Ugh...today is the day that I had to say goodbye to my school...so many goodbyes. So many!
First I chose to say goodbye to all of my classes individually. I went to each class to tell them again that I'm leaving on Friday and that I won't be teaching at the school in August, and I let them ask questions. A lot of them asked me why I was leaving and I honestly couldn't answer them. Moving to Seoul is just something I'm making myself do. I know I'd be more comfortable in Wonju, but I'm forcing myself to branch out into a new city and whatnot. So, I let the teachers field that question. It usually involved, "It was a really hard decision for her." The teachers all know that I had a wicked hard time deciding about my placement.
Then I had to say goodbye to one of my best friends in Korea. YeonOhk had to leave early because she had a presentation in Chuncheon, so she couldn't come to the meeting where I was saying goodbye to all of the teachers. It was hard! I cried. I really hope she and I stay in touch!!
For lunch, I went out with the VIPs and HaeIn (my co teacher). They took me to a purely vegetarian restaurant. Haha! I was still a bit of a mess after saying goodbye to YeonOhk, but lunch was good.
After lunch, I apparently had to broadcast myself to the entire school via the tv in order to ONCE AGAIN say goodbye to the students, but this time it was for all of the students to know that I was leaving.
Finally, I had to say goodbye at the weekly teachers' meeting. I was exhausted by this point. I was the first on the agenda, which made it a little more tolerable. I thought I would be ok, meaning I didn't think I would cry, but I definitely cried. My co teacher was up there next to me to help translate. I thought I could say goodbye in Korean, but I kinda lost it a bit. I had to take intermittent breaks to pull myself together. I basically said that even though I'm moving to Seoul in August, Wonju will always be my home in Korea and that the teachers have all been amazing. Then I had my co teacher talk. I think she further explained how hard the decision had been for me and whatnot.
After that, my co teacher and I both left the meeting and we were both crying. Ugh! What a day!
I went home later than usual because I was trying to pack up my stuff in my classroom to Tek Bae it, but the Tek Bae crew can't come until Thursday. So, I do have to come back to school after all of those goodbyes.
I went home...honestly I can't remember if I ate at home or not. I went to my last guitar lesson, only to find out that he had thought that tomorrow is my last day. I'm going to Chuncheon tomorrow, so I can't come to guitar lessons. So, I agreed to come back on Wednesday so we could have a proper goodbye. I have to remember to buy guitar books for him in the states. We have talked about it a few times because I asked him if there was anything special he wanted from the states.^^
Anyway, peace out for now.
Thursday, July 10, 2008
Hold Your Horses?! - Sunday July 6, 2008
I went to eat lunch with my host family today. I wanted it to be kind of a last meal with the entire family. It didn't turn out quite like I had thought it would. We did go out to eat, but my favorite restaurant was closed, so we went to a different restaurant. We went to a chicken soup restaurant. @_@ Hmm...so I had sunddubu (Spicy tofu soup) instead of Kal Mandu Guk (Noodles with Kimchi Dumplings in Soup). It's ok though; I'm glad the host family was finally all together again!
After lunch, I met up with HaeIn, Miracle, and Lauren to go horseback riding. HaeIn drove us out to the middle of BFE for the guy to tell us that we couldn't ride the horse today. He told us that we should wear comfortable clothing and that we would get to ride, but maybe not for an hour like the other horseback riding place a little ways out of town. Lauren has worked with horses a lot because her aunt had horses when Lauren was younger and I have common sense about horses after spending a lot of time around them when I was younger, so we were pretty darn sure that the guy was full of crap when he said that the horse would die if we rode it during this hot weather at 3:00PM. >_< Our consolation prize for our drive out there...was disgusting ice coffee. We all left a little bitter and angry toward the man who had no intention of letting us ride the horse in the first place. But....that's the way it goes sometimes.
We were thinking about heading to the other place outside of town and paying 50,000 Won to ride, but instead we decided that a cafe sounded a lot more appealing and was definitely a lot more cost effective. ^_~ We spent HOURS at the cafe. I'm not sure how many, but it was really fun! We talked about sex education, bras, Korea, spiders and fears, a little bit about politics, etc. I always love getting a Korean's perspective on different topics. It's hard to find Korean women and even men who will openly talk about some of those topics. Sex is incredibly taboo in Korea.
After leaving there, Lauren, Miracle, and I went to eat dinner together. HaeIn had to take her boyfriend to the bus station. We were a little surprised that he had spent all day by himself in her apartment especially when he lives out of town. She is incredibly independent and sometimes feels weighed down by having a boyfriend, but she does care about him.
Anyway, the three of us minus HaeIn went to eat at a Ddubu jeep (Tofu House). It was delicious, but we definitely ordered TOO much food! I LOVE tofu! I think I will mainly survive on tofu next year when I have to cook for myself. It will certainly be a learning experience. It'll be my first time living on my own first of all. Second of all, I will be living on my own for the first time in one of the biggest cities in the world. Third of all, I'll be cooking for myself for the first time ever and it just happens to be in a different country. Haha! Lots of firsts next year. Lots of lasts now...but lots of firsts soon! I'm getting a little excited but am still quite nervous.
I said goodbye to Lauren tonight. It'll be the last time that I see her even though we will continue to talk on the phone and online almost everyday.^^ I also said goodbye to Miracle...even though I expect I will see Miracle again. Lauren...I'm not so sure. She's moving to either Boston or DC for her job once she finds a job. She's hoping for one of those two locations.
As Miracle and I walked home, we had to dodge a watermelon man she had had a fight with on the street. He wanted her to buy a watermelon from him, she asked if they were fresh, he cut a piece of watermelon to show her that they were, he then expected her to buy the watermelon he had cut a piece from...she was headed to meet us. It was a rather silly situation, but he had gotten very angry over it. So we walked clear past where she actually needed to cross the street to the next light down a ways. Oh well, that way we got to talk longer.^^
Hmm...packing is slowly being accomplished. My host fam is letting me keep my stuff here this summer, but I want to take a lot of stuff home this summer because 1) I accumulated a LOT of stuff this year, 2) I will accumulate a LOT of stuff this next year.
Peace out.
After lunch, I met up with HaeIn, Miracle, and Lauren to go horseback riding. HaeIn drove us out to the middle of BFE for the guy to tell us that we couldn't ride the horse today. He told us that we should wear comfortable clothing and that we would get to ride, but maybe not for an hour like the other horseback riding place a little ways out of town. Lauren has worked with horses a lot because her aunt had horses when Lauren was younger and I have common sense about horses after spending a lot of time around them when I was younger, so we were pretty darn sure that the guy was full of crap when he said that the horse would die if we rode it during this hot weather at 3:00PM. >_< Our consolation prize for our drive out there...was disgusting ice coffee. We all left a little bitter and angry toward the man who had no intention of letting us ride the horse in the first place. But....that's the way it goes sometimes.
We were thinking about heading to the other place outside of town and paying 50,000 Won to ride, but instead we decided that a cafe sounded a lot more appealing and was definitely a lot more cost effective. ^_~ We spent HOURS at the cafe. I'm not sure how many, but it was really fun! We talked about sex education, bras, Korea, spiders and fears, a little bit about politics, etc. I always love getting a Korean's perspective on different topics. It's hard to find Korean women and even men who will openly talk about some of those topics. Sex is incredibly taboo in Korea.
After leaving there, Lauren, Miracle, and I went to eat dinner together. HaeIn had to take her boyfriend to the bus station. We were a little surprised that he had spent all day by himself in her apartment especially when he lives out of town. She is incredibly independent and sometimes feels weighed down by having a boyfriend, but she does care about him.
Anyway, the three of us minus HaeIn went to eat at a Ddubu jeep (Tofu House). It was delicious, but we definitely ordered TOO much food! I LOVE tofu! I think I will mainly survive on tofu next year when I have to cook for myself. It will certainly be a learning experience. It'll be my first time living on my own first of all. Second of all, I will be living on my own for the first time in one of the biggest cities in the world. Third of all, I'll be cooking for myself for the first time ever and it just happens to be in a different country. Haha! Lots of firsts next year. Lots of lasts now...but lots of firsts soon! I'm getting a little excited but am still quite nervous.
I said goodbye to Lauren tonight. It'll be the last time that I see her even though we will continue to talk on the phone and online almost everyday.^^ I also said goodbye to Miracle...even though I expect I will see Miracle again. Lauren...I'm not so sure. She's moving to either Boston or DC for her job once she finds a job. She's hoping for one of those two locations.
