tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-90950049314507731322024-02-19T21:04:10.762+09:00Adventures in South KoreaAnnehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05773874822819157606noreply@blogger.comBlogger23125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9095004931450773132.post-5181367416574649072010-05-07T21:32:00.002+09:002010-05-07T22:33:55.511+09:00Well folks, I'm coming homeWhy is a really long story that can be boiled down to one sentence: My boss wasn't fulfilling my contract and wasn't willing to fix what was wrong. I had a very long discussion with my boss about it, and we decided that it would make both of us happiest if I left. Me, because I was dying to go home to David and dairy, and my boss got off smelling like a rose. He would not repay me the money that he contractually owed me, but he would send me off with a small severance. Basically, he bought my plane ticket home. I think we both really lucked out.<div><br /></div><div>From the moment that I put in my 30 days notice (April 19th), I have been looking at things here a lot differently - especially the little things. Most of the little things here have made the biggest impact on the flavor of life here. I don't want to forget them. Like the random dirty glass jar of sausages in the hallway of my apartment complex. Its a giant jar of preserved sausage links in a dark yellowy-brown liquid hanging out in the hallway. It has been in the hallway of my complex since I got here in November - weirding me out every time I walked past it. About a week ago someone took the parchment paper off the top of the jar and a couple of flyers have dropped in....it has become marginally less weird and wayyyy more disgusting. </div><div><br /></div><div>The day I wrote this blog in my journal was May 5th - Children's Day. Children's day is a national holiday in Korea, so we all got the day off of work. I decided to go to the park across from my apartment laying under a blossoming crab apple tree. My childhood neighbors, the Cockriels, have a crabapple tree bordering the property of my parents house. Every spring the old tree turns into a froth of pink and white petals, but I was under no misconceptions that I was back at home. As I wrote in my journal, petals kept floating down and covering the page where I was trying to write. Three young boys were playing soccer near me and the Hangul being spoken was blurring into background of the day. </div><div><br /></div><div>As beautiful as I find this country, it's very lonely . The country has 48 and a half million people jam packed into a piece of land the approximate size of Indiana. There are people <i>all</i> around me every day, but I can't communicate with any of them. My only friends here are my co-workers - coincidentally, they are generally the only people who can speak English with any sort of fluency. Most days, I only get to converse with people between 9 to 5, Monday through Friday. I can understand that the feeling of isolation would be difficult to imagine for those at home, but I think that this is why it is so easy for foreigners to strike up conversations with the random people we meet on buses or trains. We are literally <i>hungry</i> for connections, as superficial as most of them might be. </div><div><br /></div><div>Within the past few weeks, Korea has become a place that I barely recognize. All the trees have flowered and brought out their leaves. The air smells alive and it is so warm now that I can skip outside without a coat! Maybe the transition here would have been so tough if the weather had been better when I got here. </div><div><br /></div><div>I started running again. A whole month off. I feel like I am starting all over again, but I enjoy the sights I am seeing. My route out to the rice fields has gotten MUCH greener, and its nice to run into the wind and not feel like it is cutting me into pieces. The carp are mating in the Tongbok. I tried not to stop and stare at first, but I was glad to see that the Koreans are just as fascinated with it as I am. Its like the Discovery channel is in front of me. On my runs, I see people hanging out out at the banks of the stream watching the water thrashing wildly. The gnats are out too. On my way out yesterday, I ran straight into a giant cloud of them. I spent the next five minutes trying to rub them out of my eyes. On my way back in, I ducked my head down to keep them out of my face and watched them literally bouncing off my white shirt. When I blew my nose later that night, I found one in my tissue. <i>Awesome</i>.</div><div><br /></div><div>I can't wait to come home. Pretty obvious, I know, but it is becoming a little bit of a problem. I dream about going home at night. I day dream about going home during the day. I spend my time after work looking for things to do in Kansas city and possible teaching positions.</div><div>Oooh Bonus Update! I got an interview opportunity! Turner Middle School. It is definitely a long shot, but even getting an interview in this economy feels like a coup. I signed up with the KEEB (Kansas Education Employment Board) and found out that for the entire state of Kansas, there are only 500 ish teaching jobs posted (elementary through high school) and there are 22,000 applicants vying for them. Man, I love those odds. Makes it more of a challenge....erm......yes.....this is what I keep telling myself. </div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>Flight is scheduled for the 20th. See you then!</div><div><br /></div>Annehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05773874822819157606noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9095004931450773132.post-9561646292202909122010-04-11T21:18:00.008+09:002010-04-12T01:05:23.859+09:00My trip to Gyeong-ju<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span>I only <i>just</i> managed to make it to Gyeong-ju. I stopped by the bank in order to get some more cash for my trip, and I got to the end of the line at the train station at 18:39. My train was scheduled to depart at 18:41 and the Korean train system is ridiculously prompt. Some kind souls pushed me to the front of the line and I lucked out that my train was 5 minutes late, but that didn't stop me from having a heart attack when I sprinted down the escalator only to see a train pulling away from my track. <div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span>As I stared out the windows, I thought a lot about all that I am going to miss in Korea. This trip to Gyeong-ju is by far the most adventurous thing that I have done while I was in Korea, and well, moving to Korea was the most brave thing that I have ever done in my life, so I was just all kinds of adventurous this weekend. </div><div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span>I never got to do all the things that I wanted to do here. I ran the marathon and I have to admit that it is my crowning achievement, but the long training hours and the required routes kept me from going anywhere except to Seoul for short weekend day trips.</div><div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span>As the mountains outside my windows grew bigger, and as the sun set, I wished that I had more of a chance to get to know them. I spent so long being miserable here. I was all alone - without my family, without my friends, without David - and now, now that it is almost over, I wish I could stay. </div><div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> <span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span></span>Gyeong-ju was amazing. I wish I had more time to explore everything. I guess the best place to start is to tell you about the mood of Gyeong-ju.... Well, its very.... peaceful. Relaxed. Even the throngs of people can't ruffle her feathers. </div><div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> <span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span></span>I kept thinking about how different Geyong-ju was from Seoul. I wondered why. I came to think of Gyeong-ju as a halmonee (a Korean grandmother). As the ancient capitol of Silla ( the ancestors of Koreans), Gyeong-ju has been around since the 7th century. She has seen it all. She is dignified, stately, and even elegant in her age - but not unapproachable - quite the opposite - the cherry blossoms everywhere are cheerful decorations. </div><div><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span> </span>If Gyeong-ju is the grandmother, then Seoul is the teenager. Seoul is brash, sexy, and always living fast-paced and on the edge. This is not to say that Seoul does not have extreme cultural significance to Korea, but Gyeong-ju hit its peak about 600 years <i>before</i> Seoul became the capitol of Korea. I laugh because I can almost hear Gyeong-ju telling Seoul that she needs to grow up and stop acting and dressing so slutty.</div><div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span>I arrived on Friday night and my return train was scheduled for 12:51 pm on Sunday afternoon. Only a day and a half to explore. I chose three major areas - giving myself a half day for each. First on my list was Bulguksa temple. I went to the bus stop the owner of my hostel told me to and took the bus that he told me to. All was going well until I got a little trigger happy and got off at the "Bulguksa station" stop. The temple was actually 4 kilometers down the road. I did eventually get there, and it was magnificent. Each beautiful detail was significant to the Buddhist ideals of balance and harmony. Along one path were hundreds of rock piles. Literally thousands of small rocks were carefully stacked one on top of the other representing the Buddhist belief that while stacking you must clear your mind and meditate on harmony and your oneness with nature. Only then will you be able to find balance. You could enter the shrines in each of the buildings on the compound and pay your respects to this spiritual leader of so many millions of people around the world. You were not allowed to take any pictures of the Buddha statues themselves, but they were magnificent; shining brightly with chubby golden smiles. </div><div><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span></div><div><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"></span><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span>Once I had finished meandering through the compound, I took the bus back in to the main part of town. I had decided that the second half of my day would be spent in the many <i>many </i>cultural remains of the of the Silla dynasty. I decided to take a taxi to the farthest point and work my way in. First up: the Gyeong-ju National Museum. It was interesting, but I was a little bored with the Natural History wing. I have little patience for case after case of tools, although I do appreciate the importance of their uses. The pottery, paintings, and jewelery wings were more to my taste. You should have seen some of the things excavated from some of these tombs. </div><div><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span></div><div><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"></span><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span>Next was Anapji pond. Gorgeous and completely designed by man. It was landscaped for a palace that has long since been distroyed. The pond had to be drained some years back to make some repairs to the conduit system and the city workers found piles and piles of artifacts such as gold and bronze foodware that must have been dropped in the lake by the servants as they were transporting the picnics to the little islands for the royal family.</div><div><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span></div><div><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"></span><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span>Third on my list, was the <span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(51, 51, 51); line-height: 15px; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;">Cheomseongdae Observatory. </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#000000;">The observatory is the oldest in Asia and was built by Queen Seondeok during the 7th century.I think I loved it so much because the park around it was so amazing. There were HUGE fields of bright green and yellow flowers, and large crowds of Korean families were flying hundreds of kites. I eventually went back to this park and flew a kite myself!</span></span></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(51, 51, 51); line-height: 15px; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#000000;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span></span></span></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(51, 51, 51); line-height: 15px; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#000000;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"></span><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span>I had planned on going to the Daereungwon Tomb park, but to be quite honest, there are so many tombs scattered around the Gyeong-ju area that I got a little confused...I ended up in the Gyerim forest where Kim Alji, the founder of the Gyeong-ju Kim clan was said to have been born out of an egg.The trees in this forest are supposed to be over 2000 years old, and yet, they are still flowering.</span></span></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 15px; font-size:medium;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 15px; font-size:medium;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"></span><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span>I finally found the Tomb park, and got to go inside the Cheonmachong tomb (the flying horse tomb). Many of the artifacts from the National Museum came from this king's tomb, but the fact that I liked learning about the most, was that many of the tombs in Gyeong-ju are un-excavated! Can you even imagine the treasures that could be inside? I sort of like the idea that there are some places that we will never know about.</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 15px; font-size:medium;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 15px; font-size:medium;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"></span><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span>I walked back to my hostel and Mr. Kwon recommended the traditional sauna about 50 meters away. He said that after an hour of scrubbing, steaming, and soaking I would be ready for tomorrow's adventure. I had never been to one of the traditional bathhouses before, but I had always wanted to, so I walked over. $4.50 and I was in....and totally lost. I had no idea what to do. There were tons of lockers, but they all contained shower caddies full of supplies...should I use one? should I have brought my own stuff? After standing around awkwardly in the entrance hall for no less than five minutes, one of the ladies who worked there took pity on me and led me inside. She gave me a locker, and motioned for me to strip. I gulped. I knew this would happen and that it was totally normal for Koreans so I shouldn't feel self conscious, but taking off those last two, very important, articles of clothing and those first few minutes as the worker led me into the sauna room where no less than 20 women were nakedly lounging or washing was <i>excruciating.</i> I have to admit...within ten minutes I was no longer worrying about it. A few people were interested in the Caucasion, and I was fascinated by the process, but other than that, I was over it. Odd. </span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 15px; font-size:medium;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 15px; font-size:medium;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"></span><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span>This morning I decided to hike Mt. Namsan.</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 15px; font-size:medium;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 15px; font-size:medium;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> Now, t</span>his - <i>this </i>was the most amazing experience of my whole trip. Try to imagine. It looks simple and straighforward enough. There is a clearly worn trail up the mountain that you can follow to the peak, but if you have the inclination, there are tiny little paths going off into the forest.I had heard that there were amazing Buddhist carvings hidden on Namsan, and I curiously scaled these paths where I found the most amazing sight: Buddha. There were at least six or seven that I saw on my all too short trip. Ancient Buddhist statues - some staring solemnly, some smiling benignly, but all keeping watch over the mountain. Purple flowers were clustered everywhere; they were the only splashes of color against the sheer rock faces and pine forests. At about 2/3rds of the way up the mountain, You came to a tiny little Buddhist hermitage precariously balanced on the rocks. The two little old women tending to the gardens and the alter had set a dipper next to the well for any thirsty hiker. There was a cherry tree, the only one I had seen on the whole mountain and it was stationed in between the two buildings at the crest of one rise. It dropped its petals on the hikers as they huffed their way up. I watched as a few hikers stopped to bow in front of the alter before continuing on, and I did the same. Farther up the mountain, almost at the top, the next Buddha statue that I came across was the most impressive of them all. 7 feet tall, and had you not been looking, you might have missed him. His face and head was prominent, but his arms and lower body seemed to sink into the stone and eventually become one with it. This Buddha had the most incredible view. He sat on sheer rock face with a natural stone ledge where worshipers could gather or rest. Candles were burning at his feet, and you could smell the faint scent of incense, probably put there by one of the monks from the hermitage. I did eventually get to the top, which was such an overwhelming experience.