Old Boy

So I watched the movie "OLD BOY" yesterday! WOW! That movie is very intense both graphically and thematically. Its about a Korean man who is kidnapped and locked away in a hotel room in Korea for 15 years. I wont tell the ending but I will warn everyone that it is VERY INTENSE! I really enjoyed the movie because unlike a lot of other Korean movies I have seen the acting is very good. The story is very amazing and intense. Its about incest which is a very intense topic. I don't think it is a good reflection on what I have seen in Korea because it has lots of violence and the Korea I know is very peaceful.. except for the drivers!!

Yesterday I taught Jane, Tom, Emily, and Melody. Wednesday's are my favorite because both places I got feed me a big dinner so I get to eat twice!! It was fun! I taught Melody the Hokey Pokey song and showed her her left and right hands and worked with Emily on Capitalizing letters in sentences. Jane is very far behind for her age because she relies on an electronic dictionary. I am realizing how unhelpful they really are! Tom has short 15 minute lessons and we work on the alphabet and colors.

Today I am teaching then hopefully I'll make it to the bookstore again. I got a call from Sally today saying that the teacher jihyun (gee-han) wants a sencond lesson tomorrow so I think I must be doing something right!

I got my skype phone to work again and I called Maggie to say Happy Halloween and now I'm off to catch a subway then teach Amy and Sery then to the bookstore! That is a full day for me because it takes so long to get every where!

New Visa Rule article

http://www.koreatimes.co.kr/www/news/nation/2007/10/117_12672.html

Just read about some foreign teachers who are getting into a lot of trouble over here! There are sexual harassment claims and drug use problems with English teachers. It looks like I am safe as far as the new visa rule since I am using the "loophole" by teaching as a tourist but its disappointing to see what other people are doing to ruin reputations it for the rest of us. I think it is smart of the government to do background checks because these people are teaching their children! In a place like Korea there really is no kidnapping or small crimes seen in the public and its sad that people from other countries are bringing it over! If I go to the bathroom I can leave my purse out. Children ride the subways home alone in the late evenings. Four and five year olds are seen walking around town alone! This is an amazingly safe and trusting culture and I hate that people are changing that!


On another note I read that Japan has started celebrating Halloween... still not in Korea though! This will be my first Halloween that I haven't dressed up! I did decorate the house with some decorations from my aunt Lisa but that will probably be the extent of my Halloween!!!!

article

http://www.koreatimes.co.kr/www/news/nation/2007/10/117_12590.html found this article about a ballerina who took some nude photos for art purposes and was in turn downgraded and her salary was slashed! Its amazing that in Korea this can happen when there are much more controversial things happening in America and those people aren't being punished like this.

I found another one on how Korean's only like English teachers from America because people from America speak the "best" and most "authentic" English. The author was just complaining about racism with teachers. This is something I have noticed. Also I heard Danny talking to Jimmy (one of my students) before I was officially hired and he said. "Well she's pretty." I don't think that is a good reason to hire a teacher but looks are very important here and as an American white woman people definitely idolize me at times. I would much rather him say she is a good teacher, or she is friendly but I got the job so I guessed that works over here.

My weekend continued...

So lunch with Danny was interesting. He talked about the "Korean Way" a lot and how people are just friendly and trusting and everything works out. Its getting frustrating though because whenever I do something nice he says "Ohh you are learning how to be a Korean." I think its great how much pride he has in his country but I feel like they think all American's are one way and I really don't fit that mold at all. For example we were going to have noodles for lunch but Danny took me to the wrong restaurant on accident and when he found out they didn't have the noodles (after they had already poured us water) he said okay so you want to go somewhere else and I said we could just stay and eat at that restaurant. He said me being flexible and like that is very Korean but this is something I have done before many times in America. Anyways it wasn't a big deal but I he definitely thinks I am a rare American who is adapting into Korean culture quickly but really I think many people have similar values. But I do admire his pride in his culture. He bought the meal then said we would go get coffee so we did. On the way to the coffee shop we stopped at a digital store with cameras and TV's and stuff and I looked at digital cameras. He recommended a Fuji or Fiji camera I'm not exactly sure of the name. If anyone has any biases for or against this camera please let me know ASAP because I think I will go ahead and buy it because I NEED A CAMERA ASAP! So we looked around then headed for the Coffee shop we always go to called "Sleepless in Seattle" he said its the best one. He told me I would pay for the coffee so I did and we sat and talked for a while.

He told me when people are talking to me I nod my head and say yes and okay a lot and that it seems like I am saying "yes" as in I already know what they are going to say so it seems like I don't care what they say and he said I should work on not doing that as much. It was very blunt but I am learning his ways so I didn't take it in a negative way. He said since I worked in a restaurant for a long time I was probably saying "yes" to people a lot so thats why I do it. I just agreed with him and nodded... I have been listening to myself talk and I think I do it a lot because it is one of the skills of a counselor to act interested and nod a lot but I guess in Korea I will try to sit back quietly when people talk to me. Anyways that was a very entertaining conversation because he had some trouble saying exactly what he was trying to convey so it was interesting. Another thing I have learned about Danny is he repeats himself multiple times!!! He like to recap what he just said then recap what he just recapped so conversations are long.

After that be pulled out a folder he had been carrying around all day and showed me his work. He invented a testing tool for people with diabetes and now he is writing the user manual in English. This is where I come in. So he said "So I have been helping you so now its your turn to help me" and he explained that he wanted me to rewrite the manual for his "LANZO LANCET" so I took it home and worked on it for a couple hours. He had things like "turn the knob anti-clockwise" so I changed it and rewrote a lot of the instructions. It was a big project but I think I did a good job.

So that was my Saturday...

Sunday I went to Eddie's soccer game at 11 then met with my two students at a coffee shop about 20 minutes walk away at 2. They are about 30 and 32 I believe.(While I am on the subject of age I will stop and give some quick info. So Danny told people I was 23 because in Korea I would be 23 because they count the birth of a child as age one then every January 1st they are a year older so really I would be 22 and 10 months so he wanted me to sound a little older so he just said 23. This makes a lot more sense to me now because Melody who is 7,was born December 24th so in America she would be a 5 year old. This makes everything a lot clearer for me because I was confused by children's behavior but really they are just acting their age. Amy the 16 year old would only be 14 1/2 so she is actually younger than my little brother. Anyways I was relieved to have that all cleared up because I felt awful having to lie to people saying I was 23 when I was only 21. This was something I had always known about Koreans but for some reason I didn't put it together when I came over here.... Back to the lesson Sunday. So one guy is very talkative and a pretty good speaker while the other one is very very quiet and shy so it makes it harder to have a lesson with both of them at the same time. Jimmy (the more talkative one) bought books for each of us to use and we went through the first couple pages together I had them read a dialog out loud then we went over types of answers to questions like "I dont know" "Could you speak slower" "I think its about 3 feet long" etc. then I asked them questions for a while and they used those answers.

