merry christmas to me!

ok, so i take back what i said in the last post about not being able to post pictures, because i ended up celebrating christmas a little early this year! my parents decided they'd get me my christmas present here, which was (trumpet fanfare, chuseyo)... a digital camera! the met me this morning and said we could go shopping for one and that way they wouldn't have to mail me my christmas present, works out well for everyone.

anyway, we went to donghak-sa (the temple for buddhist nuns in gyeryong-san national park). my parents enjoyed the scenery, and it was a beautiful day for being in the mountains. boy we beat the crowd, though. we got there and it was just a few hikers here and there, then around 11 or so, the tour buses started pulling in so people were coming in droves. we came back, gave kimchi his lunch, then went to carrefour to do some camera shopping. i'm quite happy with the results- a 5.2 megapixel fuji camera that was only about $18 more than the camera i lost. and the camera i lost wasn't anywhere near as nice- it didn't have a lens cover or anything. pretty nice, thanks mom and dad!

kind of sucked that i had that "too bad i have to work today" feeling, especially because i don't teach until 5:30 on mondays but since they added the daily 3-3:30 meetings with 1 or 2 korean co-teachers, i had to go in even earlier and then knew i'd end up with some time to kill. would have been nice if i had remembered to tell the korean co-teacher last friday that i wouldn't be able to make the meeting today, then it sucked even more when i got there and she asked if we really needed the meeting because really weekly meetings are a bit too much. so, i did some quick planning and went back to my parents motel room and relaxed until i had to teach.

after teaching we went out for dinner- ssamgyeopsal- yum! i was actually surprised that my mom ended up liking the bibimbap we had for dinner last night more than this, because i really thought this was going to be a meal she was going to rave over. she liked it, just didn't get the raving i was hoping for. still, i left with my own stomach extremely content.

ok enough blabbing, i'm getting really tired and it's time to post pictures, per my mom's request:



my mom and kimchi


my mom playing tug of war with the toy she got kimchi- it's almost as big as he is



my dad making his best "blue steel"

fooled you!

so, i'm sure some of the people reading this post right now are the good ol' folks that work with my mom at dr. gleason's office. from what i hear, she pretty much forced you poor people to check my blog while they are visiting to see all of their misadventures in pictures-on-blog form. what you don't realize was that they failed to communicate with each other properly and ventured all the way to camera minus one camera usb cable. what is this, a center for dopes? how do you expect them to see the pictures when they can't even fit on the computer? we tried using my useless cable, but apparently samsung and canon aren't quite compatible. so there will be no pictures until they return home. hey, at least they remembered their camera!

i tried suggesting they buy me a new digital camera so we could keep the blog picture updates going, but i'm not so sure they were willing to throw down 2-4 hundred dollars just for instant gratification. shame on them for shattering your korean-whereabouts-knowledge dreams... and denying me a free digital camera.

so what about their punishment? we didn't go out to j-rock for the halloween party until about 12:30 am... and didn't leave the second bar (watermelon sugar) to head back until about 4 am. i just really wanted to make them feel young at heart. it worked, they did have a good time. and my mother even yelled at the guy who thought i was a whore.

today we went shopping in old-downtown, where they experienced sensory overload- lots of people, loud music in stores, mass amounts of shops/goods, and some really hot gojuchang in the bibimbap we ate to boot.

that is it for now, thank you and have a nice day.

cure for the common boredom

well it's almost 1 am and i'm taking it easy tonight because i've got my alarm set for 6 am tomorrow so i can take the ktx to seoul to meet my parents! their flight got in at 9 tonight and because i had to work until 8:30 i decided to wait until tomorrow to meet them. but it's gonna be a short day there- maybe we'll do a tiny bit of shopping, definitely grab some lunch, then take the train back because my parents have to check out of the hotel by noon, and sight-seeing would be a pain lugging suitcases around. so to sort of unwind i decided to kill some time filling out some random surveys that make me think about being 16 again- the good old days when we'd email every single survey we got to each other- and there were a lot of surveys at that time. oh man i still have that uber-long survey that amy and i made up. seriously, i should post that one sometime. it was quite ridiculous. i really don't expect anyone to read this, but who knows, maybe you'll learn a little more about me if you do. enter at your own risk.

THE BASICS*~
Your Name- Tanya
Nicknames- Tanie, Tanyarr, Yarr, Tess
Birthday- 12/31/82

~*HAVE YOU??*~
Been kissed? Yes
Eaten an entire box of Oreos? No, not Oreos, but I've definitely eaten whole boxes of other cookies in one sitting.
Been on stage? Yes
Gotten in a car accident? Yes
Death Valley on horseback? That's not even a sentence
Stayed home? From what?
Made homemade fudge? Yes
Seen the Eiffel tower? Yes

~*FAVORITES*~
Shampoo: I love anything they use on me at salons, my hair always feels so much better then
Soap: Don't have a favorite
Color: Blue
Day: Saturday
Night: Friday
Band: Simon and Garfunkel
Season: Fall or Spring
Commercial: There's this random Korean commercial, maybe for cell phones, with these two guys with chubby faces (though not fat) making scream faces with a soprano opera singer holding a note so it looks like they're singing... it makes me laugh every time.

~*YOUR FRIENDS*~
Do you have a boyfriend/girlfriend? No
Do you have a crush on someone: Maybe... I just think some guys around here are really cute
Do you have a best friend? More than one
Do you rank your speed dial in order of favorite friends? I don't have speed dial (at least as far as i can see)
Who's your funniest friend? all of my friends are funny, guess I'm pretty lucky
Who do you go to the mall with the most? Here it's Alisun and Melissa, back home it's Jeni and Jude
Who do you e-mail the most? my parents, Celeste, and Diane (they get a collective email)
Who have you known the longest of your friends? Jeni
Who's the loudest? Arthur
Who's the shyest? mmm I'm thinking Jeni isn't shy but she can just be quiet sometimes and Kate can be surprisingly shy with some people, even though she's definitely a runner-up for my loudest friend
Whose parents do you know the best? Jude's
Who do you go to for advice? depends on what the advice is for- usually my parents, Celeste, Jeni, or Jude
Who knows all your secrets? mwahaha no one knows them ALL
Who do you get the most surveys from? i just got an ass-load of them from some CUA people, Debbie was the culprit of that one
Who are you jealous of? all of my friends have qualities I admire (I sound like a freakin beauty contestant in an interview segment)
Who do you cry with? I usually cry alone
What is your usual quote? according to Alisun, it's "Is anybody else hungry?"

