Something New

This week has been tiring, but pretty amazing. Last Friday I bid farewell to 3 of my co-workers and it was a bit sad. Working with people for 8 months in a pretty close knit community makes for fast friendships. It is always hard to say good-bye to people, but everyone has to move on at some point. If we all stayed in the same place forever life would be dull and not the adventure it is meant to be. My new co-workers are great. I feel like we have all instantly bonded with one another and I'll be honest, I was worried that things would not be as good as they had been. This week was crazy because of the adjustment period, new kindergarteners, new classes and general chaos. I do believe that the next 4 months are going to fly by incredibly fast and while I'm looking forward to also moving on, I have begun to contemplate staying with BIS for another year. I am blessed to have this job, I have a great apartment, a fantastic boss and I love my students. It'll be interesting to see (for me at least) what will happen over the next few months.

This afternoon I went with Chris and Lauren (my new co-workers, they are from Denver and just got married in October) to a meeting with our recruiters, Adventure Teaching. I was reluctant to go at first because Chris and Lauren had mentioned that it would be somewhat religion based and probably something like a bible study/group. I don't consider myself religious, but I have been thinking about things like religion for quite sometime now. However, I still didn't want to sit around and read passages and everything (my stereotype, sorry). I thought it would be what I call uber-Christian and not what I really wanted to get into. I still went though because I'll try just about anything. I was incredibly relieved when I discovered that many of the people there had the same frustrations I have about church and religion. The basis of the group was to introduce a Missio Community. I'm still in the research phases, but one of the main things about a Missio Community is community itself. Its having a group of people who will help you out, share ideas with you and just be there for you when you need it. Its about sharing our passions in life and bringing people together in various ways. I'm very excited for this new opportunity and phase of my life because like I said, I have been grappling with ideas of faith and religion. I don't want to step overboard just yet, but I do believe that God has been more prevalent in my life than I'd like to admit. This is new, uncharted territory for me and I can't wait to learn more about this and also become part of something I truly believe in.

Thoughts

For quite awhile now I have been thinking my experience in Korea is more like a study abroad trip than the start of a career. Somehow, I still can't shake this feeling. While I am completely comfortable in front of a classroom and have embraced Seoul as my home, I keep waiting for a report card to show up. I spend the weekends like I would if I were in college. Usually this means going out to a bar or a club or it may entail hanging out at COEX. I'm still confused as to what all of this means.

The more I think about the time I've had in Korea, the experiences, the people I've met, the more I can see how I have grown. While I've always considered myself independent and mature, it is now more prevalent. I've gone to Japan all by myself, wandered around the metropolis that is Seoul and relied on myself to make friends (this in contrast to the "Laura Factor" at Ole Miss...she introduced me to pretty much everyone I hung out with). I don't even know where to begin start when I think back on the past 8 months (yes, it has been 8 months). I still feel like I got off the plane and while I say this over and over again, I truly discover something new everyday. Today, for example, I discovered that vegetable fried rice really doesn't contain many vegetables (meaningless discovery at best, but still).

I am thankful I have kept this blog because I think I'd forget the things that make Korea MY Korea. The little things that seem pointless in the moment, but they all combine into something wonderful. Snipets of what my students say, poorly written English signs, strange smells from the gutters and constant progress. Korea is evolving as quickly and as tirelessly as I am. One of my favorite things to do is to ride the subway at night and cross the river. The bright lights reflecting off the murky water of the Han River remind me of Christmas lights in the window and this somehow comforts me. Every time I cross the river, in the bright florescent lights of the subway car, I am home. I never thought I'd be at home in such a large city, but now I can't imagine not being around the culture, the hustle and bustle and the never ending options Seoul has to offer.

Sewing Machine and Mexican Brunch

I have been meaning to post, but somehow I always get sidetracked. On Friday, I ordered a sewing machine from Gmarket because after a previous trip to the fabric market, I realized something was missing from my life. I didn't know it was sewing, but for one reason or another, I missed the hum of my mom's sewing machine and the thrill of picking out fabric for projects that may or may not be completed. After my purchase (from the English version of the Korean website) I knew I had to go back to the fabric market. On Saturday I woke up early and headed over to Dongdaemun once again. This time I really did get lost, but I found some great stuff. I got 6 different fabrics, 2 pairs of scissors, pins and thread for about 40,000W or $27. I do need some other things, and I do plan to buy them this weekend.

After the market I went to Lotteria for a quick snack and a quiet reading of the Korea Times (it reminded me of my father who every weekend heads to Hardee's for breakfast and a USA Today). I hadn't been to Korean class in quite some time so I also decided I'd go to class on Saturday. Megan and I decided to meet before class adn grab some lunch. We finally caught up (after her trip to Canada and my party which she couldn't make) over a bowl of kimchi jjigae. Class is becoming difficult because I have jumped into the level 2 class and we are conjugating verbs and stringing together sentences for conversations. All of this was of no help to me today however. I got a text message from the delivery guy saying my package was with the security guard (this too was in Korean so I had to forward it to my friend Aerin and she translated) and after work I went to pick it up. The security guard and I stared at each other for a few moments and then luckily a guy about my age walked in and I asked him if he spoke English. He spoke PERFECT English and was a great help to me. I got my package (the sewing machine!) and thanked him about 100 times. I need to learn Korean especially since I am planning on a second year here. I can't always gets lucky and have someone with perfect English to my rescue.

