Thursday, July 29, 2010
The Dead Zone
Everyday after school for the past 6 months or so I have been making the mistake of hanging out on my couch a little too long. My couch is a dead zone. As soon as I get on it I feel sleepy and next thing you know 2 hours have gone by without notice. I always try to fight it but in the end it wins every time. Never challenge a couch that is a dead zone you'll never win.
Tuesday, July 27, 2010
[Korean Music] - Supreme Team
I love the Supreme Team... in the Korean music world everyone is doing a waterdown version of hiphop. There is a token rapper in every girl or boy group.
But they aren't really a hip-hop group.
Enter the Supreme Team. A really good k-hiphop group.
Here are 2 singles I like Supermagic and 나만 모르게 (Feat T aka Tasha, aka Yoon Mirae )
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-DLxTDbwmYE
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8NB7UDPxU5E
have a listen tell me what you think
But they aren't really a hip-hop group.
Enter the Supreme Team. A really good k-hiphop group.
Here are 2 singles I like Supermagic and 나만 모르게 (Feat T aka Tasha, aka Yoon Mirae )
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-DLxTDbwmYE
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8NB7UDPxU5E
have a listen tell me what you think
The Homeplus Debacle
I went to Homeplus today to pick up some stuff. Ran into a couple of girls that were snickering and pointing at me. Normally this sorta stuff doesn't get to me. But today right in the middle of produce I started yelling at the kids. I was so angry I couldn't even think in Korean so it all came out in English...
Right now I think I shouldn't have done it. But at the time it felt nice to finally yell at someone after a year of being silent.
Right now I think I shouldn't have done it. But at the time it felt nice to finally yell at someone after a year of being silent.
Tuesday, May 18, 2010
The fast and the frenzied
The fast and the frenzied
This is a LONG overdue post. I meant to post this back in November or something but everything got pushed back. Every time I tried to come up with something to write about this topic I came up with nothing concrete. So I’m just going to write a series of points. These points are observations I have made about driving and being a pedestrian in S. Korea.
a. It just might be impossible or rare to get hit by a car turning left in a major intersection. I can only speak about the major intersections in my area. I noticed that the way the traffic lights run, cars allowed to turn left don’t do it at the same time when pedestrians are walking. In Toronto drivers making a left have to look out for on-coming traffic and pedestrians that isn’t the case here in Korea. I suppose the concept is sort of like the “advance go” type arrows in busy intersections back home.
b. Street names aren’t that important like back in Toronto. Just say I wanted to meet a friend in Toronto some give place downtown. If I say “Meet me at Queen and Bathurst” they might say “Oh Queen and Bathurst where the Pizza Pizza is?” Using a location to confirm the place. In Korea people tend to map by location. I have been never been given directions that say “It’s at the intersection of ABC street”. I get A LOT of flyers for restaurants, stores and other such things; I don’t know where most of them are because the maps given are done by location. The map will show something like: BOOKSTORE, COFFEE SHOP, APARTMENT BUILDING, all labeled and the store in question will have a giant star where its located. The map is no help if you don’t know where those locations exist. Funny thing is restaurants and coffee shops move and change of often here it almost makes no sense to me to use such locations on a map.
c. Where’s my seat belt?! That is a question I have asked myself several times getting into cars in Korea. At first I thought it was only taxis in Korea but after many trips in my teacher’s car it much the same. In the front seat both passenger and driver have a seat belt but in the backseat…. NOTHING! Needless to say there has been several instances where I prayed to God for my safety. Furthermore, children aren’t buckled in like in Canada. In Canada until you reach the age of 12 or a certain amount of pounds you’re sitting in some kinda baby seat. In Korea I haven’t really seen people buckling their kids into safety seats. During Chusoek weekend I saw many kids with their head sticking out of sunroofs as the cars speed down the highway. I’ve also been in a car where a two year roamed around the backseat freely because he put up too much of a fight to seat in the baby seat.
d. Traffic lights, traffic signs, and, other traffic regulations are mere suggestions; guidelines if you will. Many occasions I have been in a car or seen a car make illegal turns, speeding while making turns, run red lights etc. This is part of the reason why I reach for my rosary while in the backseat of such a car. Motorbikes, scooters, mopeds, and other alike vehicles are frequent rule breakers. They run red lights all the time. One thing I absolutely hate is they drive on the side walks. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve had tap into the Spiderman within me to get outta the way.
e. GOT GPS?! Most cars on the road in Korea have a GPS device. Most drivers are heavily dependent on their GPS to navigate the busy roads. The driver punches in the name of the location and the GPS gives step by step directions to the destination. The GPS also tells you when you a speeding, and it also shows a real time display map of the driver’s location. I think most models can play music and have television. I know in Ontario drivers cannot have tvs anywhere in their line of vision. Tvs are for the backseat people. Not the case in Korea. I have seen people driving with the tv on right in their face on the dashboard. WHAT THE HECK?! ARE YOU SERIOUS?!!! Traffic signs not really obeyed, no seat belts for the backseat, and you have the nerve to be driving with a TV in your FACE?! What also makes me laugh about this is in the car they avoid using their cells or go hands free. But what does that matter if you are watching tv anyway?!
f. You would think with all that I have writing I might have witness many traffic accidents. Truth is I have seen about 2 in the year I have been here. It was pretty much the aftermath of the accident. Nothing that required the jaws of life of anything. This makes me wonder about all the regulations we have in Canada. Not a day goes by without a fatal accident some where on the street of T.O. I don’t really think any one system is better than the other. But coming from Canada where are so many regulations about driving S. Korea’s drivers seem a little insane.
