Finished with LCI!

Well the last couple weeks have been pretty stressful! I've been finishing up things at my old school, as well as finishing up classes for the semester at ECU. The last couple weeks at LCI were bitter sweet. There were things that were so stressful, like the long hours and the not so nice director, but over the past six months I have fallen in love with the kids so it was extremely difficult to leave them! Two weeks ago we had a big garage sale at the school. The kids each brought in $2 in dimes, and we had been collecting clothes, toys, books and other things for several weeks prior. The intent was for the kids to learn how to pay for things, ask for the price and so on. It was so much fun! The big playroom, like a gym, was set up for the garage sale. We had different tables for clothes, snacks and lemonade, toys, stationary and books. The classes came in and kids went from table to table asking prices and buying things for themselves and their families. They had so much fun and the money was all donated to charity.

The last two weeks I was at LCI, I was training my replacement. His name is Norman and he is the boyfriend of another teacher at the school. He has been teaching in Thailand for 6 months so has some experience, and was good with the kids. It's good to know they will be left in good hands. It was hard because everyday kids asked why I was leaving and where I was going. The director sent home a letter to all parents telling them I was very sick and had to return to the United States. I didn't like the idea that she sent home a completely fictitious letter, and I sent home my own letter to all parents. It was a nice letter just letting them know that I was sorry things didn't work out, but my health was good and I would still be in Korea. I gave them all my email and phone number to keep in touch. I think it was a good way to leave things.

The last day was pretty hard. The kids were upset, as was I. We had a big party, trying to lighten the mood. I bought them all presents and we had snacks and drinks. It was a good time. The next day I had to go to the immigration office to have my VISA cancelled, which happens when you switch jobs since you are sponsored by the school you work for. I got a couple text messages from some of my older kids saying how much they missed me, and heard from other teachers that a couple kis were pretty upset and cried the first day I wasn't there. It breaks my heart but I can only hope that everything has happened for the best, and I know the university teaching position will be a wonderful opportunity!

On a happier note, I am finished with ECU for the semester and am living with Si until my job starts in January. We are going to Thailand for 8 days in December, for Christmas and New Years and I am so excited! The first half of the trip we will be on an island called Ko Samui, and the second half we will be in Bangkok, the capital. It's supposed to be an amazing country to see!

Hope everyone is doing well and I love hearing from you all! Congrats to Megan on getting engaged! Miss you and love you all!

Things are working out for the best!

As most of you know, things have been pretty stressful with all of my hospital trips and misdiagnoses...as well as what went on at my school at the same time. I have been looking for another job and interviewing, while still working at my current school. It's been a long process but things are finally starting to turn around! Before I left the states, one of my grad school professors gave the contact information for one of his former students who is from South Korea, but came to the US and did my same Masters program. Now, him and his wife work at a university in Seoul, really close to Bundang. I have exchanged several emails with him while I've been here about life in Korea, and any questions I've had. When I first got here, he asked if I'd be interested in teaching with him at the university. However, I had already signed a contract with my school and was excited to work the with the kids.

In my job search, I didn't think it would hurt to email him and see if they needed teachers for the new semester beginning in January. Sure enough they were holding interviews last week, and as soon as I sent my resume to his boss, I was set up with an interview. I wasn't sure I wanted to move that far away...only about an hour by bus and subway, but still far from my friends here. However, after the interview I fell in love with the school. It is a beautiful campus, and I'd make the same amount of money, only working 18 hours a week as opposed to the 50+ I work now. I began to really want the job, at the same time worrying that I didn't have the necessary qualifications. Their website for employment says they prefer candidates with a teaching degree and certain certifications that I don't have.

However, my inside contact must have had a lot of pull because I got an email yesterday offering me the job. It couldn't have come at a better time! I will start in January and I can't wait. They offer two different types of housing. You can either live on campus...on a floor with about 15 foreign teachers, in a small flat that is still bigger than the one I have now, free of charge. Or, you can live in a bigger apartment about 15 minutes away and pay all of the electric bills etc. The teaching is mostly conversation classes with university students and adults, which will be very different but I think my experiences learning spanish will really help me relate to them. There are so many perks to the job, in addition to the reduced hours. We also have 9 paid vacation weeks a year, as compared to my 8 days I have with my current job. I'll let you all know more as soon as I find out more. Your prayers must be working because things are falling into place and i'm so happy!

Aside from the job, we are planning out trip to Thailand for Christmas. Staying on the beach in huts...sand and sun and everything is oh so cheap which means lots of shopping. My paradise! Haha. We'll also be there for the full moon party, which happens once a year where EVERYONE stays on the beach for two days partying and having a good time. Another adventure that I'm sure will be once in a lifetime!

Love you and miss you all!

Pepero Day...a little Korean culture

On November 11, South Korea has a holiday called Pepero Day. It's similar to Valentines Day in the US, but was only started about 10 years ago. Pepero are sweet, dry breadsticks coated in chocolate that they sell everywhere here. Supposedly, the company that makes Pepero sticks began the holiday to boost their sales, and it worked amazingly. On Pepero Day, people give Pepero sticks and other candy and gifts to their loved ones and significant others. I read online about what Pepero Day really is and it was pretty interesting.

Pepero sticks are long and skinny, hence the holiday being 11/11 (Nov. 11) to represent 5 Pepero sticks. It is common to exchange them between your girlfriends,to wish one another to grow "as tall and slender as a Pepero." It makes complete sense, given that girls here are obsessed with being thin...and tall, which isn't in their genes. It was cool to learn about the holiday, so different than anything we do in the US. Some of my kids brought me Pepero sticks which was sweet, and of course it was an excuse for me and Si to have a special night. He cooked dinner and we watched a movie with popcorn (which we never have here!) It was another great experience! Hope all is well and I am thinking about you all!

Halloween Celebrations

In college, I was in both Spain and Chile for Halloween. In both of these countries, the holiday was just beginning to catch on, from Hollywood movies and such. A few people dressed up but it was basically just a night to go out and have fun. Korea is DEFINITELY a different story! My school, as well as others I am familiar with, went all out with Halloween decorations and festivities. Our school was decorated from top to bottom with ghosts, spider webs, witches and pumpkins. There were more things filling the hallways and classrooms than I have ever seen before! It was like going to work in our own haunted house, and the kids were excited about Halloween and talked about it constantly for all of October. We have a small playroom, set up like a playground at McDonalds, that was transformed into a haunted house.

On Halloween, all of the kids dressed up. There were tons of princesses, witches and wizards among others. In the morning, each class carved their own jack-o-lantern, but the pumpkins are different here and it was the best workout I have ever had! The kids got a kick out of watching me try to jam the butcher knife into a rock-hard pumpkin like object. I must say that I am slightly turned off from carving pumpkins now...at least in this country! I think it would have been easier with a chain saw! After that, classes took turns going to the haunted house. There was a teacher dressed up like a dead person and actually looked pretty scary. The kids had to rummage around the playroom, filled with spider webs, bats and scary music to find a treasure box. They each stuck their hand in the box, that was filled with wet noodles, gummy worms and other gross things to find a piece of candy. Some of them were pretty grossed but it was all in good fun. Throughout the day we did different Halloween puzzles and activities.

After all of the classes had visited the haunted house, we all went to the big playroom, like a gym, for Halloween games. First we played pin the nose on the witch and it was so funny watching the kids...and teachers...scramble around blindfolded trying to place the nose. The next game was a pinata, but instead of hitting it with a stick like we do in the states, the kids were each given a bean bag and on the count of three, everyone thew them at the pinata until it broke open. Not a good idea in a closed space! More than one person got hit in the head with flying bean bags and it seemed to be the teachers who were the lucky targets! When the pinata broke open, the room turned into tackle football, and there was a huge pile up of about 50 kids trying to get the candy that fell out of the pinata. Fun fun!

Finally, we played a game where the kids had to try and find the apple. There were four pie pans in a row, with cut up pieces of apple and potatoes, one piece placed on each pie pan. One was an apple and the rest were potatoes. Four students went at a time, and on go, ran up, picked a pie pan, and got on there hands and knees to eat there selected treat. The person who ate the apple won a point for their class. It would have been fun if the lunch ladies hadn't gotten the brilliant idea to mix the apples and potatoes in mayonaise! It was so funny to see the kids faces, some not being able to avoid spitting them right back out. Mayonaise?? At least try yogurt or something a little more appetizing. Needless to say, the teachers couldn't be convinced to take part in this game!

After lunch, the whole school went trick or treating. Teachers stayed in their classrooms with candy, and the students went from room to room for their treats. They had their own version of the trick or treat song that went like this, "Trick or Treat, smell my feet, give me something good to eat. Not too big, not too small, just the size of BUUUUUNDANG." Bundang is the city we live in, and the song was pretty cute.

The teachers were all really good sports about dressing up. I borrowed a bright crayola red wig from a friend...it was pretty short hair, and wore devil horns and black clothes. The kids got a kick out of my wig...asking continuously if it was my real hair. It was a wonderful day that I won't soon forget!