</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 15px; font-size:medium;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 15px; font-size:medium;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span>You know, I can't help but be so glad that this was the last image that I had of Gyeong-ju. I may never return to South Korea, but I am better for being here.</span></span></div>Annehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05773874822819157606noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9095004931450773132.post-42778233529594568742010-04-06T21:57:00.002+09:002010-04-06T22:25:32.936+09:00A not so good dayWell, I simply could not be more irritated with my body. And before you ask - Yes, this will be another post ranting about all of my ailments. About five days after the marathon while mom and I were walking all around Pyeongtaek, I noticed that my left foot was bothering me. We would set out across town and I would feel this twinge on the outside start building and building until I was almost limping. I can't remember if I even mentioned it to mom; I think I figured that it was a normal ache and pain and that I should just leave it alone and it would be fine. <div><br /></div><div>...Dun, dun, DUN............</div><div><br /></div><div>It did not just go away like I predicted. On Saturday when I walked across town, I started feeling it at the market, and by the end of my Easter journey across Seoul, I was flat-out hobbling home. Monday morning it was only a twinge, but by the end of the day I was in full blown pain and I asked Sarah to take me to the hospital - Sarah has led me to believe that Korea doesn't have a ton of individual doctors. Hospitals are private businesses and you go to them for whatever you need. So. Today I went back to the hospital. Once there, I pointed to a glass display case in the lobby. "hey look! Thats where I almost passed out!" </div><div><br /></div><div>The nurse for the orthopedic wing told us to pay first, get xrays, and come back. I paid, get this, a little under 14 dollars for an xray and consultation. I LOVE Korea's Universal health care. The doctor told me that nothing showed up on the xray and insisted that I had a damaged ligament (i.e. sprain ) on the fifth metatarsal (the pinky toe bone area) and that there was nothing that I could do for it but rest. Okay. I was pretty skeptical. I know that there are boots and crutches and things to keep your weight off of it so that it can heal faster. "So how long will it take to heal" ......3 to 4 months. I started tearing up. Wait, what? I know that I never went to medical school, but it seems to me that there is no way that a ligament can heal faster by being used normally - ie without crutches or something. Also, from all that I have read, many times a stress fracture in the bone is misdiagnosed as a sprain and that the stress fracture doesn't even show up on an xray until the crack gets more serious....</div><div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; border-collapse: collapse; -webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 2px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 2px; ">"Stress fractures of the fifth metatarsal are also common within the athletic community (Figure 2). There are often low-grade symptoms with activity that can last weeks prior to the diagnosis of fracture, which usually presents as an acute increase in pain. Symptoms may include pain over the outer aspect of the foot particularly with activity and weight bearing. There may be swelling or bruising present. These symptoms may worsen over time before a fracture is evident on x-ray. These low-grade symptoms should not be ignored. There is usually evidence on plain x-rays of stress related changes in the bone. However, in suspected cases of a fifth metatarsal stress fracture without x-ray changes or with questionable changes, MRI has become the most sensitive tool for early diagnosis."</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; border-collapse: collapse; -webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 2px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 2px; "><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; border-collapse: collapse; -webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 2px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 2px; "><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span>-<b>Joshua Baumfeld, MD, David Diduch, MD, UVA Sports Medicine</b></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; border-collapse: collapse; -webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 2px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 2px; "><b><br /></b></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; border-collapse: collapse; -webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 2px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 2px; "><b><br /></b></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; border-collapse: collapse; -webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 2px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 2px; "><b><br /></b></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; -webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 2px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 2px; font-size: medium;">Well, So anyways. I am terrified that this is something serious and that because the doctor did not give me a boot or crutches to make me feel better....I mean REALLY, this would soothe my nerves. I can understand taking time off of running. I hate that it is so long, but I would feel better if there was something that I could <i>do. </i>Not just "take a rest" I mean, for goodness sake, I work with small children. What am I supposed to do? I am just scared that this will not get any better, but rather, escalate until I have a broken bone. </span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; -webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 2px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 2px; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; -webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 2px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 2px; font-size: medium;">Thoughts? </span></span></div>Annehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05773874822819157606noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9095004931450773132.post-54140428788001718562010-04-03T18:03:00.002+09:002010-04-04T00:13:42.374+09:00A good daySpring is slowly moving into Pyeongtaek. I know that it is because I have seen the tiniest green buds on all of the trees lining the streets. It seems like the weather is taking its sweet time to warm up. It is frustrating to me because I am just so used to Kansas weather - you know, it is cold for like a million years, and then all of a sudden, Boom, overnight its 75 and sunny. In Korea, I feel like I am waiting for a pot to boil. Each week the temperature goes up one or two degrees. I guess I can't complain. <div><br /></div><div>Today was special. 55 degrees and sunny, but best of all was the sky. We had a blue sky! In Korea, the pollution and other environmental factors ensure that the sky is an almost permanent slate gray. Not today. A robin's egg blue and I'll be damned if I was going to let it go to waste. I took put on my flats and walked towards the Tongbok market. I meandered up and down the narrow aisles and wrinkled my nose at the smells emanating from the basket of pig heads on the ground and the bowl of slightly pulsing eel like objects on the table. </div><div><br /></div><div> I moved on to the downtown area and skirted it for a little bit. I like the smaller stores on the edges. They tend to be a little more funky and cheaper than the stores in and right around AK plaza. I walked into one store and greeted the young woman working with the expected "annyong haseyo," and as she noticed I was Caucasion, she pulled an adorable little girl from around the counter. I am used to this. Parents are often pushing their kids to talk to Caucasions so that they can practice their English skills, but this time was different. This time, I knew the little girl. It was Tiffany! One of the students in my class. She ran to me, but was incredibly shy (not a trait that I thought she possessed) and just stood there rubbing her face against my waist. </div><div><br /></div><div> I was a bit confused because the shop worker was <i>not </i>her mommy, but the shopkeeper managed to explain that her mommy was right next door. I do love that about Korea. The society is based on Confucian ideals that require a society to take care of each other first. Its such a safe country (on the whole) that kids are allowed to wander from shop to shop, street to street, and they are watched by everyone. The whole "it takes a village" idea. </div><div><br /></div><div>Tiffany grabbed my hands and dragged me to the restaurant next door where her mommy was working the front. She seemed very pleased to see me and insisted that I stay and eat. Apparently, tiffany's family owned the restaurant and her mom worked the floor while her dad cooked. They showered me with food and even though I was not exceptionally hungry, I stuffed myself to make sure that I did not offend them. It was really delicious! I had cold noodle soup with thinly sliced beef, a hard boiled egg, and some radish. They also made me a hameul pajeon -a seafood pancake- and when I got up to say goodbye, they insisted that I drink a cola and wait for a bit....at which point, they gave me a to go box full of freshly made dumplings. It was so incredibly sweet of them. I thanked them a hundred times, bowing and telling them how delicious it was. </div><div><br /></div><div>After leaving, I continued to walk around for a bit. I walked into the shoe store where my mom and I had shopped during her visit, and after checking out a few of the shoes I noticed a woman looking at me hard. It was another one of my student's mommies! We greeted each other with big smiles and not much talking, although not for lack of trying. She hovered over me, which made me uncomfortable, because I didn't really want to buy a pair of shoes. Well, I did. It is <i>me </i> after all, but I wanted to show her that i did respect her shop and liked her shoes. I pointed to a pair of sandals in black. I had bought the same pair in blue when I was with my mother. I explained to her that I had that pair of shoes. She took that to mean that I wanted that pair of shoes. She took the shoes up to the counter and I sighed. I DID like the shoes and could always do with a black pair. They were not ridiculously expensive or anything so I figured I could buy them to save face. When I pulled out my card, she waved me off. "My gift to you" she said. People here are just <i>nice. </i> Don't you wish you could visit?</div>Annehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05773874822819157606noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9095004931450773132.post-78507222167858695292010-03-29T22:29:00.006+09:002010-04-03T00:40:21.999+09:00So you think you want to run a marathonLet me be the first to admit, the end of my marathon was not the victorious image that I had in my head. I had envisioned myself bounding across the finish line, arms raised, a huge grin on my face. What really happened was more of a dragging of my deadened limbs across the line, head thrown back because i didn't have the energy to hold it up straight anymore and my mouth half open in a moan. Super victorious. The first words out of my mouth when I crossed the finish line were " I am never. doing. that. again."<div><br /></div><div>Well, its almost two weeks later. I have only been running once since, and yet I am already considering when my next one will be. Mom compared it to having a baby, which was weirdly appropriate. I suppose the accomplishment erases the pain after a little bit. </div><div><br /></div><div>But I am getting ahead of myself. Mom arrived on Thursday night. I missed the first bus to the airport so I was about 40 minutes late. When i got there she was sitting in the arrival's area looking adorably nervous. I brought her a Hallabong ( a Korean hybrid tangerine ) and we shared it together while waiting for the bus back to Pyeongtaek. </div><div><br /></div><div>For the first part of the visit I was feeling really off. I was in a bit of a perpetual funk as I thought about my marathon. I had been out of commission from running for almost a week and a half because of my sickness and my hospital visit - I have to admit - I was freaking out. I knew I had to try to run the marathon, but i was terrified that I wouldn't be able to finish and I knew how disappointed I would be with myself if I couldn't. Mom and I rode the train to Seoul on Saturday morning. We took the subway to our hotel, changing subway lines three times. I probably shouldn't have done this, as we had to lug our suitcases all over the platforms and I wanted to save my legs for the next day, but I wanted to show my mom how to use the subway system. Mom was going to have to use the subway system the next day to get from the starting line to the finish line, and she was freaking out about getting lost in Korea and not being able to communicate with anyone. </div><div><br /></div><div>Our hotel was pretty amazing. Heated floors, a living room, a refrigerator, washing machine, stove, sink....it was amazing. We spent the rest of the day watching movies on tv and giggling about the Korean commercials. For dinner that night we ate at the restaurant in the hotel, "montour." Mom ordered "pizza" and I got seafood pasta which was complete with oysters, squid, baby octopus, and other unknowns. After dinner, back in the room, I laid out my clothes, tied my timing chip to my shoes, and pinned my race number to my shirt. </div><div><br /></div><div>After eight hours of sleep broken up five or six times by stumbling to the bathroom to pee, I woke up to eat half of a dry bagel and a banana and get dressed. I hadn't felt that nervous since Saturday mornings on the speech circuit. So I dealt with the nerves in the same way I did during speech. I put in my headphones and jammed out to some serious tunes. The same tunes, I might add, that I gave to one of my besties, Maddy, for her senior year AFA (speech nationals)...which she is at....right....now. I am have been thinking about my team constantly, and am so proud of the direction that the team seems to have taken recently. I hope that they are rocking out to some of the jams that I shared. See, you can be in Korea and still be connected. </div><div><br /></div><div>Mom and I took the subway to the starting line. The race packet told me that I would have to take public transportation because everything would be shut down, so I tried to get a hotel room close to the starting line....I knew I was close when I reserved the room, but the subway stop right outside of our apartment was literally one stop away from the start. It was great not having to stress about that. Once we stepped off of the subway and on to the platform - I just can't describe it. Koreans. EVERYWHERE. So many people. Mom grabbed onto my jacket and held on for dear life as I navigated the crowds. Hundreds of groups in matching gear were stretching together down in the Subway platform because it was shielded from the wind that was gusting at up to 17mph. The smell....icy-hot. There were clouds as men were spraying down their calves and their clothing. It was like breathing in Vicks Vapor rub. </div><div><br /></div><div>The starting line is on one of the most famous intersections in Seoul. It is a small ways away from the "blue house" (Korea's White House). In the center is a huge statue of Admiral Yi Sun Shin. Yi Sun Shin is famous for his courage and loyalty during the conflicts with the Japanese and for helping build the first iron clad ships in the world. The intersection is really open with Gyeongbokgung palace to the north and the mountains rising up behind that. People were everywhere and I had no idea where to go. I spotted a white person and grabbed them in the hopes that they spoke English. Victory! He asked me if I was a member of the Seoul Flyers (a Seoul running club) which of course, I was not, but he still told me to follow him back to the group. The Seoul Flyers were clustered around the Yi statue, some jumping around in the vain attempt to keep warm. Did I mention that it was 0 Degrees Celcius? We joined the group and I got to meet a few people, one of which was the wife(Lara) of previously mentioned Caucasion(James). Imagine my surprise when we learned through our small talk that Lara was actually from - wait for it - Overland. Park. Kansas. She insisted that Mom join her as she followed the marathon and Mom dissolved into tears. "<i>Mom, " </i> I hissed, "you <i>can not </i>cry!" "God is good." was all she would say. Oh mommo. </div><div><br /></div><div>The starting times were staggered to ease congestion so while I waited for my group to begin I chatted it up with several of the Seoul Flyers. I struck up a quick friendship with Jewel, a