So life without a cell phone is kind'a hard. Luckily Eddie doesn't use his much so I've just taken his... We originally paid 100,000won for our cell phones then I told Danny I lost mine and he said it would cost 300,000won this time!! AHHH! Yesterday we splurged and bought a toilet seat for 13,000won (the old one fell off so it had turned into a STRESSFUL balancing act). Anyways $300 is a lot for us right now and really for a phone so I'm asking all my friends if they have old phones they don't want. We'll see what happens. In the mean time my cell phone has a Bruce Lee doll hanging from it...

We've been cleaning franticly and it is starting to look pretty good in here! Its just hard to keep wood floors clean. I taught Enzongcha yesterday and I have Sery today but other than that I'm just exercising, cleaning and reading. Yesterday we found a packet with all the ingredients for Phad Thai so Eddie made dinner yesterday and it tasted a lot like the real thing! So Phad Thai for every meal from now on...

In other news my computer stopped typing about a 1/5 of the things I type so I have to press down really hard on each key. Moral of the story "Don't buy an old HP laptop that constantly overheats and doesn't type!"

My family will be here Friday! I' trying to plan what we will do but I've only come up with a few things so I'm researching online and stuff!

Thailand!!!!

Our hotel lobby!------------------->


























So we got home safely last night from Thailand. It was an amazing trip and I learned A LOT! I have so much to write I am overwhelmed! I have hundreds of pictures too!

So we left Friday afternoon. We took a shuttle bus to the airport and got checked in and grabbed some food at a subway sandwich shop. (A turkey sandwich at a subway at the airport is more then $9) We got on the plane and headed to Taiwan. We had a 30 minute layover in Taiwan then we got to Bangkok around 11pm. We were supposed to meet up with a taxi driver Danny set up for us but he never arrived. We called him 4 times and finally we gave up around 1:30am. We bartered for a cheap taxi to take us to the hotel and were introduced to Lek. They walked us past all the regular taxis and we crossed the street and we were escorted into a small car that was at at least 15 years old. They spoke Thai to each other then the guy that had brought us there laughed and left. I was scared to death. We were in a old small car that didn't have any signs of being a taxi. The taxi driver asked where we were going and I told him the Grand Hotel in Bangkok. He didn't know where it was!!!!!! But luckily I knew the street names. It was a forty minute drive to the hotel but it seemed much longer. I held Eddie's hand tightly as the little car sped through Bangkok. My mind was racing wildly.. I was imagining each scenario in my head... none of them ended well. As we neared the hotel he started talking to us about what we were doing in Thailand and where we were from. I felt much more comfortable towards the end of the ride which I was thankful for because my heart was really pounding. We arrived at the hotel around 2:10am and I had Eddie check in (we had to register under his name at the hotel because they charge American's $20 more per night and since his last name is Kim we got a cheaper price... complete racism it seems). Lek (the taxi driver) offered to pick us up in the morning and take us around Bangkok for 1,200 baht (roughly $40). Since Danny had arranged for us to do that with our other taxi driver (that didn't show up) for 1,500 baht we decided to go with Lek the following morning. The room was nice but the bathroom had dirty water and cockroaches... I'm not a big fan. Eddie was excited since he has a strange fascination with animals and insects. But I was more unhappy about his new friends so I caught one and squished the others... The net morning we had a big breakfast at the hotel then headed into town with Lek around 10am. He took us to the Palace and offered to be our tour guide around the Palace for 50 baht an hour ($1.80) so we said sure(He didn't really know anything about the history but he showed us all the places to look)! We went to the resting Buddha temple and then headed towards the market for some lunch. A few older woman had huge pans of food sitting out on stools on the side walk. I got a bowl of spicy shrimp and rice and Eddie tried some chicken. It tasted pretty good and was cheap we both had a meal and got bottled waters for about 120 baht ($4). After lunch we headed down a dirty alley then we found a older guy sitting on a bench and Lek talked to him for a while. We negotiated the price for a boat tour down the river and we were off. Lek came with us as a guide since he got to ride for free. We stopped at a floating market (lots of boats selling things) and bought some fruit. It was a dollar (30baht) for a bag of mango slices and other fruits!! YUMMY! We walked around a big regular market and found a little park. Then we headed further down the river. On either sides of the river there were floating houses with people sitting on porches and watching TV. Kids were swimming in parts of the river and lots of other tour boats were floating by as well. We stopped to throw some bread out to feed a bunch of fish then saw the royal boats and after 2 hours we were back at the docks again! We went to a nice shopping market and Eddie got some shorts. I bought a elephant statue and we both got some ice cream then Lek took us to a restaurant with Phad Thai and we had a nice dinner. After dinner we walked around a park then Lek took us to get a Thai massage. It was pretty cheap and felt great but after the women demanded that we give them a huge tip (more than the actual massage).
After Lek told us there was a show near the market that tourists always go see that was a dancing girl show with magic tricks. We misinterpreted that as a traditional Thai dance or some kind of show but it ended up being a whole lot more than that.... We had no idea what we had just payed for as we walked up the stairs to "the show". Ask me about it in person if your curious....

