good vibrations

back from vacation. amber left for the airport this morning. it was a great time and the house was AMAZING.





i think after a bed count we determined that 20 people could easily sleep in the house with room to spare. you could fit more if you wanted to have more than 2 people in the king-sized beds. seriously. even hetty had her own bed.



so what did we do with our time? a whole lot of nothing. after having a great time at the irish fest on saturday (which involved inviting some pipe band members to the house with the king-sized beds as the incentive), we got up early sunday morning and got to the cape at around 3. after some confusion as to which house was actually OURS (which involved trying to open every door on house 15... turns out we were 45), we were inside and unloading. the house was on the bayside of wellfleet, just down the road from the harbor, where we always used to drive by and say how amazing it would be to rent one of those houses. we had our own beach and a view to kill... wait, what?









we went to dinner at the bookstore, which started a string of good luck with restaurants. celeste called that night and decided she was going to leave that night and get there at 1 am instead of leaving the following morning, so we waited up for her.

on monday we went to head of the meadow national seashore in truro and had goulash for dinner. kimchi and i really enjoyed the ocean breeze.



tuesday we spent all day at our beach and went to nauset beach club (possibly one of the nicest restaurants i've ever been to) for dinner. i was able to finally get my snorting mojito fix.



wednesday was spent in provincetown, where we did some shopping. side story: my parents told us that they would get us each something. thinking we had a $20-30 limit, i found an awesome turquoise necklace in a jewelry store where everything was half off. i thought the original price was fifty something dollars, turned out i read it wrong and it was ninety something, so my dad ended up spending $47. "oops."

we had a tasty lunch at governor bradford's.



we also got some tasty fudge.



then, i made roasted red pepper lasagna for dinner. amber really liked it!



on thursday we went to the vineyards for a wine tasting and came home with a few bottles of a merlot blend, a cranberry blend, and some sickeningly sweet white wine.



we had dinner at duck creeke, where i definitely had the best meal of the week- "shrimp margarita"- tequila cooked shrimp with rice and beans and really good veggies.



we also got some key lime pie, but celeste and i decided we'd enjoy it more by wearing it.



on friday we did some shopping in wellfleet and hung around at our beach again. celeste and i went clamming and ended up with a ton of topneck clams.





my family got fresh lobster to have a seafood feast. i wanted no part in the lobster. as celeste can show you, lobsters aren't the only ones that get hurt during the meal.



my dad, however, couldn't have been happier.



saturday was our only day of lousy weather... very windy and cloudy. celeste decided to go home a day early, and the rest of us went to see little miss sunshine (finally... it was really good). after, we went to dinner at winslow's tavern, which completed our week of amazing food. i also enjoyed a few gin martinis.



of course, we cheated a little in choosing the restaurants because my parents and i had been to these places before, so we kind of chose on a "best of" basis.

all in all, good family, good food, good times.

we were sad to leave.



no, really. it was very sad.

good times good eats

being home isn't all bad. it's nice to have a neverending monetary supply when it comes to buying food. i've been keeping myself pretty busy with dreaming up and cooking dinners every day. with every meal i make, that cookbook al and i are working on seems a bit more real.

last night i got a little cross-cultural. i made tabouli-stuffed eggplant and a mexican lasagna. the night before i made a really good pesto pizza. and the day before that i made my best spinach and artichoke dip yet. last week i made an AMAZING roasted red pepper lasagna, but we won't talk about that because i followed a recipe. it was good, nonetheless.

it's a lot easier to indulge in foods now that i have my own treadmill again and an watch tv while i run. those miles really go by quickly and i'm beginning to feel my muscles again.

at the moment i should be cleaning the house, but i decided to sit back and enjoy my coffee first. tonight my mom and i are going to make baked macaroni and cheese. it's one of the best dishes in the family and i've decided it's about time i learned how to make it. but we're really making it because AMBER'S COMING HOME TONIGHT! oh how exciting. i haven't seen her since may of last year. i'm not sure what tomorrow holds... perhaps shopping. saturday we'll be going to the irish fest at the altamont fairgrounds because my dad is playing with the pipe band. and of course the next day we'll be leaving for THE CAPE!

we've already decided one night will have to be sister's night out, another night all of us will go to a karaoke bar (where i can release all of my pent up noraebang energy), and in addition to visiting the vineyard and days at the beach we'll have to spend a day in provincetown.

let's hope the weather gods will bestow us with plentiful sunshine.

five years later

everyone has their own story of where they were five years ago. i was a freshman at college in washington, dc. the day before i had made a running date for 11 am with a guy i haven't hung out with since. i woke up and tori was at her computer. whoever she was talking to on instant messenger with must have told her what happened, because she said "oh my god, turn on the tv." we turned it onto the news and there was a tower up in flames.

there was a lot of time spent out in the halls talking with everyone about what was happening. jill spent a good part of her day waiting to hear from her father, who worked in another world trade center building. he was all right.

i forget what time my first class was at... around ten, i think. i got myself over to the music building for harmony, but everyone, including my teacher, was sitting in the music school's lounge, with a tv dominic had pulled out. we sat there for a while, watching it, not sure what the school was going to do for the rest of the day. mr. stark finally said we wouldn't be having class, and i think around that time it was announced that classes would be canceled for the rest of the day. i headed back to the dorms.

because we were in dc, phone lines were really tied up and it was next to impossible to call out or receive calls. finally i got a hold of my mom and we cried over what was going on.

at around noon, the national shrine was having a mass for it, and i remember a lot of people were weary about going there because they thought the blue dome top was more like a big blue target. i went anyway and the basilica was more crowded than i'd ever seen it.

i honestly don't remember much of what happened during the rest of the day. we weren't allowed to go anywhere off campus. a lot of sitting around and talking with new friends over what was happening. most people thought this was only the start of it and that other cities would soon be hit. whenever i heard a military jet fly overhead i falt a pang of panic. i cried off and on. my ra thought i was related to someone in the wtc because she knew i was from ny and i was a mess when i got back from my class. she asked my roommate if i was ok. i got a lot of emails and messages from people back home making sure i was nowhere near the pentagon.

i don't remember when the candlelight service was held downtown, but i also went to that. it's amazing how new i still was to the city and school, because i remember not knowing if i had enough for the metro. we got down to the capital and walked around, i think maybe to the monument. jill and dave wore their "i love ny" t-shirts and their picture was in a newspaper the next day.

five years later and it's a day none of us will ever forget. when i think back about it, it was a horrible day, but i'm really greatful that we were all together in a new, caring community. i was with a group of people my age with tons of supportive staff all around us- no one knew what was happening, but we were all there for each other.

does anyone read this anymore?

i've been home for over a month now, and i can tell you this: the newness has worn off. i was so busy seeing people again/traveling around/eating missed foods in this past month that i didn't really think about korea or other things. but that next step of culture shock has hit. i don't miss korea, per se, but i miss a lot of things about it. the independence, the friends, the sense of adventure, MY OWN APARTMENT, etc. it's not just korea, either. i miss a lot about college, too. korea for me felt like an extended year at school and this is really my first time home without that feeling of taking the "next big step."

schaghticoke seemed great at first- a nice, laid back contrast to the hustle and bustle of my past five years. my friends, though i love them, aren't completely on the same page as me... we all have different priorities. jeni's doing her wedding plans (how's THAT for being on different pages?), amy and jude are working and i'm bumming around. but it is great that i'm not the only person who came home to live with their parents while figuring their lives out... amy and jude are doing the same thing. i guess it comes down to how great it was to spend the past year with people who have the same job/schedule/amount of money as me.

it seems like doing anything here takes a considerable amount of effort. going out at night means finding a designated driver. all of the good restaurants are at least a half hour drive away. i can't just walk to the movies by myself if no one wants to see the same movie as me, and although i love going to the movies by myself, it seems strange to do it here.

i'm seriously considering moving to minneapolis in the next few months and doing grad school there. al says i can stay there rent-free for six months while she house sits for her aunt. i just don't know that i can stay around here... my family wasn't surprised at all to hear me say it, they figured i'd come to that conclusion sooner or later because i'm "just not a small town girl."

