Three months worth of updates ...

I admit it.

I fail. Again.

I said that I would update this more often. Yeah, that was over ... three months ago? Fail. Fail, fail, fail.

Okay. What has happened since April?

Well, for starters, I hit my one year mark. That's right, I have officially been in Korea for one year and counting. Wahoo! Annnnd I signed on for another ... and couldn't be happier. I really, truly, honestly love it here. I have been blessed to meet some amazing people and experience some wonderful things, and the good times just keep on comin'. Here's to another year!

I got to see In-soo and Hyun for the first time in OVER A YEAR. It was GREAT! Hopefully another year won't pass before I see them again. I really miss my friends, so when I get to see them, I'm SUPER excited. Unfortunately, even with my friends in Korea, it's hard to meet up because of conflicting schedules. But, we'll make it work ... sometime. Fingers crossed!!! :)


[ Hyun, In-Soo, me, and Nick after dinner and pat-bing-su in Beomgye ]

Had a nice work retreat at Songnisan for a weekend. I had been there once before, and it was really cool to go back. That was the weekend that the former president died. We went and visited Cheongnamdae ... the Korean version of Camp David on our way back to Anyang. Pretty sweet.


[ Hannah, me, and Heidi at Cheongnamdae ]

Nick came and visited - it's really great seeing people from home. Went to Japan for three wonderful days and got to see Daisuke for the first time in over a year. That was awesome! Highlights from Japan (other than spending time with Daisuke and Nick, of course)??? Well, we went to the Kaiyukan Aquarium in Osaka which was my biggest goal because I LOVE AQUARIUMS!!! They have not one, but TWO whale sharks!!! Then, we spent a day in Kyoto, which was awesome and I can't wait to go back there. I want to go in the fall to see the trees change colors. And the spring. And winter. I think I just need to spend a lot of time in Japan, haha. Oh, and I ate a whole shrimp head. Daisuke did, too. Osaka Castle was really neat, too, and I can't wait to see the cherry blossoms blooming at some point. Overall, my Japan weekend was pretty-flipping-sweet, and I can't wait to return!!! :)


[ Daisuke, me, and Nick in Kobe ]


[ Whale shark at the Kaiyukan ]


[ In Kyoto ]


[ The shrimp head ]

Saw an AWESOME B-Boy show in Hongdae called "Ballerina loves a B-Boy Part II". For your information, Part I is currently showing on Broadway. In the states. It was an AMAZING show - and I actually wouldn't mind going again. The dancing was incredible, and there was no dialogue (so translation, really not an issue). Great, great show. Highly recommended if you are in Seoul. www.sjbboys.com if you wanna check out their site.


[ During the B-Boy show ... yes, pictures were encouraged! ]

I went to a soccer game with ... like, seven of my coworkers. Saw the Korean national team play Iran at World Cup Stadium in Seoul. PS, the Korean team is making it's SEVENTH consecutive World Cup appearance next year - all I gotta say is "DAEHAN MINGOOK" (for team cheers, check out http://www.reddevil.or.kr/song/song.asp#). Oh, and I saw Ji-Sung Park (of Manchester United) score Korea's only goal in the tied game. Pretty-freaking-sweet - soccer (ahem*football) games are prettttttty intense. Loved it!!! :)


[ Korean team #7 - Ji-Sung Park!!! ]

I figured out that yes, I can enjoy 노래방 even without BAHK - strange, huh? For those of you who know me pretty well, you know that I'm pretty self-conscious in front of people and I especially don't like to sing BY MYSELF in front of others. However, thanks to Heidi, I have discovered a love of karaeoke rooms - something that before, I would only do willingly with ... well ... Hannah, haha.


[ Maria norae-bangin' it up in Beomgye ]

This past weekend was Mudfest in Boryeong. Yes, I went - with ten other people or so (not including those we met up with THERE). It was pretty crazy. Good times were had, and I'm glad I went, because I got to spend time with some freaking awesome people, who I will miss greatly.


