Life

Oh hey December, when did you arrive?

I've been meaning to update the blog world on the latest happenings, but for some reason or another it got moved to the "I'll do this later" pile... much like exercise. 

We will start with Thanksgiving. Last year my good friend Alushia and I had our own private Thanksgiving party. It was small and we whipped up whatever we could, in hopes that it felt like home. This year however I decided to host a Thanksgiving potluck. My apartment was spacious enough and I had an oven, so I knew we could make it into a great feast. About 20 people showed up to my place with an assortment of dishes. We had everything from lots of chicken, mac and cheese, sweet potatoes (with bacon, onions and syrup), stuffing, hummus, cheese and fruit platters, salads, zucchini lasagna, cheddar biscuits, and wine. So much wine. It was an incredible feast with a lot of really great people. Thanksgiving is by far my favorite holiday. This is the 3rd year I've missed Thanksgiving at home. I'm really thankful for my friends in Korea that helped make this year superb. After eating our ways to a food coma, as is tradition, we headed to the local "western" bar to continue drinking. After a few rounds of beer, we decided it was time for the noraebang room. Luckily the bar had its very own room and we all filed in to sing for a few hours. Having 15 foreigners show up at once is very overwhelming for these Korean bartenders in Naju. I'm pretty good friends with the manager of the bar so I made sure to warn him ahead of time to expect us. It was exciting to share the holiday with friends from the States, Canada, South Africa, New Zealand and England. Even better sharing it for the first time with a few friends. 

School has been frustrating lately, between my students and my co-teacher, things have just been.. typical Korea, I guess you can say. Between my students being off the wall crazy/disrespectful to the lack of communication/understanding of my co-teacher. A month ago my co-teacher told me I had to move. There was already a new apartment for me and I had to pick the day I wanted to move. "Never" was my answer. I stayed in Naju for several reasons, one being I loved my apartment (and HATE moving). I had no choice in the matter of moving, no say, I was told I had to leave my home and go somewhere else. I loved my spacious apartment and the location was unbeatable. With having to catch a 7:20 am bus to my country school every morning, the 7 minute walk to and from the terminal was great. Sadly, my new apartment was farther from the "downtown" meaning I will have to take 2 buses to school every morning. I asked my co-teacher to talk to someone in Naju office of Education and explain that this move was not convenient and they were moving me farther from my friends. He kind of just chuckled and went about his business. So for a month I was angry, angry that I had to move, angry that my co-teacher refused to help me or make a phone call on my behalf. But also lost, what do I do? I knew nothing. 

I was told the moving company was coming at 3 pm on December 14th to move me. The week leading up to the move was stressful. I hate packing. Friday arrives and of course, it's raining. Putting me in a bad mood, because I'm not sure how this move works. I've never moved in Korea, so I didn't know what to expect. Finally the time arrives, the movers come and have everything nicely packed in the truck in less than an hour. To say they are efficient is an understatement. Then we head over to my new place. It's pink, bright pink. Apparently 'brothel' like (in a cute way, my mom adds). 

The movers got everything in my place and set up and were out of my hair by 5:30. I was alone to start cleaning and organizing and taking it all in. By Saturday afternoon I was completely unpacked and settled (with help from my good friends Blair and Lush). The place is a spacious one room apartment, brand new floors and doors/windows. There's not a single draft and is actually so warm that I have to leave the windows open. I'm on the 6th floor in the middle of other rooms. I'm assuming the Korean students (it's next to the University) have their heat on high, keeping my place extra toasty. I have lots of prepping room for cooking thanks to my kitchen table being next to the small kitchen area and my computer desk is where I keep my oven. It's a great place and I'm actually really happy that I got moved (hello cheaper bills!) The only thing that needs fixed is the toilet that seems to no longer be attached to the floor. It's almost fallen over twice, awkward! 

Today was my first morning waking up a bit earlier to catch 2 different buses to my country school... Unfortunately for me (and my wallet), my alarm was set for pm instead of am. I jumped out of bed at 7:15, threw myself together as quick as possible, ran down 6 flights of stairs, hopped in a cab headed towards the next town overs bus terminal. I arrived at 7:33 threw 10 dollars at the cabbie, not having time to wait for change and took off running only to arrive and realize I missed the bus. (I thought it left at 7:35 am). I stood and stood and stood, waiting for another bus that was supposed to arrive at 7:50. It didn't not come, finally at 8:15 I jumped in a cab to my country school. Had I known I was doing this I could have showered and eaten breakfast. My co-teacher texted me worried, I'm usually at school when everyone else arrives. 

Tomorrow is a new day and another chance at getting it right. 

Oh hey! In other news I'm headed to Vietnam, Cambodia and Thailand for winter vacation. I'm so excited. Soon I'll be finished traveling through Asia and it'll be time to move on to a new continent. <3 div="div" nbsp="nbsp">

Just...relax

Sometimes my students are really frustrating and I try to yell at them, but then there's those certain students who say ridiculous things and I have to do the best I can to get some order/respect in the class. You know the ones, the kids that are really good at pushing your buttons and when you're ready to yell, they turn on the sweetness and say something to make you laugh. Happens a lot to me.

I've learned that keeping my students 5 minutes after class is a good punishment. My first graders start to sweat with nervousness, because they know if they are late to the next class they will be in big trouble. For one, being late and then they will have to explain why the are late. It's great. Since my co-teacher fails to show up to my class (even though he's technically REQUIRED to be there), I have to find ways to motivate, translate and keep control of a very immature group of kids. It's challenging, but I think I'm doing a darn good job. It's funny to watch them stare at the clock, begging me to let them go. "Megan, sorry. Really sorry. Please, go?" Then I have to explain, how they are rude and disrespectful. I know they don't treat the other teachers this way. Why me? I started threatening my 2nd and 3rd graders with holding them late. It's worse for them, both of their classes are right before lunch. No one wants to be late for lunch. It's completely an empty threat. I don't want to be late either! HA!

On Friday all I had to do was stop, point at the board where it said 12:25 in big red letters and wait. The top students took over control of the class. Made everyone be quiet. It was phenomenal. One student, the bad one kept talking. His classmates made him stand in the front of the room with his arms in the air. Having the students manage themselves is awesome.