After the lesson I met up with Eddie and Danny and we rode the subway to a big K1 fight. We didn't have tickets so we stood around waiting for a scalper but couldn't find one so we started to head home. At the subway station we found tickets for the $90 seats for $60 each. We were a little suspicious but we got in and ended up watching the fight. It was really exciting. It was the first fight I have seen live and it was really fun! They had lights and funny 80's music with pyrotechnics whenever the fighters came out. They had a really loud annoying voice that screeched out the names of the fighters in English and lots of blood and gore! YAY! They had a previous UFC champion and the biggest fight of all was at the very end with Dennis Kang (which they pronouce Gong who is a half white half Korean man http://www.deniskang.com/) and a Japanese-Korean man. It was an amazing night and we decided we would go see another fight before we go back to America because it was so much fun. http://www.mmafighting.com/news/2007/heros_korea_october_28.html

After the fight we went out for dinner and drank Soju with Danny. The restaurant had stoves in the middle of the tables and we ordered raw food then it was cooked in front of us. We had a chicken vegetable dish with crab meat sweet potato and rice cake noodles. It was scary at first but I ate and enjoyed it. Danny talked to Eddie about studying hard and as always recapped the conversation multiple times then we headed home. It was an exhausting day but it was a lot of fun! Today is my only day off and I will be catching up on everything!

luncheon with Danny

So last night Kenny, Eddie and I went to dinner at our favorite thai restaurant then went and saw Resident Evil 3 (zombie movie). It was interesting going to a Korean theater and hard to figure out what movie we were going to see cause they didn't have pictures but we read the Korean words and sounded out Resident Evil! YAY! It was a normal zombie movie.... We also ate some Gelatto ice cream and walked around the mall type thing its called a MEGABOX here. We saw a hat and some shirts that said "Vanana" with a picture of a monkey so they clearly meant it to be banana but V and B are very similar and hard for Koreans to differentiate


Today I had a lesson with Melody and Emily then Danny took me out for lunch and I had a shrimp cream noodle dish that was pretty good then we had a big bowl of salad and Danny dumped yogurt all over the main bowl then dished me up a big plate... and I ate it...
(For some history... I dont like any salad dressings so this was a difficult endeavor for me). We talked about politics and he told me about the December 14th election that was coming up. He wants Korea to go back to a communist party which is what the new guy is promising... It will be interesting to see what ends up happening. He said economically the current guy hasn't done anything for them and democracy really wasn't important when people were more concerned about getting food... I'll write more about our conversation later it was interesting...


LATER...

So I found an article on the Korean Times page againhttp://www.koreatimes.co.kr/www/news/special/special_view.asp?newsIdx=12253&categoryCode=177 it was interesting because it was called The Unexciting Presidential Race which seemed strange to me because Danny made it sound like it was the biggest news ever... It just talks about the different canidates and their strengths and weaknesses and how people don't really care what the outcome is.... hmmm...

Sally and her Mother

So I had a really great time teaching Sally and her mother today. Sally is in her early 30's and her mom is early 50's. They really seemed to like me and ended up asking if they could take me to lunch every Friday. I of course said yes and they said I can teach them things while we are out eating and then they want to take me around the town. So I have an extra lesson each week so now I teach Sally and her mom Tuesday's and Friday's but I suspect Friday's will be more of a fun day. I think they really liked me because the mom called her husband and had me talk to him and he said he wanted us all to go out to dinner some time. They said I was a good teacher too which is the first real feedback I have had so I am glad I'm not doing it completely wrong!

On a side note... On the way home I transfered subways and the subway I transfered to was stopped so I got on then a man on the loudspeaker said something in Korean and half of the passengers groaned and got off. I didn't know what to do since it was my only way home so I just waited. It was funny to see how many people saw the subway sitting there and ran down the stairs to find that it was stopped! I sat there for over a half hour waiting then the music came on and off we went! I was relieved that it wasn't any longer because I really had no idea what was going on and I didn't want to bother anyone. I had my book anyways so it turned out well!

little questionaire

1.)) When you walk in your front door, which room do you enter?
all of them!

2.)) Do you have a dishwasher?
umm my hands and Eddie's

3.)) Is your living room carpeted or does it have hardwood floors?
hardwood

4.)) Do you keep your kitchen knives on the counter or in a drawer?
I have one knife and it is in the dish drain

5.)) House, apartment, duplex or mobile home?
mini studio/loft thingy

6.)) How many bedrooms is it?
1/2

7.)) Gas stove or electric?
one small electric burner

8.)) Do you have a yard?
nope!

9.)) What size TV is in the living room?
I have a 17 inch computer that we use to watch movies!

10.)) Are your plates in the same cupboard as your cups?
yeah and the same cupboard as my food too

11.)) Is there a coffee maker sitting on your kitchen counter?
no

12.)) What color is your home painted??
sandy white

13.)) What room is your computer in?
all of them at once

14.)) Are there pictures hanging in your living room??
just a button of me and Jennie at the fair and a map of seoul

15.)) Are there any themes found in your home??
Small! ohh and Peter Rabbit in the bathroom! Haha

16.)) What kind of laundry detergent do you use?
something in Korean

17.)) Do you use dryer sheets??
no dryer we hang our clothes on a rack

18.)) Do you have any curtains in your home??
blinds on the one window

19.)) What color is your fridge??
its white with stains

20.)) Is your house clean??
no

21.)) What room is the most neglected?
really the whole room is clean but the loft part is a little messy with clothes

22.)) Are the dishes in your sink/dishwasher clean or dirty??
a few in the sink and a few clean ones on the rack nothing to write home about

23.)) How long have you lived in your home?
a month

24.)) Where did you live before??
a nice big house with a washer and dryer and shower and bathtub and dishwasher and garage and yard and lake in Washington

25.)) Do you have one of those fluffy toilet lid covers on your toilet??
actually yes and it has Peter Rabbit on it from the last person who lived here!

26.)) Do you have a scale anywhere in your home??
no where would I put it?

27.)) How many mirrors are in your house?
1

28.)) Look up. What do you see?
3 feet then the ceiling (and I'm laying down!)

29.)) Do you have a garage??
no

30.)) Are you planning on moving anytime soon??
umm not too soon

PHO!

So everyone who knows how much I have missed PHO can rest now because I found a Vietnamese restaurant chain (PHO HOA just like the one in west side oly) yesterday and had some very delicious PHO!! I have been craving it for so long it was amazing to finally get some chicken noodle soup! The only big difference is they don't have basil to put in it so I loaded mine up with sprouts! YUM! This is a huge development in news for me because eating here has been my main stress and finding things I can eat gives me more relief than anyone could imagine!