Back amongst the living!

It's been awhile since i've been able to write and so much has happened! It seems like my life has done a complete 180! When I was in China I had bad abdominal pains and went through a series of tests both there and back in Korea. We thought everything was figured out, but the same thing happened again last month and this time I had to be hospitalized...again. Since arriving in Korea, I had already had my appendix removed, and was now going through so much pain again. I was in the hospital for three days this time, with a specialist running several tests, including a CAT scan and a PET scan. I was finally diagnosed with endometriosis, which isn't very uncommon, and they found a mass on my ovary, a little bigger than a golf ball. There was a cancer scare for awhile, but after seeing the tests results, the doctor seems to think there is no immediate danger. He says I will have to have it removed eventually, but not right away. When I returned to work, things just continued to go downhill. I found out that they were replacing me at my job because of my hospital stay and missing those three days of work. In Korea, there is a completely different mindset about work, and I am learning a lot more about that! I went through some things with the new director at our school, who doesn't seem to think the contract I signed is worth anything. It's hard to understand why things are happening as they are, when I haven't breached the contract in any way, but I'm willing to accept it and move on. Jobs are very easy to come by here, and teachers are needed everywhere!

As for now, I am at my current job until the end of November, and I have another appointment with the doctor to make sure nothing has changed, but as of now I want to get another teaching job and stay in Korea. I have loved every second of teaching, and the kids are wonderful. I will let everyone know what happens as soon as I learn something. Miss you and am thinking of you all!

Fun Weekend!

So I must say that since I've been in South Korea, I had one of the most unusual experiences this weekend. Friday night, a group of us went out to dinner then met up with other friends at a bar we go to a lot in Bundang. I've heard a lot about Karaoke places here...it's pretty popular. They are called nori bongs, and I imagined them to be similar to Karaoke places in the US where you put your name on a list and get up on stage and sing. This, I would never do...considering my singing skills and the fact that I would get boo-ed off the stage. Anyways, a bunch of my friends wanted to go to a nori bong and I was excited for my first karaoke experience. As it turns out, nori bongs have small private rooms that you go in with just your friends. There are screens that show the lyrics of songs and some kind of device that keeps track of how on you are with the music. It was something i've never seen before and so much fun! We all sang...usually in groups, and the microphones and small space made everything sound not so bad. Just a little interesting bit about South Korea!

Birthday Celebrations!

So our last night in Beijing we were supposed to go out to celebrate my birthday but that wasn't possible because of the big hospital visit and unknown illness. I had a week to rest after China, and Saturday night we planned to go out for my birthday, which was Sunday. Me, Si and a bunch of teachers from my work went to Mexican for dinner which was so good! It was almost comparable to Mexican in the US. Everyone had margaritas, and they gave me a huge sombrero to wear while everyone sang happy birthday. Si bought a cake, and we did the whole cake and presents thing.

Earlier in the day, Si gave me my big present. He got me a kitten that is absolutely adorable! She is from a vet office who finds homes for animals, and I named her Juice. He also got me all the goodies to go with her, like litter box, food, toys etc. I've never had a cat or been much of a cat person, but we are gone too much to have a dog, and I think Juice has already captured my heart! He also got me a perfume set that smells so good! My other friends got me a gift certificate to a spa, so I spent the day Sunday, my actual birthday, in the spa getting pampered. I had a manicure, pedicure and foot sugar scrub, eyebrow wax and haircut/style. No complaints there! It was so relaxing and a perfect way to spend my birthday! I have so many good friends here and they all make Korea all the more wonderful!

After dinner we all went out to one of our favorite bars, called Monkey Beach. They play western music (mostly rap and hip hop), and there are a variety of both Americans and Koreans. Everyone bought me a Monkey Beach t-shirt which is perfect! I couldn't have wished for a better day!

Thanks to everyone who sent birthday wishes...I loved all of the emails and cards and packages etc. I'll put pics of my birthday celebrations up as soon as possible!

Trip to Beijing

For Chuseok we had three days off of school, which gave us a five day break including the weekend, and one of the few times we have time to travel to another country. Britt, one of my best friends here has family connections in Beijing, China, and they offered us their apartment as well as a friend to take us around while we were there. It was too good an opportunity to pass up so we bought plane tickets and decided to go to Beijing. Me, Britt and Wennie, a friend from another shcool left on Saturday morning for Beijing. It started out a little rough when we got to the airport and were told they had overbooked our flight and our seats were given away. The airline ended up switching us to another flight with a different airline and we were bumped up to first class. It was my first time in first class and we were definately flying in style! They offered us slippers, wine, and served us food for almost the entire two hour flight. When we got to Beijing we were pretty exhausted. We walked around the city on Saturday with Cathy, the lady that was our "tour guide," and had our first real Chinese food. It was amazing! We ordered several things from the menu and shared everything, which is how meals work in Chiina. We had so much food and everything we tasted was delicious. For our first meal had a spicy chicken dish with peanuts, shrimp with veggies, fried rice, some pancake/egg type things, fried dough dipped in a sweet sauce and a big bowl of soup. China is so cheap, and the entire meal came out to about a total of $10, which served 5 of us with plenty of leftoevers. We walked around a little more and then decided on an early night. We ended the day with a foot and body massage, also a first for me, and it was something to experience! In Asia, massages are of a different breed. They are much more rough and it is normal to add in some slapping and punching. Lucky for me, I got the craziest masseuse there was who must have trained as a kung fu fighter. She beat the heck out of my back and it hurt but I couldn't help but laugh. I could get a good beating for free...but the I'll never forget the experience.

The apartment we stayed in was amazing. It was in a highrise apartment community, and the owner is rarely there. He lets people who are in Beijing setting up for the 2008 olympics stay there so you have to imagine it must be nice! We all had our own rooms with jacuzzi bath tubs, a big screen TV and they stocked the kitchen with foods from America that we can't get here. It was Heaven! The next morning we woke up early for a day of shopping at the markets. The first one we went to was an antique market that was full of antiques and also Chinese cultural things like statues, jewelry and tapestries. It was fun to see but we had our hearts set on going to the Silk Market, which is like a huge shopping mall filled with stands of knock off designer items where you barter and get things for next to nothing. Cathy was with us when we went, so at the beginning she taught us the ways of bartering adn then left us to work it on our own. It was so much fun and we bought so much stuff! We ended up buying a new piece of luggage as well to put everything in on the trip home. This place was definitely my little piece of Heaven on the trip...if you know me, you know I love to shop!

The Silk Market may have been overwhelming to some people. You walk in and it is jampacked with fake designer clothes, shoes, purses and bags, jewelry, makeup...pretty much anything you can think of. The people who work the booths are really push. Everywhere we walked people were grabbing our arms to come into their booth and yelling thing like "Hey lady, you need a new bag!" Not sure we needed as many bas as we bought, but who can have too many purses...right? Some of the ladies were really funny. We heard one yell out to a guy who refused to buy pants from her, "Whatever, your pants are all ripped and tore up, you need new jeans." Blunt but definitely funny! We got in all of the shopping we could, and more delicious meals priced next to nothing, and headed home for movies and relaxation. The next day we had big plans so it was another early night.

Monday was our busiest day. We wanted to fit in all of the sight seeing in one day so we could have another full day of shopping on Tuesday...priorities, right??? We woke up at about 7 AM and headed to the Great Wall of China. It's one of the must sees in the world and we were all so excited. For those that don't know, parts of the Great Wall were built as early as the 5th Century BC, and it was meant to protect the northern borders of a Chinese empire. The wall is huge, over 4,000 miles long, and made from stone. There are different sections to access in Beijing to climb, and we went to one of the most popular ones. It was amazing to see! It seemed like we climbed forever, and it was pretty hard because all of the steps were different hights. Some were a foot high, others 2 feet etc. You had to watch every step and try not to look up to see how much further you had to climb to reach the top. As out of breat as we were, the view from the top was beautiful and worth every step! You could see so much of the wall from the top of the section we climbed, as well as mountains and parts of the city.

When we got enough of the Great Wall, we left for the Summer Palace, another must see in Beijing. The Summer Palace served as a summer resort for certain Chinese royalty because it was cooler than other palaces and places they lived in China. It was beautiful! There were several different buildings and palaces that reflected Chinese architecture, and tons of gardens and plants. It was built around a lake, and we took a really cool boat to an island that had other sights to see from the Summer Palace. We were anxious to finish up and head to the Forbidden City, which we had all heard was amazing to see.

We finally made it there and were exhausted, but kept walking and toured the Forbidden City. It is a palace that was used as the center of the Chinese government, mostly during the Ming Dynasty. The emperor and his family lived there, and it became known as the Forbidden City because no one could come in or go out without his permission. It was really cool to walk through. It is pretty much all made of wood, and there were tons of different wings to walk down. It was kind of divided up the middle. One side housed the emperor and his family and was very luxurious. The other side was made up of small rooms where the emperor had numerous concubines, which are like prostitutes, or girls he could have his way with at will. The girls actually chose to serve as concubines and it was accepted because it was a chance for them to see power and money. It was interesting to hear about the history there, and one of my favorite things we saw in Beijing.

