Ger-gonna Be Angry With Me

How does one month go by that fast? Is someone checking off my calendar dates as a cruel joke? If so, I have a few choice words for you- SLOW DOWN!

Another month gone and now I'm at the 22nd month of my journey here in Bucheon. Updates on a few things in June, as it is going to be JULY on Tuesday....

Edward had his 14th birthday...that alone deserves a blog post. I couldn't ask for a more awesome little brother. Not only is he a boy genius, but he is caring and loving. I get so excited when he randomly Skypes me in the morning. Even though he is usually multitasking during that time with a website or game during the session, that fact that he thinks to Skype at all makes me feel on top of the world. I wish I could be there to see all of your baseball games, basketball games, and piano recitals, but know that I'm thinking of you out here and I miss you to the moon and back. Actually more than that. Pluto and back (poor pluto needs some credit). Here's the happy birthday wish for Edward from my class of newby English learners. Couple of goofballs at the end who I adore.

Another project a group of lovely ladies and I have been working on is for Korea Burn. As mentioned in previous blogs, my last experience was a torrential failure. To make up for that weekend, I'm trying again this year, hopefully to have a much...drier...experience. This year will be different in that we have a theme camp at the event! We have painted a giant tree, which has become a new decor piece in my apartment as it dries. Our vision is to have people come to our camp, write what mark they want to leave on the world, take a Polaroid holding that statement and then hang the picture on our tree. By the end of the weekend, our tree will be covered with photos and ribbons from the hundreds of attendees of the festival! To fundraise we have found that foreigners and (some) Koreans alike love soju jello shots. Making a batch and transporting them to the park in Hongdae, we manage to make some money to help cover the cost of transportation, and other major pieces to our camp. Here are some sneak peaks of the tree and fundraising!

Now, about the title of this post. I haven't spread the news yet, but I decided it has come time to do it. Recently, with the eminent end to my life here in Korea, I've been putting a little more serious thought into "what next?" besides "eh, I'll just go travel around Europe and some school will open the door and doves will fly out and the boss will start singing a Disney style song to hire me on the spot". As cool as the Disney situation would be (and I'm not completely ruling it out), it was time to go for more serious searches. Applying through several recruiter websites, I was contacted by an International Kindergarten in Viernheim, Germany. Last week I had a Skype interview with the founder of the school as well as a current teacher there, who coincidentally also taught in Korea! We talked a lot about my experiences here as well as my teaching philosophies and strategies. Overall, this program looked like the perfect fit! Then I asked when the school started...September 1st...aka 3 days after I fly out from Korea. Already having planned a trip though Germany conveniently I would be in the area already, however it hit me that I would have to postpone going home for another few months. I told them I would have to talk to the family before being sure of taking the offer. After explaining the situation to Mum over Skype, she basically hit me on the side of the head asking why in the world I was even thinking about this. Getting the opportunity I've always wanted to- working in Europe, in a school that seems incredible, with significant vacation time (compared to the teeeeeny tiny amount we get in Korea) seems like the dream job mentioned early (minus the doves and the singing....kind of...). In the end....this is why you might be angry with me. I will not be back in the states in September as planned. However, I will try and make it back for my break in October for a week! Meaning, all of you must make time in that week for some Laura! Or, better yet, it's much more likely that some of you back home would make a trip to Germany than Korea. So if that's the case I say a Eurotrip would be in order for many of you in the next year!........

***peeks out from behind computer***

Can we still be friends?


Korean Phrase of the post: 
독일에 갈거야!
dokilae galkeoya
"Going to Germany!"

This Train Food is Delicious

**Peaks head around corner** Are you still there?

Hope you all didn't give up on me! Were you afraid that after a year and about 9 months I had finally dropped the ball on this whole blog thing? Wouldn't you be so lucky. No, honestly, it's been a bit of a mix of the fact that nothing too blog worthy has happened since Jeju (minus a few events) and also I haven't found the time to sit down for a while to post something. Tonight, however, I plan on completing the  task of catching you up on the past 3 weeks. *takes deep breath*

To begin, let's zoom on back to the weekend after Jeju. A group of us gals (and Brent) attended the Seoul Jazz Festival at Olympic Park. As a previous attendee, Lysianne promoted this event as a must-see this summer. We arrived at the part entrance and were met by lines upon lines of people getting their wrist bands to get into the grassy stage area. Finding a small plot of land to claim as our own, we spread out the blankets and set up the provisions (mainly fruit and wine) to last us throughout the festival.

