Rebekah in Korea

bum leg = no sunrise biking to angkor wat

2011-04-09T22:05:00.003+09:00

So sadly hurting my hip flexor during a fun, competitive pickup in Saigon (now Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam) and overstretching the next day shot our chance for biking in Siem Reap. But taking a couple days of rest has been nice.

Yesterday Adam spent the 2nd of 3 days of our Wat sightseeing pass with a rented bicycle while I rested in the hotel. But today we both rested and went to "Joe to Go" for coffee and studying. Their profits all go to The Global Child NGO. Website is www.theglobalchild.org We also got a couple things from their upstairs boutique. For lunch we ordered a "make your own sandwich"with all the vegetables including grilled eggplant and then added avacado. Can we say A-MAZING! So delicious so we ordered a second.

Tonight we watched a free cultural dance all run by children. They played the instruments and danced several dances in costumes. Adults choreographed of course but it was worth the entertainment. You can donate after the show. All the children sang a song with a clapping audience at the end. One performer had his scarf on and his non-performing friend behind him proceed to wrap the other end of the scarf around himself and then pretended to put the first boy in a choke position...woulda loved it on my camera but my camera flashed twice so i got the shoulders of the two audience members in front of me. The dances consisted of a folklore about monkeys, a tiger and a fish princess from what I gathered. I kind of tuned out during the narrative at the beginning. Then one dance was with coconut halves clacked together between different dancers and the last of ladies and fishermen. The smallest of the girls and boys did a cute playful scene at the end where the boy took the fish basket away from the girl and teased her about returning it. The best part was that little of it was acting since it seemed more real as children tend to go off-script.

Now for dinner I am at the Mandalay Inn on their computer while Adam is getting our pasta from "Joe to Go". The food was so good we had to go again, especially by helping students achieve better education. Mandalay Inn has a full staff of very friendly English speakers. They have been very helpful in the smallest requests like hot water, calling a ttuk ttuk driver and allowing us to fill up a 1 Liter water bottle from their water station. We ask for a knive or spoons or something every day since we got some food from the market to save on food costs. I recommend staying here. Very good people and the rooms are nice. I guess the only one thing that seems petty is the smell of the water...a bit like rust to me but it could be a 'well' smell. I'm very keen on scents and I'm sure Adam hasn't even noticed it.

Tomorrow we will ttuk ttuk it to a sunrise viewing of Angkor Wat and then see the other temple that Hollywood celebrities enjoy (the one from Tomb Raider). Then we will head to Thailand for the very last leg of our SE Asia trip...AWESOME! There's no sadness anytime this year since there is always something awaiting us for the next step. So thankfully Adam and I can enjoy every step we take this year. Always something good around the corner.

Additional note, since we are nearing the end of our trip we seem to be getting souvenirs more than we had before. Partly because we don't have to lug it around for long and also because we sense the end is near and can't lose the opportunity to have a keepsake or two for others and ourselves.

on the farm

2011-02-25T17:59:00.003+09:00

wed nite we got off at a bus stop too early. luckily a nice taxi driver let us borrow his cellie while we waited. neil the farmer took us to the next town. the fam is at bang phra. after being warned of snakes and loud trains adam and i got ready for sleep. he peed on a tree outside and i opted for sqatting indoor by the shower drain. both were recommended as better options than using the testy toilets. the spray bidet is in favor of tissues. if u did use paper u need ur own ziploc. since i have neither i will maintain the permaculture goals. daytime we must use the outside bathroom. therefore all pooping will be scheduled before a shower in case i feel the method of pouring water from a handle bucket is too much. i asked for a demo because when u r squatting u find it much more difficult to clean with water u have to pour. basically one hand pours with small pot shaped bucket and the other wipes so make sure u have soap afterwards. all to say that is why i will wait to use the bidet inside before a shower. turns out with our timing the 10 days at the farm turns out to be only 6 days of work. after weeding our first day we are on break today and tomorrow. we walked over an hour on hot asphalt to search for band aids for adams newly formed sandal blister and find wifi and some form of entertainment. got ice cream from 7_11 and now at a small cafe with the net. going to a night market with other wwoofers and troy, the second in command after neil. gonna collect friut and goods to cook for the next couple days. also in china we couldnt use gmail or facebook at the wifi at an airport cafe but we still made it. so far so good. all thoughts and prayers welcome. i prayed while prepping to land in bangkok. surprisingly bad turbulence. we prolly outwarmed our welcome at this cafe. but we will have wifi at the farm by end of next week perhaps. till then. ciao. kob kun ka for reading.

justinking

2011-02-21T23:16:00.005+09:00

as a kid my dad would say stinkin' for thinking so i'm just 'stinkin' for this post

Looking at the banner of my blog and listening to Aqualung with lyrics of glimmer in the sky I think how soon this blog will be nostalgic of my time in Korea. How starting and ending this blog with my life in Korea will be complete. When I look at this blog again it will all be a memory check up and no more a way to gauge on how much I need to catch up on my readers. One day soon I will look at the picture and think of how I saw the sun over the hill of Namsan Tower from my roof. Or how I will remember the times I commuted on the clean and sometimes sardine-like metro. I'll remember singing back the jingles for the metro or repeating back the Chinese version of a stop.

But I didn't start this post to reminisce. Not yet. Here are some pictures to update you before I seek more captured lifeshots in SE Asia.

Love the English and Korean combo. (the Korean says chee-je aka cheese) This was inside a pizza/chicken store.

Last weekend our hands were so cold we couldn't feel much beyond 'ouch'. This past Sunday the temperature was above 40 so we had twice as many out here at Ichon Fields. Our last day at KUPA. Many farewells at the end of the day but hoping to see a lot of people at tournaments in the future. I'll miss the Koreans a lot.

Jisoo and I love eating Shabu Shabu together. Our last meal. Ate for lunch today.

Some Vietnamese money. They have cutouts with clear plastic over them.

Did someone say "Benjamins"?

Birthday and February.

2011-02-16T16:43:00.003+09:00

My birthday coffee.

For Lunar New Year we went with some friends to Jin-do. Adam went on a trailblazing hike.

Met my Incheon coworkers once last time before moving out of Korea. They got me a gift from Benefit. We also had a unique experience at Mr. Pizza. Don't go there! Ha.

My last day at Eonju Elementary School the teachers in my office took Adam and me to dinner at Outback Steakhouse. My co-teacher knows I love Korean stationary/pencil store items so that's what they got for my goodbye gifts. So sweet.

trial post for paradise backpacking

2011-01-19T22:07:00.002+09:00

If given the chance to find wifi on the 2 month excursion I'm testing out the bloggeroo on my kindle. Of course no pictures will be aiding but hoping to jog down some quick notes. We cut out Vietnam but the idea of traveling Laos in only slow traffic buses with my motion sickness is unfavorable. So Vietnam is back on!

I am excited but unsure of what to expect...hoping to get inspiraion, knowledge and great memories. Getting some sweet shots along the way will be a plus.

