contemplation

Sometimes, I feel that I am constantly defending myself because I am the opposite of what people think I should be.

The biggest one- I'm am an American, which recently I have felt somewhat attacked about. Native Koreans actually like America. Everyone seems generally interested/ curious when I say where I am from. However, its the foreigners in Korea that are the problem. Yeah okay all Americans are dumb, fat, and rich. Sure that doesn't sound judgmental at all...Maybe before you believe a ridiculous stereotype like that...how about you take a look at the sheer size of America and maybe think to yourself...hey maybe all Americans aren't the same? How about that? Also I really don't like talking about the U.S. Presidential election with people who aren't from America...

I am a Southerner yet I don't have an accent. The way people say "But you don't have an accent" really bugs me.. I was still born and raised there and just because I don't have an accent doesn't make me any less of a Southern girl.

I am Catholic...no I am not extreme or crazy religious. It's also something private for me and I don't pretend to think that everyone should have the same beliefs as me and I don't want to impose on anyone else.

I love theater....its another great passion for me. Theater has always been an outlet and has allowed me to just being the quiet, nice girl that is ignored but loved to something else. You don't have to loud and arrogant to be in theater...it takes patience, confidence, and skill...Its just amazing and something that I miss.


Okay I need to stop because this is making me sound angrier that I am.

Another school year begins...

My co-workers at the goodbye dinner for th e teachers who left

In Korea, the school year starts in March, weirdly enough, so I now have all new students and classes. Its very strange because from August until February I taught seven year olds who had been at our school for two years. Naturally, they spoke English quite well. The drawback was they had an attitude and behavioral problems. Now I'm teaching six year olds who have just started speaking English last Monday...lets just say its interesting. They are still speaking Korean in class and they'll say things to me in Korean or ask me questions and I just look at them and say "I don't know what you're saying..." They are soo, sooo cute though and they look at me like I'm their god which is quite a difference from the seven year olds I used to teach. So March is gonna be difficult to get through. Oh and I also have to teach them drama....they can't read and oh yeah they can't speak English! How are they supposed to perform "City Mouse and Country Mouse?" I don't get it..


My Korean co-teacher Elie is getting married and moving to the other side of Seoul so she's not gonna be my partner teacher anymore...sad story....

SLP Birthday Party

Lauren and I

Some of the girls

Jasmine and Freesia classes

This video pretty much speaks for itself

An observation..which is of course rather obvious

I am the red umbrella

In seven days, I will celebrate six months in Korea (which will also be Caitlin Smith's birthday!)...This is unbelievable. Had I not gone home for Christmas, I don't know how I would be feeling right now. But life right now is Seoul feels very normal I guess you could say. It always takes me awhile to get used to being in a different place. Every new experience I've had, I have always dreading going into and HATED at first! I like for the end to always be the best part. Thats why senior year of college was so amazing because I left at the top of the game when I felt happiest. Hopefully that will be the same for Korea. But yet I still feel so uncomfortable here in many ways. I don't think I'll ever get used to the shoving on sidewalks without so much as an "Excuse Me" in Korean of course or the staring (which as Tennyson pointed out, is understandable in children but when adults who know better, is ridiculous...moving on). But most other things about Korea, I'm getting used to.
Anywho, the observation which is of course rather obvious about Korea that I've just thought about has been the loss of anonymity. The place where I live here there aren't many foreigners so basically I stick out. The places I have been to a couple of times (like the coffee shop, movies, etc.), they know me. I'm used to blending in and looking like everyone else. I'll admit it is nice to be noticed because it gets people interested and curious about you, which I haven't felt before. But sometimes, I don't want to stick out.

Lunar New Year vaca

So in honor of having a vacation from school, Erica and I decided to go on a skiing/ hiking trip to Gangwondo and Seoroksan Mtn. I know what you are thinking- skiing and hiking...that sounds like Andrea Mullen (at least I know my family would be surprised!) But I most definitely didn't want to be stuck in Seoul so this sounded great especially since we were going with a group. I left on Wednesday morning from Itaewon at 11am. We were supposed to get to the ski resort at 3, chillout, and go night skiing at 5. Traffic was awful (because everyone was traveling that day) so we got there at 5 or so. Oh and our bus ride was spent watching concerts. We watched Eric Clapton, Cher, some music videos, and then Shania Twain. Not everyone was thrilled with those choices! Thursday was spent skiing (after a Korean breakfast). I definitely took to the beginner runs. Friday was when things got interesting. We had to travel on Friday morning to the lodge near where we were hiking. The bus ride of course took forever so we had to forfeit hiking for that day. Also, our bus and our tour guide were never on time so this gave people on the trip the excuse to never be on time. It usually took us an hour to get anywhere. And because we were on a bus all day and didn't do much, this gave others on the trip an excuse to knock some back. It was like "Animal House" sometimes. Saturday we actually went hiking up to Seoroksan and it was beautiful! Not too crowded on the trails. We took lots of pictures! Then Saturday night before we traveled back to Seoul, our bus stopped! People had to push the bus about three times! This caused one guy on the trip to utter the phrase, "Korea is the most random country ever. No contest." Soooo true. The only time we were ahead of schedule the whole trip was getting back to Seoul. I'm not sure I would reccommend ZTravelbug to anybody, but it was an interesting trip!

Sooo wow

So January turned out to not be such a blah month...in fact, in the lives of my friends from home in SC..it turned out to be quite life changing. And friends I'm sorry I am writing about you, but let me say you have been on my mind lately. I have never been one to always state my opinion because I believe there's a time and a place for things. There have definitely definitely been decisions that those around me have made that I haven't agreed with. Sometimes I feel that I let others peoples lives, mistakes, and happinesses affect me too much. I know that I should simply say "Its not my life..I can't control other people" and let it be....But I find that so hard! In my circle of friends from home, one lost a family member while my other friend got engaged all within a week. It feels really weird to not be there. Had I just been in college in D.C., I could fly home easily for the funeral for one friend and attend the wedding of the other. But I can't do those things. Its so scary to be so far away sometimes. However, I do my best to keep in touch. I wish more people but an effort in to keep in touch so those of you who do, I appreciate it wholeheartedly.

Back in the swing of things...yay?

So January is kind of a blah month..but then again its always like that (plus there's no MLK holiday to look forward to). However, there is a holiday in February for the Lunar New Year which everyone and their mother is traveling in Asia. This makes traveling a wee bit difficult and expensive! Erica and I have decided to travel together (just like we did for Chusok in September) and we were going to go to Japan but that fell through...So I think the solution is to go skiing right here in Korea..My co-worker Carla and some others might come as well! I just want to have a good break because it'll be a long time before we have a number of days off...not until July! (We've gotta start planning that asap as well)

Oh and the Lunar New Year is when the year changes...as in "Year of the Rabbit" or "Year of the Horse." 2007 was the year of pig and 2008 will be the year of the rat!