It's 7:30 PM on Thursday, and my weekend officially began 3 hours ago. Can you say "four day work week"?
Jealous? :)
My first week is now finished, and I must say, it's not a bad gig. I mean, sure, I have to get up super early (compared to what I'm used to), and I'm pretty far off the beaten path. However, the work is hardly taxing (just wait 'til I have to put them through their first round of tests, though) and the students are pretty sharp. It's not bad at all.
Well, let me fill you in. Remember how last week I was unemployed and freaking out? Didn't last for long. Well, the unemployment didn't. The freaking out ... well, that still hasn't completely run it's course. Anyways. To make a long story short, last Monday I received an offer for an interview with a high school in Gimpo. I automatically said no. I had a change of heart on Wednesday, and we set up an interview for the next day. I trekked all the way out to Gimpo (with really no intent of taking the job ... I just wanted to have the experience of the interview), did my interview, was offered the job, thought about it for a few hours, and accepted. Bada-bing, bada-boom, you are now looking at the newest addition to the staff at Gimpo Foreign Language High School.
Funny how these things work out, right?
I moved the majority of my belongings up on Saturday. PS, in a taxi, it takes over an hour and a half to get from Hogyedong to this school. Last Thursday, it took just over two hours via a combination of the subway and the bus. Oh, and for future reference, it takes 3 hours and 40 minutes from Yeongtong using a combination of the 900 bus and the 380 bus - but I'm sure there's a better way to do that.
My first day was Monday - I teach only second year high school students (they're juniors). There are six junior classes of around 36 students each, and I teach four of them. These students are pretty incredible - since it's a foreign language high school, they are here to study (major in) other languages. Now, as I teach English, you would think that my students would be English majors, right? WRONG. Two of my classes are majoring in Japanese, and two of them are majoring in Chinese. They are simply required to take English, no matter what.
Also, schools such as these have pretty rigorous entrance examinations. These students are, for the most part, serious about their studies. They are woken up at 6 AM every morning. For the seniors, their homeroom class is at 7 AM. The other students begin at 7:30. They have classes throughout the day, including study hall sessions ... and they are finally allowed back into their rooms at like, 11:00 PM. Oh, and they can only go home like, one weekend a month. 'Tis a hard life these kids lead.
Anyways. I teach 2-1 and 2-2, and they major in Japanese. 2-3 and 2-4 are majoring in Chinese - they're also mine. Another English teacher teaches 2-5 and 2-6 - guess what they major in? BOTH Japanese AND Chinese. Each class is split in half for their language lessons, to make it more manageable - so think of it as being like, 2-1A and 2-1B and so on and so forth ... and I see each group of students twice a week. So I teach 16 classes a week, at 50 minutes a piece. Oh, and I only teach Conversation. :)
There's a few other foreign teachers - two teachers who teach English and some Chinese and Japanese teachers. The other English teachers are quite a bit older than I am - and neither are from the States. One, a man, is from Canada, and the other, a woman, is from New Zealand (though she's spent the past 20-some years in Fiji). I don't know how old Randall is, but Daphne is 65. So yes, I am the youngest. Surprise, surprise. :)
The first few days, students have been unable to figure out if I'm a teacher or a student in the hallways. Often, they get stuck in a sort of half-bow ... which is quite comical. The other day I was doing laundry (we have combination washer and dryers) and I was waiting for my clothes when a student came in - I was wearing sweats and a t-shirt, so I guess I looked like a student ... and when I said "hello" to her, she just about jumped a mile. There's been a few times like that. :)
The hardest part ... I guess it's the feeling of being isolated. Especially at like, meal-times, because I don't have anyone to eat with. I'm too shy, and I can't speak Korean. But, it'll pass. And if it doesn't, I have 3-day weekends and hella awesome vacation time.
My first week of classes went well - well, as well as could be expected. I already can tell who's going to work hard and who doesn't really give. I've already had to discipline one student for being disrespectful in class, and I'm already planning out what tests I will give them. But, for the most part, they are super kids. There's one student in my 2-2 class who lived in England for quite some time and has a British accent. There's several students who have studied in foreign countries. There are some insanely motivated students who I am lucky enough to have in my classes. My 2-4 kids are INCREDIBLY intelligent. They're all super bright.
So, I'm doing well. Right now, I'm waiting "Tristan and Isolde," packing up a backpack for the weekend, and listening to the AMAZING rainstorm that's going on outside, complete with lightning and thunder.
