Elisse Goes On a Trip

One night in Bangkok

2011-07-19T17:10:00.000-07:00

After Vietnam, we flew to Thailand, spent a day in bangkok and quickly moved north to Chiang Mai where we participated in the Thai New Year, rode elephants, went zip lining through the jungle, and got ripped off more than once. It was amazing and I'll show you everything.

Halong Bay, Vietnam - Caving

2011-07-19T17:02:00.000-07:00

Halong Bay, Vietnam

2011-05-11T06:30:00.000-07:00

The last time I was in Vietnam, we spent the majority of our time in Hanoi and Halong Bay. Unfortunately when I returned, boyfriend in hand, and ready for sunshine and adventures, we were greeted by the WORST weather. Cloudy, rainy, cold and no chance of going swimming. We made the most of it and still managed to have a good time. Here are some random photos from the trip.

Even with nice cameras and photo-editing you can still tell what kind of weather we experienced. Blah! We did visit a cave and went hiking so I'll share those pictures too.

Where we are now...

2011-05-10T20:28:00.000-07:00

Ko Chang, Thailand (Paradise)

Hue, Vietnam

2011-05-01T03:38:00.000-07:00

We only had one day to explore Hue, and since there are many different things to see, we splurged and hired a tour guide and private car. After finding a restaurant that organizes tours, a frantic waitress/travel agent(?) set up a tour and introduced us to Mr. Trung, our guide for the day. Having a car proved beneficial as we were able to see 2 tombs, incense makers, a pagoda, and an old rice farming village and museum.

Adventures in overnight transportation: Part I

2011-04-24T00:47:00.000-07:00

While in Vietnam, we took 2 overnight buses and 1 overnight train. This is the overnight train we took to Hue. It was pretty awful. Our first mistake was insisting to the woman booking our tickets that we'd like to be on level 2. Assuming level 2 meant a second floor on the train (the kind you take stairs to get to) we agreed that was the way to go in order to catch some scenery. After giving us an "Are you sure?????" look, she booked the tickets. We arrived at the train station early, picked up some vietnamese sandwiches and waited for our train. It arrived and we jumped on, only to find our cabin was occupied by a large Vietnamese family. Confused and worried, we began frantically looking around for help from an employee. Just then, a friendly man (not employee) asked for our tickets and informed us that we were on the wrong train. What!!?? We jumped off right before it pulled away, narrowly escaping a 14 hour adventure in the wrong direction with no where to sit or sleep. Relieved but still slightly jarred, we boarded the correct train, and immediately looked for the stairs. No stairs. Anywhere. We found our cabin on the first, and only, level. ATTENTION: Level 2 means TOP BUNK. We willingly booked ourselves top bunks and the "Are you sure?" look began flashing in my brain. Luckily, the bottom beds were taken by a sweet and quiet German couple who shared cookies with us in the morning. However, top bunk means you sleep with all of your stuff. Large backpack, small backpack, purse, food....

And someone's left-behind, used q-tips.

Obviously, this is how we felt. Oh yeah, and the air conditioner vent covers were broken off about four different vents so I had a steady stream of freezing cold air blown on me all night. Have you ever tried to keep warm with a patchwork of summer clothes as your blanket? The next day, we weren't supposed to arrive at our destination until 1pm. All the scenery we hoped to see on the second level? Sorry, you can't see anything from the top bunk. Just used q-tips. The only good things about this trip were (1) I took benadryl and it mostly knocked me out, and (2) this sandwich...

Banh mi. Mmmm.

Nha Trang, Vietnam

2011-04-15T00:35:00.000-07:00

Entrance to our hostel

In front of the cable cars we decided not to ride

Construction sight

Street Lobster

View from the Sheraton

Drinks at the Sheraton, the only people in the entire place

Due to the speediness in which we did Vietnam, we only had about a day and a half in Nha Trang. We both agreed it had a nice, resort-y beach vibe. Unfortunately, the weather wasn't great and in order to take the cable cars to a nearby island you had to purchase a ticket to the amusement park. What is that? Next Stop: Hue.

The Mekong Delta: ETC.

2011-04-13T02:11:00.000-07:00

The Mekong Delta: Abandoned House

2011-04-13T01:40:00.000-07:00

The Mekong Delta: Bees, Coconut Candy, and Sampling Snake Wine

2011-04-13T01:35:00.000-07:00

The Mekong Delta: Making Rice Noodles

2011-04-13T01:30:00.001-07:00

The Mekong Delta, Vietnam

2011-04-13T01:26:00.000-07:00

Ho Chi Minh City - Another View

2011-04-13T01:06:00.000-07:00

Ho Chi Minh City

2011-04-12T20:41:00.000-07:00

We were only in Ho Chi Minh City, or Saigon, for about a day before deciding to go on a 2-day Mekong River trip and then traveling north. This is the view from our hotel at night.

Elisse Goes on a Trip

2011-04-09T18:38:00.000-07:00

A couple weeks ago, I bid farewell to Korea and started a 2 month long journey through Asia with my boyfriend Neil. We spent the first part of our trip in Vietnam, surviving the worst weather and generally having a great time. I'll be posting pictures soon.

Last Day of ECC

2011-03-27T22:03:00.000-07:00

My last day at ECC wasn't as tearful as I expected it to be a few months ago. This last month, all of our classes were changed and I was left with barely any of my original students. I felt sad not to be able to have parties and share my last day with students I spent all year getting to know. But I still had a good time, and avoided a big sob-fest.

The students at ECC are so amazing, even classes I only had for one month were sad to see me go. This class actually made me a cake out of moon pie-like treats, grapes, Pepero, and melted ice cream drizzled on top. They made me a small laminated book with pictures of them, little quotes and their emails. I was really touched. Although I'm ready for the nest step in my life, it is hard to leave and I will miss all of these little Korean kids. They have made my time in Korea filled with memories of laughter, confusion, learning breakthroughs, and admiration (on both of our ends).

Good-bye ECC!

My Birthday in Korea, Part 2

2011-03-27T21:45:00.000-07:00

My birthday started out with trip to the hospital for a a flu and Hepatitus A shot (for our Southeast Asia trip), then to the Korean pension office, the post office, and finally, school. I started out not in the best of spirits, but things quickly turned around.

Mostly because I started with this.

Followed by ice cream, thanks to the lovely Rhonda.

And then these students...

Got me this cake. They made sure I knew it cost them a cool 29,000 won, because, you know, thats how much they love me.

Cake = Owned

I also got a homemade pencil case and some other little gifts.

After school, Neil took me out to dinner.

And presented me with this little gem, which I think is the best birthday present ever.

St. Patrick's Day Korea, Part 2

2011-03-27T21:23:00.000-07:00

I spent my second St. Patrick's Day in Korea a while ago. There was way more people than last year, but no floats or parade. But, this year did have a Neil.

And I liked that.

(How do we get this girl behind us out of our picture?) I wish I had more pictures, but like I said, there weren't any floats.