The beginning of the concert was great. The weather couldn't have been more perfect and the other bands were excellent "chilling-outside-on-a-blanket-in-the-grass-surrounded-by-strangers" music. The artist we were all waiting for (as was most of the crowd) was Damien Rice, closing out the festival for that day. I was just walking back into the area after going on a wine run when I heard him start to play "Delicate". Deserting Brent, who had to make a pitstop, I yelled for him to meet me at the front of the stage as I sprinted past semi-concerned-Koreans. For those of you who don't know Damien Rice or haven't heard him live, you owe it to yourself. While I stood there, on my own I might add, waiting for my friends to find me, I was so happy to be finally hearing him in person! His songs just kept getting better and better. As the night went on (and the alcohol flowed) he began inviting people up on stage.....


No I didn't get picked, but made you think for a second huh? No, a few lucky Korean gals got chosen to 1. Sing with him, and 2. Act out a scene where they drank a whole bottle of wine together. He was so entertaining, slightly drunk by the end, and yet still incredibly talented. I didn't want it to end! We were all captivated by him and I must say it was one of the best days I've spent here. Great music, great wine, and most importantly, great friends.

 

Flash forward through a Damien-induced haze, past some goodbye picnics by the Han...

to last week, where Little America had yet another, always exciting, song contest and birthday party. With only 3 kindergarten classes, two of which are beginners, these events have become a lot less stressful and time consuming. Plus these students are super adorable. Not that that has changed too much over these past few years....I swear they are getting smaller and better at the puppy-dog-eyes. I might have to sneak some in my bag on the way back. Their parents would welcome it I'm sure. Great way to get them to practice their English.

I'm a little teapot

 

Bro hug

Only 3 more of these celebrations! (I was told it's bad when I can count the number of song contest/birthday party celebrations on one hand...)

Onto the next, and final event of the post (see that wasn't too painful). This past weekend, our friends, who will now be known as Sigmund Froid and Le Chef, hosted a group of us for a murder mystery party. Having done one of these before, 8th grade I believe, I was so pumped to try it again! Le Chef put together an impeccable spread including lettuce wraps filled with bleu-cheese-apple-walnut-heaven, caprese skewers, and something that became fondly known as a "meat stick".

Our mystery was titled "Murder on the Disorientated Express". The cast was as follows;

• Sigmund Froid - The Cold Austrian Psychoanalyst
  With clipped beard, glasses, cigar and smart suit, Sigmund has a wonderfully calm bedside manner, even if he is obsessed about your dreams and sex life.



• Heidi Evidence - Swiss Bank Clerk
  A wonderfully beguiling lady with pigtails, freckles and innocent expression. She is often seen in either her smart banking suit, or her Swiss national dress.



• Ivan Ego - Russian Inventor
  Pessimistic and pragmatic to the last, Ivan is reliable and built to last, even if he does run on vodka.



• Dee Sypher - Code Breaker
  Secretive and quiet, Dee is a real cloak and dagger sort of a girl in dark glasses and trench coat.



• Herr Cutt - German Barber
  Never without his trusty pair of scissors, Herr Cutt is round but well turned out with a pencil moustache and slicked hair.



• Kiki De’Leggs - French Cancan Dancer
  Always dressed to show off her fabulous legs Kiki is always Ra-Ra-ready for anything.

As we arrive, in full costumes, (including drawn on facial hair and a cat-pocket-T-shirt), we were provided with a packet giving us more insight into our character and our relationship with the murdered man on the train. Not only had Sigmund and Le Chef set out food, but there was even period-appropriate music and a looped video of a view outside of a train on the TV screen.

As I tried to get into character (hint: I had pigtails...) we dove straight in. We immediately noticed that Sigmund and Ivan not only both have impressive accents (Austrian and Russian respectively) but also their ability to get into character and ramble off script was just inspiring. Aka we couldn't catch our breath to say our lines due to laughing too hard. Going through the rounds, breaking for dinner, drinks, and dessert, we came down to the final guessing round where we actually collaborated our ideas of who we thought committed the crime. Turns out...we were all dead wrong... I won't ruin it, because perhaps someone will play this free downloadable version of the game, but either way we finished the game with a ton of laughs and plans to try again another time now that we know what to expect. Instead of visiting a nore-bang in our costumes, as recommended in the beginning of the evening, we settled in to watch a murder mystery classic, "Clue", as half of the guests had yet to ever see it!

The next day I headed down to a farewell dinner for a friend heading out next week. It's sad to start saying goodbye to people here. I realized today that I have 90 days left until the end of my contract. I can guarantee that those are going to be the fastest 90 days that the Earth has ever seen.

On a brighter note-- KAITIE AND KATRINA GET BACK IN 2 DAYS! These lucky ladies have been traveling all around Southeast Asia for the past 3 months, and I can't wait to have them talk my ears off about how everything was! Their pictures have been absolutely-obnoxiously-ohmygodwhydidn'tyoutakemewithyou-gorgeous and it'll be so nice to have them back, even if it is just for a very brief time.

Until next time xoxo

Korean of the post:
카운트 다운을 시작합시다
(kaunteu dauneul shijayhamnida)
"Let the countdown begin"