Sorry I haven't written in a while. My life as a teacher isn't that exciting. I come to work, I prep for classes, I teach five hours everyday, I go home, repeat. Not too exciting. But I have also been planning for a couple trips approaching quickly.
First, 14 foreign teachers rented a cabin in Inje and I have been procrastinating on buying ingredients for making tuna salad. We all have to bring something to share and I have seen cans of tuna, celery, onions, milk and mayonnaise in the supermarket, so I thought I would bring that to share. I have never made it before, but I have good faith in my cooking skills that it will be OK. We are also doing a secret Santa so I do have to buy a small gift too.
AND, one week from today, I will be on a plane to Thailand. One South African and I are flying into Bangkok and staying for one night. I guess there isn't much to do there, so we are going to other islands and beaches that are popular with travelers (I don't like to say tourists because I think of people with hats and fanny packs with a camera around their neck. I am a traveler). So we are taking an overnight train to Phuket and staying there for a couple days. We will take a ferry to a close island (Koh Phi Phi) which look amazing from the pictures I've seen. We might also go to the other side of the peninsula and go to Koh Samui and Koh Phangan. Then after our stay, we will take the overnight train back to Bangkok, spend the afternoon there and catch our flight back to Seoul. I am totally looking forward to this trip and I can't wait to be lazy and lie on the beach. I will take as many pictures as I can.
I want to wish everyone back home a very Merry Christmas and safe travels to your destinations! It is very strange being away from home over the holidays and I miss everyone!
Take care and see you - on my blog - in January!
Wednesday, December 22, 2010
Friday, December 17, 2010
I Will Not Bow to a Pig's Head
So, just a couple days ago, my director warned us that the company that gives money to the school will be coming, so we had to dress nicely. Usually, us teachers just wear jeans and a nice shirt. Very relaxed. But on Thursday she came up to me and said, "tomorrow, shirt and tie." Easy. I don't mind dressing up.
So us teachers arrived and everyone was dressed up and speaking Korean, so us English speakers didn't really know what was going on. But all these Koreans were stuffing 10.000 won bills in these fish's mouths. That's about $10 each bill and they had at least ten of them. I really need that money, I don't know why they had to give it to a fish. Anyhoo, then they mentioned that a pig's head is coming and we have to bow to it. I didn't really know what to think. But this ceremony took place outside and it was well below freezing and everyone was shoving large bills in the mouth, ears and nostrils of this pig's head. The main man from the company that gives money to our school made a speech (in Korean, obviously) so I don't know what he was saying.
I guess when something new happens or the grand opening of something, this is a pretty common ceremony. It's to bring good luck to whatever the ceremony is. For example, if you buy a new car, they will do this too. I don't know exactly know what our ceremony was for, but we took part nonetheless.
So us teachers arrived and everyone was dressed up and speaking Korean, so us English speakers didn't really know what was going on. But all these Koreans were stuffing 10.000 won bills in these fish's mouths. That's about $10 each bill and they had at least ten of them. I really need that money, I don't know why they had to give it to a fish. Anyhoo, then they mentioned that a pig's head is coming and we have to bow to it. I didn't really know what to think. But this ceremony took place outside and it was well below freezing and everyone was shoving large bills in the mouth, ears and nostrils of this pig's head. The main man from the company that gives money to our school made a speech (in Korean, obviously) so I don't know what he was saying.
I guess when something new happens or the grand opening of something, this is a pretty common ceremony. It's to bring good luck to whatever the ceremony is. For example, if you buy a new car, they will do this too. I don't know exactly know what our ceremony was for, but we took part nonetheless.
Sunday, December 12, 2010
Party Over Here/Party Over There
The first two weeks of December have flown by and I know the rest of the month will as well. This past weekend was a good-bye party for one of the South African teachers that left and it was another girl's birthday. I have been meeting more people that are both in my city and in surrounding cities. So it's me and two South Africans at my school, another South African, two Brits and a New Yorker and a guy from Tennessee in the public schools here. Then some people came from Sokcho and Seoul so there tons of people at these parties.
It was sad seeing my South African friend leave. She was a lot of fun and always invited me over to hang out. Although we didn't get much time to get to know each other, I am going to miss her. We ARE going to become pen pals and hopefully I can visit her in South Africa or England, wherever she decides to settle down.