This is a LONG overdue post. I meant to post this back in November or something but everything got pushed back. Every time I tried to come up with something to write about this topic I came up with nothing concrete. So I’m just going to write a series of points. These points are observations I have made about driving and being a pedestrian in S. Korea.
a. It just might be impossible or rare to get hit by a car turning left in a major intersection. I can only speak about the major intersections in my area. I noticed that the way the traffic lights run, cars allowed to turn left don’t do it at the same time when pedestrians are walking. In Toronto drivers making a left have to look out for on-coming traffic and pedestrians that isn’t the case here in Korea. I suppose the concept is sort of like the “advance go” type arrows in busy intersections back home.
b. Street names aren’t that important like back in Toronto. Just say I wanted to meet a friend in Toronto some give place downtown. If I say “Meet me at Queen and Bathurst” they might say “Oh Queen and Bathurst where the Pizza Pizza is?” Using a location to confirm the place. In Korea people tend to map by location. I have been never been given directions that say “It’s at the intersection of ABC street”. I get A LOT of flyers for restaurants, stores and other such things; I don’t know where most of them are because the maps given are done by location. The map will show something like: BOOKSTORE, COFFEE SHOP, APARTMENT BUILDING, all labeled and the store in question will have a giant star where its located. The map is no help if you don’t know where those locations exist. Funny thing is restaurants and coffee shops move and change of often here it almost makes no sense to me to use such locations on a map.
c. Where’s my seat belt?! That is a question I have asked myself several times getting into cars in Korea. At first I thought it was only taxis in Korea but after many trips in my teacher’s car it much the same. In the front seat both passenger and driver have a seat belt but in the backseat…. NOTHING! Needless to say there has been several instances where I prayed to God for my safety. Furthermore, children aren’t buckled in like in Canada. In Canada until you reach the age of 12 or a certain amount of pounds you’re sitting in some kinda baby seat. In Korea I haven’t really seen people buckling their kids into safety seats. During Chusoek weekend I saw many kids with their head sticking out of sunroofs as the cars speed down the highway. I’ve also been in a car where a two year roamed around the backseat freely because he put up too much of a fight to seat in the baby seat.
d. Traffic lights, traffic signs, and, other traffic regulations are mere suggestions; guidelines if you will. Many occasions I have been in a car or seen a car make illegal turns, speeding while making turns, run red lights etc. This is part of the reason why I reach for my rosary while in the backseat of such a car. Motorbikes, scooters, mopeds, and other alike vehicles are frequent rule breakers. They run red lights all the time. One thing I absolutely hate is they drive on the side walks. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve had tap into the Spiderman within me to get outta the way.
e. GOT GPS?! Most cars on the road in Korea have a GPS device. Most drivers are heavily dependent on their GPS to navigate the busy roads. The driver punches in the name of the location and the GPS gives step by step directions to the destination. The GPS also tells you when you a speeding, and it also shows a real time display map of the driver’s location. I think most models can play music and have television. I know in Ontario drivers cannot have tvs anywhere in their line of vision. Tvs are for the backseat people. Not the case in Korea. I have seen people driving with the tv on right in their face on the dashboard. WHAT THE HECK?! ARE YOU SERIOUS?!!! Traffic signs not really obeyed, no seat belts for the backseat, and you have the nerve to be driving with a TV in your FACE?! What also makes me laugh about this is in the car they avoid using their cells or go hands free. But what does that matter if you are watching tv anyway?!
f. You would think with all that I have writing I might have witness many traffic accidents. Truth is I have seen about 2 in the year I have been here. It was pretty much the aftermath of the accident. Nothing that required the jaws of life of anything. This makes me wonder about all the regulations we have in Canada. Not a day goes by without a fatal accident some where on the street of T.O. I don’t really think any one system is better than the other. But coming from Canada where are so many regulations about driving S. Korea’s drivers seem a little insane.
Subway Capers 3 & 4
This is also long overdue. This happened back in October… I think it was the same day I met the crazy train lady.
#3
I was on the train heading back home. The train car I was in was filled with people but there were still enough seats for people to not really have to sit beside anyone. I was sitting in a corner seat closest to the door. I like those seats the best since I only have to seat next to one other person.
A man sat down right next to me he seemed to be reading a science text book. I thought what he did was odd since there were enough seats that he didn’t have to seat right next to me. I just shrugged it off and began to zone out. I think I might have been listening to music. I don’t remember.
After some time I began to feel some pressure on my leg; then sort of rubbing sensation. I looked over at my left leg and saw that my leg and the man’s leg were touching so I moved my leg away. After a while it happened again and again so I kept moving my leg away from the man until their wasn’t any space for me to retreat.
Thankfully my stop came up next and I jumped out of my seat readying myself to exit. As a routine I double check my seat just in case I left something behind. When I looked back the man was gone. He was sitting opposite aisle in a middle seat next to a different woman rubbing his leg against hers. Ew.
#4
I was on my way home from Sunday mass in Seodaemun. I thought there was going to be mass in English but that turned out to be a bust. So feeling tired and defeated I made my way home. I was waiting for the train on the platform. Out of no where a little girl came up to me and began to stare up at me. I think she was a 4th or 5th grade student.
I looked over at her and she said to me “ 예쁘세요” which means “you are pretty” in a nice polite form of the language. I suppose if my Korean was better at the time I would have said more to her that just thanks. When she said it she was holding my hand smiling at me. She called her mother over to where we were standing but her mother yelled for her to come over so she went.
#3
I was on the train heading back home. The train car I was in was filled with people but there were still enough seats for people to not really have to sit beside anyone. I was sitting in a corner seat closest to the door. I like those seats the best since I only have to seat next to one other person.