To top of the day, we went to a Chinese tea house where we had another amazing meal, then had tickets for a show that was made up of dfferent acts, from dancing, to kung fu fighting and magic. It is a famous tea house, and people like President Bush and other huge political figures have been to see the shows. We were so exhausted...we dragged our feet home and planned for sleep and then another day of shopping.

Lucky me, I woke up at 7 AM with undescribable pain in my lower abdomen. I was curled into a ball screaming in pain and begging for an ambulance to take me to the hospita. Luckily, Cathy lived close by, and she came over as quickly as she could and got an ambulance there. I was in so much pain, I don't remember much of the morning, but I made it to the hospital where they did tests and I left having just about no idea what was wrong. No one spoke English so I had to depend on Cathy, with no medical knowledge to translate. I heard various things, from blockage in my intestines, to cysts on my ovaries, to infection and inflamation in my ovaries and uterus. Anyways, they gave me meds and I slept most of the day while the other two girls went shopping. Luckily the unbarable pain only lasted about 30 minutes, then turned into a constant ache that felt similar to appendicitis, only over a larger area. I made the girls go shopping...I definitely didn't want to ruin their last day! I was just ready to get back to Korea to go to a doctor there.

I made it through the day and night with no more episodes, only the constant achiness, and we went to the airport early the next morning for our flight home. When we got to the airport we were so pleased to hear that once again they overbooked our flight and we didn't have seats. Only this time, the airlines weren't nearly as helpful or friendly. They made up every excuse possible as to why this whole situation was our fault. All flights that day from Beijing to Seoul were booked full, so our only option was to wait on standby for each flight and pray that a seat opened up. That's exactly what we did. Between arguing with the airlines and sitting right in front of the desk on "standby," we were pretty frustrated. Luckily I got a flight at about 2 PM (as opposed to our 8:50 AM flight we were supposed to have). Only one seat was available and Britt let me take it so I could get back and go to the doctor. The only thing good that happened that day was that once again I was bumped up to first class. Britt ended up getting in way later that night...but we both made it back safely so I guess we have something to be thankful for.

Since returning to Korea, I have been to the doctor twice. As far as I know now, I have a bad infection in my ovaries and uterus...and cysts as well. I am still not 100% sure and have pretty much lost faith in the Asian medical system. Tomorrow I have another appointment so we'll see how it goes! Keep me in your prayers and I will do the same for all of you!

Miss you all and love you!

Chuseok Celebrations

We had three days off of school this week because of the Korean holiday called Chuseok. It's kind of the equivalent of Thanksgiving in the US. Instead of all of the pilgrim and indian stuff, they use this day to pray for and worship their ancestors. They give thanks for family and it's a huge celebration. In school last Thursday, we celebrated the holiday with the kids. They all dressed up in traditional Korean costumes callen han bo which were beautiful! I have put pictures of the kids up in their outfits. They are made of a silk like material with different bright colors. The girls wear dresses and ornaments in their hair, and the boys wear a sort of jacket with balloon pants. Very hard to describe but you have to see the pictures! We helped the kids make songpyon, which is a traditional food for the holiday. You use a sort of dough made from rice, flatten it, and fill it with a sesame seed mixture or a bean paste, then make it into almost a moon shape. It is then cooked and eaten! Songpyon is very different, and you either love it or hate it. I think it's actually pretty good...like nothing i've ever tasted.

We also played traditional games with the kids and they were so much fun! The boys competed in a came called chicken, where they hold one leg up and kind of hop around trying to knock the other boys over. The last one standing wins. It was so funny to watch! The girls competed in arm wrestling which was also pretty funny. Then the classes competed in their version of a pinata game, where the teachers held baskets over their heads, and the kids threw colorful balls into the baskets. It was fun, getting hit in the face with the balls and all! It was definitely an experience I will never forget. Completely different culture and traditions.

A little stressed

So it's been pretty stressful lately, trying to adjust to the new director at work. We work really long days, about 10 hours with only a lunch break, and I am also taking graduate classes online. This means I come home from a long day of working with kids to 2 or 3 hours of homework. I have so much going on and am trying my hardest, but might end up dropping the number of classes i'm taking. We'll see! Hopefully i'll make the right decision.

A lot of people have been asking for my address. I love getting things in the mail, even letters or cards! So here it is. It looks long and funny but if you just copy it exactly it will get to me. Hope everyone is doing well and I love you all!

Attn: Christi Russell
46-4 Shinil Plaza, 2F Jongja-Dong Sung Nam-Si
Bundang-Gu KyJong-Ki-Do
South Korea

My job and other fun things.

It's been a busy few weeks, but still so much fun! The longer i'm here, the more I learn about Koreans in general, especially as far as work goes. Things have been a little hard at work lately for everyone. We are trying to get used to the new director who isn't happy with the way things have been, concerning lesson plans and textbooks etc. Luckily, the old director had plans for the rest of the school year (which lasts until February), and then she will completely implement her own plans. She's starting a little early, trying to prepare all of the teachers for what is to come. We already work very long days, and now we have added duties, like writing long, detailed ideas for daily plans, and observation sheets. For now we are all kinda going with the flow, so we'll see how the transition goes from one director to another.

Also, a huge part of the school is based on keeping the parents happy. They pay a lot of money for their kids to go to the private English school, and there are so many of them around, that if parents are unhappy we can easily lose kids. For this reason, we are given different directions on a daily basis, based on what parents are saying/complaining about...which they do ALL the time. One day we might be told to implement more games, and the next it might be to be more strict with the students. It's kinda stressful to work for the parents, and not for what's in the best interest of the students. Also, Koreans are very non-confrontational, and very not direct. They will tell you what they think you want to hear, or avoid disagreements at any cost. There is also a hierarchy in the school, based on the teachers and staff that have been there the longest. Just an example, I had one of my classes taken away from me and was told it was because parents had complained and I wasn't pushing them enough. I was pretty upset about it, until finally the truth came out that my class was given to the lead teacher because she had an opening in her schedule. I guess things like this will happen in any job...it is just taking some getting used to.

Enough complaining...despite all of the stress, I love the job and the kids and wouldn't trade it for the world. This week we went on a field trip to a folk village, which is kinda like visiting Jamestown. It was an old colony-like setting, with differnt places set up to show how people used to do wood work, what there schools were like etc. The kids had a lot of fun. There was also a performance by a chinese group of acrobats that were there. One of the acts used a giant see saw, and there was one girl on each side. One jumped and landed, which would shoot the other into the air and it would go back and forth. They did flips and jumped through hoola hoops in the air. It was so good! There was also a tight rope with no kind of protection, and a man jumped across and did tricks on it. It was a great day for me and the kids! I am working on getting my pictures up from that trip.

As far as the fun stuff...last weekend we had a really good time. Through Facebook, a site online, a few of us from my school joined a group that is all teachers that live around this area. We had our first event, which was an 80's roof top party and we all dressed like freaks and geeks. There was so much neon and bright colors...it was hilarious! We met a lot of cool people that we will definitely be hanging out with more! Tomorrow night we are having a dinner at a german restaurant and then going together. Fun times! Only one more week until Beijing, and two weeks until my Birthday...can't wait! Hope everyone is doing well!

Trip to Daecheon

Me and Si have been planning to take a weekend trip to the beach while it's still warm out, and we made an attempt last weekend but things didn't go so well. We knew where we wanted to go but we get off of work so late, that we didn't get on a bus to head to the train station in Seoul until after 8:00. We didn't do much research or planning and it turned out that the last train to Daecheon, the beach we wanted to go to, was at 8:45. We ended up buying our tickets that night to go this past weekend, leaving on the last train out on Friday night.

As soon as we got out of work on Friday, we grabbed out bags and headed for the train station in Seoul, which can take anywhere from 20 minutes to an hour depending on traffic. Just our luck, the traffic was awful and it took us about an hour and a half to get into the city, and we still had to take a cab to the train station. We hurried and ran and missed our train by 5 minutes...bad luck! We were able to trade out tickets for the first train the next morning, which left at 5:45 AM. We were stuck in an area we weren't familiar with, with our bags and nowhere to stay. We set out to look for a hotel, or motel...pretty much just anywhere to sleep for a couple hours! We ended up on a neon-lit prostitute street. The front of all of the "rooms" were glass and a girl was sitting on a stool looking inviting behind each window. It was definitely an experience, but one i'd rather not repeat! We eventually ran into some military guys from America who took us to a hotel they knew of. It was the bare minimum and cost only $20, but I guess that's about what you get for your money! Luckily we made out train the next morning and got to Daecheon a little after 8:00 on Saturday morning. Daecheon is known for natural mud, used for facials and body scrubs, and they have an annual mud festival that is a huge party on the beach with tons of mud brought in and games and music etc. Si went this year and had a blast, but I was on my vacation to Busan with my co-teachers so had to live vicariously through pictures.