Yesterday Kenny, Eddie and I ventured off to the immigration office. I asked one man for directions and he said he didn't know so he called his friend and asked her! I was so thankful! People are so kind here and always go out of their way to help me. I asked 4 people for directions to the immigration office and after a lot of walking we made it! Once we got there we found out we didn't even need to go in the first place since we are only staying for 3 months at time. So it was a good 2 hours of travel for nothing! I did find a Pho restaurant so I guess I wouldn't say for nothing. After the immigration office we ate some pho then Eddie and Kenny headed home and I transfered subways over to SangDo (where Amy and Sery live)

.....So I have been very very busy! I have ten students now and six of then have two classes a week! I am not really bringing in the big bucks but I am making more than enough to survive! This is not to say that efforts back home to sell my car should stop, more that I will be okay until it is sold! I have a bank account and my banker's children are my students so she is direct depositing $240 into my account each month for me so I will always have money in the bank! I am giving her kids 90 minute lessons each week but yesterday was my first lesson with them and it went over two hours! Amy is the oldest girl (16) and she met me at the subway station and we walked to her home from there. Its about the distance from my house on 21st st to the capital campus so not too bad but we did find ourselves in a downpour without umbrella's so the result was a less than dry arrival! I worked with Amy for an hour on conversation and writing. I asked her some questions about what she likes and what she does for fun then we read a couple stories from her book and then did questionnaires afterwards. She has the language down pretty well she can read and right almost perfectly her main struggle as with most of my students, is with the letter "R" sound and with speaking out loud. When she talks its like a whisper so I am constantly encouraging her to speak up. I am having her memorize a little monologue about "Her worst date" and she is going to perform it for me at her next lesson. After Amy her 8 year old sister Sery came in and we played "go fish" and "concentration" she was very shy at first and knew almost no English. She is about the same level as Melody only a little older. After playing some games she warmed up and we were laughing and having fun so I let her pick out a book and I read it to her. I read it sentence by sentence pointing to each word then I had her repeat the sentence after me. After we finished "Sleeping Beauty" it was time for me to go. I headed for the door and they saw I didn't have a umbrella so they gave me one of the 15 umbrella's they had stocked in a specific umbrella closet. Everyone carries around umbrella's and when I don't have one I can buy a nice one for $5 or people just give me theirs (it has happend twice!) Amy walked me out of the confusing apartment building and I said I could make it from there. I headed home on the subway then transfered at "Daerim" and met Eddie at Hongik station by my house around 9:30pm and we walked home together in the rain. One of my new stops on my walks home is at a little shop (smaller than the frog pond grocery in Olympia) close to our house. I stop there ever day and buy a honeydew melon popsicle. The man in the store know me now after a few conversations so I just grab the melon pop from the ouside cooler then drop off the 500 won (less than 60 cents) inside with him even if he is talking on the phone or with other customers he just waves and I go on my way. I like having someone that kind'a knows me like the guy that worked at the frog pond its nice to feel kind'a at ease here. Its really starting to feel like home only I think I would have driven to work if I had seen it was raining so much. I really appreciate how different my life is now. I hadn't realized how different my life was until my mom emailed me about it! "No car, eating at home, hanging out laundry, walking to
the grocery, riding subways and buses, eating things that look at you and being a celebrity most everywhere you go!" This was an eye opening email because I hadn't really realized how much my life has changed but really it is a completely different life. I know that whatever happens this year I will come home a much wiser person and I am very excited for that! I am having some difficulty with the language still but I really want to be able to speak to people so the motivation is there it will just take some time. I often wish I could just wake up and know Korean but it is a much longer process than that. I think the children I am teaching are really lucky to be learning at such a young age because they pick it up so quickly. I have few regrets in my life but one of them is that I didn't learn another language when I was younger. Now that its all on the line my other is that I didn't play a sport in school.... anyways today I have an extra lesson with Sally (she is a violin teacher) at 3 then Eddie has a football (soccer) game at 4 that I am going to rush home for then if he's not too exhausted we are going out to eat! Its about 9:30am I've spent most of the morning reading and emailing a couple people but I think its time to get out of bed now and really start my day! I'll keep everyone updated!

Schedule!

Here's a quick look at my schedule!! I have Monday and Friday's off!
Tuesday 2:30 outside the school meet with Sally
4pm meet with teacher in class room
6:30 Amy and Sery
Wednesday 5pm Jane and Tom
7pm Emily and Melody
Thursday 4pm Amy and Sery

Saturday 11 at the café with 2 guys
2pm Emily and Melody
Sunday 2pm at the café with 2 guys

I met with Amy and Sery's mom today and got a bank account set up and taught Jane, Tomy, Melody and Emily! I got home at 10! I am tired!! But I am happy to have a full schedule now so I can actually make some money! I also met a girl named Bonnie. She walked up to me and asked if I was a model! I told her I was a teacher and apparently she is a teacher too. She is in a club for international people who go on trips around Korea so she said she would call me when they go do stuff!! She is Korean and seemed very friendly!! Tomorrow I will go to the immigration office then I have to teach Amy and Sery (who I haven't met yet)! I am off to bed!

More WORK!!

So yesterday Eddie and I watched the movie the Legendary Courtesan its a pretty good Korean movie. It takes place when China was in control and a young girl who is royalty finds out she is a daughter of a slave and has to change her life. I was impressed with acting compared to other Korean movies I've seen its pretty good! Eddie and I walked around HongDae for a while and found a Baskin Robins and got some ice cream then headed home. Today I have another job interview then I have to teach right after it! I am really excited to be getting more work because I have been really worried but I think things will work out!! I'll let everyone know my new schedule as soon as I know! It looks like I'll be working most days which will be great! Danny thinks I am insane for wanting to work so much but I told him thats just how I am. He said I am the first American he has ever met that isn't really lazy. Its sad that he thinks all American's are lazy but I'm happy to tweak his ideas! I also go some texts from the subway guy Gue yesterday after a long stretch. It seems he is still in love with me and wants to meet me for drinks. It is strange how blind he is to the fact that I haven't written him back and how I told him I had a boyfriend and didn't want to go out with him. I'm doing laundry and since there is not dryer I have to go hang all our clothes up cause the timer went off!!!!

Article on bribery

Children of Bribe-Offering Parents Face Disadvantages

By Kang Shin-who
Staff Reporter

Parents’ bribing teachers in hopes of securing advantages for their children will on the contrary compromise the academic careers of their children, according to the Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education (SMOE). if bribery is uncovered, children of parents doing this will not be allowed to receive school prizes. Although the children can win prizes from organizations outside schools, the office will not allow the prizes as recognition of academic achievement.

In addition, teachers will be banned from soliciting sponsorship of school events from parents. Parents and teachers will be subject to legal action if they are found to be embroiled in these irregularities.

While bribed teachers will not get promotions or bonuses, bribe-offering parents will face criminal charges.

``It has long been the practice for teachers to ask for financial support from parents to help school events. It is not easy for parents to reject such requests because of their children. We will eradicate the custom in cooperation with civic groups,’’ an SMOE official said.............


SO I read this and there is a little more on The Korean Times website but I thought this was an interesting topic and its not something I see here at all but I guess its only been a month so who knows but thought it was interesting because I don't know of this really happening too much in the US... I may be wrong though!

Skype phone!

So I had a skype phone on the other computer back home but I didn't have one on my lap top... So I set it up today and called Jennie and my mom and I called Maggie but it didn't work. This phone is a really great deal I paid $13.08 =12,000 won for 9 hours of phone service over the next 6 months! Its a great phone so if anyone needs to talk to me let me know and I'll call you fro 2 cents a minute! I talked to Jennie for a while and got good and caught up then talked to my mom and little bro. Things seem to be the same over in the US. I also finished my book!! Finally! I have been busy preparing lessons and meeting new students for interviews. Danny said to tell everyone I am married and 23 years old because 21 is too young and if I say I'm just dating it makes people think I am available. People in Korea date but don't generally move out of their parents home until they are married. If people are never married they stay at home and take care of their parents or the oldest son takes care of the parents.