A man sat down right next to me he seemed to be reading a science text book. I thought what he did was odd since there were enough seats that he didn’t have to seat right next to me. I just shrugged it off and began to zone out. I think I might have been listening to music. I don’t remember.
After some time I began to feel some pressure on my leg; then sort of rubbing sensation. I looked over at my left leg and saw that my leg and the man’s leg were touching so I moved my leg away. After a while it happened again and again so I kept moving my leg away from the man until their wasn’t any space for me to retreat.
Thankfully my stop came up next and I jumped out of my seat readying myself to exit. As a routine I double check my seat just in case I left something behind. When I looked back the man was gone. He was sitting opposite aisle in a middle seat next to a different woman rubbing his leg against hers. Ew.
#4
I was on my way home from Sunday mass in Seodaemun. I thought there was going to be mass in English but that turned out to be a bust. So feeling tired and defeated I made my way home. I was waiting for the train on the platform. Out of no where a little girl came up to me and began to stare up at me. I think she was a 4th or 5th grade student.
I looked over at her and she said to me “ 예쁘세요” which means “you are pretty” in a nice polite form of the language. I suppose if my Korean was better at the time I would have said more to her that just thanks. When she said it she was holding my hand smiling at me. She called her mother over to where we were standing but her mother yelled for her to come over so she went.
I'm still here....
It’s been a long time since I posted a blog. I suppose its because I don’t have the motivation to keep at it due the lack of comments. I have been told there are a number of creepers that read up on me but without comments it feels like I’m just writing this for myself yanno?
This isn’t to guilt trip anyone… there are many more reasons for my lack of posts. For on thing I became busy living life. Most days when I get home I have a snack. Have time for prayer, meditation, or some spiritual reading (reading the bible or about the saints). I make dinner and just lounge about complaining to myself how tired I am with folks back home.
Time management hasn’t always been my best skill. I tend to procrastinate quite a bit. Actually I think that is an understatement since I pretty much have it worked out to an art form… either that or some scientific method. I’m trying my best to get over that issue but ironically enough I have been told things like this take time.
Thirdly, I have been debating with myself on how “real” I should be on this blog. Considering this is the internet and whatever I post online leaves my full control as soon as I post it worries me a bit. I want to keep people updated and I want to provide information but, I don’t want to put too much out on the information highway. I think I’m going to start getting a little freer with the posts and stop worrying about form and function so much.
Lastly, I had to take a break from posting because some things were going on in my life here in S. Korea that I needed a while to digest. I will elaborate more about all the issues in another upcoming post.
Well that’s all for now. Look out for updates soon.
This isn’t to guilt trip anyone… there are many more reasons for my lack of posts. For on thing I became busy living life. Most days when I get home I have a snack. Have time for prayer, meditation, or some spiritual reading (reading the bible or about the saints). I make dinner and just lounge about complaining to myself how tired I am with folks back home.
Time management hasn’t always been my best skill. I tend to procrastinate quite a bit. Actually I think that is an understatement since I pretty much have it worked out to an art form… either that or some scientific method. I’m trying my best to get over that issue but ironically enough I have been told things like this take time.
Thirdly, I have been debating with myself on how “real” I should be on this blog. Considering this is the internet and whatever I post online leaves my full control as soon as I post it worries me a bit. I want to keep people updated and I want to provide information but, I don’t want to put too much out on the information highway. I think I’m going to start getting a little freer with the posts and stop worrying about form and function so much.
Lastly, I had to take a break from posting because some things were going on in my life here in S. Korea that I needed a while to digest. I will elaborate more about all the issues in another upcoming post.
Well that’s all for now. Look out for updates soon.
Wednesday, April 14, 2010
Update~~
Hey all~
I keep thinking about something to write about on here. Finally when I do the writers block hits me and nothing really happens. Blargh >_>
Anyway... this past weekend I went to Myeong-dong Cathedral for mass. It was the first time I went there. I really like it there a lot it was the closest thing to home. It really helped me get over this current bout with home sickness. Easter time back home in Canada is a big family event so I was feeling a bit lonely without family to yell at and ignore. (LOL, I joke because I care).
After mass at Myeong-dong Cathedral I decided to walk around the Myeong-dong shopping area. I really have to say its one of my favourite places to shop in Seoul. Admittedly somethings are super expensive. For example H&M... I cannot believe I spent 98,000 won on clothes there >_< I don't know ... it just HAP-PEND (lol). I bought a blue/green tunic type top, a black tube top, a pair of earrings, bunch of bracelets and a white skirt (which I later returned... but I didnt end up getting my money back b/c it was a busy day and it process for a refund is too time consuming, so I got a giftcard. >_> )Then I got a long blue skirt and uniqco (sp?).
Later in the underground shopping area I bought a Clazziquai CD "Instant Pig" and in another place I bought a Big Bang CD "Remember vol. 2" (when I got home to put the tracks on my mp3 player I found out the CD although completely packaged as Remember vol. 2 the tracks on the disc are from Remember vol.1!!!! argghhh~~~ >_<* ... I wanted to listen to Seungri's track "strong baby" SO badly I love that song...oh well I think I will go back to that shop and try for exchange)
Okay that is all for now... I will try not to be too much of a stranger~
This just in... After giving my Big Bang CD a close listen all the tracks are from vol. 2 its just that the names of the tracks are from vol.1... so now I'm struggling to rename them all... >_> argh!
I keep thinking about something to write about on here. Finally when I do the writers block hits me and nothing really happens. Blargh >_>
Anyway... this past weekend I went to Myeong-dong Cathedral for mass. It was the first time I went there. I really like it there a lot it was the closest thing to home. It really helped me get over this current bout with home sickness. Easter time back home in Canada is a big family event so I was feeling a bit lonely without family to yell at and ignore. (LOL, I joke because I care).
