Crossing legs

So yesterday on my way home from teaching, on the subway, I was sitting with my legs crossed and the man next to me physically moved my leg down so I wasn't crossing my legs. I was caught off guard and he went on to explain in Korean (most Korean men sound kind'a angry when they talk so it was scary) that if I have my legs crossed I will be shot (he pretended to shoot me with his hand) then he patted me on the leg like he hadn't just told me I would be shot... It was interesting and being the sensitive person that I am, I almost wanted to cry... But I didn't of course I just smiled and thanked him... but after that I looked around and saw many people had their legs crossed... I have read that it is disrespectful to cross your legs in the presence of someone who is older than you but it also said that this is a very old rule and no one really cares anymore... But I guess he did so I was careful all day today to not cross my legs.... Also last night I made a big Korean meal for Eddie and I! It was fun to cook a lot of different things... I made chop Chey, veggie sushi rolls, soy sauce fried tofu, and rice with seaweed. Yum! I'm also reading a lot more... Still don't understand much but cool that I can read...

pictures

today I headed into Sinchon and took a few good pictures... I have to go teach but here are some pix for now...

website for more peace talks

http://www.koreatimes.co.kr/www/news/nation/2007/11/205_14505.html

looks like both parties are unwilling to compromise at this point... :(

GYM

We got signed up for the gym today! I am excited to start really working out again! The gym is really small but it only cost $100 for 6 months so yay!Also 2 of my 3 lessons for the day canceled! Its getting kind'a frustrating!


Also parking in Korea is hectic and most women don't drive... at least not the mom's I talk to... I see younger women driving around though. Women are seen as bad drivers according to Danny and Anica and Jane's mom...




Also animal extinction is a big problem here I guess just this last year they have lost the river dolphin and the black rhinoceros and there are many animals following in their footsteps with all the development that is happening these animals habitats are disappearing! It looks like the orangutan's habitat is also being destroyed for oil! This author talks about how peace between North and South Korea could lead to more extinction of animals because the area of the DMZ is an area full of wildlife and the author wants people to keep this area alive by not running it over with big buildings and "progress" as one might see it... This is a very interesting point that I had never even thought about. But this uninhabited area (by humans that is) is probably a wonderful place for these animals and they are probably very safe there right now because people rarely bother them. I hope that there is some way that we can all be at peace but after seeing how Korea works I doubt its very possible. They seem to be more concerned with their immediate future then preserving their past or current animals... Not that the US is any better at keeping animals off the extinction list.... anyways thought that was a interesting point that came up when I searched for "peace talks."

http://www.koreatimes.co.kr/www/news/opinon/opi_view.asp?newsIdx=12129&categoryCode=162



More on peace talks
http://www.koreatimes.co.kr/www/news/opinon/opi_view.asp?newsIdx=13173&categoryCode=202

http://www.koreatimes.co.kr/www/news/nation/nation_view.asp?newsIdx=14100&categoryCode=116

http://www.koreatimes.co.kr/www/news/nation/nation_view.asp?newsIdx=12613&categoryCode=116

digital complex

So we headed to Samsong digital complex to get a power converter and we had some coupons for the theater there so we saw SawIV! It was very bloody and gross! Eddie got the TV all hooked up tonight so he is excited about that but I just it doesn't keep us in when we should be experiencing Korea... I'm sure it wont but we'll see what happens... The CGV movie theater is very nice. You get a number on a ticket and then an alarm calls our numbers for when its time to buy the movie tickets... It was nice because they had nice seats to sit in while we waited... It reminded me of group health waiting to pick up a prescription or at the post office... Its very convenient because you don't have to stand in line for a long time! Also you have to pick out your seat before you go in on the screen like at a concert which is nice because you know right where you are going to sit before you so don't have to go in early to get good seats! Eddie and I bought some soft serve yogurt with fruit on it and a smoothie which are popular snacks here and very delicious... at the theater we got a medium soda medium popcorn and nachos (for Eddie) and it cost 7,000 won roughly $7.25! WOO! Its much more reasonable! The movie was really intense though and blurry so Eddie got kind'a sick... (he says his only weakness is blurriness) but he survived thankfully! YAY!


In big news...
http://www.koreatimes.co.kr/www/news/nation/2007/11/205_14393.html


"North Korea's Prime Minister has arrived in South Korea for talks over a possible peace treaty on the peninsula.