I am relieved to hear that I will have maybe 5 new students!! I am excited but also very busy I will start reading the Lost Names book hopefully by tomorrow or Wednesday but I have done enough reading for today! I still don't have a camera but thats on my list but I got a bank account set up over here so so when I start making the big bucks (haha) I can have a place to put it. Danny set me up with a credit card and debit card and its all with him a cosigner! I am soooo lucky to have all his help and trust!

Yesterday Eddie and I went grocery shopping and we are learning to cook more foods. It is difficult with only one burner but we are managing okay. When I get home to the US I won't take for granted the fact that we can use many burners on the stove ever again!

I have also created a new obsession with honeydew melon Popsicles! YUM! its a korean food I guess but delicious!!! I'm off to enjoy the day and wander around Seoul a little. It was great to talk to people over the phone! Life is busy but wonderful!

Weekend

So Friday I met up with the teacher I am teaching and we went to the bookstore Kyobo and bought some books! She is very nice and took me out to a very fancy french restaurant. We started with a deepfried cheese then a pumpkin soup that kind'a tasted like a cappuccino.... it was foamy... very strange then we had some alfredo noodles with oyters and shrimp then a king shrimp... My first king shrimp (very big with the head of the shrimp on the crab looking at me). It tasted delicious but it was difficult to get over the face staring at me. After we had some sorbet ice cream and fruit. It was a great meal and we practiced conversing in English. Afterwards she bought me some bread because she said she knew what it was like to be in a foreign country trying to survive. It was very generous! I took the subway to Sinchon and met with Eddie where he was hanging out with some classmates. We all went out to a bar then to a club I tried a shot of Soju (like a shot of hard A). Its strong so I only had one then they bought be a Blue Hawaiian. Which tasted a lot better. We played some games and walked around then Eddie and I haded home (we were like the old couple in the group even though we are the youngest ones we were tired early) We usually try to be in bed by midnight every night so by 1am we were pretty dead! Saturday I taught then made a good tofu seaweed rice dinner then read my book. I am sooo close to finishing it but it seems like I can't finish it. Today I have an interview for another student then I will read because I feel badly for not finishing my book! I listen to my pimsleurs Korean lessons on my Zune (MP3 player) everywhere I go and practice my Korean with the Rosetta stone and Eddie and I work on it together a little. I am starting to feel more comfortable out in about I can understand what the voice on the subway is saying and I can have short conversations and understand a little. Like at the grocery store or at a restaurant!!! YAY!! Still doing well overall. My back has been hurting me a lot recently but Eddie gives me back rubs and I am trying to keep up on my Physical therapy exercises. I really want to start going to a gym but that will come later with more money... I am learning a lot about balancing money too because in the US I always had a lot of money because I was always working so here I am experiencing more of a frugal life which is fine.. for now... I want to go have some fun sometimes though!!

Still sick today

Woke up sick again! Not a good feeling... I'll write more about my adventure to the bookstore later.

Danny is cosigning for us to start a bank account over here so we've been filling out paperwork. Its in Korean so its kind'a difficult to figure out but I think we did it right. We will have an account with Korean Exchange Bank so we don't get charged every time we try to use our credit or debit card. And Danny called me this morning to let me know he found 4 more students who might want to study with me!! YAY!! I am really hoping this all works out. I read in the book Korean Calling a while ago that it takes a while to establish jobs but after a couple months its much easier. Danny also said I am learning about the city faster than most foreigners. Which I hope is true I understand the subway now and I can get around town on the bus and I can go shopping and after tonight I'll be able to get books. I think I am settling in pretty quickly its mainly the language that stands as my main barrier.

Danny also told me I am like one of his family now which was very sweet. He is doing so much for us so I am trying to be the best teacher I can be. Whenever they invite us out to do something we always say yes and when we have lessons I always stay for dinner and I usually stay for 2-4 hours instead of just one helping the kids. Danny said he is very happy with how confident Emily is becoming with her English and I think Melody is getting a little better too!

Danny found a comfortable chair for us at a factory where his friend works so we will have a second chair after tomorrow! And Danny got it for free since he has a friend who works there!! I am excited because we have to trade off using the chair and sitting on the stairs for dinner or when we practice Korean. I'm sad to say our bed has been more of a kitchen table then anything.... So I am excited about that. Also we are getting a small TV for Eddie so he can play his Xbox over here with his friends online. I don't really care about the TV so much but Eddie is so thats good!

Also I'm proud to say I have acquired a taste for seaweed. I used to hate it but I've had to eat it a couple times eating out with others and I like it now... so for lunch today I had rice in seaweed at home :)

SICK AGAIN!

So I got my haircut today. It was funny. The whole time they were saying "this is your real hair color?" "Do you eat lots of vegetables?" "You are so beautiful" and this guy was talking to Eddie and told him I had eyes like Britney Spears.... They cut my hair then the one of the two women who were cutting my hair together said she would "make it wavy for me" so I let her and she curled my hair... It looked good it was just funny how much work they did and it only cost $10! One woman was on one side curling and the other woman on the other side. It seemed to be pretty slow so I guess they were tag teaming it... Other than that not too much going on I've been sick to my stomach the past couple days so I think I must have eaten something bad again! Kind'a frustrating! Eddie and I are also learning how to cook a little so we don't have to spend too much money on food. We made rice then put olive oil in a pan and deep fried tofu (kind'a deep fried) then scrambled some eggs and we had ourselves a meal! We found a grocery store close by so we will be able to get food fairly easily... One thing I am not used to is being without a car! That means walking home about a mile with 2 bags of groceries! I'm just glad Eddies here to carry the heavy stuff! Tomorrow Eddie has a soccer game and I really wanted to go see them play but I already agreed to meet with the teacher I am teaching and go to the big bookstore. Its called "Kyobo" or something like that... so we are going to get her some books for practicing conversations in English. I'm off to bed cause I'm feeling sick...

Music

http://profile.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=user.viewprofile&friendID=123572981

some Korean Music I've been listening to. Its funny I understand about 2% of what they are saying! YAY!

Tuesday

I got packages from both my aunt Lisa and Grandma and one from my mom today! I was very happy to have some stuff from home and chicken soup! Lisa also sent me some kids songs on CD that I will play for my students! I spent some time listening to them and getting the lyrics so I can teach them all the words. I also got a couple more books from my grandma that I will be adding to my list of reading one is in Korean so that will come later and it is by a man who is related to my adopted Uncle Randy who was born in Korea ( I am going to try and find them so I can say hello and meet them). The other book is called Lost Names By Richard Kim so I look forward to reading that too. I am still working through my current book but I am busy busy I hope to have it finished by this weekend so I can start in on Lost names. Today I headed for Misha's house but while on the bus I got a call from the teacher I am teaching (who is Misha's aunt) and she said I will teach her today instead of Misha because Misha's mom is sick. So I figured out which subway train to switch to and changed courses for Yoiedo. I can't pronounce her name but we met at the school she teaches at and had a conversation lesson in her classroom. We practiced phone conversations like "hello how are you? I need to make an appointment with the doctor" or " I am calling to ask if you want to go to the movies with me" etc. that took about an hour and then she gave me some workbooks for learning Korean for me to use for practice and some tapes I could listen to only I dont have a tape player yet so thats on the agenda for the next week. We also made plans to go to the big book store this Friday and look at books for her to use for her lesstons then she walked me to the bus stop and I headed home. I got off at Sinchon and walked the 2 miles home from there. Now I'm hungry so I think I'll eat some of that chicken soup I have been craving for weeks!