[ DN (Dave Nail) and DK (Dave Kelly) - two of Brian's friends - in one of our hotel rooms ]

Speaking of missing people - within the next two weeks, FIVE of my coworkers are completing their contracts. This Friday will be Heidi and Angela's farewell ... I believe sometime early next week will be Erica's last day, and then NEXT Friday will be Hannah and Brian's. I'm so sad - but I know that I was (and still am) blessed to have had them in my life for this past year. And it's not good-bye --- In Heidi's words, it's "smell ya later". :) I think at some point in the not-so-distant future, I will have to spend some quality time in Toronto. :)


[ Hannah and Heidi at the War Memorial Museum in Samgakji ]


[ Brian, the two main dancers from the B-Boy/Ballerina show, and Hannah ]


[ Angela, while hiking Songnisan ]

But, don't get me wrong - I'm totally excited to meet new people. However, I will never forget the lessons I've learned and the friendships I share with the "old" ... I will really miss you guys.

I now have nine preschool students - I used to have ten, but Laura left to go to a different school. Every day, I am amazed by how perceptive and freaking amazing my students are. They never cease to amaze me. I love them to pieces, and I don't know what I'll do when they gradate from preschool in February. Thank goodness my school also has kindergarten ...


[ After July birthday party - the only two birthday kids were Nathan and Robin - my students! ]

It's rainy season again - I freakin' love it. Really. I actually walked home tonight from the gym in the rain ... sans umbrella. Got some strange looks, too, probably because I had an umbrella in my hand that I was just swinging around. I know, I'll get sick and regret it. But the rain is SO nice. Especially that pouring down, Korean drama-esque rain (like in "The Classic") ... uh-MAY-zing. And it's not cold rain ...

... Cold rain. That reminds me. Not that you need to know this, or even care, but I just took the second coldest shower of my life - second only to the shower I took THIS MORNING in cold water because for some reason, my water heater decided it just didn't want to work today. At all. Perhaps it's seasonal, because I seem to recall taking a lot of cold showers last summer too, and not all by choice. Oh well. I'm sure that I will get it fixed or figure it out or whatever soon. No worries!

That's pretty much what's going on with me - oh, yeah! In two weeks will be my summer vacation and I will be spending a good five days of it sunning myself in Jeju (if it rains while I'm there, I'll kill something). I'm pretty stoked - I've wanted to go to Jeju Island for a while now, and will get to spend it with Hyun (former roomie) who is FINALLY back from the States for the summer. We're gonna go horseback riding, haha - I haven't done that since I was a kid. It's gonna be awesome.

And that's pretty much ... all I have. I know I haven't been keeping in touch. I kind of suck at it. I'm sorry. Buuuuut ... know that I love you all. And I think about you every single day.

I'll try not to let another three months go by before I update this again. :)


[ On top of the ferris wheel at the Kaiyukan aquarium in Osaka ]

::: End update :::

Fail ...

Well, it's been over a month and a half since I updated this last. I'm sorry! I know, I know ... I've kind of fallen out of the communications loop. And even worse, this is just a teaser ... no real update YET. But here's what is to come (hey, it's my bedtime!)

1.) I began teaching preschool at my school in the beginning of March (start of a new term). I have ten preschool students in the mornings (LOOOVE them) and then elementary kids in the afternoons.

2.) I no longer work at a POLY franchise. We disenfranchised (or whatever) and now I work at the Pyeongchon Knox School.

3.) I started a yoga class ... kind of.

4.) I went on a day trip last weekend with six of my fabulous coworkers to Gwanchoksa in Nonsan. Pictures are posted. It was nice to get out of the city, even for only a few hours.

5.) Less than two months until Nick visits and our adventure(s) begin!!!

6.) Now that the last episode has aired, I have begun to watch "꽃보다 남자" (Boys Before Flowers) on the Internet (so I can get the English subtitles) and I have to say that while I am only two episodes in, I am already obsessed. And I love Ji-Hoo.