Bookends of big SE Asia tour are booked

2010-12-28T21:30:00.001+09:00

So for this very nice and once-in-a-lifetime backpacking trip Adam and I are planning we've gotten a ticket to arrive in Bangkok to start. And the other day we purchased a ticket out of Bangkok to go home.

Now to plan the 2 months in between. Yay!!!!

HAPPY THANKSGIVING

2010-11-25T19:08:00.002+09:00

It's 5:00am USA EST. I really wanna call my family right now and wish them a wonderful holiday and that I love them.

It's 7pm here in Seoul How will I stay awake long enough to call them at a decent hour? Patience is a virtue. But waking up to a loved one in a far away country in the middle of the night is nice, too, no?

if the Lord wills

2010-11-25T19:03:00.002+09:00

I'm practicing more to be literal about James' statement about planning and speaking about the future "if the Lord wills." The artillery situation happened a few days after I read it.

I get to meet people from all over the world in Seoul with a vast variety of talents. It's going to be something I miss when I return home...in the Lord's will.

Creamy Mushroom and Lemon Pasta

2010-11-22T21:09:00.001+09:00

On my way to the small mart to get some mushrooms to try out this simple recipe.

http://en.petitchef.com/recipes/creamy-mushroom-and-lemon-spaghetti-recipe-fid-457384

This creamy dish of mushrooms, light cheese, lemon and parsley is so refreshing - and is ideal for vegetarians.

Serves 4

Ready in about 15 minutes

Ingredients

400g dried spaghetti

2 tbsp olive oil

250g white mushrooms, sliced

200g pack Philadelphia Light with Garlic and Herbs

Finely grated zest of 1 small lemon

Handful chopped fresh curly parsley

Method: How to make mushroom and lemon spaghetti

1. Cook the pasta in boiling, salted water according to pack instructions. Drain and return to the pan.

2. Meanwhile, heat the oil in a frying pan over a medium-high heat. Add the mushrooms and cook, stirring, for 3-4 minutes.

Stir in the cheese until melted, then bring to a simmer. Season to taste with salt and pepper and stir in the lemon zest.

3. Add the sauce to the spaghetti. Toss together, divide between bowls and sprinkle with the parsley to serve.

Recipe By Angela Boggiano & Kate Belcher

Thought of the day

2010-11-18T16:11:00.009+09:00

Favoritism Forbidden

1 My brothers and sisters, believers in our glorious Lord Jesus Christ must not show favoritism. 2 Suppose a man comes into your meeting wearing a gold ring and fine clothes, and a poor man in filthy old clothes also comes in. 3 If you show special attention to the man wearing fine clothes and say, “Here’s a good seat for you,” but say to the poor man, “You stand there” or “Sit on the floor by my feet,” 4 have you not discriminated among yourselves and become judges with evil thoughts?

James 2:1-4 NIV translation from biblegateway

Just thinking of this passage in another way...showing favoritism to the one who looks more meager or humble. Showing favoritism to someone whom you think you'd be a better friend to because perhaps with their simple look they might be more on 'your level'. Perhaps over time you'll see more of them to know if your assumption is true or not.

But what about the 'wealthy' one? What if you ignored them because you think they are too high maintenance? Or they are too shallow? How could they have deep conversation? How could you possibly learn anything from them...do they even have any wisdom, self-control, charity?

We all have an exterior. Outward appearance can be sometimes true of who we are. Somtimes they are not. How about getting caught in debauchery in a bar? Being quickly judged by another person? Who's to say that you too have understood how to live differently and chose to lose sight of the road you walked on?

...we can show favoritism in many ways

I'm not saying gravitate to the most opposite of people. But I need to try to better look at people first before judging. I'd hate to have some people judge me based on a short time period of my life. Especially my time in Korea.

There are ways that one can be truly inspired. For me the way is to remember. If anything...my life is perfect when I remember. Remember whom. Remember the words of truth that pierce my soul and flood the memories of glory and hope and joy.

It's time to lay down this forgotten way and pick up the path to the gates of splendor.

Need to Breathe

2010-11-18T16:04:00.003+09:00

revamp of adam's cat cafe pic

2010-11-10T14:56:00.001+09:00

First weekend of November

2010-11-09T23:27:00.005+09:00

Saturday afternoon Adam and I climbed Bukhansan like we did last year about the same time.

We took a break on the hike for some other form of exercise.

A couple folks we knew were having a joint birthday party that included a scavenger hunt.

Halloween and Ultimate Winnings

2010-11-02T16:27:00.002+09:00

The weekend before Adam and my team called "Cicadas" or in Korean 'mae-mee' won the Seoul Fall League Championship with an undefeated record. He got Male MVP as always. I got some free Benefit makeup (one of our sponsors) for being Highest Female Scorer. Yay!

Adam and I are these animals. Ryan Beauvais was the "finish line."

2nd weekend in a row my team won a championship! This is from the Daejeon Halloween Hat. Super good games this year. Most games of the tourney were won on universe point.

All of ours except our championship game...(sorry Wallykins).

Automatic Espresso! for my evening job

2010-10-29T13:30:00.002+09:00

Not to be confused. I make this free coffee during my business English class. I do not make the coffee for my job. It's a perk.

Fixins'

Just press the 'latte' button and there you go!

The milk comes from that tube on the right.

It's stored in that mini fridge.

Voila! 10 ounces of good coffee!

Maybe 8oz. Not 100% sure.

a soju wall in gangnam

2010-10-28T23:33:00.000+09:00

grade 4 singing 'trick or treat'

2010-10-27T11:36:00.000+09:00

Halloween Bags and Loaded Potato Pizza

2010-10-26T23:50:00.013+09:00

I had a bag template. Then I put some lyrics and simple cartoons for the 6th graders to decorate candy bags.

Here's one student's drawings.

This student had a really cute witch.

One of the 6th grade teachers ordered 3 Dominos Pizzas. Someone in our office helped her with a task.

This one has sweet potato squeezed in a design on top.

The one I ate was a loaded baked potato pizza. Instead of sour cream it was mayo.

Not bad.

Much better than the shrimp with its head attached.

Visiting Ryan

2010-10-23T22:35:00.001+09:00

When we got to Ryan's apartment we found a note to know we made it to his house!

Adam and I went to Namyangju-si where Ryan Beauvais recently moved. At the grocery store we found a huge slab of tofu. You cut one rectangle to make a normal serving of tofu you would normally buy. It was only a cheonwon. So less than a dollar.

This was at a PC Bang floor. It has F because if you say 4 in Korean it's also the word for death. Kinda like in the USA when they skip the 13th floor in some buildings.

There was a random set up for old arcade games. But really low so these boys had to check it out. Plus I made them for a picture. hehe.

First pair of TOMS shoes

2010-10-20T23:37:00.002+09:00

The first year Music teacher and I squeezed in a trip to the deparment store to get both of our first pair of TOMS shoes. She wanted red coduroy but none her size. So we got the same pair!

HIP was HOPping and now I'm BREAKIN'

2010-10-13T21:42:00.000+09:00

Tried my first hip hop class. First of all, it's been 7 years since I was last in a dance class. Secondly, the movement of hip hop differs from other dances I've done.