in other news, jeni's wedding is in two days, her rehearsal dinner is tomorrow at the ripe tomato. last week we took her out for a bachelorette party in lake george, which was a lot of fun. a bit too much fun for jeni, who had a rough night upon returning to my place and a painful day after. we ended up at king neptune's pub, where there was a really good cover band (girl gone bad) playing. this is the first cover band i've REALLY liked, and the only live band i've ever thought would be cool to have at a wedding reception. they played every song i've ever requested at bars, without my requests! i think some esp had a part in last night's activities. i thought it was funny enough that they played paradise by the dashboard light, but when they started shoop, i was in heaven.

a week from today amber is coming and we're all going to the cape. i've been waiting since winter for this, so i'm beside myself at this point. i can't wait to get to truro vineyards, eat at great restaurants, and of course get a good dose of laid-back nautical new england.

a year complete

i'm home! i'm home! and it's wonderful!! in the past 24 hours i've been to nyc, seen times square, and eaten nachos, tapas, spinach and artichoke dip, and richie's pizza the way i want it: peeppers, onions, hot peppers, tomatoes, and mushrooms.

my impressions of home and america in general? schaghticoke is smaller (read: more hick-ey) than i remember, my cat looked way too big and i was convinced over the past year my parents got one to replace him and never told me (then i realized it was, in fact, felix), it's nice and quiet, and my home looks really nice and homey. it's also funny because over the past year i've been programed to look at restaurants and businesses with names in french, italian, etc. and think "oh they just wanted to call it that to seem sophisticated, but it's the same ol' stuff with corn and mayonnaise on top," but then i realize it IS he real deal and people named pierre or mario probably own these places. it's also annoying to be able eto understand everything that goes on around you, i feel embarrassed to walk around with a cell phone (it's amazing how comfortable that got to be over the past year), and i also have to remember that not only can i understand what goes on around me, but people can also understand what i am saying.

kimchi got here with no trouble and is doing great, though my cat is twice his size and he's scared of hetty and judson, even though they don't seem to think too much of him. but i think in no time he'll be used to the two giants.

anyway, i should get some sleep. tomorrow i'm going to the GROCERY STORE!!!!!!!!!!

break on through to the other side

operation check into incheon airport has been a success. i have an hour and 9 minutes until i board for my flight, so i'm wasting time here in the internet zone. so far, so good. everything has gone over smoothly, despite a few incidences of running around.

took the 6:15 am bus from daejeon this morning. first of all, i'm glad i bought my tickets yesterday, and second of all, i'm really glad i bought two. the driver was going to make me put kimchi's kennel under the bus in the cargo area, but i said no way jose, i had two tickets, one for me and one for mr. kim.

got to the airport around 9:15, waited in line for the japan airlines ticket counter to open, and then when i finally got up to the counter they said they weren't ticketing for my flight. but it was a good thing i waited in line anyway, because they pointed me to the animal office to get the form to get kimchi into america. the lady also said i didn't have to wait in line when i came back, just stand to the side and they'd call me up. so i went and got kimchi's information all filled out and came back, checked in my suitcase, paid the excess baggage fee for kimchi (270,000 won) and then came back to the counter where i found two "higher guys" and the ticketing lady hovered around airline regulation books. figuring it had something to do with the temperature, i just waited to hear the dreaded news "i'm sorry but it's too hot for your dog to fly, we're gonna have to put him on the next flight."

but that never came. turns out they were concerned because he got a rabies shot on 7/17, although he already had one back in december, and the rabies vaccine must be done no less than 30 days before the flight. so i told them it wouldn't be a problem because he had one before and i ran back to the animal office to have them change the date on the form. thank god i never waited till the last minute to get that shot, because i don't think they would've let him through without it or even if he had gotten the first one in july, because it must be done no less than 30 days before traveling (for the record, i think it changes airline to airline, i know some people who only had to sign something saying they'd keep the dog away from wildlife for the 30 days required.) so with that all done and good, i got my ticket, took kimchi to the customs declaration where they checked his cage, said everything was good to go, and i went through immigration.

SUCH a relief to have that over with. now i get to kick back and enjoy my fright. start spreading the news, i'm leaving today.

all my bags are packed, i'm ready to go...

i thought this weekend would be strangeey with al and melissa gone, and yes it was weird, but i've had fun. i cleaned and cleaned and cleaned some more on friday. i really have to pat myself on the back because i'm really proud of how well i've done with this moving process. i scrubbed my bathroom on friday and never knew how white my bathroom could be. i cleaned some more on saturday, so my floors are good and done. everything is packed and ready to go.

last night was my final final dinner at cin cin (for serious). man i'm gonna miss that spinach pizza. who knew you could have some of the best pizza ever in little ol' korea?

anyway, it was good times. i went with sylvia, jim, tessa, tessa's friend meaghan, and alex, a korean teacher. it was a lot of fun. first we did dinner, then sylvia, jim, alex, and i went to ethnic.




we drank quite a few rounds of strawberry soju. after that we got our groove on at bubi bubi. i must say, i'd been disappointed the last few times i've been there because of how crowded it is and how many pushy people are starting to go there, but it was just like old times. we got there early enough where it was crowded, but not obscenely crowded. i got to see my favorite workers there and say goodbye. we called it an early night at 1 am, just when the foreigners were starting to show up in masses.

man, i'm REALLY proud that i came home so early. i got a full night of sleep and was able to get up early to take kimchi to the vet to get his health certificate. also, sylvia, alex, and i are going shopping in the underground mall downtown soon. apparently neither of them have been yet (alex moved here from seoul in february so she isn't too familiar with everything yet), so that'll be exciting to show them around. i feel like i've come a long way in one year. if someone told me that i would be this familiar with the city at the beginning of the year, i'd laugh in their face.

also, i got word from al, who is home safe in minnesota. she said things are weird there, but wonderfully great. strangeey that in three days i'll be able to experience that for myself!

numbers

30- number of dunkin donuts munchkins i gave to my first class this morning
20- number of ice cream cones i bought for some other classes
13- number of hours on my tokyo to nyc flight
8- number of boxes i sent home
7- number of classes i have tomorrow
6- number of students i can't wait to get rid of
5- number of days left in korea
4- number of minutes left in class today when i kicked luke, one of my favorite students, out of the room for trying to smear his donut on his buddy jim's cheek
3- number of classes i treated to snacks today
2- number of teaching days left
1- chihuahua in a pear tree (sorry i've got nothing for that one)

well i'm finished with my tuesday/thursday students. today was enjoyable. i got a card from one class (one of the three classes left that i've had from the beginning). we played some scrabble, had a "snack party" in a few classes, and got some email addresses. just two teaching days left. i mailed out my last box today. that pretty much cleaned me out of cash. after getting the snacks for today i only have about $25 to get me through till monday. i'll have to use the remaining money on kimchi's health certificate and see what i can still afford snack-wise for my monday classes. i also have to go out with sylvia and jim and possibly tessa this weekend as the last co-workers night out thing. in order to avoid selling my body to make some quick money to afford said night out, sylvia said she'd cover me, which saves me some hassle (not to mention hustle...) i haven't been this broke since my first week here. that severence pay is looking mighty delicious now.

and then there were two

alisun has officially finished her year in korea. as i type she's probably somewhere over the pacific. i think i'm in denial about not having salsa and alisun in my daily life when i go home. part of me thinks that i'll get to jfk and they'll be there waiting. when it comes down to it, they made korea for me. of course it's a great country and everything was amazing, but i can't imagine what my year would've been like if i hadn't met them.



last night salsa and i helped alisun with last minute cleaning. i went home at about 1 am to get a few hours of sleep, and at 2:50 i was up again and on my way to help al get her suitcases to the airport bus stop for her 4 am bus ride. man am i GLAD that i stuck with my original plan of sending most of my things home in advance. her two suitcases were quite heavy, plus she had a rolling carry-on and her purse. waiting for the bus was interesting, most of the time was spent watching one of the biggest spiders i've ever seen working on a web. it's weird something so trivial can unexpectly be associated with something you'll remember forever.

it definitely didn't feel like good-bye. salsa and i had work on our minds plus the three of us were too tired to be emotional. what were al's final words? "thank you for coming to my restaurant." someone was definitely lacking sleep.

