you can bring 할머니 with you to my wedding
aunts laughing
aunt: you'd better have that wedding in korea
aunt2: you know your grandma won't go back to america
aunt: yea and marry a korean!
grandma: weguks are GROSS
aunts and me laughing
grandma: they are 징그러워 and they smell, too!

i believe the tv show on the busride back was called "snow: or more proof that koreans are CLAZY"
FIRRRST it was just showing ALL the snow thenn thennn ... well here we go:
1. there is a troop of young police officers helping their jeep through the waist deep snow, they head to a temple/building that is clearly very rural. i was like, oh good they're bringing help to some trapped monks or old ppl or something ... no they just PARK there and then start trekking off into the mountainside ... THENN they pick a random spot (seemingly) and start digging through the waistdeep snow in the middle of this mountain somewhere ... i'm all like umm why??? and DUHHH i should've known .. HIKERS show up at that VERY spot to be the FIRST to hike on this SNOWY mountain ripe for avalanches..

2. snow is a problem in korea bc of the plastic bag material greenhouses and the ginseng farms. the weight of the snow rips the plastic tarpaulin stuff and it all falls into the greenhouse. anyway, there is this woman waving around like a torch made of rolled up newspaper all inside the greenhouse and there are bits flying off into her hair and stuff ... SHE IS TRYING TO MELT THE SNOW OFF THE ROOF OF THE GREENHOUSE LIKE THIS

3. they show like an 80 year old woman who weighs like 20 lbs. SHOVELING through snow that comes up to her CHIN. and i'm like oh wow she's trying to rescue her grandkid or something bc of the ferocity and the urgency of her shoveling. but no no ... she has to dig out the giant brown pots outside her house ... so she can have 된장찌개 ... like seriously?? you couldn't just be like i'll put some extra WATER in my rice this morning and just have 죽 since there is so much snow out there??

4. this monk is digging through the knee deep snow .. then he wraps two brown paper boxes in plastic and straddles the thing and starts "sledding" around the courtyard. haaaaaaaahahahaha. it was HYSTERICAL!!! he's shovelling frantically one minute and the subtitles at the bottom of the screen show the narrator asking him, why are you shoveling, monk? and he answers: this is the temple courtyard and if we dont clear it, the snow freezes and wont melt until april here all solemnlike. the NEXT minute he's like slipping and sliding and whooping all around the courtyard!!

ok, there was this toddler type humanoid in my front row of the bus. who was a TERROR CHILD. he kept screaming and yelling and crying and at one point even the bus driver told the ajumma to please move because he can't focus on driving safely and the child is a menace to all of us that way. so she moves back THANK GOD. but later after the rest stop moves up and tells the kid to be quiet or they'll have to move. WELL, about 10 mintues before we arrive at the bus terminal .. he HAS TO PEE. and the way i REALIZE THIS, is he's suddenly standing up in the woman's lap, pants around his ankles, and she's holding a cup to his "peeing area apparatus". and i'm LIKE OHHHHH YOU'VE GOTTA BE KIDDING ME. i was so not pleased at that point in time ... OH NO I WASNT BELIEVE ME YOU. what with my ridiculous bus-sickness (which is COMPLETELY korea induced ... i used to be able to READ in cars for prolonged periods of time) and the peeing screaming child ... i was about ready to call it quits on korea. or at least go back to hating koreans for a bit.

that'll be another mission for my remaining time here. looking for koreans' redeeming factors. like how they have no personal space. or how their elbows always end up in my ribs/face. or how they're so loud whilst talking to the ppl right next to them or directly behind me. or how they STARE shamelessly at anyone speaking english. or talk about me in KOREAN right in front of me as though i can't understand. anyway, this is so not healthy for my looking for redemptatory characteristics. haha. must wake up at 4:50am. good night.

Wednesday, January 2, 2008

barrage

i updated/published 3 entries in the past half hour.

i predict a brief dearth of entries in the near future (until sunday at the earliest). so spread them out over the next few days to read.

nothing too fancy, just short lists of stuff i've been meaning to blog about for a while.

i'll be in kwangju visiting my 할머니 tmrw and friday then skiing on saturday. so will update with more wit and sarcasm and fantastic observation next week.

i know you'll all miss me. dearly.