Kim Yong-il has arrived in Seoul for meetings with his South Korean counterpart Han Duck-soo.

It comes a month after the two countries leaders held a historic summit in Pyongyang.

In three days of talks they are expected to discuss South Korean aid, including a plan to develop a major North Korean port and associated infrastructure.

There will also be negotiations on disputed waters off the two countries' west coast.

Neither country's prime minister holds significant political power, but their meeting marks the highest-level visit to the South by a member of North Korea's government since the early 1990s."


...and the presidential race is neck and neck.... and neck! http://www.koreatimes.co.kr/www/news/nation/2007/11/116_14401.html

monday

Sadly I woke up to rain this morning so the trip to the temple probably wont be happening today.... Our house needs a good cleaning though... its amazing how much dust and dirt gets in just from having one window open... I have to sweep constantly to keep up and we don't even wear our shoes in the house! hmmm I don't know if this is a characteristic of all wood floors or just because the air is so dirty.. either way I have my work cut out for me and I think we may need to venture out to the grocery store as we are out of water...

Weekend

So Thanksgiving was fun we had it all plus some corn... yummy. We had it at Asay's house and his girlfriend Bora and Kenny's rich friend Tug were there too (Tug is Mongolian). It was delicious and everything turned out perfectly then after watching some Korean TV show were they lock people in sauna's until they complete silly tasks we went and played pool in a billiard room then to the PC Bong and played starcraft. It wasn't too exciting but I was happy to have some type of Thanksgiving!

So to explain a little about Tug.... He is from Mongolia but his father seems to be fairly wealthy because Tug has managed to learn 3 languages lived in the US, Canada, and China and now he is living in Korea! Not to mention his dad had a brand new BMW imported to Korea for him to drive while he lives here for a year!! AHH! So he drove us around in his slick ride Friday night while he cranked up Nelly Furtado! Apparently she is very popular all around the world...

Saturday I worked then came home and made a new delicious Chicken recipe I made up with the random ingredients we had left over and read and watched some Simpsons as I was feeling a little homesick.

Today is Sunday and I went to see Danny since he was out of the country and it seems he will be leaving again Wednesday so we cleared up some bank stuff and we're figuring out the Japan trip... it looks like if we get a tour package it won't be too expensive to boat over there and back... I'll write more when I know.

Other than that I am reading Korean!! YAY! Its more like sounding out letters but its still fun... I have no idea what most things say but I can look up at a sign and sound out what the word is even if I have no clue what it means! YAY!

Danny gave me directions to a temple near Yonsei (near us) thats about an hour walk to so I think I will drag Eddie over there after he finishes school tomorrow! I am pretty excited. I haven't really seen many touristy things here so I am realizing I just have to seek them out a little harder.

The book The Korean's really enlightened me into the economy and mindset behind Korea and I am getting excited to see what will happen with the next election. It seems that a few presidents have helped the economy like Kim Il-sung but many have damaged it as well. (He is said to be a Nazi-like leader but he also created a lot of good for Korean economy.) They last president seems to have done nothing but I have heard that one of the top candidates is a very corrupt business man so I think people are very worried yet very excited about what may happen. Peace talks are starting to take place with North Korea as well so I'll be reading more about that... When Eddie ventured to the DMZ he said they showed him 4 tunnels that North Korea had created to attack South Korea with and the book said there is an additional 16 that are not uncovered.... So I am very excited to hear about more peace talks... I'm off to bed! I hope everyone had a good Thanksgiving!!!

Thanksgiving!

So yesterday was Thanksgiving but we are having it today... Sally my only student today canceled so I have the whole day to cook. We are making deviled eggs (for Eddie not me!) and mashed potatoes (for me and Eddie expecially) stuffing (for Eddie) gravy (for Kenny) and buying rolls, olives (guess who thats for??) and a roasted chicken! It will be a feast!! I got a letter from my grandmother yesterday via snail mail and we figured out it takes 9 days to travel to my place... thats a long trip for a piece of paper! Its good to hear from family but it also makes me realize I miss home a lot. These last couple days have been hard but Eddie is a great support so I know I'll survive. My bestest friend Tara is home from her trip around the world and I often wish that was me but at the same time I am experiencing so much and I really am having a wonderful time. Its those few moments of homesickness that make me want to go home but really everything is wonderful. I just wish I had more people to share it with. Life is pretty great though. I forgot to write about this last Tuesday night but at the end of my lesson with Sery (the 8yr old girl) she ran up and gave me a big hug goodbye... It was really uncharacteristic and I felt to good knowing that I am connecting with my students and maybe making a small difference. Her parents work all day (literally from 8 -11) so she pretty much just has school then she comes home to her grandmother who is busy cooking and cleaning so I kind'a feel like I am helping by being a role model for my 90 minutes twice a week... who knows....