As Miracle and I walked home, we had to dodge a watermelon man she had had a fight with on the street. He wanted her to buy a watermelon from him, she asked if they were fresh, he cut a piece of watermelon to show her that they were, he then expected her to buy the watermelon he had cut a piece from...she was headed to meet us. It was a rather silly situation, but he had gotten very angry over it. So we walked clear past where she actually needed to cross the street to the next light down a ways. Oh well, that way we got to talk longer.^^
Hmm...packing is slowly being accomplished. My host fam is letting me keep my stuff here this summer, but I want to take a lot of stuff home this summer because 1) I accumulated a LOT of stuff this year, 2) I will accumulate a LOT of stuff this next year.
Peace out.
Espanol Shabu Shabu!- Saturday July 5, 2008
I woke up earlier than I thought I would. Today was my first day to sleep in in a looong time. I finally got up around 11:00AM, I think. Lauren texted me to ask me if I was coming to the Spanish Club meeting today. I thought I might as well. I didn't really have anything else to do today, and I like the people in the club.
So we met around noon at the Shabu Shabu restaurant below Lotte Cinema. I love the Shabu Shabu there!
We didn't speak as much Spanish as we probably should have, but we still had a good time. We mostly talked about wrapping up our years in Korea. Most of us are headed our separate ways. I'm heading home soon and then to Seoul, Lauren is heading back home for good soon, Anna is heading home to med school soon, Raul is staying in Korea with the US Military but moving to a different city, Patrick might be getting married to a Thai girl, and Madeline is staying in Wonju for a bit and maybe moving to Seoul after her year is up next February. Raul (Mexican/American soldier) and Madeline (Korean/Swedish English teacher) used to date so I guess things were a bit awkward there, but other than that it was really nice to catch up with everyone.
From there, the girls all went downtown together. Anna is hilarious! I'm not sure she tries to be, but she is.^^ Unfortunately, she had to split pretty early because she had a prior engagement. Madeline, Lauren, and I went to Time and Space Cafe (Lauren's favorite cafe because of the ajuma). We sat and talked for a few hours about everything. The ajuma gave us free watermelon!! YAY! We finally all split ways; Lauren went home and Madeline and I split a taxi toward our end of town.
I was supposed to meet up with Tamisha and Madeline for dinner, but I decided I was too tired to go out. So I hung around at home for the evening which was perfectly fine by me.^^ I've been so utterly busy lately that it was nice to just hang around.
Peace out.
So we met around noon at the Shabu Shabu restaurant below Lotte Cinema. I love the Shabu Shabu there!
We didn't speak as much Spanish as we probably should have, but we still had a good time. We mostly talked about wrapping up our years in Korea. Most of us are headed our separate ways. I'm heading home soon and then to Seoul, Lauren is heading back home for good soon, Anna is heading home to med school soon, Raul is staying in Korea with the US Military but moving to a different city, Patrick might be getting married to a Thai girl, and Madeline is staying in Wonju for a bit and maybe moving to Seoul after her year is up next February. Raul (Mexican/American soldier) and Madeline (Korean/Swedish English teacher) used to date so I guess things were a bit awkward there, but other than that it was really nice to catch up with everyone.
From there, the girls all went downtown together. Anna is hilarious! I'm not sure she tries to be, but she is.^^ Unfortunately, she had to split pretty early because she had a prior engagement. Madeline, Lauren, and I went to Time and Space Cafe (Lauren's favorite cafe because of the ajuma). We sat and talked for a few hours about everything. The ajuma gave us free watermelon!! YAY! We finally all split ways; Lauren went home and Madeline and I split a taxi toward our end of town.
I was supposed to meet up with Tamisha and Madeline for dinner, but I decided I was too tired to go out. So I hung around at home for the evening which was perfectly fine by me.^^ I've been so utterly busy lately that it was nice to just hang around.
Peace out.
Monday, July 7, 2008
Yuck - Friday July 4, 2008
Hmm...I forgot to write about something yesterday. I had to tell the principal that I was not coming back to Seowonju. I went with my co teacher (who is also a good friend of mine). Bottom line...I couldn't say a word because I was crying. It sucked! HaeIn (my co teacher) is still trying to talk me into changing my mind and staying which is really hard to hear. I want to stay but I know I shouldn't. There is too much to experience outside of Wonju. This is my rationalization for leaving Wonju. Please don't burst my bubble. It was already a hard enough decision as it was.
Anyway, today was my last day of classes. I didn't feel as emotional as I thought I would. Maybe it's because I'm coming back on Monday to do that whole final goodbye thing.
I only had my two Friday classes as usual. The second grade teachers came up during one of their breaks, after I had finished my two classes to give me a present, take pics, and to personally say goodbye since they had been such a big part of my whole year. They gave me a silver flower bracelet because they gathered that I'm a fan of bracelets by looking at my wrists. ^_~ They also gave me a hanbok decoration. So sweet of them. I want to do something special for them, but I don't know what to do.
I had to leave around 2:30PM for my guitar lesson. I was frustrated today. The song I'm learning has me frustrated. I guess that is a good thing because it is pushing me past my comfort range musically.
I went back to school afterward because I was meeting Ellen (a 40-something foreigner who volunteers in the English Village). She invited me over for a 4th of July celebration. Her husband made us homemade pizza! They said it was ok if I invited HaeIn (my co teacher), but she met us a little later. Ellen and Carl are amazing people! I love them! I wish I had been able to spend more time with them. Carl made three pizzas, one entirely vegetarian for me!^^ We talked about politics and Korean culture and cars and so many things. They really are amazing amazing people. They just got married in December and came over to Korea in February. Carl was having a hard time finding a professor position because jobs are SCARCE (to say the least) in America, especially in the mid-west which is where they're from. They're from Ohio. He speaks a multitude of languages, and I can't remember them off the top of my head. I think French is the biggie, but he also studied four semesters of Chinese. Now, he is studying Korean. He wants to become fluent in it before they leave. They don't really have any urgent plans to leave Korean any time soon. Carl is on a two year contract as a professor at Yonsei Uni in Wonju teaching American history (I believe) and a composition English writing class. Their apartment is impressive AND provided by the University. They aren't like many foreigners who come to Korea for the money and for the easy life, they want to learn about the culture, they want to learn the language, and they like Korean food. Carl works on cars a lot back home. He has a car he liked restoring but misses it now that he's here. Ellen does metal work, and she is GOOD! I told her about an independent artist fair/show that they have every few Saturdays or every Saturday in Hongdae in Seoul. I think she should try to sell some of her stuff. She likes making small spoons and may get into the tiny Korean forks that everyone is so fascinated by. They told me I could stay with them any time I visit Wonju! They are so super sweet! I should have taken more pics with them, but I have only one and it will be on facebook as soon as I get the time.
HaeIn and I went to the Friday night WEC meeting immediately following the pizza extravaganza where I managed to eat 5 pieces of pizza. They also let us take all of the leftovers home! So awesome! The topic for tonight was Movies proposed by CJ (former youth pastor from South Africa). What kinds of movies we like? Where we like to watch movies? Do we think that movies can change the way we think about the world? Etc. It was an interesting topic, especially toward the end.
After the meeting, we went to our usual Makkoli place and talked for a looong time. Chan made a toast to me!^^ So sweet of him! Chan is my 34 year old, male Korean, nurse buddy! His wife and son have been on a lot of our outings; so I know them fairly well also. Lauren was there for her last time as well, but she only went to a few meetings. We had a lot of interesting conversations at the Makkoli bar tonight. One being the "playfulness" of Korean girls. The whining...the "cutesy" hitting of their boyfriends...etc. Apparently a lot of guys find this attractive. News to me.
At about 12:30AM, we finally headed out. We went to Beatles Bar afterward. Lauren went home. It was Brandon, CJ, Madeline, Jay, Young, two other Korean girls that I don't know well, and another Korean guy that I didn't know well. I was kind of sad; a lot of the people I first started the club with weren't there tonight. Jay, Chris, Monani, Kevin, Julie, Hyon Ju, Allen, Ju, etc etc. Really sad!
I talked to Jay (Australian Jay...hmm I guess they both spent time in Australia....the second Jay I knew) for a good majority of the time at Beatles Bar. We talked more about flirting and what is seen as cute, what is seen as annoying, if the "helpless girl" act really does go as far as it appears to in Korea, etc.
I think I finally got home after 4AM and was in bed around 4:30AM. It has been a loong week. Time for bed!
Rest in Peace...See you in Heaven. (To be explained at a less exhausted time.)
Anyway, today was my last day of classes. I didn't feel as emotional as I thought I would. Maybe it's because I'm coming back on Monday to do that whole final goodbye thing.
I only had my two Friday classes as usual. The second grade teachers came up during one of their breaks, after I had finished my two classes to give me a present, take pics, and to personally say goodbye since they had been such a big part of my whole year. They gave me a silver flower bracelet because they gathered that I'm a fan of bracelets by looking at my wrists. ^_~ They also gave me a hanbok decoration. So sweet of them. I want to do something special for them, but I don't know what to do.