Soon, I'll be off to bed ... and then in the morning, I have to run by city hall to change my residence information ... and then, to Anyang!!! This weekend, Jenny teacher is getting married - I'm SUPER excited for her. And then, church. Hopefully I can find a better bus route. :)
___
PS - I don't notice the moon anymore.
Thursday, September 9
Monday, August 16
Revelation
No, not the one in the Bible.
I've recently had a revelation - writing things down makes it easier for me to sleep at night. And since I'm MUCH too lazy to write things down on paper ... I'll write them down here. For the most part.
Right now, it's 11:05 PM. I'm currently MSN-chatting with Nick (who is eating 보영만두 ... and I kind of hate him for it) and watching "Ironman" while reading "The Verdant Passage" - which is something Dean brought back form the States. Now, I'm not really a HUGE fan of the Science-Fiction/Fantasy genres. I mean, I like a little David Eddings now and then, and by a little, I mean I only like the ones with Sparhawk in them (so that means I like only two trilogies - "The Elenium" and "The Tamuli"). I like those books, probably because they're simple, easy to follow, and they're not over the top fantasy (as in, the characters still ride horses or stuff like that). So far, I'm 76 pages in and I'm totally lost. It's frustrating. And even more frustrating is the fact that I'm probably going to want to finish the series too, regardless of whether or not I understand it or remember it all. And that's a bother.
Oh well.
"Ironman" is one of my favorite "recent" movies. It's just so entertaining. Plus, I love Tony Stark. He's so arrogant ... for some reason, I like that about him. Speaking of movies ... I saw "The Experiment" on Friday with Evan and Kyoung. It's being released directly to DVD in the States in like, September ... but it's in theatres here. PS, I am now in love with Adrien Brody. I was stoked to see it because it was loosely based off of Phillip Zimbardo's Stanford Prison Experiment, which was fascinating ... regardless of the ethical lines it crossed. You can't deny that the obedience experiments were interesting ...
Anyways. It was short - just like, 90 minutes. Pretty well done, too. I am also a huge "Inception" fan. I'd be down for seeing it again.
I'm going on a church retreat this weekend. The majority of the people are leaving on Thursday, but there's like, ten of us who will be joining them Friday night. It'll be fun, but I'm kind of nervous ... I'm not sure why. I'm excited, though ... ever since I made the decision to go. It'll be good.
What else? Oh, I have a new student - her name is Kate and she's a first grader. She seems like a good addition to the class. Now, there's 8 kids there, 5 boys and 3 girls. I like that it's evening up a little.
And that's all I've really got. Maybe next time I'll have something witty to say instead of just a review of my day, haha. :) We can only hope.
I've recently had a revelation - writing things down makes it easier for me to sleep at night. And since I'm MUCH too lazy to write things down on paper ... I'll write them down here. For the most part.
Right now, it's 11:05 PM. I'm currently MSN-chatting with Nick (who is eating 보영만두 ... and I kind of hate him for it) and watching "Ironman" while reading "The Verdant Passage" - which is something Dean brought back form the States. Now, I'm not really a HUGE fan of the Science-Fiction/Fantasy genres. I mean, I like a little David Eddings now and then, and by a little, I mean I only like the ones with Sparhawk in them (so that means I like only two trilogies - "The Elenium" and "The Tamuli"). I like those books, probably because they're simple, easy to follow, and they're not over the top fantasy (as in, the characters still ride horses or stuff like that). So far, I'm 76 pages in and I'm totally lost. It's frustrating. And even more frustrating is the fact that I'm probably going to want to finish the series too, regardless of whether or not I understand it or remember it all. And that's a bother.
Oh well.
"Ironman" is one of my favorite "recent" movies. It's just so entertaining. Plus, I love Tony Stark. He's so arrogant ... for some reason, I like that about him. Speaking of movies ... I saw "The Experiment" on Friday with Evan and Kyoung. It's being released directly to DVD in the States in like, September ... but it's in theatres here. PS, I am now in love with Adrien Brody. I was stoked to see it because it was loosely based off of Phillip Zimbardo's Stanford Prison Experiment, which was fascinating ... regardless of the ethical lines it crossed. You can't deny that the obedience experiments were interesting ...
Anyways. It was short - just like, 90 minutes. Pretty well done, too. I am also a huge "Inception" fan. I'd be down for seeing it again.