Sunday was an awesome day at Loren's apartment for a Mexican brunch. He had taco meat, guacamole, sour cream, cheese and tortillas. I had decided to make some Mexican rice and also made pico de gallo. It was incredibly tasty and I'd have to my favorite (Western) meal in Korea. We have decided to do fun stuff (like housewarming parties) every weekend or so. Each of us will host and we'll eat delicious food. I am so happy in Korea and I mention this quite frequently, but seriously, I have been blessed with amazing friends and great company. I honestly thought I'd come here, do my year and move on. However, I can't imagine leaving in July. I have so much more to experience and the more I think about how much I've grown, I can't wait to continue on this journey.

임주은 in the Korea Times

One of my 4th grade students had an article published in the Learning Times section of the Korea Times. She wrote an article as a Junior Reporter, it's pretty cool. There are a few errors, but she did an awesome job! Since you have to have an account I have copied and pasted the article here for anyone interested. I'm pretty happy for her (Jennifer) because she's only in 4th grade and has an article in a national newspaper AND I'm her teacher!

삼릉초등학교 3학년 (5기) 임주은 (Samreung Elementary School--Lim Ju Eun)

I wanted to change into another person again, and it really came true. I was (1)an the Samreung elementary school's musical team. Everyone on our team thought it (2)was over after doing the pre-contest and the final-contest, but it wasn't. There was still the encore musical play to do. Suseo elementary school's team won (3)first place and our team won second place. The Suseo team was going to do the encore musical play, too. 500peaple were going to watch us do it again and doing it again was a gift for me.

Like always we had to practice, (4)but I had the chicken pox, so I couldn't practice with my teammates. Luckily, I recovered from the chicken pox just one day before the encore play. I Think practicing is really fun because I can prepare for the play and I can also play with other people on our team while we practice together. Singing, dancing, acting, and playing with my teammates were fun for me.

It was the day to show my best to 500 people. Before the show, there was an important thing to do. We all had to change into the characters, or no one would know what we were doing. First, we changed our clothes. We were doing the play,'The Wizard of Oz', so the lion, tin man, and the scarecrow looked really funny. After changing our clothes, we did our makeup. (5)We didn't did it. Other people who work there did the makeup for us. I was a dwarf, so I had to wear a wig, but I never wanted to! The makeup was over. I looked at the evil witch and he looked really wicked! All of us looked weird. We did rehearsal after it

(6)While doing the rehearsal, I wasn't nervous even though there were 500 seats. It was just fun. After doing the rehearsal it was already past 12o'clock, so we ate a little bit of food for lunch. We ate stuff like Kim-Bab and Man-doo. We didn't have anything to do before the play, so we just sang a song that Suseo elementary school sings at their play for fun. Their team was doing the play 'The Magic Flute'. We looked outside the window and saw the hall, but it wasn't just an empty hall. It was full of people. We opened the window just a little. Some of the people knew it and came over to see. Next, we had to go to the bathroom. We were too scared to go out, so we went out together. In the hall, I (7)was feeling like a star.

It was time to really do it. It was different than before, because we changed some things, so I had to remember some new stuff. We turned the mike on, but I wasn't nervous The play began, but I still wasn't nervous at all, even during the play! I like to stand on the stage because of this. Also I can show what I can do. Everything was going fine(8), but at last... " Oh no!" I was so tired that I forgot to wave goodbye at the end. Luckily, it wasn't too late, so I could do it just fine. Hurray! Our team did it!

The encore play ended and everyone on our team was all tired. Some boys didn't want to do it ever again, but most of us wanted to keep doing it. We weren't just going to each of our homes (9)by this. Of course, we changed our clothes and took off the wigs, but we had time to do other things. Some of our teammates wanted to see the magic show after our turn including me, so we watched it. We could see fun things for free because we were there to do the musical play. This was much better than I thought it would be, but this was not even the end.

The funniest thing came at the end : Playing! It was almost dinner time, so we ate together. After eating together, it was time to play. The girls played in the apartment playground and the boys played in the school playground. We played and did fun things in the cold weather. At the playground six of us played for a long time, but eventually we had to say bye-bye and go to each of our homes. This was the final end of the encore musical play.

My brother loved that it was over, but I wanted to continue to do it. I think it's great. I can work and practice and play with other people. I can learn cooperation, too. I can also do the things that I can do very well and enjoy (10)it. Best of all, I can be together with other people! The musical play will be one of the best memories of my life.