My co-teacher asked me to give speaking tests to certain kids in each grade. There is an English speaking contest in 2 weeks. Every school has the book from which the questions will be asked. Do you think my students have looked it over? Do you think my co-teacher has worked with them? No. No to it all. He doesn't care. Basically, he's setting them up for failure. He knows our kids won't win. Why put in the extra effort? This angers me. I have so much free time, why, WHY have I not been asked to work with these kids? I was told to take the book and pick the best student from each grade. The book is about Naju, where they live. They couldn't answer any question. I knew they wouldn't be able to, my co-teacher was less than interested. I was so frustrated attempting to ask my 7th graders questions. I threw my hands in the air, "I don't know. I just... I don't... what.. ugh" That's basically what I kept saying... and then there's little DaeMin. "Megan teacher, just...relax. Relax. Ok?" He says this all the time (sometimes he throws in "Shake a leg, Megan!". And then puts his hands in heart form and says "I love you!" Yeah kid.. stop being cute and annoying.

Today I'm at my country school. The students have to do so many hours of volunteer work. Today we went on a walk to pick up garbage. We went last week too. I enjoy going to get out of the building and to talk to the kids. GiSue, one of my 9th graders, really loves talking to me. She was very happy today because she passed the first part of her application to high school. Tomorrow is her interview. She's a really sweet girl. She has low confidence in herself and thinks she is fat and ugly. My students ask me a lot if I think they are beautiful/handsome/cute. I always say yes. Koreans are pretty damn honest, even to kids. "You're fat. You're ugly" Doesn't matter who it's to, they'll say it. I make sure to encourage these kids, they need to hear it more often. Anyway, so I kept telling GiSue that she will do great tomorrow and just go in confident. "Megan, you're so kind. Really, so kind" she said. Soon, 2 8th graders came up. "Oh Megan, why does she get all of your love?!" they said. It made me giggle.

I finally, FINALLY have a Korean tutor. A girl who lives near me chased me down one day to ask if I'd teach her English in exchange, she is teaching me Korean.  She's really sweet and I'm excited that I have a new friend in Naju!

A few weeks ago, my friend and I went to make cucumber kimchi. In our group were 2 twin girls, 14 years old and their mother who assisted us. One was shy and the other very outgoing. Their English was near perfect and they never once went to academy. They just watch American tv shows and learn. I really liked them. They were sweet. The outgoing girl, Eun Seo, took my phone number. Sometimes she sends me texts if she needs help with homework or wants to know when we can meet up. On Saturday she came to the International Community Day to meet up with me. She couldn't stay long, but she was so happy to see me. Her face lit up and she gave me a big hug. She was sad that she only had a few minutes to say hello, but she stood there holding my hand, not wanting to leave. It was the most adorable thing, ever. Her mom made my friend and I organic soap, too. :)

It's cold.

Sometimes I have a lot of stories and things to share and I think to myself, I should go home and write in my blog. But then I get home and I don't... and then I forget the stories I wanted to share. I'll do my best to recount what I really wanted to share.

The other night I was walking home, I was close to my apartment building. I noticed my student in front of me, but I didn't want to scare her, so I just kept walking. She was going to her academy, which happens to be next to my building. Sometimes the boy students at this academy yell out the window at me. The ask me how I am, just say hi, tell me I'm beautiful, anything to say a few words in English. I usually entertain them and talk to them. A few boys started talking to me and my student turned to say hi. The boys began saying she was crazy and ugly. I said "she's very smart and pretty." "Bye!" they yelled and went back to class. In the distance I heard a repeat "bye" from some little voices. I noticed a few kids at the playground, but continued walking to my place. Soon enough I heard the light steps of someone close behind me. I turned to see 5 little boys, they kept a distance from me. I said hi and they all ran up to me. "I'm CRAZY!" one yelled. "I'm crazy!" a second boy yelled. "you're crazy. too? Oh my!" I said. "Hey! Crazy 3" boy one yelled while pointing at another kid. "How are you?" I asked, knowing that these kids did NOT know English. There was lots of giggling as they ran away. I walked into my building and up the stairs. As I looked out the windows on the 2nd floor landing I noticed the little boys trying to figure out what building I walked into. I quickly went into my apartment, I do not want knocks on my door from random children.

My main school is sometimes very frustrating. But on Thursday and Fridays it always makes me smile when I'm about to leave, not only because its the end of the day though. Most of my students go to academy. Several go to the academy next to my building. Several go to a math/English academy near the bus terminal. The bus driver at this academy has been giving me a ride home since I started at this school. At first it was hit or miss. But then it became regular, I moved from the back of the van to the front seat. Recently I began noticing that although all of the students are in the van, he's still waiting. He waits until I walk out and jump in the van before he leaves. "Megan, odeo?" (that's my phonetic spelling of the Korean term meaning, where are you going?) "Seongbuk?" "Yes" I reply and he drives me straight to my apartment. He doesn't have to. I've never asked him to, he does it because he wants to and that means a lot to me. At first I used to walk by the van and he'd wave and say "bus bad!" Now, I just hop in. I know that he is waiting to give me a ride.

In other news, I'm hosting a large Thanksgiving party in 23 days. I'm really excited. So far, 13 people have RSVPed. There's a chance close to 18 people will be at my house. A giant potluck Thanksgiving. I believe that this year will be better than last years. Though last year I had great food and company (Alushia and I), but to be with several close friends with lots of different dishes... yeah it'll be good. I just hope my kitchen light will be fixed by then and the bathroom sink. I'm not holding my breath for both. My co-teacher is kind of useless.

Also, it's only November 1st and it's already REALLY cold. I turned the ondol (floor heat) on last night. I went to bed early just so I could be curled up until lots of blankets. I'm not okay with this. I can't wait for January. I want to be lying on the beaches of Thailand or Bali. Or both.

Chuseok vacation

Well, the month of September sure flew by and it's already October. Fall is in the air, waking up to chilly mornings is a nice feeling. The humidity has gone and days are much nicer now. I can no longer jump right into the shower, I have to let the water run waiting for the warmth to start flowing. I love fall. The trees are starting to change and there are mums being displayed everywhere. Soon they will be in full bloom and my hour long trips to the country school will be a beautiful sight since the roads are lined with colorful mums :)

Chuseok (추석) or Korean Thanksgiving fell on a Sunday this year. Monday and Wednesday were both holidays, but for whatever reason Tuesday was not (for most that is). Luckily I had Tuesday off. My original plan was to go on a group trip to Ullegendo and Dokdo. Dokdo is a rock island that Korea and Japan fight over. There's nothing there, but it's important to Koreans. Ullegendo was listed on CNN as one of the top 50 spots to see in Korea and it did look absolutely stunning. In the end I decided to go to Taiwan with 2 friends. 