After mass at Myeong-dong Cathedral I decided to walk around the Myeong-dong shopping area. I really have to say its one of my favourite places to shop in Seoul. Admittedly somethings are super expensive. For example H&M... I cannot believe I spent 98,000 won on clothes there >_< I don't know ... it just HAP-PEND (lol). I bought a blue/green tunic type top, a black tube top, a pair of earrings, bunch of bracelets and a white skirt (which I later returned... but I didnt end up getting my money back b/c it was a busy day and it process for a refund is too time consuming, so I got a giftcard. >_> )Then I got a long blue skirt and uniqco (sp?).
Later in the underground shopping area I bought a Clazziquai CD "Instant Pig" and in another place I bought a Big Bang CD "Remember vol. 2" (when I got home to put the tracks on my mp3 player I found out the CD although completely packaged as Remember vol. 2 the tracks on the disc are from Remember vol.1!!!! argghhh~~~ >_<* ... I wanted to listen to Seungri's track "strong baby" SO badly I love that song...oh well I think I will go back to that shop and try for exchange)
Okay that is all for now... I will try not to be too much of a stranger~
This just in... After giving my Big Bang CD a close listen all the tracks are from vol. 2 its just that the names of the tracks are from vol.1... so now I'm struggling to rename them all... >_> argh!
Wednesday, March 10, 2010
[6 months Review ] February
February
Back to school! Well actually back to desk warming. At this point I reached the highest degree of desk warming; animate paper weight. Most days when I came to school there were no teachers in the building. If I happened to run into a teacher in the faulty room or the hallway they would be shocked. A few teachers suggested that I should go home. I wanted to take some of my vacation time and go to Japan for about 5 or 6 days. I know it would be a short trip but it would be better than desk warming. My request was denied since during that time there were going to be special teacher meetings I had to attend. Also Co.1 didn’t make it clear to my VP that I was planning to go to Japan rather she told him my Japanese friend was coming to Korea. >_> . Oh well I’m definitely going to Japan in the summer. Co. 1 told me the identity of Co.2. I was delighted to find out it was going to be the 1st grade teacher. (THANK THE LORD!) Co.2 and I get along really well. She’s closer in age to me than Co.1. She makes me feel more like a co-worker and professional rather than an “English Language Bar Wench”. Co.2 will be leaving for maternity leave in July which isn’t too bad since I’m only here until August. I’m not sure if they will get a teacher to fill in or not. But I will wait and see what happens. Anything is bound to happen since Korea is dynamic.
Back to school! Well actually back to desk warming. At this point I reached the highest degree of desk warming; animate paper weight. Most days when I came to school there were no teachers in the building. If I happened to run into a teacher in the faulty room or the hallway they would be shocked. A few teachers suggested that I should go home. I wanted to take some of my vacation time and go to Japan for about 5 or 6 days. I know it would be a short trip but it would be better than desk warming. My request was denied since during that time there were going to be special teacher meetings I had to attend. Also Co.1 didn’t make it clear to my VP that I was planning to go to Japan rather she told him my Japanese friend was coming to Korea. >_> . Oh well I’m definitely going to Japan in the summer. Co. 1 told me the identity of Co.2. I was delighted to find out it was going to be the 1st grade teacher. (THANK THE LORD!) Co.2 and I get along really well. She’s closer in age to me than Co.1. She makes me feel more like a co-worker and professional rather than an “English Language Bar Wench”. Co.2 will be leaving for maternity leave in July which isn’t too bad since I’m only here until August. I’m not sure if they will get a teacher to fill in or not. But I will wait and see what happens. Anything is bound to happen since Korea is dynamic.
[6 months Review ] January
January
The New Year was full of surprises. For most of the winter class schedule I spent it planning for the next semester. I was determined to hit the ground running and learn from all my mistakes to improve my lessons. I’m not going to lie there were some days where I couldn’t stay on task and did everything under the sun but work. My Co-teacher informed me that she was leaving the school. (In Korea every 4 years teachers change their schools) I was secretly hoping that the current 1st grade teacher that spoke excellent English was going to be my new Co. Co .1 (my first co-teacher) over time became hard to deal with on a day to day basis. She refused to co-teach with me, she didn’t explain information to me, did things last minute all the time, stiffed me with all the classes to teach, and, spoke to me in Korean most of the time not bothering to make the effort. My Korean isn’t all that great so I was always lost in translation. Co. 1 isn’t a horrible person she was quite helpful and taught me about daily life in Korea. It’s just that she would have been more helpful if she made more of an effort to understand me and speak with me.
I started to go clubbing every now and then with my friends. We went to a smaller club in our area. Most of the time Korean guys spent their time staring at me with expressions on their face like “ooooh a black girl”. One night before I was going to leave I ran into a guy who would take a “No” for answer. All in all he ended up getting my number. The fool ended up drunk dialling me 3 times in one night.
1st call
Me: Hello? (I answered thinking it was long distance, the family sometime forgets the time difference)
Mr. Grabby: HellooooOooo, Eveeeeeee~ I want to see…
Me: I’m sleeping…bye
Mr. Grabby: Huh? Sleep? Nooo… I want to see… please come to me…
Me: No.. Good bye
2nd call
Me: YA! I’m sleeping!
Mr. Grabby: I’m sorry… I can’t English…
Me: bye!