~*IN THE LAST 24 HOURS HAVE YOU*~
Cried? no
Eaten fluf? no, and Fluff has 2 f's
Helped someone? I helped some Korean children learn English
Bought something? paper towels, 2 triangle kimbap, yogurt, and some water
Dissected something? no
Cut your hair? no
Worn a skirt? no
Worn a tie? no
Been mean? probably
Been sarcastic? yes
Gone for a run? i wish
Gone for a walk? yes
Gone to the movies? no
Gone out for dinner? no
Been kissed? no
Felt stupid? yes
Said "I love you"? yes
Written a letter? no
Written a paper? no
Taken a test? no
Met someone new? yes
Moved on? from what?
Written in a journal? yes
Watched your favorite movie? no
Talked to someone you have a crush on? maybe
Given someone a present? i tried giving a kid some candy wrapper saying "present!" but he didn't fall for it
Missed someone? yes
Hugged someone? my dog
Had a nightmare? I had a dream that my dad was yelling at me about how much money I was (or wasn't, rather) sending home
Fought with your parents? no
Fought with a friend? no
Been Scared? no

~*WHENS THE LAST TIME YOU*~
Showered? this morning, maybe 10 am?
Ate a meal? I had a pizza bagel about an hour ago
What are you wearing right now? my really comfy grey pants and 2 tank tops (why 2? I can never seem to wear just one, I like layering)
Are you tired? Yeah, it hit me about 10 minutes ago
Are you lonely? No, but I want tomorrow morning to come so I can see my parents! More like antsy, I suppose
Are you happy? Yes
Are you wearing pajamas? Yes
Are you hungry? No
Are you eating? No
Are you talking to someone online? No
Are you ready for this survey to end? Yes
How long did this survey take you? about a half hour, I'm watching tv at the same time
*Do you want all your friends to do this and send back? Not really

WELL YOU'RE NOT DONE!!!....

>>>>FAVORITE STUFF>>>>

Type of sandwich: I love the good sandwiches on good harder breads like artisan bread or something from natural food stores or Au Bon Pain with goat cheese and pesto and tomatoes and other random veggies mmm I miss goat cheese
Coffee or hot chocolate? coffeeeemmmmm
Cold or hot weather? hot, although I do enjoy cold weather when I can bundle up inside and get warm
Big or little? what?
Lace or satin? neither
Red or blue? Blue
New or old? Old?
Here or there? Here?

Preferences

1. Pierce your nose or tongue? well i think we all know i chose the nose
2. Be serious or be funny? funny
3. Boxers or briefs? boxers
4. Whole or skim milk? skim
5. Single or Taken? single
6. Simple or complicated? a little of both (does that make me complicated?)
7. Law or anarchy? gotta go with the law- protection is good
8. Flowers or angels? for what? i'd definitely feel good knowing there were more angels than flowers in the world
9. Grey or gray? i like grey
10. Read or write? write
11. Color or black-and-white photos? black and white
12. Sunrise or sunset? depends on how much sleep i get... i really like both, and lately i've seen quite a few sunrises
13. M&M's or Skittles? m&m's
14. Rap or rock? rock
15. Stay up late or wake up late? stay up late
16. TV or Radio? tv
17. Is it POP or SODA? soda
18. X or O in Tic-tac-toe? x
20. Eat an apple or an orange? oranges are way more refreshing
21. What came first the chicken or the egg? i'm gonna go with the chicken
22. Hot or Cold? hot
24. Tall members of the opposite sex or short? depends on the person- i don't like tall and lanky but taller is nice
25. Sun or moon? moon
26. Emerald or ruby? ruby
28. Left or right? right
29. 10 acquaintances or 1 best friend? 1 best friend
30. Vanilla ice cream or chocolate ice cream? chocolate
31. High or Drunk? what an inappropriate question
32. Green beans or carrots? carrots, as long as they're raw
33. Low fat or fat free? fat free so long as doesn't taste horrible
34. What is your biggest fear in the world? right now it's getting hit by a car! these korean drivers are crazy
36. Kids or no kids? definitely kids
37. Cat or dog? dog
38. Half empty or half full? half full (or, if you just drank half, it's half-empty. if you just poured half it's half-full)
39. Mustard or ketchup? ketchup
40. Hard cover books or soft cover books? hard cover
41. Newspaper or magazine? magazine
42. Sandals or sneakers? sandals
43. Wonder or amazement? amazement (what an odd question)
44. Red car or white car? red
45. Happy and poor or sad and rich? happy and poor hands down
46. Singing or dancing? oh it's so hard for me to do one and not the other
47. Hugging or Kissing? hugging
48. Corduroy or plaid? depends on the article of clothing
49. Happy or sad? seriously, who would choose sad?
50. Purple or green? purple
51. A year of hot sex or a lifetime of friendship? friendship

::tear::

had a pretty fun time friday night. took some great pictures to prove it. got home. wait, didn't i have a camera? oh that's right, it must be somewhere in the city of daejeon. the only place i could guess to look at was this random asian club we went to, because that's the last place we actually took pictures. so saturday afternoon i went back with alisun and melissa to look for it- nope, wasn't there. and the guy working there remembered us from the night before and figured the most likely thing that happened was somebody found it and ran away with it. sucks that my first "major" investment here is now lost. the good thing is, the camera wasn't incredibly expensive and i wasn't too fond of it anyway and was thinking about upgrading it. guess i'll have to do it even sooner than planned. so i won't have my camera for when my parents visit (this friday!) but at least they'll bring their camera so i can download them onto my computer.

in other news, did a whole lot of nothing the rest of the weekend. spent way too much time at starbucks and e-mart on saturday when we were really planning on going to a mountain, but we were so slow in getting ready that by the time we got together there were probably only a good 2-3 hours of sunlight left.

sunday i spent the whole day at the jjimjilbang and ate the worst meal i've had by far. it was just me alisun and melissa, and our favorite ajumma sat us down for a meal and we had wonderful sidedishes including a great tofu dish. then she set down the plate of meat that we couldn't quite identify- after we made her draw a picture of the animal, it turned out to be pork. ok, coming from the girl who was a vegetarian for 7 years before coming to korea, i'm pretty proud of how well i handled eating this meat. i kid you not, all it was was bone and fat- maybe a random piece of meat here and there. i ate a few pieces- squishy is really the only word i can use to describe the flavor. i got full rather quickly and couldn't eat anything else- i always feel like a failure when i can't even finish my rice, but i just think my body would have objected majorly if i put anything else into it. alisun handled a few pieces, but played the "mix it around in my rice bowl with a few veggies" card, so i think i ate the most meat out of the three of us (melissa's a veggie who can only handle eating fish right now). at least it wasn't dog, although we were really scared for a moment when alisun tried telling her i got a puppy named kimchi and she started pointing to the meat. it was then that we made her draw the animal just to make sure she didn't just serve us a cuddly canine. i don't think we have to worry about that though- we just figured she misunderstood what we were saying, because dog meat isn't something you're just randomly served here, and when she found out that's what we thought she was saying the meat was she started cracking up then saying she'd never serve that... well, gesturing more than verbalizing it considering she doesn't speak english.

oh and i had by far the cutest moment in teaching to date last thursday. well, let's back up a little bit. first of all, about 2 weeks ago i had sent an email to my family mentioning my favorite student, martin, who is just so cute and incredibly smart. he's really funny and can act up every now and then, which i almost prefer in a kid- i'd take one of the kids who are smart with a little "bite" in their personality any day over the ones who are quiet and always do as they're told. anyway, the very same day i sent the email we were reading a story in class. the story happened to be about gloria, who happened to be african-american. martin, out of nowhere, goes "black people are stupid and poor and crazy." whoa, there. let's simmer a little bit. he didn't say it maliciously, he actually had his trademark "look at me i'm so cute" martin face. so, not wanting to make a big deal out of it in front of the other students (it's a small class of 5) so they wouldn't catch on to the message, i quickly said that wasn't true and he wasn't to say that again or there'd be hell to pay. well, i didn't really say that last part, but i'm quite sure my tone implied it.