And what happens when Zoey gets bored

2011-03-16T22:22:00.000-07:00

And what happens when I stop paying attention to my kids because I'm playing with my camera

2011-03-16T22:19:00.000-07:00

Dots, or Another Art Day

2011-03-16T22:16:00.000-07:00

Noooooooooooo

Yesssssssssss!

A lot has happened since Christmas

2011-03-13T23:47:00.000-07:00

Neil arrived in Korea just before his birthday. We celebrated at school, since he shares a birthday with my student Naomi. They enjoyed pizza and a snowman ice cream cake. We had a proper adult celebration in Seoul the next weekend.

In February, we celebrated Heather's birthday by visiting the Korean war Memorial (really, she wanted to fit it in before she left and this was the only time) and having an amazing brunch.

Soon after, Heather went home to America :( She is now the proud owner of an iphone AND a car! Lucky girl.

Art Day

2011-03-09T22:33:00.000-08:00

(Andrea, Mark, Sabin, and Zoey)

(Zoey)

(Andrea)

Opening Presents (Me opening presents)

2010-12-24T18:26:00.000-08:00

Thanks Family. I love everything. And the bathing suit fits! A Christmas miracle? I think so :)

P.S. Brooke, I totally teared up when I opened that picture. You are the best. Love you.

Merry Christmas from Korea

2010-12-24T15:09:00.000-08:00

We're going to drink mimosas and open presents!

Happy Thanksgiving

2010-11-25T15:35:00.000-08:00

While all of our friends and family back home are celebrating Thanksgiving today, we'll be at work. Yesterday was technically Thanksgiving in Korea, so we started the day exactly how you should when you are abroad for an important holiday. Cinnamon pancakes from the pancake lady at the market. These are, hands down, the BEST thing Korea has to offer. Like a greasy fried donut with warm gooey cinnamon filling.

After work, we went to our favorite Indian Restaurant

And stuffed ourselves with curry and beer. At home, we ate ice cream and watched the Thanksgiving football episode of Friends. Good day, but I'm so jealous of everyone with the next two days off.

Speech and Debate at ECC

2010-11-16T16:06:00.000-08:00

Last night, our school hosted a Speech and Debate Event for the kids. They have been practicing for a while and all the parents were invited. I assume it went well, but the teachers were stuck in separate classrooms to "sedate" the students until it was their turn. I snuck away a couple times to see my students give speeches.

Kate

Emma

Me, Kate, and Jeff (her Korean teacher)

While I waited, I read a book. Paschal was very interested in my kindle, although he was confused by its lack of a touch screen. He offered me a dollar for it, anyway.

The evening ended with Heather's students debating on the reunification of North and South Korea. They did great!

The Flying Pan (Go There)

2010-11-16T15:54:00.000-08:00

Yesterday, our school was hosting a Speech and Debate Event and we didn't have to be there until 5pm. Heather and I took the opportunity to go to The Flying Pan Blue in Seoul for brunch. Since it was noon on a weekday, I thought we might be fighting a lunch crowd, but they sat us right away. The food followed quickly. It was...amazing.

A thick piece of toasted french bread with pesto, hummus, brie cheese, grilled asparagus, and a poached egg. The lettuce had a great balsamic dressing and the grilled tomato was unbelievable. Can a grilled tomato be unbelievable? Yes.

Nothing special about these walnut pancakes with bananas and pecans, besides a big scoop of the creamiest vanilla ice cream. Why don't more people put ice cream on pancakes? That's a mystery.

We've already planned our orders for the next visit.

This Weekend

2010-11-14T20:09:00.000-08:00

I'm sure it seems like Korea is all Halloween parties, out of town guests, and exciting hiking trips. But this weekend, we locked ourselves in the apartment with snacks, tv shows, and movies. It was perfect.

Heather can't seem to get it together and keep food off the floor. This is why I am in charge of food and she is in charge of cleaning. And hanging rugs on the breezeway while she cleans.

Rugs?

He made a break for it.

But she got him. Sucka.

Then we ate blueberry bread pudding

And I finally made the switch from my beloved leather chair, with bent back legs and detached arms (you have to see it to believe it), into the safer camping chair. It was the right choice.

Happy Pepero Day

2010-11-11T15:33:00.000-08:00

Yesterday was Pepero Day in Korea. The kids call it a second Valentines Day, although really this brand of candy made up this holiday in 1983 and now they CLEAN UP every year on this day. A Pepero is a thin bread/cookie stick dipped in chocolate. It kinda reminds me of a chocolate covered pretzel, without the salt. You buy them for the kids, they buy them for you, and then everyone shares. It's great. I also CLEANED UP.

Lucy and Amy, mid-Pepero binge.

Seoraksan Fall

2010-11-10T05:48:00.000-08:00

Ever since we went to Seoraksan in May, I have been wanting to go back in the fall. It was exactly what I thought, the leaves were autumn colors and the weather was cool but not freezing. I convinced Rhonda and Heather to do the difficult hike on the first day because I'm tough like that.

It was straight up, and more like climbing a million stairs than a nature hike.

But holy crap, it was so pretty!

This time of year is very crowded at Seoraksan, which meant waiting in line to get to the top. The hike was dramatically less difficult than we expected, which was a result of standing in line and slowly making our way up as opposed to charging up those stairs with no breaks. It was good and bad.

Things started to get a little boring. And windy. Very windy.

Once we reached the top, it was so windy that we got a quick picture and moved on.

On the way down, matchy matchy hikers. This is definitely in my future.

Becaaaause... why not take a hula hoop break?

A friend

There were sisters on the trip with us, and the blonde one was walking into this shot. Her sister, trying to take a photo as well, called, "Hey, I'm trying to take an authentic Korean shot, get your blonde head out of the way". Thanks, I was thinking the same thing.

A wedding

Ahhh, my favorite place in Korea. Everyone needs to visit Seoraksan.

Happy Birthday Rhonda

2010-11-09T19:43:00.000-08:00

After the ECC Halloween Party, we celebrated Rhonda's birthday. I won't tell you how old she turned, but it was somewhere between 17 and 52. We started out at Dos Tacos in Hongdae, because thats what you do.

After dinner, we headed to Hongdae Park for live music.

These Koreans were freestyling on the roof and they invited us up. The girl, Lauren, had recently spent a year studying english at UCSD.

We walked around a bit and I made Rhonda take cheezy pictures. A birthday treat was in order, so we got ice ream filled waffles and took them on the roof with the rappers. I stole a candle that Rhonda's mom sent from the apartment, so we could sing Happy Birthday. I don't know why I'm holding the birthday waffle.

It was Halloween night, so things eventually got pretty wild in Hongdae. My camera died :( But, just so you know what you missed: the biggest jam session I've ever seen with a Korean girl dance/conducting, the same musicians later tap dancing, a sudden drum circle, lifesize dominoes, breakdancing, and Ali G getting fresh.

Note: Hot waffles + ice cream + climbing onto a roof = a melty ice cream mess that would be discovered on jackets, gloves, hats, etc. in the days following.