I'm going on a church retreat this weekend. The majority of the people are leaving on Thursday, but there's like, ten of us who will be joining them Friday night. It'll be fun, but I'm kind of nervous ... I'm not sure why. I'm excited, though ... ever since I made the decision to go. It'll be good.
What else? Oh, I have a new student - her name is Kate and she's a first grader. She seems like a good addition to the class. Now, there's 8 kids there, 5 boys and 3 girls. I like that it's evening up a little.
And that's all I've really got. Maybe next time I'll have something witty to say instead of just a review of my day, haha. :) We can only hope.
More to come ...
It's 12:02 AM, so I'ma keep this shooooooort. Read and think about ... some dicussion to follow later.
1.) Had my 23rd birthday party on Saturday, August 14th ... thanks to EVERYONE (especially TREVOR) for making it great! (Yeah, I know my birthday isn't until Wednesday ... but ... I'm going on a retreat the weekend after. So, really, this was the best time to do it). Check Facebook for some pics.
2.) I have two new musical obsessions.
"サヨナラから始めよう" by GReeeeN
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cORCEmBLKJ8
and
"너의 마음속엔 강이 흐른다" (River Flows In You) composed by Yiruma, sung by Ruvin
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i8-jf_3qTPc
3.) Two weeks until my contract is done!
4.) Got into a mini-debate today about infallibility versus inspiration in regards to the Bible. You know, infallibity meaning that the entire Book is God's Word and that it's completely true and correct whereas inspiration is the idea that God (erh, the Holy Spirit) inspired men to write the ideas, but that they were able to put their own twist on things thus leaving room for error (while getting the overall message right). Read up about it. Think about it. Discuss.
5.) Went to Kim's Club to pick up groceries for the first time in FOREVER ... I don't spend a lot of time at home. Anyways, I bought this certain kind of milk today because it is called "Vitamin Milk" and it says that it's "An Excellent Source of Vitamin." Not vitaminS, but just vitamin. I wonder which vitamin? :)
1.) Had my 23rd birthday party on Saturday, August 14th ... thanks to EVERYONE (especially TREVOR) for making it great! (Yeah, I know my birthday isn't until Wednesday ... but ... I'm going on a retreat the weekend after. So, really, this was the best time to do it). Check Facebook for some pics.
2.) I have two new musical obsessions.
"サヨナラから始めよう" by GReeeeN
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cORCEmBLKJ8
and
"너의 마음속엔 강이 흐른다" (River Flows In You) composed by Yiruma, sung by Ruvin
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i8-jf_3qTPc
3.) Two weeks until my contract is done!
4.) Got into a mini-debate today about infallibility versus inspiration in regards to the Bible. You know, infallibity meaning that the entire Book is God's Word and that it's completely true and correct whereas inspiration is the idea that God (erh, the Holy Spirit) inspired men to write the ideas, but that they were able to put their own twist on things thus leaving room for error (while getting the overall message right). Read up about it. Think about it. Discuss.
5.) Went to Kim's Club to pick up groceries for the first time in FOREVER ... I don't spend a lot of time at home. Anyways, I bought this certain kind of milk today because it is called "Vitamin Milk" and it says that it's "An Excellent Source of Vitamin." Not vitaminS, but just vitamin. I wonder which vitamin? :)
Saturday, July 31
Writer's Block
I have writer's block.
Now, seeing as how I haven't been a student for over two years, many of you might not find this to be a problem. After all, I'm a teacher now - why would I find a need to write anything of substance? I mean, obviously, aside from scribbling comments in practice books or on report cards, I have had very few reasons to write anything since my commencement. Why is this causing me so much anxiety now?
Two weeks ago, I enrolled in an online TEFL certification course. Now, I am well aware of the fact that I probably could have just paid my money, taken the test, and been done with it all. However, since I am not a trained teacher, I decided that this would be the opportune time actually sit down and learn some of the basics, the fundamentals, the theories ... you know. Well ...
... said TEFL course requires me to write essays after finishing each module. There's like ... fourteen modules. Maybe more. Maybe less. And I'm required to write two essays after each module. Each essay must be around 700 words. The last thing I wrote for a class was my senior research paper, in April of 2008. The closest I've come to academic writing since then has been my blog posts, which lately have been few and far between. Not to mention that I find the first paper always the most difficult one, based on the fact that you have no idea what the instructor is looking for. Granted, this is simply an online certification course, but a course is a course, and hence ... the writer's block.