My friends and I spent a good 2 weeks listing what we wanted to see and how we could fit it all in in the 4 full days we had in Taipei. My friends booked a flight from a different website then I used. We were on different flights to and home from Taiwan. On my way to the airport I got a call from my friend telling me the airline didn't have their reservations. He sounded hopeful that they could get it figured out and be on a later flight to Taiwan. 

in the park

I arrived in Taiwan and turned on my phone to see if I had any messages from my friends. I was bummed to see that they might have been scammed, which meant they probably weren't joining me in Taiwan. Luckily I knew my neighbor was also vacationing in Taipei, so I messaged her to figure out a time to meet up. 

Despite the minor set back of not having travel companions, it ended up being a really great time. My plans completely changed. I got to see most of Taipei and do a day trip. I met a lot of great people in the 4 days I spent there. It was a popular destination for other teachers on break for Chuseok. I jumped on a bus to my hostel with another girl and spent the ride getting to know her and talking about teaching and such. I met lots of Koreans that instead of spending time with their families, also decided to leave the country. 

Chiang Ke Shek Memorial area

My hostel was decent. A little dirty and I may or may not have gotten some weird red spots from there (they are on my arms and legs... not sure where they came from). There was a girl in my hostel room who was a lot of fun to talk to and it turned out we both had a mutual friend in common, who previously lived in my town (he left about a year ago). Small world! This girl and I were on the same flight back to Korea. We traveled to the airport together and requested to sit next to each other on the plane,which ended up making the 2 hr 25 minute trip home, fly by! We talked non stop from the time we left the bus terminal to the time we landed in Seoul. 

Taipei 101 building...

I made a day trip to a place called Wulai, just outside of Taipei (or in Taipei, I don't really know). It's famous for its hot springs and a beautiful waterfall. My 2 friends and I walked for awhile in search of the waterfall. It was so green and gorgeous in this little town. We took a gondola up closer to the waterfall and hiked around the area for a good part of the afternoon. 2 couples were coming down the one path speaking Mandarin to each other. They stopped to say hi and ask where we were from. I started talking to them and told them I'm from Pa. They began to ask whereabouts in PA and I told them. The one couple looked at each other and then at me and said "We graduated from Penn State!" It was so random, a little town in Taiwan that I would run into this couple! 

Wulai waterfall

The food was decent, though I didn't eat as much as other people have (or get very good stuff). I ended up getting a stomach bug or something so I barely ate and when I did in the afternoon it usually made me feel sick. 

stream in the woods

swings!

by far the most beautiful temple I've seen!

Modern Toilet restaurant. I once saw this on the Food Channel, ya know where they go to bizarre places around the world. 

I was definitely anxious to get back to Korea. I love traveling, but coming home and laying in your own bed is always a nice feeling :)


All my Taiwan pictures are posted here: https://picasaweb.google.com/MeganLyn15/Taiwan?authkey=Gv1sRgCICPvPbaxfD6kQE

Vacation and back to school

This summer has been hot and humid. Very hot and humid. I have been busy with get togethers, goodbyes, birthdays, weekend get-aways and weekends in. I can't believe that in a few days it is already September. This summer went by fast. This whole year went by fast. Yesterday was my official 2 year anniversary in Korea. Saturday will begin my 3rd year contract in Korea. I'm excited what the next year has to offer me. The new adventures, relationships/ friendships. I'm sure this next year will be just as great as the last 2 years, maybe even better. 

Before my summer vacation began I had a 2 week summer camp for 4 hours every morning. It was a LONG camp. I had 11 students, 2 7th graders and the rest were 9th graders. 3 boys (2 of which were the 7th graders). The kids were all great, entertaining, frustrating, and especially lazy. After awhile even I got bored with the theme I had made for summer camp. It was a long camp after all. We played games, I made them write journals, we talked and they got a special visitor... Theresa, from Austria came in to talk to them. 

Theresa came for 2 weeks to visit me and see Korea. It was cool having her here. She spent the first week traveling around by herself while I taught camp. Then we were off together to Jeju-do. We opted to fly into Jeju from Gwangju airport. It was a 45 minute flight to Jeju-do and a long wait for a taxi, but we made it to our hostel around 8:30 pm. We walked around the area for a bit, grabbed some food and then went to sleep. We woke up early on Saturday and decided to make our way to Hamdok beach. We had to wait for a bus and then walk a bit to this tiny beach. But it was absolutely gorgeous. It was a bit of a bummer that we didn't have more time to visit the Southern part of Jeju-do where all the waterfalls were located, but a 4 hour roundtrip bus ride for our only day in Jeju was a bit much. We spent a good portion of our day laying on the beach and going into the water. By 3 pm the beach was getting more packed and we decided to pack up and head elsewhere. Next we were off to check out a rock that is famous for looking like a dragons head. It was quite unimpressive, but again the lookout was beautiful, so I'm not complaining. 

These little statues are famous on the island

After Jeju we had a day to relax before heading off to Busan. I didn't book any places to stay ahead of time because I knew there were plenty of love motels. A few days before we left for Busan, I decided to sign up for couchsurfing. I'm really a very laid back traveler, I don't make much plans because I know something could change and it's easier to just go with the flow of things. I found an interesting Korean man that I thought would be a great host for us. I just had to check with Theresa and make sure she was on board. I messaged the guy and he was free to show us around Busan and let us stay in his home. It was a great experience. I really enjoy meeting locals when I travel, that's what gives you the best experience/stories. He took us to lots of beautiful lookouts that I didn't know existed (I've been to Busan twice before). We spent one day on the beach and 2 days traveling around with our host.

After Theresa left I still had an extra week of vacation. The Monday I had my lasik, so intended to have a relaxing week to recover. Turns out I was still extra busy with visiting friends, going on a few dates, running errands and cleaning. It was a good vacation and I look forward to my next vacation. I hope to make it out of the country, perhaps Vietnam or Thailand. We'll see! 

