Hey Yo

So I'm not blogging as much as I should, and I'm sorry for that. Here is what is new and what is going on....

a new teacher has arrived at school. Her name is Brittany and she is from Chicago. She is the new preschool teacher that has taken over Tara's classes. (Tara is one of the teachers that Al and I loved to go out with, she's taking a month break, then moving to the rich part of town to teach at a different school). I haven't really hung out with Brittany, but its nice not to be the "new girl" anymore. The school year is winding down. We have our monthly tests tomorrow and Friday. And the kids start a new unit next month. March 1st is the beginning of their new school year, so that means either advancing to a higher grade/level, or moving down. I had to start working on report cards today and was told not to give a grade lower than a B-, even if the student deserved something lower. So that makes what I do more of a business than a school, I should have expected that. Oh well.

I rearranged my apartment this weekend and it has way more room for dance parties! Al and I love to have dance offs from time to time, and sometimes you just need more room to practice your moves.

I've seen Avatar two times, once in 2D and once in 3D and it was amazing! I also saw Sherlock Holmes, which was really impressive. I like going to the movies here now because the seats are so comfortable, and you are assigned your seat. When you order popcorn at the movies, you have to specify if you want plain popcorn, because they give you kettle corn if you don't.

Its been warmer lately, but today we got some snow, then it started to rain. The weather here is so different than California, drier, colder, but I like that its different. Even if all I do is complain about it. Its nice to have seasons.

Al and I went out on Monday night to watch the NFL playoff games, a day late, but it was really fun. We both miss football so much. It was nice to sort of feel like we were home, even though we already knew who won the games!

I'm looking forward to this weekend and next month. I get paid on Friday, which means that I can actually go shopping and get a mani/pedi this weekend. And we have a few days off next month for Lunar New Year (Feb. 14-15) and Buddha's birthday (March 1-2), so I think that we're going to try to get to Japan!!! Tokyo here I come, crazy fashion and all!

Not much else. I know that a lot of you have been requesting that I put up photos, I do, just on facebook...I'll also start a picasa or something soon and send the link along.

Hope all is well! xoxo

Interesting things about Korea...

Since I've been here for over a month, I've had some time to ponder all of the things that I find interesting about Korea...
1. It is not unusual to see a girl take a cell phone picture of herself to see how she looks. If she doesn't look good, then she'll fix herself and take another picture until she is satisfied with the way she looks.
2. Women are not to smoke in public places, so they all smoke in the bathroom.
3. Couples dress alike. And when I say alike, I mean down to their underwear. They sell couple underwear. They will wear the same jacket, pants, gloves, hats and shoes. Its truly a sight to see.
4. If a girl is with her boyfriend, then he will carry her purse. And I mean they will proudly wear the purse, not just hold it.
5. Food comes out when its ready. Generally everyone shares everything, so this isn't that big of a deal. But being an only child, I don't like to share, so it really sucks when my food doesn't come out for a while.
6. Food is eaten when it is piping HOT!! Some of the soups come out boiling and it is eaten quickly. I don't know how they do it. I love pizza more than anyone I know, and I've burned the heck out of the roof of my mouth more times then I care to remember, so I think that the Koreans must be immune to burning the roofs of their mouths.
7. The children go to school from 8 a.m. until 9 p.m., then they have to go home and do homework. I mean they have regular Korean school until noon, then take all different kinds of lessons until 9 p.m. I have no idea how they do it. I loved having free time and playing when I was a kid.
8. You can buy groceries, clothes, furniture, and fast food all in the same building. (My favorite place is right by my house and its called Home Plus).
9. You have to bag what ever you purchase. The bags aren't free, you have to pay for them.
10. Korea is big on recycling, so you have to separate all of your recyclables as well as your food garbage, this gets dumped into a bin without a bag. For all other trash, you have to purchase a different bag. (I have been fighting this since I arrived, and now there is a notice up at my building, they are monitoring our waste disposal with closed circuit tv "CCTV", and if we don't we will be fined $500 USD)!!
11. All of the tv shows are showed in their entirety and the last tin minutes are all commercials.
12. The bathrooms are all tile, for efficient cleaning.
13. There are no dryers, I have to hang everything, including socks and towels... have you ever just washed and hung a towel, then try to use it. Lets just say its like a Brillo pad!
14. The subway system is amazing, along with all of the public transportation systems.
15. Pork and beef are the preferred meats here, along with seafood. Boy how I miss turkey and chicken. Don't get me wrong, I eat chicken here, but its not as prevalent as at home.
16. The coffee is mostly instant. It is not at all the same as home. So glad there are plenty of Starbucks and Coffee Beans here, but the coffee is a bit more expensive.
17. The floor heating is the best. We should have this in the US.
18. The bars are open until 6 a.m.
19. People can be found eating at all hours.
20. There is a ton of food delivery, too bad I don't know how to order in, especially in this freezing cold!!
21. Cosmetic surgery is very common here. Women tend to get their eyelids done or have their chin/jaw bone done. And if there is a little mark on someones face, you'll most likely see a skin covered band-aid on it the next day.
22. You can buy fruit or seafood on the street. I see it everyday while I walk to school, and bought some strawberries yesterday for $5, and they were the best strawberries I've ever tasted!
23. Its impolite to pour your own drink. And if you are pouring a drink, then you must touch the arm that you are pouring it with your free arm. This shows that you don't have any knives or other things. Its a sign of respect. This also goes for exchanging money.
24. The women wear high heels every single day, no matter what. I can't begin to tell you how many times I've almost fallen down from the snow/ice on the ground. And they walk with such grace, its crazy!
25. Its always a rush to get in/out of the door. There is no such thing as ladies first here. I was on the subway, and there was a woman in a motorized wheelchair and I looked at Alexandra and asked her "Should I still try to go first or should I be polite and let her go?" I've fully subscribed to the "ME FIRST" idea...who would have thought?!