Couple that with the fact that I've never been exceptionally confident of my writing abilities, and I'm sure you can see my dilemma. Which is why I am currently seated in the corner of Indigo Blue, sipping a mango soda and chatting with Hyun, while resolutely ignoring the Word document that is open with my half finished essay typed up - most of which will probably be deleted and rewritten within the next two days. Oh, and I'm going to see a movie later on tonight with Steve, Mi-Hee, and Amanda ... and that means I will continue ignoring said Word doc.
It's a good thing I have six months to finish this course at my own pace, or else I'd be screwed. And I kind of feel that this "at your own pace" is going to be my downfall anyways, as I have always been a procrastinator. Time to set myself some deadlines.
***
Okay, well moving on from the TEFL course - what else can I update you wonderful people on? You know, it just dawned on me that the only people who really read what I write here are reading it via Facebook ... and if you're on Facebook and reading this, then chances are you are someone who I keep in semi-regular contact with, which means you probably already know everything that is going on in my life in the first place.
Oh well. Read and be bored then. :)
I have less than a month before my contract is finished, and I will be moving. I would already have a job lined up if I wasn't so damn picky, but hey - c'est la vie. I'm not worried. There's some promising offers out there, and I know that the perfect one is going to turn up - knowing how the system works here, probably not until the week before my contract is up, but hey it's all good because at least I'm already in the country, right? :)
This past week has been my vacation, and it's been lovely. Well, okay, I've been a little bored, but that's my own fault because I've never really understood how to enjoy an entirely free day before. Let's see - I can't remember what I did on Monday. That's probably not a good sign. On Tuesday, I went to Suwon and met Eun-Young and her conversation students and we had class together. That was a lot of fun - she teaches older students so I met with two women in their mid-30's. Then I had dinner with the infamous Nicholas Kucharik at Suwon Station. On Wednesday, a group of us made the trek down on the 900 bus and explored Hwaseong Fortress for a few hours ... oh, that was AFTER lunch at Bo-Young Man-doo. :) On Thursday, Wan-Soo came up and helped me buy a new cell phone - yay for new toys! Oh, and I met with Matt (who I hadn't seen in over a year), before going to study group with Evan and In-Chae. Yesterday, Friday, I went to dinner with Evan and Kyoung-Hwa.
That's pretty much been my vacation. Oh, you know, I've cleaned a little, packed some boxes, and gone to the gym ... it's a lot nicer going in the middle of the day than it is going hella early in the morning or late at night. I've also drank copious amounts of coffee and completely skewed my sleeping schedule. Tomorrow morning will be interesting, to say the least.
Now, I am finishing up at Indigo, and getting ready to head home to post this. Yes, I will be posting it. Yes, I will be writing more soon. No, it probably won't be THAT soon. :)
Much love to you all ... especially those of you who are getting married, have recently gotten married, are engaged, or have recently gotten engaged (and by this, of course, I'm taking about Andy and Jess) ...
<3
Now, seeing as how I haven't been a student for over two years, many of you might not find this to be a problem. After all, I'm a teacher now - why would I find a need to write anything of substance? I mean, obviously, aside from scribbling comments in practice books or on report cards, I have had very few reasons to write anything since my commencement. Why is this causing me so much anxiety now?
Two weeks ago, I enrolled in an online TEFL certification course. Now, I am well aware of the fact that I probably could have just paid my money, taken the test, and been done with it all. However, since I am not a trained teacher, I decided that this would be the opportune time actually sit down and learn some of the basics, the fundamentals, the theories ... you know. Well ...
... said TEFL course requires me to write essays after finishing each module. There's like ... fourteen modules. Maybe more. Maybe less. And I'm required to write two essays after each module. Each essay must be around 700 words. The last thing I wrote for a class was my senior research paper, in April of 2008. The closest I've come to academic writing since then has been my blog posts, which lately have been few and far between. Not to mention that I find the first paper always the most difficult one, based on the fact that you have no idea what the instructor is looking for. Granted, this is simply an online certification course, but a course is a course, and hence ... the writer's block.
