Charcoal Face Painting

What a fun weekend albeit a bit of a trek to get to Muuido! Amanda, Shanna, Katrina, Seol and I left our apartments around 9:30 and followed the following schedule:

9:45--302 Bus to Incheon Airport
10:15--Arrive at Airport, realize we have time to kill before the bus arrives to the ferry
10:40--The "bus" comes in the form of a small van which is immediately occupied to its capacity with colorfully dressed Korean hikers.
10:45--Run downstairs and find a jumbo taxi willing to take us to the ferry (score!)
11:25--Pull up to the ferry dock just in time to see it being loaded, so we sprint in to get tickets and commence a "Baywatch run" to catch the ferry
11:26--Realize we didn't really have to run at all...
11:30--Reach Muuido after the shortest ferry ride in the history of ferry rides, we speed walk up the ramp to get the bus to the beach along with the Korean hikers we thought we lost at the airport...all of them...

 12:00--The bus drops those who are hiking off at the base of a mountain on the island

 Those who are headed to the beach stay on the bus to the next stop--oh wait! That's just us...haha

12:30ish we make it to our destination, buy our beach pass, our huts, and finally exhale! We got settled and hung out outside our rooms basically for the rest of the evening! The rooms we rented consisted of just that--a room. We did have a bathroom and a fridge as well which was convenient for our barbecue! The room comes with mats and pillows for a simple and cheap place to stay for the night. I think the floors are heated as well--So if anyone plans to make a winter trip to the beach...anyone?...Bueller?...

Other members of our group trickled in throughout the afternoon as we began the festivities of soju, barbecuing, and zip-lining! (No, i did not zip-line). The barbecue worked out wonderfully! Amanda put a lot of effort into making burgers, and potato salad, and well..everything! Good thing we had the boys to work the grills...Thanks guys!

The beach itself is small but really beautiful. We rented rooms further back on shore but Katrina and Seol rented out a beach-hut which is on stilts right on the sand. I'll have to try that next time :) The weather couldn't have been better either. The sun came out despite the weatherman's prediction and it cooled off a bit in the evening. There were several other groups of westerners there this weekend as well who we met throughout the day! I spoke with some girls from Washington, and another from South Africa. A Russian man joined our little group at some point just because he was lonely? Or lost? We weren't sure really.

A few brave souls brought a tent to stay in for the evening. The following collage represents a significant amount of time and effort (from them as well as friendly Koreans). At one point a Korean woman came by with her camera to document the event as well--that was slightly unexpected.

Turns out they brought the smaller of 2 tents that were in a pack, but brought both pole sets...needless to say there was some confusion- but they did it!

When the sun had set we went for a stroll to the norebang on the island and belted our hearts out to the classics (Michael Jackson, Backstreet Boys, etc.) On the way there we set off some fireworks, which looked SO much like spells coming out of a wand! The Harry Potter nerd in me absolutely loved this! "Expecto Patronum!!"....ok I'm done I promise...

Throughout the night I think someone fell out of a wagon, I played with a kitten the size of my hand, someone did the worm (or the caterpillar...Amanda), someone else was passed out with a tambourine on his head (he still doesn't know this happened), and I believe a couple members of our group ended up with some charcoal war paint?

 

 

 ...what happens on Muuido stays on Muuido!

 The next morning we were all a bit slow to rise from the activities of the evening, but we all definitely agreed it was an excellent way to spend the few days off work! Shanna, Erin and I headed home early-hoping to get some things done today before school begins again tomorrow. When I got back I decided to explore a running route that a few of the girls were telling me about near the apartment, then I got some serious cleaning done! Dust seems to accumulate and multiply much faster here so I think as I type this I'm seeing dust form on my gorgeous counters that I just cleaned...grrr. I also brought a GIANT chair down from the loft to the main floor. After several minutes of grunting, twisting, lifting and scratching my head, the monstrosity of a chair is settled down here with me. Now I just have to figure out where to put it! Well enough excitement about my interior decorating- I'm looking forward to another week of teaching and will keep you all updated!