ECC Halloween Party!

2010-11-09T17:42:00.000-08:00

I wanted to wait a good week and a half to post anything about our Halloween party, just to keep all five of you in suspense. On the left, we have Brenden, Mr. Lee, and Jason. On the right, spooky students. Koreans do not celebrate Halloween, so this was both exciting and terrifying for many of the students. Some could barely contain their enthusiasm, while others were left crying after the haunted house. Maybe that should have been an option?

Although, I really wanted to be in the room where kids touched tofu brains, I was in charge of face painting.

Rhonda was lucky, she got to be in charge of fake eyeballs.

This was the smartest idea I've ever had. There was an entire board of options for the kids, but they all ended up just pointing at one side of my face and I proceeded to paint about 100 spiderwebs and maybe 75 spiders on chubby little Korean cheeks.

Aron!!

She was the only dog I painted all day. I think her stoicism is actually a quiet pride.

Happy Halloween!!

Gary and Terry Go to Korea

2010-11-01T17:07:00.000-07:00

We met Heather's parents at the Hilton in Seoul when they first arrived for breakfast. During our meal, we heard what sounded almost like gunshots. They progressively got louder and Terry and I saw people running towards the front of the hotel. Finally, the restaurant manager decided to explain what was happening. They were conducting terrorist attack drills in preparation for the G-20 summit in Seoul.

We went to Seoul Tower

Checked out the President's house. This is as close as we got.

The National Museum of Korea

Ate Cinnamon Pancakes

The view from the second hotel in Myeongdong

Outside the Catholic Cathedral in Myeongdong

City Bus Tour

And Gary, looking like a real Korean boyfriend.

We loved having Heather's parents here in Korea.

Gary and Terry,

Thank you for all the lovely meals and conversation. We miss you!

-Elisse

Chelsea and Lindsey Go to Korea: What We Ate and Drank

2010-10-28T18:17:00.000-07:00

We went to a Galbi restaurant near our house. This is Korean BBQ that you cook at the table. Or, if you're us, you take pictures that look like you are cooking it before the nice Korean ladies come and do it for you.

After finishing our Korean BBQ experience, Bob (in the blue jacket), was encouraged by his boss to invite us out for "booze".

It was a great time.

We ate more Korean food in Insadong, and actually came back once more because the food was that good.

Dumplings, potato pancakes, bibimbop, chicken soup (not good), and all the side dishes.

And mostly for the cucumber soju.

On the go

Waffles and beers on the rooftop in Insadong

And Indian food! There was also some mexican, the best Italian in Seoul, and some home cooking. But that was before I acquired the new camera.

Chelsea and Lindsey Go to Korea!

2010-10-21T19:14:00.000-07:00

Chelsea and Lindsey came to visit us in Korea. We did lots of things, but my favorite parts were just sitting around, talking and laughing (in restaurants, in the apartment, on the subway, anywhere). We gave them bracelets from Vietnam for being the greatest.

We went to the 63 building and paid way too much to see an aquarium. The weather was pretty bad and we were forced to find indoor activities a lot of the time.

We took family portraits

We went to Insadong and sat on the rooftop

We danced and wore fake glasses

We played pool and enjoyed each other's company. It was really sad to see them go, but I loved every minute of their visit and I'm so glad they got to share the Korean experience with us.

***Love you girls!

Vietnam, Day 5 (Not wanting to leave)

2010-09-25T20:33:00.000-07:00

On our last day in Vietnam, we wandered around Hanoi. Checked out an art museum. Ate more delicious food.

After dinner, we drank some beers outside on a street corner. This guy convinced me to let him re-sole my shoes.

I got totally ripped off and paid way too much, but I really did need new soles. Vietnam was amazing and it was really sad to leave. I will definitely be returning for a prolonged trip and traveling south through the country.

Goodbye Vietnam. I loved you.

Vietnam, Day 4

2010-09-25T20:13:00.000-07:00

Wednesday, we took another 3 hour bus ride to Hoa Lu-Tam Coc, the very first capital of Vietnam. It was moved to Hanoi 1,000 years ago. This year marks the 1,000 year anniversary of Hanoi as the capital of Vietnam.

A young man and older lady took us down this river and through caves. Ignore the huge timestamp in the photo. I basically took over Rhonda's camera after the incident with mine, but all the pictures have this timestamp and this one just couldn't be edited out. Kinda looks like a picture from the 90s, right?

That night, we arrived back in Hanoi to watch the madness that was Children's Day. There were so many people out with their kids on motorbikes. It was insane.

Yeah. All motorbikes. They have Children's Day in Korea also. Why don't we have this in the states? It looks like so much fun.

Vietnam, Day 3

2010-09-25T19:40:00.000-07:00

Our last day on the boat, we took a canoe ride to explore some coves or inlets (I don't know exactly what they were called, but they were really cool).

Fishing Village

Kids

More kids

Halong Bay

Fruit Peddlers

Happy. Heather accidentally left her wallet on the canoe. We didn't realize until the boat arrived at the dock 30 minutes later. Our guide, Hi (thats his name), made some phone calls, and someone rowed all the way to the dock to return her wallet, with everything inside. They even hid her credit cards and large bills in a pocket so they would be safe. Pretty great.

Vietnam, Day 2

2010-09-25T19:24:00.000-07:00

We dragged ourselves out of bed the first morning on the boat to watch the sunrise and do some yoga.

Halong Bay is the most insanely beautiful place on earth. After breakfast, we made our way to Cat Ba Island.

Once we landed on the island, we were promptly taken to hike up a mountain. Our guide was crazy (and most likely high) and kept jumping and swinging from branches.

At the top! Temperature: 87 degrees, feels like 107. I am not kidding. Rhonda's itouch told us so.

After the hike, we checked into our hotel on the island. This is our view from the room. We had another amazing lunch and rented motorbikes to cruise around the island. Again, I had great pictures but did I mention my camera was stolen? Ugh.

We parked the motorbikes and walked down to this beach for a swim. This is also where my camera was stolen later that night while we were night swimming. For the record, it was totally worth it!

Sunset from our room

Next morning, leaving the island to get back on the boat. Trying not to be sad about my camera.

Vietnam, Day 1

2010-09-25T18:58:00.000-07:00

Heather and I arrived in Vietnam on a Saturday afternoon. Our new co-teacher, Rhonda, met us later that night. We stayed one night at the Little Hanoi Hotel, woke up early Sunday morning, took a 3 hour bus ride to Halong Bay, and got on a boat. This is the view from our room.

The food was incredible. I had so many more photos, but my camera was stolen :( Kim, the owner of Little Hanoi Hotel, overheard Heather and I talking about vegetarian food and informed the boat ahead of time. We were so surprised! The amazing part is that we still got to eat all of the traditional Vietnamese food, but vegetarian versions. I ate some fish too.

After lunch, we explored a cave in Halong Bay.

View from the top of the cave.

After hiking through the cave and kayaking, it was time for swimming. And jumping off the boat.