Couple that with the fact that I've never been exceptionally confident of my writing abilities, and I'm sure you can see my dilemma. Which is why I am currently seated in the corner of Indigo Blue, sipping a mango soda and chatting with Hyun, while resolutely ignoring the Word document that is open with my half finished essay typed up - most of which will probably be deleted and rewritten within the next two days. Oh, and I'm going to see a movie later on tonight with Steve, Mi-Hee, and Amanda ... and that means I will continue ignoring said Word doc.
It's a good thing I have six months to finish this course at my own pace, or else I'd be screwed. And I kind of feel that this "at your own pace" is going to be my downfall anyways, as I have always been a procrastinator. Time to set myself some deadlines.
***
Okay, well moving on from the TEFL course - what else can I update you wonderful people on? You know, it just dawned on me that the only people who really read what I write here are reading it via Facebook ... and if you're on Facebook and reading this, then chances are you are someone who I keep in semi-regular contact with, which means you probably already know everything that is going on in my life in the first place.
Oh well. Read and be bored then. :)
I have less than a month before my contract is finished, and I will be moving. I would already have a job lined up if I wasn't so damn picky, but hey - c'est la vie. I'm not worried. There's some promising offers out there, and I know that the perfect one is going to turn up - knowing how the system works here, probably not until the week before my contract is up, but hey it's all good because at least I'm already in the country, right? :)
This past week has been my vacation, and it's been lovely. Well, okay, I've been a little bored, but that's my own fault because I've never really understood how to enjoy an entirely free day before. Let's see - I can't remember what I did on Monday. That's probably not a good sign. On Tuesday, I went to Suwon and met Eun-Young and her conversation students and we had class together. That was a lot of fun - she teaches older students so I met with two women in their mid-30's. Then I had dinner with the infamous Nicholas Kucharik at Suwon Station. On Wednesday, a group of us made the trek down on the 900 bus and explored Hwaseong Fortress for a few hours ... oh, that was AFTER lunch at Bo-Young Man-doo. :) On Thursday, Wan-Soo came up and helped me buy a new cell phone - yay for new toys! Oh, and I met with Matt (who I hadn't seen in over a year), before going to study group with Evan and In-Chae. Yesterday, Friday, I went to dinner with Evan and Kyoung-Hwa.
That's pretty much been my vacation. Oh, you know, I've cleaned a little, packed some boxes, and gone to the gym ... it's a lot nicer going in the middle of the day than it is going hella early in the morning or late at night. I've also drank copious amounts of coffee and completely skewed my sleeping schedule. Tomorrow morning will be interesting, to say the least.
Now, I am finishing up at Indigo, and getting ready to head home to post this. Yes, I will be posting it. Yes, I will be writing more soon. No, it probably won't be THAT soon. :)
Much love to you all ... especially those of you who are getting married, have recently gotten married, are engaged, or have recently gotten engaged (and by this, of course, I'm taking about Andy and Jess) ...
<3
Wednesday, July 7
:)
Why am I smiling?
Well, it could be because I just spent the evening with my friend studying Korean and English. Or, maybe it's because the week is over halfway over. Or perhaps it's because in the past three days, I've eaten Bo-Young Man-doo TWICE. Or maybe it's ALL of those reasons ... AND the fact that ...
NICHOLAS DONG-JIN KUCHARIK HAS ARRIVED IN KOREA!!!
Yeah, maybe that's it. :) :) :)
It's late. I'll write later. Instead, click-y on this link-y and enjoy TOP's music video for "Turn It Up." I like TOP.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AdPnMoxKOWY&feature=player_embedded
Well, it could be because I just spent the evening with my friend studying Korean and English. Or, maybe it's because the week is over halfway over. Or perhaps it's because in the past three days, I've eaten Bo-Young Man-doo TWICE. Or maybe it's ALL of those reasons ... AND the fact that ...
NICHOLAS DONG-JIN KUCHARIK HAS ARRIVED IN KOREA!!!
Yeah, maybe that's it. :) :) :)
It's late. I'll write later. Instead, click-y on this link-y and enjoy TOP's music video for "Turn It Up." I like TOP.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AdPnMoxKOWY&feature=player_embedded
Sunday, June 13
대한 민국!!!
DAEHAN MINGOOK!!!
대한 민국!!!
Just wanted to make sure that everyone knew that Korea recorded the first WIN (not draw) in the 2010 World Cup with a stunning 2-0 victory over Greece ... it was a great game, y'all. I enjoyed watching the game from outside a hof in Acro Tower with Steve, Stuart, Joe, Rob, Mi-Hee, Hannah, Judy, and Grace. It was quite an enjoyable night. Best part not related to soccer? Taking a picture of Steve with this elementary school kid who had the most amazing mullet EVERRR ... promise to post that later.