anyways, after that, my view of martin was a bit different. it made me wonder how racist of a country korea actually is, because frankly the vast majority of the country is made up of koreans, with races of african descent being few and far between. that's not just a thought that a 10 year old boy comes up with on his own, i'm thinking maybe his family or some other type of media had an influence on him. ok, so you're probably wanting me to get to the good story now. martin totally redeemed himself last thursday when they were working in their workbooks and i was going around checking them. martin asked "teacher, is this ok?" so i went to check it out. they were combining sentences and the answer was supposed to be, "she isn't very athletic and i'm not, either." but martin had, "she isn't very athletic and i ain't, either." i kind of laughed and said no, it wasn't gramatically correct. then i started to wonder where he heard the word "ain't." i mean, it's just not a word they're taught in english class. so, i asked what made him want to say it and he said "well, i thought, 'ain't no mountain high enough'..." that just took me by total surprise and i started cracking up. oh martin, you're so cute, even when you're racist.

and with that, i will leave you with an inspirational thought brought to you (capital letters and all) by my bag of Foodream brand sugar:

"Our dream is to bring you the most satisfaction and Beyond Happiness." how kind of them.

vin et fromage

last night i was the hostess of our first official wine and cheese night. most of us had been saying how it would be nice to get together on a weeknight for that, so i decided to take the bull by the balls and spread the word- my place, wednesday night, 9ish. i knew people liked the idea and they asked what they could bring, but i wasn't expecting too much because cheese is an essential part of holding a wine and cheese night and is quite expensive and not too easy to find here, aside from american cheese, camembert, brie, mozzarella, and philly cream cheese. in other words, the extra-processed, soft stuff.

so i had some brie and laughing cow that i ended up picking up from a wine and cheese shop behind my school last night (side note: they have blocks of pepper jack and cheddar and swiss cheese slices there!) plus i had a bottle of merlot and riesling. then i was inspired by some tomatoes i found at 7-11 and decided to make bruschetta. mmm.

but man i was surprised by how people came through for this! they showed up with bags full of food and wine. on the menu we had assorted crackers, 3 baguettes, bruschetta, cheddar cheese (first time i had it in 3 months- soooo good), feta (also soooo good), brie, a creamy chive cheese, laughing cow (also mini squares in assorted flavors), babybel, green california grapes, lindor balls, and dark chocolate. plus, i'm sure there's probably one or two things i can't remember. as for wine, melissa and i randomly had the same bottle of merlot (but it was actually really good so that worked out well), bordeaux, cabernet, shiraz, and of course we can't forget the jug of carlo rossi white wine that tom and rika brought. that jug definitely felt like home, but i was sad to hear it cost about $20 here at costco... whereas you could easily get it for $6 back home.

and i can't forget to mention those in attendence- in alphabetical order: alisun, jay, melissa, pat, rika, and sean aka tom cruise.

rika and tom got so into the idea of wine and cheese that they dressed up for the occasion:



we just had to take a picture... tell me it doesn't scream "homecoming..." well, except for the jug of wine that tom is holding.

of course we also had the automatic timer to take a group shot. you may look at the picture and say "tanya why do you look like a moron?"- it's only because tom was trying to feed me a hunk of cheddar cheese off of a knife. of course, i'm going to ignore the fact that you're probably now thinking "but tanya, you always look like a moron!"



and i'm sorry but this picture is too awesome to not put up- i'd just love to know what pat was thinking at that moment:

forever purple...

so this has turned out to be a very fun, refreshing weekend. friday night i went to j-rock. nothing too exciting happened but it was still fun nonetheless. melissa, alisun's best friend from home, just got into korea this week for the year. turns out she lives right down the road from me so we're both happy to have someone to travel with when meeting people. kind of sucked before because i lived in a different part of town from everyone else so had to taxi it alone when we were going out. i find it very funny that she looks A LOT like lesley... even her clothes and jewelry are the same. she's just a bit taller.

so saturday i went downtown with alisun and melissa. we spent more time than we should have at the second floor counter/window in starbucks, engrossed in watching a street dance group. it was by far the most entertaining couple of hours i've had so far here not because the group was particularly good, 2 of them were really good and the rest were decent, but there were a few that looked like they just decided to join today- one we called harry potter because he seriously looked like harry's korean twin. he had a flannel shirt and could bust some killer "moves," it was pretty hilarious. we did some shopping, and ended up at the dollar store where i got some stuff i'd never gotten around to getting, like a wine glass (alisun thought it was funny that i only bought one), some tape, extra hangers, two really cool belts, and a sewing kit. now i can finally fix the hem on my black pants and wear them. that will be a nice addition to my school clothes. saturday night i went to the movies with alisun, melissa, jay, and pat. we saw four brothers. in case you were thinking of going to see it, don't waste your money. we were pretty much the only ones in the theater because i think it was around 12:30 am... and we were definitely laughing at some parts you probably aren't supposed to laugh at. sorry, i just can't take the "ghost mom memory" appearances all that seriously... especially when the last two lines of the movie are "oh, mom..." meanwhile the rest of the movie is just bloodshed left and right.

today i went with alisun, pat, and melissa to the daejeon citizen's soccer game at the world cup stadium. it was a lot of fun. pat and i got scarves- i'm going to hang mine as a banner. they also gave us free flags that doubled as horns. awesome. the motto of the team must be "forever purple" because it was written on both the scarves and the flags. although the scarves and flags were pink (see picture). and the team was wearing pink shirts. so why it's "forever purple" is beyond me. just must be one of those colors lost in translation. we saw some foreigners we knew, kind of funny how you can randomly run into just about anyone in korea. no one won the game- score was 0-0, but it was still nice to get out and see a sports event. plus, on the way out they were giving everyone free 360 ml bottles of soju. are you kidding me?! no way could you get away with handing out free bottles of liquor in america to whoever passes through the gate. and it's a pretty good-sized bottle. in case you were wondering, there are no laws about drinking alcohol in public, so you can really sit anywhere you please and drink. see a cop? odds are you probably won't because they don't exactly have a huge presence here, but in case you do, just offer him a swig from your bottle. they also have tables outside of convenience stores where you can just sit and drink beer or soju or whatever you want, really. we thought it was pretty funny to be walking around the streets each with our own bottle of soju in tow, although we weren't drinking it.



after the game we went for some bbq. it was nice and relaxing, and we spent a good amount of the time laughing at just really stupid stuff that at any other time wouldn't be all that funny... like the wayne's world quote "if benjamin were an ice cream flavor... he'd be pralines... and dick" and the fact that pat had 50 million id/membership cards and he looks like a completely different person in each picture... i'm not kidding you, it's bourne identity-style, like he's running from the law. it was just one of those slap-happy weekends where everything just seemed especially funny even without the presence of alcohol. good times had by all.

long overdue

well i haven't been too good lately with the updates. in my defense, i wrote the worlds biggest blog entry last week and then my computer froze right when i was about to post it. made me so frustrated that i took a bit of a break from the blog world. had no desire to try and remember everything and make a new entry.