woman who's goal time was almost exactly what my pre-hospital visit goal time was and decided that I would try to run with her. Foolish, foolish Anne. I feet confident and smooth for the first third of the marathon and I was able to stick with her up to about the Half mark. Suddenly, at the 20 kilometer mark, I realized that things were going to get rough real soon. I could sense that leaden feeling creeping into my legs. I knew that feeling. I got it at the very end of my long runs. I was <i>nowhere</i> near the end of this VERY long run. So I kept running. </div><div><br /></div><div>It is so hard to explain how it feels to "hit the wall." You are running. You are exhausted. You are frustrated with yourself because you can't go faster. You start focusing on everyone else around you - thinking that they could not possibly feel how you are feeling, because obviously you are in the most pain out of everyone in the whole wide world. And while you are thinking about all the people around you, you are unnaturally aware of how totally miserable you are. Your legs could fall off. Your lungs have literally gotten so tired that your breath is shallow and your chest hurts. You feel like you are running as fast as you could <i>possibly</i> run, and yet you are shuffling along at what you are disgustingly aware of as a snails pace. So you want to stop. Your legs, your lungs, your feet, your <i>arms</i> are all screaming at you to STOP. This is the point when most people stop to walk or quit. And perhaps all those walkers know something that I don't. It is probably smart to walk and pick up again when you can put more effort into it, but all I had in my head was "Gurrrl, you better not let your butt stop, because God knows if you are going to start up again." I cursed a LOT in my head. I haven't cursed that much since high school. Its a good thing that most Koreans don't know English because when I finally crossed the Han river and realized that I still had about 6 miles to go, I actually let out a few choice phrases. But hey, I never walked. Its not much, but its one of the things I am most proud of. </div><div><br /></div><div>I finished in 4 hours, 42 minutes, and 38 seconds. Nowhere near my goal, but all things considered, I am very proud of myself. </div><div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; color: rgb(51, 51, 51); "><h3 class="UIIntentionalStory_Message" ft="{"type":"msg"}" style="font-size: 13px; color: rgb(51, 51, 51); margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; font-weight: normal; overflow-x: hidden; overflow-y: hidden; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:Georgia, serif;font-size:130%;color:#000000;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 16px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif;font-size:100%;color:#333333;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 13px;"><br /></span></span></span></span></h3></span></div><div>Like I said, my first words to my mother who was grinning and waiting for me at the end was that I was never doing it again, but I think I just might. I want to try running a marathon with all the strategies that I learned this time around and avoiding the injuries that I sustained this year with my back. I mean, I HAVE to defend my title as the fastest marathoner in the family. Just you try to take that away from me Mark, I dare you. Nothing like a little friendly family competition to get our rears in gear.</div><div><br /></div><div>Mom and I collected my metal and my bag of food, I downed three bottles of water within five minutes, and we made our way to the subway station for the long ride back to the hotel. Once at the hotel I made a very important stop at the 7-11 on the first floor of the hotel to purchase <i>chocolate. </i>I purchase some delicious cookies with chocolate caps on them and a few chocolate bars. I ate them all that night. I guess I shared the cookies with mom, but we just relaxed on the sofa drinking Coke Zeros and watching movies all night long. </div><div><br /></div><div>When I woke up the next day, every single inch of my body ached. This is not an exaggeration. If I shrugged, I moaned a little bit. I called into work and took one of my sick days - I <i>totally </i>needed it - and my mother and I slept in and decided to explore Seoul a little bit. </div><div><br /></div><div>But THAT, my dears, is another story for another day. If you are lucky, and if you nag my mom a bit, we might be able to talk her into a "guest post." I have already asked her to write down her observations and email them to me. You up for it?</div>Annehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05773874822819157606noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9095004931450773132.post-75774429236416574162010-03-17T22:46:00.004+09:002010-03-18T08:53:38.050+09:00You think that _*insert problem here*_ can stop me?Listen, <div><br /></div><div>I went to the doctor yesterday for another massage and I told him that although the lumbar corset feels better than standing on my own, I was walking all funny and the right hip and back was really really painful. He watched me walk for three paces and said "ah yes, I think, that these muscle spasms have...made you...how should I say...un-parallel. Great. Add Insult to injury. My hips were un-aligned due to the way my muscles were trying to heal. The doctor then told me that he was going to give me a shot in my back. *comedic double take* Buh-where? He turned to Sarah and explained the medical jargon and technicalities of the shot in Korean. Then I turned to Sarah for the translation. She looked at me seriously and said "No." *Second comedic double-take* Buh-whaaa? "I do not think that you should hear this." She told me. "I know that you do not like shots" </div><div><br /></div><div>Its a good GD thing that she did not tell me what was about to happen. I had to lay face-down on a table with my pants pushed down while the doctor manipulated my back, asking which manipulation hurt most. Once he found the most excruciating place, he stuck a needle into my back. And. Kept. It. There. I could feel it going up and down. The whole time I was freaking out in my head I kept wondering what in the world he was doing - Sarah told me later that he was making sure to move around to all areas of the muscle - even she had to look away. Once he finished, I whimpered in relief which soon became a whimper of pain as he did it again!</div><div><br /></div><div>The cool thing? TOTALLY WORTH IT. I don't know what was in it - I think he mentioned steroids when my brain was half freaking out, but it was amazing. It was like my muscles let out a collective sigh and re-aligned. Suddenly, I could walk without pain. I could sit up without supporting my back. I could bend forward. Its not perfect. I think my hip will be a little sore, but I am incredibly happy. At school, my students were relieved to see a pain free (and thus a little less bitchy) teacher. They all gave me a group hug when I told them that my back was not "ouchie" any more. After my day of almost no pain, I decided to get out there and run tonight after work. Come hell or high water.</div><div><br /></div><div>Of course it started to snow. </div><div><br /></div><div>Oh, but it was one of those really gorgeous early spring snows. You know, the really heavy, wet, on the verge of melting snows that just weighs down all the trees and seems to dampen all the noise of the city? By the time I walked out of the stairwell, a thick layer was covering everything. I started out cautiously, monitoring every twinge. For the first two miles you couldn't wipe the idiotic grin off my face. No one else was on the trail. The lyrics "I will be stronger" from my ipod gave me shivers and I actually closed my eyes and willed my body to remember this run forever. The sound of my breath in my ears. The snow already covering my shoulders. The dulled sound of my steps in the snow. Perfect. I have to admit that I felt a little sluggish. I thought I was going slower than normal and I felt a little worn for the 4 miles I put in. My time ended up surprising me. 8:20-8:30 at each mile. I guess my body didn't forget what to do. </div><div><br /></div><div>But one of the best parts of my run happened on my way back in. I had just finished up the 4th mile and had climbed up the stairs from the trail to the street. It was still snowing and I waited in a large group of people for the light to change so that we could cross the street to the apartment complexes. There was this halmonnee (pronounced Harmony - Grandmother) waiting patiently with her little black grocery sack and her umbrella. She saw me and walked in that slow grandmother-way over to me with a smile. She asked me, in Korean, if I spoke "hangul?" </div><div>"Hangul-mal, chogum" I said, apologetically. If my admitting that I only spoke a little Korean bothered her, I didn't see it. She began to cluck softly over me. She continued to speak to me in Korean, her words flowing smoothly as she whipped out her little flowered handkerchief and wiped all of the snow off of my face and shook it out of my braids. She insisted that I walk with her across the street under her umbrella and when we parted - I felt like this had been one of the greatest encounters I have ever had. Not just in Korea. This "Harmony" will be with me forever. </div>Annehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05773874822819157606noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9095004931450773132.post-54608834683976124652010-03-15T20:31:00.002+09:002010-03-16T00:10:30.666+09:00Good, nay, Fantastic newsI went to work today. It was pretty darn excruciating. As noted in my previous post, my muscles were aching from being electrocuted by spasms and I was favoring my left side which didn't help my muscles heal evenly. During every break time I would lie down on a cushion on the floor which would re-align things for a while. The other teachers treated me like china doll. The word spread like wild-fire between the Korean teachers and soon I was not allowed to carry my own lunch tray or even shuffle down the hall if it was not necessary. I have some very kind-hearted co-workers. <div><br /></div><div>My new director-ish person, Kelly, has back problems as well, and she insisted that I go see the back therapists that she went to. I was hesitant at first, I don't like the idea of chiropractors in the US, so who knows what kind of crazy voodoo science Korea comes up with. Kelly was insistent and I <i>was</i> in pain, so after school Sarah teacher took me to the Spine doctor. </div><div><br /></div><div>The man spoke almost perfect English. It was like finding a precious gem. I could talk to him about my back-ask him any questions about treatment, and he would ANSWER ME! No translation necessary. Sarah is the best translator, but I am always a little worried that parts of my concerns will be lost in translation. </div><div><br /></div><div>So I got another shot in the butt. Ugh. I hate needles, and I probably would have been a lot more upset, but I was distracted by the fact that the nurse smacked my butt sharply like five times before she put the needle in. Seriously. When Sarah saw my face, she laughed so hard. Its like a <i>thing </i>in Korea. Nurses smack the area before they inject. I sort of liked it. Not for the smack, sickos, but for the fact that I was totally distracted by the weirdness of an asian woman smacking my butt - I didn't even have time to freak out about a piece of metal sliding into my skin. </div><div><br /></div><div>The doctor gave me a lumbar corset (sort of like a brace for my back) which I am to wear only when in pain....which I was a little sad about because this sexy grandmother girdle with steel stays would have been the best accessory to all of my outfits. He was able to tell me what in the world all the little pills that the hospital gave me were (the two that I thought were unnecessary actually WERE unnecessary - the hospital had me on xanax for anxiety and some gastro pill for digestion). </div><div><br /></div><div>But the best part. The very best part: He agrees with me. He said that I was right to assume that running was an important part of keeping my back healthy and that I should plan on continuing the marathon! Brilliant man. I am pleased with him. 40 minutes after my consultation, I had a laser light shone on my back, a hot pad, and an electrical stimulation massage. I walked out of there feeling much better than when I walked in. Not perfect, mind you, but maybe - just maybe- a little bit closer towards my goal of running that marathon.</div>Annehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05773874822819157606noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9095004931450773132.post-44275035312784641442010-03-14T11:28:00.009+09:002010-03-14T19:46:31.620+09:00Well This Weekend has been eventfulLet me just preface my story with this: My family has a history of bad backs. My Dad, two of my brothers, my sister and I have all had issues with our backs at one time or another. Katie even had to have surgery to fix her herniated disc. Mark is the only lucky SOB who managed to escape our tragic fate.<div><br /><div>I thought I was safe until about two years ago. That was when I had my first episode. I would be down for three or four days in utter misery, but then I would be back on my feet and feel like nothing had happened. Since that first time, every 6 to 8 months I would have another blow out. Same as before.</div><div><br /><div>This Friday, I got out of my taxi after school, and I noticed that my back felt a little funny. Sometimes I can nip it in the bud by icing and resting, so thats what I did. I got an ice pack and watched a show in bed. Feeling better, I got up to put the ice pack back in the freezer, and when I went back to sit down on my bed, mid-way there I froze. I knew right then, at that second, that I was in trouble. Its so hard to explain, but the pain that was radiating from my lower back was so intense that I couldn't stop myself from screaming out. Its hot. Its vibrating. Its like all your muscles are contracting at the same time but they are burning. All you can think about is the pain and how you have to figure out how to get down to the bed and lay down, but every movement you make, every fraction of an inch is agony. You force your body to get down, using your arms and legs to make any adjustments you can, because your back is out of the question. You wait for the waves of pain to get less intense...the ripples smaller. You don't realize how much you use your back until you can't use it anymore. If you want to slide one inch over in the bed, you have to lift your hips in order to do so. So you can't. You just lie there. Crying. I took one anti-inflammitory, and one muscle relaxer - nothing. I decided to sleep it out. Usually, the next day is better after icing, rest, and meds. </div><div><br /></div><div>So I had a restless 8 hours. I had two pillows under my knees, but i still woke up every two hours to a throbbing pain. When I woke up I tried to get to the bathroom, but I realized that I couldn't stand up. I slid my right leg over the bed, then the left, and slid my body down to the floor, using my bed as a stabilizer. I then crawled to the bathroom, once there, I used the doorknob to try to pull myself up, but realized that once I was halfway standing that I couldn't move my hips over to sit. I was in the same position as when I tried to sit down on the bed. I crumpled to the floor - as quickly as one can when their body is rejecting the movement. Thats how my roommate found me five seconds later. Crying on my hands and knees on the bathroom floor. I crawled back to my room and called one of my co-workers, Sarah. She came over quickly and she and her sister (who is a nurse) got me out into the car and drove me to the hospital.</div><div><br /></div><div>They put me in the emergency room. Immediately they gave me a shot of something into my hip. I am assuming it was cortizone, but really, I don't know. They put an iv in my forearm and some doctor came over and started lifting my legs up in the air to check range of motion. 