Unfortunately for us, it was completely cloudy and rainy on Saturday and we couldn't believe all of the bad luck with our trip. We ended up getting a really good deal to stay in the nicest hotel in the town that had a huge outdoor waterpark and indoor jacuzzi/massage pool. It was so nice! The waterpark had tons of water slides and fake surfing that Si had a blast doing. I had a blast watching people try to stay on the board and completely bust! Even though it was raining, we had a lot of fun going on the water slides and down the rocky river in a tube.

Inside the hotel was a hot tub about the size of a football field. It was all decorated to look like you were under the sea...absolutely beautiful! It was filled with different spots, and each one massaged a different part of your body. It was amazing and I can't even begin to describe how cool it felt! There was also a sauna and an oxygen room.

Also on Saturday, we went to the mud health spa to get mud massages and facials. Spas are very common here. You usually pay an enterance fee for the use of hot/cold baths, sea bath, saunas and other things that are split into male/female rooms. You have to go in nude, which is hard to get used to, but if you don't know anyone it's not so bad. This particular spa also had a mud bath and mud you painted all over your body to make a body mask which is supposedly really good for your skin. After I went through the steps in this big room...from bath to bath, I had my feet soaked and massaged, and then a facial with a mud mask. It was really cool, especially since i've never done anything like it! Even though the weather was nasty, we had a great time and did things that we probably wouldn't have done had the sun been out!

It was a great, relaxing weekend that was much needed! Now it's back to work, and school (my graduate classes have started online), so I am super busy but still loving Korea! Talk to you all soon and check out my pictures!

I love it here!

I must say that coming to South Korea was the best decision I have ever made...I absolutely love it here! Between the wonderful friends I'm making and cultural experiences I'm having, life is good. My job is wonderful too. The kids are so sweet and I actually look forward to waking up and going to work each day. That hasn't really happened before and it's a good feeling! The weeks are still jam packed with work, but we are doing some pretty cool things on the weekends. This past Friday there was a free Circus in a park nearby. It was called the Flying Italians and was amazing! There is no way to describe how cool it was, you have to see the pictures! There were pianos and ballerinas and huge globes suspended way up in the air with the Italians dancing around them. Beautiful!

We always do things together on the weekends, and always enjoy the nights out in different areas of Bundang or Seoul. Of course I miss things from home...my family and friends and of course Harley!

This weekend we are going to see Grease on Broadway and I am super excited! We have also heard about a place in Seoul that has indoor skiing year round and Si's pretty excited about checking that out. Our next big vacation is in September, which is a holiday, and I am going to Beijing, China with Britt and another friend. Can't wait! Hope everyone is doing well and I love hearing from you all!

A little about the food

Ok, so overall the food in South Korea is amazing! They do serve rice and soup with pretty much every meal, but there are certain dishes and restaurants that I love. Korean food is generally really spicy, but we have all pretty much adjusted and are used to it. One of my favoiretes is traditional Korean BBQ restaurants where you sit on the floor on a mat and there is a grill on the table where you cook meat, usually pork or beef, and wrap it up in lettuce with different sauces and things. It is so good! Another one of my favorite things is called Omu rice, which is like a rice omelet, with spices and veggies in the rice. It's covered in a brown gravy like sauce. Sounds kinda wierd but it's so good! Dunkas are another favorite. It is kinda like a fried pork chop with cheese in the middle, that you dip in a sauce. Curry rice is pretty popular here and is also so good! I also like another rice dish, called kimchi-bocimbop, which is rice with kimchi cooked in it, along with other veggies and a spicy sauce. Kimchi is a traditional korean food served with every meal. It is fermented vegetables, usually cabbage, that is made very spicy, and is different at every place you have it. It sounds disgusting, and it was an acquired taste, but we all pretty much love it now.

There are several dishes that I don't personally like, but are pretty popular amongst Koreans and other foreigners. Kimbop is almost like a california roll. It is filled with various vegetables, and usually ham or some kind of fish, wrapped first in rice and then in seaweed. They also serve a lot of tofu here, which I am still trying to acquire a taste for. Sometimes it's good, when cooked in the right thing, but the texture is just too much for me.

Now...as with every foreign country, there are some food nightmares...things that kinda make me sick just looking at them or thinking abou them. The obvious one is dog...which is usually served in a soup, and said to increase male's sexual stamina, yeah I don't need that. Seafood is very common here, which I have a hard time with even in the states. It doesn't help when some of the dishes here are just horrifyingly awful. For example, live octopus that is still moving on your plate, or raw fish with the head still attached...yeah, enough about that. There is also a fish version of spam...that is served on a stick by a ton of street vendors, and the koreans absolutely love it. Can't quite make myself try it.

Most of the time our school serves awesome food, but as always there are exceptions. One day we were all excited at what we thought was green beans, until we looked closer and realized they were small, minnow type fish staring back up at us. Gross! Luckily they did not make it onto my plate! There are some days when all of the employees walk into the kitchen for lunch and turn around and walk right back out. On these days we settle for convenience store food!

I'm sure I'll come across more intersting food dishes while I am here, and while I am travelling. I will update you on these and warn you if it is too graphic!

haha, love and miss you all!

Hey hey!

So alot of people are commenting on how funny it is that all of the kids make a peace sign with their hands in pictures. I have reacently learned that it is not a peace sign, but they are making a V, which became tradition after their victory over Japan. You learn new things every day! It is simply custom now, and pretty cute I must say! Several of us got into a big discussion about it, hence my learning experience, and I also discovered that as girls get older they tend to make the V close to their faces. Women here are VERY self conscious about their size and their appearance, especially Korean traits such as round faces. Apparently holding the V close to their faces, near their cheeks is intended to make their cheeks look smaller. I guess every country has their own quirks!

In my past experiences living abroad, I have always told myself I would try anything once. I've definitely had experiences I wouldn't have otherwise, such as eating guinea pig and some other unusual things! I do, however, draw the line at eating cat and dog. I absolutely cannot do that, no matter what the customs are in Asia! Wonderful to find out, however, that the restaurant right next to my apartment is well known for serving dog soup! I think I need to move...haha! I just picture Harley and it makes me sick to my stomach. How can people have pet dogs and cats, and also eat the meat without getting sick???

This week has gone by super fast, but has been pretty hectic since I got three new students in my morning kInder class. I'm looking forward to the weekend. I think I am going to have my fist experience in a spa here, which are very popular, and get a massage or something fun and relaxing! We are also booking our tickets to Bejing, where we are going on our vacation in September. I can't wait! Love you all!

Relaxing!

We came home early from our trip to Busan, but we are all still enjoying our vacation! Today we went to Itaewon, which is a small part of Seoul that is very Western, and went to a swimming pool at a hotel. Apparently it's the hot place to be! There were so many people there and the pool was amazing! It is in a really nice hotel, out on the roof, and you have to pay to get in. You can stand up and see a lot of the city which was pretty cool. We hung out there a lot of the day, refusing to let being back in Bundang bring an end to our vacation! Itaewon is a great place to go shopping. They have a lot of Western things that you can't get anywhere else, like Dr. Pepper and Diet Mountain Dew. (you can see where my thoughts were!) It's also the place where most military people and a lot of other teachers hang out, and most people speak English. There is a great night life there, and we go out there on occasion. It's about a 30 minute bus ride depending on traffic so we don't go too often, but we are headed back there tonight and it should be a blast!

Unfortunately, being in Itaewon does not bring an end to the Korean fashion diasters. Speedos and bikinis with stiletto heels were raging, and florescent colored clothing is also a big hit. Ahhhhh, still getting used to these things! Have a great weekend!!!!

No more beach =(

We got back from Busan last night and it was so sad to leave the beach! We had such a fun time, and there was not much sleeping between going to the beach during the day and going out at night...then returning to a room stuffed full with 7 people. We decided to come back a little early to catch up and have a few days to relax before going back to work.

We definitely bonded way too much on our trip! You see and hear way too much about the other people when 7 are crammed into a small space. It was so much fun and we all made memories we are not likely to forget any time soon. I am working on putting my pictures up so you can all see the beautiful beaches and the fun times we all had!

On our last day there we went on the huge banana boat...it's like a huge raft in the shape of a banana that is pulled by a jet ski out in the ocean. I had never done it before and it was a blast! The second beach we went to after leaving Haeundae was called Songjeong Beach, and it was a lot less crowded. There were still umbrellas on the beach, but we could actually see the ocean from our spot! There wasn't much to do other than spend time on the beach, so at night we took a taxi to beaches nearby that had nightlife for people our age. All of these beaches are part of Busan, the city in Korea, and i'm glad we got to see more than one area! They were all so different, but fun all the same. In Songjeong we had a pretty hard time finding a hotel. It was surprisingly a lot more expensive than Haeundae, and the guys went to just about every hotel on the beach. We finally settled on a love motel...yes that's right. We got two rooms so we had a little more space, but it was still a tight squeeze.