I went back to school on August 20th. My country school had a field trip planned for the kids. They were to go to a waterpark. On Tuesday it was back to the grind of things. I have very little classes which means A LOT of time on the computer. Before that was no big deal, but now that I've had lasik I get headaches very easily from being on the computer too long. I'm going to have to start studying and turning the computer off. 

My kids have been funny lately. The first few days back several students have come up to tell me I'm beautiful. This is not unusual. They always tell me I'm beautiful. But a lot of them are saying "Megan, you're so beautiful. More beautiful than before summer vacation" I try to ask why they think that, but they don't know. I find it funny because since I've had lasik I haven't worn makeup at all. I usually don't wear much, but I always wear eye makeup so I don't look so plain. Maybe it's because I'm tan? It's hard to say. 

A few days ago I ran into my previous co-teacher Mrs. Im and her daughter at the grocery store. We talked for a bit and then I headed out. The art teacher is very good friends with Mrs. Im and told me yesterday "Mrs. Im said you look more beautiful and that she thinks you've lost weight." 

Honestly, I don't really see what everyone else is seeing. I feel lazy and like I've gained weight. But I really appreciate the little pick me ups :)

I'm not sure if anyone reads my blog anymore, but I guess I'm doing this more for myself. So I can remember the good times I've had in this beautiful country.

Today two very good friends left Korea. I know everyone gets to that point in there time here where they just can't go anymore. You know when its your time to go, you can just feel it. It sucks meeting such amazing people and then having to say goodbye to them. It's not fun, but I know and hope that in the future we will meet again. I just have to keep reminding myself that change is a good thing.

I'll never forget the first time I met Brad and Jolean. I met them at different times. It's been a hilarious 2 years getting to know them. They are crazy, sarcastic, witty and always can bring a smile to your face. We've all been through so much together. There's been fights (Brad), tears, laughs, tears from laughing so hard... so many memories were made in Korea with Brad and Jolean in them. I don't know what Korea will be like without them around. Jolean's not around to call me 'Vagmoyer' and make fun of me for anything and everything. Brad's not here to call me 'Wiggles' and attack me. Not to mention, Bryan's been gone for 5 months now and with all 3 of them gone, things are just so different. Korea's constantly changing and you can never go back and recreate what you once had, I know this. It's still sad to see some awesome friends leave, not just friends though, family. We're a family. My Gwangju family is getting smaller. Christmas is going to be strange without Bryan, Brad and Jolean around. I'm happy for them. I still have some great friends here, but their presence will be missed in Gwangju.

Love <3 br="br" nbsp="nbsp">

On a completely different note: One week ago today I got lasik. I'm super paranoid that I might accidentally rub my eyes and go blind. But, so far so good!

Updates soon about summer vacation and my visit with Theresa!

Self-Esteem Boost

"Holidays, birthdays, weddings — every event that you miss suddenly becomes a tick mark on an endless ream of paper. To live in a new place is a beautiful, thrilling thing, and it can show you that you can be whoever you want — on your own terms. It can give you the gift of freedom, of new beginnings, of curiosity and excitement. But to start over, to get on that plane, doesn’t come without a price. You cannot be in two places at once, and from now on, you will always lay awake on certain nights and think of all the things you’re missing out on back home."

This was taken from a random blogger who wrote about living abroad. If you've ever lived abroad, this article will hit a note with you and if you haven't lived abroad I suggest you read this. This perfectly explains life abroad and what we miss out on because of our decisions. http://thoughtcatalog.com/2012/what-happens-when-you-live-abroad/#.T9gkZPwygHo.facebook

As I was reading I was thinking about the person I was before I left for Korea. So much has changed. My friends are married, engaged, have big girl/boy jobs. Everyone has moved on and is busy with their lives. I spent 4 months at home and is was nearly impossible to get together with everyone. Not only that, but I've changed. Going back "home" doesn't feel right. Korea feels more home to me then were I grew up.

I feel like it's true that every time you live abroad you become a different person. Thinking back to living in England in 2005, I was such a different person back then. I was a quiet, insecure young girl trying to find myself. I met this amazing group of people who taught me so much and helped me to see who I really am. To see the good qualities in myself. They brought me out of my shell. It may have been a short 4 months stay in Europe, but that was the beginning of me changing into a new person.

The longer I stay in Korea the more I see how different I am from living in PA or even England. Going from a quiet, insecure girl to a confident, independent, outspoken/crazy person I am now. I feel like my friends from Liverpool would be surprised if they saw me out and about now. Surprised, not disappointed. I think they would be happy and how secure I've become.

I don't think many people understand how much we give up when we decide to live abroad. Yes, it was our choice. But missing out on the important milestones in friends/families lives wasn't something we wanted to have to give up. But when you're on a different continent, doing something you enjoy and want to, then you have no choice. One of the topics that usually comes up with my ex-pat friends here is about friends and their weddings. No one wants to miss their best friends wedding, but buying a plane ticket and then paying for all the other expenses doesn't make sense for us financially. Most of us are here to save money and pay off debts. It sucks, but sometimes you have to put yourself before you friends. Most people would understand, but then others just don't. It's a sad fact of living abroad. I feel as though I probably lost and definitely hurt/disappointed a friend because I can't afford to fly home for her wedding. I wish she understood, but sometimes explaining things to people who've never traveled out of the country just doesn't work.

On a different note, Korea is great for self-esteem boost.. but at the same time can tear you down just as quick. My student's tell me daily how 'beautiful', 'sexy' or 'cute' I am. How much they love me and how kind I am. It's a daily self esteem boost for me.
There are several 3rd grade girls (9th graders) who adore me. After my conversation class they file in and sit down to talk to me. This is at the end of the day, when they could be grabbing their bags and leaving school. But they don't, they want to tell me again, that I'm beautiful. They tell me about their "boyfriends" (boys they like, but don't know they exist). They tell me about the teachers they like or don't like and why. I'm the person they go to when they want to tell a secret. It's cute and I love it.
These girls' asked me who I thought was the prettiest out of them all. It's like a competition on looks in this country. I told them they are all beautiful. I always tell them they are beautiful, I don't think they hear it enough... or at all. This is how they responded "No, Megan, you have to pick one. Who is the prettiest?" Again I said they all were. Sojin, one of my best students replied "Megan, maybe in America we would be beautiful, but Korea standards say we aren't. I think I want to go to America."