Korean phrase of the post: 건배 kahn-beh: Cheers!

xoxo

Wise Old Harabuhjee Worm

While I sit here having my kimchi dinner, I figured I would catch you all up on my second full week of teaching here! Well- I've made it! I've learned a lot, caused a few problems for the Korean teachers because I haven't done things the right way, and at the same time I think I've taught some English? Although, I've noticed that mine has gotten worse, which seems to be a common theme after bringing up this concern with the other western teachers. I've stopped myself a few times speaking with the students in fluent "cave man": "You don't bring homework?", "Why you sad?", "open book page 50". I'm really working on not doing this so my kids learn the correct way to say things!

Let's see...new adventures for this week include a field trip with school to a Blueberry Garden! The strange thing was that throughout the whole day I didn't see a single blueberry...The kids made some blueberry cookies, but in the form of a purply/green/grey dough (mmm) to roll out and cut into shapes. I was hoping to stock up my fridge, but alas my apartment is still blueberry-less. Anywhoo, the Blueberry Garden consisted of a big room with long tables for the students to sit and make their cookies, and then connected was a surprisingly expansive botanical garden with trees, plants, and animals around for the students to walk through.

When we arrived the students sat at the table and the owners discussed what they would be doing for the day...well at least that's what I think they were saying because this whole field trip was conducted entirely in Korean...aka lots of blank stares and lost faces from the western teachers. The confusion was only then heightened by the way-too-long-for-kindergarten-attention-span cartoon that was shown after the welcoming speech. Just to give you an idea, here is a photo...

1. Yes, that is a worm with a Fu Manchu mustache
2. Yes, this seriously happened. 
The video's purpose was to teach the students how important worms are to the earth. Basically, if any of them kick a worm at anytime in the rest of their lives they will be afraid of an old-man (haranbuhjee) worm turning them into a worm as well. The video covered topics such as worm-love-making, worm-violence, and worm-defecation. The students perked up a that latter bit of the video, otherwise for the rest of the time they looked like little zombies. Once that bit of cinematic genius had finished we got to begin making our "blueberry" cookies!

Some of the kids were much more into the cookie making than others. Some just felt like playing with the dough, others found that the rolling pins made much better percussion instruments than baking tools. Hey, to each their own!

After the little chefs had cut their last cookies, we ventured into the botanical garden side! Through a trail there was an alcove with wooden platforms and trenches filled with what looked like the red clay from tennis courts. Turns out it was a kind of seed from a tree that they heat up and you place your feet into? It supposedly helps with relaxation and circulation (I need to find out how to get back there during the freezing winter!). The kids liked it for a while, but again, the timing was not well thought out for the age group and the clay began to make its way into other students hair, socks, and mouths...aannnddd that was our cue to move onto snack time.

Lunch was sushi, yayyy(well gimbap, but whatever)! The students also brought snacks of their own- mainly candies and cookies. The interesting part of lunch/snack time was the actual promotion of sharing your food with your friends! Schools in the US would have a pink hairy cow if they heard of their students actually sharing their food *Gasp!* but here it is all but required! The students trade and bargain their treats (2 gummy bears for a Pepero stick!). Poor Kelly with her fruit bowl did not make many trades during this time...I would have if I wasn't 99.9% positive that she has a cold!

After lunch we grabbed our cookies that had been baking throughout second half of the field trip and headed home. The bus rides consisted of 40 mind-numbing-minutes straight of "rock, scissors, paper" or "I spy". Although I did teach a student his name in American Sign Language! It's amazing what little sponges these students are. He could already spell some of his classmate's names by the time we pulled up to the school!

After school I had adventure number two! A trip to Costco! Woo! (*cricket*...*cricket*..) Well I thought it was exciting at least. Amanda, Shanna and I took the bus about 20 minutes away to look for some items for our beach trip this weekend. Apparently this bus is notorious for not having any seats open. Sorry Shanna!

 While we didn't find everything we were looking for I got to see the Costco with its maze of cart escalator ramps and strange food items that one commonly stumbles upon over here- and in BULK no less! *shiny rays of sunshine from the heavens* Some of these items include "stick cheese candy" and dried fish.