I had to leave around 2:30PM for my guitar lesson. I was frustrated today. The song I'm learning has me frustrated. I guess that is a good thing because it is pushing me past my comfort range musically.
I went back to school afterward because I was meeting Ellen (a 40-something foreigner who volunteers in the English Village). She invited me over for a 4th of July celebration. Her husband made us homemade pizza! They said it was ok if I invited HaeIn (my co teacher), but she met us a little later. Ellen and Carl are amazing people! I love them! I wish I had been able to spend more time with them. Carl made three pizzas, one entirely vegetarian for me!^^ We talked about politics and Korean culture and cars and so many things. They really are amazing amazing people. They just got married in December and came over to Korea in February. Carl was having a hard time finding a professor position because jobs are SCARCE (to say the least) in America, especially in the mid-west which is where they're from. They're from Ohio. He speaks a multitude of languages, and I can't remember them off the top of my head. I think French is the biggie, but he also studied four semesters of Chinese. Now, he is studying Korean. He wants to become fluent in it before they leave. They don't really have any urgent plans to leave Korean any time soon. Carl is on a two year contract as a professor at Yonsei Uni in Wonju teaching American history (I believe) and a composition English writing class. Their apartment is impressive AND provided by the University. They aren't like many foreigners who come to Korea for the money and for the easy life, they want to learn about the culture, they want to learn the language, and they like Korean food. Carl works on cars a lot back home. He has a car he liked restoring but misses it now that he's here. Ellen does metal work, and she is GOOD! I told her about an independent artist fair/show that they have every few Saturdays or every Saturday in Hongdae in Seoul. I think she should try to sell some of her stuff. She likes making small spoons and may get into the tiny Korean forks that everyone is so fascinated by. They told me I could stay with them any time I visit Wonju! They are so super sweet! I should have taken more pics with them, but I have only one and it will be on facebook as soon as I get the time.
HaeIn and I went to the Friday night WEC meeting immediately following the pizza extravaganza where I managed to eat 5 pieces of pizza. They also let us take all of the leftovers home! So awesome! The topic for tonight was Movies proposed by CJ (former youth pastor from South Africa). What kinds of movies we like? Where we like to watch movies? Do we think that movies can change the way we think about the world? Etc. It was an interesting topic, especially toward the end.
After the meeting, we went to our usual Makkoli place and talked for a looong time. Chan made a toast to me!^^ So sweet of him! Chan is my 34 year old, male Korean, nurse buddy! His wife and son have been on a lot of our outings; so I know them fairly well also. Lauren was there for her last time as well, but she only went to a few meetings. We had a lot of interesting conversations at the Makkoli bar tonight. One being the "playfulness" of Korean girls. The whining...the "cutesy" hitting of their boyfriends...etc. Apparently a lot of guys find this attractive. News to me.
At about 12:30AM, we finally headed out. We went to Beatles Bar afterward. Lauren went home. It was Brandon, CJ, Madeline, Jay, Young, two other Korean girls that I don't know well, and another Korean guy that I didn't know well. I was kind of sad; a lot of the people I first started the club with weren't there tonight. Jay, Chris, Monani, Kevin, Julie, Hyon Ju, Allen, Ju, etc etc. Really sad!
I talked to Jay (Australian Jay...hmm I guess they both spent time in Australia....the second Jay I knew) for a good majority of the time at Beatles Bar. We talked more about flirting and what is seen as cute, what is seen as annoying, if the "helpless girl" act really does go as far as it appears to in Korea, etc.
I think I finally got home after 4AM and was in bed around 4:30AM. It has been a loong week. Time for bed!
Rest in Peace...See you in Heaven. (To be explained at a less exhausted time.)
Party Like It's Your...Birthday? - Thursday July 3, 2008
Because I'm so far behind...again...I'm basing the dates off of remembering Friday was July 4th.
It's my second to my last Thursday of teaching. It was...ok. My class that has been the opposite of good the entire semester, once again proved themselves to be tiny terrorists. The target? My job. The Vice Principal came in today with about 5 or 6 other un-named VIPs, and my kids acted like they had never been inside a classroom before. Eh...oh well. I supposed they can't fire me a day before my last day of classes. ^_~ It wasn't really all that bad, but it was enough to make me pretty satisfied that it was the last day of classes with that particular class of students.
After school, I hung around until it was time to head to dinner with the teachers. I left with Yeon Ohk, and again we were the first to get to the restaurant. It's a common trend for us. We hung out for a while before the rest of the teachers got there. They took me to a Japanese restaurant!!! I was so excited! Sashimi, sushi, random things with tiny fish eggs...it was spectacular! I'm slowly starting to enjoy the squishy little fish eggs. It took me living in two Asian countries to finally accept them as part of a meal. I'm still working my way up to salmon eggs...it'll take a bit more to appreciate those.
When you go to a nice restaurant in Korea, you get loads of food! It comes out continuously. There is no stopping. Just more and more and more food. By the time we were done eating, we were all stuffed. So, we went to a cafe instead of going out for a drink. 1-1 teacher and I had wine anyway at the cafe. It was super dry red wine, but I still loved it. I think I love all wine.^^ After the cafe, 1-6 had to meet some guy and 1-4 had to drive her. 1-4 didn't want to leave, but she had to. I think a large portion of 1-6's (Jae Rim's) revolves around guys. After they left, we went to Munchen, a German bar where you drink beer from ice cups and then throw them at a target. This was my third time being there. I just went with Ray on Monday, but then I actually got a free beer. This time, I was horrible. All my beer was free anyway though because I was out with the teachers. Yeon Ohk and I were joking around most of the time...she proposed to me with a fruit loop like bar snack. I said, "I do" of course.^^ After that bar, everyone went home but 1-5 (Yeon Ohk) and I decided to go to the hookah bar (Aqua Vitae) that I had just been to on Sunday with Ethan. She had never tried hookah, so I took her there. It wasn't very strong this time, but that was ok. Yeon Ohk had a good conversation despite me having drank too much. Who knew that my best friend in Korea would turn out to be a 39 year old teacher?! Haha! It'll be hard not being at the same school next year. Really hard.
After the hookah bar, Yeon Ohk took me home. I think it was around 11:30PM at that point. I had had to cancel my guitar lesson which I felt bad about since it was twice that week. The first time was when Ray came...the second being because I was out with the teachers.
Anyway...drinking plus hookah makes for a very tired Stacey.
Peace out.
It's my second to my last Thursday of teaching. It was...ok. My class that has been the opposite of good the entire semester, once again proved themselves to be tiny terrorists. The target? My job. The Vice Principal came in today with about 5 or 6 other un-named VIPs, and my kids acted like they had never been inside a classroom before. Eh...oh well. I supposed they can't fire me a day before my last day of classes. ^_~ It wasn't really all that bad, but it was enough to make me pretty satisfied that it was the last day of classes with that particular class of students.
After school, I hung around until it was time to head to dinner with the teachers. I left with Yeon Ohk, and again we were the first to get to the restaurant. It's a common trend for us. We hung out for a while before the rest of the teachers got there. They took me to a Japanese restaurant!!! I was so excited! Sashimi, sushi, random things with tiny fish eggs...it was spectacular! I'm slowly starting to enjoy the squishy little fish eggs. It took me living in two Asian countries to finally accept them as part of a meal. I'm still working my way up to salmon eggs...it'll take a bit more to appreciate those.
When you go to a nice restaurant in Korea, you get loads of food! It comes out continuously. There is no stopping. Just more and more and more food. By the time we were done eating, we were all stuffed. So, we went to a cafe instead of going out for a drink. 1-1 teacher and I had wine anyway at the cafe. It was super dry red wine, but I still loved it. I think I love all wine.^^ After the cafe, 1-6 had to meet some guy and 1-4 had to drive her. 1-4 didn't want to leave, but she had to. I think a large portion of 1-6's (Jae Rim's) revolves around guys. After they left, we went to Munchen, a German bar where you drink beer from ice cups and then throw them at a target. This was my third time being there. I just went with Ray on Monday, but then I actually got a free beer. This time, I was horrible. All my beer was free anyway though because I was out with the teachers. Yeon Ohk and I were joking around most of the time...she proposed to me with a fruit loop like bar snack. I said, "I do" of course.^^ After that bar, everyone went home but 1-5 (Yeon Ohk) and I decided to go to the hookah bar (Aqua Vitae) that I had just been to on Sunday with Ethan. She had never tried hookah, so I took her there. It wasn't very strong this time, but that was ok. Yeon Ohk had a good conversation despite me having drank too much. Who knew that my best friend in Korea would turn out to be a 39 year old teacher?! Haha! It'll be hard not being at the same school next year. Really hard.