as for me, most of my stuff is packed. i only have a few clothes out and one box of souvenirs left to mail out. kimchi is updated on his shots, and i need to get him to the vet sometime this weekend to get his certificate of health. the smaller details are coming into play. just yesterday i was looking things up on japan airlines website, curious about meal and movie selection. so far it looks like i'll have my own little tv, which is really nice. on the way here i was subjected to a giant screen showing miss congeniality 2, beauty shop, and the sandlot 2 (which i didn't even know was in existence)

tomorrow is my last day with my tuesday/thursday kids. that includes two of my favorite classes, one of which only realized on tuesday that i wasn't coming back to korea. guess they just thought i was going on vacation. in total, three teaching days left, with monday being my last. not sure how i feel about it, part of me wants to be finished already and part of me knows i'll really miss some of the kids. but i'm really greatful that i have tuesday off to really clean and run errands. also, this weekend i won't really have anyone around, considering alisun's gone and melissa is going to pentaport rock festival with aaron, tom, and tom's friends. but i'm looking forward to some "alone time." it's kind of ironic that i'll go out the same way i came in, on my own.

getting excited!

i talked to my parents on the phone today. they had decided that since i was flying in on wednesday night to nyc we'd just stay the night and drive home in the morning.

just got an email from my parents, and we'll be staying at the marriott marquis.



with a room-view of:



at first i wasn't too happy about not getting home that night, but my mind has definitely changed. although i'm sure it will in no way compare to when steph and i stayed there in april (cause really, what can beat water aerobics, grilled sandwiches, room service, and two hilary duff movies?), it will most definitely be a great "welcome to america."

kimchi

i love kimchi. i love koreans. i really do.



what i find humorous is the fact that most koreans cannot believe that you like kimchi. or korean food. yes, they get excited when you tell them your favorite korean meals... but more times than not, their excitement is followed with a "but... it is so spicy!"

yes, kimchi is spicy. yes, kimchi jjigae is spicy. yes, fire chicken is spicy. but do they think there is no other cuisine in the world that is just as spicy, if not more spicy? i've had mexican food that's blown the top off of my head. i've had thai food that is cause for a five alarm fire.

in all honesty, i don't even find kimchi or korean food to be that spicy anymore. i think i inherited my grandfather's tastebuds... that man could pack on the red pepper powder like nobody's business to a point where i was pretty sure he could no longer taste the food underneath... either that or he burned his taste buds right off.

just yesterday, the school got some chinese/korean food for the english teachers. we were all huddled around the table, picking at the food. i reached over to get some kimchi, and a teacher looked at me quite seriously and said "this is spicy." i just smiled and said "i know." please, give me some credit, lady. do you honestly think i've spent a year in korea without even KNOWING what kimchi was or what it tasted like? i even went back for seconds just to show her that yes, foreigners here CAN handle the food. it's not that spicy, folks.

i once saw a post on daveseslcafe about korean's incredulousness that foreigners can handle a little red pepper paste. one poster decided t-shirts should be made saying something along the lines of "other countries have spice, too." i don't think that's a bad idea.

how do i love thee...

as promised, now that i'll be home in less than two weeks, i've compiled a list off what i will miss about korea. i thank my lucky stars that this past year has been filled with communication with people back home. with visits, emails, this blog, phone calls, and my picture website, i think my family and friends have really gotten a taste of what this year has been like. this is essential when it comes to lessening the anxiety of getting home and dealing with people who most likely will have a lot of questions. i remember being a crying mess when i got off the plane returning from guatemala, not ready to talk about everything and just feeling like nobody would understand... and that was after only three weeks there! i still am concerned about reverse culture shock. i can already imagine what it will be like, which is number one on my list of what i will miss:

-being able to tune out people around you. i'm already picturing how irritating it's going to be sitting in a restaurant, cafe, or just walking down the street and understanding every single word coming out of strangers' mouths.

in addition to that, i will also miss:
-kimchi
-kimchi jjigae
-chamchi kimbap
-kimchi dopbap
-dolsot bibimbap
-rice
-rice desserts
-using chopsticks for practically every meal
-a culture that isn't afraid to include tofu in most dishes
-spicy food galore... but a different kind of spice from mexican food and the spiciness i'm used to
-having a meal that costs less than $5, which includes multiple sidedishes
-assigned seating in movie theaters... they really need to take this idea to america, because it's great to not have to worry about making it early enough to get enough seats together in a decent section
-taking numbers in banks and movie theaters, no lines needed here.
-NORAEBANGS. maybe i should have made this my number one.
-jjimjilbangs and saunas
-tea
-having no shame in going ANYWHERE in heels or dressing like i just stepped out of a fashion magazine
-giving and receiving things with two hands
-soju. although i don't drink it often at all and it leaves you with terrible hangovers, i'll miss the fact that it's only a dollar and tastes pretty good when mixed with orange juice. and i'll really resent it when i hunt it down back home for sharing with friends and family and forking over a good $10 for it. ridic-u-lous.
-not having to make conversation if you're not in the mood, it's so easy to withdraw yourself in public or at work because you don't speak the same language
-the accessibility of everything... being able to run right around the corner in the middle of the night to grab something at the convenience store.
-being able to walk to work
-being able to walk pretty much anywhere and getting what you need... without having to drive for 20 minutes
-watching reality tv to my heart's content... somehow it's not as shameful here
-being in a country where you can go to any major city and make it a day trip... from seoul to busan and back.
-alcohol sold anywhere. i love being able to grab a bottle of yellow tail merlot at the local 7/11 at 2 in the morning
-speaking of 7/11s... i'm going to miss, and perhaps be nostalgic when seeing, 7/11s, starbucks, bennigans, outback steakhouse, and tgifridays. i rarely went to starbucks back home, and man do your world-views on globalization really take a backseat to your comfort level and happiness when living in a foreign country. i've never stepped foot in a bennigans or outback back home and don't plan on ever doing so when i return. but god i loved them here, and i don't think anyone back home can ever realize the significance it holds for the expat community here... they'll always have a special place in my heart.
-no taxes... when you see something you want to buy, that's how much you pay. no ridiculous adding necessary.
-no tips. i'm actually really nervous about returning to a country where this is necessary and trying to remember to tip after taxi rides and leaving restaurants... and being generous in the process
-a job with short days that allows me to sleep in and never need an alarm clock... with exception to my last week here >:(
-playing with little kids all day and having the opportunity to just give writing assigments or play games if i'm not feeling like actually teaching (though i don't do that too often)
-being able to be an extreme goofball and have it be for educational purposes... kids definitely understand concepts better if you act like a moron and draw terrible pictures on the blackboard
-for a full year, having people back home actually interested in what you're doing because it's different
-though it gets annoying at times, feeling like a celebrity whenever you walk outside
-it's so much easier to meet people here, there's more reason to
-wacky t-shirts
-konglish
-if you ever need a good laugh, you'll pretty much encounter a funny situation on a daily basis here. strange things do happen and i'll be sad to return to a "normal" life where things just don't shock you in the same way
-the sense of adventure
-mountains EVERYWHERE
-ondol heating
-downloading movies
-interaction with taxi drivers... some of them are among the funniest people i've ever met
-"serbicuh" with any purchase, large or small. love those freebies.
-appreciating your background/home more than you ever thought possible. i do love america, but i know in my head i have a glorified image of new york and the us. i know i'm going to go home and realize it's not as great as i was thinking and then create a glorified image of korea in my head and want to go back.
-those moments i've lived that were seriously lost in translation. i will watch that movie over and over when i'm home and laugh and laugh because really, only people who have been to asia can really GET the subtle humor of that movie
-though i don't go out much anymore, that great freedom of staying out as late as you want because everything's open all night, and feeling no shame in returning home at 6 in the morning. or 6:30. or 7:30.
-having friends that are sharing in the same exact experience. though we have different backgrounds, we all have a unique bond. we are here for more or less the same reasons, have the same financial background throughout the year, and have just about the same schedules. i'm never going to have that opportunity again, having friends who make the same amount of money and are on exactly the same page as me. we all came here for the adventure.