It was fun and I'm glad to have gone. I look forward to going on Friday. Basically, all the other girls are high schoolers or freshly out of...but they were so sweet. At the end they all talked to me and I walked with 3 to the subway station.

Body parts in agony at the moment: mid-back, quads, neck and slightly abs. If my back will survive all the other pale in pain comparison.

I'm still not sure what the song is...but it's an American singer. The only line I caught was "It's been an hour, girl." So I'm going to google that and see what I can find.

The instructor was a female in her 20s. Even though the class was in Korean I could figure things out. I mean, c'mon, it's a dance class, not Korean history. At the end I thanked her and told her I wish to see her soon. She was sweet and grabbed my hand and interlaces her fingers. Taking that we are strangers I am honored to be highly treated with intimacy. I guess my natural ability caught her eye in the midst of my awkwardness and struggle...I can only hope.

Check it out: www.defdance.com

They are pretty tight. I viewed a couple classes on Monday and as far as I can tell all the classes are top notch. Great instructors. And Tae-yeon (I believe) speaks English really well to help you out. I heard of at least 2 of the dance instructors were former singers in Taiwan and Korea. Anyhow, was fun and I'm so glad I found dance classes. It miraculously is only a 7 minute walk from my house. WHAT A FREAKIN' BLESSING!!!! <3

2010-10-12T12:29:00.000+09:00

Suran's birthday truffles!

2 young co-workers and I watched "Eat, pray, love" and went to The Coffee Bean afterwards.

My Vitamin C pack of 'a lot'.

So fresh

2010-10-11T15:35:00.001+09:00

This week feels about low 70s/high 60s. By Friday the high is anticipated at 59. Nooo....

Curious

2010-10-08T16:26:00.002+09:00

I was curious as to what cell phone plans were like in the USA. It's nice in Korea how you only get charged per second (and not for a whole minute) for a phone call and only for the person making the outgoing call. Same with text messages. And texts are only charged 2-5 cents per outgoing text depending on if it's an SMS or up to 2000 characters (like a decent email size). Anyhow, that's all.

i'm so old. it's like i'm antique.

2010-10-07T15:40:00.001+09:00

antique photo

2010-10-07T15:26:00.005+09:00

This is a picture from a school in Thailand I took Jan 2010. I used this site http://labs.wanokoto.jp/olds Obviously it's in Japanese but you can figure it out if you know how to use a photo website.

Okay, I got carried away. It's fun!

A capella

2010-10-07T13:44:00.003+09:00

I had the students sing at the very end of class for a bonus point. The CD stopped working so we sang it on our own....unfortunately, my voice was closest to the camera...

I made up the motions for the book song...ha.

The roleplay was the Ant and the Grasshopper. It's a lesson with dialogue using "Sorry, I can't."

Ant: Can you help me?
G: Sorry, I'm sick.

A: That's too bad. (repeat with I have a cold)

Winter--Grasshopper: I'm hungry. Can you help me?

Ant: Sure, I can. This is for you.

G: Thank you.

But this group didn't say some of these lines. That's the idea of the roleplay...to speak. They like it a lot surprisingly.

35mm

2010-10-01T19:04:00.003+09:00

Just got a basic waterproof manual film camera. Anxious to see the film. I've taken only 2 photos. One which is double exposed. Now to wait for 25 more photos. But I'll take some at ultimate frisbee pickup tomorrow.

bus-at-traffic-light sun

2010-10-01T17:07:00.001+09:00

student gave me a sticker

2010-09-29T20:30:00.002+09:00

Busted out my wool blazer from the quick change in temperature. 4th grader gave me a sticker. Added some flare to my ddeokbeokki.

free hand cream with your sandwich day

2010-09-27T19:56:00.002+09:00

I bought a sandwich from A Twosome Place.

My Samsung card gave me a 20% discount and I got a free hand cream.

encouraging trash can day

2010-09-26T19:54:00.004+09:00

adam got stickered day

2010-09-05T19:51:00.001+09:00

He tried on his Fall League jersey and was unaware of fate.

flea market day

2010-09-04T19:37:00.011+09:00

Luscious greens near my apt. Napping pup on walk to subway.

Ttukkseom Resort station. Exit 2 or 3. Right under the bridge is the gateway to finding our magical toaster oven.

It was a pretty nice day outside for used shopping.

Our lovely 20,000 won toaster. Pretty decent size, too. :D You can use both the grill rack and bake rack at the same time. And there's a rotating stick you can add for roasting a bird.

fried flower and face in a box day

2010-09-01T19:31:00.003+09:00

A very flowery fried potato flake

a new way to buy your skincare

First Day Teaching of Fall Semester

2010-08-31T23:09:00.004+09:00

Today (Tuesday) I began teaching 6th graders. 5 classes then 1 class of 4th Grade. It was good to see the students but I still feel like I can't quite fully improve everyone's level of English with close to 30 students per class. True that 25 of the students did really well writing down past tense verbs of ones in present tense. But those 5. Man, I just want to get them caught up. Even still, my co-teacher mentioned that while those in the "top" 25 can recite the past tense on a list they manage to not comprehend their speech and use present tense in conversation that requires past tense. So many things to think about while teaching. It's not so logical and linear. Sigh...

But my co-teacher, Jisoo, finally finished her Masters thesis early summer and graduated this past Friday. So she celebrated with offering our office some fruit and cookies. Korean custom flips things around and have the one celebrating give gifts instead of others give gifts. Like you buy your close friends dinner on your birthday as another example. And you give traditional rice cake (ddeok, less like the light airy fluffly snacks but more like thick dumpling in dessert form) to neighbors when you move into a new place.

So here are a couple pics of Jisoo's celebration table.

Jisoo's not pictured but some of the other office ladies are cutting apples and peaches. All the fruit was delicious. It's so hard for me to hold back and let others have a chance to eat...but I was good today. :D

Sohbaeksan

2010-08-27T23:19:00.000+09:00

I still managed to say this imperfectly enough that my co-teacher had to repeat it for pronunciation comprehension when I told the students that I went to Sohbaek Mountain during summer vacation...

Adam and I took a 2 hour bus ride to the mountains quickly after I did most of my packing for a new apartment last Tuesday. The last bus to Danyang was at 6:00 pm and we arrived at 7:30 pm to the bus terminal. But thankfully the location we picked nearby was still offering rides. On Wednesday morning we made it to Danyang. Population of 45,000. We were on a type of island and so it seemed even smaller than that number (perhaps so because the area of Danyang is beyond the island). It is known for it's specialization in garlic. We passed a cute kitty near the Garlic Market.

The story is the Danyang village idiot married a queen. With her help he studied well and became a great general. He died eventually in battle but became a legend. All to say, that is why that dude has bushy eyebrows. Guess Koreans think bushy brows equals dummy folks. Education yo. Education.

The coffee shop we wanted to visit before our morning departure was closed. Called Hugs, sometimes with an apostrophe.