Also my Korean writing is coming along... I sent sally a text asking if she wanted to have a lesson and she replied in Hongul and I sounded it out and figured out what she said all on my own!! I'm such a big girl right? Haha! Anyways I was excited for that brief moment... I still can't speak Korean though its so hard to remember all the different sounds but its only been 2 months...

So I am just finally finishing up The Koreans book and honestly it is a goldmine of information about Korea. I could write about every page because the information is so compelling but I can't find that much time so I will just say its a very good book and its amazing how much history I don't know about this area. Eddie's class was able to go visit the DMZ which was amazing for him and I hope I can venture over there some time later. I also found some more sites for touring Korea but they don't have many tourist attractions here at least not as many as I am used to. They seem to be more proud of their technology and their future than their past which I can understand because they their past has been difficult.

K well I am off to cook! HAPPY THANKSGIVING EVERYONE!

Finished off the last of the top ramen last night... it was delicious... anyone sending Christmas stuff add some top ramen... even just the powder is good I can get noodles over here! Haha!

Snow

Just a quick update before bed.... We went to the bank and got my money that my mom wired, transfered into won then wired Eddie's money for school then went shopping and Kenny got a coat and we all got hats and went to see Beowulf in 3D it was pretty sweet and we got to wear those funny glasses then when he got out of the theater we noticed people were standing in the doorway watching outside and it was SNOWING! YAY! It was beautiful and COLD! Eddie still doesn't have a good coat so we bundled up and walked home. We stopped to buy some hot chocolate first of course! Now to bed!! I am feeling especially homesick tonight I think because the holidays are coming up! We decided to have a big Thanksgiving dinner this Friday because I have to work Thursday and that way we are having Thanksgiving when everyone else is!! K Good night or Good morning to everyone in America!

Monday update

So Danny's in Germany for a little while longer then he'll be home for a couple days so I am hoping to connect up with my uncles Korean family when he gets back. I think it will be helpful to have someone that can translate near by. So this weekend I was feeling sick again but I spent all day Saturday working then I went to Melody's piano recital. It was really cute to watch all the kids play but seeing as my mom is a piano teacher I had heard a lot of the songs hundreds of times so after the 2nd hour I was kind'a bored but it was still very cute! It takes about 5 minutes for each picture to load so I just put up links for anyone who is curious. After the recital we all went out for pizza then I headed home. I think they were really appreciative of me being there since Danny was gone and Emily's friend Jane and her family all came too. (they are neighbors) Melody is "dating" Jane's 8 year old brother (who is a student of mine) Tom so he is the guy with the glasses. Keep in mind Melody is only 5 and Tom is 7! he brought her flowers and the moms made them take pictures together. It seemed really inappropriate to me but thats just what I am used to.

Anyways so yesterday (Sunday) I woke up still not feeling well so I slept a lot and did some reading. Eddie and I cleaned the house a bit and pretty much just rested.

Today I woke up feeling much better so I am relieved about that. Yesterday I was really cold no matter how warm it was in the house... anyways today I am off to the bank to check up on the money transfer my mom did for me and exchange it into won and then transfer money to Yonsei school for Eddie's tuition that is due soon. Other than that I am working on my Korean more... Emily taught me some stuff on Saturday and I've been practicing a lot... Last night Eddie and I did a workout in our apartment and I'm really sore today. My back is bothering me again... I am hoping to get in to a chiropractor or massage therapist or acupuncturist when Danny gets back. He said he can help me find a good cheap one!