We still have a few more days left of our vacation time and we are going to enjoy in back in Bundang. Talk to you all soon!

Vacation!

Our week off for Summer vacation finally arrived and 7 of us took a train to a beach city called Busan, which in Korea. We rode a train that goes almost 300 mph so it only took 3 hours to get here. Beaches in Korea are definitely a lot different than beaches back home! It is a beautiful area, but the whole concept of being at the beach is completely different. Since Koreans try their hardest to maintain pale skin, umbrellas are set up ALL over the beach...literally in rows with about 5 feet in between each one. It almost makes a huge tent on the beach and you can't even see the ocean because the umbrellas block the view! You have to pay to get a spot at an umbrella, and there is no beach space otherwise, so we just rent an umbrella space and put the umbrella down...we want the sun!

Although some Koreans wear only a bathing suit, a lot of them wear their clothes in the ocean to avoid the sun...not a tradition we are following. The guys at the beach seem to think speedo swimsuits are the only acceptable beach attire. Girls all wear their bikinis with stiletto heels, obviously trying to be fashionable at the beach. It was also funny to see couples and friends walking around everywhere in matching outfits. Kinda cute the FIRST tiime we saw it, but matching with friends and or your significant other is very popular in Busan. Needless to say, we had to try our hardest to get over the fashion nighmares! haha It is only Monday and so far we are having a wonderful time! There are four girls and three guys and everyone is so much fun. We spend our days at the beach and nights out on the town.

We are in a very touristy beach now, with tons of people and things to do. It is called Haeundae Beach, and is part of Busan. The streets are filled with vendors...mainly three types actually. There are games where you have to hit balloons with darts, henna tattoo booths, and people selling alcoholic drinks. How many of the same booth can you fit in one town?? Also, we are pretty much celebrities here. I guess Busan isn't used to all of the foreigners, and everyone we pass wants to talk to us, as much as they can in English, and find out where we are from etc. It's pretty funny!

I am feeling so much better...almost back to normal and it is wonderful! The town we are in has the beach, and you can also see mountains in the background...it's gorgeous! If you're interested, look up Busan online and you can see pictures. I will post my pictures and write more soon. Love you and miss you all!

Loving Korea!

Last week was a pretty good week. I was still in some pain recovering from surgery, but the week was fairly easy at school because the kids had level tests and spelling bees which take the place of a lot of teaching. Also, it was our directors last week and one of the teachers at our school left to go home as well (he is coming back in 6 weeks to teach for another year). Thursday night we had a big going away dinner for Sue, our director. I had to live vicariously through other teachers who went on our last staff event, which was a day long picnic at the beach that included a lot of food, so-ju (korean liquor made from rice), and karaoke, because I had my surgery that day. It sounded like so much fun with all of the teachers, Korean staff, lunch ladies and bus drivers. In total there are about 35 people that work at our school. I was so sad I had to miss the picnic! However, our dinner out was quite an event and just as much fun as the picnic so I hear!

The school took us to a really nice Korean BBQ restaurant, where you sit on the floor and cook really good meat and veggies on a coal fired grill in the middle of the table. They paid for all the food and drinks we wanted. So soon after surgery I couldn't drink, but just about everyone else did and I have never had quite the same bonding experience with co-workers in my life! Koreans are known for drinking quite a bit and people definitely had a hard time waking up for work the next morning! Needless to say, we got to know each other in a different light...and way better! Luckily the next day was Friday, and people just had to get through one day of work before crashing! It was pretty funny when the Korean staff brought in a whole case of these small liquid drinks that are meant to cure hangovers. They had fun too and everyone was struggling the next day! Talk about being thoughtful!

After work on Friday we had a pizza party for Julian, the teacher that is going back to Canada for 6 weeks. It wasn't quite as exciting as the night before, but still fun! It was also pretty exciting because it was the last day of work before our week long summer vacation. 7 of us from LCI (my school) had a trip planned for the week and we were all so ready for the time off!

A few more interesting things about life in Korea: Everyone is VERY obsessed with being small, and parents implant it in the kids from an early age. Kids at school make comments all the time about junk food and being skinny, which is kinda wierd coming from 5 and 6 year olds. Also, Koreans do not waste ANYTHING. There are special colored trash bags for everything. Food goes in yellow bags, trash goes in pink bags, and recycling goes in a separate bag. Even at McDonalds there are separate places to put your straw, drink lid, cup and so forth. The no-waste thing goes a little far. There are no paper towels at the school or in most public places. Instead, there is a community towel that you try your hands on after you wash them. That was something we had to get used to! Kids are also very affectionate. Sometimes they think it's funny and it goes too far. They love to grab behinds and boobs...which we definitely have to teach them NOT to do!

Hope everyone is doing well!

I'm alive!

So it's been a rough few days. Friday morning at work I got the worst pains in my abdomen. It was the worst thing I have ever experienced and can't even describe how it felt. One of the Korean teachers at my school took me to a female clinic where they did several tests and finally diagnosed me with PID (Pelvic Inflamatory Disease). This can be pretty serious with some long term effects so I was pretty scared. I was told to rest for several days and given a lot of different medications to take. She also told me that if I was feeling considerably better by that night to go to the hospital. Unfortunately the pain didn't lesson so at about 10:00 on Friday night I had to call the assistant director, Geenie, at my school to come take me to the hospital. Si came as well and both of them stayed there with me all night while they ran several tests and finally re-diagnosed me with apendicitis...pretty far off from the initial diagnosis!

I was in surgery by 10:00 Saturday morning to have my appendix removed, and Si and Geenie were still with me. Also, the owner of the school, Mr. Kim, came to make sure everything was ok. After I got out of the recovery room, I was put in a room with 8 people...not much privacy! Mr. Kim worked wonders and paid to have me put in a private room with only two beds. Everyone was so great! We had a huge staff picnic on Saturday, which I obviously had to miss, and felt awful for Geenie and Mr. Kim missing it as well. They stayed with me for awhile, and finally left me to rest. Si stayed until Sunday night, which was wonderful. Unfortunately Saturday was his birthday and not so great celebrated in the hospital with me! Geenie brought him a birthday cake and we had a small celebration anyways!

The frist 24 hours after surgery were pretty rough. I couldn't have anything to eat or drink and my mouth and throat were so dry I couldn't talk. The surgeon said my appendix was twice as big as it should have been and I was lucky to have come in when I did to avoid having it rupture which can be a LOT worse. I was in the hospital from Friday night until Tuesday afternoon. People from school came to visit several times and Si was there as much as possible.

On Sunday night another Korean girl was put in my room, and a friend was there with her was well. Although they didn't speak any English, they were super nice. After the girl had her surgery she was pretty out of it, but her friend offered me as much help as she offered her friend. They talked to the doctors, helped me change my hospital gown, and took my meal trays away for me. It's good to know there are people out t here who are so caring and helpful, even to strangers!

In Korea, you pretty much go to work unless something is seriously wrong, so I feel pretty bad about having to miss work. Everyone is assuring me it is ok and that I need to rest and get better. Not that I have much choice in the matter, but that's exactly what I have to do! When I was finally allowed food, I was served about 4 different kinds of soup, if you can call it that, at every meal. One was soup made from rice which was the only one I could distinguish. Now I am able to eat semi-normal food. They advised me to eat Korean porriadge until friday, which is like a really thick soup with rice, chicken and some veggies. It's actually pretty good. When someone from the school came to pick me up from the hospital they stopped and got me plenty of the porriadge to last me for a couple days.

The pain is a lot better now. When I am laying down it is pretty much non-exisistent, but when I stand or walk it still hurts pretty bad. The doctor said after a week or so the pain should be completely gone. One down side of recovery is that i can't take showers. I can't get the wound wet, so my friends have been washing my hair for me and i've gotten used to the whole spunge bath thing....not so fun! I finally got home today, which is a lot better than being in the hospital! I'll be out of work for the rest of the week, taking it easy and go back to the hospital on Friday to get my stitches out and make sure everything is healing as it should. Thanks to everyone who helped and who wished me well!

I'm much better now and should be back to normal in a couple weeks. I'll keep you all updated! Si thought it would be cute to take some pictures of me after surgery while I was more than passed out, so I will post them with my pictures for your amusement!

Love you and miss you all!

Staying busy!