3rd Call
Me: HEY, YOU’RE DEAD! (said in Korean)
Mr. Grabby: *hangs up*
The New Year was full of surprises. For most of the winter class schedule I spent it planning for the next semester. I was determined to hit the ground running and learn from all my mistakes to improve my lessons. I’m not going to lie there were some days where I couldn’t stay on task and did everything under the sun but work. My Co-teacher informed me that she was leaving the school. (In Korea every 4 years teachers change their schools) I was secretly hoping that the current 1st grade teacher that spoke excellent English was going to be my new Co. Co .1 (my first co-teacher) over time became hard to deal with on a day to day basis. She refused to co-teach with me, she didn’t explain information to me, did things last minute all the time, stiffed me with all the classes to teach, and, spoke to me in Korean most of the time not bothering to make the effort. My Korean isn’t all that great so I was always lost in translation. Co. 1 isn’t a horrible person she was quite helpful and taught me about daily life in Korea. It’s just that she would have been more helpful if she made more of an effort to understand me and speak with me.
I started to go clubbing every now and then with my friends. We went to a smaller club in our area. Most of the time Korean guys spent their time staring at me with expressions on their face like “ooooh a black girl”. One night before I was going to leave I ran into a guy who would take a “No” for answer. All in all he ended up getting my number. The fool ended up drunk dialling me 3 times in one night.
1st call
Me: Hello? (I answered thinking it was long distance, the family sometime forgets the time difference)
Mr. Grabby: HellooooOooo, Eveeeeeee~ I want to see…
Me: I’m sleeping…bye
Mr. Grabby: Huh? Sleep? Nooo… I want to see… please come to me…
Me: No.. Good bye
2nd call
Me: YA! I’m sleeping!
Mr. Grabby: I’m sorry… I can’t English…
Me: bye!
3rd Call
Me: HEY, YOU’RE DEAD! (said in Korean)
Mr. Grabby: *hangs up*
[6 months Review ] December
December
I went to Namsan Tower with Jacob. I had such an awesome time with him. First we went to Namsan Tower and saw the place where all locks are on the fence. (Lots of couples come to this one area near the tower, write a message on a lock, attach it to the fence and throw the keys away to signify the promise they made to each other.) After Namsan it was off to the Hanok Village. Jacob and I played several of the old time games and wondered about the area together. Next it was off to Insadong but first it was short stop in a coffee shop to defrost a bit. In the coffee shop talked a bit… about what I can’t remember. I suppose that it was because I was making goo goo eyes at Jacob most of the time. Went we made it to Insadong I was approaching night time it was getting colder. Jacob shared his gloves with me. I wore one and he wore the other. The other ungloved hands we stuffed into our jackets. Eventually Jacob relinquished the other glove. We had dinner in Insandong. Jacob taught me how to text in Korean. It was something I wanted to learn since I got my phone but no one would show me. To say thank you I sent Jacob a message in Korean. Later he walked me to the subway station through Insadong we walked arm in arm close together (to keep warm). When it was time to part ways, Jacob offered his hand for a handshake. I shook his hand but he wouldn’t let go. “Umm, I’ve got to go…so you gotta let go of my hand…” I say. A smirk crosses Jacob’s face and he pulls me toward him. After I regain my balance we have a good laugh. Finally he lets me go and I leave.
As for school life things were slowing down. I didn’t teach much English classes at the middle school. My Co-Teacher was planning the winter class schedule since there were no winter camps at my school.
I went to Namsan Tower with Jacob. I had such an awesome time with him. First we went to Namsan Tower and saw the place where all locks are on the fence. (Lots of couples come to this one area near the tower, write a message on a lock, attach it to the fence and throw the keys away to signify the promise they made to each other.) After Namsan it was off to the Hanok Village. Jacob and I played several of the old time games and wondered about the area together. Next it was off to Insadong but first it was short stop in a coffee shop to defrost a bit. In the coffee shop talked a bit… about what I can’t remember. I suppose that it was because I was making goo goo eyes at Jacob most of the time. Went we made it to Insadong I was approaching night time it was getting colder. Jacob shared his gloves with me. I wore one and he wore the other. The other ungloved hands we stuffed into our jackets. Eventually Jacob relinquished the other glove. We had dinner in Insandong. Jacob taught me how to text in Korean. It was something I wanted to learn since I got my phone but no one would show me. To say thank you I sent Jacob a message in Korean. Later he walked me to the subway station through Insadong we walked arm in arm close together (to keep warm). When it was time to part ways, Jacob offered his hand for a handshake. I shook his hand but he wouldn’t let go. “Umm, I’ve got to go…so you gotta let go of my hand…” I say. A smirk crosses Jacob’s face and he pulls me toward him. After I regain my balance we have a good laugh. Finally he lets me go and I leave.
As for school life things were slowing down. I didn’t teach much English classes at the middle school. My Co-Teacher was planning the winter class schedule since there were no winter camps at my school.
[6 months Review ] October & November
October
The middle school situation kept getting worse. There was one day where I just broke down and cried when I had to go. “I don’t wanna go to schoooool” I cried into my pillow. At that moment I didn’t care how loud I was crying or who might hear me I just need to have a good cry. By the end of the month I started to get a handle on things. My lessons actually grabbed their attention for more than 5 minutes. (with or without the possibility of getting candy) Also some of my middle school students grew on me. The 3rd grade (gr.9) students quickly became my favourites enough they gave me the most trouble.