I don't have any plans next weekend, but the following weekend is Christmas. I get Christmas day off (which is a Saturday, but since we work on Saturdays, we don't have to), but we have to work Christmas Eve. One South African in town planned to rent a cabin and invite a whole group of people to spend the weekend in Inje in this cabin. I think that will be fun to get away but still be in the same town. We plan on having a huge Christmas lunch and everyone will bring something to share. We are also doing a secret santa gift exchange and our limit is 15.000 won, which is about $15.
Then the Thursday after Christmas weekend I will be flying to Bangkok, Thailand for nine days. I am traveling with one of the South African teachers I work with and we are going to stay in the city for 1-2 days, then travel down the peninsula and go to some well-known beaches and islands. The temperature is about 88 degrees there so it will be a fun nine days. I figure that if I can't get 15+ inches of snow, I might as well go to the beach for the holidays. I am looking forward to that trip so much. I think it will be a good change of pace.
I return to Korea on January 8th, so it will already be one week down when I get back. I also think we have a long weekend the first weekend of February, so I'm hoping to plan another international holiday that weekend, but I will just see how that goes. There is still a lot of cities and places I want to see in Korea, but I want to go to far away places on the long weekends.
I hear there is about 15 inches of snow and the Metrodome collapsed??!! That made the CNN news in Korea. It was nice seeing footage of cars on the highway. that is a true white Christmas. I hope everyone is staying safe and enjoying the blizzard of 2010!
It was sad seeing my South African friend leave. She was a lot of fun and always invited me over to hang out. Although we didn't get much time to get to know each other, I am going to miss her. We ARE going to become pen pals and hopefully I can visit her in South Africa or England, wherever she decides to settle down.
I don't have any plans next weekend, but the following weekend is Christmas. I get Christmas day off (which is a Saturday, but since we work on Saturdays, we don't have to), but we have to work Christmas Eve. One South African in town planned to rent a cabin and invite a whole group of people to spend the weekend in Inje in this cabin. I think that will be fun to get away but still be in the same town. We plan on having a huge Christmas lunch and everyone will bring something to share. We are also doing a secret santa gift exchange and our limit is 15.000 won, which is about $15.
Then the Thursday after Christmas weekend I will be flying to Bangkok, Thailand for nine days. I am traveling with one of the South African teachers I work with and we are going to stay in the city for 1-2 days, then travel down the peninsula and go to some well-known beaches and islands. The temperature is about 88 degrees there so it will be a fun nine days. I figure that if I can't get 15+ inches of snow, I might as well go to the beach for the holidays. I am looking forward to that trip so much. I think it will be a good change of pace.
I return to Korea on January 8th, so it will already be one week down when I get back. I also think we have a long weekend the first weekend of February, so I'm hoping to plan another international holiday that weekend, but I will just see how that goes. There is still a lot of cities and places I want to see in Korea, but I want to go to far away places on the long weekends.
I hear there is about 15 inches of snow and the Metrodome collapsed??!! That made the CNN news in Korea. It was nice seeing footage of cars on the highway. that is a true white Christmas. I hope everyone is staying safe and enjoying the blizzard of 2010!
My Favorite Day of the Week
Today is Monday. My work week is Tuesday-Saturday, so Sunday and Monday is my weekend. At first I thought would be a bummer that I had to work on Saturdays, but actually having Mondays off means I can go to the bank or the supermarket or the post office, so really I can't complain. I think after the first of the year, we will go to a Monday-Friday work week, so I should enjoy these Mondays as long as I can.
I did my laundry today. I don't think I have made this public, but the first time I attempted to do laundry, I flooded my apartment. My washing machine is in an enclosed balcony in my apartment, so I saw this hose sticking out of the back of the washing machine and a drain on the other side of this balcony. So I start my wash and assume the water will drain from this hose to the other side to this drain. After an hour passes, I look over to check it and I see a huge wet spot on my floor. I mean, it looked like Lake Superior was in my studio apartment.
First of all, I felt stupid. Second, I had to figure out something to do with all this water. I have a mop/broom in my bathroom, so I just swept all the water back into the enclosed balcony toward the drain. After getting the floor semi-dry, I turned on my heated floors and it dried up in no time. But later I come to find this plastic pipe sticking up from the floor right by the hose. I grab the hose and try to pull it toward this pipe. No surprise, the water is supposed to drain from the hose into this pipe. Why the heck is there a drain on the other side if the water was meant to drain in the pipe? Ugh, that was a bad day.