Korea Disease

edit: i forgot motion sickness. that i've NEVER had before in my life. i now get it on buses (even in the front). i was not meant for public transportation. haha my mom's gonna have a cow about that line.

diseases/conditions i've been afflicted with since arriving in korea:
*adult acne
*loss of appetite
*cycles of insomnia and hibernation(napping all day)
*아토피
*chronic cold that is probably mono or the result of teaching 500 kids under 10yearsold a week
*so many knots in my back my massage lady doesn't know what to do with me
*chronic cough
*more arthritis
*chronic sore throat/broken voice
*migraines/headaches
*absolute hunger w/no desire to eat anything
*dehydration
*exhaustion
*sprained/broken right foot
*mysterious bruising
*the black lung
*chronic hypersensitivity/short temper (and you all know my fuse wasn't that long to begin with)
*ear infection

one thing's for sure: the blogs i read from fulbrighters in korea before deciding to take this on, def HELPED me lean towards the YES I WANNA GO side ... mine is SOOOO not gonna do that ...

let them taste the triple guns

who gets the reference? hint: from my favorite movie trilogy everrrr - pirates of the caribbean!!!!! (2nd one)

anyway it is referring to how i am going about dealing with all my skin issues in korea: holistically.

here is my current list of "treatments" in order of start date of using them:

neutrogena acne cleansing foam
"dr. skin" dermatologist created skin regimen (sent over from the states)
drinking more water
susemi/때미리 exfoliating at gym with neutrogena
regular sleep pattern/no alcohol
sleeping on my back (no cheek to pillow clogging pores)
new egg white retinol soap
basic facials
acne facial

nytimes health article on skin
"Still, many skin experts recommend practical steps to maintain skin as it ages and to mitigate external factors — like sun exposure and chronic stress — that could accelerate changes." no, really???

"In humans, stress can contribute to flare-ups of alopecia areata, a form of hair loss, and skin diseases like psoriasis and atopic dermatitis, a form of eczema, Dr. Mostaghimi said."
one of those HAS to be 아토피, which i have and DEF gotten worse and worse in korea.

which is odd, bc altho i have been "experiencing" less stress mentally, lately i've gotten MANYMANYMANY signals/signs that i am overstressed. (these might be addressed later)

(this was an interesting post, i know).

Tuesday, January 1, 2008

wow, i'm old. (UPDATED)

HAPPY NEW YEARRR!!!

or as i told kim, HAPPY NEW HAIR!!!

I have new hairs as of last night, 12/31. ok not new hairs like i got them transplanted from someone else, but they are looking different!!! i will have new pics up as soon as kim sends them to me!!

and as they do it in korea ... i turned 24 today as did everyone else born in 1985. somehow i was 22 for 2 months, 23 for 6 and a half months, and now i'll be 24 until july when i turn back to 23.

anyway, last night we went to the YG family ONE concert featuring: se7en, 1tym, jinusean, redroc, mugadang?, gummy, 정은?, 45rpm, and prob some others, and of COURSE BIGBANG. it was pretty fun in the beginning considering how much i hate concerts haha. but around 3am i got dead. poor kimmy she thought iwas scary but in all reality my body stopped functioning and i couldn't respond to anything bc i am old and it was past my bedtime by a million hours.

more later. i want to eat my curly noodle soup and go get another facial and a back massage before dinner.
will update on kimmy's visit!!!