It's really sad how these cute, skinny girls think they are "ugly" and "fat". They are always talking about diets and how they need to eat less. America sends a terrible message to kids about body image and looks, but Korea has got us beat. It makes me sad for these kids.

Teacher's Day

May has a lot of random holidays here in Korea. At the beginning of the month is Children's day, followed by parent's day and then, the best one, Teacher's Day. Yesterday was Teacher's Day and I was at my favorite school, Bannam. The students at Bannam are so sweet, respectful and fun! I absolutely love teaching them and by far my favorite grade is the 2nd graders. They are so excited to see me and talk to me. They aren't shy and always are filled with energy and giggles. It makes me so happy to see them. The other teacher's can tell that they are my favorite class, but it honestly has to do with the fact that they go out of their way to talk to me, give me hugs and always ask how I am. 3 of my 2nd graders (the boys) gave me cards and they were super cute. They were as simple as cutting out hearts and writing "Megan teacher card. I love you" to one that said "today is teacher's day, congratulations!" and the last (from the smartest boy in the class) "To Megan, my name is Your. Yesterday you made us zucchini bread, it was very delicious. Thank you. You are my best teacher. Goodbye!"

The 2nd grade students gave their homeroom teacher, Ms. No, lillies. They were really beautiful. She decided to give them to me from the students cause she knows I love them. We had a half day for Teacher's Day and all the teacher's went together to walk around a lake and have tea. On the way over, Ms. No said to me. "Megan, you know the 2nd grade students love you. They really do. I'm their homeroom teacher, but you are their favorite teacher. I'm jealous." haha. The walk around the lake was really beautiful. It's always nice to hang out with the teacher's. They are super friendly (they're friendly at my other school, but we don't do activities like Bannam). After the walk we went to get some drinks. I was just going to order lemonade, but all the teachers looked at me and said "no, something more expensive!!" So I changed to a strawberry smoothie.

A pretty great day with my favorite school!

Comfort zone

Well folks, my year contract at Geumcheon Middle School will be coming to an end in a mere 4 months. I honestly can't believe how fast the year has gone. I've been in Korea for almost 2 years (actually the 2 year anniversary of me arriving in Korea was on May 5th), that's absurd and awesome. I've come along way in my 2 years in Korea. I'm getting use to the way Koreans work, the school system, my students behaviors. It's nothing new to me anymore, I go with the flow, nod my head when they talk to me and smile. The stupid little things don't phase me anymore. I go to class and no one shows up, oh well, back to that TV show. I go to school and find out they have sports day or mid terms and there's no classes, guess I'll just sit on the bench and read a book. I'm not surprised by what goes on anymore. I'm not concerned or nervous about what the day might bring. I know to just smile and teach a class, play a game or do nothing all day. You might be thinking, that's great Megan that you feel so comfortable in your new home. It is great and I'm really happy, don't get me wrong.

But, didn't I come to Korea for a new adventure? Wasn't my purpose to step out of my comfort zone and be challenged with language barriers and getting lost? I've realized how comfortable I've gotten in Korea. How much this place has become my home. It's so familar now. I'm use to the random people or kids coming to say hi or pointing and laughing at me. I'm use to hearing my name in the teacher's room and seeing all the teacher's stare at me while they talk openly about me without translating it. I have my Gwangju family, those friends that I have been through so much with. The more I think about it the more I know it's almost time to move on. There's new countries waiting to be explored by me. New adventures, challenges and hurdles for me to overcome.

I'm not ready just yet to dive back into the unfamilar. I still feel like I haven't accomplished what I want to here. There are more countries I want to check off my list. Plus the pay, benefits and opportunities to travel in Korea are so worh it.

With that being said, I'm happy to announce that I've officially decided to renew my contract which will end (for good) September 2013. Though my goal is to leave March/April of 2013 and move on to bigger and better things. As the time gets closer I'll decide what is best for me financially. I'm not sure where my next move will be to, there are so many options all over the world.

There are things about Korea that I just love. Yesterday I walked into my 2nd grade class at the country school and the girls saw that I was wearing a dress. The immediately started singing 'you are so beautiful' song to me. And then the continued complimenting me. It made me happier for the rest of the day. They are so sweet and wonderful. Today I walked into the office of the main school and one of the Korean teacher's saw me and said "oh, beautiful!" Then all of the teacher's turned to look at me and agreed. In the lunch line the high school English teacher began complimenting me as well, apparently the pig tail braids where a good idea (and only done because I was running late and it was easier!).

Life is good. I miss everyone at home though!

Tulip and beach pictures

I just wrote a post about my weekend at the Tulip Festival in Shinan. I hit publish, but it has disappeared into the unknown space of the internet.

Instead of re-writing about my weekend, I'm going to post pictures for your enjoyment!

a view of the secret beach

across from our minbok (hotel)

they wrote 'I <3 Shinan' in Tulips

festival area

we went on a bike ride

the group

Spring time get-aways, fun with friends and good-byes

It's finally, FINALLY getting warm here in Korea The weather has been strange, some days it'll be super warm and the next day it'll be really cold. And then it's been raining off and on every week. But recently the temperatures have been in the upper 60's-70's (or for the rest of the world 15-20 Celsius).

Last weekend I spent in Gwangju with my friends. I haven't been hanging out in Gwangju as much and instead have been staying in Naju, in my own home, really doing nothing. Yes, it's boring. Sometimes I wish my apartment was still in Gwangju so I could go downtown whenever I want or hang out with friends and not worry about catching the last bus back to my place. But, I'm still happy here and my job is awesome, so I can't complain. Last Saturday was a beautiful day. I really had no plans so I just hung around downtown. I got my hair trimmed, bought a new pair of shoes and visited my friend, Misub. Eventually another friend met me downtown for coffee and we spent the afternoon chatting. It was nice to catch up with her, I feel like time goes by so quickly and I don't get as much time to catch up with friends. It just so happened that this particular weekend was our good friend, Bryan's birthday weekend. We all headed downtown in the evening for some drinks. It was an overall good evening that ended about midnight when Jolean and I headed home to bed.
 It's amazing how much has changed since my first year in Korea. The nights out my first year would turn into mornings out, heading to bed at the wee hours of 4, 5 or 6 am. I don't know how I lasted that long. Now I go out for drinks and I'm tired as soon as I get downtown, opting to head to bed at 1 (most of the time earlier!)