Health wise I was getting skinnier by the day since I couldn’t keep down Korean food. When it came to school lunches I could only eat soup and rice. Occasionally there was fruit served with the meals and on some special days there was “western” food served. For the longest time I could only keep down Western food. For some reason Korean food just didn’t agree with me. Most people I spoke to about it thought it was stress OR they just thought I didn’t like Korean food. That wasn’t it at all I like Korean food it was just that my stomach doesn’t like it. After a while I just decided to deal with it in my own way by avoiding eating things I wasn’t sure about. Turns out certain family members when that moved to Canada had similar issues. There were certain Canadian foods that just made them sick. So I guess its genetic.
November
Most people that I met through the EPIK orientation have forgotten about my existence. Since I spent most of my time sick I wasn’t going out much. Therefore there were many miss connections. But I did end up hanging out with a lot of Korean people. Lots of people approached me to do language exchange. My new laptop was running on Vista and it crashed. I went about a week without a computer and lots a lot of data. I never had it happen to me before. Thankfully Hi-Mart Boi came to the rescue and helped me about.
The middle school situation kept getting worse. There was one day where I just broke down and cried when I had to go. “I don’t wanna go to schoooool” I cried into my pillow. At that moment I didn’t care how loud I was crying or who might hear me I just need to have a good cry. By the end of the month I started to get a handle on things. My lessons actually grabbed their attention for more than 5 minutes. (with or without the possibility of getting candy) Also some of my middle school students grew on me. The 3rd grade (gr.9) students quickly became my favourites enough they gave me the most trouble.
Health wise I was getting skinnier by the day since I couldn’t keep down Korean food. When it came to school lunches I could only eat soup and rice. Occasionally there was fruit served with the meals and on some special days there was “western” food served. For the longest time I could only keep down Western food. For some reason Korean food just didn’t agree with me. Most people I spoke to about it thought it was stress OR they just thought I didn’t like Korean food. That wasn’t it at all I like Korean food it was just that my stomach doesn’t like it. After a while I just decided to deal with it in my own way by avoiding eating things I wasn’t sure about. Turns out certain family members when that moved to Canada had similar issues. There were certain Canadian foods that just made them sick. So I guess its genetic.
November
Most people that I met through the EPIK orientation have forgotten about my existence. Since I spent most of my time sick I wasn’t going out much. Therefore there were many miss connections. But I did end up hanging out with a lot of Korean people. Lots of people approached me to do language exchange. My new laptop was running on Vista and it crashed. I went about a week without a computer and lots a lot of data. I never had it happen to me before. Thankfully Hi-Mart Boi came to the rescue and helped me about.
[6 months Review ] August & September
I wrote a review for my 1st 6mos in Korea... its a long post so I broke it up into parts.
August
August was a hectic month. It was filled with many ups and downs I’m surprised I have made it this far. The 10 day EPIK orientation went by in a blur and my birthday celebration wasn’t what I expected. If some told me 5 years ago that I’d be celebrating my 25th birthday in S. Korea I wouldn’t have believed them. At the orientation one of the coordinators started and inside joke with a phrase from one of the “travel Korea’” campaigns. “Korea is dynamic” basically this means when “crazy”, “odd”, “confusing”, or “last minute things” happen to you in Korea it’s because” Korea is dynamic”.
September
School was in full swing and I was going through my culture shock. There were many moments where I day dreamed about packing my bags and running away in the middle of the night. You’d be surprised to know how many people have done that in the past. One day after a hard day of classes I fell into a deep sleep around 5pm. About 30 minutes later the sound of yelling and drums violently woke me up. I honestly thought it was the coming of the apocalypse. Completely disoriented I run around my apartment look out into the hallway then, run over the window. I’m scared and half expecting to see the four horsemen outside my window. Actually it was much worse it was about 10 Korean men marching in the streets with flags and drums. Even with the visual my heart is still beating like crazy and echoing in my ears. The sounds of drums and yelling fade until they make it around the block again. This continued every Friday until October. During this period “Korea is dynamic” became my mantra, though it didn’t help much. Being stared at and whispered about wasn’t as hard to deal with compared to the insanity of my middle school classes. At orientation I was relieved to find that I was assigned to an elementary school. Once I met my co-teacher I was informed that in addition to elementary school classes and would also be teaching at a middle school. Which I think was ridiculous. All the people that know that have two schools are placed at schools of the same level. For example two elementary schools, two middle schools, or two high schools. The co-teachers at the middle school did little to help me when it came to lesson planning. It caused me a lot of stress and headaches. Toward the end of the month Korean food started to make me sick. I wasn’t sure why and the doctors had not answers for me… so of course they assumed it must be stress or some mental defect.
August
August was a hectic month. It was filled with many ups and downs I’m surprised I have made it this far. The 10 day EPIK orientation went by in a blur and my birthday celebration wasn’t what I expected. If some told me 5 years ago that I’d be celebrating my 25th birthday in S. Korea I wouldn’t have believed them. At the orientation one of the coordinators started and inside joke with a phrase from one of the “travel Korea’” campaigns. “Korea is dynamic” basically this means when “crazy”, “odd”, “confusing”, or “last minute things” happen to you in Korea it’s because” Korea is dynamic”.
September
School was in full swing and I was going through my culture shock. There were many moments where I day dreamed about packing my bags and running away in the middle of the night. You’d be surprised to know how many people have done that in the past. One day after a hard day of classes I fell into a deep sleep around 5pm. About 30 minutes later the sound of yelling and drums violently woke me up. I honestly thought it was the coming of the apocalypse. Completely disoriented I run around my apartment look out into the hallway then, run over the window. I’m scared and half expecting to see the four horsemen outside my window. Actually it was much worse it was about 10 Korean men marching in the streets with flags and drums. Even with the visual my heart is still beating like crazy and echoing in my ears. The sounds of drums and yelling fade until they make it around the block again. This continued every Friday until October. During this period “Korea is dynamic” became my mantra, though it didn’t help much. Being stared at and whispered about wasn’t as hard to deal with compared to the insanity of my middle school classes. At orientation I was relieved to find that I was assigned to an elementary school. Once I met my co-teacher I was informed that in addition to elementary school classes and would also be teaching at a middle school. Which I think was ridiculous. All the people that know that have two schools are placed at schools of the same level. For example two elementary schools, two middle schools, or two high schools. The co-teachers at the middle school did little to help me when it came to lesson planning. It caused me a lot of stress and headaches. Toward the end of the month Korean food started to make me sick. I wasn’t sure why and the doctors had not answers for me… so of course they assumed it must be stress or some mental defect.