Goodbye ECC, Goodbye Korea

2010-09-17T07:48:00.000-07:00

Next week is Chusok, a Korean holiday, and we have Monday through Thursday off work. We leave tomorrow morning for Vietnam and I can't get on a plane fast enough. Heath just went to bed so that it could be morning sooner and I'm sleeping in my bathing suit. Here are some toys I collected this week.

A fake gun, skull ring, nintendo. And the cell phones charms? Really? But the most ridiculous is the jump rope. It's always the kids with no pencil, no book, staring at me blankly or whining to borrow my pencils. In a fit of rage, I rummage through their backpacks to make sure they aren't just lazy. And I find a jump rope. Like they were at home and they were packing their bag, and they thought "what should I bring to English academy today? A pencil? No. Maybe my book? No. I've got it! That sweet jump rope. Perfect."

That Hair

That Face. Remember Aron? He's become one of my favorite students. I'm probably not supposed to say that sort of thing, but whatever, it's true.

Geckos and a Bake Sale

2010-09-17T07:21:00.000-07:00

Last weekend, we went to Itaewon (yuck) to get some brunch and buy some baked goods for charity at a great place called Roofers. Unfortunately, they were a little slow on the opening for brunch and around 1pm we decided to try another restaurant called Geckos. Heather and I ordered Bloody Mary's and the waiter asked me if I wanted it spicy. I of course hesitated because I never know how to order a drink, and asked him if it was reaaaallly spicy? He looked at me like I was crazy and said "Well, I'm not the one making it." Okaaay. Heather and I shared tofu enchiladas and stuffed french toast.

Delicious. After brunch, we walked back to Roofers and they had finally opened and were ready to sell us expensive baked goods. It was for an Animal Rescue charity and worth every penny because everyone brought their dogs and they all just hung out inside.

Vegan Bakery

2010-09-06T16:42:00.001-07:00

Last Saturday, we headed into Seoul in search of this vegan bakery. While we are not vegans, it was thrilling to eat some delicious baked goods. Oftentimes, vegan desserts can be overly sweetened to make up for the absence of eggs and dairy. But these were moist, light, and not at all too sweet. And they have soy ice cream! And Santa Cruz Soda!

Ch-ch-ch-changes

2010-09-06T16:42:00.000-07:00

Every 6 months at ECC, they completely change the schedule. After warnings by our co-teachers to expect completely different classes and students, I started to mini-panic because I love my kids so much. I thought I might die if some other teacher got to yell at them everyday. THEY ARE MY KIDS TO YELL AT! By some miracle, I was able to keep mostly the same schedule, with the same students (actually my schedule got even better, but that won't last). This has made me incredibly happy and also nervous about being a hot-mess when I have to leave them all in February.

Plus, I finally found a good way to channel my little kiddos wild energy. Songs. And any sort of choreography to go along with the songs. Duh!! But, it's been life-changing. Obviously, they are hamming it up a bit for the camera, but they generally like to maintain a similar volume.

Typhoon

2010-09-05T18:27:00.000-07:00

Last week, we experienced a typhoon on Korea. It was fairly underwhelming, although I did think our windows were going to shatter one night and a few signs crashed down. This guy's just taking a break from the hospital to have a smoke and watch the repairs.

Mmmmm

2010-08-31T19:28:00.000-07:00

Last Sunday, on our way home from Starbucks, we stopped in Ansan for Indian food. I love this restaurant. Mostly because the last time we were there a 46 year old Indian engineer basically asked me to marry him, but also because the food is delicious.

Samosas and Palak Paneer over rice.

Ansan is home to many foreigners (especially Vietnamese and Indians) and so the markets often have special treats like cilantro. We used it in our wraps with vegetables and crumbled up zucchini-corn burgers. I'm basically a chef now.

Hey, Hey!!!

2010-08-29T04:02:00.000-07:00

Below our apartment is a little market, owned by a nice Korean gentlemen with two cats that we have a head-nodding, "hello, thank you, goodbye" relationship with. Sometimes he is gone, and one of two woman are running the show. This is also when things get weird. Last night, Heather ran down to the market to grab a couple beers. As she was leaving, the woman called her back and insisted she take these (pictured). Assuming they were handwipes, Heath obliged, thanked her, and moved on.

ONLY...THOSE ARE NOT HANDWIPES!

It's True

2010-08-26T19:35:00.000-07:00

It's not uncommon in Korea to see people of all ages cruising outside in hospital clothes and an IV. We live and work near a hospital, and at first, this came as a huge shock. Why is that person wheeling their kid around outside, in the middle of winter, with an IV? After adjusting to this almost daily occurrence, I'm no longer surprised to see a couple (both in hospital clothing) on date in a local restaurant or a man with an IV playing an arcade game outside a convenience store.

6 months in Korea!

2010-08-22T19:33:00.000-07:00

Well, we've made it halfway through our Korean experience. As a reward, we went into to Seoul for some serious western food at Suji's, a self-described New York-style eatery. It wasn't as great as the reviews, but decent.

They do make a Radler with beer, cider, and lemon. It tastes like summer and this makes me like Suji's more.

Sleepy time on the train home

Weekly Roundup (and Pets)

2010-08-20T18:03:00.000-07:00

Defensive Breathing

2010-08-17T22:47:00.000-07:00

Living in Korea is a constant adventure for the senses. Particularly, sense of smell. In the span of an average day, you can expect any or all of the following:

- Fish: raw, cooked, being cooked, in tanks on the sidewalk, dead in tanks on the sidewalk, dried squid snacks, fish soup, fish tea, fish flavored chips, etc.
- Our apartment: commonly a result of poor sewage or Elisse letting chickpeas soak one too many days in the middle of August (you've never smelled that and I hope you never have to)
- Raw (unidentifiable) meat: makes its debut every five days at the outdoor market
- Fried chicken
- Garbage
- Throw up

During our walk to work this morning, I commented on the breeze that did not feel like a heater blowing in my face. Heather agreed, and suggested that if perhaps we just ignore the rotten fish smell wafting out of the nearby restaurant, all felt right in the world. And then we realized we have the same defense against the smells of Korea - an aggressive exhale of sorts. DEFENSIVE BREATHING. When practiced early and often, it's the perfect way to enjoy Korea.

Sisters

2010-08-15T04:22:00.000-07:00

Betty and Alice

Weekly Roundup

2010-08-13T21:14:00.000-07:00

Wednesday

Friday

Cambodia, Part V - The Food!!

2010-08-10T07:33:00.000-07:00

Poolside cocktails

Museli, granola, and fresh fruit (and cappuccino). Breakfast burrito. Toast, potatoes, fried tomatoes.

French style breakfast

Sticky rice in a bamboo shoot (I think)

Veggie-tofu kebab

The best coconut curry in all the land. Veggie sandwich. Some sort of Khmer rice dish.

Penne pasta salad with vegetables, goat cheese, and a lemon balsamic dressing. Who cares what Heather and Jason ordered?