Sunday several of us got around and headed to the edge of town to play paintball. This is maybe the 3rd or 4th time we've played paintball. It is so much fun. The guy that runs it is really cool and he always give us extra games. We played for about 2-3 hours of paintball, getting in 5 games. We have a lot of laughs and high fives during the game. Sometimes there are complaints from the pain and battle wounds to go with it. This is the first time I got a bruise on my leg. I also took a few shots to the side of the head. All in good fun! It was an amazingly beautiful day so it made it that much better running through the woods. After our great game we headed to Chonnam University to hang out in the park. We talked, played some name games and relaxed before heading to dinner. For dinner we went to a meat buffet, where you can pick all types of meat and get extra sides. It was A LOT of food.

                                             our paintball group

This past week we had a random Wednesday off. It was the day to vote for government officials, which meant no school and a day of fun. I was REALLY excited for elections to be finished. If there is ever an annoying time in Korea, it's election time. They do things really different here with the promotion of candidates. Each candidate has a number and color. Supporters will be out on street corners DANCING to silly songs holding posters of their candidate or their number. But it doesn't stop there, there are trucks that are driven around with large screens and the candidates giving speeches on the screen. They blast the sound and will stop to hand out little cards. Imagine, trucks of blaring music, speeches, people dancing on street corners to the tune of "If you're happy and you know it" The speeches feel like they go on forever, when all you want is peace and quiet in your apartment, but instead you hear this obnoxiously loud Korean talking.

My Wednesday was spent on a day trip with Lonely Korea led by the awesome leader Pedro Kim. Pedro is a great guy from Korea who loves to travel. He started his own group and promotes it on facebook. Many foreigners in Gwangju opt to travel with him. He tends to go to places that aren't easy for foreigners to find or get to alone. He adds extra things in the day to make it more enjoyable and get the most out of the day. He is really friendly and I enjoy spending time with him on those trips. On Wednesday he took a small group to Hadong to the 5km Cherry Blossom road. SSangysea (I think is the name) is, as stated a 5 km road of Cherry Blossoms. It's believed that if you walk hand in hand with your lover you'll end up getting married to that person. This is why the road is also known as the 5km Wedding Road. It started off as a rainy, foggy morning. I woke up wishing I didn't book the trip because I really just wanted extra sleep, especially on a rainy day. But I got my butt moving and headed to Gwangju. I met the others on the trip and we were off. Our first stop was the Moon Bear Research Center at the base of Mt Jirisan. Jirisan is the first national park in Korea and has the highest peaks. There are now 20 Asiatic bears living on the mountain thanks to this research center. We were able to see 2 of the several bears that they are getting ready to re-introduce into the wild.

After the bear center we headed to a part of Mt. Jirisan that is Pedro's favorite spot. We had a picnic on these large rocks next to a stream. It was a bit chilly and windy, but a great location. Pedro sat next to me and told me that during the Korean war it was a dangerous location for the soldiers. When the soldiers would get thristy they would come out of the woods to get a drink and would end up getting shot. Sad story, but a beautiful location. We hopped back into the van and headed towards our final destination. Of course, it took awhile because of the one lane road in each direction. It's a favorite spot for Koreans, so the traffic is usually pretty heavy (though it would be 10 times worse on the weekends). Eventually we made it to the road and were able to get out and walk up and back down the road. The trees were stunning and thankfully the sun came out just as we got to the road. I was able to get some great shots. The best part about this road is that it's surrounded by beautiful mountains AND tea fields. There's beautiful places in Korea and this has to be one of the top spots.

                                                                me along the road

                                                     looking down the orad

                                                             my new friend, Eun Ju

                                                tea fields and Cherry Blossoms, gorgeous aren't they?

                                                              the sun peaking through the trees

                                                 beautiful... everything about this day

                                                                  love the colors

This weekend I spent in Gwangju again. I hung out with Josh Friday night and most of Saturday. Saturday night I had plans with Dan, my co-worker from last year. We haven't hung out at all this year, which if you remember last year we were really, REALLY close. So it was kind of a big bummer that we didn't hang out or really talk as much. Not going to lie, it made me sad a lot. A lot of things happened that made me want to hate him, but I guess I'm a big softie because I wanted to see him before he left. We have a lot of history together from that first year of knowing each other, I'm happy we were able to get together and end on a good note and remember the good times/talks we've had. It's nice to be reassured that we really will always be friends.
We decided to meet in Ilgok-dong, where we use to live and work. We thought it'd be a great ending to walk around and see the places we frequented together, in a stress free environment. We had dinner at the burger place across from our school, the place we went to anywhere from 2-3 times a week, depending on how angry we were that week. We walked by our school, talking about how easy we have it this year and how it gets boring, but how much we deserved this AWESOME job the 2nd time around. We went to our first school location, walked into the grocery store where we went everyday for snacks and to get away from our boss. It brought back a lot of good memories for the both of us. All the talks we had, the built up anger we had towards our boss, the laughs and tears. It was nice to finally talk to him and see him again. We headed to a park, where not making the best decision played on a spiny thing with children and immediately regretted the decision because we were so dizzy and wanted to throw up. We shared a bottle of soju while talking about the year before heading downtown for more fun. It was only 7:30 pm but I was already getting tired, again that whole staying out thing doesn't work for me anymore. We went downtown to meet 2 of Dan's old Korean gym buddies KM and Chan Woo. I really enjoy these guys, they are so friendly and really funny. We hung out a few times our first year in Korea, Christmas eve being one of them. Another time we spent a good portion of the day playing xbox together. We sat at a quiet bar, talking and hanging out. It was really great to be able to hang out with them again. I'll miss Dan, but I believe we'll see each other in the future.

             Dan and me near one of the Technical high schools we use to walk past on the way to work.

                                            KM (Kwang Min), Dan and Chan Woo

                                                         hearts

                                                happy we had time to hang out

I'm eating WHAT?!

Wednesday I taught my first class of the new year at Geumcheon. It was with my 3rd graders, who I had last semester. They all know me and were excited to see me, to talk to me and tell the class that they saw me eating lunch in Naju. I have a new co-teacher, which I'm really excited about. I was shocked/impressed/excited that my first class was so well behaved. They listened, the answered questions, they volunteered. Having a new co-teacher who CARES and who has authority is going to be a tremendous change. I have a feeling that my students might actually learn and won't spend the entire class talking, in Korean. I'm also teaching from the same book as my co-teacher, which will be much easier for me to work off of what he teaches and a lot less work of trying to decide what the best lessons would be for them. I get one page out of each unit, the speaking page. I've read mixed reviews about this book, but I suppose if the grammar is terrible I can always use the idea and make my own lessons.