Adam taking a picture of our beautiful, scenic escape from Seoul. A bridge that lights up from Danyang to the road to go to Sohbaeksan. San means mountain.

It was cloudy on our hike too.
We couldn't see beyond 15 feet ahead the last kilometer of our climb.

On our climb up Sohbaeksan we also encountered much, much rain. :D It was nice until it got too cold on the top. But it was warmer down with the trees. We also saw a deer. It was tiny enough I think it to be a baby! Bambi!

Arriving back to Seoul I saw a new display of balloons at Noksapyeong Station.

Summer tour of DMZ

2010-08-07T22:10:00.001+09:00

Ready for the tour!

Touristy photo 1

Tourist photo 2. That girl sees something out of the ordinary...

We did go inside the tunnel made by NK to invade SK even though it's a cease fire.

It was cold down there. Hard hats were a must.

Every few seconds you heard "clack" followed by "ouch".

Low ceilling.

Meal in the middle of the day

ribbons for family members in the North

Train with bullet holes from the war

More ribbons

Statues by bridge

The plan for a railway track from Korea to all over Europe

if reunification commences

Poster for the subway station

actual subway station

The place we finally wanted to see.

Top left is NK soldier.

Bottom right is ROK soldier.

The solider you see had binoculars. When our group came out he handed them to the man in the window to the left of him. There's a curtain so no one can see him.

Inside one of the blue freedom houses.

We are technically in North Korea now (non-gravel side).

With a RoK solider.
Tour guide said they stand in a Tae Kwon Do stance.

The end.

i have an iphone 4

2010-08-01T19:50:00.005+09:00

...in my hand temporarily. My friend is starting a company called 'ego' and they'll sell covers for Apple products such as the iPhone 4. The iPhone 4 is not yet available in Korea but the company bought it to check the cover prototype.

Adam's glare is one of "what are you doing?"

Actually, he did say that after I took this picture.

Adam and I went to a park (see post below) with another couple and our friend, Leanne. The couple is Heather and her man visiting from another country.

Random Tandem

2010-08-01T19:23:00.004+09:00

Adam and I whizzed around Olympic Park on an imperfect tandem bicycle. The two sets of pedals were out of sync. Very awkward. It felt like the back person was purposely rocking the opposite way when steering. It was much easier when I moved to the back.

Palace

2010-06-26T21:40:00.000+09:00

Adam and me in front of a part of the palace near Gwanghwamun.

My experience working close to 4 years at Starbucks kind of made me a customer service snob...as a customer. I'm too tired to write it now...but later maybe. In short at a fake gelato chain, I wanted a Caramel Latte and they couldn't slash wouldn't do it. Even though they have Caramel Macchiato on the menu.

Sony DSC HX5V

2010-05-31T22:18:00.008+09:00

Got a new camera and testing it out...

The picture below is right after I purchased it. The man in blue is my salesclerk. The cheapest price at Namdaemun by at least 25,000 won.

This camera takes the iPanorama which means I just push one button and move the camera a certain direction. The camera takes multiple shots automatically and stitches them together. The picture below is the Green Line #2 at Yeondeongpo-gu Office Station.

Adam waiting for the subway while playing with his camera of 2 months.

This is the wait to leave Yeongdeongpo-gu Office Station.

Testing out the smile detection that automatically takes pictures when a face is detected with a smile.

It also takes HD video but I'll post that later when I can actually record something interesting.

Picture site test

2010-05-10T19:07:00.001+09:00

My photo altered with an online site to make it look like a miniature Seoul. Just testing.

New Year, New Tourney

2010-04-30T01:02:00.000+09:00

Actually that's not true. It's my second year flying to the Korean island of Jeju. It's the Gnarley Nines tournament. The forecast is sunny and clear with temps of high 50s/low 60s. So hopefully like last year. Not sure about wind...

But looking forward to the frisbee tournament and breathing somewhat close ocean air (which I will not be near nor on the beach). The upside: the grass on these fields are amazing...perfect for naps, too.

Got my sunscreen ready, yippee! Leaving Friday evening and coming back Sunday night.

Update?

2010-04-18T20:07:00.006+09:00

Hey,

So here's a picture of Adam and me in one of the busiest streets of Seoul. Gangnam is a busy center for businesses and residents. Shopping, cafes and restaurants.

You can take pictures on the electronic advertisements on the side of the road. About 10 or more advertising poles. The road side advertises and the sidewalk side you can get help with an electronic map and other things. Taking pictures is one option and you can email it up to two people and even have them uploaded to the Gangnam website--Media Pole.

This is a Thailand picture of the three of us from our trip in February.

This is a picture from the Bangkok Hat...sweet D, huh? wink wink

Gave Adam a haircut in March. Tada~

LOL

2010-01-22T01:37:00.002+09:00

I just remembered when I had the students do "Never have I ever" today it was getting boring so I started doing all the comments. "Never have I ever"...passed gas next to someone I liked (no one stood up for that one). But then they all eventually admitted to the ones like, "picked my nose, scratched my bottom." Only did a few but they were like, "Teacher, no dirty ones." Ha. I guess they didn't like the reality of life.

Great entertainment for me and my Korean co-teacher! Ha. I'm sure the kids loved it, too.

Packed for Thailand

2010-01-21T23:42:00.005+09:00

So a 60 L bag is huge! I have room for more stuff but I don't wanna bring just "stuff" to lug on my back. I'm going to throw in some cards and a hair clippy thing real quick.

I read about the island we're staying on for a few days...sounds remote and yeah, remote. The beaches aren't quite like the ones you hear during low tide. But I'm going to find a chair somewhere to lay out my towel and start my skin cancer risk (it's prolly not so funny considering folks get that all the time).

In 24 hours I will be on a plane bound for Bangkok to stay in a room that I booked a few days ago. Then Adam and I will meet Allison (also a Gator) to tour Bangkok a bit before we head to the sleeping trains for the island. I don't know what to expect but if a lack of bugs, creepy crawlies and mosquitoes is part of the mix I will be much appreciative.

I wish there was a way to make camera batteries last for a 9 day vaca that includes a super fun ultimate tournament. Here's to trying! :D

a wee bit warmer

2010-01-20T20:47:00.002+09:00

Today I didn't need a hat or gloves! It's going to be the most warm in a while during my visit to Thailand. But...who cares? I'll be in Thailand! Then coolin' down a bit below freezing again when I get back.

Also, my heart is starting to beat more excitedly as I ponder my trip! YAY!!! I haven't played ultimate in a looong time (aka over 3 months). So if my knee holds up I'll be bustin' moves on the field. I hope. Please, knee, survive. :D

Thanksgiving and other things.

2010-01-18T22:16:00.012+09:00

This restaurant is Flying Pan Blue. So good. Brunch with 2 girlfriends in Sept/Oct.

Hike with all the teachers from my school in October. Five minute ride away from school.

Two of my Korean co-teachers.

Settlers of Catan. The game I won with 10 points.

Adam and I went on a hike in the brisk November air.

Thanksgiving at my crib.

A small area near Insadong with some historical pieces.