7 ~ 10.) I'm not really sure what these points should be, but I'm sure I can think of something to go here. So I'm just going to leave them open.

Promise. Update coming SOOOOON.

식객

My favorite Korean movie is now on television. It's been running all month on OCN, and I LOVE it! In Korean, it's called 식객 which translates into "Le Grand Chef". I watched it perhaps three times on the flights to and from Korea in March (for Spring Break) ... and on the internet numerous times ... and NOW ON TV!

But there's no subtitles. I still remember what happens though, haha. I hate that Bong-ju (봉주) played by LIM Won-Hie (임원희). BUUUT I love Sun-Chan (성찬) played by KIM Kang-woo (김강우). And everytime that "little sister" (여동생) dies, I cry. Sad, huh?

PS, 여동생 isn't a PERSON. It's a cow. You have to watch the movie to understand. And when 할아버지 dies, I'm saddened as well. But the movie is SO great. I LOVE IT!

And 봉주 really is a jerk.

I Think I Really wanna see this ...

"One of the most amusing sights that the Korean has ever seen regularly occur on White Day, in front of Ewha University in Seoul. Ewha is a premier women's university, and men who are not employed by the school are not allowed to enter the school grounds (except a few extremely lucky souls, mostly exchange students from outside Korea.) This is because Ewha was established in the late 19th century when women getting any education was highly disapproved; no man (usually a father of a student) could enter the school in order to drag the student out and put her back to the kitchen.

The rule survives today, which lends to the sight. On White Day, outside of the front gate of Ewha, you can see litterally hundreds of young men, each carrying flowers and candies and awkwardly dressed in their best, waiting for their girlfriends to come out of the school. The most amusing thing is that across the street from the gate, there is a building that has a set of wide steps in front of it, like a platform. That platform is completely filled with men carrying flowers, standing on their tiptoes to get a better view of the gate, many of them on their cell phones talking with their girlfriends. The men themselves don't realize it, but to a passerby, the sight is incredibly hilarious. In fact, the group as a whole was given a nickname - ba-bo bu-dae ("the idiot brigade.")"

http://askakorean.blogspot.com/2007/02/happy-commercially-made-up-gift-giving.html

Korean Family Names

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Korean_family_names

I decided that I want to change my (Korean) family name from 조 to 즙. Under "distributions", Wikipedia estimates the number FOUR. FOUR! Really? As opposed to the 1.3 million for my actual family name.

How cool would it be to have a name that only like, four families or clans or whatever are estimated to be using at that time?

Okay, maybe only I think that.

Taking out money just got easier ...

Korea to Issue 50,000 Won Bank Note

Korea will issue a 50,000 won ($35.93) bill in May or June after beefing up anti-forgery works, according to the central bank.

The Bank of Korea (BOK) earlier projected to issue 100,000 won and 50,000 won bills in the first half of this year. On Thursday, it decided to drop a plan to issue a 100,000 won bill at the request of the government amid controversy over its design and effectiveness, but will push to issue the other new bill as planned.

Currently, 10,000 won notes are the country's highest-denominated bills, followed by 5,000 won and 1,000 won.

"The BOK plans to make public the final version of the 50,000 won bills in February and to put the notes into circulation starting in May or June," an official at the BOK said.

Shin Saim-dang, a renowned female writer and calligraphist, is to be featured on the 50,000-won bills. Shin was also the mother of Yulgok, one of the most respected scholars of the Joseon Dynasty (1392-1910).

Happy Seollal!!!

Seollal, for those of you who don't know, is the Lunar New Year. POLY celebrated by giving us a four day weekend. WAHOO! (^_^)

Now, because of this four day weekend goodness, I peaced out on Saturday morning and caught a bus from Anyang station to Daejon. Now, let me explain some things. I went down to Daejon for Chuseok, which is a major Korean holiday, in September. A normal bus ride should take about two hours. Chuseok weekend, it took about two and a half. Saturday morning? Holiday traffic PLUS snow equaled SIX HOURS ON THE BUS! SIX EFFING HOURS.