20 degrees. Thats how far my legs could go up without me crying out. They gave me xrays. The doctor told me there was nothing wrong with my bones. Then they took me in for a CT scan. They found it. A bulging disc in between my A and B lumbar. Sweet. The doctor came back to me and told me that a bulging disc is just painful. Understatement of the century. Its the herniated discs that need surgery. From what I read, most bulging discs heal on their own, however people with family histories of bad backs tend to have a chronic tendancy towards getting them. My back would be fine. I just need to start taking my genetically weak dispositioned back seriously. I need to start a back strengthening routine that I stick to. If I don't, this WILL happen again - heck, even if I do, this could happen again, but I need to be proactive. </div><div><br /></div><div>As for the marathon. I so very much appreciate everyone's concern and prayers during this scary time. I want you to know that I am not taking this episode lightly. I understand how serious back injuries are, and believe me, I <i>don't </i>want another relapse. That being said. If I can run this marathon, I will. I worked so very hard for 18 weeks, and I still have seven days to heal up. </div><div><br /></div><div>I realize now that what I said on facebook about needing surgery if my disc ruptured may have given people the wrong idea. If I <i>had </i>been lifting something heavy, or if I <i>had</i> been in an accident, my disc could have ruptured, but the bulge has gone back in place now. When your back spasms, your body is forcing your muscles to go rigid in order to prevent further damage, but what this does is freeze your back so that your disc can not move back into the proper position. The shot and the medicine that the hospital gave me, along with the past two days of bedrest has allowed my disc to move back into the correct position. The pain that I feel now, is the pain of muscles that have been very tight and have been essentially shocked with electricity; <i>not </i>the pain of a disc that is still out of place. Every other time that this happened to me, I was down for a few days - I will give myself that. </div><div><br /></div><div>When I explained this to Sarah and another co-worker Daniel, they looked at me like I was crazy. Not just for trying to run the marathon, but for going back to running altogether. They think that running was a part of the problem. Thats not it. I mean, think about it - These past two weeks of my taper have been the easiest ones during my entire training - if it was running that was the problem, this back problem would have happened when I was running 45-50 miles a week, not 25. Everything I have ever researched on bulging disc's says that they are caused by accidents, heavy lifting, or a violent cough or sneeze. No heavy lifting or accident for me, but guess who has had a terrible cough for the past few days? Moi. Now listen, I am not going to be crazy and run if I feel even the slightest bit of weakness or problems. I swear. But I am not, I am NOT going to give up before I have even tried. My marathon packet with number and race shirt arrived in the mail today, and I would never forgive myself if I didn't try.</div><div><br /></div><div>It's not just a weak back that I inherited from my family - I also got stubbornness, and the drive to overcome whatever obstacles stand in my way.</div></div></div>Annehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05773874822819157606noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9095004931450773132.post-32126183344159235172010-02-23T21:13:00.002+09:002010-02-23T21:29:22.159+09:00Inconceivable!I have to say - for missing Kansas so much, and wishing that I could be there for all the blizzards, I am sort of thrilled about Korea's weather recently.<div><br /></div><div>Today's high was 57 degrees. Fifty-Seven. Five-Seven. I was able to walk to my bus stop with no coat or hat. This made me feel a little self conscience because my hair was down and the color stands out a bit more with no covering. Guuurl, heads were a-turnin. </div><div><br /></div><div>Normally when I get home from work, I take a short nap before I go out for my run. It has become such a big part of my routine that the thought of skipping it to get done with my run earlier makes me cringe. I NEED my nap. Not today. I couldn't <i>wait</i> to get out the door. I knew that if I napped, the temp would drop and I wanted it as warm as possible. Guess who ran in her 3/4 length tights? And only two shirts? It was disgustingly refreshing. On the trail I ran into my roommate's best friend, an American named Chase. Two non-asians on the trail at once? We did a run-by high five. I know that I have S.A.D. but I couldn't tell how much it was affecting me until I got a day like this. </div><div><br /></div><div>This week is my last week of intensive training. No Joke. I ran five miles today, eight tomorrow, five on Thursday, rest day on Friday, Eight at race pace on Saturday, and my final long run is 20 miles on Sunday. After Sunday, it is all downhill; I start to taper off until my race. March 21st, here I come. </div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>Tomorrow the high is supposed to be 61. Jealoussssss? </div>Annehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05773874822819157606noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9095004931450773132.post-29357220606212264222010-02-15T10:42:00.004+09:002010-02-22T22:38:39.781+09:00This post is dedicated to my mother. and aunts. and anyone else who has been after me to update.Alright friends,<div><br /></div><div>So I have been meaning to update this for a very long time, but I think the problem is that there is just too much that I want to talk about. I never want to sit down for a few hours to pound it all out. </div><div><br /></div><div>This is going to be a conglomeration post. </div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>I haven't been in the best place emotionally for the past few weeks. I have been feeling stuck. I can't come home yet, but I want to. I haven't been crying about it; its not an urgent "get the hell out of here" feeling, but its an ache. I can admit something to myself now. I am not the jet-setting citizen of the world that I always thought that I was, or at least, could be. I am a homebody. I am disgustingly connected with my family and while I still want to travel the world and live in other places. I think I will keep the travel under a few months and the living in the United States. This way, I can at least fly to see my family for under a thousand dollars and 20 hours of travel time. This realization was a hard pill to swallow, but I think I am better for it. </div><div><br /></div><div>Lets talk about the Korean people for a few.</div><div><br /></div><div>Based on Confucian ideals, the family unit is tight. Super tight. Most couples only have two children and the oldest male is expected to care for the the parents when they get older. I have heard from Sarah that Korean women try to shy away from oldest boys because the women know that if they marry them, they will have a lot of responsibility when they get older, but it all ends up being a really good deal for everyone. The grandparents end up taking care of the children a lot. Most of my students have told me that their grandparents watch them after school or walk them to and from school every morning - which, I know that I would have loved. </div><div><br /></div><div>It is just such an interesting culture. The country was essentially third world until the late 1960's early 1970's - meaning that people over the age of 45 have to remember a time when they they or someone that they knew didn't have running water. Can you even imagine? So now, at least in the city or in the suburbs of Seoul where I live, its almost like the people are playing a giant game of "catch-up." Image and money are super important here. Obviously, this is a generalization - but there is a very good reason for it. You will <i>never</i> see a Korean woman walk out in public in pajama pants - the equivalent of slumming it in Korea is to wear a work-out outfit and a ballcap. But you better believe that those ballcaps and yoga pants are name brand; usually the logo is nice and prominent. Its a little tough to keep up with them! I feel pretty self conscious when a willowy, heeled, and impeccably dressed young woman is standing next to me on the bus. </div><div><br /></div><div>The children. are. adorable. I mean, all children are cute, but these kids take the cake, and their parents have a LOT to do with it. As I said, appearances are very important, so many of the moms make sure that their kids are impeccably dressed. My students show up to class wearing Burberry. There is no such thing as holes in socks or patched knees. Their pea coats probably cost more than all the clothes I brought here put together. They wear cute little fur vests, jeweled headbands, the boys wear sweaters over turtlenecks. Sometimes I squeal when I get to work - I feel like a grandmother who just wants to squeeze their round little cheeks. The other day, one of the Korean teachers at school was playing with Dorothy's curls. Dorothy is an adorable little six year old with a very soft little curl in her hair. The teacher looked at me and proudly said that Dorothy was the only Korean girl that she had met with curly hair. I looked at her like she was crazy - 3 of my kids had curly hair, what was she talking about? 'Oh,' she qualified, ' I mean <i>naturally </i>curly hair.' I did one of those cartoon double takes. Almost any Korean child that you see with curly hair has gotten a perm. They are babies...not to mention the fact that they are adorable enough without the curls. </div><div><br /></div><div>The middle school girls all look the same. This is not me being caucasion in asia, this is sheer honest to goodness shock. They have frighteningly similar school uniforms (plaid skirts, dark blazer, black tights) and they ALL have the EXACT same haircut: A Shoulder length bob that is curled under and a tightly curled set of blunt cut bangs. Its kind of cute - the girls will wear their bangs in little rollers outside to keep them perfect. </div><div><br /></div><div> I was in Seoul this weekend buying books. . . . I have missed reading <i>so </i>bad! I don't know <i>why</i> I didn't bring a freaking book with me. So anywho, I went to one of the few bookstores with an actual English section and spent a fortune on books. Totally worth it. It was also really great because while I was in the train station they had the Olympics on. I haven't been able to watch ONE minute of the Olympics here in Korea. I tried to stream it online, but all of the English websites blocked me due to my IP address being from Korea and their distribution rights being limited to their respective countries. I am not computer literate and could not figure out how to hide my IP address like some of my friends suggested, so I was living vicariously through all of my friend's facebook updates and such. While in the station I got to watch the Korean's win the Gold and Silver in speed skating....I was halfway rooting for Apollo Whats-his-name, but I couldn't deny that the Korean's enthusiasm was infectious. HUGE crowds around the TV and in-sync gasps? Awesome. Keep your ears and eyes peeled for Kim Yu Na. She is Korea's hope for the Gold in figure skating. It's impossible to not know who she is here. She was Korea's Forbes Magazine and Times Magazine's person of the year several times running and is spokesperson for like every cosmetic known. I wish I could watch it. </div><div><br /></div><div>I have more to say, but I think I will take a shower and go to bed instead. Night!</div>Annehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05773874822819157606noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9095004931450773132.post-63120313912648619522010-02-10T23:27:00.005+09:002010-02-10T23:45:35.887+09:00Pictures for Kristen to show her students:<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjat1jJazDb3tNrnIBWUgSREK3xlJGjpQZJYMnesejLE9qjqJ8mMJrxsRQWhKPB4cNKp5jF-Oruc10Daqzv4oAEpfGsOw50mAamlR8fhPtzzLPyJbutQXYMnceT_p4lHQYAeqmjWVntA4Q/s1600-h/lots+of+pictures+of+students+2-5+028.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjat1jJazDb3tNrnIBWUgSREK3xlJGjpQZJYMnesejLE9qjqJ8mMJrxsRQWhKPB4cNKp5jF-Oruc10Daqzv4oAEpfGsOw50mAamlR8fhPtzzLPyJbutQXYMnceT_p4lHQYAeqmjWVntA4Q/s320/lots+of+pictures+of+students+2-5+028.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5436624512432562562" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijkytp-x1YP-UsVY8GLoGXc7PQZ6eFN1RaBcHHo74o4U2BSU9IXmZr221ffN13_Y5doh-AwAU2foUxxo5QLuw4R_GtRz0DtND0hyphenhyphenNw68ciNWi8KcBfMwc0KIqliJUJZE1uKz3J7o5QgHo/s1600-h/lots+of+pictures+of+students+2-5+027.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijkytp-x1YP-UsVY8GLoGXc7PQZ6eFN1RaBcHHo74o4U2BSU9IXmZr221ffN13_Y5doh-AwAU2foUxxo5QLuw4R_GtRz0DtND0hyphenhyphenNw68ciNWi8KcBfMwc0KIqliJUJZE1uKz3J7o5QgHo/s320/lots+of+pictures+of+students+2-5+027.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5436624499049180546" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdjkil9O0HRqUOel7MLyy4u3eAeNLpoBx1GY78gxqlmXM3ohQK0TDPLEXBTJoMe23peZxsGcHk6iO55MjryXVE4cXf7ct_-m3Qf9If4HD0KavmKGsfFGY9aAIPLMtEVxyYSyLf6rI-2iQ/s1600-h/lots+of+pictures+of+students+2-5+025.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdjkil9O0HRqUOel7MLyy4u3eAeNLpoBx1GY78gxqlmXM3ohQK0TDPLEXBTJoMe23peZxsGcHk6iO55MjryXVE4cXf7ct_-m3Qf9If4HD0KavmKGsfFGY9aAIPLMtEVxyYSyLf6rI-2iQ/s320/lots+of+pictures+of+students+2-5+025.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5436624483485135250" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBfczbs5m4xUpgLEjRLTe8TmONZf5TUIz6Lh_C-DlH7tCbqjKRaoQowfn6zoG7JPirbbZmJUJQl3bjNXcSQPMFrAyCFcexi_M6MsTn84M2X9WpxZ4L0gdlOmbinKAWnti4TfOvsutYzPA/s1600-h/lots+of+pictures+of+students+2-5+024.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBfczbs5m4xUpgLEjRLTe8TmONZf5TUIz6Lh_C-DlH7tCbqjKRaoQowfn6zoG7JPirbbZmJUJQl3bjNXcSQPMFrAyCFcexi_M6MsTn84M2X9WpxZ4L0gdlOmbinKAWnti4TfOvsutYzPA/s320/lots+of+pictures+of+students+2-5+024.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5436624469433495842" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGeOJ3KO1kITNu3thtZlPJeEqa_jzbjzwdHNRbZ4WTlBQ4zLIQMapdVWlptaWdnt_Fr2VxKYPiyHEhmA7a0SBGhjJkUaO_huO229PJ_zGuUZ4alHZMwyzVwwcCP1XvpbjqLslC7q-JCsU/s1600-h/lots+of+pictures+of+students+2-5+022.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGeOJ3KO1kITNu3thtZlPJeEqa_jzbjzwdHNRbZ4WTlBQ4zLIQMapdVWlptaWdnt_Fr2VxKYPiyHEhmA7a0SBGhjJkUaO_huO229PJ_zGuUZ4alHZMwyzVwwcCP1XvpbjqLslC7q-JCsU/s320/lots+of+pictures+of+students+2-5+022.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5436624455718636754" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJ_kVyoPjNJPt9kq8SjWrKTPBxR1e0vJrcgknfF4Z65IOxZLAwojEckYpOCqE28pBazpooX4-o2UkkyoGXJ7yvA4C03PXHZcq1C4WflUZZRElwvyCYvO4jmNfZ-NM7o31VqtH0nXGx7pI/s1600-h/lots+of+pictures+of+students+2-5+020.JPG"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJ_kVyoPjNJPt9kq8SjWrKTPBxR1e0vJrcgknfF4Z65IOxZLAwojEckYpOCqE28pBazpooX4-o2UkkyoGXJ7yvA4C03PXHZcq1C4WflUZZRElwvyCYvO4jmNfZ-NM7o31VqtH0nXGx7pI/s320/lots+of+pictures+of+students+2-5+020.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5436622860316849282" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiR-CrQd9vbOvI9pYm8EW3Vc6NcH5Txq6eKzJI1Ji8xJFSX8nDvMR-ooYYFD5feaV2i7B0Ww-KwU633PGwGkpCZnfIYBLaFVJA6NGuwqS54RoPYSaDYPRtmZq5NL958TfUZj_hpH3ER4co/s1600-h/lots+of+pictures+of+students+2-5+019.JPG"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiR-CrQd9vbOvI9pYm8EW3Vc6NcH5Txq6eKzJI1Ji8xJFSX8nDvMR-ooYYFD5feaV2i7B0Ww-KwU633PGwGkpCZnfIYBLaFVJA6NGuwqS54RoPYSaDYPRtmZq5NL958TfUZj_hpH3ER4co/s320/lots+of+pictures+of+students+2-5+019.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5436622848974901730" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimjHyiQv-1jUINkw5sxrSWfV5naidrOq-b0ZjoxBm0hxdB3WatDoTlLDBwK5QIMAaQfz_FMC28ONbYOX9m_OHVZ00kk0ZxvPMSGbURkt1uOu_trNHZ8bu2Zn6Tj6CFZbxRHXAFagt7YPk/s1600-h/lots+of+pictures+of+students+2-5+018.JPG"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimjHyiQv-1jUINkw5sxrSWfV5naidrOq-b0ZjoxBm0hxdB3WatDoTlLDBwK5QIMAaQfz_FMC28ONbYOX9m_OHVZ00kk0ZxvPMSGbURkt1uOu_trNHZ8bu2Zn6Tj6CFZbxRHXAFagt7YPk/s320/lots+of+pictures+of+students+2-5+018.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5436622840578835666" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHtt1Zog-fKrA2Ipm1doA7sJHp_jsWdgssvAXyeA6PR1mXTBbDLV0d1vURUZnbOdYRcNStDeMoC6lwbB-1OoxlFcuQvfYD1FkqjBGURzgWt8zL4rVIyiYCRyT6L25_RBjBzuGOv11Iy60/s1600-h/lots+of+pictures+of+students+2-5+017.JPG"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHtt1Zog-fKrA2Ipm1doA7sJHp_jsWdgssvAXyeA6PR1mXTBbDLV0d1vURUZnbOdYRcNStDeMoC6lwbB-1OoxlFcuQvfYD1FkqjBGURzgWt8zL4rVIyiYCRyT6L25_RBjBzuGOv11Iy60/s320/lots+of+pictures+of+students+2-5+017.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5436622835000461106" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiznA_ag1JY3o8E_XCHf4nXadnaK6iQ8gmgsmtZHqe9qGd2nh93R58PPGUupytiuz19tgiQsWT1Hv-G1w9XT3gYUf6GbdMkM2VLUIbroAxWBoFCz0-3F_HVvJfuTwNju8H6SBN_FZwbek/s1600-h/lots+of+pictures+of+students+2-5+016.JPG"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiznA_ag1JY3o8E_XCHf4nXadnaK6iQ8gmgsmtZHqe9qGd2nh93R58PPGUupytiuz19tgiQsWT1Hv-G1w9XT3gYUf6GbdMkM2VLUIbroAxWBoFCz0-3F_HVvJfuTwNju8H6SBN_FZwbek/s320/lots+of+pictures+of+students+2-5+016.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5436622818779095122" /></a><br /><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>Kristen and I are exchanging pen pal letters between our kids. She can't really access Facebook at school to show all of her kids the pictures of MY kids, soooo I will put them on here for her class to look at....In order from top to bottom : Chris, Mike, Amanda, Charlie, Polly, Noah, Candy and Susie.... By korean standards - mike and noah are little girl magnets.