More of Insadong historical area.

Mom's Christmas tree.

The girls.

The fam at Mom's.

Me and Grandma.

Dad's birthday.

Wally and me at Los Amigos to discuss Thailand plans. Adam took the pic.

Another pic from the Namsan hike on January 10.

Adam and me on my apt roof January 16 after I got my backpack for Thailand. Sweet bag.

Winter

2010-01-17T20:54:00.006+09:00

This is on a busy street in Gangnam, Seoul.

Pretty high! This was extra snow pushed off to the side of the road. Still fun to put my leg in. :)

Yucky. You can buy this...to eat??!!! In Itaewon.

Free dessert we got from a Thai restaurant. I liked it.

It was pretty snowy for a while. There's still some left on the roads and side streets and roofs but it's slowly fading away.

View of Seoul Tower from a winter's day from my living room window.

Adam and I hiked from my house to Seoul Tower on last Sunday night.

This coming Friday I'm heading to Thailand for a week! Here comes the sun!

What's the obsession with diced onions?

2009-11-18T00:44:00.002+09:00

Costco in Seoul makes you forget you are in Korea...minus all the Koreans in there. But there is a high percentage of "white" people inside there.

During my second time eating at Costco for dinner, parentheses with Adam, I realized Koreans loved the diced onions. You know, the kind you are supposed to put on the hot dog, btw my dinner was the hot dog set for 2k won. Well, Koreans roll the dicing onion machine and just let it all flow out onto their plastic plates and then pump on the mustard and ketchup to make a nice chopped onion casserole. Dot dot dot AND they eat it! Just like that! Shoulda taken a photo for evidence. Blegh!

Not to be a snob. I must confess I had the onions on my hot dog set aka hot dog "meal" as we like to say in Americana. I also got some Swiss Miss Hot Cocoa mix and a 6 pack of Kleenex Aloe Plus tissues. Already got a raw nose this season...it ain't even technically winter yet. O, boi.

Temperature

2009-11-04T07:06:00.006+09:00

Yesterday's high of 42 F and low of 28 F was a tad better than Monday's high of 38 F.

Today, high of 62 F and low of 52. I don't know how to dress a wee bit less for today...but I know I sweat on the bus when the heater blasted and I couldn't take off my coat with it being packed. Why, Korea? Why torture us with your public transportation methods? Monday I dressed appropriately when the rest of your Seoul natives did not and I suffered in sweat for the 30 min bus ride as your adjumma stole my seat the very last minute as I was crouching down to sit down.

Oh, how my heart deepens and grows by the day for your people of knowledge and kindness.

La Casa

2009-10-18T22:56:00.002+09:00

Finally a video of where I live. I failed to do one of my studio in Incheon. This isn't the house per se but it is the view from our roof.

It was a clear day in October. Decided to take advantage of the blue skies and get a video and some pics. You can see Seoul Tower from our windows. Enjoy. Come visit.

OMG

2009-09-29T00:29:00.000+09:00

Less than 3 months till Grandma Jackson's holiday recipes!

Lazy Saturday

2009-09-26T09:55:00.002+09:00

My attempt at sleeping in...9:30am. Reality bites.

No, it's not that bad. I've been a lil under the weather and averaging 6 hours of slumber a night. Believe me I try to go to bed earlier. Having roommates again is quite an interesting adjustment.

I got a bookshelf so my room looks tons better so my junk ain't crammed on the dresser. I have a lil pull out canvas 'basket' to hide the 'junk' for one bookcase shelf.

A 3rd grader was found to have swine flu in my school on Wednesday. I have a holiday Monday because it's my school's Foundation Day. Meaning it's the day the school was founded so it's a 'no school' day. I'm going to visit my Incheon school that day and say hey to my former co-teachers and little ones. So I might 'teach' on my off day just so I can say hey to my babies. I love those students.

I'm off to Itaewon to get my tan on at Healing Hands. They have a stand up bed.

Genius Teacher?

2009-09-14T01:40:00.005+09:00

I'm so glad I procrastinated and worked on a lesson plan that just ended up being Pictionary for the activity section. At least it's prepared and done.

Still...all the weekend anxiety of thinking of a good class and I've settled on Pictionary. Wow. Just wow.

But great weekend. Hung out with new people and those who aren't in town often.

Gonna cram my Korean vocab before my class tonight.

I'm doing PT for a week. Doc last Friday said my MCL is sprained. No ultimate for 2-3 weeks and no exercise this week. Training for the Manila tournament is delayed. But I'm taking my time on healing for real this time.

Christmas is around the corner. Dreaming of American food!
Loves!!!

As a student

2009-09-08T23:35:00.005+09:00

I'm in a classroom again as a student! Monday was my first day of Korean class. It was fun. And I got super excited to learn everything! Then again that's how I've always been with the first week of classes. I took a placement exam and my past year of doing nothing paid off as I was placed in the 1B class. Yay!

I started teaching at my new school in Gangnam. It's so different at a, well, different school. So I'm constantly reminding myself that I'll have to take this first week or so to adjust and just chill. It's quite shocking to be in a crowd of students and not recognize a single face. It's amazing how attached I became to my dear little ones at my Incheon school. I pictured their faces yesterday as I looked into the blank faces of my new students.

My co-teachers at my last school were practically like my BFFs. The main co-teacher at my new school is going to be the one I click with the most I think. There's another foreign teacher, too, and so that's nice to have someone to talk to. But every time I talk at lunch or in the office of 10 teachers (the last school it was just 2 of us in our office) I get looks and I think it's because my voice is louder than I realize.

I've come to the conclusion this past year that in English you have to talk louder. Koreans can pretty much whisper a whole conversation but try that in English and it's all mumbled secrets for the listener. Trust me, I've tried to be quiet on the phone. The hand over the mouth thing only works half as well in English than in Korean. I don't get it but I'm thinking it'll be my research project for the next year. Go Linguists!!!

Much love. <3

Lip Drama

2009-08-26T22:13:00.001+09:00

I'm suspicious that the dragonfly visitor bit my lip. I awoke to a huge numbness with a swollen portion of my bottom lip.

I got so bored I cut my hair...well, got it cut. I had it thinned to about half the thickness and trimmed a few cm's. I wanted a lightweight ponytail...for ultimate. Yes, I want to run faster.

The End

A visitor

2009-08-24T22:49:00.001+09:00

A dragonfly flew into my room through the 2 tiny windows past the wide blinds. Therefore, it could not find the windows to get out. Thankfully it's just sleeping for the night. But I'm not looking forward to the buzzing when I wake up.

Where are those people who love to touch bugs and insects when you need them?

Lazy Bones

2009-08-20T12:10:00.005+09:00

For my new job in Gangnam, Seoul we were suggested to partake in a race that Gangnam is holding. I signed up for the 5k run. Found out that the school district office me signed up for the 10k. Yeah, only a lil over 6 miles but it's next weekend and I'm not trained for it.

Wish me luck!

And Beth and I signed on our new place in Itaewon. Move the day before my run.

suh-kar-d!