Airport food (or making food so we don't have to eat airport food)

Cambodia, Part IV - Motorbikes

2010-08-10T07:13:00.000-07:00

Cambodia, Part III - Back to Phnom Penh (the killing fields)

2010-08-10T06:50:00.000-07:00

To be honest, I was pretty much in the dark when it came to Cambodia's history. I found a book in our apartment about the children of Cambodia during the mass genocide. On the flight, I read several stories about the horrors of the Khmer Rouge and their control of the country from 1975-1979.

The regime evacuated the cities in 1975, and sent the majority of the population to labor camps. A significant portion of the population was executed during this time in killing fields like the one we visited.

Visiting the killing field was heavy but gave us a deeper understanding of Cambodia's history. It was difficult to take many pictures because I kept remembering stories I had read. For the short time we stayed in Cambodia, the spirit of the people was so evident in all aspects of the culture. They were gracious, self-sufficient, hospitable, and above all, optimistic.

Cambodia, Part II - Siem Reap, Day 3 (Floating Village)

2010-08-08T21:30:00.000-07:00

The Floating Village in Siem Reap was probably one of my favorite parts of the trip. The village is comprised of Cambodian and Vietnamese fishers. When I asked our boat, uh, captain (?), if they get along, he replied, "Oh yeah, no problem. And the Vietnamese women...very beautiful."

The Floating Village school. We were told that in order to attend this school, the children must pass a swimming test because there are so many students, some might fall in and drown.

As we were leaving the school, this little girl (no more than 7 years old), hopped on this boat, paddled maniacally, and then she was off. Was it her boat? Did she take some else's for a joy ride? I hope the latter.

Along the rode in Cambodia you will see stands holding mysterious bottles of yellow liquid. A refreshing beverage? Urine? No, gasoline. Our tuk-tuk (a motorbike with a carriage attached) needed some on the way home.

Cambodia, Part II - Siem Reap, Day 2 (Angkor Wat Sunrise)

2010-08-05T06:42:00.001-07:00

Thursday morning, we woke up at 4am to see the sunrise at Angkor Wat. It was incredible. Back to the hotel for naps before returning to the Temple for a day of sightseeing.

Cambodia, Part II - Siem Reap, Day 2 (Angkor Wat)

2010-08-05T02:51:00.000-07:00

Angkor Wat Temple. We are actually blocking the ugly construction with this awesome pose.

After spending all day exploring the temple in the hot hot heat, we went to a restaurant and fed crocodiles .

Cambodia, Part II - Siem Reap, Day 1

2010-08-04T21:56:00.000-07:00

I knew there was a pool near our hostel in Siem Reap, so we went in search of Kenell Hotel. It was completely empty so we had a pool and cabana all to ourselves.

After a long swim, and an intense match of monkey in the middle, we sampled fresh coconuts back at our actual hotel/hostel.

Ignore those faces, it was quite good.

Cambodia, Part I - Phnom Penh

2010-08-04T21:11:00.000-07:00

First morning in Cambodia

We arrived in Phnom Penh late Tuesday night after flight delays and an obnoxious hold up at the Guangzhou airport. We stayed at a great hostel called Me Mates Place, staffed with young Cambodians named after famous movie characters - Monty, Tony (Montana). Wednesday, we ate a delicious breakfast and took a 6 hour bus ride to Siem Reap.

This is going to be a long, indulgent series of posts. I will break it up the best I can.

Weekly Roundup

2010-07-24T15:41:00.000-07:00

Wednesday

Friday

I started getting really tired of constantly confiscating toys and cell phones from my littlest ones (the ones that I'm certain are the cause of my newfound grey hairs). This week, I walked into the classroom everyday, arms outstretched, yelling (imperative) "cell phones! toys! cell phones! toys!". I actually think they like giving me all their crap. Its like show and tell or something. I'll keep this going.

Present

2010-07-24T09:01:00.000-07:00

For the last month, I've been tutoring a 12 year old boy named Yeron. My job has been to prepare him for a VERY strict english camp by teaching him debate. This is funny because I don't know anything about debate. I did my research and tried my best to drop some knowledge, but in the end we ended up reading news articles, Yeron educating me about Korean real estate and baseball, and then us "debating" about Myth Busters topics. Friday was our last day together, so Yeron gave me a thank you gift. A box of juice!

Monsoon Style

2010-07-20T18:50:00.000-07:00

It's monsoon season in Korea, which means hot and rainy. It also means sometimes you arrive at school looking like this. Somedays (everyday), getting dressed seems impossible.

Sharing an umbrella doesn't help our cause.

It's time to take a cue from our students. These girls know whats up. Emily is rockin a yellow dress, a broken arm, red rain boots and matching candy.

Eileen: Rain boots - check. Proper umbrella - check. Red striped shorts with bows - check.

Mud Fest

2010-07-18T18:57:00.001-07:00

Last weekend, we headed to Boryeong for the infamous Mud Festival. I don't have any good pictures because we left our cameras in the safe mud-free hotel. This was after our first stop, just before the actual festival, for some mud army training.

Muddy People

We didn't get as muddy as I had imagined and the festival was smaller than we thought. Sure, people were throwing mud and they had big blow-up slides but the lines were ridiculous. We went swimming and got sandy instead. Sand on my eyelids!

Remember when I said that people always have the craziest stories on Adventure Korea trips? We finally got some of our own. I won't go into detail, but let's just say that Heather and Jason didn't bring either of these sandals to Mudfest, but this is what they left with. Can you see the bandages on Heather's feet?

Alright, Jason got lost Saturday night, wandered 40 minutes from the festival in the wrong direction, ended up in a fishing village, came upon an Italian villa-style hotel nestled in the beach cliffs, and slept in their conference room. I had to tell you.

Heather Gets a Perm

2010-07-15T06:20:00.000-07:00

A few weeks ago, Heather (with my heavy encouragement) decided to get a perm. These are the stylists. I'd say there was maybe 4 to 5 different girls working on her head at any given time. I wondered in and out of the salon, as they estimated it would take about 2 hours.

Somewhere around hour 3

Getting hooked up to the medusa device. Cool as a cucumber.

First Look (what we thought the perm may or may not look like forever). You never really know whats going on in Korea.

Post Perm (four hours later)

A total success!

ECC Campout

2010-07-13T17:20:00.001-07:00

We arrived at school on Saturday around 1pm to set up for the big "Campout". We expected about 60 kids, so we cleared out some classrooms and tried to psych ourselves up. This is my team (and future winners!!)

Team Name: The Crazy Robots

For one challenge, I had to memorize this list of Korean words. Piece of cake.

Starting with a spread out newspaper, one teacher and 3 students had to balance. Progressively, the paper gets folded smaller and smaller, until...one child on my back, one in each arm, and one foot on the paper. Piece of cake.

Balloon dodgeball - a game my kids made up during free-time. Possibly the dumbest game ever.

There were some more competitions, games, and a talent show. The Crazy Robots came in FIRST place!