Mini stalker update

So Gue Young Kim (the guy who I met on the subway) hasn't stopped texting me. He sent me some a couple days ago telling me he had lots of money and asking if I would sleep with him once. I have been totally ignoring him so instead of 30 messages a day its more like 3 or 5 but today it was "I am think to you can you meet me?" and "Beah? Never forget you" and "sorry sorry I am cragy now" and "I love you always only you forever I love u" and "darling are you sleeping?" at 1am!! AHH He is a crazy one but he really can't ever find me its just annoying to have my phone going off at all hours of the night! I haven't responded in days but he is a determined guy... Today I am teaching at 4 so I have to leave for the subway at 2:30 then transfer to another subway then on a bus then walk to Misha's house from there. Travel isn't as easy as it is in Olympia. I have also noticed that everyone is always dressed up in nice clothes and very rarely do I see someone is sweatpants or anything lazy looking. I saw a poster that said "NO FASHION, NO LIFE!" and I think this is a pretty fair statement. Over here most people are dressed very nicely and casual isn't really seen as much. Its a lot of work to wear skirts and nylons and fancy outfits and nice makeup and hair every day but I try to look my best when I am going out. In Olympia I'd roll out of bed and go but that doesn't work quite as well here.... I'm off to meet Eddie for lunch!

In Korean news

So today in Korean news a previous anchor "the former Minister of Unification Chung Dong-young won the United New Democratic Party's (UNDP) nomination to run in the December presidential election." Kind'a exciting that we're here for that although I don't see much propaganda for all of this going on....

After Eddie got out of school I met up with him and Kenny and we had lunch then went to a DVD room!! Its a place where you rent DVD's and watch them in a room there. It was interesting. We rented a Korean movie called Korean Tutor #2 we didn't know it was a sequel until it started but it wasn't too bad a movie. So the room has a big couch/bed thingy thats covered in vinyl and there is a large screen in front of the room and a projector behind us. Before we went in the room the woman who worked there took a spray bottle back and disinfected the room which made us think it wasn't just a movie watching room... Anways so the three of us went in and watched the movie in our private little room with tinted windows and enjoyed the movie. After the movie we headed home and Eddie and I studied Korean. Tomorrow I am teaching Misha again so I'll update later! I miss everyone so much but I love getting emails and seeing all the new pictures!! I am slowly learning Korean its a slow process but I am studying and learning all the characters and practice writing them so hopefully I'll come back with some Korean!

Weekend Pictures and Movies

So the fireworks show wasn't too exciting. It looked like the whole city was out to watch them so it was crowded everywhere! Danny took us to a spot that was really far away from the fireworks so we could have a place to watch and still it was crowded! I put a video up of the fireworks in front of the Han River (I think) there are hundreds of cars parked on the freeway just watching the fireworks. Overall the show wasn't too amazing just fireworks but it lasted a good 45 minutes and I think we missed the first part when we were walking to the spot. The lady sitting next to me was sharing food with Melody and I so we ate oranges and nuts during the show! Its really amazing how friendly people are here but it is in s strange way sometimes. After the show we came home and crashed after a long day. I taught Emily at 2 and then Melody at 4 and Jane at 5 then Jane's brother Tom then we picked up Eddie and went straight to the river so I was ready for bed. Eddie watched Star Wars and I quickly fell asleep.

Sunday morning we woke up at 7 and got on a subway towards Daerim (a midpoint between Danny's and our houses) and met Danny and his family and Jane there. He borrowed a minivan from a friend and we all packed in. The drive to Everland wasn't too long Danny said usually its a 2 hour drive but we made it in less than an hour. Probably because we left so early. One thing Melody started saying on the ride there was "ohh Bess and Eddie Love love love" when I was sleeping on Eddie's shoulder. So from then on every time I was near Eddie she would start singing "Love love love" which actually sounded a little more like "LUb LUB LUB LUB LUB LUB". After getting there Danny decided which rides we would go on and took us to each of them. The place was similar to a Disneyland (I've never been but Eddie has). The rides were fun but the lines were long and the rides were really short! We waited in line for an "amazing" roller coaster but after one time through the track it was through and we didn't even go upside down... :( It was fun though so I wasn't complaining just short. We went to the American section of the park where they had a Rodeo ride and above the ride it said "America's #1 sport" referring to rodeos... which I highly doubt is true.... The workers were dressed up in old western syle clothes and said things like Yee HA! It was overall very inaccurate but Eddie and I just laughed. Throughout the day we went on rides and walked around the park. I was unable to take pictures because upon arriving there I made a short video and then my camera went black so that is why there aren't many pictures but Melody was using Danny's camera and then Danny made Eddie and I pose for lots of pictures (which I am sure Eddie was thrilled about) so I'll post all those later. There are pictures of us in front of EVERYTHING! Its great! I will post them as soon as Danny sends them! So every time we were in a photo standing close, Melody would chime in "LUB LUB LUB". Later Danny was telling us about the rose garden and said so this is a place for love love. It was more awkward then anything. He also made a reference to the ferris wheel being a place for Love love.... Anyways it was a subject that seemed to pop up multiple times throughout the day.

When it was time for lunch I told Danny I wanted Noodles but ended up getting a spicy chicken patty with fried rice (at least thats all I thought it was). I quickly found out that squid was hiding beneath the rice and so my rice was then more of a maze for me to explore finding all the mysterious squid legs and other parts and picking them out so I could eat the rice. I am pretty sure I ate some squid yesterday and that is something I am coming to terms with... Food is kind'a a big issue for me here but I am doing the best I can. The squid was definitely a curve ball for me but I quickly recovered and didn't make it obvious that I was freaking out inside...