2009-08-18T19:35:00.005+09:00

I got me some shivers the alarm coming from those speakers you see all over Korea...you know...for emergencies.

I didn't see any ppl scrambling around outside and finally settled a bit after calling Emily and her school didn't make her leave. I also found three 4th graders in the hallway telling me it's just "practice. soldiers."

leftovers?

2009-08-17T20:23:00.001+09:00

It's hard to clean up Lam-yeon in Korea. Well, like, in America I'd just get those cup-o-noodles...the spicy ones of course. But when I buy regular rameon here I can't finish it and so food has it's own trash bag and stuff...maybe I'll just sneak down to the convenient store to dispose my food. I mean, that's where I bought the stuff anyhow.

Actually, I should just have better dinners planned out...

strolling

2009-08-14T01:02:00.007+09:00

On Wednesday evening I ventured to find a keopi shope (Konglish accent on coffee shop) during my break in a temporary English gig. I just finished eating traditional Korean porridge so I was full.

On my walking adventure I found a really nice area of Incheon near its City Hall Station. It had been quite rainy all day and dreadfully cloudy. But as the rain lifted I turned a corner and found an area full of sunshine. It was quite remarkable. It was a ritzy area of high rise apartments. And it wasn't so much that the apartments were fascinating in themselves but the sun reflected off the windows so beautifully. Vines were wrapped around the fancy gates bordering the complex. The bridge across a road passing through the community was quite like in a fairy tale as I saw a woman pushing her stroller across it. And the art on the walls that supported underneath the bridge were colorful and vibrant. The landscaping included a variety of unique plants. I thought there was a young tree from every country. The sky was a clear blue behind and above each sky rise structure. I kept glaring above and all around me thinking in the back of my mind that if anyone saw me I would have looked like a kid on their first visit to Willy Wonka's factory.

In short, my coffee run turned into a nice late-afternoon leisurely stroll in the sunshine of another world.

Old church pics

2009-07-25T22:27:00.005+09:00

This is from May possibly.

There were 4 girls from my group at church who were baptized and then we ate dinner together afterwards. I did Jong-a's hair while we finished eating.

Oh, Life!

2009-07-25T22:07:00.004+09:00

Seriously...that last post where I didn't hear back about that job interview? Well, the next day in my inbox I got an email from them inquiring if I had found a job yet. I declined.

Anyhoot...for the most part I'm settled for making near-future plans. I got my highlights re-done.

This is a pic of my hair before but it's like the same.

2009-07-19T21:34:00.001+09:00

I miss me some Cracker Barrel.

Landing on the moon is great and all

2009-07-19T19:38:00.003+09:00

...but I would be more impressed with the hope in the potential of humans if I saw a person who knew love...who can be patient, a fighter at the moments of holding on to truth, and one who can live a life of forgiveness. I'd find hope in the way we treat each other, not in our "conquerings" of places and status.

This is a quote from a CNN article online about the idea of a moon hoax growing with the younger generation.

Stuart Robbins, a Ph.D. candidate in astrophysics at the University of Colorado who gives lectures defending NASA from Apollo hoax theorists, believes their influence can be harmful.

"If people don't think we were able to go to the moon, then they don't believe in the ingenuity of human achievement," he said. "Going to the moon and returning astronauts safely back to Earth is arguably one of the most profound achievements in human history, and so when people simply believe it was a hoax, they lose out on that shared experience and doubt what humans can do."

--http://edition.cnn.com/2009/TECH/space/07/17/moon.landing.hoax/index.html

'Bout time!

2009-07-19T01:01:00.001+09:00

Finally after almost 11 months I saw a Florida Gators shirt!!!!

The cheer "Go Gators!" wanted to slip out of my mouth as I passed the young man...but he was on the phone. But I stared at his shirt long enough that I was practically gazing at him when he made eye contact with me. Most likely his cousin from America mailed it to him...but still...GO GATORS!!!

I borrowed a screwdriver...

2009-07-16T17:29:00.002+09:00

from a local convenient store (Family Mart) for my last step in setting up my stand-up fan. It's blowing some cool air on me now as I type. :)

Hurrican Season

2009-07-14T22:14:00.001+09:00

It was so freakin' windy today it was like being home amidst a hurricane.

Mission

2009-07-13T18:50:00.001+09:00

Running till I find that mile where I find the end of myself...

Did someone say Ola?

2009-07-09T23:26:00.004+09:00

So yeah they say that at On the Border restaurant. Which I'm going to next week with my co-teachers in Seoul. Holla!

The 3rd grade students were given the assignment to draw a picture by using any of the alphabet letters. One student named their store "LosMarket." I was like, wow! how did they know spanish? It was quite remarkable. Kids...Korean ones at that.

And a 6th grader today had a red shirt with yellow letters saying "I <3 Dokdo". Pure awesomeness. Again, go Korea.

Predicted thunderstorms all weekend. I booked a KTX to Busan. First time down south to the beach there and it doesn't look pretty.

focus on what you can do

2009-06-30T18:15:00.017+09:00

How does one not take things personally when you find out things aren't really what they seem? Like, it seems like if you want an English teacher in Korea...you will pick someone who speaks English and accept them for a position based on their qualifications.

But I keep hearing that my qualifications aren't the problem. Schools would rather have people with lower skills than I based on their age, bilingualism, or the color of one's skin. What job posts really mean about "foreigner only" on the job post is "don't think you can get a job here because the parents will be upset that you're English isn't good enough because you have a Korean face." I quite like my American accent, thank you.

Born of one country only to find out that being accepted by said country is unlikely unless you fit the stereotypes that the homogeneous country has.

And instead of crying about job application rejections and having a pity party I forced myself to run hard for 30 minutes in the blistering heat and humidity. Only to realize that during my walking cool down my knee flared up in pain again.

These battles will only benefit me if I allow it.

overnight for teachers

2009-06-28T00:34:00.010+09:00

Friday night the teachers at my school went to an African museum in Korea. Yes, in Korea.

We saw singing, drumming and dancing by a group from le Cote d'Ivoire. And it was awesome. I was chosen with a group of people to dance with them at the end of the show. Fun times. My principal said I was the best. Sweet.

I got some pictures of us singing on the bus...like karaoke style.

And did you know you can have open containers on the bus? It's a tradition to have a boss pour you some alcohol. After you drink it you pour them some, too. It's a fast way to see your boss get intoxicated. I'm not sure how that started. Anyhow, for dinner we did the same thing and singing afterwards. I had plenty of watermelon and I was happy about that! Especially for breakfast this morning. I had hardly eaten any of the Korean food and I went at it when the watermelon came for dessert. I think Korean watermelon is the best.

Yos from the girls room.

Did my co-teachers hair after dinner Friday night.

Today we went to a Korean brewery/museum and sampled what they had. One of the teachers was nice enough to buy everyone a little bottle of alcohol. 13% is all I can read on the label. But don't drink it! It's to wash your face with (???). I wanted to try it today but I couldn't get the top open....