Did I mention that the game was amazing? Also, PARK Ji-Sung was voted "Man of the Match" after he scored the second goal (the first having been scored by LEE Jung-Soo). Korea's next game is on Thursday (I believe) at 8:30 PM (Korean time) versus Argentina. Argentina just beat Nigeria, 1-0. Next on the schedule for tonight? England versus America ...
Let's see ... what else is new? I started studying Korean twice a week (Tuesdays and Thursdays). I have a new book (from Sogang University), and a fresh mind. Let the learning begin!
Other than that ... nothing else is really new. So, on that note, Ima head to bed. A longer update to come? Perhaps? Meh ...
대한 민국!!!
Just wanted to make sure that everyone knew that Korea recorded the first WIN (not draw) in the 2010 World Cup with a stunning 2-0 victory over Greece ... it was a great game, y'all. I enjoyed watching the game from outside a hof in Acro Tower with Steve, Stuart, Joe, Rob, Mi-Hee, Hannah, Judy, and Grace. It was quite an enjoyable night. Best part not related to soccer? Taking a picture of Steve with this elementary school kid who had the most amazing mullet EVERRR ... promise to post that later.
Did I mention that the game was amazing? Also, PARK Ji-Sung was voted "Man of the Match" after he scored the second goal (the first having been scored by LEE Jung-Soo). Korea's next game is on Thursday (I believe) at 8:30 PM (Korean time) versus Argentina. Argentina just beat Nigeria, 1-0. Next on the schedule for tonight? England versus America ...
Let's see ... what else is new? I started studying Korean twice a week (Tuesdays and Thursdays). I have a new book (from Sogang University), and a fresh mind. Let the learning begin!
Other than that ... nothing else is really new. So, on that note, Ima head to bed. A longer update to come? Perhaps? Meh ...
Sunday, April 18
Okay, random ...
... but I just figured out that I can search for videos on Nate. I just got home from church (well, okay, I got home a few hours ago, but I had dinner and stuff, haha) and I decided I really wanted to find the Korean lyrics to "Blessed Be Your Name" ... which led me to a video on Nate AND lyrics ... so I decided to press my luck and search for other songs that I like that we sing in Korean at church (but I know the English versions of) and now I am going to try to learn them in Korean ...
Anyways, in the midst of my searching, I found "God of this City" (by Chris Tomlin) being performed in JAPANESE! It sounds really neat! I don't know how well the lyrics match up, so someone is going to have to let me know ... anyways, check it out if you feel like it ... and if you don't, then you don't have to. :)
http://video.nate.com/211375267
Anyways, in the midst of my searching, I found "God of this City" (by Chris Tomlin) being performed in JAPANESE! It sounds really neat! I don't know how well the lyrics match up, so someone is going to have to let me know ... anyways, check it out if you feel like it ... and if you don't, then you don't have to. :)
http://video.nate.com/211375267
Saturday, April 10
A lot of this probably doesn't make sense ...
Well ... again, I fail. Sorry about that.
I fail because I haven't been updating this regularly. Again, sorry. But no one really reads this anyways, haha ... so, it's all good, right? So, here's my update.
Right now, I'm watching "Red vs. Blue" on YouTube. Yeah, yeah, I know. But I'm so addicted to it. It's okay ... it comes and goes in phases, really. It's 1:01 AM on Saturday morning - thank heavens. That means it's the weekend!!! Wahoo!!! This week felt really long ... well, when it's Sunday night, every week seems like it'll be long. Then, really ... it flies by. Monday and Tuesday craaaaaaawl ... but then all of the sudden it's Wednesday night! Then, whaddya know - Thursday rolls around! Finally, it's Friday, which is "wear normal clothes to work" day. So ... when I say this week felt really long, what I really mean to say is that it was completely normal in every aspect of the word.
Last week, I adopted a Korean child for approximately thirty minutes. Well, not really - I was walking to H-Mart (for those of you who don't know my neighborhood, it's just on the next corner) when I heard a child wailing. I walked around the corner, and walking up the sidewalk was a little girl all alone and just bawling her eyes out. I stopped and stared at her, and she stopped and stared at me while crying ... and no one was helping her ... so in my poor Korean I managed to ask her if she was okay and what was wrong ... we finally managed to translate to each other that:
A.) I didn't understand much Korean (sorry)
B.) She was lost.