</div>Annehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05773874822819157606noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9095004931450773132.post-73543993412946659372010-02-07T20:02:00.003+09:002010-02-08T08:47:52.434+09:00Being Sick in KoreaWell, as I begin this post it is 8:03 on Sunday night. Due to the fact that I have spent the entirety of the weekend in my bed tossing and turning, sniffling, and groaning, this post is going to be my one attempt at doing something even remotely close to being labeled productive. <div><br /></div><div>On Friday I was feeling off...Not sick, but I could feel the start of some illness. I figured I could sleep in on Saturday and knock it out quickly. I woke up on Saturday feeling like a truck hit me. I was incredibly miserable. Headache, stuffed up, cough, sore throat, etc. Gross. I slept the day away and hoped for the best. The night before I had soaked a pot full of black beans. I have been wanting to try out a few new recipes so I figured I could cook the beans while I knocked out my fifteenth or so episode of House. I put the pot on to boil and I went back to my room. How many times have I left a pot of soup on the stove for simmer for an hour? A freaking ton - So I knew everything would be fine. I played some solitaire, I watched a show, and then I got up to check on my beans. I opened my door to a wall of smoke. No Kidding. Floor to ceiling thick smoke. I ran to the stove, turned off the gas, sprinted to the balcony, threw open all of the windows, and tried to vent the apartment. Apparently, the beans had boiled down while I was in my room and due to the door being closed, I had not noticed AT ALL. When I opened the front door of my apartment to get a cross breeze, a ton of the rancid smelling smoke (the handle on the top of the pot had started to melt as well) billowed into the hallway. Of course, Several Korean people ran out looking worried and speaking to me in rapid Korean - I am sure they were asking what was wrong. I just kept repeating 'Ken <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">cha</span> nigh oh' (its okay!) and 'bee ah <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">ney</span> yo' (I'm sorry!) ...finally, when I showed them what was in the pot, they sort of smirked and left me alone. I think they made an announcement: "Don't worry everyone! Its just the stupid American who can't work a stove!" Awesome. So now, I had no beans, my apartment smelled to high heaven, the smoke had aggravated my already irritated throat, and I had every window and door open so that the balmy 20 degree Korean Air could drop my body temperature.</div><div>I ran to the little supermarket downstairs and bought some air freshener. I unloaded enough air freshener into our apartment to create a hole in the ozone layer and lit some candles. My apartment smells much better today, but it still <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">reeeeeeks</span>. My roommate freaked out about the smell...I guess I understand, but with my sickness I am sort of annoyed by it. I made a mistake. I'm sorry. I burned some beans. The apartment will smell for a few days. Deal. </div><div><br /></div><div>I woke up today feeling worse than before. Super. I had planned on getting so much done this weekend. Now I am feeling like a worthless blob as I am currently on my 17<span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_3">th</span> episode of House and this post qualifies as the most I have done this weekend. </div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>To feel a little positive, I think I will write a small list of firsts in Korea:</div><div><br /></div><div>The first time I cried in Korea was the second the door closed to my apartment and I was all alone. </div><div><br /></div><div>The first food I ate in Korea was the Fried chicken at the little chicken restaurant across from my apartment building. My roommate and one of his friends took me out on my third day in Korea. He had been in Seoul for the whole weekend and because of how scared I was to leave the apartment and get lost or something, all I had eaten during that time was granola bars.</div><div><br /></div><div>The first time I laughed in Korea was at the very same Chicken place when I saw that they had fried up EVERY part of the chicken. It was not just thighs, breasts, and legs anymore. I know I recognized a neck and there were plenty of other Unidentified Objects</div><div><br /></div><div>The first shower that I took was freezing cold. My roommate was in Seoul and I didn't have any idea that in Korea, apparently you have to turn ON your hot water every time you want to use it.</div><div><br /></div><div>The first time I felt like I was settling in in Korea was when I went running for the first time. I ran three miles out into the country and on my way back in, I got to see my very first Korean sunset. Two-fer-one!</div><div><br /></div><div>The very first thing that I bought in Korea was a box of green tea. It tasted disgusting. Turns out that it was half green tea, half burned rice tea. Koreans love burned or "brown" rice tea...they also like to mix it with green tea a lot. I learned to check the box labels for "100%" REAL fast. </div><div><br /></div><div>My first time I laughed at a Supermarket was when I saw a two liter glass jug of Carlos <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_4">DeRosse</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_5">cabernet</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_6">savignon</span> for 15,000 won (about 14 bucks). Because, obviously, the exact same wine that we can buy a gallon of for 6 dollars would be considered classy wine here. </div><div><br /></div><div>On my first day at work, not fifteen minutes after arriving, one of the kids there performed "<span class="Apple-style-span" style=" line-height: 18px; font-family:Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;font-size:12px;"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_7">ddong</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_8">chim</span>" on me. Look it up. I won't explain. <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_9">Fortunatly</span> for me, I had been warned about this particular trick and it has not happened since, but what an interesting first day.</span></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div>Annehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05773874822819157606noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9095004931450773132.post-53689047165194699432010-01-25T18:31:00.002+09:002010-01-25T19:14:48.226+09:00I am saddened and dismayed........to tell you that I have lost my source for chocolate covered sunflower seeds. I walked into the small grocery store near my school's bus stop and went to stock up on my favorite - absolutely delicious, highly addictive, and somewhat good for me - sunflower seeds. Curses upon my terrible luck. A few weeks ago I was in and I saw a whole bunch of things being moved around the store...I bought two containers of my chocolate seeds just in case I wouldn't be able to get to them for a while. I walked in today and thought that I had walked into the wrong darn place. The little market used to be claustrophobic and severely dated; now it almost looked like an American supermarket with clearly labeled aisles, a deli section (with kimchi and highly salted seaweed), and enough room to fit a whole cart down each aisle! Some things were pretty cool - I mean they actually have a lot more produce and specialty items ( I found pine nuts for a ridiculous price....and purchased them anyway ) but what thing did they not have? My GD chocolate covered sunflower seeds. I went down every aisle. EVERY AISLE. <div><br /></div><div>I could punch someone. </div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div>Annehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05773874822819157606noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9095004931450773132.post-23666533194259311352010-01-21T22:53:00.003+09:002010-01-23T01:26:00.230+09:00I don't have a clever title for this one.<div>Well, I always knew that I was an old soul, but now it is official. I am an old lady. I know this because my hair is falling out. I can't tell you exactly if it is stress, <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">Pyeongtaek</span> water, or advancing age, but holy <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">moly</span>...I have to clean out dead rats from my drain after each shower. Graphic enough for you? I find it pretty gross too. With long hair, strays are unavoidable, (my students are always finding hairs on my shoulder....they seem to enjoy it - I think they just want a closer look at what they call "yellow" hair) but things have really gotten out of control. I am trying my darnedest to stem the flow by deep conditioning every three days. I'll keep you updated - but don't be surprised if I come home bald.<div><br /></div><div><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">Kiana</span> quit. My director? She quit. This is the second time in two months, only this time we are all pretty sure that she won't be coming back. She was displeased with the owner of the school for a while, and vice <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_3">versa</span>, so...I think she is done here. She left three days ago for the States. To add insult to injury, she's going to be in Overland Park visiting a friend. <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_4">Jealoussssssssssssss</span>.... This throws a lot of things into question - Who will be our new director? Will he/she change everything right when we have just gotten used to things? Will he/she stick up for us to the somewhat obsessive Korean mothers? What is the next semester's schedule going to be like? </div><div>Needless to say, I have been having a lot of stress headaches. I have been running to deal.</div><div><br /></div><div>So the Seoul Marathon is 8 weeks, and while I am sorry that I have been talking about it non-stop and that it has been dominating all of my status updates, I am probably not going to be able to stop. Training keeps my mind busy and gives me a goal to keep me here. I get to eat as much food as I want, I have rock hard thighs, and did I mention that I get to eat as much as food as I want? </div><div>I am SO over the cold weather though. For two days last week I was fortunate to run in 40 degree weather. I was actually able to run without my face mask, two pairs of tights, or five shirts. It was pretty amazing, but now the temp is back down and I have to drag my butt back into below freezing weather. Yuck.</div><div><br /></div><div>I have a ton of new pictures to post. I haven't done it yet because really, it takes for.ev.er. to upload and caption them all. I intend upon putting them up tonight, but we shall see. Mainly, the pictures are of the kids - I have to tell you guys, these kids are one of the best things about being here. They are positive, energetic, and man do they love American candy. They can get me to share any day. I have a pretty brilliant idea for my kids too! My kids are 7 and 8 ( think 6 and 7 by American count). I talked with my best friend Kristen who is a Kindergarten teacher in Lawrence. We are going to have our kids become Pen Pals! Those letters are freaking adorable. I will have to post some of them soon.</div><div><br /></div><div>Alright, I had better go. I want to go to Seoul tomorrow to buy some more cheese. Isn't that a little sad? I am willing to travel over an hour for some real dairy.</div><div><br /></div><div>I love you all. I miss you all.</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div></div>Annehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05773874822819157606noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9095004931450773132.post-15240914101343547152010-01-10T19:43:00.004+09:002010-01-10T22:00:06.164+09:00<span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">Okey</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">dokey</span>...<div><br /></div><div>I know that I should have updated a while ago, but I refused to waste any of the time that I had with David and yesterday after he left I was a bit of a mess and quite frankly, didn't want to think about it. </div><div><br /></div><div><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">SOoooo</span>...David's visit...</div><div><br /></div><div>Lets see. Well, it all started rather epically. David's flight was scheduled to arrive at <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_3">Incheon</span> airport at 6:00 in the morning on the 30<span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_4">th</span>. The buses from <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_5">Pyeongtaek</span> to <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_6">Incheon</span> take about 2 hours and the earliest one left at 4:10. I realized that there wouldn't be any taxis at the taxi stand outside of my apartment at 3:45 in the morning, so one of my coworkers called a taxi service and reserved me a taxi for 3:40 in the morning. She kept freaking out about it, going over details again and again because she knew that without the taxi I would be in serious trouble. On the night of the 29<span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_7">th</span>, the director of my school had everyone out for dinner. It ran long, and when I got home I had laundry to do...sooo...despite all my good intentions to get to bed early, I ended up falling asleep sometime around midnight. </div><div><br /></div><div>I woke up feeling somewhat distressed. Do you know that feeling? When you are hovering in between sleep and awake and you can't relax? I bolted upright in bed and checked my alarm. 3:51. Oh. Man. This meant that I had missed my taxi. What was I going to do? Quickly, I made a decision. I would have to run - 2 miles - to the bus terminal. I could only hope that I could make it in time to catch my bus. I threw on clothes, and sprinted out the door. I only got two blocks or so, when I reached one of the main roads. I bolted down the road and didn't stop until I saw the distinctive red light in the window of a vacant taxi...YES! Long story short, I made it to the bus terminal with 2 minutes to spare. I even managed to nap just a bit on the bus. </div><div><br /></div><div>David's flight was late. Boy, that was frustrating. I could see people's legs through the frosted doors leading to the exit, so I was playing the "guess which one is David" game. When he finally got out...it was so weird. I hadn't seen him in 2 months and it felt really surreal. When I finally got into a hug, I could have stood there for hours. </div><div><br /></div><div>We spent the first four days doing absolutely nothing. I made breakfast every morning, we walked around the city during the days, and we played cards and watched movies at night. At first, I kept asking him if he wanted to travel anywhere or do anything special because I felt guilty that I wasn't showing him around Korea, but he convinced me that just spending time together was the best way to spend our time. </div><div><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjbMEnxnJm-xeZiFwgHH-Hdwlwl5Ee5oLklRH0bGJK_IZqF0D013bD3Iez2eyBx_Y8nq5R_fk9XCnmjiNCjs-4NxxKUQEmoiiKR89ucD4eVVy10IB0-wqbb0_tSAZ-MDpOZsbJHHrNsNA/s320/David's+visit+002.JPG" /></div><div>*just hanging out at the apartment...probably downloading a movie for us to watch**</div><div><br /></div><div>We actually got to run together! This was the second time ever....since our very first date. On the day he got here, we ran a quick 5 miles out into the country and I got to show him my favorite running route. We never got to do it again though. <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_8">Davo</span> had just gotten over this terrible cold, and Korean air is super dry during the winter. During the two times in the beginning of his trip when he tried to run, he got these terrible nose bleeds...He was actually bleeding all over the trail. I followed a trail of blood home one day. (don't worry, he was fine!) I was pretty pleased with myself though, until the day he left, I didn't miss one day of training.</div><div><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh21HVMaEgvWQZ9ZIT67g1G0DAf0viGItpogsvNiYhDCQFXYzbQuF4ZSynCv37gsRPgmuEKNA4g7qq3RbarvfP9diq4otrOxVgGb3ambJ1-nqjajm00wSO2gyKjsvXceiCqUy1cJGdft5M/s320/davo's+visit+002.JPG" /></div><div>**Well, I am either going for a run or going to rob a bank**</div><div><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8lmfA-0O7UZDSAmN7fxlwQIVQHTzcZG3WF5jbquZhNVWudcwSbnzxmXsxQBb8vOYRuWuaJ9hbdMvt-7ecEOAPD2bmRjsSEg7u8WYGzEXBRvzx0z5Z2oh35fH0JKnHGYwzpXvgob4poBw/s320/davo's+visit+007.JPG" /></div><div>**All that water in my eyelashes was actually frozen! It had built up from my breath**</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>On the 3rd, <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_9">Davo</span> and I took the train from <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_10">Pyeongtaek</span> to Seoul. We had a hotel in <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_11">Myeongdong</span> (one of the <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_12">hotspots</span> in Seoul ) on the nights of the 3rd and 4<span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_13">th</span>. That first night we took it easy. We grabbed dinner at a Korean restaurant in the streets of <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_14">Myeongdong</span> and spent the night watching Die Hard three with Korean Subtitles. On the morning of the fourth, I woke up, looked out of the hotel window and saw SNOW. From the 18<span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_15">th</span> floor, people were just little specks with little umbrellas over them. Now, at the time, <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_16">Davo</span> and I just thought that the snow was a nuisance...we didn't find out until after we got back home that the snow was deemed a national "disaster" and that the 11 inches that fell was the largest amount since Korea started recording in the 60's. We simply carried on with our day.