so, what to write what to write. my parents are visiting in two weeks! so exciting! really, korea isn't much of a tourist attraction, and considering i have to work while they're here, i'm not sure how they'll be entertained during the week. although they will be here for halloween. good times.

kimchi update: he is doing well now, but he had his ups and downs last week- long story short, took him next door to the vet (turns out he speaks english, very cool) because i suspected worms. i was right, it was coccidia, normal puppy stuff, fully expecting that, but i also wanted his hacking checked out, the vet told me it was pneumonia and suggested that because it's such a big thing in an animal that young and small that i would be best off returning him for either a refund or another puppy. wasn't expecting that, but i figured he was right and couldn't bear the thought of getting another puppy from there, so he called the shop for me to ask about a refund (i hate that word, makes it sound so cold, considering this is a living animal that i had gotten quite attached to). the pet shop said to bring him in and they'd take care of him- thought that was sketchy at first, but it turned out they meant they'd take him to the vet next door and take care of the cost for me. luckily, the pneumonia (if that's even what it was) must have been caught very early because i was able to bring him home with me. he got a shot and some syrup i had to give him for 4 days, and he started getting better right away. i had to bring him back again for a checkup, and then we got the normal puppy checkup done- for anyone considering getting a dog here and worrying about the vet costs- he got the normal puppy shots/ear cleaning/nail trimming and it was surprisingly cheap- came to 27,000 won. i had no idea how korea would price these things so i was pleasantly surprised. so kimchi is doing quite well- now that he has no ailments he's quite the handful. still not a terrible puppy, but has a LOT more energy now, always wants to play. he's doing very well with the sit and come commands.

ok what else is new. not much. having a dog makes my downtime so much more enjoyable. i've been watching a lot of movies on my computer lately, i download one, come home from work, watch it, delete it, download another. pretty good system. i currently have monster-in-law waiting for me. i've also gotten into watching my name is earl and the office. everyone raves about how funny steve carell is. yeah he's funny, but i think the rest of the cast is ten times funnier because they're so normal but just come up with the funniest things you wouldn't expect. i'm now a big fan of john krasinski, i think he's great... but is anyone else confused with b.j. novak's character? he's a regular cast member, but hasn't done much yet- coming from the punk'd background, i thought he'd have a better storyline and be a lot funnier. kind of disappointing that so far the only humor with him comes from the fact that the boss treats him like an intern, and that's the situation that's funny, not the actual character.

ok gotta stop being a critic and get ready. gonna go shopping today downtown, pretty exciting.

kimchi and me

well, i'm sure that by now you're asking "well, tanya, what have you done with the rest of your three-day weekend?"

i shall tell you!

i purchased a dog. a chihuahua, to be exact. and his name is kimchi. this is something i've been considering doing even before i left for korea- i really think this is the best time for me to get a puppy because my schedule is so great for it- i mean my longest day is 4.5 hours- it'll be so much easier to raise a puppy here so it's grown by the time i get home and it won't be as hard for it to be alone during the day because i'm sure whatever job i get when i go home will be full-time hours. my main concern, of course, was bringing him back home with me- obviously i wouldn't get a dog before being certain that i could bring him home, and i'd heard a lot of stories about quarantine. but i checked out different sites, heard stories from other people who have brought dogs back to the states, and everything seems to be not so bad, unless the dog is sick or doesn't have the rabies vaccine. if you have further questions you can check out http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/dq/faq_animal_importation.htm


i've also located an english-speaking vet, and there is also a vet's office right next to me for emergencies (they also sell a good amount of supplies and accessories) and found volunteers for pet-sitting in case i wanted to do overnight traveling (but chihuahuas are extremely travel-friendly). but last week was when i started getting vocal about it and realized i was really ready for a pet. i also didn't want to make a rash decision- after one of my runs i was so tempted to go up to this mother cat and two kittens that were on the sidewalk to see if they were friendly, and the thought of bringing one of the kittens home with me did cross my mind- of course i wasn't stupid enough to try and pet them because who knows what diseases they could have. and i didn't really want a cat, either... it was just wishful thinking of having a furry friend.

so i emailed good ol' celeste, resident dog expert, to make sure i had thought of everything (and the dog trainer in her did make sure i was considering everything, but she agreed i was ready). so, then i wanted to track down a small, not yappy apartment dog. the main breeds i was considering were the chinese crested or french bulldog, but i know they're rare over here. so i figured it would really come down to a chihuahua, pug, or yorkie.

so yesterday alisun and i set out on our dog hunt. i was a bit cautious to buy a dog from a pet store (puppy mills run rampant over here), so we went to A LOT of stores. some of them we ran out of the second we entered (one worker was walking around with a syringe in his mouth... no thank you, although you do have very cute bull terriers)... the first place we went to was actually near alisun's apartment, and it was owned by a nice family- that's where kimchi was, for 300,000 won. he passed all the puppy tests, and stuck in my mind as we went downtown to "dog street," which is where the sketchy shops were. i saw another healthy adult chihuahua, but the man said it was 1,200,000 won... roughly $1200. is he crazy? he was trying to tell me he's special because he's grown, but puppies are $600- as he told me when he held up a dachsund and a shar pei. yeah, they're exactly the same breed as a chihuahua. no thank you.

so, rika met us downtown and we went back to get little kimchi, and he's the cutest dog ever. the people gave me some food and chew toys (we had already gotten a leash, collar, food dish, and chew toys downtown). i'm glad they're feeding him proplan, because that'll be easy to keep up back in the states. it was quite the ordeal understanding their instructions, but i was relieved to hear that they were concerned about the home he was going to. their instructions were exactly what i was expecting- 3 small meals a day, mix the food with warm water and rice (easier to digest). they also recommended a different vet, but i think i'm gonna stick with the english-speaking one, because that's the place a girl i talked to swears by.

so kimchi has the most awesome personality ever. like i keep telling people, he's not an annoying puppy- i'm not much of a puppy person (yeah they're a pain) but i wanted to get a puppy to make sure it grows up right and well-socialized (and chihuahuas can get nasty if they're spoiled). but he's a lot of fun. he likes to sleep a lot, which is good. that's what the pet owners said, too... he eats and he sleeps, then he'll play, then he'll sleep some more. they told me this through hand motions, thought it was pretty funny. so yeah he came home and he wasn't at all stressed and wanted to explore. right away he went under the bed to look around, and i got really worried about the dust bunnies under there so now i have boxes going all around my bed. he's got such a small throat that i'm afraid he'll choke on one- and i think he did eat one because he keeps trying to cough up the hairball. i swear he's more like a kitten than a puppy, he even looks like a kitten from the profile. at the moment he is curled up on my big black bag. i think he was interested in it at first because it probably still smells like my dogs from back home, but he's really taken a liking to it, he actually chooses it over the blanket i had on the floor for him. this week i'm going shopping for fun dog accessories- a real dog bed and a carrier being at the top of my list, though i wouldn't be surprised if this bag became his permanent bed of choice.

alisun, rika, and kelley came over last night to watch a movie/play with the dog, and they all kept saying he's the cutest dog ever. and i don't want to brag, but... i think he's definitely a contender.