We left half way through the show and told Lek we were ready to go to the night market. He asked if we learned anything.... ummmm hmmm....We walked around Put Pang market for a while and found a few little things. After the wandering around the market for a while, it was about 10:30pm and we were ready for bed (there's a 2 hour tie difference so it felt like 12:30)! So he took us home we gave him a big tip and he said he'd be back in the morning to take us out again. He picked us up around 11 and we headed for Safari world. It was like any safari world but it also had dolphin and elephant shows which I had never been to before. Somewhere in all the fun I managed to loose my cell phone so I am currently cellphoneless... But I hope to get a new one this week!!

Around 4pm we were ready to head back to the hotel. We swam in the pool and ordered room service (phad thai of course). Monday morning Lek took us to Pattaya which was about 2 hours away. He brought his girlfriend with him and when we got there he took us out to lunch!!! It was a little funny to be friends having lunch with our taxi driver. Lunch was seafood soup (everything included) and barnacles, muscles, and octopus and a whole fried fish! I ate it all... Then he bought us some fresh fruit and we walked around the beach. He took us to Walking Street and I tried to use my credit card for the first time.. but it didn't work. I was convinced my bank thought it was fraud so had frozen it so I contacted my mom later to see what was happening. That night we swam in the pool at Pattaya and had dinner at the hotel.

At this point we had just enough money to pay Lek to pick us up from Pattaya on Thursday night and then take us to the airport. I assumed my credit card would be working so we spend a little money Tuesday at the beach and then we ate dinner. Wednesday I found out my bank doesn't work in Thailand and Romania... Everywhere else in the world its fine!!! Lucky for us Eddie and I both bank there!!!! So we literally had no money!! I was freaking out! Wednesday we used my $15 Starbucks card to get some croissants and smoothies but then we had nothing. We tried to contact Kenny who had just arrived in Thailand to try to borrow money from him but we never could! Thursday we headed back to Bangkok but still only had enough for the taxi. We did eat that day except for the toast we got free at the hotel in the morning. For dinner we had hotel tea and I ate a salt packet! We didn't even have water so we went down to the fitness center and drank a cup of water there for free. We swam in the pool a bit then walked around looking for a place with internet. The hotel charged $5 for 15 minutes of internet which was money we really didn't have(most places only charged 30bht for 1 hour!). We couldn't find an internet spot so we walked back to the hotel and I tried to exchange my Japanese yen I still had in my wallet. The cashier was extremely rude and refused to exchange it because there was a small rip in the bill... So we just waited for Friday morning to come so we could get the free breakfast and get out of Thailand so I could have some money!!! We watched movies on HBO for a few hours then fell asleep.

The flight stopped over in Hong Kong so we got to look around the airport for a while but it looked like every airport I had seen so not too exciting... but i have officially been to Taiwan, Thailand, Hong Kong, Japan, and Korea in the past 6 months!