</div><div> <img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilbc5i49rr6vVI7DV3FxMq2O_qYpXuwoR6k6rulaMg8yXw3CyY4CYrP6NXTOBJNOBRpjzPg4jhGUVVUOjXPJws1i3YrilYJ9vbFHL7sNP8NPliigwiUQgVqUFFlAXPwKqJx2gaz7mCjLo/s320/David's+visit+009.JPG" /></div><div>**standing in front of our hotel...we had breakfast at the doughnut place in the background**</div><div><br /></div><div>First thing, we took the green line on Korea's subway to the <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_18">COEX</span> mall. Now, I have tried to explain this mall to several people, as of yet, no one seems to be able to grasp the sheer magnitude of this place. Its underground, and there are like a million different corridors and every way that you turn there is another branch. The nation <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_19">Kimchi</span> museum is in <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_20">COEX</span>, as was our destination - a really awesome Aquarium.</div><div><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNI0Ycop_QUJ-E9QlxY6H8YPfgSuh-Tryk7AYZ3-CQU6UKZN-I0fKog54hqCpWLe0V9E5RmQetBLnWiVAOLcmyLmVeftgCr2gyV1rwh7fiPVTaG_p6jiZxlwtglVWkh_M968jkL3IRW2U/s320/David's+visit+053.JPG" /></div><div>**he doesn't scare me**</div><div><br /></div><div><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSf55DwZJeGWNCeovzgWEpzuEwQT7nY0eNuFCqmabQ3DLAUfGsgmnQ1Xy6_mmD2x58l1Z3JPvLSivhg4AvYQOharxyEi1n96m_-2aRYU8ELThGjsFAJxabLfdgh4I5UYxCbsrqlQgl22E/s320/David's+visit+054.JPG" /></div><div>**I really loved this room**</div><div><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjohXqGzObe4qxQyMT7N2uzA1jTQyrOn57tPupvfgYbe_oSCwaCiOvzgiUMfBbxPEc2f8gQ_RRhUAfffItRmo7KFwty0nHKbV-UO9F7ydfKvFFZK1abTRNgj9bRBetWBJwFHE9Lg6bvKl8/s320/David's+visit+062.JPG" /></div><div>**HEY! I found goat cheese!**</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>After the Aquarium, we switched subways to the orange line and got off at <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_21">Anguk</span>. This stop was near <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_22">Gyeongbokgung</span> palace and the national Folk museum of Korea. I have heard that it is a gorgeous palace, but with a blanket of snow, it was breathtaking. </div><div><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-Q-RmBRftaNBXUHqmidiYLDXBZ2-YlTpEy7glac4dBzUwvay_wtDHiM3ztUtZh0KfvKBgftyENcOoAv5p2ngt60n2v-CJwLtXl4Ay0qRtEIqvZx3aHUNu1wvzqWfkli0JQiri1LCRkRU/s320/David's+visit+095.JPG" /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div> Well, we were freezing after walking around in the snow <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_23">forEVER</span>. So we hitched a taxi into <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_24">Insadong</span> (another one of the main hubs of Korea - this one known for its antiques and it's original layout.) Once we got there we ducked into Starbucks. David got a <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_25">Chai</span> tea, I got a Mocha, and we shared a scone as we warmed up and dried off. <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_26">Insadong</span> is one of my favorite places in Seoul, i love how very culturally original everything is. I think David liked it too. We looked into Calligraphy shops, Antique stores, and poked our heads down all the little alleys. We actually found our restaurant for dinner that way. It was this beautiful little wooden restaurant with small nooks and crannies. We ordered the traditional 15 course Korean dinner. Some of it was amazing, most of it was good, and a little bit of it was flat out disturbing. Like the raw crab. <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_28">Blurgh</span>.</div><div><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEje2XApr01yK7En0My94HRBOEhoxzc8XfH_4M5NFzkXhPpDW9LyNjlvz04uKBVy5k3bohoDY0t-8mdc-Qwla07-7cRgPA7dLwGOOJNKK7bf0PfpcaE5lO-_pvQYm_ctJQ4Bw224L3UddlY/s320/David's+visit+106.JPG" /></div><div><br /></div><div><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAz2vs2ZCqHe1-fMk5Qmu6rf5xG8uQBibTR93fMq4p4E7rhkewAf9hxdNvU_U-lF2w13mHLLGSPYTmx_vj_miXB0xkr7p6ksQDJH5WXVkKrLkMmR1U9T0NKG_LCTqgdg8x-VZim3zYehw/s320/David's+visit+119.JPG" /></div><div><br /></div><div>On the morning of the 5<span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_29">th</span>, my amazing boyfriend talked the Hotel staff into giving us a couple of extra hours before checkout so that we could do a smidge more sightseeing. We took a taxi to the <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_31">Namsan</span> mountain cable car and rode up to the top so that we could see Seoul from a bird's eye view. I think it was a really nice way to end our stay. </div><div><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPwR2y69ZSTaixVWfKejeJ0JlEDaxa0VvMPvCOrf8T3V4Lpqmxbn8osY4iD_HYSvtCG_KvsR_X2V_hISbaAFvFxu7YaX84qs7r4gV4v9mNP_SfFxkQFmS1MtE6o19T16xcpejAIgQwG2Y/s320/David's+visit+152.JPG" /></div><div>*In front of the tower*</div><div><br /></div><div>The 6<span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_32">th</span> was pretty <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_33">ick</span>. The school's vacation was over and I had to go back to work. It seemed the <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_34">height</span> of foolishness to me that he was 10 minutes away and I was not with him. I was pretty low all day. On the 7<span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_35">th</span>, <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_36">Davo</span> came to work with me to meet all the kids, which made things so much easier.</div><div><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpGlrmb3FnBMc8XiG85siEy_J-HHHnYsIUuIGtQYL8vU1zZ3-tctAwz-a3pIrc6x3wAyY50d_IetA55UQL-BfN-5iHzH0PYNC-qKd2RYCr3dRW1MZf-y0FiOBgWm6Xl7Gw5tZin8FD5MM/s320/davo's+visit+009.JPG" /></div><div> On the 8<span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_37">th</span>, I was pretty upset...I knew that he was leaving the next day and I just couldn't handle the idea of me spending his last hours away from him. I knew that I would be no help at work, so I called in, used one of my sick days, and spend the day with him. I made us French toast in the morning, we went out to lunch downtown, and spent most of the day watching movies on our tiny sofa together. On the 9<span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_38">th</span>, <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_39">Davo</span> left me.</div><div><br /></div><div>So <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_40">thats</span> it. <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_41">Davo</span> is gone. I feel like I have gone back in time to November 15<span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_42">th</span>. But I know that this time will be a little easier than before....and I know that David will be at home in Kansas City waiting for me when I return.</div><div><br /></div><div>I love you all, I miss you all.</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div>Annehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05773874822819157606noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9095004931450773132.post-16567528277981540252009-12-21T21:31:00.002+09:002009-12-21T22:54:08.918+09:00I have the best family and friends in the world!<div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">I've been pretty up today. Mondays are my day off of training, the kids were great, and David will be with me in 8 days.....actually now its closer to 7 days. To top it all off, I got a package today from Krissy and my second mommy.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"> This is the fourth package that I have gotten in the past two weeks and the director at my school asked me today if I was very popular back home. Nope. Just extremely lucky to have such a supportive set of family and friends. As soon as I get the package I have to open it right away...I can't wait. Which means that my students start crowding around saying "teacher, teacher! this is what? this is what?" They try to get in to the box first to open it, and I practically slap their hands away..."This is Anne Teacher's Box!" Whatever is inside, they are dying to touch...they also know that if there is candy or gum inside, I will probably share a little with them so their eyes start twinkling and they start opening and closing their mouthes like baby birds. Its pretty freaking adorable. We tore through the peppermint moose munch today while we listened to Christmas carols on the internet...Krissy also put a stuffed panda bear in the box and I couldn't keep the kid's hands off it. I have plenty of pictures to prove it.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">So, I'm learning Korean. Its true. I doubt that I am going to be conversational or even close to adept, but I have decided to make a committed effort towards learning. The best place to start is the alphabet, and within an hour I had most of the characters down. The next day on the bus ride to work, Sarah teacher was impressed with the way I was sounding out the signs. Honestly, I sounded like a 4 year old. "Suuu....no, wait....saaaahhh Sahhhhhh maaaaaan." </span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">At school there is a No Korean rule, but sometimes we give the kids vocabulary lists with the definitions written in Korean. I looked at the list and for the first time I was able to make some sense of the words... </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" white-space: pre-wrap; -webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 1px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 1px; font-family:verdana, arial, helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">달 'Daaaahl'....I looked at the kids for approval..."Month is 'Daahl?'" They about wet themselves. No Joke. We give out stickers for achievements at the school, and Candy said "Teacher! You get THREE stickers!" Now I know why we give out stickers. Those stupid things made me feel so good.</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana, arial, helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" white-space: pre-wrap; -webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 1px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 1px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana, arial, helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" white-space: pre-wrap; -webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 1px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 1px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Marathon training is going well. This week marks week four for me, so I am still fresh, yet deep enough in that there is very little chance of me backing out. I have been fortunate in that there have been no hints of any injuries thus far. Knock. On. Wood. Yesterday I had the best run. Sundays are long run days and this weekend I had a 12 mile run planned. I was a little discouraged due to the fact that my Nike+ sensor had died the day before and I have some sick need to see my runs on the website, but I set out anyways. First few miles my right shin was tight and I wanted to turn back, but at mile 5 everything was really smooth. At mile six it started snowing and I turned onto a different route. I was deep in the countryside and I ran up a ridge to find a trail running along a branch of the Pyeongtaek channel. Old men were fishing through the ice, snow was falling all around me and these really amazing tiny birds were darting in and out of the brush all around me. (one of the birds had a little yellow mohawk, no joke.) On my way back in, the snow got really rediculous and started to build up all over my clothes, my hair, and even my eyelashes. So freaking hardcore. The old men on the trail were actually clapping and cheering me on. </span></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana, arial, helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small; white-space: pre-wrap; -webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 1px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 1px;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana, arial, helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small; white-space: pre-wrap; -webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 1px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 1px;">In one hour it will be 7 days until David is with me.</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana, arial, helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small; white-space: pre-wrap; -webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 1px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 1px;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana, arial, helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small; white-space: pre-wrap; -webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 1px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 1px;">Seriously.</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana, arial, helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small; white-space: pre-wrap; -webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 1px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 1px;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana, arial, helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small; white-space: pre-wrap; -webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 1px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 1px;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana, arial, helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small; white-space: pre-wrap; -webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 1px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 1px;">I love you all, i miss you all.</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" ;font-size:medium;"><br /></span></div><div><br /></div>Annehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05773874822819157606noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9095004931450773132.post-14599823536919702522009-12-16T22:33:00.004+09:002010-01-10T21:55:14.420+09:00Well Hello ThereLong time, no type. <div><br /></div><div>I have been feeling a massive case of guilt over the fact that it has been more than a week since I last wrote. . . it took my mom's guilt trip to actually make me sit down and do it though. Leave it to my mom. No seriously, just leave it to her. She can make me do just about anything - except make me not go to Illinois for college and Korea for teaching. Selective disobedience is key in a Catholic household. </div><div><br /></div><div>So I went to Seoul again last weekend. I realize that there are tons of really fun stories that I would have regaled you with, had I sat down and typed this the day after, but life move on. I had a really great time hanging out with three of the other teachers at my school. I saw an incredibly beautiful palace that was built around the same time that the Pilgrims came over on the Mayflower, got lost and walked for about three miles in an underground Mall, ate Korean burger king, and had several glasses of red wine and champagne to celebrate Arthur teacher's birthday. </div><div><br /></div><div>Really, to be honest, Korea is starting to grow on me - and I don't even mean in the I-have-to-put-on-a-brave-face-and-lie-through-my-teeth-to-people way anymore. I feel like I belong now. Don't get me wrong; I am still a circus attraction to strangers on the street, but at work and in my neighborhood, I feel like a fixture. I get thumbs up from the same people on the running trail each night, I am setting up a comfortable routine for my students at school, I got a huge grin when I finally spoke a few words of Korean to the two women at my tiny supermarket's register, and it seems to me that the same awkward 15 year old school boy searches me out at my bus stop every Thursday after work. I guess when everyone told me to just wait a month for it to get better, they were actually speaking the truth....huh....imagine that. </div><div><br /></div><div>My marathon training probably had a huge hand in making me feel better about life. Having a schedule and a goal set months down the road has forced me to make plans for the future in Korea - not to mention the endorphin rush that I get after my runs....Oh! And the weight loss is cool too, but that could just be the fact that Koreans eat the healthiest stuff in the entire world. No baked goods, cheese, cookies, or cakes? Thats like 3/4 of my diet in the states. Recently, as the weather is currently below freezing for the high, I have been questioning my sanity for deciding on a March Marathon, but once I am actually out on the trails, I feel like such a badass. Only hardcore people run in the freezing weather. i am so hardcore. Aaaaand then I lose feeling in my face - - - Suddenly, I am not so hardcore. </div><div><br /></div><div>I got paid today. In cash because I don't have an alien registration card yet and thus, no bank account. 1,000 Korean Won is approximatly the equivalent of one American dollar. Imagine how street it feels to be holding a fistful of 50,000 won bank notes. I could almost imagine they were dollars. Almost. </div><div><br /></div><div>So I guess that's it for now. I feel much better. </div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>I love you, I miss you</div>Annehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05773874822819157606noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9095004931450773132.post-78229036041853982292009-12-05T21:49:00.004+09:002009-12-06T01:22:06.167+09:00SeoulHey guys, <div><br /></div><div>Today I woke up on a mission. Seoul was calling my name, and I was was going to heed that call....and then I saw that it was raining....