Now I am an expert at washing clothes. I think that should be all the embarrassing stories for a while, until I start traveling to other countries. That's where things always go wrong with me.
I did my laundry today. I don't think I have made this public, but the first time I attempted to do laundry, I flooded my apartment. My washing machine is in an enclosed balcony in my apartment, so I saw this hose sticking out of the back of the washing machine and a drain on the other side of this balcony. So I start my wash and assume the water will drain from this hose to the other side to this drain. After an hour passes, I look over to check it and I see a huge wet spot on my floor. I mean, it looked like Lake Superior was in my studio apartment.
First of all, I felt stupid. Second, I had to figure out something to do with all this water. I have a mop/broom in my bathroom, so I just swept all the water back into the enclosed balcony toward the drain. After getting the floor semi-dry, I turned on my heated floors and it dried up in no time. But later I come to find this plastic pipe sticking up from the floor right by the hose. I grab the hose and try to pull it toward this pipe. No surprise, the water is supposed to drain from the hose into this pipe. Why the heck is there a drain on the other side if the water was meant to drain in the pipe? Ugh, that was a bad day.
Now I am an expert at washing clothes. I think that should be all the embarrassing stories for a while, until I start traveling to other countries. That's where things always go wrong with me.
Friday, December 10, 2010
The Sorrows of Teaching
Well, I have just passed my one-month mark and everything is going well. I can't believe it's already been one month. I know the rest of the month will fly by and I am planning a trip to Thailand for our nine-day winter holiday, so that almost brings me to half way through January! It's crazy.
I still have to be honest; sometimes I like it here and sometimes I don't. I still don't think I am fully adjusted to the way my school works and what is expected of me as a teacher. Like I have said before, the is NOT a public school and it is NOT a hagwon (the Korean word for private school), it is more of an after school program. There are only the four English teachers here and we have five classes everyday. At the beginning of every week, we are assigned a topic to teach on and we make activities for the kids. So far we have done numbers, time and now math (simple addition for the little ones and simple multiplication for the not-so-littleones). The oldest kids always pronounce and repeat words and we play picture charades or hangman, to work on spelling. I thought I would hve liked the older kids, but apparently they have been working on the same words for two months, so obviously they ger bored easily.
It's strange, sometimes when I feel like I'm having a great day, the director comes in my room and says something in Korean to the kids. Then they file in order just like little soldiers. Then on the days when I think things are crazy and out of control, that just seems to be the norm. AND, when I am looking forward to going to sschool, I usually have a crappy day and when I dread coming to school, those are the days that are most enjoyable. Like polar opposites.
I have also made a kid cry. He must be 8-years old. We were playing a game sitting on the floor in a circle and everyone claps the hand to the person next to them and everyone counts. So the first person would say 'zero' and slap the person's hand, then the next person would say 'one' then slap the person's hang, and so on. Usually we count 0 to 20 then go up by 10s to 100 and the person who has to slap 100 has to slap the next person's hand before that person pulss their hand out. If the slapping person hits the next person's hand, the stay in, but if they miss, they are out. The young boy happened to not pull his hand out quickly enough so he was out He did not leave the circle so I dragged him out. All of a sudden, he started crying. I thought I pulled him too hard or hurt him somehow. One teacher who was on break heard him crying and came in. She just told me not to worry because he is a cry baby and he needs to get over it. So he sat in the corner and cryed until the game was over. Then when we played for a second time, he joined right in as if nothing happened. He is now my one of my favorites.
I also witnessed another student throw-up. I don't mind seeing it but when that smells hits your nostrils, I can't help but cover my nose. We opened all the windows because the kids were plugging their noses as well. The kid who threw up was running around before class started and seemed fine, but when it was time to sit down and start class, he sat down and almost immediately started weeping. We didn't realize what was wrong until we saw what he was holding. He threw-up in his hand in an attempt to not hit the table, but it was cupped in his hand and on the table. Our director runs in with some toilet paper and smeared it on the table. It was nasty. I still haven't sat at that table since that happened. Gross.