i've got seoul but i'm not a soldier

this past weekend was my last weekend in seoul. alisun, salsa, sylvia (the new south african teacher at my school, rika's friend from home) planned on a day trip: get up saturday, head to insadong, get some last minute gifts (well, last minute for al and me who are leaving within a week of each other) and souvenirs, check out a few museums, and then go to songtan, which apparently has a huge outdoor market.

the first two parts of the plan went over well. we got to insadong at around 1 or so, did some shopping, and hopped on a bus going to the gana art museum, where there were some great photography exhibits. we had dinner across the street at monet, a nice little italian cafe/wine bar. at that point salsa decided to head back and al, sylvia, and i were going to try to get to songtan. long story short, the metro took longer than we thought (actually, it took as long as i'd anticipated, i just didn't really pay attention to the time we left, therefore it was just poor planning.) we were still on the metro at 9 pm and decided we're be in a race now to actually get an express bus back to daejeon. so, we hopped off the subway and headed back to suwon to get an express bus from there. by then it was after ten and the last bus had left long ago. so, we got tickets to kangnam, seoul, and though maybe we'd make the last ktx train back. we didn't. we didn't get to seoul until 11:45 or so, so we called it a night and shacked up in a motel. i would've been fine with the plans, i just felt irresponsible that a certain kim-man was waiting for me to return home.

anyway, we got up at 9 this morning and headed back to daejeon. went to our respective places and showered, and then the three of them came over to my place where we ordered pizza and watched transamerica (highly recommended). overall, an enjoyable weekend, but i was still disappointed that i 1) didn't make it back that same day. guess it was just sort of a mental goal to say "hey! i CAN just do a day-trip in seoul and be successful!" and 2) didn't get the airline-approved dog carrier that i was hoping to find in songtan.

so, on my to-do list for tomorrow and tuesday:
1) go to the post office and get the biggest post-office approved boxes i can find
2) come back and pack up all things that can be mailed home now
3) maybe run to e-mart or other department stores to see if they have any dog carriers there. i have to find it soon to let the airline know exactly how much space i will be taking up. if anyone is reading this and knows where i can find one, please let me know!
4) take mr. kim to the vet and get his shots updated and ask about getting his certificate of health
5) mail boxes (see no. 1) home

i have the feeling this remaining time is really going to FLY by, judging how fast june went by. also, july 17th is another holiday. assssahhh!

recurring dreams

it happened again last night. i don't know what it is, but i've been having a few recurring dreams over the past few years. one of them i've been having since high school and the other two probably started during my last years in college.

the first one involves my teeth. my back molars just start crumbling apart and soon i'm spitting pieces of my teeth out. creepy, i know. for a while i thought it was a strange dream, but then my curiosity got the best of me and i did a search for common recurring dreams on the internet. turns out it's one of the most common ones, and there are a few meanings behind it, from anxiety about something in your life to not feeling that your voice is being heard. i actually haven't had that one in a while. guess i've been speaking up loud and clear.

the next two dreams i've been having a lot, especially since graduating from college, and maybe even during my final semester. oddly enough, both dreams involve high school. in the first one, i'm thrown onto stage because we're doing a reunion of "how to succeed in business without really trying" (my senior year musical) and i'm incredibly worried that we haven't had any rehearsals and i just keep praying that i'll remember my lines, dreading stepping onto the stage.



for some reason, i think the rest of the cast had been practicing without me and i was coming in late from college and could only make it for the actual preformances. my dream never goes as far as the actual performance, though, usually i just walk out on stage and say a few lines (they're actually a mix off all of the lines i can remember today) and then i wake up, relieved that it was only a dream.

the dream i had last night is also another "unprepared" one, and always involves the SAME PEOPLE and the SAME CLASS. i'm back in high school, i think even at my current age. the registatrion process is rushed, usually my transcript is messed up, and i'm running around trying to find mrs. nadeau's math class. i always get there and realize i don't have my homework, or sometimes my book, and i just sit there anxiously waiting to be yelled at, sometimes scrambling to pretend i did my homework. and of course there are always the smartest people in the class there, homework done, excited to be back in high school after finishing college. a lot of the time the layout of my high school is different and involves many floors and elevators and i'm running around completely lost. usually there's also a locker, thrown in, that i was supposed remember the combination to, although i hadn't used it in five years.

and i'm sure we're all familiar with the dreams that we have that feel real. at no point do we ever think "oh, i'm ok, it's just a dream and i'll wake up." these dreams always feel real. they're pretty easy to decipher, and it makes sense, i suppose, that they're starting up again. my days in korea are coming to an end and i'm looking at grad school programs and a new life chapter is about to begin. i suppose there's that subconscious uneasiness that i won't get accepted to any program (maybe because i'm unprepared like my dreams?). let's hope that doesn't happen.

in the meantime, i'll sleep with one eye open.

homeward bound

the date is july 3, 2006. in less than a month i will be home. it's really a mix of emotions for me. there are so many things i'm looking forward to, and so many things that i will miss. this has been an incredible year. part of me is ready to go, and part of me would sign another year in a heartbeat... but that wouldn't happen because i think i'm ready for the next part of my life. what am i going to do? i thought i would be living in nyc with some friends, but i decided against that and instead am going to take a year to live at home (that's right, make your jokes now) and save up some more money, maybe work a cafe job, and apply to grad school. grad school. never thought i'd end up there, but i'm really excited about it. i'm thinking definitely a suny school, with buffalo at the top of my list.

i want to break this blog down a little bit. i want to share with you the things i can think of that i CAN'T WAIT to return to. in about two weeks, i'll make another list of all of the things i'm going to miss terribly here. i think over the past year people who have read this have gotten a pretty good idea of who i am and what life is like here, but i'd like to add another dimension and really compare the differences between life here and life home. we're talking culture, customs, behavior, foods, geography, everything. i love korea, i really do, and although some of these things may sound like i have a negative attitude about living here, i still wouldn't change anything about my past year and i realize most of these things, although seemingly everywhere i go, are the exception to the rule of how most koreans act.

i know most things in life are contradictory. i am no exception to this, nor is my country. i've actually grown to have a loving relationship with these things which i call "irksome." i wouldn't change anything that happened in the past year for the world. after all, these are the things that really teach you about who you are and help you to appreciate your own background.

and here it is, why i can't wait to return home:

FOOD
-grocery stores. no screamers and shouters announcing that a special selection of dried squid is on sale. no obnoxious pricing system of fruits and vegetables where if you forget to put a sticker on the bag and then try to pay for it, they simply won't send someone for a price check and won't allow you to buy it.
-burritos, tacos, fajitas, sour cream, guacamole, tortillas, and all that fresh latin goodness that makes a fiesta for my taste buds
-health food! aisles and aisles of "well-being" glory- hummus, tabouli, whole wheat EVERYTHING, every flavor of salsa you can imagine, natural grain cereals, great soy milks, organic yogurt, veggie burgers, fake meat, and organic teas
-greek food
-ben and jerrys... cherry garcia, you will be mine. oh yes, you will be mine.
-my mom's veggie chili and flax seed bread
-fresh, gourmet sandwiches with REAL BREAD (see: health food)
-salads, sushi, and sandwiches without strange sweet "koreanized" ingredients like thousand island, kiwi dressing, or sweet pickles
-dilly beans
-fresh fruit that doesn't look like it's been sitting out for weeks
-being able to ask for substitutions at restaurants or to add something to a dish without the waiter looking at you like you have lobsters crawling out of your ears and receiving a prompt "ani-o!"