<i>again. </i>Dang, I was not about to let the rain stop me - maybe delay me, but not stop me. Quickly I looked up the hour by hour forcast for Seoul. Okay, the rain was going to end by noon. I could handle the tail end of some rain, I would just go for my run <i>before</i> I left. I changed into my running clothes and ran out the door. I ran right into a brick wall of wind. An icy gale which originated in Siberia and had been whipping down the Korean peninsula until it finally reached my apartment's door. I swear, during my way out, when I was running into the wind, I felt like I was running in slow motion. Which was bad, because during marathon training, Saturday runs are supposed to be done at "race pace." I didn't quite reach that goal, but I came pretty close, so I was pleased. On my way back in, I kept getting hit in the face with these weird droplets of something....snow....for a split second I thought about how the snow in Korea is actually acid snow, which made me sad for the kids who have to play in it, but I have to admit that I loved it. Soon, the snow had picked up and it was blowing sideways, pushing me forward, swirling around me. The view of Pyeontaek from the countryside with snow all around should be a postcard. </div><div><br /></div><div>As soon as I got back to my apartment I jumped into the shower to wash the acid out of my hair, I grabbed a bite to eat, and headed out the door to the taxi stand. "AK yeok" I told the taxi driver...or 'AK station' for all of you Americans out there. ( I didn't say 'please' because apparently in Korea, please is only used when you are begging for something ) I strode confidently up the stairs, headed straight for the train station, and stopped dead in my tracks when I realized that I didn't know how to read any of the information on trains. How was I supposed to buy a ticket if I didn't know the name of the Train route that I was supposed to take? How was I supposed to know what Train Route I was supposed to take if I couldn't read the little information boards? I walked around aimlessly for a good 10 minutes until I saw another white person get into a line in front of some counters. I followed him stealthily. I suppose I could have just asked him, but I was all embarassed. I listened to what he said to the lady at the counter and copied him. "Seoul." That was it. I just had to say the name, give them some money, and they gave me a ticket. Numbers are obviously the same so I went to track 5 and waited. </div><div><br /></div><div>While waiting for the train I saw an American that I recognized. I had only met him once, he was a friend of a teacher that used to work at my school, and we had run into him and his Korean wife at the movie theatre in AK station the week after I moved here. Normally, I don't think I would have remembered him, but when you only see 1 or 2 white people a week, they tend to stick out like they have a sign on their chests saying "I'm a little piece of home!" I walked right up to him and said hi. He and his wife only vaguely remembered me, which I didn't surprise me, but we ended up talking for a while and exchanged email addresses and phone numbers. If only for that reason, that I made two more contacts in Pyeongtaek, I was grateful that I had decided to stick out my journey to Seoul. </div><div><br /></div><div>Once on the train I met two more English speakers - Canadians who were both English teachers in a nearby town. We actually hit it off pretty well as well. . . . it really is odd. There is something about being in another country or totally out of your comfort zone that makes you lose all inhibitions or social mores that restrict conversation in the States. I was sharing emotions and feelings with two total strangers and it didn't bother me a bit. They were on their way to the embassy to get a visa into China, but before they left, they helped me get a subway pass card and helped me find the line that I wanted to take. We also exchanged email addresses.</div><div><br /></div><div>So there I was. In Seoul. . . I took the subway to Myeong-dong. This neighborhood is supposed to be one of the "hearts of Seoul" The narrow alleys are, for the most part, clear of cars, and jam packed with shops and shoppers. (In Korea, its called Eye shopping. Not window shopping. ) The firsts few things that I noticed about being out in Seoul was that one: My puffy coat was not cutting it. I needed a scarf and hat asap....and Two: Oh my gosh there was a three story Forever 21. I headed in to get out of the cold, and bought a scarf and hat. I felt a little guilty about buying things at a store that we have in America, but Forever 21 was the first store I saw, I was seriously freezing, and it was cheap. Feeling much better, I Eye Shopped for a while... I kept myself from buying anything frivolous ( I kept on thinking about how I want to be able to go home and buy a new-er car, move out, and pay off student loans ) I got lost for a bit, went around in some circles, and finally found the building I had been looking for - drumroll please..................</div><div><br /></div><div>Myeong-dong Catholic Cathedral. I had read about it, found the history interesting, and knew that mom would just about cry if she knew I searched it out. This cathedral is the head of the Diocese of South Korea. It was built in 1898 and according to my books, it has recently become a rallying point for anti-government demonstrations. When I walked in through one of the side doors towards the back, I saw a lot of people in the pews and I heard someone speaking Korean so I figured 'Huh, mass is going on. It might be interesting to see what the similarities are'....I was incorrect. It was a wedding. Oh. Man. It was too late to back out now, I was already pretty far up in the church and to turn around and walk out would be the height of disrespect, so I sat down and watched. Much to my surprise, another American and two Koreans walked past me on their way to sit down, one stopped. He asked me some questions about why I was there. My face must have been red. I tried to explain that I was just watching, but he told me that the bride was his niece and that I must join them. Oh. . . . what does one say to that? So I stayed. Talked with the American for a bit. He was from Florida; also a teacher. Turns out he was teaching at the same school with the Uncle's wife. The ceremony ended and I made to escape, but the Uncle asked me if I had eaten. That's right, y'all, I was invited to a traditional Korean Wedding reception by a man I had met only 15 minutes before...and my only regret is that I didn't take any pictures of the buffet line. That chef cutting into the tuna that was the size of me was <i>intense</i>. So Uncle, His Wife, His son, and the American teacher and I sat eating Kimchi, sushi, noodles, and drinking Hite...quite the experience....we exchanged numbers and email addresses, and I went on my merry way. </div><div><br /></div><div>Next stop for me, and what I thought would be my last stop, was the Seoul Tower on top of Namsan. Namsan is a small mountain park in the center of Seoul which is another "heart" of Seoul. I took a taxi around the mountain to the hiking trail...supposedly you can take a ski lift thing to the top, but I was all hardcore and figured that I could handle it. Boy, was I ever wheezing by the top. I was still exhausted from my run this morning and despite the cold, within five minutes I was sweating like a pig. The view was <i>amazing</i>. 360 degrees of Seoul. On one side you could see the mountains, and on the other the Han river. Well worth the hike. I bought some postcards for a ridiculous price and an adorable homemade ring for a really cheap price and started back down the mountain. I took a different trail down the mountain because it seemed less winding and more people were on it, but I forgot about the fact that I had no bearings once I got off the mountain. I walked over a bridge and into this really cool district full of tables and yelling people. I somehow bumped into an information stand and said the word "map" to the lady inside. She handed me a brochure to Namdaemun Market. No. Way. Namdaemun was one of the places that I had wanted to go, but never thought I would be able to find. It was getting too late *read* dark for me to stay and look, so I just passed through, mentally noting the subway stop for next time. </div><div><br /></div><div>the ride home was uneventful, and if it was eventful I wouldn't tell you about it because this post is OBSCENELY long and I am soooooooo over typing. </div><div><br /></div><div>I love you all. I miss you all. Seoul rules. </div>Annehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05773874822819157606noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9095004931450773132.post-65983314994530030932009-12-03T20:33:00.003+09:002009-12-03T22:55:29.993+09:00So Guess what Happened to me today!I got MAIL!!!<div><br /></div><div>Here I was, freaking out that no one loved me or that all my mail was somehow magically lost, when <i>really</i> all that had kept my mail from me was that no one from the school checked the letter mail (as opposed to the package mail). One of the other teachers walked into my classroom while I was teaching and handed me five envelopes. I may or may not have teared up a little. So thanks to those people who wrote to me...I have already written you back (We shall see when I actually get to the post office to mail them!) but it really meant a lot to me. You are officially my favorites. </div><div><br /></div><div>I started Marathon training this Monday. I really meant to start a long time ago, but what with moving to South Korea and all, I only managed to set it all up on Sunday. Do you know what one of my favorite parts of living in Korea is? Going running. See, when I run I get thumbs up from all of South Korea's grandfathers who are speedwalking on the Tongbok river trail, I get to explore small towns on the outskirts of the city, and I get to glide through the the rice paddy fields that edge the river. One week down, only 15 more to go!</div><div><br /></div><div>Well, I'm sort of burned out on writing right now due to all the letters...does anyone see this anyway?</div>Annehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05773874822819157606noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9095004931450773132.post-82816979128951394432009-11-27T18:12:00.003+09:002009-11-27T21:12:02.412+09:00A Thanksgiving Miracle and a Thanksgiving TragedyToday started out pretty great. I woke up early for work so that I could spend as much time via computer with David and my family. I had a really fun time video chatting with everyone...although it <i>was </i> at bit confusing to have ten people trying to talk to me at once. <div><br /></div><div>Once at school, the excitement was infectious...On the last Friday of every month the school holds a birthday party for all the students who have had a birthday during the month. See, in South Korea, children's birthdays are a HUGE deal. Take American Birthdays and multiply by a million. Thats a south Korean birthday. The children can do whatever the heck they want and they are presented to a large gathering and sat down behind a table that is piled with food and presents. </div><div><br /></div><div>For the first three hours of school, classes went off as usual. We were told to keep the children in the classroom over the breaks because the secretaries and the director Kiana were setting up the previously mentioned food-slash-present table. Imagine my surprise and soul watering(eh David?) joy when I walked up to the table and encountered what could only have been a manifestation of all of my dreams. </div><div><br /></div><div>...Turkeys. Two of them. Golden Brown and dripping with juices. A Ham with Crusty Brown Sugar. Mashed Red potatoes, sweet corn, stuffing, candied yams, and cranberry sauce...to top it all off and flanking a huge chocolate cake were two pumpkin pies. </div><div><br /></div><div>See, the parents of our children are wealthy. Thats probably putting it lightly, but they like to do things for the school. As a surprise, Eugene's mom ( you can find him in the pictures I took at school last week) brought all of this food which she cooked herself for the birthday party. See, Eugene's mom works at the Military base in Pyeongtaek and she wanted the students to experience a real live American Thanksgiving dinner. I can't tell you how many times I thanked her. Since being here I have never stuffed myself. I come away from lunch and dinner satisfied, but never full. I can check that off my list now. I all-out stuffed myself silly...and when I thought that I couldn't take any more - I went back for thirds. The tryptophan coma that I was in during the last three hours of work were totally worth it.</div><div><br /></div><div>My director knew how blissfully happy I was and she sweetly pushed like four bags of leftover turkey and ham into my hands. My roommate was almost as happy as me. I mixed up some of the turkey, mashed potatoes, garlic, some rice and broccoli in the frying pan for a wicked good casserole type dinner tonight. </div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>But all is not sunshine, turkey, and lollipops. When I got out of my last class today I was pulled into Kiana's office. To make a long story short, one of the three other American teachers quit today. This does two things. . . one: it forces the other two teachers and myself to pick up her classes...and two: while it makes class sizes larger, it might just help the school financially. I really don't know what to do anymore. I feel like I have adjusted to South Korea in every way but the school! I was really enjoying the children that I taught, and felt like I was going to run my classroom in a way that really made me proud. Now I find out that I will be switched to this other teacher's classroom/students. And while these students are of a higher ability, I think i will sort of miss my kids. Especially jenny. One way or the other - I really hope that all of these messes settle down and that I am finally allowed to meld with the school. If this keeps up, I don't think I can connect with anyone...Every day on my way to work I wonder if something else will change, if I will finally be able to teach like I dreamed when I was back in the states. I don't like feeling that going to work is a source of stress for me. </div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>Anyway. Its the weekend. I have turkey. And so I will find some way to manage - as always. Hey, I'm a Wilborn...I come from pretty strong stock. </div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>I love you, I miss you.</div><div><br /></div><div>Anne</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>Oh Hey! If you want to see pictures from the birthday party and the children who used to be in my class, check out facebook.</div><div><br /></div>Annehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05773874822819157606noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9095004931450773132.post-3150449071021143532009-11-26T20:54:00.000+09:002009-11-26T21:54:43.388+09:00A Korean ThanksgivingWell, being that its Thanksgiving and all, I feel an entry about food and smells are in order. <div><br /></div><div>Lets see...If I were in Kansas right now I would be curled up on the old sofa in the living room of mom and dad's house, being warmed by the fire in the fireplace, and stuffing my face with goat cheese mashed potatoes, turkey, mom's sweet potato casserole, green beans, and apple pie. . . . . well, actually, being that its six o'clock in the morning in Kansas, I would probably be snuggled up in my bed. </div><div><br /></div><div>Today however, I woke up as usual at 7:30 am, ate some frosted flakes with some <i>delicious</i> whole milk, went to work at 9:30, had <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">kimchi</span> soup, rice with black beans, and hard boiled eggs in some sort of brown sauce for lunch, got off at 4:00, went for a run, went to the grocery store and now here I sit...on the heated floor of my apartment watching <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">Heros</span> episodes, eating the chocolates that I brought from home alongside Korean waffle wafers and glass number two of a Chilean Cabernet <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">Sauvignon</span>.......</div><div><br /></div><div>Hey, it may be different, but don't knock it till you try it. All I need is my family and my friends sitting here alongside me and I would be good to go. <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_3">Geeze</span>, there are a ton of commas in that run on sentence. I feel no remorse. Deal with it. </div><div><br /></div><div>Hang on, I just finished glass number two...