Things are still great and as busy as ever. We are in the beginning of monsoon season which means it rains ALOT. Korea doesn't get it as bad as other surrounding countries, but still enough to be a burden! We all thought it would rain every day all day for the 2 month rainy season but thankfully we were mistaken. It will rain for a couple days and then it is very hot and humid for a couple days. The cycle continues like that, with more rainy days towards the end of July and beginning of August. It's not too bad since I live so close to the school, but it's surprising how wet you can get from a two minute walk! Last night I went to see Harry Potter with a couple teachers from my school. The theater is a little over a mile away and we usually walk to that area. When we got out of the theater it was absolutely pouring down rain, and thundering and lightening. There were a lot of taxis, but unfortunately at night or in the rain, the taxis will only pick up people who are going to Seoul, which is a 20 minute drive. We were stuck walking home in the storm and I was drenched from head to toe by the time I got home. It was pretty funny, and my first experience getting caught in the rain. Luckily I bought a new umbrella right before the movie, which helped keep my purse dry but that's about it! The movie was worth it though!

Last weekend I went with Si and several teachers from my school to an area in Seoul called Itaewon. It's very western, and filled with Americans in the military and other teachers. You can get a lot of western products there that they don't sell anywhere else, and there are vendors selling things all over the streets. It's so much fun, especially if you love shopping like me! I'm kind of embarassed to admit I spent $4 on a can of Dr. Pepper...but they don't sell it anywhere and it was a taste of home! We had lunch at a restaurant that actually sold things like hamburgers and mozerella sticks and then walked around for awhile. I bought a used cell phone, which is a good thing to do in Itaewon. The teachers from my school left after a couple of hours but me and Si stayed to walk around more and do some shopping. They have tons of replica purses and clothes with designer names that are obviously fake, but still fun to have. I got a couple purses, and some necessities like calling cards and books in English. We were looking for a DVD player for me, and a CD player for Si, which we heard would be cheaper there. In Bundang, where I live, the cheapest DVD player is about $100 and the cheapest CD player is about $70. A military guy on the street told us about a huge electronic market that had cheap items, so we tooki a cab there. It was a huge building with 6 floors of all electronics. Needless to say, we found what we were looking for. Si's birthday is on Saturday so I bought him a CD player which he is very excited about.

I still love teaching and am becoming closer to all of the teachers and students. We found out this week that the director of our school is leaving which was a big shock to everyone. She was supposed to leave two years ago but they asked her to stay on because they moved into a new building and really needed her. The new director will start coming by next week and will work with our director until August and then take over. The director pretty much makes all decisions about the school, and although the Korean staff promise us they will try to have things run the same, there is no telling how the new director will want to do things. It's kinda scary to think about everything being switched around right after I have finally gotten used to how things are done. We'll just have to wait and see!

This weekend we have an employee picnic in a big park in Seoul. All of the staff from our school will go, and we have heard many stories about how picnics have been in the past. It will be a long day, but they provide all of the food and drinks (alcohol of course). We will play football and other games, and we've been told that throughout the day, people begin to feel the effects of alcohol. Drinking is really big in Korea. Anyways, the day takes a turn and everyone starts singing Karaoke and having a great time. I'm pretty excited and it should be a really fun day!

I posted a lot of new pictures but I have been slack on posting my blog. I will try to do a better job with it! I hope everyone is doing well and I will talk to you all soon! Love you and miss you all!

Good and not so good!

Unfortunately a terrible cold, or something like it has been going around our school. Several teachers have been really sick and of course I got it too! Last weekend and the first couple days of this week it was all I could do to wake up and get through the day at school. Luckily i'm feeling a lot better now and can actually concentrate on teaching! Also, the rainy season as officially started. Supposedly it downpours every day for two months, and for the past week that's exactly what it's done. I live so close to the school but am still soaking wet by the time I get there, even carrying an umbrella! The natives are used to it but i'm sure not...it's going to take some getting used to!

Enough bad news! Everything else is great. I still love my school and my kids, and all of the teachers at my school get along really well. It's nice to have them around to talk to and go out with, and they can relate to exactly what you are going through. Teaching has fallen into a schedule and is a lot easier now, but the workload is still huge! We only get one break for lunch, and other than that the day is packed full of students and paper work.

Si got here last week and has been settling in. I can say I am officially jealous! While my apartment is barely big enough to stand in, with twin size bed and one wardrobe to put clothes in, his is like a pent house suite that's huge with a queen size bed, a full kitchen and enough room to store three times as many clothes as I brought with me. It is so nice and modern and right in the middle of a plaza...with all the action! There are pluses and minuses to every school...I guess housing is one of my minuses! Si's school is so much smaller than mine. We have ten English teachers and as many Korean staff, and Si's school only has four teachers. In my school, we have the same group of kids, called morning kinder, from 9:30 until almost 2:00, and the afternoon is split into two different classes. Si's school is set up more like a normal middle school or highschool, with about 7 classes that are each an hour long. He has a lot more kids than me and more agegroups. I like my small classes that I have more time with because I feel like I make more of a difference in their education. I've heard that all schools are so different, and again, there are positives and negatives to each one. For example, Si has breaks throughout the day while I don't, but he also has more kids to manage and more material to cover throughout the day. It's cool to hear about other schools and teachers experiences.

Every day I learn more about the culture here. One thing I learned recently is that it is looked down upon to be left handed. If children are born naturally left handed, their parents will make them work with their right hand until it becomes natural. Seems like it would be hard and awkward to accomplish this and it is one of those cultural differences that I don't understand.

For some exciting news, we have three big vacations. We have a week off at the end of July, 6 days off in September (during my birthday), and a week off in December. My friends and I are going to book all of our trips this weekend because everyone has told us that things fill up quickly. As of now, we are planning on going to JeJu Island, which is called the "Hawaii of Korea" for our week in July. We will take a train to the coast of Korea and then a ferry to the island. There are volcanoes and beaches and so many things to see and do. For our trip in September we are planning to go to Bejing, China. Brittany, one of my friends here, has a family friend that owns a condo in Bejing. He is letting us stay there for free and he is going to book all of our tours and activities for us before we go. That will definitely be a once in a lifetime opportunity! We aren't quite sure about our last trip in December, but it is narrowed down to Thailand or Vietnam. We have heard great things about both places so it will be a tough decision!

I have posted pictures of my apartment and Si's apartment as well so you can see them both. Continue to keep in touch and I miss you all!

Pictures

Again, the link for my pictures is http://picasaweb.google.com/cracker14c. I have added pictures to the albums that are already there so check them out!

Another week!

We are always so busy here, with long days at work and tired nights. I am finally settled into my apartment, with working internet and everything! I finished my first summer school class which was really demanding and have started my second which won't be as bad. Now I will have a little more time to enjoy things! Daily schedules are falling into place at school and it is getting easier to remember everything that has to be done. I love my kids, although there will always be some that are a challenge! Just like in America, there are the kids who don't listen and the class clowns and others who like to act out. The school as a system of giving out stickers for good behavior and other things, and when they reach a certain number the kids get a prize (or a present as they call it). If my kids are being crazy or talkative I just have to give one or two of the good ones a sticker and everyone else follows suit. The kids are so loving, bringing notes or pictures they drew at home. Even kids I don't have in my class come up and hug me and say "Christi Teacher!!!" It makes you feel good, and the kids really seem to like coming to school.

At LCI (Language Club International), which is the name of my school, the afternoon classes, who are older kids, have monthly tests on everything they learned that month. This week was so hectic because we have to put the tests together and make copies for every student. There is so much that goes into these tests, and each one is at least 10 pages long, so by the end of the week I was exhausted. It was pretty confusing this first time, but hopefully making the tests will get easier now that I know what to do for each class.

I am continuing to learn new things about the culture every day. I just learned that it is not appropriate for you to pour your own drink at the table. The youngest person in the group must pour everyone's water, or whatever you are drinking. We are urged to be strict in the classroom, because at home and at the elementary schools where the younger children will start soon, corporal punishment is used for bad behavior. Seems so backward for a culture that is so loving in public, holding hands and always giving hugs. Also, you must bow ALL the time. Haha, I'm not sure when exactly, but pretty much any time you talk to someone or go into a store you bow, just as a sign of respect.

As most of you know, there are a lot of American military bases in Seoul, so when we go out at night there are usually a lot of them, as well as other teachers. We have met other teachers and it is interesting to hear stories about the different schools. No two are alike, and I think we are working at a very good one. Also, there are Korean laws that require foreign military people to be out of the bars and out of sight by 1:00 AM. This came after a lot of the military guys continuously started problems and fights in the Korean bars. It's interesting though, and the American government enforces the laws.

I have posted more pictures so take a look if you have time! Hope everyone is well and I will write more soon!

A few more things...

Just a few more things about Korea that i forgot in my last posting. As i've written before, the culture here is so different. Like the US, women here are so focused on beauty, only they have different ideas of what exactly beauty is. Here, the lighter your skin is, the more beautiful you are considered. Because of this, women go to extremes, such as heavy makeup and powder to make themselves lighter, and even bleaching their skin. Women walk around with umbrellas a lot to prevent themselves from getting sun. Also, brand names are popular here, but they sell replicas everywhere. When I was at my motel, i was staying in a pretty rich area near a big mall, with stores like Gucci, Prada and Chanel, which are unbelievably expensive. On the streets, however, in a lot of areas of the city, they sell copies of these designers for pretty cheap, so EVERYONE is walking around with fake brand name bags and clothes.

