Cold

I'm sick, I have a cold. The last week or so really nothing exciting has happened that is why there has been a serious lack of posts but I figured you'd get sick of reading that I woke up taught came home and went to bed. Yesterday, Monday, I was in bed all day sick with a cold. All I wanted was some chicken noodle soup, maybe some junior mints. Yeah, go ahead and try to find that here! I settled for some spicy raman type stuff and water. Anyway, hopefully I feel better tomorrow, and I guess I've picked up a new student. Which is a good thing.

School Days

Back to school, back to school. Well the holiday is over and school has kinda started. The school schedule here is so strange. Right now they are having early days kinda, so some of the kids get done around 2 some earlier. so I'm teaching from 1-930 Mon., Wed., Fri. and 930-1030 then 2-5 Tues Thurs. and in March i get to work Saturday! wooo! Its okay thought I do get to sleep in now. Today I am going to play BINGO and teach the little girls (Minseo, Sunny, and Jeheo) a song, and maybe get some ice cream for them. Not for me, no more ice cream for me! Weight Watchers style eating for me only! Well I added some more pictures of things that I have already talked about, not too much going on this week maybe Saturday will be an adventure?

65..ok 20

Today I went with Esther, her husband, Daniel and Stella to Gongbok Palace. It was really amazing, nothing like the palaces in London but still incredible in their own way. To enter you have to go through three gates where there are guards, just like in London but these guys look scary like ninjas ha. The palace is decorated and in the same style as the Buddhist temples elaborate and beautiful. It really was a cool experience. After walking through the palace we had lunch, I ate real sushi, like the kind that is a piece of fish on top of a piece of rice. It was pretty good. Poor Stella though every time she has something food or a game or a pencil, seriously anything, Daniel takes it. And she just sighs and lets him. So her food was brought out first and before she could even pick up her chop sticks Daniels fingers were in her soup digging out a piece of beef, and when she went to take a bite he took her chop sticks out of her hands and took it for her. Poor girl! I can't believe her patients! Can you imagine what would happen if Jake took everything Anna had constantly? That would be very very bad. Next we went to this street that was close by where we did a ton of shopping. It was a really artsy part of town and they had some really neat stuff I got something for Ryan, Danny, Anna and Carly. Then we parted ways I went to Coex mall and they went home. At the mall I pretty much just wondered around because I didn't want to go home and then I decided to go to this Hyeung Dong to go shopping I found an H&M so that was pretty sweet! Then Jenny called around 10 and I met her at Dongdemun and we got done shopping at about 2 30 am. ugh! The first place we went was a 7 story 'mall' where the people bargin with you over clothing price and everything! So I was looking at this jacket and the lady took my stuff made me try it on ooooooo it look good! ok for you 65000 won.
Its too small.
No it fit good don't zip up it getting spring.
No I think it is a little too small.
Okay for you today only 50000 won.
No its too small.
Okay how about this one?
No I don't like the color.
Oh okay this one for you 35000
Its still too small
No No No not it look good. 2500
good price but still too small
So she hides her hands behind the jacket and puts up a 2 for 20000 won hahaha yeah no. STILL DOESN'T FIT!! haha but man was she working me! It was an interesting night. And I didn't even spend too much money!

Happy New Year

Today is the official Lunar New Year here in Korea. Day two of no working was great, I went with Harry to a folk village in Seoul, to a man made river, and to a statue of a King. First stop, folk village, it was really interesting. when you walk in it looks a lot like a china town entrance with big gates but it was definately Korean style. A lot of the people were dressed in traditional Korean style clothing and playing old traditional games. We walked around the village and saw the huge time capsul that Korea made. it was huge and there is a whole huge section of the village that is dedicated to it. next we went around to some traditional homes, they are huge but at the same time so tiny. The rooms are small but it is very open and the design is really cool. We even saw some people that actually lived in these homes. They all have small fireplace type things under each room for heating the floors inside the home because in the winter it can be very cold and also when they sleep on the floor its nice to have it warm. Next we got lunch at this place called VIPS. Its like a steak house but very different. I have found that American food in Korea is just about as American as Chinese food is in America, kinda close but really not even close at all. It was still good anyway. Then we went to this huge man made river/creek that flows through the city Harry thought it was so cool because it was through the city. Little does he know there's a creek just down the street, and its not man made. Anyway it flows into the Han River and goes forever. It was in a really pretty area where there use to be a road but the road got old so they tore it up and made a river/creek. It was cool in the winter but I bet in the Spring and Summer it is beautiful. Oh its called Cheonggyecheon. After we went to see a statue of a king from the Joseon Dynasty and a huge gate that guarded the city of Seoul, when Japan had control they made the Koreans tear down the wall and rebuild it angled a little more because it wasn't straight or something and they wanted Korea to be perfect. In all it was a pretty good day. Oh while we were at the folk village a little boy in his traditional get up just dropped draw and started peeing ha guess he really had to go. And in front of a ton of people haha. When ya gotta go ya gotta go.