CULTURE
-being able to TALK to anyone you need to- walking into the convenience store and being able to make small talk, ordering food the WAY I WANT IT, being able to ask for (and give) simple directions, being able to read EVERYTHING on signs, etc.
-no more "hwwakkkk" spit going on everywhere around me whenever i'm out walking
-no more "hello! nice to meet you! i'm fine how about you? i love you ::giggle giggle::" from people who think it's funny to spit out every sentence of english they've ever learned to their friends as they're passing by
-no more ajummas or ajosshis poking me, walking right up to stare at me, or taking up the whole elevator
-no more people who think because i'm foreign i'm obviously not standing in line and, therefore, they can cut right in front of me
-no more STARING
-no more embarrassed giggling from store clerks or waiters who are too afraid or embarrassed to talk to us in both english AND korean
-no more "sending out the one person who speaks english" to deal with me before even giving me a chance to see if we can work together in korean in any public place
-no more crowded elevators
-no more fear of getting run over by a motorbike on the sidewalk
-no more fearing for my life in a taxi
-no more "special" trash bags that i just toss out into the street
-the freedom to run to the local convenience store with no shame that you look like you just woke up and "forgot" to put on your favorite fancy stilettos
-no more negative connotation to the simple question "russian?"
-no more ajumma butt slaps
-no more marriage proposals from taxi drivers
-no need for taxis of any sort!
-going back to that marriage thing... after deciding i'd never be able to date a korean guy who is actually from korea, i think i'll be going home with a whole new outlook on availability. a country with walking-talking real boys. if you speak my language, i don't care who you're hitched to. you're available if i say so.
-driving through country and farmland
-the adirondacks!
-saratoga
-shopping malls
-shoes everywhere in my size!
-familiar faces!
-being in a culture that sees the humor in staring at yourself in the elevator mirror or taking pictures of yourself on your camera phone out of sheer boredom
-being in a culture where it's impolite to smack food or chew with your mouth open
-no more people telling me how to eat my food- i'll eat it however i damn well please!
-hot water, soap, and western toilets in every public bathroom
-dryers!!!
-having a microwave again
-interesting people. after a full year of asking a "foreigner" what he or she does, knowing "i'm a teacher" will be the response, i can safely say it gets tiring.
-individuality- no more "confucianism" and "we do this because it was always this way. period."
-returning to a society where having tattoos, facial piercings, and short hair for women is quite common!
-the smell of fresh cut grass
-small town traffic
-nothing beats that "colonial new england" feel. though we're not technically in it, i consider most of the northeast to be new england. i've spent enough vacations in cape cod, done enough antique shopping in vermont, and picked enough apples on a cool upstate new york autumn day to know that no matter where i may travel, i'll always be a new england girl at heart.

what a long, strange trip it's been

ok so i have just about a month to go before i head back to the good ol' us of a. the time is currently 2:39 am and i feel like reminiscing. i just downloaded the most recent episodes of "so you think you can dance?" and it just brought back memories of *last* summer, when i started watching the *first* season of the show. and i realized how fast this year really went.

this entry will really be a mental purge. i intend on getting a lot of thoughts out. like:

the fact that i only have 1 month left. so strange!

the fact that two new teachers are coming in tonight (actually, in 10 minutes!) and tomorrow night and the chemistry of the foreign staff is totally going to be different. i will no longer be the only girl, and it won't be just me, jim, and zolst any longer. we're adding two, count 'em, TWO foreign girls. strangeeee.

i'm beginning to think about applying to grad schools for the fall 2007 school year. i really want to become a certified teacher and teach esl in public schools. who knew that majoring in music ed would lead to this?

i've also had a funny week, including a hilarious conversation with a student. now, if you remember, back around christmas time i put up a picture of a christmas card i received from a student, bella. bella moved on to junior high, and i was quite sad because she was quite possibly the cutest student i had at the time. oh but with the next semester came jenny, or "baby bella." jenny is bella's younger sister. now bella is short, but jenny is ten times shorter. i didn't think they came any cuter than bella, but i was wrong.

yesterday i went into the bathroom to clean out the coffee filter. i ran into jenny, who was excited to see me out of class. "hi, tanya!" she exclaimed. she ran into the stall and proceeded to use the toilet, meanwhile keeping conversation with me. she joked with me and a friend who was in the bathroom with her about our differences in height and other wonders of the world. then, cute as ever, 'tanya- do you have man?" i had to make sure i heard her right. "what?" i asked. she repeated "you have man?" struck by the humor of the situation, i replied "no." she asked "why? you're so pretty!" i said "because" but she again asked "why?" obviously no answer would do. how would they understand "johnny depp is still taken" unless i spoke in korean? at this time, a korean english teacher walked out of a stall, obviously finding the conversation hilarious. at that moment, the sheer absuridy of the situation struck me... oddly enough, the "absurdity" of it was the fact that it felt totally natural- chatting in the bathroom with my "girls"... or korean students. whatever. really, it felt just as if i was home with any friend, gossiping in the bathroom. who'd've thunk a year ago that this would turn into my normal life? oh i'll miss my students.

fighting korea

tonight (or, rather, tomorrow morning). 4 am. korea vs. "swiss."

i'll be watching it behind my eyelids. ^_^

beach bums

last weekend was amazing. alisun and i went to gangneung, a small city on the northeast coast. gangneun is known for its beautiful sandy beaches, and we hit up gyeongpo beach. that's right, 1.8 sprawling sandy kilometers of ocean bliss. because it's still technically the "off-season," it wasn't overly crowded. we got a motel room right on the beach for 50,000 won. how can you beat a view like this from your motel room window?



so, i enjoyed the beach in all its sun-soaked glory. basked in the sun, watched the waves crash in, and reminisced about my own family vacations. it was also a great place for people watching:





sunday morning we got up at 8 am and went to the beach again to make the best of our few remaining hours before we had to check out. we hadn't gone swimming the day before, but decided to go for it. the water was cold, but it felt really good. after, we were laying out in our swimsuits to dry when we got that unwanted dose of "oh my gosh! foreigners on the beach!" that we had fortunately avoided until then. we were both laying on our stomachs, minding our own business, when i heard some giggling and saw from the corner of my eye a group of koreans discreetly trying to take pictures of us. a girl was standing somewhat in front of us, and they were obviously taking a picture of her just to get us in the background. sighing, but figuring there wasn't much i could do because, after all, aren't we all guilty of this every once in a while? i returned to my book, and glanced over to see if they were still taking pictures. what do i find? this same girl is now crouched RIGHT NEXT to alisun, posing and smiling for a picture. come ON! taking a picture from a safe distance is one thing, but to be blatantly using us for pictures is downright RUDE. alisun was obliviously dozing until i told her to look, and when she did finally see what was going on, there was hell to pay. "are you kidding me? no! this is not funny! go away!" she tossed a little bit of sand at the girl, who was by this point standing, apparently torn between giving another peace sign for a picture or backing away. the "photographer" was finally the one to motion her back over. we kept giving them dirty looks, but they weren't at all embarrassed or ashamed of their actions because they set up camp next to us.

alisun, still spitting daggers, was very upset. "it's like we're not even people!" she was about to get up, take my camera, and put it right in their faces to take pictures (she was actually standing and going for my bag) but i convinced her that that would only make the situation worse, but if we caught them taking pictures again, by all means go for it. so, we went back to lounging in the sun, but glanced over periodically to try to catch them "in the act."

11:00 rolled around, and we were closing up shop when a DIFFERENT group of koreans came up to us. a man started asking if he could take a picture with us. alisun right away said "NO!" and we marched back to the motel.

now i know what it feels like to be a celebrity on the beach.

in other news, i joined a new gym yesterday. it's actually the gym right next door to me. why it took so long for me to check it out, i couldn't tell you, but i'm sad that it took almost 11 months. i bought a month for 70,000 won, expensive, yes, but this gives me membership to the entire building- it's a jjimjilbang/sauna/fitness center all rolled into one, with seven floors. the gym itself is pretty nice, on the top floor, with treadmills that overlook the busy intersection below. the equipment is rather nice, also. after that i soaked in some hot tubs and sweated in the hot rooms. nothing soaking your muscles in warm water after a good workout.

also, i just read this morning about a movie that is in the works called "expats."

imdb link

i'll definitely be seeing that one, finally a movie about living in south korea! although i have no experience with gangs in busan, i'm really looking forward to watching it, so i can say "that's EXACTLY what life was like in korea!"

going back to vacations, less than two months and my family and i will be renting this house on the cape for a week:


waterfront view!

oh, i can't wait.

worlduh cupuh

as promised, here is a more detailed account of the korea-togo match. word is there were a lot of parks showing the game on a big screen, but alisun and i opted to go to a bar to get the smaller atmosphere and really feel like part of the crowd. most of the bars were PACKED, so alisun and i ended up at some random bar after checking out a few tried-and-true (and filled to the max) bars.

it was pretty exciting to be in a country that actually cared about soccer. all day tuesday my students kept telling me that america had lost to the czech republic the night before, and i kept saying that i didn't really care about america's team. then i took the time to explain how soccer isn't a popular sport in america and how i was willing to bet that if you went anywhere in america, the average person might not even know the world cup was happening, much less be able to name a player on the team. a few of the more knowledgeable students nodded their little heads in agreement and then said to the students who weren't in the know that baseball, basketball, and football were america's pasttimes.

enough about america. after korea's win, it was pure craziness. it was like a city winning the superbowl, but countrywide. and that was only the first game. everyone poured into the streets and it was red t-shirts and glowing devil horns galore. people were cheering 대 한 민 국 ("dae han min guk" or "south ko-re-a!") clap clap clap clap clap. for the rest of the night you couldn't go for one minute without hearing a horn beeping to the cheer. i'd love to watch the second game, but unfortunately it's at 4 am and i don't think i'm that dedicated.

in other news, i saw x-men 3 last night. a good movie, but a word to the wise: if you go see it, make sure to stay through the credits. apparently there's more, which i didn't find out about until i got home. i want my 6,000 won back.