so he'll sleep, then i'll move around or get a phone call and he'll wake up and give me a look like "oh yeah, you're fun! let's play!" and his tail wags a million miles a minute. he'll play for 10 or 15 minutes then he'll nap again. he was pretty hungry last night so when i fed him he wanted to devour his food and i had to take his food away to make sure he didn't bloat or choke or make himself sick. but this morning he had more control and even left a few pieces of kibble in the bowl.

he's already good at responding to me, and we're working on basic commands: "come," "sit," "leave it," no bite," and hi-five" (the last one is my favorite because he's pretty good at it and it's so cute.)

disclaimer: for a while i hated chihuahuas because of what a trend they've become with the paris hilton types. i always roll my eyes when i see the typical blonde girl wearing a pink jumpsuit, walking around with a little chihuahua in tow- and most of the time these dogs aren't brought up properly and are snappy, nasty little things. this is not MY intent on purchasing a chihuahua. i am simply a dog person, a responsible pet owner, and this is a dog and pet to me. it is not an accessory.

that being said, alisun spotted the cutest red adidas jacket for him, we definitely want to get it for him. they get cold easily, so i definitely intend on dressing him up, and why not make him cute in the process? he'll even match with my red adidas sneakers, which he happens to be sitting in in one of the picture below:






you can't possibly tell me he's not the cutest dog. and he really is pretty awesome. i'm obviously more of a big dog person (miss my scottish deerhounds back home tons), but a dog is a dog and he's a pretty cool dog. plus, i've always wanted to own a huge dog and a small dog, and when i'm ready and back in the states (won't be for a while, i'll definitely need a house for this) i'm definitely going to get a huge dog of my own, most likely a deerhound. it'll be funny to see a chihuahua next to a deerhound. that's actually what my mom said, too. she's very excited to have a grand-dog (which is a relief because i was worried that she'd be worried about this. but i forgot she's a crazy dog person.) kimchi's gonna have to watch out when he meets his aunt hetty and uncle judd, because they really could squash him into kimchi (ba-dum-chhh i'm so funny).


ok today is definitely a lazy day for me, i'm gonna stay in, play with the new dog, and watch the new episodes of the o.c. (i downloaded them! i'm so excited i can actually watch new tv shows and don't have to wait till i get home- i already watched the first few episodes of america's next top model) yeah those are my two guilty pleasure shows, and i'm not afraid to admit it.

ok peace out.

tanya the russian prostitute

welcome to this edition of tanya's sometimes incoherent ramblings.

last night i went to "cool bar" for the drink special- 20,000 won all you can drink ANYTHING. i'd die if i heard that special back home, but i've come to realize that here drinks are cheap anyway, so i don't think i saved an extraordinary amount of money, although i'm pretty sure i got my $20 worth.

so i was having a good time, made friends with charles, who is either the bartender or owner, i'm not sure, but we thought it would be fun to write an email to karla, who lived here before me and was in a band that always played there.

then we decided to go to jrock, which is where the prostitution part comes in. i was talking to 3 guys- 2 of them seemed pretty cool and another was a drunken mess- it was his birthday. these two guys were trying to pawn me off onto the birthday guy, and i kept saying i wasn't interested. i managed to get away and was dancing with alisun and rika when these Russian girls came up to me, and one said to me "you are so pretty! you are russian?" and i said no... i don't know why she came up to me really, but later on my contact fell out and i went to the bathroom with rika and alisun to put it back in. of course, with no contact solution my eye started burning like crazy and watering and turned very red. the same russian girl happened to be in the bathroom and took it upon herself to start "wiping my tears away"- i think this has been the most bizarre moment in korea to date. meanwhile, alisun and rika were standing behind her making "why is she doing that?" faces. whatever, i guess she was trying to help her fellow "russian" out.

i would like to take this moment to clear up the meaning of "russian." although these girls were russian by nationality, it is still unclear whether or not they were prostitutes, but the terms "russian" and "prostitute" usually go hand-in-hand here in korea. usually when people ask if you're russian (i hear it's common that tall light-haired blue-eyed female foreigners are asked this, and they usually they take offense to this because usually there's a hint of "are you a prostitute?" in the question)

back in the us, a lot of people asked if i was russian while i was working at borders. i had a lot of russian customers who came in and ordered espresso- usually they were gruff old men who looked at my name tag and said "tanya is russian name- are you russian?" back home i didn't take it so much as an insult. last night was the first time i was asked this here, though.

so then it was back to the three stooges, but this time it was just one guy who wanted to talk to me. i told him i didn't want to be pawned off onto his friend, even if it was his birthday. at this point he said something like "well i want to go home with you tonight." well, sign me up man!! i thought you'd never ask! and i thought koreans were blunt. well turns out, after rika came in to kind of "save me" we discovered that they thought i was a whore. awesome. apparently they had me "mistaken for someone else." a russian prostitute perhaps?

and now you may be thinking "what were you wearing to make these people think you were a prostitute?" just a normal shirt- albeit sleeveless, but not anything too revealing, paired with some normal jeans, not even tight. then again, the russian girls weren't dressed like whores either. perhaps it was the giant pricetag on my back.

so, prostitution aside, it was a fun night, resulting in me not leaving jrock until 5 am. tonight's actually 80s night at jrock, but i'm skipping out on that, don't really feel like going out tonight, although the 10,000 won cover is hard to resist- all you can drink draft beer plus one shot. so tonight i have a hot date with the tv- american idol is right now, and bo bice is singing as i type. it's the semi-finals, week 2, and he just sang an awesome version of whipping post. seriously man, that guy has talent.

teacher, are you a drunk?

i really hate posting multiple times in one day, but i guess today is just an exception. seriously, sometimes these kids crack me up. before one of my classes started today, i was drinking from my water bottle. one of my students, maria, looked at my bottle and gestured like she wanted some. i said "what, you want some water?" and she nodded. i said "i can't give it to you, look at my nose, it is red," meaning that i have a cold and i shouldn't give her my water bottle. then she said "why, you drink wine?" i thought that was pretty funny, and i said "nooo, i am sick, i have a cold." and she said "no, it is soju." so i gave it to her to smell to prove it was not soju. of course she pretended it was the strongest stuff she'd ever smelled and said "teacher is drinking soju!" oh, i love the english skills of my students...

oh, and for some reason another student came into a different class with a bag of sweet potatoes. i asked why she had it and she said their korean teacher wanted her to bring it into class to share with everyone, including myself. none of the students were sure why either, but we snacked away on boiled sweet potatoes. yeah, it was nice, but still can't figure out why the teacher thought it was necessary that we eat sweet potatoes in class. whatever, i won't argue with free food.

old yeller vs. cujo

the current subject in my "themes for today" class is louis pasteur and the invention of the rabies vaccination. i wanted to get them to understand rabies a little bit more and maybe get some fun out of it, so i was thinking of showing them parts of old yeller. unfortunately, i can't find old yeller in stores or anywhere to download onto my computer... so what if i showed them cujo instead? old yeller and cujo are both feel-good movies about loveable rabid dogs- and they both die in the end (sorry if i spoiled it for anyone who hasn't seen these movies/read the books, but you knew it would happen). they're basically the same story, right?