We are keeping up with our bills and seem to be financially stable. Eddie doesn't like not having his own money and really wants me to find him a job but I told him I really don't mind paying for stuff for awhile while he gets settled into school... I think after Christmas I'll be able to get him a couple jobs. I also ran into Singin again (the student from the subway I never got to teach) and he said he still wants lessons on Wednesday at 3 and he is bringing a friend so I will be making a little extra! YAY! Today is my day off so I have to go make use of it!

picture of Melody's piano recital

http://i165.photobucket.com/albums/u59/betherz3/recital032.jpg
http://i165.photobucket.com/albums/u59/betherz3/recital033.jpg
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http://i165.photobucket.com/albums/u59/betherz3/recital009.jpg

Cherry Blossoms

So I was hoping to sleep in this morning but ended up waking to the sound of I would call woodpecker construction. So I was up at 8am... and I woke up with a slight cold! But since I used about half of my luggage space to pack vitamins I am hoping to stop this cold before it gets too bad! Last night Eddie and I had Pho again! It was delicious then we walked around and found a coffee shop and he taught me more Korean. Its hard to learn from a boyfriend (I am learning) because he wants to teach me one way and I want to learn another way but after we figured out each others learning and teaching styles we made some progress. We walked to the other cafe and met my students at 9 and Eddie stayed and listened while I taught which was a little nerve wracking because I felt like I was being judged but it went well. The one thing that stuck out in my mind this lesson was that when I asked Jimmy when his favorite season was he said spring because thats when the Cherry Blossoms come out but then he said he loves them but he hates them because they represent Japan. This was a very honest moment and he asked if we understood and we said we did. That is one of the first times I have seen such hatred from him because usually he is a happy bubbly guy but I can imagine how that might feel to have something like cherry blossoms represent something so terrible.

Hungul

So yesterday was a normal day I taught Jane and Tom then Melody and Emily. I came home and made chop chay after getting directions from Jane's mom in broken English... It wasn't as good as the chop chay I had had at their house but Eddie and I ate it all. Its a clear noodle with carrots and garlic and cucumber and onion fried together with soy sauce and sesame oil and a little sugar. I need to perfect my recipe but it wasn't too bad I also learned how to made a really good rice dish that I will attempt to make tonight... We'll see how it goes.. Its difficult to know how much of everything I need to put in because she just showed me a spoonful but we'll see. I think I might want to buy a Korean cook book because I think it would come in hander than not! Today I am teaching Sery and Amy and then Jimmy and Sawha changed their Sunday lesson to tonight at 9pm at a cafe so I will go there after. Its about a 30 minutes walk from our house so Eddie said he will walk me there and wait while I teach then walk me home. It is perfectly safe to walk there alone but I am very happy to have him with me just in case! The streets are usually still buzzing at all hours of the night though. I have been practicing extra hard on my Korean reading! It is SO HARD! Actually I think it would be easier if I had a teacher but I am attempting to teach myself ....kind'a ...and thats a struggle in itself! I got the consonants down and I know how to write everything perfectly I just cant tell the difference between some of the sounds of the vowels! Its like EE and EO and EA.... its just a small change in your chin that makes the sound... anyways I'm posting the alphabet for anyone who is curious! It pretty helpful to know this stuff if you plan on visiting! Anyways I am going to write some more Korean and see what I can learn today! Also I've been trying to walk up all the stairs I can since I haven't gotten into a gym yet. The one by my house never has anyone working there just people lifting weights so I can't even attempt to talk to someone and the college one is for students only and everywhere else is like $80 a month! So yesterday I hiked up the 12 floors to Emily's house and then home the 9 floors to my place I was winded! I am hopeful though! I'm also noticing how many people own boots here and I have decided to buy a pair so I spent some time looking on Korean shopping websites and found that only a few of them have my size! I can't find my size in any store! I forgot to mention my one pair of nice dress shoes has worn through the toe (its not obvious to someone looking from above but I hit my toe on everything! ouch) so thats why I need new shoes and since winter is coming and boots are in style I figured thats the best way to go... Thats my life in Korea... just reading, teaching, shopping, learning, exploring and eating!



http://thinkzone.wlonk.com/Language/KoreanName.htm Here's people's names in Korean!

second life

I don't know if everyone has heard about this but its called second life and apparently a lot of people use this... I checked out the website and its just like making up your own life.... Its kind'a strange but here is the site....http://secondlife.com/

fun

http://www.koreatimes.co.kr/www/news/special/2007/11/180_13602.html
Here is some information on the presidential race.