After the hookah bar, Yeon Ohk took me home. I think it was around 11:30PM at that point. I had had to cancel my guitar lesson which I felt bad about since it was twice that week. The first time was when Ray came...the second being because I was out with the teachers.
Anyway...drinking plus hookah makes for a very tired Stacey.
Peace out.
Wednesday, July 2, 2008
Last - Wednesday July 2, 2008
Everything is last now-a-days. The last class with the 1-6 class, last class with 2-1 class, last class with 2-2 class, last teachers' class, etc.
Too real? Yep, me thinks so.
I had to help record a test with the fifth grade English teacher. He and I had to do about three takes because one time the bell ran in the middle of recording...another time we screwed up one of the scenarios. But, all in a all, it only took 20 minutes or so. He also made sure to tell me that these days I don't look good while simultaneously looking pretty. I explained that I have been very tired lately and that I have had a lot on my mind. As far as the pretty goes...it's their way of saying I'm not as fat anymore. Haha! Oh, Korea.
I didn't really know what to teach for the teachers' class today. I told them about my difficulties in making a decision between Wonju and Seoul. A few of them had more input, but that's not why I was telling them. I mean, yes I wanted them to know, but I also wanted to have them talk about a difficult decision they have had to make and how they made the decision. One teacher had to choose between two men when getting married, one had to just flat out decide if she wanted to marry the man she is now married to, one woman has to decide every time whether to continue to push her daughter to study or not when she doesn't want to study, one person had to decide about her apartment, etc. Many of them said that they talk to other people about the decisions they have to make and some just decide on their own. One woman, the teacher I'm closest with said that when she has to make a big decision, she makes it very fast but it's the small decisions that she spends days upon days contemplating.
We then talked about what we're going to do for the summer. One teacher said she had no plans and then went on to tell us that her friend wants her to travel in SE Asia with her, her sister wants her to go to Daegu in Korea with her, and her husband wants them to take a pilgrimage to Israel. Haha! We all laughed...yup, no plans indeed.
After classes, I was going to go down to visit with the first grade teachers more, but I talked to Colleen, and extendee friend of mine about the ridiculous living situation for next year. I think I have officially (personally) come to a final decision. I'm moving to Seoul. I know this is what I've been saying for ages, and it's even what I emailed to Susie, my supervisor, but I think I have finally internalized it. Partially because I'm just tired of worrying about it. The decision has been made...whatever happens happens. Nothing that I experience in Seoul is going to kill me. I will be living on my own, and I will be teaching at an entirely new school; I will be teaching all new students and talking with all new teachers. I may not have my own classroom. I may teach the full 20 hours. I may live in a horrible apartment, but it won't be anything I can't survive. I'll be fine whatever happens. I do have to watch how much money I spend in Seoul which is a big problem on the crappy Fulbright salary, but it'll be ok.
I got home from school much later than I have in a while. I ate pizza after being grilled about the toast I prepared for myself. Each of my family members made sure to criticize the fact that I had burned the toast. It's the way I like it. It's the way I'm going to eat it. Actually I forgot to hide it from them. I knew they would comment on it because they always do. My host mom has finally figured out that it's just the way I like it. When my host father comments about it, I just want to say, "Smoking causes cancer too, and I only eat burnt toast maybe twice a month." (He smokes everyday.) I know it's something trivial, but it's really come to bother me over the year. Ha!
I took a nap before guitar lessons. The van came at 8PM. I half-assed practiced for 2 hours. I'm really not putting much effort into playing this week. Maybe it's the exhaustion...maybe it's because I'm sad about leaving...don't know.
I got home around 10:30 and everyone was already asleep. Sadly that's been happening A LOT this semester. I talked to Cos, a friend of mine, for a while on Skype and caught up with blogging despite my exhaustion.
Peace out.
Too real? Yep, me thinks so.
I had to help record a test with the fifth grade English teacher. He and I had to do about three takes because one time the bell ran in the middle of recording...another time we screwed up one of the scenarios. But, all in a all, it only took 20 minutes or so. He also made sure to tell me that these days I don't look good while simultaneously looking pretty. I explained that I have been very tired lately and that I have had a lot on my mind. As far as the pretty goes...it's their way of saying I'm not as fat anymore. Haha! Oh, Korea.
I didn't really know what to teach for the teachers' class today. I told them about my difficulties in making a decision between Wonju and Seoul. A few of them had more input, but that's not why I was telling them. I mean, yes I wanted them to know, but I also wanted to have them talk about a difficult decision they have had to make and how they made the decision. One teacher had to choose between two men when getting married, one had to just flat out decide if she wanted to marry the man she is now married to, one woman has to decide every time whether to continue to push her daughter to study or not when she doesn't want to study, one person had to decide about her apartment, etc. Many of them said that they talk to other people about the decisions they have to make and some just decide on their own. One woman, the teacher I'm closest with said that when she has to make a big decision, she makes it very fast but it's the small decisions that she spends days upon days contemplating.
We then talked about what we're going to do for the summer. One teacher said she had no plans and then went on to tell us that her friend wants her to travel in SE Asia with her, her sister wants her to go to Daegu in Korea with her, and her husband wants them to take a pilgrimage to Israel. Haha! We all laughed...yup, no plans indeed.
After classes, I was going to go down to visit with the first grade teachers more, but I talked to Colleen, and extendee friend of mine about the ridiculous living situation for next year. I think I have officially (personally) come to a final decision. I'm moving to Seoul. I know this is what I've been saying for ages, and it's even what I emailed to Susie, my supervisor, but I think I have finally internalized it. Partially because I'm just tired of worrying about it. The decision has been made...whatever happens happens. Nothing that I experience in Seoul is going to kill me. I will be living on my own, and I will be teaching at an entirely new school; I will be teaching all new students and talking with all new teachers. I may not have my own classroom. I may teach the full 20 hours. I may live in a horrible apartment, but it won't be anything I can't survive. I'll be fine whatever happens. I do have to watch how much money I spend in Seoul which is a big problem on the crappy Fulbright salary, but it'll be ok.
I got home from school much later than I have in a while. I ate pizza after being grilled about the toast I prepared for myself. Each of my family members made sure to criticize the fact that I had burned the toast. It's the way I like it. It's the way I'm going to eat it. Actually I forgot to hide it from them. I knew they would comment on it because they always do. My host mom has finally figured out that it's just the way I like it. When my host father comments about it, I just want to say, "Smoking causes cancer too, and I only eat burnt toast maybe twice a month." (He smokes everyday.) I know it's something trivial, but it's really come to bother me over the year. Ha!
I took a nap before guitar lessons. The van came at 8PM. I half-assed practiced for 2 hours. I'm really not putting much effort into playing this week. Maybe it's the exhaustion...maybe it's because I'm sad about leaving...don't know.
I got home around 10:30 and everyone was already asleep. Sadly that's been happening A LOT this semester. I talked to Cos, a friend of mine, for a while on Skype and caught up with blogging despite my exhaustion.
Peace out.
Passed out - Tuesday July 1, 2008
It's July! I can't believe it.
Anyway, Ray woke up early to head out; he was going to find the spa that wasn't quite as 24 hours as we thought it was to take a shower. We met at my school before my first class.
I took him to the office to meet my co-teacher and to the first grade office to meet the first grade teachers. I figured they should know that there was going to be a strange man in my classroom today.
The kids loved Ray! I introduced him in each of my classes. We both had to continuously explain that he was not my boyfriend, I am not his wife, he is not my husband. Haha! We asked him his name and where he was from and talked about where he teaches. It was fun!
Ray was also incredible because he taped part of my classes which I've really wanted to do but haven't other than an official tape going to Fulbright for next year's EETAs.
I was sad when he had to leave after my third class. I walked him to the bus stop and before I could get all sappy about missing him, he said we would see each other again. Haha! I hope so.
After he left, I went talked to Lauren for a bit. She's traveling this week; Seoul to visit family and Busan to visit Busan and a friend who lives down there.
Then I ate lunch.
Then I promptly passed out in the first grade teachers' office. After 2 hours of sleep last night and three classes of first grades later, I was done for. Every time someone walked in, I would briefly lift my head and then again pass out. It was like I was drugged. Never have I ever responded that poorly to two hours of sleep. I did it all the time in college, but I think since I came to Korea, I have a different sleeping pattern. I'm just not used to the two hours of sleep anymore.
I slept until I had to get up to head to meet my Korean tutor. I took a taxi even because I was too tired to walk the 15-20 minutes there. Sad, huh? I saw Vin at Bean Club and we talked for a bit. When Flight showed up, she and I went to get Kal Mandu Guk at a place VERY far from the cafe. She drove, and we went into a part of Wonju I had never seen before. After eating, we went to a cafe at Kil Cafe, a street lined with cafes. We drank coffee and talked about all sorts of things. I love my tutor! She's been so amazing, and she's a good friend. We took a walk near the base of Chiaksan after drinking yummy coffee.