(enter witty subject here)

i really should just turn this entire blog into a food diary, because i feel like that's all i really write about. i went to dinner last night with rika and kelley, who both work right next door to me, to get samgyeopsal, which rika had raved about before. she says it's her favorite korean meal. basically what you do is grill marinated strips of pork, along with the various veggies they give you- we had tofu, potatoes, garlic, onions, kimchi, mushrooms, plus some greens that were sitting in a marinade. once everything is good and grilled, you take 1 or 2 leaves of lettuce, put a bed of the greens on that, follow with pork and whatever toppings you want, and of course i had to top it off with red pepper paste... a korean meal just isn't the same without it. next comes the fun and messy part- you fold the leaves up and make it as small as possible... and shove the entire thing in your mouth. no girly bites allowed- this is an all or nothing deal. didn't realize that at first though and rika had to correct me! i'm so glad you don't need proper manners for this meal, because i am one of the sloppiest eaters ever- i felt right at home just shoving the food into my mouth. good thing i had plenty of practice packing those little debbie swiss cake rolls into my mouth in junior high (oh who am i kidding- i probably did it in high school too. and maybe a few times in college. but i am NOT ashamed to admit it). i remember the lunch table used to just sit and watch as i shoved as many of those rolls as possible into my mouth, and then mrs. bassett, the lunch lady, would walk by and roll her eyes and say "oh, nice..." ahh, memories.

anyway, samgyeopsal... i didn't take any pictures of the meal (you can all bring your jaws back up to normal position), but never fear, i googled for images of samgyeopsal and found a picture that pretty much looks like what we had, give or take a few side dishes... oh, and our grill didn't really look like this either:



yeah, so i kind of think of it as korean tacos, may not be the same ingredients (obviously there's no cheese or sour cream or tortillas involved), but the idea is the same- meat and veggies folded together to create flavor bliss. seriously, there must be something in the chemistry of the spices or something, because when it all comes together it just tastes so good.

oh i had my first real "duh" moment today... but i blame it on my head cold. today was going smoothly to start. ran about 4 or 5 miles (i wasn't timing myself too well), was feeling pretty good about the day because i love my tuesday kids. i even wrote an email home saying "hooray i think i've conquered my cold." left at 4:10 to walk to school, got there at 4:30, sat down and did some planning. started to feel my cold take over again, this time a lot of pressure in my ears. then 4:40 rolled around and a few minutes later i started getting confused and felt really out of it. wait, don't i have class at 4:40? what time do i start on tuesdays? how long have i been here and why do i have to go to class so soon? i was just about to get up when i heard a voice from behind me... "teacher, it is time for class." good ol' martin, came to get his teacher who was at the moment a lost cause. i looked at the clock- a little past 4:45. so yeah we're supposed to be there a half hour before our first class starts, and i got there 5-10 minutes before class. oh, that's right, i leave at 3:50 on tuesdays and thursdays! not a whole 20 minutes later at 4:10! oops, i hope the office people didn't see that. i played it cool and said "i know, i am coming" and followed him into my classroom, avoiding eye contact with the secretaries and vice-principal at the front desk. i hate being late and i hate disappointing employers so i hope that went unnoticed. i already felt bad enough because last week one of the powers-that-be must have sent one of the secretaries in to remind me it was time for class- i wasn't late, it was still about a minute until class was supposed to start, but i usually go to my classroom right when or just before class starts (in my defense, i'm not the only teacher that does it). i'm not even sure why i do it- i'm not late, but not exactly starting on time. and generally i'm a very punctual person. whoa that just reminded me of aladdin... "you're very.... punctual." "punctual?" "punctual." anyway, i always keep an eye on the clock but for some reason i always get really focused on planning at the last minute and forget my time.

but the important thing was that my classes went smoothly today and as soon as i started i no longer felt out of it, which is good. but right now i'm playing doctor for myself (if kate can do it for a ton of african children, which can't i?) and drinking green tea, figured it'd be good for my throat. too bad i'm going to bed after this and green tea contains caffeine. just don't tell my body, maybe i'll forget that caffeine keeps you awake and i'll get to sleep easily. at least oprah's on and i can keep myself entertained until i get drowsy. man i'm really babbling... yeah that means it's time to post this mo-fo.

donghak-sa

i finally went to donghak-sa today. the temple is located in gyeryong-san national park, which is basically a huge mountain with 15 peaks and 2 dozen temples inside. gyeryong-san translates into "chicken dragon mountain" because the peaks look like the top of a chicken's head and the twisting of the ridges looks like a dragon's spine. great place to go for a day trip, like i did, or even for the weekend. the park is absolutely GORGEOUS. the weather was perfect, also- it's getting nice and cool and there wasn't a cloud in the sky. perfect day for being in the mountains.

the history of donghak-sa is actually kind of interesting- according to my copy of moon handbooks south korea, it was founded in 724 by sangwon josa, originally built for monks but is now one of korea's few temples that function as study centers and teaching institutions for buddhist nuns. i don't have much experience with seeing monks, so it was even more interesting to see buddhist nuns with shaved heads. i also got to hear some chants, which was very cool.

after i had my fill of the temple, i went for a hike, because the mountain has quite a few trails. i chose the one leading to the peak of gwaneum-bong, which was a few kilometers, but it ended up being some heavy-duty hiking compared to last week! last week we were basically walking on trails with wooden steps. here the trails are a bunch of rocks kind of laid into steps with some really steep/narrow sections- felt like real hiking to me. i didn't actually make it up to the peak because i started getting tired and thinking "it would suck if i got overheated and fell or something because i'm alone, and if i fell i'd probably go tumbling right over the side" (and there were some steep parts.) next time i'll have to make sure i eat more than carbs and sugars before i leave (lunch was dunkin' donuts- a bagel and donut with coffee) and that i get plenty of water, because there were definitely some awesome hiking trails and i'd like to take some pictures from the peaks.

the park also has PLENTY of restaurants and gift shops/stands. i went to one gift shop and got some incense and a holder, because my sink has been making my apartment smell kind of funky. i think i might need to get some bleach or draino or something for it. i don't think it's clogged, at least the drain is clear, but it may help with the smell and anything that may be hiding in the pipe.

the bus ride back was a little long because there was quite a bit of traffic/construction, and i didn't get back till after 7 i think (i didn't leave for the park until 1 or 2 i think.) so i was thinking of taking a korean class today that is offered at that church, but it started at 7 so i guess that's out of the question. and next week is another 3-day weekend and i'm hoping to do some real traveling so i probably won't be around for the next class either.

in other news, i'm trying to lay low this weekend. i think i've got the beginning of a cold, which sucks because i hate getting sick and i pride myself in the fact that i'm generally a healthy person. but i can feel my sinuses acting up and i'm feeling a little sluggish. so i opted to stay in last night and i'll probably do the same tonight. that way it won't hurt that much getting up tomorrow morning. i'm thinking of going for a run, checking out that church service at noon, and then maybe a trip to the jjimjilbang later on- i could go for some of those healthy drinks they make there. yum. and one of those massaging chairs.

anyway, here are some pictures i took today:






one of the buildings of the temple, a buddhist nun praying at the altar, part of the hiking trail up gwaneum-bong. and unseun waterfall. anyway, it was beautiful day, and i think it's settled that i'm going to move to the mountains.

chunguk, i'm in chunguk...

so a few days ago i was introduced to the wondeful food chain called kimbap heaven, but if you want to get technical and read the actual korean words on the sign, it's kimbap chunguk. there's one near timeworld, but supposedly they're all over the city. yesterday i trekked out (ok, it's like a 5-10 minute walk) and picked up a roll for lunch, thinking "boy it would be nice if i could find a kimbap place closer to my apartment."