Well, that's about all I can think of for now...

Time Flies

I can't believe that I've been here for a month already....time has flown. We had a snow day on Monday, Seoul hadn't seen this much snow (10 inches in one day) in over 70 years! My schedule has changed a bit this month, I'm supposed to go into school by 9 a.m. on Monday, Wednesday and Friday. So, I was really excited that we got an extra day of vacation on Monday. I took a few pictures of the snow storm to show you, but it really doesn't do it justice. With my extra time I talked to a lot of friends and family at home. Then a bunch of the teachers and I went outside to play in the snow. We had a snowball fight, it was the Canadian teachers vs. the US teachers....can you guess who won?? The Canadians. I took a snowball to the face, and let me tell you, it hurt! Burning cold. The we decided to make snow angels and play on the frozen playground. It was so much fun!

After that we decided to get warm, have some hot coco and grilled cheese sandwiches. We played a few board games (Cranium and I can't remember the other game). Helped a few Koreans get their cars out from being stuck in the snow, etc. Then I found out that Alexandra only had to work a half day, so we decided to meet up in Iteawon for some drinks and dinner. One of the other teachers from my school came with and we went to a foreigner bar called Geckos expecting there to be tons of teachers partaking in dinner and drinks. Much to our surprise there weren't take many other foreign teachers there, but we still enjoyed some veggie burgers, wings and fries. It was a great way to end the vacation. The only bad thing is that we have to make up that day next Saturday. I have to work a full day on Saturday, January 16th, which means the weekend will only consist of Sunday...no exploring or fun to be had there.

I'm taking on more classes this month and just started teaching a new set of students who don't know any English. I got to give them English names today. Some of my favorites were included (Rachael, Christine), but one of the students did not want an English name at all, so I call her Moon (it is part of her Korean name). I'm excited to help mold these students and watch them progress for however long I have them. I will include pictures of my students at a later time as it would be weird for me to take pictures of them during class without having a reason...

Alexandra and I have met some new friends this past week. One is through a friend of a friend (thanks Paco) and the others we met out at a bar last weekend. We're looking forward to exploring the country with our new friends. But not in this weather! It is so bone chilling cold, I can't begin to tell you.

I rode the subway yesterday all by myself, which is a huge accomplishment for me. I've been so worried about getting lost or missing my transfers, but it all worked out so well. Korea has an amazing subway system and I've already been told that I will not find another one like it. I will only be disappointed with all others.

You'll have to turn your head to see the difference in the photos.... sorry!