So I had a bit of a scare yesterday with the computer I was sure it was broken but it turned out to be the outlet! YAY! So life is good again. This weekend was a lot of fun we went out with Kenny and some of their friends from school. There was Elizabeth (I had met her before) from Austria, Sandra from Germany, Asay who is Korean but lived in Japan except for the last 4 years when he lived in the US, Allen who is Chinese but fluent in Korean, and his friend Thaiyong (she was a really sweet Korean girl who came out with us). We walked around Sinchon for a while then Allen found a western style bar (cowboy pictures and techno music) so we went in there. I'll post some pictures of that. After that we checked out a Nori bong which is like a Karaoke room and sang some songs and heard some songs sung in Chinese and Korean and Japanese. It was a fun night. Sunday I taught then came home and we didn't have much food so we got some pizza with cheesy bites on the edges but to our surprise they had put sweet potatoes in the cheesy bites!! They really like sweet potatoes on pizza! Yesterday I read for a long time then went to a PC bong (computer room) and used the internet since I thought my computer was broken and played Starcraft like a real Korean with Eddie, Kenny, and their friend Tug who is Mongolian. After that we met up with Asay and had dinner at a Korean restaurant. After dinner we had to have ice cream so we headed for Baskin Robbins then we went to a game bong and played Blockus for a couple hours until they closed at 11. It was a fun day! When we got home Eddie figured out the computer was fine so I was relieved!! Today Sally called and canceled her lesson so I only have to teach 3 students today! I am a little frustrated that I wont have the money I need but I know people have lives.

So I am putting up some pictures from teaching with Melody and then Saturday night!

PHO!

Found another Pho place near my apartment so life is looking good! I taught Jimmy and Seung-Hwa then Jimmy left and Seung-Hwa took me to a Pho restaurant because I told them I liked chicken noodle soup!! YAY! I was so excited to see one so close to my house... Other than that I taught Emily and Melody then checked out a gym near our house but when I went in everyone was working out and no one was working at the desk so I will have to go back it was a confusing situation! Tonight Eddie went out to a all you can eat Korean BBQ restaurant but I stayed home to read and just had some rice and seaweed cause I wasn't hungry so I am off!

Book

So I am reading The Koreans By Michael Breen and it is a really accurate analysis of Koreans. Its amazing to read because its similar to what I am experiencing... He talks about how one Korean being very helpful and friendly but Koreans as a group being greedy and judgmental. For anyone interested in Korean life this is an excellent book! I am also learning how much people love and respect their mothers over here and not so much their fathers. The fathers are gone all day and come home late at night then tell the kids to go to bed or study so I see why this relationship is the way it is. "Most Koreans would crawl a million miles over broken glass for their mothers, but not for their fathers." I am seeing this with most of my students. When I asked them to write a short essay about their family I get sentences like "I love my parents but I love my mother a lot more" and really every home I go to the mother is home cooking and being helpful and friendly while I haven't even met most of the fathers.

I am also seeing how close the family ties are. It seems that relationships are very important to Koreans. "There is a self-perpetuating attitude that everyone is a potential bastard, and that you can trust only your family and group. It's here that all the love, sacrifice and support is that helps Koreans avoid loneliness and self-doubt." Most children grow up and start a family and when their parents get older they move in with their children and their children's family. I have been introduced to more grandmothers that fathers!

I think if we could stand our parents more this would be a wonderful way to do it. The grandparents could live with the kids and help out and have a safer place to live but honestly in our society I don't see this happening very easily. Much of our life is spent running away from our parents so moving back in with them seems to be a more than problematic approach.

PICTURES

So I called my dad today and he answered!! I was so happy. Life is great over here but I still miss people a lot and yesterday I had kind'a a hard time randomly just missing my friends and family and wishing I could see them. Other than that I am great. I taught Sery today because Amy was gone so Sery had an extra long lesson. We sang the hokey pokey and practiced spelling and colors and talked a little (as much as we could) and played some Go Fish to practice numbers and then I headed back home. I e-mailed some of my students and corrected papers then did some reading then made yakisoba again with tofu it was delicious!I tried to take some pictures along the way... They may seem kind'a boring but I want to remember all the streets I walk down so I am taking lots of pictures! Tomorrow is Friday and Sally canceled on me this week so its just Jihyan then I have the evening to do something interesting. I don't know what yet but hopefully we'll find something to do! I really want to see a temple or something... I think that will be later though... enjoy the pictures! i have one of the hallway to our home then some pictures of the streets and some of Sery and I before our lesson. The one with the boxes outside the shop is just an example of how safe everything is... TV's and stuff just left out in the street and no one steals! The last one is for my aunt Lisa cause she always says she wants pictures of me so I took one for her!