Bed Time! The initial plan was for the teachers to sleep in the rooms with the kids. When our boss realized none of us brought mats (because we don't even own them), he suggested we just share with the kids. "Hey Cindy! you know that cushy mat your parents sent you with? Mind if I cozy up and share?" We opted to hang in the staff room and our boss, feeling bad, let us leave for the night.

The next morning, after taking 60 hungry, sleepy kids to the park in the rain, we came back to school for breakfast (fried rice, kimchi, soup, and egg sandwiches). Around 9:30, all the kids were picked and we were free. It was a good time.

Little Olly (not Holly, Olly)

Weekend Adventure, Saturday

2010-06-21T17:35:00.001-07:00

Saturday morning, we joined another Adventure Korea trip for a Raspberry Festival and other activities. We started out picking berries.

There were photographers (paparazzi) everywhere. We quickly realized they were there specifically to take a zillion pictures of us, the white people picking berries. It must have been for publicity purposes. It was awkward and funny at the same time.

We ate everything we picked. Well, I did.

Cynthia hates berries (weirdo), so she promised me hers, right before she dropped them all over the road.

Then some traditional Korean rafting.

At the festival, the first order of business was an eel catching contest. Not fun, not entertaining. I felt like the eels were looking at me and saying "I know you're not in here trying to catch me, but you aren't doing a thing to stop this, and so I blame you too." We had to leave...

And see a fountain of a man peeing and eating berries. Much better.

A walk to a temple was next.

After dinner, we went back to the festival, where free bokbunja (raspberry liqueur/wine) was waiting for us. The literal translation of the name is "a force so strong it can knock a urinal over." We were told it was a costume party, so we brought the heat...

Rivals

Captains

Weekend Adventure, Sunday

2010-06-21T17:09:00.001-07:00

Sunday morning, we gathered for breakfast. On our last Adventure Korea trip, the breakfast stories about the previous night were very entertaining. Interesting anecdotes, like "I remember the hose, but nothing after that". This time, I sat at a table with a group of strangers. A girl sits next to me and says to the table "I'm just going to apologize now...sorry." After being reassured that no apologies were needed, the comments included:

"Where's Mario? We should check the stairs"

"Who's idea was it to take a cab to the beach?"

"Why was the cab driver so mad?"

" I think we tried to pay with 1s instead of 10s, thats why he stormed into the hostel looking for us"

"He did?"

Where we were during all this? Probably in bed.

After breakfast, we drove to a terribly ugly beach, with lots of jelly fish.

Next, we went to a huge muddy area, where people could dig for clams.

We forwent clam digging for taking pictures of our feet in mud boots...

And playing a game where you purposely get stuck in the mud, and try to pry yourself out...

Steve got really stuck. I had to dig his feet out. We played a bit of mud soccer and headed home. All in all, it was a good trip.

World Cup

2010-06-18T05:28:00.000-07:00

While walking home from school, Heather and I noticed how many tables and chairs were set up in our little town, and people trickling in, all in preparation for the big Korea vs. Argentina game. It was immediately decided that we needed to partake.

Korea lost, but the spirit of the people was amazing. Everyone was going nuts: kids, parents, corporate types, and dogs. And when the game was over, they were still having a great time, cheering and singing songs. So fun!

River Walk

2010-06-05T18:43:00.001-07:00

The weather is finally warming up here, so we planned to be outside all weekend. Yesterday, we sat by the Han River and watched Koreans picnic. Their picnic spreads are usually quite impressive - a bunch of tupperware containers full of Korean side-dishes, BBQ, beer and Makgeolli. Or, if you want to be lazy, people hand out flyers for a variety of fried chicken places, and you can call on your cell phone and have it delivered to the park.

After sunset (spent underground on the subway), we did a small part of the river walk in Seoul. It's a man-made walking path with plenty of places to sit, a laser show, art, and lots of live bands along the way. The path draws families, couples, friends and everyone seemed to be truly enjoying themselves. What saves this from being Disneyland-esque cheezy is how beautiful the whole thing is. Pictures don't do it justice.

This one's for you, Mom

2010-06-05T17:26:00.000-07:00

Cuteness

2010-06-04T22:14:00.000-07:00

I ran into these little angels outside our hotel in Seoraksan. We think the kitten is really just a prop.

My Girls

2010-06-03T20:03:00.000-07:00

That's Emily, just listening to The National and stealing my nose. Little hipster.

And Rose. We played a game where I placed body part post-its all over the class and they had to stick em to themselves. Rose won.

Girls are the cutest.

Seoraksan Hiking Trip: Saturday

2010-05-30T17:09:00.001-07:00

Saturday morning, I popped out of bed at 5am, bright-eyed and bushy tailed, ready to begin our hiking adventure! We slipped on our new hiking boots and boarded the subway.

The Bronze Buddha of Sinheungsa

We chose the "easy" hike on Saturday. The guide convinced everyone to do a similar hike with a better view. We all agreed, looks easy, right?

We started the hike strong.

We made it up to this lookout point. Turns out, this hike was not what I would call easy.

It was beautiful, but we decided to keep trekking to see a cave.

The Climb begins. Not even close.

Still not there. The stone steps before these metal ones were basically a ladder.

And that down there, is where we WERE.

Success!

The cave was smaller than most people had imagined, but it contained a shrine and a monk was living up there. We thought it was really great.

Seoraksan Hiking Trip: Sunday

2010-05-30T16:41:00.000-07:00

Our accommodations

Sunday morning, we woke up around 7am, ate some PB&Js for breakfast, and then Heather did this.

While I did this. I win.

Our second hike was much easier than Saturday, more of a nature walk. This area is called the Place of Fake Money. A long time ago, a fake monk lived here and made fake money. I love this.

Day 2 hiking shoes

Seoraksan Hiking Trip: Signage

2010-05-30T16:29:00.000-07:00

Don't fall 2 ft. into the 1ft. deep stream and leave your baby behind, who was obviously more capable of standing properly

Rock Party!!

Again, safety first. In case any of your male hiking partners fall into the treacherous waters below (same 1 ft. deep stream).

I love love love my kids

2010-05-27T21:17:00.000-07:00

After finding out some sad news on Thursday, I was dreading going to school, especially because of my students behavior earlier in the week. I won't go into detail, but lets just say it involved me taking one student outside and staring at him until he cried and then making the entire class sit in complete silence for the last 10 minutes of class.

It was like they knew, like a dog can sense something is wrong and comfort you. They were complete angels, even my worst student sat in his chair, did the assignment, and shared it with the class. Unheard of.

When my classes were finished for the day, it was time to start phone teaching. This means at the end of the month, I call every one of my students and ask them questions over the phone, for the sole purpose of their parents hearing them speak english. It's tedious and ultimately pointless. However, I always look forward to one student. Michael. He is crazy in class and difficult to control, but he understands the language. The brightest kids are the ones that are able to convey a sense of humor in english. Anyway, I ask Michael what his favorite movie is and he responds with Life is Beautiful. He is an 11 year old Korean boy and Life is Beautiful is his favorite movie. He explained the plot to me and said that it was an Italia movie but he watched it with english subtitles. What a great kid.