Saturday, February 27, 2010
Shop "til you drop~~
I just got back home from an excellent shopping trip!
I went to Myeong-dong with some of my friends. Myeong-dong has to be my favourite shopping area in Seoul. There is a great number of stores all over American brands, Asian brands, even ones from Europe. Also you can get a lot of cost effective items.
Today was the grand opening of H&M in Seoul... I think it may be the only H&M in S.Korea. We wanted to go in but there was a MAJOR line to get in... as to be expected.
So we decided to busy ourselves with shopping else where. If anyone is a big fan of ZARA they will love Myeong-dong there are like 6 with a few meters of each other.
My friend Minerva was desperately looking for a new leather jacket. She spotted on at COEX Mall (which is also a great place to shop) weeks ago and was regretting not buying it. All in all she ended up buying one from Valleygirl. Valleygirl is our new fave place to shop... great selection and awesome prices.
I have been doing a lot of shopping lately... practically the entire month of February. I haven't really shopped much for clothing since I got here... just a shirt here, sweater there. I finally broke down and did some shopping finally.
Here is a list of the things a picked up
1 pair of dark blue skinny jeans
1 sweater dress
1 plaid cowboy shirt
1 racerback tank
2 t-shirts
1 tank dress
there are other things I bought too but I'm just listing the clothing....
I guess I'll end this here =)
I went to Myeong-dong with some of my friends. Myeong-dong has to be my favourite shopping area in Seoul. There is a great number of stores all over American brands, Asian brands, even ones from Europe. Also you can get a lot of cost effective items.
Today was the grand opening of H&M in Seoul... I think it may be the only H&M in S.Korea. We wanted to go in but there was a MAJOR line to get in... as to be expected.
So we decided to busy ourselves with shopping else where. If anyone is a big fan of ZARA they will love Myeong-dong there are like 6 with a few meters of each other.
My friend Minerva was desperately looking for a new leather jacket. She spotted on at COEX Mall (which is also a great place to shop) weeks ago and was regretting not buying it. All in all she ended up buying one from Valleygirl. Valleygirl is our new fave place to shop... great selection and awesome prices.
I have been doing a lot of shopping lately... practically the entire month of February. I haven't really shopped much for clothing since I got here... just a shirt here, sweater there. I finally broke down and did some shopping finally.
Here is a list of the things a picked up
1 pair of dark blue skinny jeans
1 sweater dress
1 plaid cowboy shirt
1 racerback tank
2 t-shirts
1 tank dress
there are other things I bought too but I'm just listing the clothing....
I guess I'll end this here =)
Friday, February 12, 2010
[10 Random Things] # 2
10. Whenever I change my hairstyle EVERYONE notices. This isn't so bad but the comments are something I can do without. Upon removing my extensions several teachers said to me: "...Oh haircut?!.." then I have the difficult choice of either explaining that I was wearing fake hair or lying and agreeing with them.
9. When taking the subway, walking toward an open seat doesn’t guarantee you the seat. So basically you snooze you lose. On many different occasions I have had my seat stolen. Having my seat stolen makes me angry >_<. But what makes me angrier is when I have my seat stolen by someone whom is on the train for just one stop. It makes no sense to me.
8. When commuting by subway one must calculate AAC time. AAC stands for Ahjumma, Ahjusshi, and Couples. Older people are everywhere in Korea, they live healthy and active lives but since they are older they move a little slow. This makes it a little hard to get through subway stations quickly. No don't feel too bad if you knock or bump them because these people will most likely knock you aside given the opportunity.
7. Couples are everywhere in Korea not just girl-boy, but boy-boy, and girl-girl. When I say boy-boy and girl-girl these relationships are hetro in Korea they aren't as homophobic. They are perfectly comfortable showing affection/having physical contact to a friend of the same sex which is pretty awesome. I think westerners are a little too uptight :P
6. These couples move at their own pace and pretty much are always in the way. Sometimes you just wanna punch them in the back of the head! *rwar*
5. TV is widely available on all cellphones… free of charge
4. 7 out of 10 of my female middle school students have some form of a bowl cut. 9 of 10 have bangs. Bangs are VERY important.
3. “Manicure” refers to a bottle of nail polish… so I’m a little unsure of what I should ask for when going to a nail shop.
2. Meat on a stick is quite tasty and widely available … yummy
1. When Korean people see me on the street they see it as an opportunity to use English. As I walk down the road I hear “HELLO NICE TO MEET YOU” … “TODAY IS A NICE DAY” … “HELLO WHERE A YOU FROM…” etc , etc….
9. When taking the subway, walking toward an open seat doesn’t guarantee you the seat. So basically you snooze you lose. On many different occasions I have had my seat stolen. Having my seat stolen makes me angry >_<. But what makes me angrier is when I have my seat stolen by someone whom is on the train for just one stop. It makes no sense to me.