UPDATE: ok i think my last post was friday after my last english camp class.
friday: had holiday banquet dinner for chungbuk native english teachers. twas enjoyable although i was not hungry and the food was not that good. i ate a WHOLE lot of corn, 호박죽, and japchae. not much else was notably yummy. oh, the yookhwe was ok. then i made tom oppa go to the arcade with me bc i wanted to play soul caliber ... teehee ... i beat it ... and then he made me leave haha. next, we wandered a bit before i decided i was too tired and wanted to go home (before 10pm).

saturday: kimmy came!!! we ate mcdonalds for lunch then got our nails done together!!! then we wandered over to the starbucks, then went to take sticker pictures, before finally going home. we dinguuled for a little bit before getting udon/sushi dinner and then going bowling with tom oppa and 2 of his manteachers. it was fun except for the part when i was bad at bowling. like beyond statistically predictably bad. i was so GREAT at being bad. then it was *SHNOWING* and beautiful!!

sunday: kimmy and i slept til superlate, then made macncheese for lunch, then watched friends, ate a box of cheezits (this was mostly on my own), ate gummy fruit snacks, mrs. fields' cookies, mainly gorged on the food boxes my sister sent me!!! this was a glorious time in my life. we went to get facials together, too!! finally we decided to order in my FAVORITE GOLDFINGERS for dinner. finally we headed out to noraebang bc kimmy had been wanting to forEVER. and we NRB-ed for 3 hours. twas glorious.

monday: still snowing-head up to seoul. no snow in seoul =( meet daegu 할머니, 할아버지, 삼촌 for yummy kalbi lunch. then go to our hostel and lay on the ondol floor for 2 hours. finally go to 이대 to get my haircut/permed and have a pretty decent italian food dinner before heading over to olympic stadium for YG FAM ONE concert. meet up with ray, jen, diane, jason, stacey, and christine A.

tuesday: wake up in hostel, find dunkin, eat breakfast/brunch w/ariah and amber and kim. head down to bus terminal where i pass out immediately on busride home. still snowing in cheongju. YESSS!!! make myself stay awake until 10pm so that i will be able to have a decent amount of sleep (aka not go to sleep at 5pm and wake up at 3am). i slept a whopping 12 hours MOSTLY uninterrupted and woke up at 10:30am this morning. NICE.

ok, now. i HATE concerts. i may have blogged about this before. but i hate EVERYTHING about them. the waiting in line. the fans. the noise. the lack of personal space. the noise. the people. the way everything is always late. the waiting. the people. the noise. the lack of personal space. the lack of hygiene. the waiting and crowding to leave. i hate it ALL. so i was not too pleased. i had a temporary lapse of brain when i agreed to go. haha. but apparently i amused kim with all my negativity. of COURSE we were sitting in front of the girl with the SHRILLEST voice and the MOST to say in the whole freaking place. altho i KNOW i would've enjoyed the concert tons more if i had bought one of those light sticks you can wave all night (JUST like the sellerman PROMISED). i'm so mad i didnt get one.

anyway, we realized how old we were bc i know all the songs from the 2000 YG Familennium album and knew only the YG fam members who had been on that original album (1tym, jinusean) i also knew se7en and bigbang but who doesnt? anyway, it starts, and my worst nightmare begins ... THOUSANDS (ok maybe hundreDs?) of teenybopper girls SCREEEEEAMING for NO reason??? at the top of their lungs ... i dunno how i didnt take this into account beforehand ...

The Happiest Place/Time in the World
but anyway, overall i enjoyed myself. it was a memorable new years. altho when they first showed the countdown in seoul with the big "bell-ringing" i cried because all i could think of was how i ALWAYS spend new years eve with my family in our family room watching the times square countdown and then eat tongdak afterwards while my dad's flips between regis philbin and teleMUNDO bc altho he understands regis, watching telemundo's coverage of new year's eve is FAAAAAR more entertaining. and i've realized, i am jsut one of those ppl who is a family person. i dont enjoy drinking with my peers on new year's eve, it's not nearly as enjoyable as spending it warm and cozy with my family on the couch as my dad roasts sweet potatoes in the fireplace. that's just about one of the happiest places in the world i think. my house at the countdown, as my parents rush home from xmas eve mass to make the countdown with us girls. THAT is true happiness and something to be thankful for at the turn of the year. a perfect way to end one year and start the next, enveloped in my family's love.

somehow this entry got sappy, and i apologize if you are green with envy and/or mockery at how "leave it to beaver" my life can be, but this is how it is, folks.