We got to Korea around 8pm and I thought I ask to see how much a taxi would be so we wouldn't have to take the shuttle again. The man clearly said 16,000won so we excitedly agreed since it was 9,000 per person on the shuttle. The ride home was about 40 minutes and when we got there the driver told us that the toll gate fee was not included in the price so I gave him 16,000 plus the 7,000 for the toll. He looked at me strange and said no 67,000!!!!! We had heard the man wrong he wasn't saying 16 he was saying 60!!! AHHHHHH!! That is more than we paid Lek to drive us for 13hours in Thailand!! I paid him and said goodbye but we were both pretty upset!! It was about 9pm and it was Eddie's birthday so we went out and saw a movie. We got home at 12pm and I crashed! I worked today for a couple hours and later we are gonna go out for a birthday dinner for Eddie and get a cake. Overall it was a interesting trip. I have learned a lot. Never before have I HAD to go without food. Its a scary feeling. And that first taxi ride was pretty scary too I had no idea what would happen! We ate some great food, swam in the ocean, got to hold miniature monkeys, got to go on some tours, met Lek, and overall had a pretty nice time. I do wish my credit card would have worked for the last part of the trip but I learned I should bring more cash!! I have hundreds of pictures I will try to upload the good ones!!

In other news my family is coming in 6 days!! Tomorrow I am cleaning the house most of the day!!

heading to Thailand....

So we're taking off for Thailand tomorrow. We will have a short stop in Taiwan then we are staying in Bangkok for three days then Pattaya for 3 more days then back to Bangkok for one night then to Hong Kong for 2 hours and home next Friday night. I'm still really sick and hardly made it to the bank today to exchange my money! I hope I am feeling better for tomorrow because it should be a fun trip! I'm exhausted so thats all for now...

SICK AGAIN AGAIN!

So I've got a cold! Of course the week we are leaving for Thailand I get sick! Its strange that the last time I was sick was the week before our Japan trip... anyways... Thats frustrating! Yesterday my lesson canceled!! Our income is closer to $1,000 a month including Eddie's jobs!!! I feel like its getting worse and worse! Last night we went and saw 10,000 BC the movie for St Patty's Day. It was pretty interesting and entertaining...

Today I have one lesson and I think we need to do a little grocery shopping since we are out of food...

HAPPY WHITE DAY!

So today is White Day in Korea. Valentines day is 2.14 and it when girls buy guys stuff then White day is 3.14 and guys buy girls stuff!

I spent some time reading in a park on Wednesday and it was a hilarious experience. So many children kept running up to me and just starring at me. I'd say Hi or Anyahaseyo and they'd giggle and run away. One group of older boys walked by and told me I was beautiful and kept waving and saying bye. And then a really young girl walked up to me and said "Hello, where are you going?" which was a strange questions since I was sitting down reading but I said "well I'm a teacher so I'm going to teach soon" and she said "oh so you teach English?" and I said "yeah" then she started getting out some candy and she handed me a couple pieces I said thank you and she said goodbye. I was amazed with her English and her bluntness. It really made my day.

Before that I found out my only paying student had canceled so I was feeling a little discouraged but luckily I had more time to read my book.

Eddie and I tried a new Pho Mein restaurant in Cheolsan on Wednesday. It wasn't amazing but it was okay... but the exciting thing was the guy gave us a point card. I think we look a little less like a tourist because we never used to be offered point cards but now I have 3 coffee shop cards and now 1 restaurant. I wonder if I look different now or something.

Yesterday we worked out then spent some time in a Smoothie King drinking smoothies and studying. I was reading my book and Eddie was preparing for the final he is taking right this second! Then we came home and read for a while. I made some dinner then worked at 9pm then we read some more.... It was a slow day and it was a rainy one too. It is warming up though so I am really hoping to get to see more temples and museums now that I can walk around more comfortably.

Today is my official day off even though every day seems like I'm off now... We're working out then Eddie is playing soccer at 3:30 and then hopefully we'll do something fun.

philosophy and religion

So my only paying student canceled today so I'm only teaching Danny's kids. I don't know that we'll be able to stay through the summer at this rate. We are going to need a double in pay to pay for a visa run in June and a trip home!