After teaching my first and only class of the day I made my way back to the office. My co-teacher stopped to stare at the board that lists the classes of the day and information. He then says "dinner at 5 pm". I always love the "heads up" I get. 3 hours before school ends I find out there is a dinner party, awesome. Anyway, I tried a few times to find out where this dinner party would be, but all I got was that it was to welcome the transfer teachers to the school.

At 5 pm I was pushed into my co-teachers car and driven to the restaurant, which turned out to be just across the road. It was a bit hidden which I found a bit strange, but I didn't question it. There was a picture of chickens on the door, so I thought "hey meat for dinner, win!" Usually we go out for sashimi and beef stew. I sat down with my fellow teachers. We have a new part time teacher, his international name is Jude, he's my age, too! Jude is a really friendly guy and I enjoy talking to him. Yes, he speaks English and it is a really nice change having someone in the office or at lunch that can and does talk to me. Anyway, back to the story. So, Jude starts cooking the meat on the bbq as more staff and teachers begin filing into the restaurant. He looks at me and says "do you know what this is?" I guessed pork, it looked like it. "No, it's DOG meat. I think it's healthier than pork and it makes you strong." .... wait, WHAT? You took me to a DOG restaurant. DOG. I ate DOG. After the initial, "wait, what?" reaction I got over it. I wasn't getting out of eating it, they don't take no for an answer here (unless of course you have an allergy). It honestly isn't all that bad. A bit of a different taste then pork, but when you cover it up with ssamjjang you can't really tell what you have.

This dinner was much better than previous ones for the simple fact that I know have someone to talk to! Jude and I had a lot of good conversations and he would translate things for me or tell me what everyone was talking about. There was a lot of smiles and pointing at the two of us and comments made that weren't translated to me and everyone kept saying "ah obba" and point to Jude (that means he is older so I call him brother). Some of the female teachers said they are happy that I finally have someone that can speak to me so I'm not so lonely. It is nice. You have no idea how isolated I am day in and day out. I don't see many foreigners in Naju, so I go home and am alone and all day at school I'm alone, no real conversations. Which is one main reason I'm on facebook ALL day. I need to have chats with friends, I don't care if it's not face to face, it is still a conversation.

Anyway, at the beginning of the meal there is always a toast. The people I sat next to usually drink water or soda. Thankfully I wasn't too close to the gym teacher, who drinks a lot of soju with a few of the other male teachers. As the toasts began the soju bottles were being brought out on the tables and not 3 or 4, 10 or 12 per table. As the meal continued, so did the flow of soju. The principals face was bright red, but more and more soju was still poured for him. A few minutes before we all stood up to leave, the very drunk gym teacher (barely holding himself up in a sitting position) leans over and says something in Korean, while saying my name and pointing at me. Jude said that he wants to drink with me twice a week, beer and soju. I just laughed but he was persistent. Jude told him I prefer wine or whiskey to beer and soju. He thought about this for a moment (wine is really expensive her, a bottle of whiskey is $5). And then said, "one night a week drinking!" I said okay, knowing that it'll probably never happen. But it made him happy.

Naju weekend

This has been an interesting weekend. Friday morning as I headed off to school, I passed an adjosshi (elderly man) near my apartment. I don't really know this man, but I see him everyday at the school. He usually ignores me when I pass him in the school driveway or when I'm in the office. However, when I passed him near my apartment he had a huge (surprised) smile on his face. I bowed to him, said hello and continued on my way.

Saturday morning I was hungry for eggs so I ran out to the 24 hour store near my place. I usually see a man there who on the street will smile and say hi to me. It was a lady this time and despite having seen her many times there today she felt like talking to me. She proceeded to ask if I was an English teacher and I replied that I was and what school (in my very basic knowledge of Korean). A few hours later as I was leaving my apartment to head to Gwangju, I passed 3 men sitting outside the convenient store near my place. I smiled at them and one of the man waved and started talking to me. I took out my headphones to hear what he had to say. He immediately grabbed my hand and shook it after I bowed to them. He just stood there holding my hand talking to me or the men he was with, after awkwardly putting my hand against his face he let me leave. I bowed to them and not sure what he should do he threw his hand in the air to say hello again. It made me laugh even though it was a bit strange. I've been here for 6 months and this is the most that random Koreans have talked to me, especially in one day!

Today was market day. I love market day. It's always fun to just walk around, checking out all the different kinds of fish or seeing the many different kinds of kimchied things. It was a dreary day, but I attempted to get some pictures at the market. As I was heading there a few children noticed that I was a foreigner. One, still in his pajamas, began pointing and jumping up and down exclaiming "waygooken, waygooken" until his friends arrived. I'm sure I'm not the first foreigner he's seen, but he was excited nonetheless.

different types of kimchi

Last day of deskwarming..

It's officially my last day of desk warming. The oh-so-fun job of sitting at the computer, doing whatever I want for a full 8 hours. Fulfilling my duty of being at school after my month long vacation. It's been boring and honestly doesn't make sense why I'm here. The teachers/staff are always surprised when they walk in the room and see me. Everyday for the past month, the same response "OH! Megan?" Yep, it's me, just sitting here. Don't take this the wrong way, I'm not complaining. I've quite enjoyed being paid to do nothing. For the past month I have been teaching, 2 students, 3 hours every morning. It's been fun. I had 2 girl students, who are really very smart and entertaining. There was a lot of conversations, which is exactly what they need to practice, tv show watching (hey it was in English!), food making (they taught me to make kimbap, directions in English). Yesterday my one student spent 30 minute talking about boys. It was really funny, she's always sad that she doesn't have a boyfriend (join the club, sweetheart!) I posted on my facebook status that I was enjoying listening to her talk about boys and how giddy she was about it. My former Middle School English teacher commented about how she remembers me and my friends doing the same. haha

I will miss leaving school for 2 hours to go home, take a nap, eat lunch and watch some tv before heading back to school to do my duty of keeping this desk warm. I'll miss quietly walking out of the office and going home whenever I want for the day, especially on absolutely gorgeous days, like today!! It's been nice getting lunch whenever I want, packing a lunch, going out for lunch or even whatever teacher (usually Mr. Han) buying me delicious meals.