So we rode some more rides, went through a zoo, then went on a boat ride through a fake Africa (twice) and got really wet both times. Then after the ride we ended up next to a group of African Drummers/Dancers and watched them perform for a while. I noticed one of them was watching me closely and then they started a limbo contest and the man kept pointing at me. I hid behind Eddie for a while but he didn't give up and soon an shorter man walked towards me and made a hand gesture for others to part the way until he was right in front of me. At this point I wasn't looking to draw anymore attention to myself then I already had... My plan was spoiled! He grabbed my hand and walked me out to the middle of the stage with a couple other Korean children. The kids tried to limbo under the stick but I don't think they had ever done it before or had even see it because they all did it very strangely. When it was my turn I made it under just fine and so I stayed in the contest with one other boy (about half my height who was simply walking under the stick). When it came to his turn he wacked his head on the stick but he was still in so then I went again and almost made it but fell back so they gave me another try and again I fell back. After that the man grabbed our hands and yelled something in the crowd and then gave us both a gift. I tied for 1st place in a limbo contest in KOREA!! WOO! The gift was a plastic squishy pumpkin charm that attaches to a cell phone... I quickly attached mine so I would always remember my trip to Everland. Overall the day was fun I was like a celebrity there and everyone was interested in what I was doing. Children would run up and say "HI" then laugh or ask where I was from or how I was doing then one little boy asked me what color the curtain was we were standing next to so I told him it was green and he laughed and ran away to tell his mom. Some teenage girls were watching me while in line for a ride and they were giggling and pointing so I looked back at them and smiled so one of them told me I was very pretty. Other people would just look at me quietly but one older woman in here 70's or 80's seemed to be every place I went and every time I saw her she would say something in Korean and laugh then point at me and laugh as if we had some inside joke together. Another time she patted my hand and after I got off a ride she was there again and she shook her finger at me and laughed again. Then I saw her at the parade where she said something else and we both laughed. The day was fun and I liked going on rides but I was relieved when Danny said we were going home because I was ready for some privacy. Eddie said he wants to set up a booth and charge people to look at me and honestly I think he might make some money judging by how yesterday went... Its very different to be the only brunette in a sea of black haired people.

On the way home we stopped at a tofu house and had dinner I tried soft tofu for the first time (like a warm tofu pudding... Not my favorite) and I ate some ferns called khosadi and some cold noodles called chaepchae or something similar to that. The ferns were pretty salty but not bad and I really like the noodles I think I would like them more hot but it was a good meal. Danny dropped us off at the subway and we headed home. I bought some clothes in the subway station but again I think I was taken advantage of. The signs said the clothes were $5 each and I grabbed 3 shirts and it came to $30 which doesn't quite add up for me but I looked confused so they said they'd give me a "discount" so it was only $25 it was okay with me cause they were nice shirts so whatever kind'a frustrating to be a foreigner at times though. After that we headed home and went right to bed I was really tired!!



So my camera keeps dying on me so only the Video works. But here are a couple photos of the fireworks and movies of the amusement park. Danny took pictures and said he will send them to me later so I will have lots more!



I spent some time poking around this site and found an article about North and SOuth Korea thats kind'a interesting http://www.koreatimes.co.kr/www/news/special/2007/10/180_8484.html and
http://www.koreatimes.co.kr/www/news/opinon/2007/10/160_11869.html

EVERLAND

So here's the site for the EVERLAND amusement park we will be going to.http://www.everland.com/htm/MultiLanguage/english/htm/#none It looks like a Disney land type thing only in Korea... I read some stuff on the page and its funny cause parts of it are in broken English... I'm excited because I have never even been to Disney Land so it should be fun! I am a little worried about money but Danny got a 10,000 won off so it wont be too bad. I will bring my camera and show everyone the pictures Sunday! Today I used the Rosetta stone program and read and thats about my whole day. Eddie got home from school and we both had a headache so we napped for 3 hours. Its kind'a a pain but I'm hoping the headaches will go away soon! Eddie had fun out with his new friends tonight he said it was difficult to communicate but hopefully that will change soon! I miss everyone and love getting emails!! Ohh also there will be a fireworks show tomorrow that we are going to try and go to. Its supposed to be one of the most amazing fireworks shows in the world.

Korean Laguage Learning Day!

So yesterday was a pretty uneventful day. I studied some Korean and read my book and emailed people and watched a couple episodes of Law and Order SVU online... Nothing too exciting... The subway guy hasn't stopped texting me. He writes that I am his first love and he must see me again.. etc. I have written back stop and leave me alone but thats it and he still persists I'm just ignoring them now. He says hes not a bad man and that I should give him a chance. He also told me he would give me money because he has lots of money. This seems very strange and sad and I really don't know what to think of this. I don't think this is common here but I don't know for sure. It is very different than what I am used to. Eddie is going out to a bar with some friends from school tonight that he doesn't really know and he said next time he'll bring me! I am excited to meet people other than my students and their families! Other than that I decided today will be a Korean language learning day! YAY! I am trying to learn as much as I can!

Teaching

So yesterday (Wednesday) I went to Emily and Melody's home for their lessons. Emily and I worked on a book report she was going to give orally the next day then did some work with comprehension of the stories I wrote with the pictures I drew. We also worked on understanding "before" and "after" so we used a calender to figure out which was which then we made sentences like Before Emily goes to bed she will brush her teeth etc. After about 2 hours with Emily Melody was ready for her English lesson so she came in and I taught her the wheels on the bus song then we played some games. We played Concentration (matching pairs of cards) then Go Fish. I recorded some of our game and then us singing. The game is more like her just picking up cards till she finds the one she wants...

Teaching and Gue Young Kim

So yesterday I taught Misha (I thought her name was Mishca but she corrected me by yelling "NO! thats not my name!"). I was late to her house because I took went the wrong direction on the bus but I called Danny and he explained which one I needed to take. As for teaching we read "The Lion King" I would read a page then she would read a page and I would ask questions for comprehension. After Simba and Nala were heading off to save their home Misha became bored and got up and grabbed a game called Diamonds (Known to me as Chinese Checkers) we went into the other room so her 1 year old brother wouldn't eat the game and played a couple rounds. Misha's parents told Danny they just want me to come play with Misha and speak English because right now she is very stressed out with lots of different subjects and they want her to enjoy English. So spending time with Misha is more of a play date. After a couple games she wanted to look at my sketchbook where I had written out some stories. We looked at that for a while and she decided she wanted her own book so she went and told her mom she needed money to buy a sketchbook. Misha walked me to a neighborhood shop similar to "the Frog Pound" and bought some candy that she said was "very delicious" then we walked to a bathroom and she used it. This was the first squatting toilet I have seen..... It didn't look too fun... but I suppose its probably good for strengthening your legs. After the bathroom break we headed off in search of a sketchbook. We walked around talking about her day and what she did this weekend. She asked me if I was very happy today and I said yes and she asked if it was because she bought me some delicious candy and I said yes and because I was playing with Misha and she laughed. We found a book and she bought it then we headed back home when we got home it was time for me to leave because her next tutor was there so Misha yelled "Bye Teacher" and ran into the bedroom. The mom explained in broken English that I would come back again next week at "4 hours" meaning 4pm and I nodded and said bye and headed home.