"In the North, people lead a pathetic existence given over entirely to the Party and Kim Jong-il, who confiscates power for his own ends.... They are now dying of hunger without the right to utter a word of protest, crushed by a system that walks all over their fundamental human rights. We are told that the answer to these little promblems- the respect for human rights, the concentration camps, the kidnapping of the South Korean and Japanese citizens-currently is not of primary concern. We are told that this debate would be better left for another day, that the N. Korean's lot should improve before we undertake reunification; but by then they'll all be dead!" (The Aquariums of Pyongyang Page 237)

I finished my book on North Korea and I am now reading about Eastern philosophy and religion. Currently touching on Confucian marriage. A famous female scholar Pan Chao wrote how to be a good wife. "She should put others first, herself last, if she does something good, she shouldn't mention it, but if she does something bad, she shouldn't deny it." "She should seem to tremble and fear at all times." "If a husband and wife spend too much time together, following each other around the house, they will begin to lust after each other and take liberties." (The Best Guide to Eastern Philosophy and Religion page 204)

Yesterday I was walking with Eddie and Kenny home from the gym and outside of Yonsei we saw a bunch of activity club sign up booths. We walked by one that said "Hip Hop and other Black music". We were all a little appalled by the sign but it really seems that they don't really think thats a bad way of saying it. Anyways that was strange.

news

http://www.koreatimes.co.kr/www/news/nation/2008/03/117_20364.html

http://www.koreatimes.co.kr/www/news/nation/2008/03/117_20385.html

http://www.koreatimes.co.kr/www/news/opinon/2008/03/202_20300.html

http://www.koreatimes.co.kr/www/news/opinon/2008/03/170_19375.html

http://www.koreatimes.co.kr/www/news/nation/2008/03/116_20384.html

AND!!! http://www.koreatimes.co.kr/www/news/nation/2008/03/117_13941.html !!!!!!

So we didn't end up going to Costco on Friday but I had a busy weekend teaching. Still trying to figure out what our plans will be for our Thailand trip as Danny keeps changing the options on us! I just hope it all comes together okay! Spring feels like it is very close. I can almost go outside without a coat... I am nervous about the summer though seeing as everyone says its terrible!

I'm almost finished with my book and really can't believe what I have read! The horrifying stories are hard to read but I appreciate that the writer didn't make it too gruesome so I can handle it.

Saturday I went to Shinchon and finally found some shoes. It was pretty traumatic trying to find shoes in my size. I ended up with some ugly mens slip-ons that I really don't care for but my Converse are falling apart! I found five different shoes that I liked and they never had my size so finally I asked them to show me what shoes they did have in my size and I was given about 3 options and so I settled for the slip-ons but its still frustrating. I am having a difficult time not feeling like a giant Yetty over here!

Other than that tomorrow I work with Enzongcha and hopefully will be able to talk to Danny more about the Thailand trip. It looks like it is gonna be more expensive then we had hoped. It also looks like we aren't gonna have the money to stay throughout the summer because I have to travel somewhere in June because of my Visa but then we will have to come home and I don't have the money for Thailand, China, and home so we are thinking we'll probably be leaving earlier which I am saddened by but mostly really excited to know that I'm almost home.

today's vocab:

un·al·loyed adj.

1. Not in mixture with other metals; pure.
2. Complete; unqualified: unalloyed blessings; unalloyed relief.

ped·a·gogue n.

1. A schoolteacher; an educator.
2. One who instructs in a pedantic or dogmatic manner.

frivolity n.
1. the trait of being frivolous; not serious or sensible [ant: earnestness]
2. something of little value or significance [syn: bagatelle]
3. acting like a clown or buffoon.

de·jec·tion n.

1. The state of being dejected; low spirits.
2. Evacuation of the intestinal tract; defecation.

en·gen·ded v.

1. To bring into existence; give rise to: "Every cloud engenders not a storm" (Shakespeare).
2. To procreate; propagate.

dip·tych n.