We headed back over toward Lotte Cinema to meet a friend of mine from Ghana. We met on a bus ride to Seoul a few weeks ago, but we haven't been able to meet back up. So, we met for coffee. I could only talk with him for a little over an hour because I had to head to my guitar lessons. I decided to walk today from Lotte Cinema. I didn't even realize it was as possible as it is until Ray and I walked there last night.
I was only at my lesson for a little over an hour. I was so exhausted.
I came home and went to bed before midnight.
Peace out.
Anyway, Ray woke up early to head out; he was going to find the spa that wasn't quite as 24 hours as we thought it was to take a shower. We met at my school before my first class.
I took him to the office to meet my co-teacher and to the first grade office to meet the first grade teachers. I figured they should know that there was going to be a strange man in my classroom today.
The kids loved Ray! I introduced him in each of my classes. We both had to continuously explain that he was not my boyfriend, I am not his wife, he is not my husband. Haha! We asked him his name and where he was from and talked about where he teaches. It was fun!
Ray was also incredible because he taped part of my classes which I've really wanted to do but haven't other than an official tape going to Fulbright for next year's EETAs.
I was sad when he had to leave after my third class. I walked him to the bus stop and before I could get all sappy about missing him, he said we would see each other again. Haha! I hope so.
After he left, I went talked to Lauren for a bit. She's traveling this week; Seoul to visit family and Busan to visit Busan and a friend who lives down there.
Then I ate lunch.
Then I promptly passed out in the first grade teachers' office. After 2 hours of sleep last night and three classes of first grades later, I was done for. Every time someone walked in, I would briefly lift my head and then again pass out. It was like I was drugged. Never have I ever responded that poorly to two hours of sleep. I did it all the time in college, but I think since I came to Korea, I have a different sleeping pattern. I'm just not used to the two hours of sleep anymore.
I slept until I had to get up to head to meet my Korean tutor. I took a taxi even because I was too tired to walk the 15-20 minutes there. Sad, huh? I saw Vin at Bean Club and we talked for a bit. When Flight showed up, she and I went to get Kal Mandu Guk at a place VERY far from the cafe. She drove, and we went into a part of Wonju I had never seen before. After eating, we went to a cafe at Kil Cafe, a street lined with cafes. We drank coffee and talked about all sorts of things. I love my tutor! She's been so amazing, and she's a good friend. We took a walk near the base of Chiaksan after drinking yummy coffee.
We headed back over toward Lotte Cinema to meet a friend of mine from Ghana. We met on a bus ride to Seoul a few weeks ago, but we haven't been able to meet back up. So, we met for coffee. I could only talk with him for a little over an hour because I had to head to my guitar lessons. I decided to walk today from Lotte Cinema. I didn't even realize it was as possible as it is until Ray and I walked there last night.
I was only at my lesson for a little over an hour. I was so exhausted.
I came home and went to bed before midnight.
Peace out.
Ray Day - Monday June 30, 2008
So this is the beginning of my last week teaching in Wonju. It's pretty damned depressing to put it bluntly.
I am doing a normal class but with extra game time because again, not feeling the long drawn out goodbyes.
I found out after teaching my second class that Ray was going to come to Wonju to visit me! YAY! Incredibly late notice, but I didn't care. He was going to try to make it in time to go to the orphanage with me, but he missed his bus from Gumi and had to go to Daegu. He finally got on a bus around 2:40PM, and I get to the orphanage at 3:30PM. Gumi is much further from Wonju than that. It's about 2 1/2 hours, I believe.
I bought the kids ice cream and hoped that it wouldn't melt as I waited for the classroom to be handed over to me by the random Korean men installing a computer. They had the ice cream and of course it was everywhere by the time they were done. I tried to do another normal class but with more games. I think the woman that has been helping me since the beginning told the kids that it was my last time, but I think for the most part they forgot between last week and this week. I told them again at the end of class that it was my last day with them. I got a lot of hugs which was super cute. I wasn't as sad as I thought I would be, but I think it's because I haven't made an official personal decision to leave Wonju. So, in a way, I think I'm not really leaving them.
When I left, the director of the orphanage and the woman who has been amazing throughout my entire volunteer stint, drove me home. Well, I thought they were driving me home. Instead we stopped at a hanji shop; they wanted me to pick out a gift. I had no idea what to pick. I hadn't expected anything, and then I was put on the spot to choose my own gift. Luckily, the woman from the orphanage (I wish I knew her name) stepped up and pointed out a little girl and boy made from hanji. She pointed to the little girl and said Ah Ram and pointed to the little boy and said Min Hyeok; two of the children I have taught off and on for the past 9 months. I chose the little girl which is perfect; it will remind me of the orphanage every time I look at it.
From there they were going to take me home, but I asked to be dropped off at Shi Wae Bus Terminal to meet Ray. Pretty much perfect timing. I was super happy to see him. It's been a long time since we had time to just catch up. We haven't really just sat and talked since orientation at Chuncheon. We went downtown for a bit just to look around. We agreed that Wonju is much bigger than Gumi considering Wonju had multiple areas that are considered down town-esque. I bought two skirts because Korea has made me even more obsessed with skirts. Then we headed back to my apartment. My host mom said that Ray couldn't spend the night since her husband wasn't home which is fairly common in Korea. So we just hung out there for a bit so I could drop off my stuff and change.
We walked down near Lotte Cinema which is the closest down town area near me. We had Shabu Shabu for dinner; the same thing we had when I went to visit him. Ha! From there, we walked even further down toward a bar near my guitar hagwon. I had us stop in to say hi to my guitar teacher since I had canceled my lesson for tonight.
We finally made it to Pub; a bar that has Hoegaarden on tap! We only stayed for one drink and then we started walking away from that area when Ray decided we should go to the German bar that I mentioned earlier. We always ended up walking back and forth before Ray decided what he wanted to do and where he wanted to go. haha! So we went to Munchen. At this bar, you can buy a beer in a glass mug, so when you're done drinking, you can throw your glass mug at a target. If you hit the target, you get a chance of winning something. I won a free mug of beer! So we each had two beers there. Then we were going to head to a Makoli Bar but realized we didn't want to eat. At a lot of these bars you have to order anju (food with the alcohol). Instead we went to a Family Mart and bought a huge package of about 16 small bottles of yogurt drink and a huge thing of Makoli and sat outside to drink it. Ray has been telling me since almost day one that Yogurt Makoli is the best, so that's what we drank. At one point, two Korean men walked by and looked at us. One man went into the Family Mart specifically to buy us kimchi. You can't drink Makoli without kimchi is what he was telling us. Haha! SO we ate kimchi and drank Makoli. Then we got two more beers and headed to sit on some benches in front of an outlet mall that was still quite far from my apartment. We sat and talked while we drank.
There was a definite point where my tummy told me it was no longer accepting alcohol. So, Ray took my beer and I drank the rest of the yogurt. I can't even imagine how many of those little yogurt drinks I drank.
We took a taxi back to my apartment and then Ray was going to go find a jimjilbang, but I felt bad so I went with him. Good thing I did, because there was nothing around. We ended up walking all the way back over to the Lotte Cinema area to eat at a Kimbap Nara. I believe this was around 5AM. We then took a taxi back to my apartment. We finally went to sleep around 6 or 6:30AM.
I am doing a normal class but with extra game time because again, not feeling the long drawn out goodbyes.
I found out after teaching my second class that Ray was going to come to Wonju to visit me! YAY! Incredibly late notice, but I didn't care. He was going to try to make it in time to go to the orphanage with me, but he missed his bus from Gumi and had to go to Daegu. He finally got on a bus around 2:40PM, and I get to the orphanage at 3:30PM. Gumi is much further from Wonju than that. It's about 2 1/2 hours, I believe.
I bought the kids ice cream and hoped that it wouldn't melt as I waited for the classroom to be handed over to me by the random Korean men installing a computer. They had the ice cream and of course it was everywhere by the time they were done. I tried to do another normal class but with more games. I think the woman that has been helping me since the beginning told the kids that it was my last time, but I think for the most part they forgot between last week and this week. I told them again at the end of class that it was my last day with them. I got a lot of hugs which was super cute. I wasn't as sad as I thought I would be, but I think it's because I haven't made an official personal decision to leave Wonju. So, in a way, I think I'm not really leaving them.
When I left, the director of the orphanage and the woman who has been amazing throughout my entire volunteer stint, drove me home. Well, I thought they were driving me home. Instead we stopped at a hanji shop; they wanted me to pick out a gift. I had no idea what to pick. I hadn't expected anything, and then I was put on the spot to choose my own gift. Luckily, the woman from the orphanage (I wish I knew her name) stepped up and pointed out a little girl and boy made from hanji. She pointed to the little girl and said Ah Ram and pointed to the little boy and said Min Hyeok; two of the children I have taught off and on for the past 9 months. I chose the little girl which is perfect; it will remind me of the orphanage every time I look at it.