But it was all worth it. When I got to Daejon, Sung-won appa picked me up at the station and took me back to their apartment. Sun-Hyung oppa was there, and together we had a dinner of insanely spicy (yet delicious!) chicken ... and then we met with his friend, Noah, and hung out. Sunday morning, I GOT TO USE A REAL SHOWER!!!, I spent time with Sun-Hyung oppa, had nap-time in the living room while he studied, and chilled out. Sun-Hyung oppa and his friend Hyung-ho oppa took me to see a movie on Sunday afternoon - "Valkyrie". After that, we went to church.

Monday, I ate tteok-guk with Sun-hyung oppa, umma, and appa ... and appa's brother, appa's brother's wife, appa's nephew, and hal-mon-nee!!! I really missed hal-mon-nee (grandmother), so that was nice. (^_^) After umma's homemade tteok-guk, I was taught how to do the traditional Korean bow, and so they had me bow to hal-mon-nee, and then umma and appa ... and I received money! I guess it's a Korean tradition. That's what the kids do. So I laughed.

The trip back to Seoul wasn't as long - I took a bus from Daejon to Cheonan, and then I just hopped the subway from Cheonan to Beomgye. It took maybe ... two and a half hours total. That was nice.

It's been insanely cold this weekend. But, we all know that I do enjoy the cold. However, I think I'm getting a little sick. So I'm trying to take more care of myself. I went out to buy groceries today, and after trying like, four different stores, realized that it's a major holiday and therefore stores simply aren't open. Grrr.

Tomorrow. :)

Also tomorrow, I'm hoping to find an art exhibit in Sinsa-dong that I've read about. I'm quite intrigued. Wish me luck!

Hope you're all keeping warm, and that you had a nice Lunar New Year, too. (^_^)

... I couldn't think of a title ...

Well, I didn't get to see "쌍화점" today, like I hoped. Buuuut I get see "Transporter 3" ... which was neat ... ANNNNNND 선혛오빠 which was FABULOUS! Annnnd then after dinner, I met 창기오빠 in 교대 at Janus and got to listen to a REALLY amazing drummer from the states ... in-freaking-credible.

So, all in all, it was a pretty fabulous day. (^_^)

It's actually been a pretty fabulous weekend. Last night was good, hanging out with a group of people ... Pretty neat. And today was great.

So, all in all, I'm happy.

PS, I went to this open market in Anyang for the first time and it was AMAZING ... and I'm going back soon. Just so y'all know.

Scmap Seattle Sixth Edition

One of my photos made it?

Weird.

http://www.schmap.com/seattle/sights_churches/#r=none&mapview=Map&tab=Places&p=41851&topleft=47.70006,-122.37276&bottomright=47.58857,-122.27629&i=41851.jpg

Go to that link and select Saint James Cathedral ... and scroll through those photos. I swear one of them is mine - they even credited me. :)

Random, huh?

Watch this.

Seriously. Just watch it.



The piano score is called "River Flows in You" and it is composed by that lovely Korean man named 이루마 (Yiruma). This is the song that I fell in love with a year or two ago. It is quite possibly my favorite song EVER. It's so beautiful. It's the reason I wanted to learn how to play piano (and the reason I took piano lessons during my last semester). No matter how frustrated, tired, sad, upset, etc I am ... if I listen to Yiruma, it's all better. No lie. Anyways, the original version that I heard didn't have lyrics. Buuuut I heard this on his website, and I nearly fainted ... especially the part where he says "holding you, holding you, it's in you, a river flows in you" ... So seriously. Listen to it.

And then, watch the original version.



And then, watch my newest favorite of his that I just found called "Maybe."



AND THEN, watch "Kiss the Rain".



I promise, it will be the best fifteen minutes of your day.