Papa Jim, I imagine you are still keeping up with my blog in heaven. You were an amazing man and you will be missed. Love you.

Busan, Abbreviated

2010-05-23T19:16:00.000-07:00

Just some quick pictures from our Busan trip. We were so ready to get outta town last week, we didn't take care of business at work. It's gonna be a long week.

We had a great time. The sun was shining all day Friday and we spent every second at the beach. It rained the rest of the trip, so we hung out in restaurants and coffee shops. More to come...

Lantern Parade

2010-05-19T07:58:00.000-07:00

The Lotus Lantern Festival lasted a few weeks in Seoul and ended with a long parade last Sunday. The lotus flower represents Buddha and purity. It normally blooms in dirty swamps and lakes, but the flower remains clean.

We arrived early and scored a great spot.

It was nice, but it turns out parades are not THAT fun, especially parades intending to last 2 and a half hours. Also, none of our cameras could take a decent photo because of the darkness and speed of the parade. We left early.

This weekend is Buddha's Birthday and we get Friday off! Cynthia, Heather, and I are heading down to Busan. A large coastal city in the southern part of Korea, Busan is supposed to be beautiful. The forecast is rain the entire time, but I am determined to be in that ocean. Wish me luck.

Children's Day

2010-05-06T05:39:00.000-07:00

Wednesday was Children's Day in Korea. Everyone gets the day off, and parents take their kids to amusement parks (cool parents), museums and palaces (nerd parents), and buy them gifts for being little angels. We went to a Palace since us teachers had the day off as well. I took some stealth photos of cute little kids enjoying "their" day.

The Palace was unimpressive itself, but the scenery was incredible. We tried to imagine what it was like for the royal family to actually live here. It must have been magical.

And of course I took some photos of Korean couples just living their adorable lives.

Goodbye Jason Teacher

2010-05-02T01:12:00.000-07:00

Jason left for Nova Scotia this morning. He comes back in a month. How could you not miss this face?

This is a pretty picture of our hood.

Insadong, Again

2010-05-01T22:45:00.000-07:00

On Saturday, we went to Insadong again so Jason could pick up some gifts for his family. He is going back to Canada for a month. My favorite place to go in Seoul got even better when we found this park...

And Koreans making pottery

And a robot museum!

And flowers

Unfortunately my rooftop was closed, but it's so green and beautiful now. I knew it.

So, we hung out nearby and stared at Koreans while they subtly tried to take photos of us.
Bare arms = good day.

Veggie BBQ!

2010-05-01T22:33:00.000-07:00

We went to Itaewon on Sautrday night. This is the place we really dislike as it draws too many lame westerners. Roofers in Itaewon is the one exception, and they were having a vegetarian BBQ for charity.

Could not even look up for a picture.

The lowdown: veggie burgers, veggie dogs, hummus, olive tapenade, soy dip, pita bread, curry, pasta. And Cass, of course. This photo doesn't do the food justice, as it's mostly the remains, and even this got finished off.

Dessert: brownie, oatmeal cookie, lemon bars.

It Was a Good Day

2010-04-15T06:45:00.000-07:00

I guess some of you want to see pictures of us eating Korean food. We do. But this morning, dear readers, I made hummus! Jason Teacher bought a can of chickpeas at an international market in Seoul a few months ago in hopes of...I don't know, doing something with them. I took those chickpeas, and I mashed them with a potato masher (cannot wait for a blender), added deadly amounts of garlic and olive oil, and mashed some more.

Tonight, we grilled up some veggies and made wraps. Thats my Korean roommate enjoying her dinner and Cass in her bathrobe. She's a class act.

The grocery store we frequent is awesome because it has a discount produce rack. Its not gross at all, just produce that needs to be used that day (perfect lettuce, ripe avocados, etc.)

I'm a genius!

I was getting reflective today, thinking about how much I love teaching and wondering if this should be a more serious career choice after all. There's never a dull moment. After school, I stopped at the market to pick up dinner ingredients and ran into a couple of my students. They giggled and asked me if I speak Korean. Like the moment I'm out of school, I must be fluent. So cute. And then I walked home. Ah, walked, no car. I am in love with my Korean life. I wasn't going to mention my romantic mood, but when Heather came home, she said the exact same thing. Must be the weather slowly crawling into the low to mid 50s. Springtime?

When in Doubt...

2010-04-11T20:23:00.000-07:00

Act like a Korean kid

Happy Easter

2010-04-04T03:10:00.001-07:00

Our Easter began with Heather and I walking to Paris Baguette, mimosas in hand, to pick up some cinnamon rolls.

The cook and her lovely sous chef.

And champagne opener.

Breakfast was egg, tofu, pepper, cheese-y burritos with salsa (no eggs or cheese for Jason). Potatoes. Cinnamon rolls. Mimosas.

In a food coma, we cozied up and watched Mean Girls (slept through Mean Girls). Then we walked Nick to the cabs, and got some ice cream while Jason played guitar. A few Korean school girls told Heather and I we were very pretty and beautiful. Then they told Jason he was handsome, a genius, and passionable.

It was a good Easter. How was yours?

LOVE LOVE LOVE

2010-04-04T02:42:00.000-07:00

Little Love

Big Love

One wall of the Seoul Tower Deck, covered in locks and hearts.

Friendship Love

The Bruschetta and sauteed zucchini I made for Heather and Jason. Vegan Culinary Love.

Rooftop Camera Love.

Seoul Tower

2010-04-04T02:20:00.000-07:00

Saturday was probably the nicest day since we have been in Korea. I went to the Seoul Tower with my friend Nick, from Portland. Seoul is massive. This is what it looked like in every direction. Its not the most beautiful skyline, but I love it.

The coolest child. Ever.

Korean culture is very into love and romance. They had a big deck at the tower with railings covered in locks and hearts with love notes.

The Han River.

The bathroom!

The Korean Royal Guard performed before we went up the tower.

Last Weekend, Part 2: Gyeongbokgung Palace

2010-04-01T20:03:00.000-07:00

Last Sunday, we went to Gyeongbokgung Palace, first built in 1394 by the Joseon Dynasty. Gyeongbokgung translates in English as "Palace Greatly Blessed by Heaven." It was magical.

It was a beautiful day, after a week of rain.

Artsy.

Interior

I am getting very good at taking candid pictures of Koreans. They are just too sweet.

Last Weekend, Part 1

2010-03-31T19:20:00.001-07:00

On Saturday, I went to a street market in Seoul. It was pretty unimpressive, but I did score these glasses, which I think go really well with my red hat.

That night, I met up with Heather, Jason, and Hannah (she's dating one of our co-teachers who is home in Ireland until May) at a vegan restaurant in Insadong. Did you know Jesus was a vegan? Yup.

Delicious

On the floor

After dinner, we happened upon this band playing in the street. I think they are called Four Brothers, but we're not sure. I have a giant crush on the one to the far left playing guitar.