2 great finds today! first, i wanted to go to lunch and decided to try this really small place behind my apartment. walked in and the first thing i saw was a man sitting at the kimbap counter, making those magnificant little rolls. yes, now i can get kimbap quickly! anyway, i ordered my bibimbap, and looked at the menu on the wall. maybe some day i'll be able to understand what the items are- i could pick out bibimbap, dolsot bibimbap, and a few more rice dishes, but that was about it. i looked at the price for bibimbap- only 3,000 won! and if you get it dolsot, it's only 500 more. that definitely beats the price i was paying at that restaurant next door.

wondering if this place had a name, i found the sign... kimbap nara. i figured it must be some sort of chain like kimbap heaven, turns out i was right- it translates into kimbap land. pretty cool i finally checked this place out and made the discovery, but too bad it took so long!

happy chuseok

even though foreigners have little reason to celebrate, i couldn't help feeling a little bit korean after this weekend. last night i went to a jjimjilbang (kind of like a day spa, open 24 hours) with alisun, rika, neesa, and pat. it was definitely a relaxing way to spend a sunday night. i'm going to explain this a little, just because i wasn't too sure what was going on in the beginning, and i'm sure there may be people who want to know the process. it cost 6,000 won, and they give you a t-shirt, shorts, and 2 towels along with a locker key. you bring your key to a locker to put your shoes in, then head upstairs to the women's or men's floor with your things. there you give your key to another desk worker and she gives you yet another key to a designated locker, where you change into said tshirt and shorts. you bring your book or whatever else you want to relax with and a towel and head to either the men's, women's, or family floor where there are different hot rooms, plus some ice rooms to cool off. there are (bamboo?) mats on the floor along with wood neck rests, and you lay there and sweat. i went into a room that was over 80 degrees celsius. boy it felt good. alternated different rooms, and tried out a foot massager (it hurts, these rod things come up and squish different parts of the bottoms of your feet, but it's really worth it) and a massaging chair (it was amazing). these machines cost money though (i think 1,000 won each), but that's pretty good considering the low cost of everything. they have a snack bar too and neesa got this amazing drink they make for you, made with vinegar and fruit, and it tastes really sweet but is really good for you to keep hydrated. we were on the family floor because pat was with us, but alisun wanted to go up to the women's floor because she was friends with a woman who worked at a little restaurant there.

so the girls went upstairs (yeah, there was a lot of nudity- we saw a woman getting that suction therapy with 2 big suction cups you know where...) and we went into the restaurant, where the woman was thrilled to see alisun, made us sit down (it was a place where you sit on the floor), and made us food. we had the usual side dishes, a really good potato soup, pajeon (green onion pancakes- soooo good), and marinated pieces of beef (not bulgogi, but close, forget the name). to top it off, everything was free- they said it was because of chuseok, but alisun says she always gets free food. the women loved having us there, they spoke english fairly well, and i got more bizarre "you look like" comments. first, i was surprised one of them told me i looked like barbie. this is the second time i've heard this now. they swear it's the face, even though the hair is different. i still disagree. a few others agreed that i look like nastassja kinski. we couldn't even remember what she looked like. when we met up with pat, he laughed at the barbie thing, and said usually they just say the first western name that comes to mind- once he got antonio banderas, and i can assure you that with short light brown curly hair and blue eyes, he is nowhere near looking like antonio banderas.

i also got tinkerbell for the second time, but this time it was from alisun, who says it's more because i look like julia roberts playing tinkerbell. i can understand that one. just funny how i get the same comments over and over.

so all in all, the jjimjilbang was very relaxing- i think that's going to become a weekly thing for me.

today i went hiking at bomun-san, a mountain really close to (it might even be in) the city. rika's church (yes, i was excited to hear she went to an international church, so i'll probably start going there) was sponsoring a trip along with some other international communities, mainly colleges and the "scientists and engineers members, international," and the city itself. the three of us were expecting just an organized hiking trip, but it turned out to be even better because we found out it is an annual traditional culture festival where they gave us free lunch along with traditional korean food, the chance to dress in hanbok and take pictures, and play traditional games. it was a nice way to give the international community something to do on a korean holiday.

the hike was awesome, it felt sooo good to get out and do something physical. it was nice going with people, but it'll be even nicer to go again not with a huge group, because at some points it felt like i was in a cattle drive, moving quite slowly up. of course, the old korean ladies don't tolerate this, and they'll push you to the side with their walking sticks to get by. they really can do whatever they want in this country. i crushed one yesterday in the elevator doors because she was slowly walking in and i tried hitting door open but accidently hit door close, and she was stuck in the middle. she didn't seem mad though because she started talking to me and patting my shoulder- didn't understand what she was saying though. i think she was just riding for fun though because she was sitting at the steps as i walked in and got up when she saw me, and didn't select a floor. i had the opposite of that a few days earlier with an old lady who was in the elevator when i got in from my floor going down. she must have selected a bunch of floors to stop on, because we kept stopping at every floor, the door would open, and then close again. not to mention the fact that these were both large ladies who stood right in the middle with their walker or cane, and don't move to the side for you to get out, you kind of have to squeeze by. and they turn and stare right at you. meanwhile i'm just staring straight ahead pretending the floor selection is the most interesting thing i've ever seen and i'm not aware of the the fact that i am the focus of a crazy korean lady. it must be nice to be old in korea, doing whatever you please.

lunch wasn't korean, unfortunately. they had mcdonald's bulgogi burgers, tuna fish sandwiches, and vegetarian sandwiches. but it was ok, because right after they started the cultural exhibits. i got to watch people make pajeon, songpyeon, and even got to hammer with a rice cake mallet, which was fun. and i was really surprised today when i decided i did, after all, enjoy these "sweets." i don't know what made my tastes change, but i actually went back for seconds! guess i'm gettin more used to it.

we also met quite a few people, including rosemary, a really nice korean girl who went to college in chicago and didn't really speak with a korean accent, may, a vietnamese student, and riitta, a student from finland. may and riita are i think both studying at kaist, and rosemary is taking the semester off and living at home.

the thing that amazed me the most about today was the fact that most of the international community was either middle eastern or asian, and everyone was speaking in english as they were meeting each other, because english really is everyone's second language. something about these people communicating in a language they may not be entirely comfortable with just dumbfounded me and made me feel, as an american, a little lazy. even riitta and may are taking classes here in english, because that's the easiest way to make sure all of the foreign students understand the courses.

i'm feeling a little lazy and tired from the day (i had to get up at 6:30 to get ready and take a bus to the church to meet everyone), so if you want to see pictures from today, just go to tanyainkorea.shutterfly.com.

thank you and have a nice chuseok.

disco stu doesn't advertise

first of all, celeste and diane are a couple of smart-asses. i got an email from them yesterday and this is what they sent:


we went to cin cin italiano last night, where i had my first korean pizza. they use brick fire ovens, so it was pretty nice. after that, we went to santa claus for 70s night. some of the highlights:


burn, baby, burn.