That is all the updates for now. I am surviving and enjoying it while I can. Everyday is an experience whether it's something I learn that's about teaching, Korean culture or about myself.
Thanks for reading!
I still have to be honest; sometimes I like it here and sometimes I don't. I still don't think I am fully adjusted to the way my school works and what is expected of me as a teacher. Like I have said before, the is NOT a public school and it is NOT a hagwon (the Korean word for private school), it is more of an after school program. There are only the four English teachers here and we have five classes everyday. At the beginning of every week, we are assigned a topic to teach on and we make activities for the kids. So far we have done numbers, time and now math (simple addition for the little ones and simple multiplication for the not-so-littleones). The oldest kids always pronounce and repeat words and we play picture charades or hangman, to work on spelling. I thought I would hve liked the older kids, but apparently they have been working on the same words for two months, so obviously they ger bored easily.
It's strange, sometimes when I feel like I'm having a great day, the director comes in my room and says something in Korean to the kids. Then they file in order just like little soldiers. Then on the days when I think things are crazy and out of control, that just seems to be the norm. AND, when I am looking forward to going to sschool, I usually have a crappy day and when I dread coming to school, those are the days that are most enjoyable. Like polar opposites.
I have also made a kid cry. He must be 8-years old. We were playing a game sitting on the floor in a circle and everyone claps the hand to the person next to them and everyone counts. So the first person would say 'zero' and slap the person's hand, then the next person would say 'one' then slap the person's hang, and so on. Usually we count 0 to 20 then go up by 10s to 100 and the person who has to slap 100 has to slap the next person's hand before that person pulss their hand out. If the slapping person hits the next person's hand, the stay in, but if they miss, they are out. The young boy happened to not pull his hand out quickly enough so he was out He did not leave the circle so I dragged him out. All of a sudden, he started crying. I thought I pulled him too hard or hurt him somehow. One teacher who was on break heard him crying and came in. She just told me not to worry because he is a cry baby and he needs to get over it. So he sat in the corner and cryed until the game was over. Then when we played for a second time, he joined right in as if nothing happened. He is now my one of my favorites.
I also witnessed another student throw-up. I don't mind seeing it but when that smells hits your nostrils, I can't help but cover my nose. We opened all the windows because the kids were plugging their noses as well. The kid who threw up was running around before class started and seemed fine, but when it was time to sit down and start class, he sat down and almost immediately started weeping. We didn't realize what was wrong until we saw what he was holding. He threw-up in his hand in an attempt to not hit the table, but it was cupped in his hand and on the table. Our director runs in with some toilet paper and smeared it on the table. It was nasty. I still haven't sat at that table since that happened. Gross.
That is all the updates for now. I am surviving and enjoying it while I can. Everyday is an experience whether it's something I learn that's about teaching, Korean culture or about myself.
Thanks for reading!
Sunday, December 5, 2010
Seoul, I Wasn't Impressed
I just got back from Seoul and I had mixed feeling about it. I always thought I wanted to be in a big city, but I'm happy with my placement in Inje.
I went to Seoul after work on Saturday at 4:30 with two of my South Africans teachers who teach with me because, sadly, one of them is leaving to go home in one week from tomorrow. She taught in a city on the southern coast last year, so she was meeting two of her friends from her old school in Seoul to say good-bye. We had plans to stay in a hotel (with one single bed and one double bed) but when we got there to check-in, the people at the front desk said, "oh, no. You can't have two girls and one boy. One girl and one boy, but not three." I guess they don't allow co-ed hotel rooms? We were so confused. And pissed off. We were going to split the 60.000 won room by three so it would be about $20 each. We were flustered, so we just dropped off ours bags and went to meet the South African's friends from the southern coast. We would figure it out later. Or just sneak in, one of the two.
We went out to a Mexican restaurant and then to a couple Irish pubs. The one guy was from Austin and the girl was from Ireland. They were fun and had good attitudes. We were in this part of Seoul called Itaewon. it's well-known for its markets and its foreign population. I have never been to New York, but Itaewon made me think of what New York would be like: full of people and American English everywhere. I have never heard so much American English since I left the US. I wish I could have taken more pictures of the streets and the markets, but my camera was acting funny, so I couldn't take any pictures. I guess I will just have to go back there.