My Birthday at School

2010-03-25T17:48:00.000-07:00

My co-teachers got me a coffee cake (a literal interpretation, in a mug) from Paris Baguette. Delicious.

This is another one of my favorite classes. Yesterday I chased them around like a zombie and then they taught me Taekwondo moves.

Hard at work.

My Kids!

2010-03-25T17:28:00.000-07:00

These are my youngest kids. I think they are all about 5 or 6 years old. They are absolutely nuts and this photo is a total fluke. It must have been taken during a 3 second span where they were not punching each other, screaming, stealing marbles, or just generally living in another world where I do not exist.

This is Alex. I want to steal him. He's like a little person.

This is Aron. He is pretty much a wild banshee all the time. This is his drawing of the sun and a cloud.

My favorite class. They are a little bit older. Its all girls and two boys, Chris and Gene. I still don't know which is which, so I always address them both at the same time.

Clockwise from purple jacket: Debbie, Jodie, Lucy, Belle, Sandy

Miley, Kate, Carrie

St. - Pat - Rick's - Day

2010-03-22T18:58:00.001-07:00

Last weekend, we celebrated St. Patrick's Day, and me and Tommy's birthdays. He is a day older than me. There was a parade, but we watched it from a restaurant while we ate. We then headed down to enjoy the music, dancing, and other randomness that is St. Paddy's in Korea.

They were giving out free shirts, but you had to put it on right there. We obliged and sported those amazing shirts the rest of the day.

The Gang

Getting Hip

Getting mysterious

Getting Adorable

Getting Serious

Getting Smart

Getting Real

Getting Dancey

Getting Irish

This ahjumma (old Korean lady) was not supposed to be inside the ropes, but then she started doing push-ups, and you just can't touch that.

Apartment Chronicles, Part 1: Trash Criminals

2010-03-15T07:41:00.000-07:00

This is maybe 1/4 of the trash we accumulated while cleaning out our apartment. We didn't have any problems just taking it down like this and leaving it by all the other trash downstairs. But, apparently, Korea does have a problem. About 20 minutes after taking down this last load, we received an ominous knock on our door. Its like when everyone you know is all together in a house, and the doorbell rings, and everyone just kinda looks around, like "What the...?" I looked through the peephole and saw what looked to be a security guard, but it could have been a police officer for all I know. He yelled at me in Korean, and then to make things fair, he yelled at Heather in Korean. Its always hilarious when people here try to talk to Heather because she will just completely engage in the conversation in full-blown English, to which the Korean always meets with more nonsense, assuming if they talk long enough they might both understand what the heck is going on. I, on the other hand, just shake my head and shrug my shoulders until they leave me alone.

Anyway, this man was clearly very angry with us, and we were still at a loss as to why this might be. The very angry man was insisting we leave our apartment and come with him. UH, ARE YOU KIDDING ME? NO WAY! I'VE SEEN BROKEDOWN PALACE. The very angry man finally leaves and by this point we somewhat understand he is mad about the trash. We contact our co-teacher online to find out the deal, and she explained they have strict trash rules in Korea, rules they take extremely seriously. Oh, that would have been nice of someone to tell us about as we hauled out other people's trash from our apartment for three days.

Lesson Learned.

Almost.

20 minutes after that run-in, the very angry man is knocking on our door again. I look through the peephole and tell Heather I am not opening the door. "Elisse, you have to!" "But, he has someone with him!" "And...I'm pretty sure he has all of our trash." I am not kidding. This security guard and his buddy hauled back up all of our trash, to the 7th floor.

Square One.

Update: Two weeks later, we have finally figured out the trash system in Korea. Its ridiculous, but at least we are in on the absurdity now.

Weekend Recap

2010-03-14T19:29:00.000-07:00

Friday nights, I have class until 9:45, so we decided to stay in and have Africa Night. I made pasta and we watched Invisible Children and Blood Diamond and ate peanut butter cookies. I had class on Saturday (we teach one Saturday a month) afternoon, and then we headed to Itaewon with Cynthia and Jason to watch A Night of Shakespeare at Roofers Bar. Above is a photo of their staircase. Itaewon is geared towards westerners, so when we got off the train it felt like we landed in any big American city. Roofers was filled with artsy white people. It was cool, but I think we are preferring places with a mix of Koreans and westerners.

Cynthia, Heather, Jason (having a beer)

On sunday, we woke up late and decided to explore a big market area in Seoul. This is a praying Donald Duck on the cab's dash.

It was raining when we got there, so we had some food at an American chain restaurant and went home. Sad. Isn't this chandelier cool, though? Champagne glasses!

Back to work,

Molding Minds

2010-03-14T18:53:00.000-07:00

Last week was our first full week of school. I am really enjoying teaching and I feel comfortable in the classroom. It has been challenging as we are basically on our own as teachers to create lesson plans, communicate curriculum effectively, and entertain a group of kids that do not understand most of what I'm saying. After finishing multiple classes 20 minutes early and only knowing how to play hangman the previous week, I definitely tried to bring my A game (teacher humor) this week. I planned more to accomplish during the lessons and prepared educational games to fill in the gaps. Most of my students are absolutely wonderful. I have a handful of girls who come into the staff room before our classes and help me take all my supplies to class. I love girls. There are some bad apples and I was having a hard time managing those classes in the beginning, but now I take away cell phones, send kids outside, and threaten to take them to the front desk. No mercy. Kids DO NOT want to go outside the classroom, which was interesting to me because they seem so unconcerned about being there. I think its a matter of embarrassment being seen standing outside in the hallway. For the most part, the kids are fun, curious, and excited to learn. Hopefully I can snap some pictures soon, but I don't know what the rules are yet.

On Thursday, Heather and I were told to arrive at school at 11:30 for our medical check-up. A part of us wondered if our check-up would be done at school by Bonnie, a head Korean teacher, which would be weird but not surprising considering the past two weeks of "adventures". I was relieved when we hopped in a cab with Bonnie and headed to a medical building. We went from office to office, getting our teeth checked, blood drawn, x-rays, and such. To check your height, they use a machine that you stand on and a marker drops down and hits you on the head, sending Heather and I into fits of laughter. The nurses looked very confused, like, "what? you don't have things come down and bang people on the head to check height?" Hopefully everything checks out because once we are cleared, we can to apply for our alien cards, and that means bank accounts and cell phones! We can be like real people again.

Any of you teacher friends out there reading this, I would love suggestions and advice.

Love,

Mexican Food!

2010-03-09T17:38:00.000-08:00

Last weekend, we braved the hour and a half subway trip to Gangnam, to visit the famed Dos Tacos. One leg of the trip requires boarding the most packed train you have ever seen.

Its a mexican casual grill according to the menu.

We had margaritas, and Heather and I shared a quesadilla and veggie burrito, though I'm sure we could have each had our own. It was delicious, exactly the kind of mexican I like, traditional ingredients, but with some healthy stuff added for good measure. Yum.

Happy girls. We had a serious case of the giggles that night, that may be why we're glowing. Or the chips and salsa.

Adios!