I finally got a camera so get ready for some pictures!! YAY!

I was testing out the movie setting on my camera so its not the greatest but it shows more Melody! She lost 2 teeth since our last performance....

CAKE

So I told Eddie I wanted something sweet like a donut so he and Kenny bought me a cake and the lady gave them a candle and matches and confetti poppers.... so we had a mini birthday party for no reason then we went grocery shopping and I made curry for the first time it was really good. We also bought some chicken and I'm gonna make some soup and maybe some yakisoba with it! yay! Its kind'a fun learning to cook. Today I teach and I've started in on a new book The Koreans.

I got another student!

So my schedule is filling up quickly. Here is my new schedule...

Monday Open!

Tuesday sally and mom
Jihyan
Amy and Sery

Wednesday Singin (my newest student who saw me at the subway and asked if I could teach him English and I haven't had a lesson with him yet)
Jane and Tom
Emily and Melody

Thursday Amy and Sery

Friday Sally and mom
Jihyan

Saturday Jimmy and Seung-Hwa Jung
Emily and Melody

Sunday Jimmy and Seung-Hwa Jung

Friday night Eddie Kenny and I went to a Chinese restaurant and ordered way too much food then walked around Dong-Dae Mun stadium which is a huge shopping area. We met with Kenny's friend Ninha (who is a guy) and he showed us around a little then we headed home around 11pm.

Saturday I taught then met Eddie at the subway station and we went to the COEX building in Samsoung and walked around there. Its like a huge mall with lots of shops and an aquarium (which we went to!!) and lots of restaurants. There was one restaurant called Jackie Chan's favorite Dim Sum and it was all about Jackie Chan. We ate some very interestingly sour pizza in the food court then walked around until we found the aquarium (which is amazing) it started off kind'a slow with a few fish tanks here and there but it quickly got very interesting walking through cave like rooms with live shark floating in a tank just above us and huge sea turtles. It was a lot of fun. I am really happy to have Eddie with me because he know a lot bout animals so he was just spouting out facts like I was on a tour! When we finished looking around we headed for the movie theater to see if we could see anything and we saw the "Kingdom" was playing along with "The Black Daliah"(which came out in America about a year ago) and we remembered that Danny had recommended Kingdom so we tried to get tickets but the theater was totally full so we walked around a while then took the subway back home.

Today I had a class with Jimmy and Seung-Hwa Jung then I came home and finished my book and laid around for a while because my shinsplints are getting worse with all this walking. Tomorrow is my only day off so I will be grading papers and reading most of the day... I may manage to clean up our bedroom a little and maybe go out somewhere with Eddie.

The highest building

So I woke up earlier than usual today... about 3am... my room/house was freezing... We have one thin quilt that keeps us warm but today I found it was not doing its job. We don't usually have the heater on but I think starting tonight I might use it. Eddie slept soundly while I tossed around trying to find warmth. I finally grabbed one of my pillows and laid it on top of me. The morning was long and cold. I have recently been reintroduced to my old friend coffee and seeing as it has been quite a while since my last cup I am finding myself more vulnerable to its effects than ever! Everywhere I go people pour me a cup so I feel obligated to drink it. I am trying to drink it black to keep the sugar content low and in memory of my dad back home. He always says I have to drink coffee black like a man and not be a wuss.... anyways... I had a cup around 3pm yesterday so needless to say my eyes have big circles around them today. It was a rough night but when Eddie's alarm finally went off at 8am I was very relieved. I could finally get out of bed and hopefully warm up. I decided to take a shower and get ready for the day a little earlier than usual... I had spent enough time laying there thinking about sleep...