Overall this second week has been a bit more stable than the first! I know how to get around confidently now, I've gone on a few more adventures both on my own and with chaperones, and I feel much more comfortable with my students' lessons! I think what has saved me is just tagging along with any trip another teacher is taking even if I don't need to get anything. For example, the Costco trip, or my first trip to the U-plex (or mall) tonight! Basically, if another teacher says, "I'm going [insert location] today, would you like to come?", my answer is automatically "yes". That might backfire on me one of these days...hmm...

Headed to Muuido tomorrow morning stocked with food, bubbly, a mini-gril, and prayers for good weather! I will have my camera as well to document everything. Amanda was researching some old-school games to play- Charades (pronounced char-ahhhhh-ds, mum you're not the only one!) and guess-who or 20-questions! Can't wait to relax and enjoy some days off.

Korean phrase of the post:
저를 어디로 데려가십니까?
(jaw-reul aw-di-ro de-ryaw-ga-sim-ni-kka?): Where are you taking me?

xoxoxox

Magical Mr. Mistoffelees

안녕하세요 (Annyeounghaseyo) everyone!

Well my first visit to Seoul was such a blast! The weather couldn't have been more perfect, and I was able to meet a ton of new friends throughout the day. We decided to take the bus to Yeouido (vs the subway or combination of the two) which was a bit bumpier however we could look outside as we went along and I could take some super touristy pictures.

When we reached our stop we ran into this brand new mall for a pit-stop. This mall was absolutely ridiculous! Apparently it had opened just last month. Everything was shiny and new and touch screen (yes I had to play with the touch screens...) Here is an article about the new super-duper-"mall"-world-- http://www.cnngo.com/seoul/shop/ifc-mall-opens-seoul-319768. 

Anyways, once Katrina's boyfriend kindly reminded us that we were not here to shop (always the party-pooper haha) we went on our way to find the rockdo festival. As we ambled along they pointed out major landmarks of Seoul, such as the 63 Building (or the "golden nugget"--Amanda) and Seoul Tower. Both of which I hope to get a better look at sometime soon!

The venue of the rock festival was a big park area right at the edge of the Han River. The dome where the performances were taking place was actually on top of the water, which was pretty shnazzy. We picked up a few necessities from the mini-mart and staked out a spot on the grass to jam out for the day. The first band was accompanied by a guy wearing a huge bear head...Just so you get the feel of how the day was going to go...

Around the park there was a wading pool full of kids and people cooling off in the water. It was such a gorgeous setting against the tall city buildings surrounding the area. There was also a place to rent bikes to ride around the park.

As the festival continued, several of Amanda and Katrina's friends came by to hang out with us. I met some people (all teachers) from all over the country, one girl was actually from Philly and another guy worked at Widener Law School in Delaware! Small world huh? This whole festival seemed like a gathering place for westerners. One could almost forget they were in Korea at this point- but then the lady with the boiled-silkworm-pupae cart walks by and you are suddenly reminded via odor where you are. No I did not choose today to try boiled silkworm pupae though I promise I will one day this year! Several times throughout the day someone would walk by and hand us a take out menu from a booth or restaurant nearby that you could call and have them deliver food to you! "Uh yes could you send some kimchi to the small silver blanket behind the sign, 감사합니다 thank you".

We stayed there til the sun began to go down which is when things really began to get beautiful. The 63 building looked even more golden and everything had a pinkish-golden hue. 

After leaving the park we made our way into Itaewon, which is a more western area in Seoul. It is apparently where a lot of the army guys go to hang out because it is very close to base? We were there before it got too rowdy however. Walking around one would see more western shops such as Nike, Hollister, etc. There were also tons of different types of food including Mexican food and British pubs. Night clubs also seemed to be popular destinations as well! Amanda had a hankering for Thai food so we went on a mission to find some. While waiting to be seated at the Thai restaurant we stopped into a small place next door for a glass of wine- The flying pan (maybe a play on frying pan?)

We had our wine and talked about coming back to the area for a jazz club night in a few weekends which should be fun! By the time our name was called for the restaurant we were starvinngggg. I got some shrimp Pad Thai (thought of you mum!). It was delicious :) The noodles were actually inside the omelet, which was intriguing.