1. A work consisting of two painted or carved panels that are hinged together.
2. An ancient writing tablet having two leaves hinged together.
3. A list of names, originally contained on such a tablet, of living and dead Christians for whom special prayers are made during the liturgy in many eastern and western churches.

shroud·ed, v.

1. To wrap (a corpse) in burial clothing.
2. To shut off from sight; screen. See Synonyms at block.

sa·ti·at·ed adj.

1. satisfied, as one's appetite or desire, to the point of boredom.


tac·i·turn adj.

1. inclined to silence; reserved in speech; reluctant to join in conversation.
2. dour, stern, and silent in expression and manner.

So I've read about half way through my book but these words came up and I couldn't remember what they meant so I thought I'd give myself some vocab!

Reliable Koreans....

So I'm currently reading The Aquariums of Pyongyang: Ten Years in the North Korean Gulag. Its turning out to be a pretty good book but also very tragic!

As for Koreans doing what they say they will....
Enzongcha informed me that her nephew who I was supposed to meet on Monday was too busy to have English lessons so that didn't happen. In my free time I headed to Kyobo and bought my new book and the game of Scrabble! I played it with all of my students so far and it has been a hit! When I say Scrabble I mean junior scrabble so in playing scrabble I mean matching the letters with the letters already on the board... anyways its been fun!

I've talked to Danny a few times now and he has looked up tickets to Thailand again because he didn't buy them and now they are 100,000won more each! So we are thinking about going a different route and going with a tour group. Supposedly we will pay 450,000won and get a round trip plane ticket and 5 days and 3 nights in a nice hotel with tours around Bankok and Phuket. I think this could be a good solution because it would be nice to have a tour guide. We are checking to see if we can extend our stay a few days so we can relax on the beach but either way I'll be happy... Its gonna cost us a little though! If I could go back in time I would have saved up a lot more money before I came here!!

Other than that Eddie started teaching two new boys tonight and I think it was successful because he's going back next week! Jane's mom finally paid me the extra money she owed me and I was grateful she handed me the money and I didn't have to bring it up. What had happened was I worked 5 times in January and she only paid me for 4 then I worked 3 times in February and she only paid me for 2 so I was becoming kind of frustrated with the situation but she just handed me an envelope today so I was very relieved! The only thing was I was teaching her son for 15 minutes each time I taught her daughter so she was paying me an extra 10,000 for the 15 minutes then her son couldn't take lessons anymore so I taught her daughter for and hour and 15 minutes but in the envelope she only paid me for 2 hours!! ARG! Well I guess I'm just happy to have that settled (kind'a)!

My friend Summer who is Korean but grew up in China is coming back from her vacation to China so I am hoping to get together with her soon!!

Stephanie is coming home from Japan tomorrow so we are gonna meet up this weekend and thats about it for today!!

take your baby to work day??

So Friday I met with Yeon Jae and we ate at a new pho restaurant in Hongdae. After Pho we went to a coffee shop called a Twosome Place and had ice cream with espresso poured on top. It was delicious but needless to say I didn't sleep Friday night! We sat at the coffee shop for about 2 hours and she taught me some more Korean. It was fun and I am feeling a little more confident but its really difficult to remember all the vocab and the grammar is an other HUGE frustration! Its kind'a nice to know how my students feel though. It gives me more compassion for what they are doing. After coffee we headed to Kyobo bookstore in search of some English games but we only found a few so I was disappointed! After that we headed to Dongdaemun where we shopped for about 4 hours! It was intense and there were so many shops! I did end up finding a few things I could buy that weren't too expensive! We also went to the shoe area which is a huge floor of shoes! They had every color and brand in Korea! I searched up and down and only found one pair of boots that didn't have a 5 inch heel! So I pondered that for a while but they didn't have my size and it would be about 2 weeks wait and it was 130,000won and they were kind'a ugly so I decided not to go for it! We found a couple other flat shoes but they were all at least 60,000won so I decided I was better off in my Converse!

Saturday I worked and then came home to rest because I literately hadn't slept the night before. Coffee is a dangerous drug for me because my body gets tired but my mind goes on and on.