C.) I had a cell phone
D.) She knew her mom's phone number, but couldn't tell her where she was.
So after we realized point D, I called my friend Hannah who talked to the little girl and got her mom's phone number ... and called her mom to come get her. While we waited, I bought her an ice cream from GS. The end.
Random tangent - my Skype isn't working. I can't figure out why. So I just deleted it, and downloaded it again. Still won't work. Anyone help? It's kind of annoying ...
This week, we've celebrated Mindy and Stuart's birthdays ... and we're going to celebrate again tonight (Saturday night) at the Ice Bar in Gangnam ... gah. I'm old. We'll see how long I make it, haha. I may be the youngest, but sometimes I feel like the oldest fogey.
Speaking of old fogies ... :) ... Steve gets back sometime this weekend! I'm super excited ... I can't wait. (^_^)
Last week was Easter - Amanda, Seth, and I went to church in Gangnam, and then headed back down to Beomgye for brunch at Trevor's. It was uh-MAY-zing ... and a lot of fun. Afterwards, Amanda and I headed up to Myeongdong and went shopping. I think the last time I was in Myeongdong was with Heidi ... so it was neat to go back. I remember back when I first got here, and Myeongdong was like my comfort area ... where I would always go. Now, Gangnam wins, haha.
Anyways. It's late, and I'm tired. I'm going to try to write more often ... haha ... riiiiight. (^_^) Anyways. Loooves.
PS - My newest obsession. Can't see the vid? Head to YouTube and type in "YoonHa85" ... check 'im out.
< "Bedrock" by Lil Wayne >
< the original - "Bedrock" by Lil Wayne >
< "Heartbreaker" by G-Dragon >
< the orginal - "Heartbreaker" by G-Dragon >
I fail because I haven't been updating this regularly. Again, sorry. But no one really reads this anyways, haha ... so, it's all good, right? So, here's my update.
Right now, I'm watching "Red vs. Blue" on YouTube. Yeah, yeah, I know. But I'm so addicted to it. It's okay ... it comes and goes in phases, really. It's 1:01 AM on Saturday morning - thank heavens. That means it's the weekend!!! Wahoo!!! This week felt really long ... well, when it's Sunday night, every week seems like it'll be long. Then, really ... it flies by. Monday and Tuesday craaaaaaawl ... but then all of the sudden it's Wednesday night! Then, whaddya know - Thursday rolls around! Finally, it's Friday, which is "wear normal clothes to work" day. So ... when I say this week felt really long, what I really mean to say is that it was completely normal in every aspect of the word.
Last week, I adopted a Korean child for approximately thirty minutes. Well, not really - I was walking to H-Mart (for those of you who don't know my neighborhood, it's just on the next corner) when I heard a child wailing. I walked around the corner, and walking up the sidewalk was a little girl all alone and just bawling her eyes out. I stopped and stared at her, and she stopped and stared at me while crying ... and no one was helping her ... so in my poor Korean I managed to ask her if she was okay and what was wrong ... we finally managed to translate to each other that:
A.) I didn't understand much Korean (sorry)
B.) She was lost.
C.) I had a cell phone
D.) She knew her mom's phone number, but couldn't tell her where she was.
So after we realized point D, I called my friend Hannah who talked to the little girl and got her mom's phone number ... and called her mom to come get her. While we waited, I bought her an ice cream from GS. The end.
Random tangent - my Skype isn't working. I can't figure out why. So I just deleted it, and downloaded it again. Still won't work. Anyone help? It's kind of annoying ...
This week, we've celebrated Mindy and Stuart's birthdays ... and we're going to celebrate again tonight (Saturday night) at the Ice Bar in Gangnam ... gah. I'm old. We'll see how long I make it, haha. I may be the youngest, but sometimes I feel like the oldest fogey.
Speaking of old fogies ... :) ... Steve gets back sometime this weekend! I'm super excited ... I can't wait. (^_^)
Last week was Easter - Amanda, Seth, and I went to church in Gangnam, and then headed back down to Beomgye for brunch at Trevor's. It was uh-MAY-zing ... and a lot of fun. Afterwards, Amanda and I headed up to Myeongdong and went shopping. I think the last time I was in Myeongdong was with Heidi ... so it was neat to go back. I remember back when I first got here, and Myeongdong was like my comfort area ... where I would always go. Now, Gangnam wins, haha.