One member of our party may or may not have completely passed out before dinner and slept through the whole thing...For the privacy and reputation of said person I will not post the pictures I acquired throughout the evening...you're welcome ;)

As we were in the taxi ride back we went under this sign--

Felt it was rather fitting! After a little over a week, "Welcome to Korea" :) Well thank you! I am really enjoying it so far and this weekend was such a fun way to experience my first taste of Seoul! On the way back we listened to a wide variety of music including Indian Trot, provided to us by the taxi driver, and some creepy 80's stuff thanks to Amanda, and then for some reason- I can't remember why- Magical Mr. Mistoffelees joined the party? It was a fantastic way to end the evening if I do say so myself!

Today (Sunday) after a nice run this morning, I am off to get a few things around town (food, a fan, etc.) and explore a bit more before beginning week two of teaching! 

Korean word of the post:  

번데기 (Beondegi): Steamed or boiled silkworm pupae...

maybe you should learn this phrase as well:

아마 나중에요 (Amah NaJoongEyo): maybe later...

Her Name Was Lola

Happy Friday! *crawling towards the light* I've made it through my first week of teaching all by my self with very few injuries (see Korean fight club entry). The students were all ready to help me work out the schedules of each class and I think I have made connections with a lot of them! One big thing I have learned is that all students will work for prizes; pencils, erasers, candy, and the prospect of ice-cream with whole class 100% on a spelling test...Sorry to every Hood professor who discouraged bribery and tangible rewards...I will answer to my sins later! I'm working through the survival phase of the first year teacher here!

Not looking forward to the next phase actually...Maybe there will be a translation error over here that skips Disillusionment and goes from "Survival" straight to "Rejuvenation"?

I've begun teaching my kindergarten class "If I were a were a rich man" which is one of my favorite parts of the day. The students love the nonsense word sections where they can just be goofy, which they do very well might I add. I am going to leave you in suspense about what they sound like however. Video to come later in September when they perform the completed song! I will have to start coming up with dance moves to accompany the words soon...any suggestions should be left in the comments section! Obviously anyone who has seen Fiddler on the Roof knows that vigorous shimmying will be involved.


Time for me to share an epiphany I experienced yesterday! While I was jogging through the park, receiving my usual strange looks from passing Koreans, I go to thinking about what a nervous wreck I was prior to this trip. Those of you who thought I was cool, calm, and collected- those acting skills of mine must have come in handy because on the inside I had butterflies the size of Seoul attacking my innards (sorry for the graphic mental picture there...). Anyways- I'm still running at this point and I realize that I have now been here for a little over a week...and I feel fine!
1. I finally know where I live and how to get to key locations nearby. Now take me outside the 5-10 block radius and that's a different story, but hey baby steps right? I'm still Bambi remember?
2. I have made some great friends already with the other western teachers and Korean teachers at the school.
3. I have successfully taught some students English for a week.
4. I went grocery shopping...kinda...
5. I bought a travel card tonight so that I can go to Seoul and Muuido in the next few weekends too!


And would you look at that- an excellent segue into the next section- This weekend I am tagging along with some of the other western teachers to see Rockdo- a Korean Rock concert in Seoul! Not only will it be fun to listen to some Korean Rock but it will also be my first time in one of the largest cities in the world (oh dear). I might need one of those backpack leashes so that the other teachers don't lose me on the subways or in the crowds! The concert is an all day event and should be a great way to spend a Saturday :)
The next weekend after that we will all be traveling to Muuido which is an island right outside of Incheon near the airport. This link has some great photos of the beach (http://exploresouthkorea.blogspot.kr/2010/09/incheon-islands-part-one-muuido.html). We can rent out the huts to stay in or we can sleep on the beach- depends how adventurous we are feeling I suppose! There will be photos of both of these trips don't worry.

And now time for the title explanation? Not a very deep or complicated one I'm afraid, but I figured you should all be aware that I will not be answering to Laura anymore. You may call me Lorla, Lola, or Rora. I think they all are much more sophisticated than Laura anyways!

Picture Time:

Thanks for reading! xoxo

Korean word of the post. I think you guys have reached level two. Time for some more complicated yet still useful phrases: 내 호버크라프트는 장어로 가득 (Nae ho-baw-keuh-rah-peuh-teuh-neun chang-aw-ro ka-deuk: 'My hovercraft is full of eels."