Also, it is custom to take your shoes off when you enter a room or apartment. I wrote about my kids having slippers for school and having to change out of their outdoor shoes while inside. Even when I go into my apartment I take my shoes off just so I get used to the idea. I walked into a restaurant and completely forgot...even though there were tons of shoes by the door. Kind of a disrespectful mistake to make, but they completely understand that foreigners have to learn and adjust.

Also, there is a wierd way to hand things out, such as money and food. You always have to give money, and most things with your right hand, and put your left hand on the inside of your forearm. I guess it's a sign of respect also, but kinda strange!

Since this is a city, there is obviously more pollution in the air than some places. Koreans take it to the extreme and you see people all the time walking around with medical masks covering their nose and mouth to avoid breathink in the air. It looked silly at first but I got used to seeing it.

The apartment I live in, which is actually a flat (just one room for everything), came with only a gas burner to cook with. That's what all of the kitchens i've seen have had in them. No oven or microwave so it's been hard to cook things. It's so cheap to go out to eat, and the food is extremely healthy, so that's what we usually do, but it was frustrating trying to cook simple things like frozen corndogs in a frying pan! I finally bought a microwave today so i'm pretty excited!

There are also washing machines in the apartments but no dryers, which not many people at all have in Korea. We wash our clothes and then have to hang them in the kitchen to dry. There is a big rack that raises and lowers to hang your clothes on to dry. It's not the same as fresh clothes out of the dryer, but was the same in Spain and Chile, so i've gotten used to stiff clothes that have to be thoroughly ironed!

A little on the weather, we have been very lucky since we've been here. It has only rained once in two and a half weeks, which is unusual, and almost every other day has been in the 80's. However, the official rainy season starts at the beginning of July and lasts until the end of August, and supposedly it is complete downpour for the entire time. That should be interesting and something I will have to get used to! It's a good thing I moved so close to the school!

That's all I can think of for now but i'll write more later!

Address

I was waiting to move into my new apartment to post my address, but found out on Friday that all letters and packages should be sent to my school. Here is the address, it looks confusing but copy it exactly like it is and it will get to me. It'd be great to hear from home!

Christi Russell
46-4 Shinil Plaza, 2F Jongja-Dong
Sung Nam-Si, Bundag-Gu
Kyong-Ki-Do
South Korea

Getting Settled

Sorry it's been so long since i've written, things have been crazy busy and on top of that my power cord for my laptop broke and Apple's aren't very common here so the school ordered a new one for me. It won't be delivered until Monday or Tuesday but luckily Mary is here and has let me borrow her laptop to use for the weekend. So much has happened since I last wrote. I moved into an apartment that was about a 10 minute walk from school, but not in the same building as any of the other teachers. I ended up moving again on Friday to another apartment, taking over for another teacher that is moving in with her fiance. I can see the school from my apartment and there are three other teachers in my building. It was also recently refurbished, with a new air conditioner, new fridge and floors. It is tiny, which will be an adjustment, but so nice! The entire apartment is probably smaller than a dorm room, with a kitchen that you can barely stand in! Since the teach who left is stayin in Korea, she took absolutely everything with her. Luckily I will be able to move some things from my old apartment here on monday, like shelves and a vanity.

My first week of teaching went surprisingly well. I lucked out and got one of the best groups of kids, which makes teaching a lot easier! It still amazes me how smart these kids are and they are so sweet! Days are very long, I work from 9:30 until 6:30 with only a break for lunch. By the time you've eaten dinner it is 8:00 and you are exhausted! I am still getting used to the busy schedule. On Thursday we took the kids on a field trip to a traffic park. They have field trips once a month, and this month we took them to a traffic park. The kids had fun. They learned about traffic safety and got to drive miniature go-carts/cars. A good break from the normal school day! I am finishing up my first summer school class which has been a lot of work, so hopefully my next class won't be as bad. If you didn't know, I am finishing my second masters with all online classes from my university in the US while I am here. We'll see if I can handle all the work!

This is the first real weekend I have had to hang out and relax, minus the move and setting up my apartment. Yesterday after work I went out with most of the teachers from my school. They are all around my age and we all get along really well! We went to dinner at a Korean Barbeque restaurant, where you sit on the floor and cook the meat in a sort of grill on the table in front of you. It was so good! After dinner about 8 of us went out. We went to a couple of bars in Bundang, which is the city I live in. It takes about 30 minutes to get to Seoul, the capital, so we stay close by one night a weekend and go to Seoul the other. The bars and clubs stay open later here and we didn't get home until 5:00 in the morning! I was definitely tired today and will have to limit how often I do that! It's fun meeting people. Koreans love to try and speak english, and there are also a lot of military people from the US, as well as other teachers from the US and Canada.

Koreans don't seem friendly from afar, but if you approach them they are more than willing to help with anything you need. Just an example, I got lost the first day I moved into my apartment stopped a highschool couple on the street for help. They didn't know very much english but the guy is taking english lessons so he called his english teacher who drove to meet us, and she helped me find my apartment. Definitely went out of their way to be helpful.

Unfortunately I left my camera at school on Friday but I have taken tons of photos and will post them as soon as I can. So far I have loved everything about being here, and hope the rest of the year goes just as well. Miss and love you all!

More about Korea

So I have been here for a week now and am starting to get adjusted. I am sad to say it is my last night in the Love Motel! I am moving into my apartment tomorrow morning and am so excited to finally stop living out of my suitcases. They told me at school that they were coming to pick me up tomorrow morning at 11:00 to take me there, and when I got home from school today they had moved all of my suitcases and bags from here...such service! I couldn't believe it! Although the motel was nice and in a very good area I thought it was a little strange. There are two walls covered in mirrors, his and hers matching silk robes and pink condoms next to the bed. I found out today at school that Love Motels are common and get there name because people rent them by the hour...enough said! Gross! There are also rooms that people rent for the night or more long term, which is where I am staying thank goodness! I'm glad I didn't find out about the purpose of the Love Motel until my last day!

I have been observing a lot since i've been here trying to take everything in. Koreans love Hyundai cars. About 90% of the cars on the road are Hyundais! They do drive on the same side of the road as us, but there seem to be almost not traffic laws! I haven't seen a police car since I've been here, unless I just don't know what they look like. There are cameras everywhere on the roads that check your speed and take pictures if you are speeding. I guess that keeps people in check! Also, you can do U-turns wherever you want to...even in the middle of the expressway! You can also park anywhere you want. Pull over anywhere on the side of the road in town, up on the curb or on sidewalks. There are cars everywhere. It would definitely take a while to get used to driving here!

Today was my first day teaching completely by myself and it went well. The kids weren't quite as good as they have been for Mary, but i'm sure it will just take a little while for them to get used to having a new teacher. They bring lunch trays to school everyday, and the school serves them lunch. Today I noticed that they all bring toothbrushes to brush after lunch! Another example of the strictness here. The food here is wonderful, but most of it is very spicey and is definitely bad for the breath! It is necessary to brush often! I brought my things home from school today to hopefully get ahead on planning. We have to fill out in depth homework sheets every day for all of our classes and it can be time consuming! I'll let you all know how my first real weekend is here with no jet lag! Miss you all!

Holiday

So yesterday we had the day off for a Korean holiday and it was much needed! Although I spent most of the day doing work for my grad school class, I did get out and walk around a lot, observing Koreans and everything around me. Man purses (murses as we call them) are carried by all guys. Not just messenger bags, but actualy purses! A lot of them also carry their girlfriend's purse as well...wish guys would do that for us in the US!!! Also, friends that are girls walk around holding hands, or arm in arm. Friends that are guys do so as well. However, it is looked down upon for members of the opposite sex to do so, even if they are dating. Kind of wierd! South Korea is also the land of replica purses, shoes, clothes, and just about everything. Almost every Korean carries a fake Louis Vutton bag. Also, I went to the convenience store to get some snacks and there were several brands of shrimp chips...don't think i'll be trying those!!!

Today is my first day of teaching by myself, with help from my co-teacher. It's gone well so far and I haven't needed any help! Luckily my teacher was such a good trainer, I learned a lot and feel ready to take over. Sad to say this is the last night in the Love Motel. My apartment will be ready tomorrow and I am extremely excited!

A lot of people have asked what the korean students can do at this age that Americans cannot. Their curriculum just moves a lot faster and they have so much homework and pressure from their parents to do well. My kindergarteners can add and subtract in their head and call out the answers. They can also read short books in both Korean and English...pretty impressive! In math they are learning about American money, and adding the amounts. It's a pretty advanced concept for Kindergarten!

Time to get back to work...keep sending coments, I love getting them!