From there they were going to take me home, but I asked to be dropped off at Shi Wae Bus Terminal to meet Ray. Pretty much perfect timing. I was super happy to see him. It's been a long time since we had time to just catch up. We haven't really just sat and talked since orientation at Chuncheon. We went downtown for a bit just to look around. We agreed that Wonju is much bigger than Gumi considering Wonju had multiple areas that are considered down town-esque. I bought two skirts because Korea has made me even more obsessed with skirts. Then we headed back to my apartment. My host mom said that Ray couldn't spend the night since her husband wasn't home which is fairly common in Korea. So we just hung out there for a bit so I could drop off my stuff and change.
We walked down near Lotte Cinema which is the closest down town area near me. We had Shabu Shabu for dinner; the same thing we had when I went to visit him. Ha! From there, we walked even further down toward a bar near my guitar hagwon. I had us stop in to say hi to my guitar teacher since I had canceled my lesson for tonight.
We finally made it to Pub; a bar that has Hoegaarden on tap! We only stayed for one drink and then we started walking away from that area when Ray decided we should go to the German bar that I mentioned earlier. We always ended up walking back and forth before Ray decided what he wanted to do and where he wanted to go. haha! So we went to Munchen. At this bar, you can buy a beer in a glass mug, so when you're done drinking, you can throw your glass mug at a target. If you hit the target, you get a chance of winning something. I won a free mug of beer! So we each had two beers there. Then we were going to head to a Makoli Bar but realized we didn't want to eat. At a lot of these bars you have to order anju (food with the alcohol). Instead we went to a Family Mart and bought a huge package of about 16 small bottles of yogurt drink and a huge thing of Makoli and sat outside to drink it. Ray has been telling me since almost day one that Yogurt Makoli is the best, so that's what we drank. At one point, two Korean men walked by and looked at us. One man went into the Family Mart specifically to buy us kimchi. You can't drink Makoli without kimchi is what he was telling us. Haha! SO we ate kimchi and drank Makoli. Then we got two more beers and headed to sit on some benches in front of an outlet mall that was still quite far from my apartment. We sat and talked while we drank.
There was a definite point where my tummy told me it was no longer accepting alcohol. So, Ray took my beer and I drank the rest of the yogurt. I can't even imagine how many of those little yogurt drinks I drank.
We took a taxi back to my apartment and then Ray was going to go find a jimjilbang, but I felt bad so I went with him. Good thing I did, because there was nothing around. We ended up walking all the way back over to the Lotte Cinema area to eat at a Kimbap Nara. I believe this was around 5AM. We then took a taxi back to my apartment. We finally went to sleep around 6 or 6:30AM.
The Date - Sunday July 29, 2008
I woke up at 9:00AM which is incredibly early for me. Hae In had left even earlier because she had to catch a bus to Seoul to see the production of CATS. SO jealous! She went with her boyfriend. She said that he didn't really want to see it, but she was making him go because he is uncultured. Ha! I told her that if he didn't want to go, I would gladly take his ticket. Somehow that didn't end up working out the way I would have liked it to.
I left around 11:00 or so after we had Ji Hee made us broccoli and cheese soup for lunch. I felt bad when I got home because my host family had gotten the message about me being in Wonju early this morning and had checked to see if I was home. Again whoops!
I hung out at home for a good majority of the day until Ethan (the Korean guy) came to pick me up. Apparently coffee was nowhere in the plan for today. We went to the Wonju gym to watch a Hapkido competition. While I'm sure it was interesting, Ethan and I spent the whole time talking instead of watching the hapkido. We then went to dinner at a Chinese restaurant. At first I was utterly shocked at the prices, but luckily, they had cheaper dishes. I had Chinese noodles. I still find it hard to eat Chinese food in Korea. It always seems odd to me for some reason. I've had Americanized Chinese food and I've had real Chinese food, but Koreanized Chinese food is still strange to me. It is closer to the real thing, however.
After dinner, we headed over to an area which has quite a few bars. We were specifically looking for the Hookah bar...yes there is one in Wonju! Can you believe it?! I couldn't at first. We walked around a LOT because the guys we asked in WA Bar sent us the complete opposite direction. We finally found it, had a beer, and smoked a hookah. It was his first time going to Aqua Vitae in Wonju.
There is something that I forgot to mention about Ethan. He has spent a lot of time with foreigners, he lived in Australia for half a year, and presumably because of these two things combined...he talks like a gangster. We actually call him and his friend Korean gangsters. Anyway, when he talks one on one, that style of talk almost entirely disappears. I also heard later, that he does not at all speak that way when he speaks Korean.
We also got into a big discussion about religion. He is Christian...a very strong Christian. It was an interesting conversation, but a little too high stress for a first date.
For a good majority of the "date" and before it even began, I was hoping that it was just as going out as friends. Somehow, that never seems to be the case in Korea. He's a nice guy...very sweet, tall, cute, incredible English, but I'm still not so much into the dating scene. We'll see if anything happens from here.
Anyway we were out from 5:30PM to 11:30PM. Yup...that's right. A 6 hour date...again how Korea works, but very fun!^^
Peace out.
I left around 11:00 or so after we had Ji Hee made us broccoli and cheese soup for lunch. I felt bad when I got home because my host family had gotten the message about me being in Wonju early this morning and had checked to see if I was home. Again whoops!
I hung out at home for a good majority of the day until Ethan (the Korean guy) came to pick me up. Apparently coffee was nowhere in the plan for today. We went to the Wonju gym to watch a Hapkido competition. While I'm sure it was interesting, Ethan and I spent the whole time talking instead of watching the hapkido. We then went to dinner at a Chinese restaurant. At first I was utterly shocked at the prices, but luckily, they had cheaper dishes. I had Chinese noodles. I still find it hard to eat Chinese food in Korea. It always seems odd to me for some reason. I've had Americanized Chinese food and I've had real Chinese food, but Koreanized Chinese food is still strange to me. It is closer to the real thing, however.
After dinner, we headed over to an area which has quite a few bars. We were specifically looking for the Hookah bar...yes there is one in Wonju! Can you believe it?! I couldn't at first. We walked around a LOT because the guys we asked in WA Bar sent us the complete opposite direction. We finally found it, had a beer, and smoked a hookah. It was his first time going to Aqua Vitae in Wonju.
There is something that I forgot to mention about Ethan. He has spent a lot of time with foreigners, he lived in Australia for half a year, and presumably because of these two things combined...he talks like a gangster. We actually call him and his friend Korean gangsters. Anyway, when he talks one on one, that style of talk almost entirely disappears. I also heard later, that he does not at all speak that way when he speaks Korean.
We also got into a big discussion about religion. He is Christian...a very strong Christian. It was an interesting conversation, but a little too high stress for a first date.
For a good majority of the "date" and before it even began, I was hoping that it was just as going out as friends. Somehow, that never seems to be the case in Korea. He's a nice guy...very sweet, tall, cute, incredible English, but I'm still not so much into the dating scene. We'll see if anything happens from here.
Anyway we were out from 5:30PM to 11:30PM. Yup...that's right. A 6 hour date...again how Korea works, but very fun!^^
Peace out.
First Tour - Saturday June 28, 2008
I took a bus from Shi Wae to Gangbyeon this morning. It cut about 30 min. off the commute. I got to Seoul at 9:10AM or so..almost an hour early. So, I went to have coffee at Tom N Toms. Good grief; the coffee is more expensive than at Starbucks! Craziness.
I met Malcolm on my way back across the road to the station; he was headed to get some lunch for the Sharing House.
We were in charge today, so we had to meet the group at the station and get them to the Sharing House still in tact. ^_~ We didn't do too horribly. We found the buses and everything. Jyoung Ah was with us, so she helped get us off at the right stop. It's kind of a hectic process to get to the Sharing House since it's so far out in the country.
I talked with Malcolm for most of the bus ride, but we both took a few minutes to study our notes.
The visit was good. It started off kind of rough. The only English version of a documentary we usually show at the visits, broke somehow. SO, we couldn't show them the DVD. I was pretty darn nervous but managed to get most of the information out. ^_~ Malcolm is AMAZING! He speaks very naturally and does quite well in front of large groups of people. I figure once I get more used to the information, I will be fine. I definitely made a few slip ups, but luckily, there was another veteran volunteer there to help me out. Heather is such a sweetheart. She knew I was nervous, but she was really supportive. So were two of the Korean male volunteers Han and Lee. They're such great guys. They are part of Angela's class at Seoul University. They came when she made a Sharing House visit an assignment, and they decided that they wanted to continue to volunteer!