Fabric and Fondue

On Saturday, I met Loren in Dongdaemun so we could check out a fabric market. The building the market is housed in has 5 floors of fabric (including silks and laces), bedding, ribbon and beads. Everything needed for creating clothing, quilts, crafts and jewelry. We spent about an hour and half there, but I fully intend to go back this weekend and spend a lot more time there. I found some really fun fabric I'd like to buy and possibly make a dress out of. I would really like to find a sewing machine somewhere so I can start sewing. My mother would be proud of me, but I also need to learn how to sew better so when I come home I'll need some lessons (hint, hint mom!). I ended up buying a green fabric for a table cloth and I also bought a few other things as well. My plan this weekend is to buy some beads and make some jewlery. I'd also like to buy the aforementioned fabric so I have it in case they don't have it later. After the fabric we headed our seperate ways (but not before buying some sunglasses at one of the street carts). If you are in Seoul, the fabric market is at Dongdaemun Stadium station exit #14. Walk past Miglore, Doota and over Cheonggye Stream. It is in a large building to the left of the stream.

When I came home from the market I had to start preaparing for my fondue party. I went and bought the last minute things (wine and strawberries) and then got everything set up. I ended up meeting Ashely in Jamsil for lunch at TGI Friday's and then we came back together and finished preparing. I made three different kinds of fondue including, chocolate ganache, dark chocolate peanut butter and cafe mocha. We had strawberries, oreos, bananas, pound cake, pineapple, nilla wafers, oranges and brownies for dipping. I had asked everyone to bring a bottle of wine and everyone did. We had reds, whites and pinks. Eight people (including me) showed up and later my neighbor popped in because we were being quite loud, but she was happy to hear English. All in all, it was a great time with great friends and I can't wait to host another party. After we drank all the wine and had enough chocolate, we headed to a noraebang to finish the evening. We were there for about 2 hours singing and having a great time. When we left the noraebang, snow was falling and the bright lights of the wee morning hours faded. Ashley and Mikel stayed at my apartment because it was about 5:30 when we decided to call it a night. I got about 2 hours of sleep on Saturday night, but it was incredibly worth it.

Sunday was spent having tea in Gangnam and then a lazy afternoon at COEX. I had lunch at my favorite, On the Border and then I went to see He's Just not That in to You. The movie was quite good, it followed the lives of a few couples and I love when movies have many characters. I would reccomend it and I would dare to say it's not entirely a chick flick. I hope everyone has a great week and I'm going to try to start writing more.

Seven Months!

I've been in Korea for 7 months now. It has truly flown by. I have done so much, but I have a lot more to do. Although not official, or close for that matter, I am planning to stay in Korea for another year. I am hoping to get a job within the public schools here in Seoul. I am in the process of finishing my application and sending it in so I can have an interview and all that jazz. I am incredibly at peace with my decision to stay. For one, I'll be able to come home for about 6 weeks in July/August. Secondly, I have friends here who will still be here through the duration of another contract, which is quite exciting and motivating. I honestly didn't think I'd stay. I did have it in the back of my mind, but I started to miss home more and then I didn't want to stay. However, knowing that I'll have 6 weeks of home, I'll be able to do another year and finally save the money I was planning to save this year. With the economy of the world hanging by a thread, the exchange rates have been poor and I'll finally be out of debt (minus student loans of course), but my savings will be minimal. The decision to stay another year was quite easy. I'll have money in the end AND I'll still be able to travel. Currently, I am thinking about a weekend to Hong Kong and a weekend to Korea's Jeju Island. Those are two places I'd like to tackle before going home in July. As always, I will try to update more and of course keep my loyal readers updated on the new job information. Have a great week everyone!

Move and a 27th Birthday

Today is the last day of Winter Intensive!! Tomorrow we will back to a normal teaching schedule which will be really nice. Only 30 hours of instruction and a few extra breaks. Good thing because this month I have a gazillion tests and report cards to prepare. It's pretty insane to think that not only have I been in Korea for (at the end of the week) 7 months, but I've also been teaching for 7 months. I have thoroughly enjoyed teaching, even with the pitfalls and bad days. I feel like I learn something new everyday. It could be something about a student or it could be material I am teaching (believe me, I have learned A LOT about American history by teaching Social Studies classes). It has been a wild, but amazing ride so far.

Anyway, on Saturday I moved out of my apartment and into a new one. It is 5 floors up and on the opposite side. I have a crappy view, the apartment building next to mine, but the place is super clean AND I was able to score some sweet wallpaper. Think orange flowers on the stems and then think 1970s. I'm only missing orange shag carpet, or better yet, olive green shag carpet. My place would be killer. I was pissed about the move, but now I'm all settled in and it's not a big deal. This place is quieter (no street noise, but louder neighbors) and darker (due to the lack of space for the sun to make an appearance). This is only bad when I don't want to wake up in the morning. It is quite conducive to sleeping in. Also on Saturday, we celebrate Loren's 27th birthday. We went to On the Border in Sinchon for dinner and then headed out in Hongdae. We had a ton of fun, mainly looking for the bar we wanted to go to (couldn't find it), but later settled on an old favorite, FF. They have live bands and then dancing. They play some pretty cool music and at one point we rocked out to the oldies. Again I met some new people who were awesome and I can't wait to hang out with them more. I am so in love with Korea and Seoul. This place is nothing like I expected and yet everything I expected and hoped for. Amazing people, food, culture and great times.

This upcoming weekend I am going to try and get some culture in. I haven't done anything cultural or artsy in awhile and I think its time to explore an art museum or re-visit a temple or two.