my cup runneth over

went out with some random people last night, met even more random people. first stop was k.o.p, which is actually close to me so i was happy to be able to walk there. cover was 10,000 won, and they handed me a shot glass on my way in- unlimited shots of tequila- score! nothing says korea like shooting jose cuervo. maybe that explains why in the taxi on my way home the driver said "yeogi?" (here?) my brain wasn't quick enough to say "ne", and "si" was what ended up coming out. spanish is almost like korean, right?

i met a lot of foreigners, and i thought it was really random that one of the people i met was actually a guy i talked to at immigration a few weeks ago. small world. a group of us took a cab from k.o.p to j-rock, where the special was rum and coke for 3,000 won. are you kidding me? unlimited tequila AND cheap rum and coke all in one night in korea? they happen to be 2 of my 3 favorite kinds of liquor. i met some really cool people- turns out there are unsketchy foreigners here, which i was happy to discover. not all are overweight men in their mid-life crisis.

i danced quite a bit to some good ol' american songs, including "you shook me all night long," "paradise city", the grease remix, and "girls just wanna have fun" which, by the way, was kind of ironic because it was pretty much all girls dancing to that one (duh) and then there were some random korean men who just wanted to dance with the western girls, dancing to the side of us. but i guess they didn't understand the irony of the situation

so i was surprised when i looked at my watch and saw that it was after 5 am. granted, i didn't leave until 1:30 to actually go out, but time still flew, and i decided to call it a night. after some promises to and from people that we'll be calling each other, i got in a cab (which brings me to the "ne" vs "si" moment), stopped at 7-11 for my trusty triangle kimbap, got home and sent some emails ("hey family it's 5:30 and i just got home!!")

head off to bed at 6 am and unfortunately woke up at 10 for no particular reason, just couldn't sleep anymore. i really have to get used to sleeping in later, cause otherwise it's gonna kill me.

just got a call from alisun, a girl i met last night. apparently there's a group of people getting together for dinner, and then we're heading over to the 70s party at santa claus (another popular foreigner bar). not sure what i'm gonna wear. obviously i did some poor planning during my packing process, because i never stopped to consider that i might need clothes for a 70s party.

observation: it cracks me up how foreigners get around the city. it seems to be that they give locations by western food places. for example, as i was planning to meet chris (a person i didn't even know but johnny gave my number to so we could get together) at k.o.p, he gave me directions, saying it was close to the mcdonalds, starbucks, and dunkin' donuts. and this is the typical conversation i had last night with people (it happened more times than i can count):

foreigner: so, where do you work?
me: dunsan tower
foreigner: where is that?
me: you know where the subway is?
foreigner: yeah!!
me: i work in that building
foreigner: ohhh, i go there all the time, it must be nice to be so close to it!
me: i actually have yet to eat there.
foreigner: oh that'll change, soon you're going to be CRAVING western food.

we shall see.

oy i need a nap.

my family, ladies and gentlemen

i know i already mentioned how weird my family was, but i have the feeling i'm going to be continuing to do so for a long time now that i actually have the chance to document the proof.

exhibit a: in a recent family email, my sister was talking about how she'll be able to afford a plane ticket to come visit me. "Still not quite sure how I'm going to swing the plane ticket, but I'll find a way. Not sure if a corner in Big Flats would be lucrative enough, may have to go to Horseheads or Elmira. OH, or Corning, I could just hang out after work."

still not proof?

exhibit b: my mother's response: "Celeste, Maybe a mother-daughter team thing. Come and visit and we can go to Schenectady. We could do a killer business!"

and i shall end with some food for thought, brought to you in an email from my uncle:

changes made by the new german pope



it might bring mass attendance up... but schlitz?? where's the heineken? guess it'll only be brought out for christmas, easter, and of course first communion.

so politically incorrect

korea can be so un-pc sometimes. case in point: i watched a korean documentary the other night about a mentally disabled dance group in england, so of course everyone in the group speaks english. as if the idea of a mentally disabled dance group isn't funny enough, you have to throw in the factor that it was being aired on a channel for english viewers, so they had to redub everything in english. of course they couldn't just take away the korean dialogue to play the original tracks. the result was a korean man doing the english voice of an already english-speaking guy with down's. and he took it upon himself to make the poor guy sound as stupid as humanly possible, complete with "duh's" and all. he really sounded like a stupid cartoon character- think scooby-dum, scooby-doo's cousin. and how could this possibly get even funnier? koreans love their laugh tracks here, so they added some laughs when the guy said something especially stupid, and some ooo's when his girlfriend with down's (also an english-speaking korean character actor) showed up and said she liked him because he was hot and sexy (which i'm pretty sure she never originally said, but the koreans decided would be interesting to add). and to top it off was the big "finale" where they showed the dance they'd been working so hard on.

oh this was the most entertaining hour in my life, and i'm pretty sure i'm going to hell because of it.

at least i know my family is going with me. for those of you who don't know, my family and i email each other as a group. you know you come from a weird family when your mom signs her emails "mama mama big boobs" (something she used to run around the house saying when we were little), your sister signs off with "poop and pee, out to see, love me" and your aunt signs hers "whorebitch." and now you might understand why i'm so weird.

and you should have heard what my mom told me to tell yung su when he kept insisting on calling every day. let's see if i can find it... oh yes, here it is: ""hey you dumb bastard, I'm not interested in you, you smelly breathed d**k balls!"

lovely, isn't she?

what's wrong with this picture?

ok kids, we're gonna play a new game called "you look at the pictures and tell me what's wrong."

picture 1:


picture 2:



give up? i got my chuseok gift today from school. as i unwrapped the present, i was excited to see that the box said "aroma body care" on it. but i opened it up and found that it was a good-sized bottle of bath oil. take a look at my bathroom again... what is missing? maybe i would have been better off with spam.

the picture of me holding the bath oil was multi-purpose, because i got a funny comment from a girl today who said "teacher... you look like tinkerbell" referring to my outfit. that really made me laugh.

in fact, a lot of things made me laugh today- i got to school in a really good mood, i think because i broke down and got starbucks coffee again- i really need my own coffee maker. anyway, i was really tired and out of it this morning (it was one of those days where i couldn't remember at the end of the shower if i actually washed my hair, so i washed it again) and thought i could use a walk, so i wandered around with my starbucks and that woke me up.

anyway... sometimes these kids really impress me. we played hangman in a class today, and a student, dan, chose his word. when it was discovered that there was a "u" in the word, a kid guessed "q" as another letter, and for some reason the logic impressed me. i thought it was even funnier when the word turned out to be "soluble," and for a second i had no idea where that came from until dan showed me that it was on the marker.

and sometimes these kids pick up on really funny phrases. i was making a class write a story about a picture in their workbook using the names that were listed under the picture. i was guiding them along telling them which person went with which name, but one was just labeled "young man." a student, jack, asked me which person the young man was, and i pointed to a man with a moustache (i swear this really was the young man, though). jack's response? "this is young man? this is nonsense!" and threw his hands up in the air in frustration. that got the whole class cracking up, myself included.

ok, i'm sure it was one of those "had to be there moments." oh well.