Malcolm and I split it up so I would have the outside, he would have the first room, I would have the second room, and he would have the third room. I think it worked out best that way. I don't feel comfortable enough in the first room yet. There is a lot of background information that is presented in that room.
After the museum tour, we had lunch, and then showed the testimony of Lee Ok Seon Halmoni. Unfortunately the visitors couldn't meet any of the halmoni today because those that are healthy enough, were at a meeting in a nearby town.
We may have found someone to take over the Vagina Monologues next year. Jyoung Ah can't do it again; she was so incredibly stressed out last year before and during the production. It is best that someone else take it on after the two incredible years Jyoung Ah headed. One of the visitors was really interested in the VDay movement in Korea. I think if she does take it on, which I think she will, she will do a great job with it. Sadly, I won't be able to help with it again because I'll be out of the country during the production this next year. Last year, I was in and out during travel, but next year, I will be traveling pretty consistently. It makes me sad; I wish I could stay and help more, but my vacation time in the winter is my only time to travel.
The volunteers hung out in the office for a while until Malcolm and some other random guy Annie invited to help with the new website were done messing around with its setup. Heather and Annie took Heather's car back, and Malcom, Andrea (a past volunteer who is only here to visit), Jyoung Ah, and I took a taxi and a bus back to Gangbyeon. Malcolm, Andrea, and I talked the entire way back. Andrea is so sweet! I love her! I just met her, but I love her! She lived most of her life in Colombia and Mexico, but now she is living in California. She is Korean though. Her and Maria met in Mexico through their families and are best friends now.
Anyway, we talked about Uganda a lot and the work that Malcolm did there. We also talked about the current situation of Uganda with the government and the tribes.
When we got back to Gangbyeon, I decided that I just wanted to go home to Wonju. First I stopped in Jamsil to see if that would help with my decision to live there or not. It most certainly did NOT help, but it was nice to at least see part of the area. I headed to the express bus terminal this time because that bus spits me out closer to my home in Wonju (less of a taxi ride). I hadn't really eaten all day, so I ate some odaeng before I got on the bus.
Last night, I asked Miracle (one of my Korean friends) about some Korean guys who used to come to our Friday meetings because I hadn't seen them in a while. Well, one of the guys and I had unspoken considerations of dating, but then we didn't see each other for about a month. Of course Miracle had to tell him that I had asked about him and his friend. Apparently his friend moved to Thailand. He, however, was very much still in Wonju and texted to ask me if I wanted to get coffee tomorrow. I hesitantly agreed. Coffee tomorrow it is.
When I got back to Wonju, I went over to Ji Hee's place because both her and Hae In had been hanging out at Ji Hee's apartment all day. I finally ate a decent meal, and we just talked all night. I ended up falling asleep at Ji Hee's along with Hae In. This was after I had texted my family to tell them that I would come home tonight. Woops!
I met Malcolm on my way back across the road to the station; he was headed to get some lunch for the Sharing House.
We were in charge today, so we had to meet the group at the station and get them to the Sharing House still in tact. ^_~ We didn't do too horribly. We found the buses and everything. Jyoung Ah was with us, so she helped get us off at the right stop. It's kind of a hectic process to get to the Sharing House since it's so far out in the country.
I talked with Malcolm for most of the bus ride, but we both took a few minutes to study our notes.
The visit was good. It started off kind of rough. The only English version of a documentary we usually show at the visits, broke somehow. SO, we couldn't show them the DVD. I was pretty darn nervous but managed to get most of the information out. ^_~ Malcolm is AMAZING! He speaks very naturally and does quite well in front of large groups of people. I figure once I get more used to the information, I will be fine. I definitely made a few slip ups, but luckily, there was another veteran volunteer there to help me out. Heather is such a sweetheart. She knew I was nervous, but she was really supportive. So were two of the Korean male volunteers Han and Lee. They're such great guys. They are part of Angela's class at Seoul University. They came when she made a Sharing House visit an assignment, and they decided that they wanted to continue to volunteer!
Malcolm and I split it up so I would have the outside, he would have the first room, I would have the second room, and he would have the third room. I think it worked out best that way. I don't feel comfortable enough in the first room yet. There is a lot of background information that is presented in that room.
After the museum tour, we had lunch, and then showed the testimony of Lee Ok Seon Halmoni. Unfortunately the visitors couldn't meet any of the halmoni today because those that are healthy enough, were at a meeting in a nearby town.
We may have found someone to take over the Vagina Monologues next year. Jyoung Ah can't do it again; she was so incredibly stressed out last year before and during the production. It is best that someone else take it on after the two incredible years Jyoung Ah headed. One of the visitors was really interested in the VDay movement in Korea. I think if she does take it on, which I think she will, she will do a great job with it. Sadly, I won't be able to help with it again because I'll be out of the country during the production this next year. Last year, I was in and out during travel, but next year, I will be traveling pretty consistently. It makes me sad; I wish I could stay and help more, but my vacation time in the winter is my only time to travel.
The volunteers hung out in the office for a while until Malcolm and some other random guy Annie invited to help with the new website were done messing around with its setup. Heather and Annie took Heather's car back, and Malcom, Andrea (a past volunteer who is only here to visit), Jyoung Ah, and I took a taxi and a bus back to Gangbyeon. Malcolm, Andrea, and I talked the entire way back. Andrea is so sweet! I love her! I just met her, but I love her! She lived most of her life in Colombia and Mexico, but now she is living in California. She is Korean though. Her and Maria met in Mexico through their families and are best friends now.
Anyway, we talked about Uganda a lot and the work that Malcolm did there. We also talked about the current situation of Uganda with the government and the tribes.
When we got back to Gangbyeon, I decided that I just wanted to go home to Wonju. First I stopped in Jamsil to see if that would help with my decision to live there or not. It most certainly did NOT help, but it was nice to at least see part of the area. I headed to the express bus terminal this time because that bus spits me out closer to my home in Wonju (less of a taxi ride). I hadn't really eaten all day, so I ate some odaeng before I got on the bus.
Last night, I asked Miracle (one of my Korean friends) about some Korean guys who used to come to our Friday meetings because I hadn't seen them in a while. Well, one of the guys and I had unspoken considerations of dating, but then we didn't see each other for about a month. Of course Miracle had to tell him that I had asked about him and his friend. Apparently his friend moved to Thailand. He, however, was very much still in Wonju and texted to ask me if I wanted to get coffee tomorrow. I hesitantly agreed. Coffee tomorrow it is.
When I got back to Wonju, I went over to Ji Hee's place because both her and Hae In had been hanging out at Ji Hee's apartment all day. I finally ate a decent meal, and we just talked all night. I ended up falling asleep at Ji Hee's along with Hae In. This was after I had texted my family to tell them that I would come home tonight. Woops!
Still Studying... - Friday June 27, 2008
After playing with clocks all day for my second graders to learn "What time is it?," I spent the rest of the day in the first grade office. I was there until I had my guitar lessons at 2:30PM.
I don't remember what happened after guitar lessons...the problem with being slow to update your blog...memory loss.
I went to the meeting tonight. The topic was about traveling.^^ I love talking about traveling. The people in my group had been to Australia, the Philippines, etc. One guy took a biking tour from Wonju to Pusan over the course of only four days! That is an intense ride! We talked about most memorable traveling moments. One of mine was this amazing little girl in Myanmar named Thay Thay Win. Whenever I would ask her her name (I knew her name...I just liked how she said it), she would say "Thay Thay Win" in the cutest voice ever and bow her head as she said, "Win." I love that little girl. We hugged each other every time we saw each other, we danced together, and we just hung out whenever we could. Love, love, love that girl!
After the meeting, we headed to our usual Makoli place. I talked a lot to Hae In and Jay because he was actually at the meeting tonight!! So excited! He is one of my best Korean guy friends! At one point, I started worrying about my first tour I'm supposed to give at the Sharing House tomorrow, so I left for a bit to sit outside and read my notes. Seriously, I don't feel prepared to give all of that incredibly important information to a group of people during a museum tour. I'm sure it'll all be okay when I get started, but for now...semi-terrified.
I was only out there for a short time because Jay came to talk to me. We talked about the Sharing House a bit, and then he talked me into coming back inside. We spent a bit more time talking. I let it slip that last week is my last week in Wonju which means they may have a going away party for me. I was kind of hoping to avoid sad goodbyes, but I think it's inevitable.
I got home around 12:30 or 1:00 this time. Have to get up early to head to Seoul in the morning.
I finally realized that there is a bus that goes straight to Gangbyeon versus me taking a bus to Gangnam and transferring to the subway to head to Gangbyeon station. It only took me a year to figure it out. Ha!
Anyway, peace out.
I don't remember what happened after guitar lessons...the problem with being slow to update your blog...memory loss.