As a side note while I was taking the subway to the bus stop to Misha's house a young man turned around and saw me and said hello so I said Hi back. He gave me candy rice cake thing and we talked for a while. He asked me what I was doing, how old I was how tall I was and then if I had a boyfriend. I said yes and he made a big disappointing "UGH!" while he rolled his head back. He asked me if my boyfriend was handsome and I said yes then he asked if he was a Korean man and I said yes again. He was disappointed but kept talking to me in his broken English as we rode the subway together. His name was Gue Young Kim, he was about 5 foot 5 and after he asked how tall I said "and you?" and he said "I am very short tall". He mostly asked questions and I answered them. He told me I was very tall and beautiful and that he liked to talk with me. We talked about Korean food and about his job and he said he was heading off to an interview. He asked for my number and I gave it to him (since we are all trying to make friends). He said he would call me "tomorrow" and I got off at my stop. Thirteen minutes later I got my first text message (called SMS over here) with 23 that would follow. He didn't understand my name so the first one said " Hey Beach? Very Well Going?" then "can you dinner with me today?" I said no I was working so he said "tomorrow?" I didn't respond because at this point I was teaching then he sent one that said "interview very good" then he sent one that said "where?" with hearts then "Mocdong" which means McDonalds and I still didn't respond so he wrote "leaving ones off ice?" which I didn't understand. A few minutes later he wrote "What are you doing now Beah? (heart) I was examination job interview" I still didn't respond so he called me and I answered and told him I was teaching so I was busy and I'd talk to him later. Around 10pm I started to get more SMS from him saying "I fall in love first see" "Do you have dinner with me?" I said no I was working then he asked if had time in the morning I said I needed to go to bed he asked what I was doing I said watching TV with my boyfriend. He asked if I wanted to go out this weekend. I didn't respond so about 2 minutes later he asked if I was asleep then he asked again then he told me that today is ten ten day 10th month 10th day. Then he wrote "I am going to bed take a good dream" then I said thanks you too. Then he wrote "lovely Beah" with a picture of a boy with hearts in his eyes. Then a couple minutes later he wrote "I am PC room doing game" and I said I really needed to sleep so he wrote "sorry goodnight see you later (hearts)" which was the last of his messages. I am not worried in the least bit because he is a very innocent seeming little Korean guy but it was funny how many times he messaged me and how forward he was being. I told Eddie about the whole thing and he thought it was hilarious. For now its like 9:30am and I haven't received any new SMS so we'll see how the day plays out.

I work tonight at 7pm so I will leave for the subway around 5:30. Its interesting how much time traveling takes up. Yesterday I spent about 4 hours traveling around town for a 90 minute lesson! I've noticed whenever I go out I get a pretty strong headache so I've been bringing Advil with me. I think it may be with many smells and dusts floating in the air but overall its very intrusive. I think in time I may become used to it but for now I have some difficulty. I've also noticed people really don't conserve energy very much here! Everywhere I go people leave their cars running or mopeds on with exhaust spitting out into the air when they are making a quick stop or going into a small store. There is never a shortage of running unattended vehicles. Another thing I have noticed is the amount of trust everyone has for everyone else. At the TV store there are multiple boxes of flat screen TV's just sitting in front of the shop and they are left there overnight every day and no one steals them. I am very impressed. This is the same with most merchandise it is just left out on the street and the buyer is expected to go find the seller sometimes they are watching TV in the back or playing games with other sellers in the alley but there really is a lot of trust. This is all based off the Confucius theories and Karma. It is very refreshing!

Dancers in the Street!!

getting ready for the week

So I spent the rest of my Sunday working on what I would be teaching this next week. I asked my aunt to send me some children's song CDs and I'm hoping my mom can send me a good storybook or two. I drew out a bunch of pictures and wrote little stories for each of them. I have pictures of Elephants by a stream with fish or a giraffe with purple jewelry who likes to be fancy etc. I made about 8 of these pictures and I plan on bringing them to Mishca's house on Tuesday.

My schedule is Tuesday I teach a teacher at 4 then from there I go teach Mishca. Wednesday I teach Emily and Melody at 7. And Saturday I teach Emily, Melody and Emily's friend Jane starting at 2 and ending at 5. I am working for Danny for free since he is paying for me to stay here and I am also giving free lessons to his friend's daughter Mishca. So right now I am only being paid for the teacher and Jane. There were two other girls that were going to do it but they were too scared and decided not to. So I should make about $100 a week at the rate so we are trying to live frugally.

For dinner I usually make some spicy tofu with yellow peppers and rice and I've been toasting sesame seeds like my mom used to for snacks. We usually eat ice cream every day for some reason I really want ice cream over here I think it might be because its so hot... Its hard not to eat out for every meal like we used to do in Olympia but its way cheaper this way.

Also Danny says he is trying to get more students for me so for now I'll just wait... I am thankful to have no rent though and our only bills are $15 per cellphone and about $30 for electricity and $20 for bus and subway rides each month so I think we'll be able to manage for now. Eddie payed for my tuition for last quarter so I am hoping to save up enough to pay him back sooner than later. He isn't making any money yet because he is just working on school but Danny said after Christmas he may know a couple boys who want a tutor so that will be helpful too! I'm just glad we both had some money saved up so we can survive okay over here until I get more students!

BOAT TO JAPAN!!

So I pulled the computer towards me and broke the cord for the internet so we didn't have internet but Eddie bought a new cord so its back! Yesterday we went to a very interesting drum festival with amazing Korean, Chinese, African and Japanese drummers. It was very loud and entertaining. I tried to take pictures but it was very far away I'll put them up later anyway. I also forgot to mention we went to Danny and his family so yes Melody was there screaming/pinching/bouncing her way through the whole festival! She is an energetic one! They also took us out to eat at a kind of "SOUP HOUSE" where I ate that spicy tofu and clam soup again (by accident because Danny ordered for me) and my stomach hurt for a while but I'm fine now so maybe I'm getting used to it or something. I did a lot of reading today and relaxing around the house. Its 12:30pm on a Sunday so we're just hanging out for now. I also spent some time looking for tickets to Japan for Christmas time since my Visa will expire then and I found a boat that goes to Japan and back for about a third of the price of a plane so I'm excited!! Here's the site http://www.seoulsearching.com/transportation/boat/

Shopping

So I did some shopping today with Eddie and Kenny at the big World Cup grocery store. We were walking around getting groceries when a middle aged Korean woman who worked there approached me with another man. She informed me that the man was a freshman in College and trying to learn English and needed to find a foreigner to take a survey. They looked very friendly and I glanced at Eddie and he gave me the okay so I followed them into a back room and the woman acted as a translator while the very shy man asked me questions in VERY broken English. He asked me where I came from, how long I had been there, what i was doing in Korea and if I liked it. I told him I was an English teacher living with my husband who was going to school at Yonsei to learn Korean. When he found this out he got very excited and spoke to the woman then she turned to me and said "he says this is perfect that you are a teacher." After the survey was finished the woman took a picture of both of us. He held out two fingers to make a peace sign so I gave a thumbs up. After that they walked me back out to where Eddie and Kenny were standing and told us that we would get 5% off our groceries which was very kind of them. The man gave me his phone number and the woman told me he said I could call any time no matter what time it was. Overall it was a heartwarming experience because I could tell how scary it was for them to approach me. I was very kind and spoke very slowly and clearly and they seemed very happy with the whole experience. The woman said they had been sitting in the back watching security cameras for 2 hours trying to find a foreigner and when they saw me they were really happy. The man also said Eddie could call him if he needed help with his Korean which is great because Eddie said its starting to get more difficult!