Saw Transformers 2 tonight. Liked it. Talked to my dad on Skype for a while. Have a load of towels spinning. And that's a wrap.

clumsy me

2009-05-26T23:13:00.003+09:00

So Friday before playing badminton with some other staff/teachers after lunch I did limbo under the net...landed on my knees and now have two bruises on my right knee.

Sunday when throwing the disc I stepped on something painful that looked like a thorn. Then realized that thorns don't hurt that much and concluded that I took off the stinger from a bee as I saw one flying without a stinger. Then that night when I got home I stepped firmly onto a small hair clip grasper thing right next to my bee sting on the bottom of my left foot. So now I can't decide if I'm itching my slightly allergic feeling bee sting or caressing the deep bruising and knot from my hair clip...or both.

Working on roughly 3 job applications this week...pray for me! =) I wonder what I'll end up doing come September...

So this one time at the Immigration Office...

2009-05-15T23:21:00.006+09:00

I saw a grown girl crying...well, it was me. Red tape to get documents worked out.

But the good news is I only need one more document for my F4 visa.

...I enjoy being home alone right now.

it's only 2 cc's

2009-05-12T19:37:00.002+09:00

Having 2 cc's of medicine injected into your inflamed bursa...like a piece of cake. Starting 15 minutes after the injection and beyond? One of the worst F*n pains in my life!!! I'm in agony and every once in a while I have a spasm from the pain. Working on thawing out my heating pad in the microwave...I left it in the freezer for a couple weeks...oops.

But the good side: my meniscus healed after 2 weeks of crutches instead of 4. Yay! But I think the bursa was a side effect of my early removal of treatment.

Here's to living life! (Aaaaghh...for now....ooww!!!)

ouch

2009-05-10T23:29:00.003+09:00

So like, I fell asleep and then awoke from my head hitting the window on the bus...I usually can sleep with my head upright on my bus ride to and fro Incheon/Seoul.

I had a relaxing weekend for once and it was nice to sleep...a lot. And my friend came from Seoul to visit me. We ate at Outback Steakhouse and chatted till 4:30 am in my room. I'm slowly starting to like some Korean people more...and learning a new word or two a week...ish....hm...maybe?

I have like 9 weeks left to finish my TESL class online...and I need to start applying for jobs in Seoul for September. It's seriously just around the corner. I wonder how my second year will turn out. Hopefully this coming winter I will vacation in Thailand or Boracay. I can't do another solid 5 months or more of cold. =) And maybe I will have a cat for a housemate.

forget money

2009-04-30T00:16:00.000+09:00

I'm starting to wonder if I should have cared less about money and just done a year long mission instead of teaching in Korea...the things we cannot put price tags on...hm...

But this experience is one of its own as well. I just need to keep wise and not lose sight of what matters.

the future

2009-04-30T00:14:00.001+09:00

So if I don't have a roommate next year I might get a kitten to keep me company...yes, I'm slowly turning into an old spinster and my cat number will increase with my years. ;)

Norae!

2009-04-22T22:58:00.014+09:00

I went to a Norae Bang after school today with my 2 co-teachers and one of the young office workers. The 4 of us made a killing at McDonald's then we got like 40 extra minutes service (free) at the karaoke. So much fun. Did songs like Womanizer, Stuck by Staci Orrico, Wonderwall, Single Ladies, etc etc etc...so much awesomeness. And popular Korean songs as well.

(Mallory and me by a row of cherry blossom trees at Yeouido)

A couple of the teachers did taro card readings. It was all about love and relationships...things you can tell any Korean female stranger even without cards.

Now I'm home sick again for a third back-to-back cold with the constant weather change. I will say that the couple days interspersed with full on rays of sun are worthwhile...even though the change in air pressure sucks for my nasal passages and throat. I'm draining into my throat after the dry air irritated my nose. Ay, me.

And I'm pretty sure I'm making another trip to the knee doctor with worse news...seeing as I stopped my meniscus treatment halfway through to play in a tournament...uh-oh.

I will get my hair did on Friday. I'm always back and forth about going out on the weekends...as of late late. But this weekend's excuse is a bday party and another friend who leaves in a couple weeks.

I started my Korean learning again after roughly a 5 month hiatus. Ha...

Unplugged

2009-04-08T23:00:00.006+09:00

Okay, so the issue isn't tough to figure out. I'm unplugged. And w/o a body of believers we are stranded. I am stranded...and I won't find a huddle of ppl chasing after me...which could be possible...Philippians 4:13 but I don't think that's what the intention is. So I need to stop being lazy and find me a body to go with my part. Cuz what I miss more even is me feeling like a contribution to others lives in a meaningful way. I needed that body to need me. It's a nice comfort. Maybe any underlying pride issues will be sifted through from this time of isolation from the body. Or it at least is surfacing some things I took for granted when I was actively involved in so many people's lives. Being in the midst of it all I probably wasn't even aware of the beauty of the relationships and just plain existence of it all. But now that I'm lacking...once I am given the gift of "family" again I can see how truly a gift we were given through the Bride.

Good support is key...

2009-04-08T22:53:00.005+09:00

for many things but I'm taking this in the direction of good friends.

I was very very blessed at home. I love my friends in Korea. But it's different.

I miss my loves with lots of coffee chats. Seriously. When I was home over a month ago...it was so easy to just eat with ppl and chat and have so much fun! Like the roomie bfast that took forever at Bagels Unlimited. But every minute was worth the entertainment!!!

I need besties here...desperately!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! And I've been spending too much time with boys from ultimate. It's harder after having myself with a year of Girl Only time last year. I miss my roomies and Monday bible study ladies and all the girl nights of cookies and eating and movie nights...or roommate GG night. Mcflurry runs. Sigh...I just even miss biking every day to campus and back.

Delivery?

2009-04-07T19:21:00.003+09:00

I wanted my first Korean food delivery phone call to be McDonald's. But we can't always have our first pick. So after calling 2 McDonald's that don't deliver...mind you they deliver in Seoul...I finally talked to a Korean restaurant to deliver me some hot stone bibimbap.

Now I just hope it makes it to my place. =)

Daejeon has nicer weather than Seoul

2009-04-05T22:50:00.001+09:00

And I love how I just saw a commercial about a farmer in Korea and he's had a nose job, too...but he was talking about something like in a Riccola commercial form and there was a cow next to him in a plow field...

It's still cold in April

2009-04-03T18:00:00.007+09:00

and I hear it won't really be that warm until May. So that means it's like half a year of cold and half a year of warmish.

Driscoll sermons

2009-03-29T17:58:00.008+09:00

I watched Mark Driscoll's last 2 sermons about Marriage and Women/Men. It's a 2 part sermon. They are going through 1 Peter (I believe).

I think they are good things to hear. This past week I read through "My Utmost For His Highest" and linked to some of the verses that Chambers mentioned in the pages. I was reminded of the importance of obedience. That whatever we follow or obey or submit to is what we worship. And just because in my heart I believe in Christ, if I obey the ways of greed, lust of the flesh or lust of the eyes I am not worshiping God.