</div><div><br /></div><div>So I guess...I should talk about the smells now. Well, they range from phenomenal to gut-<span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_4">wrenchingly</span> awful. From spicy and exotic to month old baby diaper. The variation is just amazing. On the wonderful side would be the maddening smell of cooking fish and fresh vegetables in the various soups we have every day for lunch at the school. On my walk to my bus stop after work every day I can smell <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_5">bulgogi</span> (barbecued beef dish) and <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_6">Bibimbap</span> (a popular rice, vegetable, and egg dish) coming from the restaurant across the street and "fish cakes" (a molded and fried fish shaped pastry filled with a sweetened black bean paste) being sold by in little stands by vendors on the side of the streets. Three for a thousand Korean Won (or one dollar). You can't beat that. On the terrible side would be the smell of rotting vegetables. For a country that is so obsessed with recycling, the smell of the compost that they save permeates the city like their fear of the swine flu virus. The city is just too compact to handle all of the smells in one place. When I am running along the <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_7">Tongbok</span> river, about two miles outside of the city, not only do I smell those vegetables, but I hit the smell of a dairy factory. <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_8">Mmmmm</span>...manure. Imagine <i>that</i> while running. Also, do you know how when you run/work out, you sort of burp a little? Does that sound gross? I just mean that my body is being jostled a lot by running and I end up burping a little bit during the first part of my run....when I was living in the states I was burping the taste of pasta or the banana I always ate <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_9">pre</span>-run. Here - well its fish-in-red-sauce-taste or spicy <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_10">kimchi</span> taste. Yummy. I like a <i>lot </i>of Korean food going down - not so much coming up. </div><div><br /></div><div>okay, okay. I know I am getting gross, and I should stop now. I will leave you all with one more random fact. </div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>Large bath towels. Koreans don't have them. My roommate told me where I would be able to find one at the huge supermarket in town where they cater to the Americans who live on the military base but I had the choice between green and blue. Two options. Seriously. I asked my director at the school why this was, and she explained that Korean people think that smaller hand towels are easier to wash. So they dry with them.... until my shower tonight I have been drying off with a towel that is the slightly larger than a dishtowel. I can't wait to break this bad boy in.</div><div><br /></div><div>Happy Thanksgiving! If you can figure out a way to send me a piece of pie, please do so. </div><div>I love you all, I miss you all.</div><div><br /></div><div>Anne</div><div><br /></div>Annehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05773874822819157606noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9095004931450773132.post-43894476570107105182009-11-19T20:37:00.000+09:002009-11-22T19:09:05.907+09:00What do you mean I have only been here a week?<div>Today marks the 7th day that I have been in Korea. Almost to the hour, actually. Things continue to improve here - except, of course, for missing David. Honestly, I don't think that will ever get any better....but it is so hard to believe that it has only been 7 days; it feels like I have been through a lifetimes worth of emotions during my brief stay.<div><br /></div><div>So here's an update on the school. Kiana (the school's director) is staying. Today was supposed to be her last day but Ryan ( the school's owner ) came to the school and begged her to stay at least until the end of the school year. All of the teachers are pleased to have her continue on - especially me. She really is great. In order to celebrate her staying, as well as celebrate my new position, all of the teachers and Kiana went out for dinner at a nice little sit-down on the floor restaurant across the street of the school. Kiana surprised us with a bottle of apricot champagne and Korean cheesecake (its a lot more cake-y and less custard-y than American cheesecake) We all had a really great time - I kept trying to speak in Korean and with the exception of one silly mistake I was told that I have a good ear for the language. </div><div><br /></div><div>I went grocery shopping the other day. This time, not at the tiny little grocery store across the parking lot from my apartment complex, but at "E-Mart" which is like Korea's answer to Super Wal Mart. Man, they sell almost everything there: squid, dried octopus, even live baby rabbits which I was about five seconds from buying. The few things that I could NOT buy, are the things that I want more than anything else in this world. . . . sour cream, good cheese, basically anything dairy. Man, i miss Goat Cheese....really, I miss any sort of cheese. American slices are considered the "good stuff". Also, Broccoli here is worth it's weight in gold. One head cost me 2,000 won or 2 American dollars. Yogurt here is thinner and a little bit more sour which is a little strange to consume on its own, but you throw in some Korean Frosted Flakes and "they'rrrrrrrrrre great!" Milk, and maybe this is just the milk i have consumed so far, but the milk here is what i would have to describe as being a little on the thick side. Not gelatinous or gloppy or anything, but somewhere along the consistency of buttermilk. I know that sounds gross, and it took some getting used to, but now YUM! I am assuming that the milk is probably WHOLE in ways that Americans with all their fat concerns are not used to drinking so I am really only having it over my cereal. I did find Skippy peanut butter there, which was exciting, until I realized that the small jar cost 6,500 won ($6.50). The part of me that is my dad said "are you freaking kidding me? You don't need peanut butter that badley" and then the part of me that is me and misses home said "get over yourself and buy the peanut butter if it makes korea feel a smidge more like home" So i bought it along with expensive strawberry jelly, made myself a sandwich, ate it, and it was <i>totally </i>worth it.</div><div><br /></div><div>You know what else i miss? Dryers. I did my laundry today, and may I just say that I miss the ease and comfort in which I used to do my laundry? I used to hate having to go down into the cold basement at home to wash my clothes. HA. Silly, spoiled Anne. In Korea washing machines are out on the back balcony.... where it is cold...because it is the middle of November . So in order to do laundry here, I have to put on my winter coat. Once the wash cycle is complete my job has just begun because see, there are no such things as dryers here. People hang their clothes to dry on hangers installed on, you guessed it, the balcony. Where it is cold. So clothes can take forever to get dry....oh how i miss the feeling of my sweaters all fluffy and hot from the dryer. If you really loved me, you would ship me a dryer. </div><div><br /></div><div>I went running for the first time on Friday. I knew there was a river (the Tongbok river) nearby and that it had a trail, so I set out after work to see how far it would go. Presently Pyeongtaek is under a Rejuvenation of sorts...it is the home of a US military base and in 2005 they began the renovation. The Tongbok river is the most current of these projects and so while the ending result will be gorgeous, right now it is a mess of bulldozers and dirt piles. They kept the river walk open during construction and there are always a few people on it, not runners though, just a lot of speed walkers. I don't know a lot about what has been in the food that I have been eating here, but there must be some kind of magic bean sprout because I hadn't run in a full week, and I had an amazing run. This could have something to do with the fact that my ipod had randomly shuffled to songs like Journey's "Don't stop Believin" and Wilson Phillips' "Hold On," that I was running towards a sunset over the Korean land, or it could be that all the people on the river walk were staring at me as I was gliding over the asphalt. </div><div><br /></div><div>Here's something cool: Koreans don't use keys. I could be making a generalization, but from what I have seen, everyone has electronic key pads for locks on their doors. Once I learned the combination this made my life so much easier. Going for a run without being tied to a key (literally) has been awesome.</div><div><br /></div><div>I have some apologies to a lot of my friends and family members. Many of you have been wonderful to me and graced me with special notes, gifts, or deeds as I prepared to go to Korea. I never wrote you thank-you notes. See, I really wanted to wait until I got to Korea so that I could send you a Korean thank-you card with the Korean symbols for "thank you" but I have looked in countless stationary shops to no avail. I have asked my Korean friends, and they all say that there is no such thing. Interestingly enough, Koreans think that English writing on American thank-you cards look more elegant and thus - no Korean cards. So, I promise that eventually I will find some or make some....your notes are just a little delayed at the moment.</div><div><br /></div><div>To sum everything up: Korea is really interesting. I am really starting to adjust and things are getting so much easier. I am fascinated by this culture and to be honest, I am impressed with the idea that I might one day consider myself to be apart of it. I love you all.</div><div><br /></div><div>Anne</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div></div>Annehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05773874822819157606noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9095004931450773132.post-85237545203551053432009-11-18T17:52:00.000+09:002009-11-23T21:42:04.306+09:00And it begins.Well my friends, be glad...be VERY glad that I resisted the urge to blog about my first few days in South Korea. For the sake of catching everyone up and not wanting to forget any of my experiences, let me say that they were a rough few days. <div><br /></div><div>It was hard enough leaving mom, dad, sibs, and friends. Getting out of the airport went relatively smoothly with the small exception of my driver being late and me having to hang out at the airport for about an hour. It took two hours by car to drive from Incheon airport to Pyeongtaek. My roommate (a BOY roommate - what a surprise to me) was out of town in Seoul for the weekend so I was unceremoniously plopped down into my apartment by the owner of my school, and told to be at school on Monday. The second that door closed behind him, I just about lost my mind. I tried to unpack - the light in my room was out. It was dark outside so i had just enough dim light from the hallway to find my pjs and my picture frames. I tried to plug in a electricity adaptor so I could get online and I promptly electrocuted myself. No joke, by that time i was pretty much in hysterics. I can laugh about it now. Kind of. Like I said, my roommate was out of town from the time i got in at 6:00 pm saturday until about 6:30 or so on Sunday....So I spent that time alone. In my apartment. Terrified to go out of the apartment. Not able to speak a word of Korean. oh, and hungry. I didn't want to eat any of his food without asking so i put a huge dent in my granola bar stash. </div><div><br /></div><div>So things were bad. real bad. I just felt so out of control. I couldn't change anything or do anything for myself....i don't like feeling that way. For the longest time I couldn't, or didn't want to rather, talk to anyone from home because I would start to cry the second i saw their faces over the webcam and wouldn't stop until 20 minutes after I got off the computer. I was a Hot Buttered Moist and Red Mess for the first three days straight. </div><div><br /></div><div>As surprised as i was to find out that i had him, my roommate seems great. His name is Chris, he's from Seattle, 23 and attractive ( I add this part for any of my single girl friends. I have already been asked for this information by several of you) He has been really helpful in showing me or telling me where to eat/shop/ catch a bus or taxi....really the only negative comment I have about him, is that he likes country music. Blugh. And he's not david. ( I couldn't help myself) </div><div><br /></div><div>Obviously, life here is starting to take shape. I don't think my homesickness is ever going to go away, my nights are still really rough, but there is a lot to distract me during the days...and I am starting to feel like i can get around and take a little control of my life. I used the bus today for the first time. the 2-2 takes me from the school i work at to my apartment and it takes me by some really interesting parts of the city!</div><div><br /></div><div>Ah, my school. Little Crispin school for language. There is an interesting topic. The school itself is the fourth floor of a building in a relatively nice part of town. Its hard to qualify what is "nice" in Pyeongtaek, as everything is covered in the same posters and looks a little "busy." There are only 6 very small classrooms, but it really seems cozy and eclectic with bright colors and oddly shaped rooms. The director Kiana just quit. Which is terrible, because all of the teachers, students, and parents love her...the scuttlebutt is that she doesn't agree with the tactics of Ryan ( the owner of Little Crispin and the very same guy who dropped me in my apartment with little to no information and advice.) Im pretty sad to see her go. When she found out that I was feeling so bad, she took me out during the school day to help me buy towels, show me the city, and she even bought me a "learning Korean for children" book. When she found out that I liked the Korean tangerines and the seasoned potato dish that they serve at the school she put like 10 tangerines and a bag of the potatoes in my bag. So Kiana told us that she may be around for a day, a week, a month - she really didn't know. Another kicker - is that the school may be closing. See, unlike a lot of the Hogwans ( private language schools ) Little Crispin is a really nice school. From what I have heard, many Hogwans are run by glorified slumlords who pay teachers next to nothing and squeeze in a lot of students to bump up revenue. The cost to keep little Crispin running with all their science experiments, specialized workbooks, and other activities must be ridiculous. I was actually hired to allow the school to open up another classroom and bring in more students and thus more revenue, however with Kiana gone, everything seems a little tenuous. I can tell you one thing: if this school closes I am G.O.N.E. I can see myself settling in at Little Crispin - the other teachers are so nice and the students are amazing so I could find myself happy here but I will flat out refuse to look for anther post. If I changed schools I would have to go through the visa process again, change apartments, possibly have to change cities? No. just. No.</div><div><br /></div><div>So....now you are all filled in. thats what I know. I guess from now on I will talk about all the little things that are odd or cool here. </div><div><br /></div><div>1. Being White. Man, I never thought of that as a point of interest....but here? I am like a freaking rock star. Kids at my apartment complex stare at me wide eyed like I am the boogey man. When I say "HI!" they back away and stammer out a "hi" back. Moms poke their little kids when they see me on the street in order to talk to me and practice their English skills. My roommate Chris told me that I would have to wear headphones if I want any peace from that. When I went grocery shopping at the grocery store across the parking lot of my apartment a worker kept following me around the store until i got to the freezer section where he obviously finally got up enough courage to ask "I hep you?" I can't wear my hair down anymore. Some children at my school asked me why my hair was "yellow." Whaaaaaaaat? Never in my American life have I been considered a blonde. I guess my hair is the lightest that they have encountered and they just want to touch it all the time!</div><div><br /></div><div>2. The water tastes like Dis. Gust. Ing. You CAN drink it. I asked before I brushed my teeth, but it tastes really gross- sort of metallic. Fortunately, there are like five taps of fresh clean spring water in the park across from my apartment so Chris and I fill up large water bottles to keep in the fridge for drinking. </div><div><br /></div><div>3. Eggs. Koreans don't refrigerate Eggs -I can't tell you why, but it freaked me out when I went to the store and they were just chilling (not literally) in the middle of the store near the sweet potatoes. Also, their yolks are bright orange. Not yellow, not yellow orange....ORANGE. Bordering on Brown orange. I try not to look at my plate as i eat. Oh, Quail eggs are no big deal here. You can buy them anywhere and they cost next to nothing.</div><div><br /></div><div>4. Floor heat. I LOVE this concept. At school, i have taken to sitting on the floor while I teach. Its like this cool way to heat in a really efficient way. On this note - </div><div><br /></div><div>5. Buildings are not heated. None. Stores, apartments, shops, and schools are heated, but only once you are inside. Its hard for me to explain, but lobbies, stairwells, elevators, and hallways are not heated. I really dislike this concept. When i walk in my apartment building I have to keep my coat on until I get into my apartment itself. </div><div><br /></div><div>Okay, its 6:50 - I have spent over an hour on this....so I am going to stop for now. Pardon the grammar and spelling. I just want to get this stuff out before i forget and before dinner. ( potatoes and rice )I love you all. I miss you all. </div><div><br /></div><div>Anne</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div>Annehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05773874822819157606noreply@blogger.com3