8. When commuting by subway one must calculate AAC time. AAC stands for Ahjumma, Ahjusshi, and Couples. Older people are everywhere in Korea, they live healthy and active lives but since they are older they move a little slow. This makes it a little hard to get through subway stations quickly. No don't feel too bad if you knock or bump them because these people will most likely knock you aside given the opportunity.
7. Couples are everywhere in Korea not just girl-boy, but boy-boy, and girl-girl. When I say boy-boy and girl-girl these relationships are hetro in Korea they aren't as homophobic. They are perfectly comfortable showing affection/having physical contact to a friend of the same sex which is pretty awesome. I think westerners are a little too uptight :P
6. These couples move at their own pace and pretty much are always in the way. Sometimes you just wanna punch them in the back of the head! *rwar*
5. TV is widely available on all cellphones… free of charge
4. 7 out of 10 of my female middle school students have some form of a bowl cut. 9 of 10 have bangs. Bangs are VERY important.
3. “Manicure” refers to a bottle of nail polish… so I’m a little unsure of what I should ask for when going to a nail shop.
2. Meat on a stick is quite tasty and widely available … yummy
1. When Korean people see me on the street they see it as an opportunity to use English. As I walk down the road I hear “HELLO NICE TO MEET YOU” … “TODAY IS A NICE DAY” … “HELLO WHERE A YOU FROM…” etc , etc….
Monday, February 8, 2010
On the Bus with L'il H
I have a few different ways I can travel to school the in mornings. I can take the bus, take the subway and walk, take a cab, or bus and subway it. Its usually the latter since the bus that takes me to the school directly is almost always late.
Anyway I was on the bus that goes directly goes to my school. Sometimes I see teachers on this bus but most of the time I see my students. One student in particular L'il H. This is kid is in my 5th grade class he has really good english and is always eager to talk to me. He was big man on campus when it came to english in his grade until a new kid transferred in from the states and took title from him.
This morning Lil H gets on the bus and he sees me and smiles and sits beside me. He starts telling me about his vacation (which really wasn't a vacation since he spent most of the time studying).
Usually when he talks to me he has something he wants to show off.. this time it was his clothes. He was wearing an all brand new outfit.
Lil H : Teacher, teacher... like my clothes?
Me: (smiles) yea
Lil H: Teacher this is my new style
Me: Really?
Lil H: Mine is hip-hop style.. I like hip hop style
Me: (hahahahahaha) nice
Perhaps this is one of those "you had to be there moments" but nevertheless it still was super cute and funny.... man I love that kid
Anyway I was on the bus that goes directly goes to my school. Sometimes I see teachers on this bus but most of the time I see my students. One student in particular L'il H. This is kid is in my 5th grade class he has really good english and is always eager to talk to me. He was big man on campus when it came to english in his grade until a new kid transferred in from the states and took title from him.
This morning Lil H gets on the bus and he sees me and smiles and sits beside me. He starts telling me about his vacation (which really wasn't a vacation since he spent most of the time studying).
Usually when he talks to me he has something he wants to show off.. this time it was his clothes. He was wearing an all brand new outfit.
Lil H : Teacher, teacher... like my clothes?
Me: (smiles) yea
Lil H: Teacher this is my new style
Me: Really?
Lil H: Mine is hip-hop style.. I like hip hop style
Me: (hahahahahaha) nice
Perhaps this is one of those "you had to be there moments" but nevertheless it still was super cute and funny.... man I love that kid
Monday, February 1, 2010
[Korean Music] 2pm
There are two boy bands that I constantly listen to... 1tym and Big Bang. But as of recent I have been sucked in to the realm that is 2PM. 2PM is probably one of the most popular boybands in S.Korea.
The first song I heard I think was "I Hate You" then after that is was "Again and Again"
2PM was originally a 7 man group. Now they are down to six because someone did some digging on the former leader Jaebum. What they found was that Jaebum had written some very insulting myspace journal entries about his time in Korea. Jaebum is from the states and his parents are korean. So living and working in Korea he had to deal with a lot and he decided to vent it on myspace. Long story short he left the group though many fans, the record label, and his bandmates want him to come back. I hope he returns... he was a nice piece of eye candy. any way here is one of there recent singles "Heartbeat" I admit I didn't like it at first because the beat sounded so odd but sure enough it grew on me. So much so that I recently purchased the CD
The first song I heard I think was "I Hate You" then after that is was "Again and Again"
2PM was originally a 7 man group. Now they are down to six because someone did some digging on the former leader Jaebum. What they found was that Jaebum had written some very insulting myspace journal entries about his time in Korea. Jaebum is from the states and his parents are korean. So living and working in Korea he had to deal with a lot and he decided to vent it on myspace. Long story short he left the group though many fans, the record label, and his bandmates want him to come back. I hope he returns... he was a nice piece of eye candy. any way here is one of there recent singles "Heartbeat" I admit I didn't like it at first because the beat sounded so odd but sure enough it grew on me. So much so that I recently purchased the CD
Sunday, January 31, 2010
Sorry, Sorry...
I keep neglecting this blog. I know there are several people want to know what has been going on with me. Its been almost 6mos and there this almost nothing on here.
I'm just posting this short note to let everyone know that I'm over my laziness and will be making best effort to post something on at least a weekly basis. There are several things that have happened over the last month that I'll be writing about and they are sure to amuse you.
I'm going to end my message here... I've only had about 2 and 1/2 hrs of sleep and need to go sleep before I collapse.
I'm just posting this short note to let everyone know that I'm over my laziness and will be making best effort to post something on at least a weekly basis. There are several things that have happened over the last month that I'll be writing about and they are sure to amuse you.
I'm going to end my message here... I've only had about 2 and 1/2 hrs of sleep and need to go sleep before I collapse.
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