Cha Cha Cha!

Today I went with Cha (the guy that lived with my family 2 summers ago) and his friend to the Coex aquarium. It was really cool once we finally got there, I think we drove in circles for an hour because his navigation system was freaking out. Seriously circles, u turn after u turn and around a block 3 times come to find out this is common for Cha when he isn't sure where he is going. But, he is a better driver than a bus driver so I'll at least give him that. The aquarium was awesome, from the insanely creative displays to the fish that were bigger than me. It was what an aquarium should be. It even had the cool thing that you walk under and the fish swim over you. Huge turtles, carp, some crazy thing that I couldn't pronounce, seals and a manatee. After our adventure to the aquarium we went to a Buddhist temple I saw my first real live monk. That was pretty cool, we saw some way old buildings and some fascinating art that was painted on the celing of the buildings, and a massive Buddha. Next stop the coffee shop, this is very common here in Korea usually when you hang out with people you go drinking or to a coffee shop. Hot chocolate for me, YUM! We were there forever just talking and hanging out, it was good to see Cha again. We stopped at a department store on the way home and looked at beads for my Pandora bracelet, don't even worry that they are about 3 times the price here. Won't be buying one of those! Finally home and poor Cha wants to Skype my mother, too bad it was 3:30 a.m. and she was asleep. Next time maybe he can talk to her. Then we went to dinner, we tried to find the Chinese restaurant that I like but sadly I couldn't remember its exact location so we went somewhere else that was just as good, but their chop chay wasn't as spicy sadly. And that my friends is the end of day 1 without any children!

Free at Last!

Today was my last day of teaching until Monday. It is a huge holiday here this week starting tomorrow so no classes! I started my morning off with a lesson with Leo, followed by a nice bowel of Cheerios. For lunch I met up with Harry (a son of one of the teachers that Jae Eun knows) for lunch at a Japanese restaurant. I had sushi, first time since leaving the U.S. kinda strange, I thought I would have had at least had more than one roll by now. It was pretty good though. After lunch was my LAST CLASS! We did some workbook stuff then we played Where's Waldo and UNO. They're my little girls and you know how little kids get when they're excited for something? They would NOT sit still today so mostly we just played and talked. During our lesson I got a package from my fabulous mother filled with only the best things, vanilla, nerds, Junior Mints, a cake mix in the box, powdered sugar, some jewelry, medicine and some stuff for the kids and family I'm staying with like taco seasoning. Great package! After class I met up with Qwon at the Coex mall and we had dinner at this Japanese resturant called Teriyaki it was okay, i had a philidelphia roll but it had pickles on it. . so that was pretty nasty. I really really want a vegas roll from Sushi In Joy though or an unugi tempora from Teru. after dinner we went to see Gulliver's Travels at the Coex mall theater. Ok so we should invest in this idea. . . multiple kinds of popcorn!! Caramel, cheese, regular, garlic, and there may have been something else but i can't remember and the best part is you can pick more than one kind! so of course I had to go for the regular and caramel. It was fantastic! Then it was time for home. I ran in to some Americans and a Canadian. the Americans were from Kentucky and Utah and the Canadian from Ontario I think. They were very interesting bunch. Good thing I got off at the next stop. The rest of this week should be an adventure. Wish me luck!

SCHOOL!

Today the kids started real school. That means I had all morning to myself. I woke up at ten, had breakfast and went to Lotte Department Store. I was a little overwhelming. Kinda like Hyundai Department Store. From there I went to my classes and then came home. Jae Eun came and picked me up today from Jamsilaru because it was snowing and it was really wet snow. She knew I didn't have an umbrella and didn't want me getting too wet when I was walking home. How sweet of her. After dinner (She and the kids had fish head soup, I had chicken and rice), I had Eric's class, we did mad lib's the kids loved it. Eric and Minseo have a hedge hog who doesn't have any food left so today Eun Young brought home food for him. . too bad it was dog food! Ceasers dog food. But don't Eun Young said it was okay because it was nutritious! I don't think they fed him any though. That is about it for today.

p.s. every time I write the word nutritious I think about the time Jenna Morgan and I made a menu for our Powell trip one year and we had 'Delouse and Notorious' salad, chicken and rice, and brownies I think ha. Oh man. Can't believe she's getting married! Love you Jen!