I went to the meeting tonight. The topic was about traveling.^^ I love talking about traveling. The people in my group had been to Australia, the Philippines, etc. One guy took a biking tour from Wonju to Pusan over the course of only four days! That is an intense ride! We talked about most memorable traveling moments. One of mine was this amazing little girl in Myanmar named Thay Thay Win. Whenever I would ask her her name (I knew her name...I just liked how she said it), she would say "Thay Thay Win" in the cutest voice ever and bow her head as she said, "Win." I love that little girl. We hugged each other every time we saw each other, we danced together, and we just hung out whenever we could. Love, love, love that girl!
After the meeting, we headed to our usual Makoli place. I talked a lot to Hae In and Jay because he was actually at the meeting tonight!! So excited! He is one of my best Korean guy friends! At one point, I started worrying about my first tour I'm supposed to give at the Sharing House tomorrow, so I left for a bit to sit outside and read my notes. Seriously, I don't feel prepared to give all of that incredibly important information to a group of people during a museum tour. I'm sure it'll all be okay when I get started, but for now...semi-terrified.
I was only out there for a short time because Jay came to talk to me. We talked about the Sharing House a bit, and then he talked me into coming back inside. We spent a bit more time talking. I let it slip that last week is my last week in Wonju which means they may have a going away party for me. I was kind of hoping to avoid sad goodbyes, but I think it's inevitable.
I got home around 12:30 or 1:00 this time. Have to get up early to head to Seoul in the morning.
I finally realized that there is a bus that goes straight to Gangbyeon versus me taking a bus to Gangnam and transferring to the subway to head to Gangbyeon station. It only took me a year to figure it out. Ha!
Anyway, peace out.
Everybody Was Kung Fu Fighting - Thursday June 26, 2008
I don't really remember classes for today.
I hung around and talked with the teachers for a bit after school per usual.
I went out to eat with my host family and my host mom's friend's family. They dropped me off on the way back to the apartments. I walked to my last Jazz Dance class. We finished the song we were dancing to which was perfect timing. Although, I don't know how well I actually remember it. ^_~ After class, I told the jazz dance instructor that it was my last day. She was really sad which made me really sad. She had wanted to make me a mixed CD with all of the songs to the dances we had learned, but I hadn't given her enough warning. I think this is pretty consistent for me...I don't like drawn out goodbyes...too hard. Maybe that's why I've drawn out this decision for so long. If I haven't really decided yet, there doesn't have to be as much sadness. Anyway, she gave me a CD that she had in her case that has two of the songs on it. So sweet of her! She also gave me her card so we can stay in touch. She doesn't speak English really and I speak very little Korean, but we'll figure something out.
After dance, I went to guitar for a few hours before I met up with my co teacher to go watch Kung Fu Panda!
We had been wanting to go for so long, but there was always one of the three of us that couldn't go. Ji Hee told us to just go ahead without her. She's our third musketeer, so it was a little sad, but the movie was awesome! I loved it! Lots of laughing!
Afterward, we walked home. Hae In's apartment is much closer than mine, but the nights have been so wonderful lately, that I really like to walk at night. Plus, I thought it would help clear my head about this moving situation. It didn't, but the walk was nice anyway.
Time for bed.
Peace out.
I hung around and talked with the teachers for a bit after school per usual.
I went out to eat with my host family and my host mom's friend's family. They dropped me off on the way back to the apartments. I walked to my last Jazz Dance class. We finished the song we were dancing to which was perfect timing. Although, I don't know how well I actually remember it. ^_~ After class, I told the jazz dance instructor that it was my last day. She was really sad which made me really sad. She had wanted to make me a mixed CD with all of the songs to the dances we had learned, but I hadn't given her enough warning. I think this is pretty consistent for me...I don't like drawn out goodbyes...too hard. Maybe that's why I've drawn out this decision for so long. If I haven't really decided yet, there doesn't have to be as much sadness. Anyway, she gave me a CD that she had in her case that has two of the songs on it. So sweet of her! She also gave me her card so we can stay in touch. She doesn't speak English really and I speak very little Korean, but we'll figure something out.
After dance, I went to guitar for a few hours before I met up with my co teacher to go watch Kung Fu Panda!
We had been wanting to go for so long, but there was always one of the three of us that couldn't go. Ji Hee told us to just go ahead without her. She's our third musketeer, so it was a little sad, but the movie was awesome! I loved it! Lots of laughing!
Afterward, we walked home. Hae In's apartment is much closer than mine, but the nights have been so wonderful lately, that I really like to walk at night. Plus, I thought it would help clear my head about this moving situation. It didn't, but the walk was nice anyway.
Time for bed.
Peace out.
Tuesday, July 1, 2008
Slacker - Wednesday June 25, 2008
Pretty standard day...
I did, however, have my teachers' class for the first time in quite some time. Where to pick up at. I decided to do a speaking activity practicing different topics. I had them draw 10 straws...of random colors. Black = Embarrassing moments (Ex: I went to class after going the bathroom and my skirt was tucked into my under), Red = Where you want to travel, Blue = Goals for the future (Ex. Read the Bible everyday after retirement. Ex. Travel to Amsterdam for the reason many travel to Amsterdam.), Green = Happiest time (Ex. Children being born, Living in another country, Child's first laugh/smile/walk), Purple = Adjectives to describe yourself (Ex. Shy, Introverted, Selfish, Laid Back).
I've basically become a slacker; I chose again not to go to yoga today. I think I'm just trying to slowly pull out of my activities in Wonju so it's not as overwhelmingly sad when I leave. Or I'm just lazy...one of the two. ^_~
Exciting post, right?^^
Peace out.
I did, however, have my teachers' class for the first time in quite some time. Where to pick up at. I decided to do a speaking activity practicing different topics. I had them draw 10 straws...of random colors. Black = Embarrassing moments (Ex: I went to class after going the bathroom and my skirt was tucked into my under), Red = Where you want to travel, Blue = Goals for the future (Ex. Read the Bible everyday after retirement. Ex. Travel to Amsterdam for the reason many travel to Amsterdam.), Green = Happiest time (Ex. Children being born, Living in another country, Child's first laugh/smile/walk), Purple = Adjectives to describe yourself (Ex. Shy, Introverted, Selfish, Laid Back).
I've basically become a slacker; I chose again not to go to yoga today. I think I'm just trying to slowly pull out of my activities in Wonju so it's not as overwhelmingly sad when I leave. Or I'm just lazy...one of the two. ^_~
Exciting post, right?^^
Peace out.
Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day - Tuesday June 24, 2008
I finally sent the email this morning when I woke up. Exhaustion set in.
In addition, I realized that I really don't want to live in Seoul, but that appears to be what I have decided to commit to.
When I told my co-teacher at school, she was sad...I started crying.
The first few minutes of my first class...I tried not to cry and for the most part succeeded.
I told 1-5 teacher that I was going to move...almost started crying again.
Walked from school to my tutoring lessons...crying but trying to hold it back. This was amazingly emphasized by the fact that I had more kids say hi to me than EVER before on my walk to my Korean lesson.
I got to my Korean lesson. Pulled myself together. My tutor asked me what was wrong...I started bawling. Guess that's what I get for holding in weeks worth of frustration and sadness about this damned moving decision.
My tutor being as amazing as she is, she didn't once suggest studying but just sat there and talked to me. She brought up the Buddhist quote that says, "When we meet someone, we are destined to leave them." She then said that we should get out of there and go for dinner. So we did. We went to have Kal Guk Su. I felt better.
I did, however, refuse to go to my jazz dance class.
So, I just went to my guitar lesson instead.
By the end of the day, I was physically and emotionally drained.
Tomorrow is another day.
Peace out.
In addition, I realized that I really don't want to live in Seoul, but that appears to be what I have decided to commit to.
When I told my co-teacher at school, she was sad...I started crying.
The first few minutes of my first class...I tried not to cry and for the most part succeeded.
I told 1-5 teacher that I was going to move...almost started crying again.
Walked from school to my tutoring lessons...crying but trying to hold it back. This was amazingly emphasized by the fact that I had more kids say hi to me than EVER before on my walk to my Korean lesson.
I got to my Korean lesson. Pulled myself together. My tutor asked me what was wrong...I started bawling. Guess that's what I get for holding in weeks worth of frustration and sadness about this damned moving decision.
My tutor being as amazing as she is, she didn't once suggest studying but just sat there and talked to me. She brought up the Buddhist quote that says, "When we meet someone, we are destined to leave them." She then said that we should get out of there and go for dinner. So we did. We went to have Kal Guk Su. I felt better.
I did, however, refuse to go to my jazz dance class.
So, I just went to my guitar lesson instead.
By the end of the day, I was physically and emotionally drained.
Tomorrow is another day.
Peace out.
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