Photos

Here is a link to my photo page:

http://picasaweb.google.com/cracker14c

Getting adjusted

My second day at the school went a lot smoother! The first two days were my days to observer the teacher I will be replacing. Her name is also Mary, and she has been at the school for over a year. I have talked to other new teachers at the school and I feel so lucky to have such a wonderful teacher to train me. The school day is so different than anything in the United States and Mary has done so much to help prepare me. She made a huge binder full of descriptions of each student, as well as a detailed plan of how her days run. There is a different schedule almost every day and there is so much paperwork you have to fill out. I have several different groups of students who all have several different textbooks and workbooks so things are bound to get confusing!

Tomorrow we don't have school because it is one of Korea's Memorial Days (supposedly they have several). Good for me though, just a litle more time to get things done and catch up on sleep! On Thursday I will teach the class with Mary's help, and on Friday I will be on my own! I'm nervous but I think I have been trained well and things will only get easier. I know it will take a lot of patience and practice, but i'll get there!

I'm still in the Love Motel, and will be here until at least Saturday when Mary, the teacher I am replacing, moves out of her apartment...that I will then live in. We went out to lunch today and I had my second experience with Korean food. She made a suggestion and it was wonderful! It was a stone bowl filled with rice and veggies that is still cooking when it comes to the table. You mix it all up and the hot rice cooks the veggies. It also burns slightly to the bottom of the stone bowl (there's a name for that but I can't remember), and it was really good! I am quite a sight trying to use chopsticks. I could never use them in the US, and here they are metal and way more slippery! Everyone says it takes practice so for now i'll just deal with dropping my food all the time or only getting one grain of rice successfully to my mouth. Maybe this will be a good diet! haha

I took pictures of my class today and will post them soon. I am in the last week of my online class from back home so things are going to be hectic for a few days. I think this day off came at just the right time.

Another interesting fact I learned today at lunch is that it is disrespectful to leave a spoon in your bowl or on your dish because that is traditionally what Koreans do at memorial services to honor loved ones. Not sure what leaving a spoon in a bowl has to do with this but I'll try to find out! Also, Mary told me that students will often be gone for a day or two and tell you they had to go to the mountains (or wherever) to pray. They really mean they had to visit the gravesite of a loved one etc.

I can't believe how hard these kids work! I teach 6-9 year olds, and they are in school until almost 6:00 every day. They have so much homework, and also almost all of them leave from school to go to piano or violin lessons. Such a strict, structured lifestyle, but their parents want them to be the best. In Korea, you are a year older than you actually are because they count the day you are born as your first birthday. So here I am 26...kinda getting old!!!
I'll write more soon! Love and miss you all!

First Days Here!

Wow, it is so overwhelming! It gets a little frustrating not being able to communicate with most people, but i'm getting along ok. I've learned a few basic words so that's all i'm using for now! My first day here Mary and some of the teachers came and met me at my hotel and we went to lunch. We went to a Korean restaurant and I had no idea what to order...the menu was all in Korean! They gave me some suggestions and I ended up with a bowl of rice with beef (i hope) and seaweed (they put that in almost all dishes...and I pick it out of them!) It was pretty good. We walked around the plaza my hotel is in for awhile and then I came back to my hotel to sleep off the jet lag. It's been pretty bad with the 11 hour time difference but I am starting to adjust.

Yesterday was my first day at the school and I spent the day observing the teacher I will replace. Luckily she has some of the most well behaved classes so that will help me a lot! Some of the other new teachers have some pretty wild students so i'm thankful! I learned some interesting customs on my first day. You cannot write a student's, or anyone's name, using a red pen because it signifies death and means you want him or her dead...kinda weird! Also, the students have outdoor shoes and indoor shoes, kind of like slippers. The first thing they do when they get to class is change into their indoor shoes because it is disrespectful not to. Even when they sit on the mats for group time they have to take their indoor shoes off. It's one of their customs. When you hand out papers, or money, or anything in this country you have to do so with two hands as a sign of respect. (You also have to receive everything with two hands). It is rude not to do so. Some interesting things! The other countries I have been to have had their own customs but these are the most different by far!

To the students, my name is Christi Teacher. That's how they address all teachers. Kinda funny! School is going to be very hectic and confusing until I get the hang of things. I work from 9:00 until 6:30 every day, and there are three different classes on Monday/Wednesday/Friday, and another group of three classes on Tuesday/Thursday, so I will have a lot of names and schedules to learn! The biggest class only has 10 students though so the small groups will help out a lot. I have kids ranging in age from 6-8 and they are so smart! A lot more advanced than students that age in the United States, especially because this is their second language! The school serves the teachers lunch, we have an hour break for that, but we can go out or home if we choose to. A lot of teachers also use this time to plan or prepare.

I need to finish getting ready for my second day but I will continue to write and let you know what I am learning! Miss you all and wish me luck!!!

Finally here!

After going through so much trying to get my VISA, and 24 hours of travel time, I am finally in South Korea! My flight landed at about 9:30 last night and someone from the agency was at the airport to meet me. I was so tired but we had about an hour and a half drive from the airport to LCI, the school I am teaching at. It is in Bundang, a suburb of Seoul, but looks completely like a city! I got a quick tour of the school and then the owners brought me to my hotel. I am staying in a hotel near the school for a week until the teacher I am replacing leaves, and I will take over her apartment. I didn't get to the hotel until midnight, but the streets were bustling with college kids. They are filled with bright neon signs, and remind me of Vegas, minus the casinos. The owners of the school were so nice. They helped me carry my bags up and then took me down to the street to get dinner.

The signs seem funny to me. Koreans have their own alphabet with what look like symbols to me, but they use the same numbers as us, so everything looked half Korean, half American. The hotel is nice, just small and simple. I do have a TV and computer with internet in the room so that will help out a lot! Since South Korea is 11 hours ahead of the US, it makes communicating with people hard. We are on completely different schedules! I slept last night but am still pretty tired and am sure jet lag will hit me more than ever in the next couple of days. My friend Mary and other teachers from the school are coming to meet me at the hotel at noon so we can go to lunch and see more of the city. I'm excited to talk to her and find out more about her first week in Seoul and what I can expect! I still have no idea how to use the money, and don't know any of the language so my first few days should be interesting!

Miss everyone and I will write more as soon as I can!

My School In South Korea

It has been so hectic trying to get everything ready for South Korea! I had to send all of my documents to Korea so they can process my VISA. They were supposed to arrive a week ago and there is still no sign of them. It is delaying things, and hopefully my documents find their way to the correct destination soon...kind of stressful! I also ended up switching schools, in order to work with Mary, and live in the same apartment complex as her. The school I am now at has the same age kids, elementary, but it seems a lot more laid back and will be easier to adjust to. We will live only a few blocks from the school, so getting there will be so easy!

I have been talking to a few teachers at my school, as well as other teachers in South Korea about what to pack, and what to expect when I arrive etc. Everyone has told me pretty much the same thing..bring lots of deodorant and female products because they are almost impossible to find! Every country I have been to has had different little things like that, and it's good to know how to prepare before I leave! People have also told me to pack twin sheets, because for some reason, Koreans don't use them like we do in the US. Packing for a year will definitley not be easy...especially with only two suitcases! I've always packed more than necessary, but appropriate attire for both work and free time, for all four seasons will be difficult to put together! Asians are a lot smaller than Americans in general, so we've been advised not to plan on buying clothes or shoes there because the sizes are considerably smaller. Ahhh....so much to think about!

My departure date has been changed several times, due to switching schools and problems with processing my VISA. Now I am scheduled to leave on May 28th which will get here sooner than i'll expect! I set up my website to post my pictures, and right now there are new pictures of the school I will work at.

The website is http://picasaweb.google.com/cracker14c

Enjoy and I will keep everyone updated!

South Korea bound!

I'm finally graduating with my Masters in International Studies, and just accepted a job! I am leaving in less than 3 weeks to teach English in South Korea for a year. Even though I have experience living abroad, I have never been to a country where I don't speak the language so i'm pretty nervous! Luckily I am going with two people I know, so that should make things a little easier. I have been assigned to a school on the outskirts of Seoul, South Korea. Seoul is the capital and is a huge city...different than anything I have ever experienced.

Mary, a friend I am graduating with, told me about this opportunity and luckily we were both offered positions. The website for the organization we were hired by is http://www.korjobcanada.com for anyone that's interested! It was started by a guy who taught for three years in Seoul, just like we are doing, then came back and started this organization to make easier and more affordable for recent graduates to teach in South Korea. It's an awesome opportunity. The school at which we are employed pays for our workers VISA, round trip air fare, a furnished apartment, travel within the city and medical insurance. On top of that we get paid a pretty good monthly salary, so hopefully this will give me a chance to save some money and travel even more.

I have joined groups on Facebook for people teaching in South Korea and have talked to several people about their experiences so far. They all seem to love it and have given me some great advice about things to know before I go, and what to pack etc.

Here are a couple pictures of the school I will be working at. It is preschool and lower elementary school grades, and supposedly one of the more ritzy schools in the area. I am so excited and will keep everyone posted on how things go! Wish me luck and I will miss you all!