Pray that I find a good girlfriend in Korea to confide in, have encouragement with and that we get along well with fun and cheesy-ness. I need to find a church to be actively involved in a community. I miss community.

MRI report

2009-03-26T22:10:00.005+09:00

I tore my meniscus but not all the so that means no surgery. But I do have a splint. It's like a half cast. And then I'm on crutches. Good notes: my triceps, abs and right leg will be killer awesome with the workout. Bad side: it takes simple things 3-5 times as long to accomplish.

Different Paths

2009-03-24T22:23:00.014+09:00

Wow, girls from home are having babies after being married now for a couple years. So weird.

I am going to the hospital, too. But for my knee. Getting an MRI tomorrow. How does that work with my titanium screws in my head? IDK...hope it works. I don't wanna have anything loose...

kid with autographs from JUMP in Seoul

Olitang aka yummy duck soup with last lunch with co-teachers

March 1 Frostbreaker in Gainesville

My new co-teachers are freaking awesome.

I've been sick for almost a week now and it's that mucousy phase...like blowing my noise is a geyser of goo...eeew!!! Mwahahah! The bottom of my upper lip stings because I have to breathe through my mouth with a stuffy nose. Ugh!

...walking from Emart to my "officetel" I realized that my area is not so bad to live in. Really chill.

random shot of 5th graders

Hookah Cave in Hongdae, Seoul

evidence of someone turning Hangul into English word "chapter" on bus stop sign

OMG...if I get surgery I'll have to dish out 1 million won. Anyhow...sleepy time.

Goodbyes

2009-03-14T16:27:00.005+09:00

Going to Seoul tonight to celebrate the last weekend for 4 ultimate people. Wow...this is the largest departure at one time since I've been here.

pretending these are lyrics

2009-03-12T23:31:00.004+09:00

During my free time at work I caught some of my thoughts through this "poem." It started out way simple but turned into something of its own within the 18 minutes I wrote it. I posted it on my FB so if you've read it...skip this part. I was listening to music at the time and these words fit the emotions erupted from the melody...so it might sound less entertaining as a straight up read...but I named it BUFFER ZONE. Btw the * is in reference to Jesus.

to awake when your eyes are already open wide
to ache when your heart is already shattered
to cry when tears are already down your face
to realize that what you've done is nothing like that of whom you thought you were

holding onto something secure only to find that it is floating atop the stormy sea

you see a glimpse of a sparkle
the piercing light through the darkness
of the lighthouse showing where you once were secure
and knowing you can find your way back
only still in hesitation because you cannot be what you once were

there's a dream that dreams of hope
to let the light flitter of possibility arise in your chest
but on the verge of swimming forward you remember loneliness

wanting something you didn't want
and finding that you want it more than before
not knowing if it's just to want or because you are not the same
to see a grey sky grey and a tossing wave toss
not sure if these things are real
what if you tell yourself enough times what you hope for
maybe it will come true

in your head you hear your Lover* say your name
the one who made you whole
and more yourself than anywhere else
so how did you find yourself in this ocean
when the slithering wave upon the beach was soothing
had turned into a squall of emptiness

now the madness has subsided
you hold stronger onto the rocking life buoy
finding satisfaction in remaining there
for a moment's longer rest

Piece of my life

2009-03-11T22:40:00.007+09:00

So I've been listening to Marie Digby on youtube. I went home to FL for about 10 days and I enjoyed it. Worthwhile trip. Korea is viewed afresh and I am ready to handle on the rest of my contract with a positive outlook for another year potentially.

I've been through a lot of life changing moments and yet have had the time to soak it up and ponder and evaluate...in the midst of adjusting to new co-teachers, re-arranging my routine, planning for the Jeju tournament...

Fun things to come...

2009-02-19T19:16:00.006+09:00

While packing for a 10 day Florida vacation I am listening to Santagold. Thanks to J. Cal for mailing it to me. Their music makes life happier.

Oh, ps. I highlighted my hair...it's bright! Hope it fades a tad...but if not, who cares. Life's short!

Hello Cold

2009-02-16T23:42:00.002+09:00

It got to 60 degrees randomly on Friday. Today the high was 36. Wow.

Being warm over being cute got me in trouble today as all the teachers looked cute for a dinner I was unaware of at a wedding convention center. So...it was a school dinner not a wedding but I was def like way under dressed. Maybe I'll learn to have a personal standard of dressing better than I have...so that means I have to change my sleeping habits. Grumble grumble**

5 days

2009-02-15T23:09:00.001+09:00

...until my 24 hours of travel to America

My record for destroying Korean lives:

2009-02-04T23:38:00.001+09:00

Crying co-teachers: 2
Possible fired from work man: 1

Green Eggs and Ham with a sunrise, please.

2009-02-03T22:08:00.007+09:00

I got up early enough the day after me birfday to take some sunrise pictures. Unfortunately, being in a metropolitan city has some disadvantages to scenery...but here goes...

These are some students for my winter camp. We watched the Dr. Seuss "Green Eggs and Ham" on Youtube. I had them make a cover page for the book.

These are my free sunglasses from Itaewon. I love hearing "service."

My birthday with my aunt and uncle...

2009-02-03T21:48:00.010+09:00

Written Friday night, 01/30/2009:

I ate chicken flautas at a restaurant on base in Seoul with my aunt tonight. We were totally stuffed...like a little past the max...and we were so ready to go back to the house. And it took forever to get the check...why? We looked over a couple tables and saw the server lighting a blue candle on this huge fish bowl sized cup full of cake pieces and whipped cream...ugh..."please don't bring that to me" I hoped.

My aunt said, "No, I think it's for another table." Sure enough...maracas busted out and the server asked the other guests to sing along..."Happy....Dear Lae-bay-kah! Happy Birthday to you."

Wow...too much food...and then more? It was sweet of them. So we scooped out a serving then gave the rest to a table of men who helped sing along. Ha...I'm still feeling stuffed 6 hours later...

Then on January 31, 2009 we ate a better birthday cake after a delicious Cincinnati Chili Spaghetti something or other...it was a meat sauce sghetti so that was yummy.

nostalgia..and Somi face pictures

2009-02-03T20:56:00.004+09:00

I found this just now on facebook.

My hottie matottie roommates from summer project in Santa Cruz from 2007.

A little 9 year old can teach you how to laugh...

Coffee and Style

2009-02-01T19:30:00.006+09:00

So I'm finally checking out that little coffee shop near my apt. I'm drinking a blueberry latte. I am using the wireless internet they have...I need dinner. I just ate a taco in Hongdae like 2 hours ago...my friend, Munachimso, had a good idea about a cute dress and so...after dinner I copied her and got one in the color "sangria." I'm going to wear it for my week late birthday celebration on Friday.

Note the french words on the cup!

I'm going to try to lesson plan, work on my TESL course, finish the last 30 pages of "The Shack" that I left unread from July/August.

It finally got to 50 degrees Fahrenheit today while we played pickup in a park by the World Cup Stadium in Seoul. I do say that ultimate is a lot more fun when you can run. But good to be out with all the fun people again. Okie dokie.