대 한 민 국!

대 한 민 국! (clap clap clap clap clap)

korea 2, togo 1

i will write more about this adventure when it isn't 1 in the morning and i am well-rested.

but, indeed, reds go together.

no gold star for you, stella

the charming comments like "teacher, your face is so small, your eyes are so big" are now no longer part of my memory, and a new evil has taken its place.

i know our faces are different from the typical "korean layout," but man.

it seemed innocent enough. a couple of girls giggle-giggling away until i asked what the problem was. they said my nose was so long and upturned. and then brave stella announced "you are pinocchio!"



vs.



do you see the resemblance?

6-6-6

today is korea's memorial day, so basically everyone has the day off. for us foreigners, it means another excuse for a lazy day. a rather large group of us got together last night for dinner at cin cin, basically for rika's "last supper." she's leaving this saturday, so we thought it'd be nice for us to do something for her. we ended up using alisun's video camera to tape each other at the table, telling our favorite "rika moments."

for the record, i talked about the first weekend we met and went to the chuseok festival for foreigners. she wanted to get her picture taken in hanbok (the traditional korean clothes) but wanted to get a real korean guy dressed up in the picture with her. so of course she chooses the most awkward 15 year old boy to wait with her in line just to get a picture for her. finally they get in the hanbok and she asked where he was from. this boy, who so graciously agreed to help her out and wait in line for so long, told her he was from china, to which rika responded "YOU'RE NOT EVEN KOREAN?" oh rika, we'll really miss you.

last night was a great night in general. those in attendance were alisun, melissa, rika, tom, pat, aaron, lucy, kevin, dp, robin, angela, jim, kelley, and colleen. imagine 14 people trying to cram into some tables pushed together. it was great. after that, we brought some drinks to a park and just sat outside, talking. it felt great because everyone was in a great mood and we reminisced about things we've done in our time here. i almost forgot how many things we've done and how many "moments" we've had here, and it made me that much more sentimental about leaving. fred just finished working last week at school and is going back to canada, so with him and rika leaving, i feel like the closing process is really beginning. it's all beginning to feel almost a little too "l'auberge espagnole."

anyway, after a while it was just down to me, al, tom, rika, aaron, jim, and kelley, and we decided we would sneak into a deserted building in the process of construction. from what we heard from people (and aaron had snuck in before) there's usually a guard on duty, so we had to be quiet. so, the building is about 40 floors, and we climbed up to the top and sat up on the roof for a while looking over the city. it was awesome because we were definitely in one of the higher buildings in the city so we could see a lot.


(sorry it's a bit fuzzy, but at least you can pretend to see how awesome the view really was.)
it was a late night for me, and i ended up getting back at 4:30 am. haven't done that in a long time.

so today is 6-6-6 and melissa and i fittingly went to see the omen. it was good creepy fun. the theater was packed and there were a lot of "make you jump" moments. the first moment i wasn't really expecting, and i made a very unnatural noise and almost jumped right into melissa. unfortunately she did the same thing and we ended up hitting faces. and that spawned a giggling fit... one of those "silent chuckles" moment where i really had to work to hold it in or i would completely lose it, and i didn't really think being in the audience of the omen was a hospitable environment for a full-out laugh attack.

what else? the past weekend was also fun. it's nice to be able to get out again. i went out on friday, and dragged pretty much the whole gang with me because my co-worker had a friend who was opening a club and wanted as many people there as possible. and when i say "as many people" i really mean they needed people there. period. because when alisun, rika, and i showed up there was NO ONE which was a shame, really, because the djs were really good.

yep, me and al are the only ones on the dance floor.

thankfully, everyone met us there so it ended up being tons of fun.


kevin even got some extra loving. i'm thinking from now on he's going to demand that people call him charlie.


on saturday i went out with jim, fred, zolst.

(zolst, fred, jim)

first we met at weisenhaus, a brewery for a dinner buffet. pretty good deal- 15,000 won all you can eat and drink, and they had a decent buffet and three kinds of beer, one of which was really good and dark. i think the last time i had dark beer was back in july. almost forgot what it tasted like. after that we went bowling, and i shamed them all. and by "shamed them all" i mean by the third game i had a new all-time low score in the 20s. how's that for awesome.

what does it all mean?

i apologize for the swearing rant earlier, but i was feeling a bit like a college student whose computer shut down in the midst of writing an unsaved term paper.

anyway, a few people have been asking/have asked about where the name of my blog came from. i realize it makes me sound a bit like a born-again christian, but i can assure you that's not the case, and figured it was about time i shared it with everyone.

it's actually a line from one of my favorite jeff buckley songs (mojo pin) and i thought it was appropriate because:
a) "born again" is a new beginning, which is what this experience has been for me
b) i assume the rhythm part can go without saying considering my musical experiences, but its purpose is really two-fold. i also interpreted it to mean the rhythm of life, or the new rhythm of life abroad. of course that was almost a year ago, which is strange to think about.
and finally, c) i love jeff buckley



surprisingly, the song isn't really about any of the reasons above, and the lyrics really sound quite sexually suggestive. here are my favorite parts:

precious, precious silver and gold
and pearls in oyster's flesh
drop down we two to serve and pray to love
born again from the rhythm screaming down from heaven
ageless, ageless and i'm there in your arms

don't wanna weep for you, don't wanna know
i'm blind and tortured, the white horses flow
the memories fire, the rhythms fall slow
black beauty i love you so

there it is, my jeff buckley obsession. i just love the intensity of his lyrics, and i've never heard anyone sing with more emotion than he does.

one last try

ok i'll try one more time. took a few deep breaths, ate an apple, and i'm feeling better. it'll have to be a bit shorter, though, because i have to leave for work in a half hour.

last weekend, alisun and i took a bus to 충 주 (chungju) to go to 충 주 호 (chungju lake). highly recommended. for 8,000 won we took a ferry ride around the lake, and it was just gorgeous scenery because we were surrounded by mountains. it didn't even matter that the sky was cloudy because the mountains in the fog and clouds were beautiful.



it almost didn't even matter that there was also an elementary school trip on the ferry. almost.

after that, we took an intercity bus to 수 안 보 (suanbo), a small resort town known for it's natural hot springs. it's basically a town in the mountains with nothing but restaurants and hotels with attached spas. we checked into a hotel and got some really exceptional 비 빔 밥 (bibimbap) for dinner. after that, our need for a 노 래 방 was greater than our need for soaking in some hot water, so we killed an hour or two singing first.


unfortunately, we took a bit too long, and the spa was closed by the time we were ready for it. so we called it a night and got up in the morning for some spa relaxation. it was awesome that each hotel has its own spa, because then they aren't as crowded and the atmosphere is generally more low-key than normal spas.

we walked to the bus terminal with the intentions of taking a bus back to chungju and then a bus to daejeon, but we read the times wrong and thought we'd have to wait two hours for the next bus. instead, we decided to get tickets for the next bus out, even though it was out of the way, because, well why not? the next bus happened to be leaving in an hour for 수 원 (suwon), which is a city just a little south of seoul famous for the fortress surrounding the city. we were pretty pumped about it, and it was definitely worth it. and boy did our hour go by quickly. we stumbled upon an annual "japan-korea happy race" (the actual name escapes me, but it was something along those lines. it must've been a half-marathon or something, and we stood for a while watching the runners as they crossed the finish line. after that, we wandered around in the crowd, watching the runners and their families (and policemen?) happily munch 라 면 (ramyeun) and 김 치 (kimchi).