Although this is going to sound very lame, I just want to go back to Seoul to see the tourist-y things. It costs waaaay to much money to spend a night there and eat there and use the transportation there. I have a mental list of cites to see there and I figure if I go into Seoul one day each month, I will be able to spend one full day there and be able to see everything that I want to see. So that's not so bad.
After having a few beers at two Irish pubs, we took a taxi back to our area of Seoul where the hotel was. No surprise, the same people were working at the front desk, so I couldn't sneak in. Lame. We went to some neighboring hotels and everyone frowned at us when they saw three of us asking for a single room.
At one, we found one for 50.000 won so that was the cheapest. We told her we would be right back and we wanted to check out some other prices. When we couldn't find anything and went back to that one, she said that room that was just available had just been filled. What a rip-off! We think they just don't like foreigners. we were not happy and it was 12:30 or something and we were tired from the work day and he bus ride, so we just wanted to go to bed. Finally, we just settled for a single 60.000 won room. We still split both rooms three-way, but we were not pleased. We aren't too happy with Seoul.
I think day trips to Seoul will be more suitable. There are still so many things to see and so many other cities I want to explore. Not to mention my winter break trip to Thailand. That is coming up in 25 days. Very excited!
Also, next weekend is someone's birthday party in my town, then we are renting a cabin for the Christmas weekend and hanging out, so there are many things look forward to all the way through the new year.
Thanks for reading...
I went to Seoul after work on Saturday at 4:30 with two of my South Africans teachers who teach with me because, sadly, one of them is leaving to go home in one week from tomorrow. She taught in a city on the southern coast last year, so she was meeting two of her friends from her old school in Seoul to say good-bye. We had plans to stay in a hotel (with one single bed and one double bed) but when we got there to check-in, the people at the front desk said, "oh, no. You can't have two girls and one boy. One girl and one boy, but not three." I guess they don't allow co-ed hotel rooms? We were so confused. And pissed off. We were going to split the 60.000 won room by three so it would be about $20 each. We were flustered, so we just dropped off ours bags and went to meet the South African's friends from the southern coast. We would figure it out later. Or just sneak in, one of the two.
We went out to a Mexican restaurant and then to a couple Irish pubs. The one guy was from Austin and the girl was from Ireland. They were fun and had good attitudes. We were in this part of Seoul called Itaewon. it's well-known for its markets and its foreign population. I have never been to New York, but Itaewon made me think of what New York would be like: full of people and American English everywhere. I have never heard so much American English since I left the US. I wish I could have taken more pictures of the streets and the markets, but my camera was acting funny, so I couldn't take any pictures. I guess I will just have to go back there.
Although this is going to sound very lame, I just want to go back to Seoul to see the tourist-y things. It costs waaaay to much money to spend a night there and eat there and use the transportation there. I have a mental list of cites to see there and I figure if I go into Seoul one day each month, I will be able to spend one full day there and be able to see everything that I want to see. So that's not so bad.
After having a few beers at two Irish pubs, we took a taxi back to our area of Seoul where the hotel was. No surprise, the same people were working at the front desk, so I couldn't sneak in. Lame. We went to some neighboring hotels and everyone frowned at us when they saw three of us asking for a single room.
At one, we found one for 50.000 won so that was the cheapest. We told her we would be right back and we wanted to check out some other prices. When we couldn't find anything and went back to that one, she said that room that was just available had just been filled. What a rip-off! We think they just don't like foreigners. we were not happy and it was 12:30 or something and we were tired from the work day and he bus ride, so we just wanted to go to bed. Finally, we just settled for a single 60.000 won room. We still split both rooms three-way, but we were not pleased. We aren't too happy with Seoul.
I think day trips to Seoul will be more suitable. There are still so many things to see and so many other cities I want to explore. Not to mention my winter break trip to Thailand. That is coming up in 25 days. Very excited!
Also, next weekend is someone's birthday party in my town, then we are renting a cabin for the Christmas weekend and hanging out, so there are many things look forward to all the way through the new year.
Thanks for reading...
Friday, December 3, 2010
I Locked Myself in the Bathroom
OK, this happened a while ago, but I shared this incident with one of my friends and she said I should share it with everyone. Please don't judge me...