Today I met up with Sally and her mother. From the looks of their home and cars I think it is safe to say they are VERY upper class. I got ready for my day and headed for the subway in the cold. Its not the kind of cold a person dislikes its the kind of cold you simply remember to wear a warm jacket in. The sky is clear and the sun is bright. The wind is cold but not too sharp. I make my way to the subway and meet Sally and her mother (who still is nameless to me). They drive me to the highest building in Seoul or in Korean I am unsure. I don't know the name of it but it says 63city everywhere so I will conclude that this is its name. The building is high and signs direct people to the top floors to "Sit in the Sky". We go to a very very nice Thai restaurant and I order pad thai. It is delicious! This is a very upper class shopping mall. Everything is very expensive and very fancy. We then walk around the 63city building until we find a coffee shop called "Beans and Berries" which has smoothies and coffee. I tried to order a iced coffee but I ended up with a cup of iced whole milk with a 1/4 cup of coffee... It was thick but I drank it down so as not to be rude. Sally's mom bought some cookies and bread and gave me some to take home to my "husband" (Danny told me it is looked down upon to live with a boyfriend before marriage so I tell people we are married to make things easier for everyone involved).

After coffee Sally took me to a Sea World in the basement and I got to see some amazing fish and otter's and penguins. It was definitely the best sea world I have ever seen. She gave me directions to an even better one in town so I can take Eddie to it later. After we walked around for awhile we walked to a park and talked for a little then she brought me back to the subway station and I headed for the Kyobo bookstore. It was a good days work in my mind and I got a free meal and I learned a little more about Korea.

I got off the subway but I took the wrong exit out so I ended up exploring a little more of Korea than I was expecting to (for today). It was beautiful. The air is crisp. Its not so cold that you need to stay inside, it the kind of cold air that feels nice when you breathe it in. I have asked each student of mine which season is the best and they all say fall. I am really starting to understand this. The trees are bright shades of yellows and orange and the sky is beautiful light blue. I really enjoy the cloudless skies here. Don't get me wrong, it rains here too, and when it rains it rains hard but not like the rain in Olympia. It hasn't rained in about a week and when it does rain it only lasts a hour or two... at least that is what I have seen so far... Okay so I got off the subway at the wrong spot so I walked around enjoying the air and the sites until I found Kyobo bookstore (this was my 3rd adventure here) and I bought some movies for my students to watch in English (3 Disney DVDs for 10,000won =about $11) at a movie table down one of the hallways then I got a English/Korean picture dictionary for myself and for class with my students. I also bought Eddie a small pocket dictionary because he has been needing one for class badly. I also signed up for a discount card for the bookstore to get 10% off which really is a very good idea because I think I will be finding myself there a lot. On the way out I found a scarf table (everywhere I go there are tables of all kind of things for sale that are very cheap like movies, clothes, socks, food, jewelery etc.) and I bought a very nice scarf that I badly needed for today for 10,000 won. I figured I better head home before I spend anymore money so I headed for the subway station. At the station I bought some earrings for 1,000won which is VERY cheap and headed home. I made my usual stop at the little Frog Pond like shop and bought a melon Popsicle and now I am just waiting for Eddie to finish soccer practice so he, Kenny and I can go out for dinner! My legs are tired from walking up and down the stairs to the subway stations but I think I am getting some muscles so thats good!!

As far as school stuff goes I am still practicing my Korean and I am almost finished with my book Lost Names. It is a very tragic story about one boy's childhood during the war. He and his Korean family are forced to take a Japanese name and speak Japanese and bow to the Japanese Emperor while the Japanese are taking all of their food and destroying their life. Before now I only knew a little about this war but it is really fascinating and very sad. I am happy to be a little less ignorant after reading this book!

Learning Korean is harder than I could have ever thought. I can practice and practice and practice and my mind still jumbles everything all together. This is how my memory works and I am learning that about myself. I think the Rosetta Stone program works the best for me because it uses all the learning styles so hopefully this path towards speaking Korean will get a little less painful.... My head is pounding from the mix of the small amount of coffee I had and the very small amount of sleep I have had so I will rest before my hopefully eventful evening!

Tomorrow is Saturday so I will teach Jimmy and his friend then Emily and Melody...

I miss and love everyone and I hope everyone knows how happy and safe I am here!


ALSO THE WONDERFUL NEWS I GOT FROM MY MOTHER: I AM GETTING MY FINANCIAL AID MONEY SENT TO ME SOON SO THATS AN EXTRA $3600!!! I HAVE NEVER BEEN SO RELIEVED! NOW I CAN BUY A CAMERA AND START TAKING SOME PICTURES AGAIN!!