there was also a small percussive band playing as the runners finished, and i caught a few of the runners giving the drums a try.



and, we had just enough time to take a picture of ourselves.


we also tried walking on an orthopedic food path. these are usually found in parks, just a stone path that's supposed to give various benefits to your health via your feet. but boy, as alisun can show you, it hurts!


hwaseong fortress it's by far the coolest thing i've seen in korea. maybe it was because we weren't even planning on visiting it, and maybe it's because most of the times when we've gone to do something touristy, it always ended up being underwhelming. we walked along the fortress for a while (it's over 5 kilometers long), and caught a 5:00 bus back to daejeon.



all in all, alisun and i were quite proud of ourselves because we felt like we did the weekend just right. we thought we hit up some pretty good spots that are lesser-known than the usual foreigner destinations, and these places had such great laid-back atmospheres. noone was pushy anywhere and the people were all very friendly, not in an "i'm being nice to you because you speak english" kind of way.

for anyone thinking about teaching here and not sure about where to go, i would definitely recommend suwon or chungju (and also busan, but that's besides the point.) of course, daejeon is great too, but i think that just looking at these cities, i'd choose the first three over daejeon for pure atmosphere.

two seconds later

my blood is still BOILING and i don't want to but i'm so PISSED about this that i can't just stop and not even try to put up what i was working on.

i still feel the urge to swear up a storm *%&#$^@!!!

it just irks me that i was really taking the time to put up useful information, get the korean to go along with it (it's not easy typing it on my keyboard because obviously the characters aren't written on my keyboard and i have to use a separate window as a reference) i was working on putting up pictures when it just wouldn't do anything.

it's amazing how my mood can change... this original post started so positively. "i love june-august." talked about my trip last weekend to chungju, suanbo, and suwon.

f*ck it. i don't feel like writing it anymore.

mother &$(*#$U%$(#*#$# post >:{

damn it damn it DAMN IT.

just spent a good HOUR working on a post. the mother of all posts, complete with $*#$%*@ han'geul. wasn't even done, the computer froze, and i lost it all.

why do i even bother.

election day

i am thrilled that today is may 31st. why? because tomorrow is the first day of june? no. because i don't have to work today? no. because today is election day? Y-E-S.

this is a country-wide voting day, but it's for district offices. as someone who can't participate in the voting process, you may be wondering what election day means to me. it means an end to all the obnoxious propaganda that has taken this city by storm. more power to korea for getting so involved with politics and encoraging everyone to vote, but come on, that truck that sits outside my window at the intersection every morning at 7 am blasting music and "vote for me" messages is just plain unnecessary. and, oh, the cheesiness of the posters... it hurtssss. we're talking posters everywhere you go, even giant, blown-up posters on the sides of buildings. i can't help but wonder how long they'll take to take the posters down from those buildings. it must suck for the loser, if, 1 or 2 weeks down the line, their face is still in view for everyone to see. "damn it, there i am, still on that building... back when i thought i had a chance at winning." the politicians in the running also get a team of people to wear matching shirts and line up at corners at busy intersections and bow to oncoming traffic ("ooohh i really liked candidate no. 3's team... they bowed the deepest.")

"no. 3?" you may be asking? yes, every candidate gets a number, and those numbers must appear in the voting booth along with their names. easier to remember, and i must admit it's actually not a bad idea. plus, it provides for some amusing conversations. last night alisun and i were walking, and one of the candidates was walking down the street. i didn't notice him, but al said "ohh there's number 6! he even has his hat!" i looked where she was pointing, and there he was, walking with his entourage of matching shirts. funny thing was i knew EXACTLY what she meant before i even saw him. as we walked along a little further, sure enough, we saw a poster of him, sitting with his little barbershop quartet hat.

now, i know nothing of their platforms, but i'd like to play a little game called "if i was to vote, who would i vote for based purely on their pictures?" luckily, i have a huge envelope chock full of every candidate's pamphlet that was shoved into everyone's mailbox, and each one has a picture of them on the cover. i chose my favorites, took some pictures of them, and would like to share them all with you. now, bear in mind, i have no idea what these people are actually running for, and some of their numbers are the same so they must be running for different positions, but we're going to pretend it's a contest just between these people.

let's start with contestant #7!


i'd like to start with this one because he is using popular politician pose: fist in the air. in korea, this must translate into "i have the power to lead you." either that, or it's a freeze frame from when he was a guest on the arsenio hall show. oh, but this pose isn't just for men:



yes, it seems that number 8 opted for the same "strength" shot. maybe hers translates more into "i am woman, hear me roar."

for the sake of simplicity, here is number 5:


why did i think this picture was noteworthy? imagine his face blown up over the side of the building. see, i told you it was funny.

going with the theme of simplicity, take a look at number 1:


nice and simple. look approachable and smile. the "OK!" at the bottom doesn't hurt, either (well, contestant number 7 also used that, but his was in the middle, between his fist and head. seemed a little more violent to me.)

and, i'm not even going to give the last one an introduction:


what is he? a real estate agent? on the other side of the pamphlet, he is number 5, so i'm not really sure whose competition he is, i just know that this is by far the strangest picture. what, is he so busy and dedicated to the public that he can't even take time away from his cell phone for a picture? i was too lazy to take a picture of the other side, but it involves a cheesy graphic design that looks seriously photoshopped: faded soccer balls lined up coming towards the middle, getting darker and darker until you see his face in the center one. oh korea, you never cease to humor me.

so who do i deem the winner? in my opinion, simplicity is best, and my vote goes to contestant number 1. you just can't beat a smile. ok ok really, i think i'd lie and say i voted for one, but my vote would really go to cell phone guy.

i know i shouldn't mock traditions that are different from mine, but sometimes it's just to hard to hold back. especially when they annoy me with constantly knock-knock-knocking on my door. i should just get a sign that says "i'm a waeguk- i don't care who wins!" so they'll leave me alone. and i'm still bitter about that 7 am truck that wakes me up. i'd shake my fist at them, but i'm kind of afraid they'd snap a picture of me and throw me onto the side of a building.

urban legends!

well, with the change in weather, i figured this to be the perfect opportunity to introduce you to some classic korean urban legends. now, i don't want to sound like i'm stereotyping anyone or trying to make grand general statements or implying that westerners are always right, but these urban legends are downright R-I-D-I-C-U-L-O-U-S. why are they so ridiculous? no, it's not the idea behind them, because i know that every country has urban legends like these, but it's the fact that VIRTUALLY EVERY KOREAN believes them.

let's start with urban legend #1: fan-deaths.

i'd never heard of this before coming here, but according to korean belief, if you leave a fan on all night in a room with your windows closed, you will suffocate by the fan sucking up and stealing your oxygen. many a foreigner has tried to reason with koreans, be it coworkers, students, or significant others, and i have yet to hear of one case where the korean has thought it to be baloney or changed their mind. honestly. and when some teachers prove to their students that they have, in fact, slept in an enclosed room with a fan facing them directly all night, the students respond with "it's because you're not korean" or "oh, you were lucky that night." so apparently this isn't a world-wide epidemic because it's something that only koreans are prone to. in fact, just about every fan sold here in korea now comes with an automatic timer that turns itself off so you can safely fall asleep with the fan on. oh, and in some cases, it's not just limited to fans. some people believe the same thing will happen in an air conditioned car, so the window should be opened a crack. with the rise of popular shows like mythbusters, you'd think the media would be there to debunk this myth... nope, the media here is the main reason that people believe this. every summer, there are multiple "fan deaths" reported in the news. yep, korea, a leading country when it comes to technology and science, also lists "electric fans" as a cause of death on death certificates.

and, i bring to you urban legend #2: acid rain and baldness.