Well, first, I must say that I usually never close the door when I'm showering, just so it doesn't get too steamy. I figure I'm alone and it seemed unnecessary. I also never close it when I am just using the bathroom; just don't see the need. Anywho, I closed the door all the way today AND I GOT LOCKED INSIDE!! I wasn't really scared, just annoyed. I started taking a shower and the water wasn't as hot as I wanted it to be, so in order to increase the temperature in my apartment is to adjust it on the thermostat. So after closing the door all the way, I realized I couldn't get out. So I quickly showered and dried off. I tried to turn the handle again and it was locked. Then I saw this pin near the handle and I pushed it in, pulled it, jiggled it and nothing. I figured it was the door lock, but I didn't know how to unlock it. I felt like I was picking a lock into a safe, but there was no correct combination.
I had no idea what to do. I didn't understand why the door would be locked from the inside?
So I'm freaking because I was in there for an hour. I was supposed to meet my South African friends in an hour, so I felt silly. Then I started looking for something to slip in the jam so I could attempt to unlock it that way and nothing was working. I don't have any tools; let alone tools in the bathroom. Finally I said I'm just going to rip the handle off the door. I was bending it and twisting it and it took a while but I finally got it off. I didn't really want to do it that way because then I would just have this doorknob to fix, but I really just wanted to put some clothes on.
But once I saw what was inside with the inside handle off, I still couldn't get it open because of the handle on the outside. So I have this mop/broom thing in the corner of my bathroom to wash/clean the floor and I took the handle apart and started jamming it through the hole where the handle was. After a few minutes of mindless pounding I got the handle on the other side to fall off so the only part left was the actual deadbolt or striker or whatever it's called. The mechanism itself was still in the lock position and I still couldn't get out.
Then I swear I heard someone knocking on the door to my apartment because I was making so much noise. Then I felt stupid. If someone would have called or came to my door, they still wouldn't've been able to get in my apartment because my phone was on my table so I couldn't answer it and the front door to my apartment was locked so no one would be able to enter. Finally I took the fallen off inside handle and started monkeying around with the lock. After a couple minutes of trying to pry it out, I got it to open a little and I got out.
I felt so stupid and I was late meeting my friends. Obviously I had to tell them this story because I was half an hour late, so they go a good kick out of it.
I didn't damage the door too much, but now I have to find a new door handle...at least I have a year to do it.
Well, first, I must say that I usually never close the door when I'm showering, just so it doesn't get too steamy. I figure I'm alone and it seemed unnecessary. I also never close it when I am just using the bathroom; just don't see the need. Anywho, I closed the door all the way today AND I GOT LOCKED INSIDE!! I wasn't really scared, just annoyed. I started taking a shower and the water wasn't as hot as I wanted it to be, so in order to increase the temperature in my apartment is to adjust it on the thermostat. So after closing the door all the way, I realized I couldn't get out. So I quickly showered and dried off. I tried to turn the handle again and it was locked. Then I saw this pin near the handle and I pushed it in, pulled it, jiggled it and nothing. I figured it was the door lock, but I didn't know how to unlock it. I felt like I was picking a lock into a safe, but there was no correct combination.
I had no idea what to do. I didn't understand why the door would be locked from the inside?
So I'm freaking because I was in there for an hour. I was supposed to meet my South African friends in an hour, so I felt silly. Then I started looking for something to slip in the jam so I could attempt to unlock it that way and nothing was working. I don't have any tools; let alone tools in the bathroom. Finally I said I'm just going to rip the handle off the door. I was bending it and twisting it and it took a while but I finally got it off. I didn't really want to do it that way because then I would just have this doorknob to fix, but I really just wanted to put some clothes on.
But once I saw what was inside with the inside handle off, I still couldn't get it open because of the handle on the outside. So I have this mop/broom thing in the corner of my bathroom to wash/clean the floor and I took the handle apart and started jamming it through the hole where the handle was. After a few minutes of mindless pounding I got the handle on the other side to fall off so the only part left was the actual deadbolt or striker or whatever it's called. The mechanism itself was still in the lock position and I still couldn't get out.
Then I swear I heard someone knocking on the door to my apartment because I was making so much noise. Then I felt stupid. If someone would have called or came to my door, they still wouldn't've been able to get in my apartment because my phone was on my table so I couldn't answer it and the front door to my apartment was locked so no one would be able to enter. Finally I took the fallen off inside handle and started monkeying around with the lock. After a couple minutes of trying to pry it out, I got it to open a little and I got out.