Anyways. It's late, and I'm tired. I'm going to try to write more often ... haha ... riiiiight. (^_^) Anyways. Loooves.
PS - My newest obsession. Can't see the vid? Head to YouTube and type in "YoonHa85" ... check 'im out.
< "Bedrock" by Lil Wayne >
< the original - "Bedrock" by Lil Wayne >
< "Heartbreaker" by G-Dragon >
< the orginal - "Heartbreaker" by G-Dragon >
Sunday, March 28
Another day ...
I didn't know how to title this, so I just put whatever, haha.
Dude, so, I just wanna preface this with a "I'm-so-freaking-excited" moment ... as in I'm so freaking excited for Rain's new music video!!! I'm so excited, in fact, here's the teaser.
Don't judge. You know you love me.
On to other things. I just finished watching "The Classic" for the fifteen-millionth time. I love that movie so much. I haven't watched it in a long time ... so you also get to see Youtube clips from that, too.
Next.
My last bit of Korean entertainment-related news ... I guess Daniel Henney is going to be starring in a reality TV show being shown on the Olive channel where he goes to Australia. Really? Whatever, man ... anything with Daniel Henney in it has already got me sold. I'll watch it. C'mon guys ... It's Daniel Henney! (^_^)
Life has been okay since my return. I say "okay" just because ... I'm tired. But really, it's going well. Today, I headed up to Seoul and met Ms. Amanda for lunch (mmmmm, gamjatang). Then, she took me to the wonderful Hannam Market, which I am in LOVE with and will be going back to next Saturday. After our stop in at Hannam, she left for Gangnam, and I met up with a friend in Itaewon where we proceeded to grab dinner and Starbucks. It was a lot of fun ... we'll have to do it again sometime ... soon. :)
Other than that ... last week was our first field trip of the school year. We took the kiddos to an art gallery (there was a kid's section) near Seoul Grand Park. Actually, I wouldn't mind going back there sometime soon to see the rest of the museum. That'll happen soon. It's on the agenda.
I'll write more later. Promise. Right now, it's getting late, and I have to be up relatively early in the morning.
~~~***~~~
Oh, and I believe a BIG FAT CONGRATULATIONS are in order ... to Chrey and Craig Nelson on their beautiful 9lb-4oz BABY GIRL born on March 25, 2010!!! Congratulations, guys ... I can't wait to see pictures of her!
Dude, so, I just wanna preface this with a "I'm-so-freaking-excited" moment ... as in I'm so freaking excited for Rain's new music video!!! I'm so excited, in fact, here's the teaser.
Don't judge. You know you love me.
On to other things. I just finished watching "The Classic" for the fifteen-millionth time. I love that movie so much. I haven't watched it in a long time ... so you also get to see Youtube clips from that, too.
Next.
My last bit of Korean entertainment-related news ... I guess Daniel Henney is going to be starring in a reality TV show being shown on the Olive channel where he goes to Australia. Really? Whatever, man ... anything with Daniel Henney in it has already got me sold. I'll watch it. C'mon guys ... It's Daniel Henney! (^_^)
Life has been okay since my return. I say "okay" just because ... I'm tired. But really, it's going well. Today, I headed up to Seoul and met Ms. Amanda for lunch (mmmmm, gamjatang). Then, she took me to the wonderful Hannam Market, which I am in LOVE with and will be going back to next Saturday. After our stop in at Hannam, she left for Gangnam, and I met up with a friend in Itaewon where we proceeded to grab dinner and Starbucks. It was a lot of fun ... we'll have to do it again sometime ... soon. :)
Other than that ... last week was our first field trip of the school year. We took the kiddos to an art gallery (there was a kid's section) near Seoul Grand Park. Actually, I wouldn't mind going back there sometime soon to see the rest of the museum. That'll happen soon. It's on the agenda.
I'll write more later. Promise. Right now, it's getting late, and I have to be up relatively early in the morning.
~~~***~~~
Oh, and I believe a BIG FAT CONGRATULATIONS are in order ... to Chrey and Craig Nelson on their beautiful 9lb-4oz BABY GIRL born on March 25, 2010!!! Congratulations, guys ... I can't wait to see pictures of her!
Saturday, March 6
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