now i'm not really too familiar with the facts behind this or how many people believe in it, but i can tell you that many koreans think that if you don't use an umbrella or cover yourself in some way, you'll go bald from acid rain. i don't know if the pollution in asia has had an effect on rain or if there is any hint of reality in this, but i'm quite sure it isn't true, unless maybe you are standing under this rain 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. i wasn't even aware of this until i was leaving a restaurant today with my coworkers jim and fred (who are korean-american and korean-canadian, respectively). it happened to be raining, and we were strolling casually to go back to work next door. i thought to myself "we're so obviously foreign because we're not madly dashing for cover or trying to use our hands as a makeshift umbrella," but had never thought about the reasoning behind our reactions to the rain. we rather enjoyed the rain, and fred commented on some guy who ran past us who was covering his hair, but the size of his hand compared to the size of his hair/head didn't seem be doing too much in the way of the prevention of wetness. fred told us about how when he and his korean wife visited vancouver, which is notoriously rainy, she just couldn't believe the vast numbers of people who were just putzing around out in the rain, while she was frantically trying to seek cover. she, along with many other koreans, are believers of acid rain baldness.

i just can't believe people are that gullible. anway, i've gotta get going. i've been trying to get more sleep because i've been cutting coffee out of my diet- i hear it stunts your growth.

just call me phyllis

so lately i've become sort of a recluse. my daily routine has consisted of getting up, going to work, coming home, and crashing. on weekends i hang out with alisun and melissa, maybe see a movie, but i do nothing that would tire myself out. let's just say that i've turned into an old lady. i just can't do nights out anymore or huge group socializing. it takes too much out of me. i'm greatful for al and melissa because when i hang out with them, we don't have to do anything or talk, we can just lounge around and be happy. so yeah i'm sad that i haven't really seen anyone lately, but the thought of a night out or even a big get-together gives me a bit of a headache.

anyway, last night (sunday) we ended up planning a taco dinner and rounded the whole crew up for it. i think the total head count was 13 or 14 people crammed into melissa's apartment. it was fun, and the night ended in a noraebang session, but today i'm realizing why i just can't do nights like that anymore. it took so much out of me. granted, the wine and singing probably didn't help AT ALL, but i woke up today without a voice just feeling tired. kind of reinforces the fact that yes, i'm damn entitled to come home and crash at 9:30 every night and should keep doing so, because i think if i don't, i'm going to feel like crap for the rest of my time here.

it makes me sad to think about it because life here used to be go out and come home at 5:30/6 am. it was fine for a while, but my body just can't handle it anymore. i had a lot of fun last night and it felt good to socialize and sing, but i'm just not the same person i was when i first got here, physically and mentally. i haven't been eating much because of being sick, so i couldn't finish my taco, but that didn't stop me from splittling a bottle of wine with someone, which had more of an effect on me than it should have and i ended up feeling like i drank a LOT. so no, i'm not hungover this morning, but just feeling used and abused from last night and thought i'd gripe about it on my blog. it just amazes me because seeing everyone last night, i had to catch up with them. they're still doing the out all night/come home in the morning thing weekend after weekend, and i just can't understand how their bodies are still letting them do that. yeah call this my whiney blog entry, but i guess i'm sick and tired of being sick and tired.

jeez, looking back at pictures from last night though, i did my usual bogart the mic routine. i don't know what it is- the second i get into the room something takes over, and i'm up front the whole time. c'mon, tanya, practice a little self-control. at that rate, it'll take a few good months until i'm better. well, here are some pictures for thought:



(salsa, me, and dp. who invited these losers?)



(kevin, sulking that we're not at the noraebang yet, motorcycle helmet et al)



(lucy, schooling everyone norae-style)

gyeongju

last weekend was a three-day weekend, and we decided it'd be a good opportunity to head to gyeongju. salsa was unsure whether or not she could come, so al, kimchi, and i took the 7 am bus on friday morning. upon arrival (around 10:30), we decided to head out to the coast thinking that would be a fun place to stay for the night. during our trek, salsa called us and said she had gotten a bus ticket for later that afternoon, so she could meet up with us. we hit the jackpot with the coast- there was a whole line of motels along the water, so we got a motel room with a sea-side view. it was awesome to go to bed/wake up the next morning to the sound of waves. oh summer, i've missed you so.



anyway, while we waited for salsa, al and i decided to go to girim-sa, a mountain/temple. we found the bus we needed to take, but that only dropped us off at the bottom of the mountain at a rather empty intersection. we weren't sure how far away the temple was, so we decided to walk, but then nixed that idea because of the traffic and lack of sidewalks. we headed back down again and tried to hail a taxi, but taxis were few and far between. so, we asked the lady working at a convenience store if she'd call a taxi for us, and soon we were on our merry way up the mountain. it was quite happening, seeing how it was buddha's birthday AND children's day- music, people, and decorations galore.



after walking back down the mountain, we headed back to the motel just in time to go meet salsa. i'd been feeling like crap all day and we were all tired, so we called it a night.

saturday was pretty foul, weather-wise, but that didn't stop us from doing some sight-seeing. first, we went to see the underwater tomb of king munmu. it was definitely underwhelming, considering the rain and the fact that we were dropped off on the beach and there was no tourist information there. hard to believe it's an important historical site. yep, just a big pile of rocks in the sea. we came, we saw, we conquered, and ran back to the bus stop.



after that, we went to bulgok-sa, checked into a motel, and headed across the street to the mountain. despite the crummy weather, it was definitely an awesome place. lots of temples and gorgeous scenery. there are some great views there, including a spot where you can see the tops of the temple roofs- total crouching tiger, hidden dragon gone korean.





after that, we headed back to motel. not able to handle the rain any longer, we decided to go into the city to find a movie theater and see mission: impossible 3. it was decent entertainment for a rainy saturday night, just what we needed.

we were up bright and early sunday morning to take the 10:40 bus back. and so ended our trip to gyeongju. all in all, it's a great place to visit, and you could do it a couple of times without seeing the same thing twice because there's so much to see. the city is pretty widespread, and getting a taxi for the day or befriending someone with a car would be beneficial, but it's not completely necessary. the bus system is pretty good and quite reliable and got us where we wanted, and we spent way less than we would have if we used a taxi all weekend.

it was good to get back on sunday because all of us were beat and i was sick all weekend. not quite sure what happened to us, but all three of us ended up getting sick- al and salsa were both pretty much projectile vomiting sunday night and through monday. i wasn't throwing up, but my stomach most certainly wasn't my best friend. let's just say my toilet and i got a little bit closer. salsa's convinced it was food poisoning, and maybe it was, but that doesn't explain why i had a temperature of 101 on monday and felt like absolute crap.

on a more interesting note, i was tested for mono last time i went to the doctor, and i got the results back when i went in on tuesday. turns out mono is the reason i've been getting sick, and it's leaving my body now. just good to know why i've been feeling like crap off and on since february. anyway, i'm still not quite over whatever it was that i got over the weekend so this week has again consisted of coming home and going right to bed. i think now more than ever i'm looking forward to going home just so i can be HEALTHY again. salsa said the second she was home for that week over easter, her swollen glands started to go down (i'm convinced she also had mono because she also has been sick non-stop). also, one of my coworkers said his wife never got sick back home, but was sick for pretty much her entire time here, and was completely fine once she got home again. so that's one more thing to look forward to!

shockalockalickadookadingdingdong

so it took a while, but great scott i found it!!! it all started in either january or february, when this horribly catchy/catchily horrible commercial began to take our precious commercial airtime. so, ladies and gentleman, i present you with one of the most terrible commercials known to man.

yeogi

to me, it just sounds like some 50s doo-wop kind of song, and sometimes i sing along to it with my own lyrics. then one day it hit me that these are actual words that this man is singing. i came to this realization when one of my students was singing the song in class one day. no, these aren't some sort of voodoo/witchcraft chant, these are real-life words, folks.

oh and they eat it up over here. it isn't just some random actor in the commercial, it's (from what i hear) a big-time movie star, lee jun-gi. korean women actually consider him attractive over here, but to be honest, the first time this commercial invaded my commercial screen, my first thoughts were "who is this transvestite and why is he on my tv?" not that there's anything wrong with transvestites, but the whole commercial just seemed odd for korea if it was a transvestite singing to a room full of women. oh, and if you're wondering, the loose translation is "all the pretty girls drink pomegranate juice." sure man, you just keep singing your commercialistic prophecy.

so, enjoy the commercial, and may god have mercy on your soul.