On another note we bought a pet today..... In actuality Eddie picked it out.... I wanted a turtle but Eddie wanted a beetle so we got a tank and everything. Right now its at the larva stage but still its really gross!!!! I'll put up some pictures soon!

Also when I got home from all our shopping I had a package from Tara waiting which was a wonderful surprise. Its amazing how nice it is to get little things like old pictures or cheetos!! I was very grateful to have some pieces of home!

A little side note. Shopping is very difficult here without a car because you must walk everywhere then take two subways to the big grocery store then carry everything home in backpacks!! When traveling walking shoes are a necessity!
SO this is a picture of a picture on the box of the beetle when its grows up. Right now its just a white larva.

Subway rides

Tuesday we went back to the Thai restaurant and I had the Phat Thai again. The owner seemed to recognize us and was extra friendly. Then Wednesday (yesterday) was a holiday so Emily didn’t have school so I left for her house around 12:30 and got there at 2pm. I walked to the subway from our house (Eddie came with me cause I was unsure of the location) then took a subway to Shindorim which was wrong because I was only supposed to go in the direction of shindorim but actually I was supposed to get off at Daerim. So I got back on the subway and went to Daerim then after that subway I transferred over to another subway and went to Cheolsan and from there I walked to Danny’s house.

I met up with Emily and we had our first lesson. She is very bright and understood more English then I originally expected. With her I am mainly working on comprehension of stories. So I read her a story and asked her to explain what it was about then I had her read me a story and explain that one. She did pretty well. It’s interesting to hear how she pronounced the “R” and “P” sounds because it seems to be a more difficult endeavor for her seeing as she hasn’t had much practice. We spend some time growling like dogs so as to understand the sound she was trying to make, then moved on.

After Emily’s lesson their mother wanted me to work with Melody for a couple minutes. Melody was sitting on the couch and didn’t want to do any studying so her mom grabbed her and pushed her into the room with me and slammed the door. Melody spent some time screaming and pounding on the door then I began to sing the Alphabet song and she slowly started singing it with me. After a while she got the door open and said something to her mom like “the door stays open” or something because her mom said okay and left the door open. Melody kept singing then grabbed some peach slices her mom and brought in and sang with her mouth full for awhile. After the peaches began to dissolve in her mouth she decided to eat them and we continued singing the song. After a while I got some paper and as I sang the song I wrote out the letters with each word. I had Melody write the letters under mine while we continued singing. After we did capital letters I tried lowercase and she laughed and said “oh the small”. She became bored and was trying to get away so I drew a picture of a cat and then wrote the word cat she grabbed my pencil and said “ohhh NO! Cuter” and she drew another cat. Then she wrote the word cat under mine. She wrote the letter “C” about 10 times one under the other then wrote “A” 10 times then “T”. Really I was just happy she had done so much. After that she ran away and jumped on the couch and folded her arms. Melody was done with her English lesson for the day.

Danny came home a little later and we went to a neighbors house and I met with some other girls and their families who were thinking about taking lessons from me. We sat around a table and played “Go Fish” with fruit cards that the neighbor had. The girls were shy and only spoke a little but after a while I think they were having some fun. We would said “do you have 3 bananas” instead of clubs or hearts. The parents sat on the floor behind us drinking tea and talking the whole time which made me feel a little awkward because they were just watching me and speaking Korean. After the game Danny walked me to the front gate and I headed home.

I got to the subway and headed for Daerim. From Daerim I got on a subway headed for Shincheon. Eddie was waiting at the stop after Shinchon. I didn’t know there were two different Shincheons so I was heading the opposite direction. I spent about 2 and a half hours on the subway going all different ways until I figured out where I needed to go. At one point an elderly woman got on and there weren’t any seats so I got up to give her my seat but she grabbed my shoulder and pushed me very firmly back into my seat saying “you stay” and smiling. I was surprised how much force she used when being so kind but was happy to have a seat. When I saw Eddie waiting at the subway station I almost wanted to cry because I had been so anxious not knowing where I was and where I needed to go. I am really glad I made it home because I was ready for a hug.

We walked around for a while looking for a place to grab some dinner then we decided on TGI Fridays (which neither of us had ever tried even in the US). We walked in and the woman said “Hello it will be about 10 minutes waiting”. The food there was pretty good and the service was friendly but very slow. I think they were nervous about talking to us in English so they always waited a long time before approaching our table. Eddie had a burger and I had a shrimp and chicken pasta, which was delicious! When we got home I read for a while and Eddie taught me some more Korean then we watched some TV on the Internet and fell asleep. I was just happy to be home!!! Today’s agenda includes grocery shopping and hopefully a haircut for me!

cold showers

One thing I may have forgotten to mention is that we only have cold water so showers are less than fun! Also the shower head is free in the bathroom so everything gets wet. So far my showers are about 30 seconds so it doesn't get too bad. Really I stand next to the shower preparing myself for about 5 minutes then jump in make some loud gasps dump some shampoo on rinse and run out! So besides the soup I am really craving a warm bath! I plan on heading to a spa one of these days but its not a high priority yet (not too many people plugging their noses when I walk by). Another thing I've noticed is that people don't really wear perfume over here. So just the smells of rotting food, exhaust and cigarette smoke fills the air. This is not to say that it always smells bad because a fair portion of the time I can't smell anything but when I do smell something it is usually not the smell of perfume. I also read that North Korea is giving tours now! I talked to Danny about this and he said "People in South Korea don't care about stuff like that" I thought that was an interesting response but I guess it makes sense because they consider themselves a totally different country (which they really are). Anyways if anyone is interested in that info here's a site http://gonseekorea.com/etc/event2.htm

pictures

Here's some pictures of Korea for ya... Note that Eddie and Kenny aren't mean they just think its hilarious to look angry in all the pictures.... they are odd ones... I posted some pictures of the night life and the game room we went to. Also wanted to show how they park in my building. Its a very different system than I am used to. The car is parked into the garage and then lifted up and placed in a parking spot!!

Sick

Today I slept in till 12:30pm then woke up in time to meet Eddie. We walked around campus trying to find the gym but were unable. The only thing we found was a basketball court even after asking 5 different people. I started to feel ill so we went to the student cafeteria and as I was looking around I got even sicker so I sat down then about 5 minutes later I briskly walked out of the room in search of a bathroom. All I could find was a small garbage and I began to vomit. I came back after a long period of violent puking and Eddie rubbed my back then got some crackers and we headed home. Its about 6pm here now and I have just been laying in bed eating crackers and drinking sprite aka "Chilsing cider". I think I am having a reaction to the seafood I ate yesterday because my body is not used to eating this kind of food. I feel better now but I am going to take it easy for the rest of the day. Eddie and Kenny went in town for a little while and are bringing back food but I am craving chicken noodle soup more than anything in the world and for some reason Koreans don't eat much chicken soup so I have been unable to find any!! If anyone wants to send me a care package all i really need are cans of chicken and stars or (cheaper to send) Chicken cup o noddle or top Ramen! Overall I am still doing really well (besides today). I started reading "The Koreans" by Michael Breen and Eddie is going to teach me everything he learned in school today. My washing machine is in Hangul or Korean so I need to fingure out how to work that tonight as well. I will post pictures soon!