I felt so stupid and I was late meeting my friends. Obviously I had to tell them this story because I was half an hour late, so they go a good kick out of it.
I didn't damage the door too much, but now I have to find a new door handle...at least I have a year to do it.
Thursday, December 2, 2010
Thanksgiving
Hey, I know this is a little late, but I haven't been in the writing mood. I definitely have moods of writing and now I'll probably do three in a row, but now just seems like a good time.
Thanksgiving was already eight days ago. It's December 3rd. Only 22 more days until Christmas. Then the new year. It's crazy. Thanksgiving was fun. The neighboring town of Wontong has many foreign teachers there as well. It's about a 10-minute taxi ride, so I went with my three South African friends that also teach at my school. The girl who organized ths dinner is from Louisiana and she thought it would be fun to have a potluck-style Thanksgiving dinner for the in hnor of the Americans and for all the other teachers who have never enjoyed a Thanksgiving dinner.
Instead of turkey, we had duck. I actually didn't have any duck because we work late during the week (our hours are from 10-7) so we missed the duck, but we ate other things...like pie! There was tons of pie and lots of wine, so I was pretty happy. I think everyone else was indulging in pie and wine as well.
I met a lot of foreign teachers; some from America and others from South Africa and England. There is only one other American in my town and she's from New York, but the teachers in the neighboring city of Wontong are from Louisiana (the one that cooked the duck), Texas, Tennessee, Missouri and one other guy that I tlke to and I can't remember where he's from. Two of those guys also did the PeaceCorps in Macedonia and Bulgaria. They had a lot interesting things to say. They both were part of the education part, so they were also teaching English like they are teaching English here in Korea. I told them that I just did AmeriCorps last year, but the thought that was pretty cool. The PeaceCorps is a two-year commitment, but I think they aso pay for most of your school loans whereas AmeriCorps just gives you a monthly living stipend and pays an extra Education Award after completing 1700 hours. AmeriCorps was only a one-year contract, but you have the choice to volunteer up to two years.
Thanksgiving dinner was an enjoyable time to get to know people and share a meal. I needed that just because I am still not fully settled in, but it was nice to get together with some new friends. It wasn't the same, and it will be difficult not being here for Christmas either. This is my first time being away for both holidays, but I'm sure I'll plan a trip to escape a while...
Thanksgiving was already eight days ago. It's December 3rd. Only 22 more days until Christmas. Then the new year. It's crazy. Thanksgiving was fun. The neighboring town of Wontong has many foreign teachers there as well. It's about a 10-minute taxi ride, so I went with my three South African friends that also teach at my school. The girl who organized ths dinner is from Louisiana and she thought it would be fun to have a potluck-style Thanksgiving dinner for the in hnor of the Americans and for all the other teachers who have never enjoyed a Thanksgiving dinner.
Instead of turkey, we had duck. I actually didn't have any duck because we work late during the week (our hours are from 10-7) so we missed the duck, but we ate other things...like pie! There was tons of pie and lots of wine, so I was pretty happy. I think everyone else was indulging in pie and wine as well.
I met a lot of foreign teachers; some from America and others from South Africa and England. There is only one other American in my town and she's from New York, but the teachers in the neighboring city of Wontong are from Louisiana (the one that cooked the duck), Texas, Tennessee, Missouri and one other guy that I tlke to and I can't remember where he's from. Two of those guys also did the PeaceCorps in Macedonia and Bulgaria. They had a lot interesting things to say. They both were part of the education part, so they were also teaching English like they are teaching English here in Korea. I told them that I just did AmeriCorps last year, but the thought that was pretty cool. The PeaceCorps is a two-year commitment, but I think they aso pay for most of your school loans whereas AmeriCorps just gives you a monthly living stipend and pays an extra Education Award after completing 1700 hours. AmeriCorps was only a one-year contract, but you have the choice to volunteer up to two years.
Thanksgiving dinner was an enjoyable time to get to know people and share a meal. I needed that just because I am still not fully settled in, but it was nice to get together with some new friends. It wasn't the same, and it will be difficult not being here for Christmas either. This is my first time being away for both holidays, but I'm sure I'll plan a trip to escape a while...
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