Then today I taught in Sangdo for a while and I've been practicing my Korean. Sery (my student) gives me homework each week and todays homework is colors so I am trying to memorize all the words for red, orange, blue, etc. On my way home a man was selling purses in the subway station and I found a nice big one for 5,000 won! I was really excited! I love the one Eddie bought me last year but I need a bigger one so I can carry books in it when I'm teaching... So I found a really cheap one and its huge I feel like Mary Poppins!

Tomorrow I'm meeting Enzongcha if she doesn't cancel again then she is supposed to introduce me to a new student... I'm not getting my hopes up too much because many Korean's have a way of not doing what they say they will...

Speaking of.... Danny told me not to buy the tickets for our trip to Thailand that I found online because he found cheaper ones and he was supposed to buy the tickets last month. (He said he wanted to use his credit card because he gets money back for it) So I said that was fine but he hasn't bought them yet!!

Also the students Eddie was supposed to start teaching last month are supposedly starting this Wednesday so we'll see if that happens!

AHH!! Eddie and I were walking around Cheolsan Wednesday and we saw a taxi driver carrying his baby while he was working! There was no car seat in the car he was just holding the baby while he drove!!! It looked like it was about 4-7 months old!! I was so surprised to see this older man holding a baby behind the wheel!!

I guess people are more relaxed about working here. In the gym on Thursday the owner was walking around brushing her teeth in the middle of the gym! And the guy that works at the mini mart is always drinking and watching TV while he works. But carrying a baby around while driving... thats a little too risky for me!



ALSO YELLOW SAND IS HERE!! http://www.koreatimes.co.kr/www/news/nation/2008/03/117_19940.html

Here is wikipedia's definition of Yellow Sand.

"Asian Dust (also yellow dust, yellow sand, yellow wind, or China dust storms) is a seasonal meteorological phenomenon which affects much of East Asia sporadically during the springtime months. The dust originates in the deserts of Mongolia and northern China and Kazakhstan where high-speed surface winds and intense dust storms kick up dense clouds of fine, dry soil particles. These clouds are then carried eastward by prevailing winds and pass over China, North and South Korea, and Japan, as well as parts of the Russian Far East. Sometimes, the airborne particulates are carried much further, in significant concentrations which affect air quality as far east as the United States.

In the last decade or so, it has become a serious problem due to industrial pollutants (previously not a threat) and intensified desertification in China, as well as in the last few decades when the Aral region of Kazakhstan dried up due to a failed Soviet agricultural scheme.
Contents

Sulphur (an acid rain component), soot, ash, carbon monoxide, and other toxic pollutants including heavy metals (such as mercury, cadmium, chromium, arsenic, lead, zinc, copper) and other carcinogens, often accompany the dust storms, as well as viruses, bacteria, fungi, pesticides, antibiotics, asbestos, herbicides, plastic ingredients, combustion products as well as hormone mimicking phthalates. Though scientists have known that intercontinental dust plumes can ferry bacteria and viruses, "most people had assumed that the [sun's] ultraviolet light would sterilize these clouds," says microbiologist Dale W. Griffin, also with the USGS in St. Petersburg. "We now find that isn't true." [1]


Areas affected by the dust experience decreased visibility and the dust is known to cause a variety of health problems, not limited to sore throat and asthma in otherwise healthy people. Often, people are advised to avoid or minimize outdoor activities, depending on severity of storms. For those already with asthma or respiratory infections, it can be fatal. The dust has been shown to increase the daily mortality rate in one affected region by 1.7%.

Although sand itself is not necessarily harmful to soil, due to sulphur emissions and the resulting acid rain, the storms also destroy farmland by degrading the soil, and deposits of ash and soot and heavy metals as well as potentially dangerous biomatter blanket the ground with contaminants including croplands, aquifers, etc. The dust storms also affect wildlife particularly hard, destroying crops, habitat, and toxic metals interfering with reproduction. Coral are hit particularly hard. Toxic metals progagate up the food chain, from fish to higher mammals. Air visibility is reduced, including cancelled flights, ground travel, outdoor activities, and can be correlated to significant loss of economic activity. Japan has reported washed clothes stained yellow."