I am, however, excited for school to start again. I miss the teachers/students at my country school. I've been trying to meet up with the one teacher, Ms. No. But it hasn't worked out that I have free time when she does. She called me last week and told me to not show up for school and meet her in Gwangju. On Monday, I showed up for school and was surprised to see all the teachers coming into school. We ended up going for lunch in Naju, all the staff and teachers were there. There are 4 new teachers at my school. I will now have 2 new co-teachers. I'm excited for the new teacher at Geumcheon. I got along with Mr. Kim, but he was a terrible teacher. The new teacher, Mr. Roh, seems very kind and like he'll be a decent teacher. I'm not excited that my country school English teacher, Mrs. Im has moved to a new school. She spoke excellent English and was really friendly, plus she gave me rides to and from school. Guess I'll be riding the bus and getting up early on Mondays/Tuesdays. However, I believe the other teachers will give me a ride home, which will be nice.

Well, it's a beautiful day and I've wasted enough desk warming. Time to escape. Keep it real, folks.

Soju and beer, practice (drinking) everyday

Today an ajumma (older lady) was seriously impatient and apparently couldn't wait a whole 2 minutes for the green light to cross the extremely busy (not to mention scary) highway. I am not a fan of the location of my school. The road is kind of scary. Cars, buses and trucks drive at top speeds through this intersection. Sometimes they stop at the red light, sometimes they continue driving at their top speeds. I always give it a few seconds and watch the cars to make sure they are stopped before walking across the road. When school is in session, the students see the green light and immediately step out in the road. They are busy playing on their phones or talking to friends, ignoring the cars. I'm always scared that one of these days I'll witness these kids getting run over, since they seem to be careless when crossing the street. Back to today, I was standing patiently waiting for the bus to arrive. Across the road was the ajumma. I saw her jogging to make the light, but she was too slow. She waited for a few cars to pass and then began slowly jogging across the road. Instead of stopping in the middle by the median to let the car and truck fly by, she decided to continue across the road directly in front of them. Their were 2 other ajummas yelling at her, 2 students in front of me not even paying attention and me exclaiming loudly "OH MY GOD!" Mere inches was all that was between this lady and the fast moving cars. She made it, unscathed and it didn't even phase her. 

On a lighter note: I've been teaching 2 students for the past 2 1/2 weeks. The students are on winter vacation, but 2 students have signed up for winter camp. I still have a week and a half left of camp with these 2 girls. I chose to do Glee camp with them. I found workbooks and powerpoint presentations online (a great site for foreign teachers to use). I've been teaching them new words and phrases, adjectives, verbs, giving advice, asking questions. I play music videos for them and they have to fill in a worksheet with the missing words. Then we watch an episode of Glee each class. After we watch Glee they answer questions about the show and ask me questions about school, culture, life in America and they finish by writing in a journal. I wasn't sure how well this camp would work out with just 2 students. They love watching Glee and have really been talking a lot more and asking more questions after each episode. It's really funny to watch how giddy they get when Mr. Shue (the glee director on the show) comes on. My 15 year old girls have a huge crush on his character, it's really cute to watch them. I really enjoy reading their journals, too. Usually it's about the show or how tired or hungry they are. On Monday and Tuesday I brought in chocolate chip cookies for them. They devoured probably 2 dozen cookies on Tuesday alone. My one student, Soe Jin, who is much quieter than Soe Yeon, wrote on Tuesday "I'm very sad because I didn't say thank you to Megan. Thank you Megan. Cookies are delicious. I love cookies. Megan is very good cook. I'm sorry, sorry, sorry Megan." haha. It was really cute. I like those girls. 

Last week the students were in school in order to prepare for graduation. Graduation happened on Thursday and perhaps a ceremony on Friday. I'm not too sure, you know, I'm never told anything. I just sit at my desk until someone tells me it's time go. On Thursday I was let out of school at 2 pm, which was totally awesome. But first I went out to lunch with all my co-teachers. They love sashimi, so we are always going out for that. I'm not so much a fan, but I hide the taste with spicy sauce. The gym teacher kept offering me beer and soju. It didn't happen once, maybe 4 times he offered to pour me either beer or soju. At noon on a Thursday, I wasn't interested in either. I think he felt that I didn't understand him. He called my co-teacher over to ask if I wanted beer or soju. I said I didn't and was okay with water. He then preceded to say "Korean's drink a lot, the gym teacher says every night you need to practice drinking soju and beer. Every day practice!" ... um, okay? 

The next night I was driven to Gwangju with my co-teacher and the computer guy for a 'dinner party.' Of course, true to Korean fashion, I was told that morning. I had no idea what this dinner party entailed. We showed up at a nice hotel and walked into a banquet room with a buffet and the karaoke machine being plugged in. Turns out it was a retirement party for the principal and a few teachers. I really like the principal and am sad he is leaving. He is always so friendly to me and it really makes the atmosphere at school much better when he walks in and sees me with a huge smile "Miss Megan, good morning!" or "Miss Megan, let's go home!" I hope the new principal will be as kind as this principal. One of the teachers in my office also retired. He is a super friendly man as well. He was always the one to tell me it was lunch time, talk to me, offer me snacks and anytime I walked in the room in the morning he was the first to look up and nod at me. As he was leaving last Friday he came to me and said "Miss Megan. I retired this month. I'm really going to miss you!" It was sweet. Back to the 'dinner party' speeches were made, food was served, people began eating and with the eating began the soju pouring. For those that don't know, in Korea the custom is to pour someone else's drink or shot for them. You don't pour your own beer and if you want soju, you'll offer a shot to someone else so they can reciprocate. The principal began his rounds to pour soju for each table and one person would pour him one. He made his way to my table and poured a shot for the other teachers and when I offered to pour him a shot, he said no. "No Miss Megan, we do love shot!!" I can't say no to the sweet man, so a little shot of soju was poured and we did a 'love shot' to cheers and of course, pictures being taken. The singing began and I was able to escape out to get the bus to my apartment. As I stood up and put my jacket on, across the room the principal noticed me and began yelling (most of the men were pretty drunk from the abundance of soju shots!) "Miss Megan, bye! Goodbye Miss Megan! Goodbye! See you Monday? No Sunday? Monday!"