Blank Stares

Completed Day 2 of the week! Now I have had the opportunity to teach all the students I will have for the next year. I wasn't really planning on writing on this every day but I figured I would share this second day's activities with you while I wait on my laundry to finish then I can hang it all up on my fancy-dancy drying rack! So, a rather rainy day today, I started the morning off by breaking the laminating machine...oops. Tina Teacher was very surprised to hear that we have laminating machines in the US that automatically come with laminating plastic inside. I decided to try and work the machine without help (I'm a big girl gosh darn it!) and after making some terrifying noises I turned to Tina Teacher and asked for help with puppy dog eyes. After taking the entire machine apart with the help of Jasmine Teacher and a screw driver, my pictures for the "Sir Small and the Dragonfly" book (see yesterday's post) were salvaged and I was hence forth banned from using the machine! Na just kidding, but seriously...those noises will haunt my dreams forever.

Anyways- the day went uphill from there! Sang a song about mailing a letter with my first class, then had journal with my Texas class! I really do enjoy reading the student's journal entries. This past topic was "My teacher usually...". Some of my favorites were "My teacher usually looks at snakes" and "My teacher usually dances the hula hula". Well, my students know me through and through already! I'm all about snakes and hula hula dancing.

They were all very excited that I brought my camera with me today! I think my favorite stance is definitely Jane (tippy-toes and leaning against the board). She is also known for reading her journal upside-down while bending over backwards. Hey, whatever works right?

I got through the day without any major slip-ups! I suppose now is when I tell you about the title of the post. I finish my Tuesdays and Thursdays with a super super beginner class of 6 students. I have them twice on these days. I walk into the room and say
"Hello everyone! How are you?"
...*blank stares*...
"Are you good? Or bad?
...*nothing*...
"Thumbs up?"
...*uh...*
"Alright then did you bring your homework?"
And suddenly they knew exactly what I was talking about! Homework is the magic word apparently? There were several other times where I would say something and every student would stare at me like I had a third eye on my forehead. I felt a little like Squirt from Finding Nemo when he is explaining the jump from the East Australian Current, "It's like she's trying to speak to me, I know it!"

So after that first session, Alex (their Korean teacher), comes up to me and says "Laura Teacher, the students say you need to slow down, you talk to fast!". oooOOOoooh now I get it. The second session I slowed down a lot and I think they caught in a bit better? Who knows, they could have just been smiling and nodding which is one of my favorite tactics.

Last but not least, the repair man came today to check out my freezer. Katrina, the previous resident, had some difficulty with it freezing over so Solomon was nice enough to call someone about it. When the man came in to look at it I opened the door to show him my freezer...

Another blank stare to add to my list today haha he just laughed and called Solomon to say that this was a bigger job than expected (all in Korean of course, he could have been saying something else...). He will be back another time to tackle the tundra that is my freezer.

AAaaaannnddd there's the bell for my laundry! Thanks for distracting me for a bit-

Korean word of the post:도와주세요 (to-wa-ju-se-yo)!: Help!

Bye! xoxox

Day 1

So I was right. It is an underground Korean fight club, and I have the bruises to prove it!...

Just kidding (obviously)! Finished my first, and longest day of the week! I arrived really early, because I wanted to be sure I had all my materials ready and that I knew what I was doing (the latter still didn't really happen, but what can you do). My kindergarten class was so sweet! I began by teaching them the rules for my classroom. I taught them the "high five" or when I hold my hand in the air they have to have 2 eyes looking, 2 ears listening, and 1 mouth closed. Then I taught them the common song "1,2,3 eyes on me; 1,2 eyes on you". And lastly I taught them the marshmallow clap (if you don't know what it is then you aren't leading a full and fruitful life) as well as the firecracker cheer (ditto.). The students seemed to enjoy these new classroom management techniques, so hopefully they will continue behaving as they did today! We started a new book- and now I have homework to do for it...

We also had science today where we talked about perspective and optical illusions. I printed out some pictures of people holding the Eiffel Tower and the Leaning Tower of Pisa (not Pizza to my kids disappointment). After lunch...

I had my elementary students. They were so good at helping me learn their routines and knowing what to do for homework/classwork. They all listened well (for the most part) and I got through the lessons with no problem! I was worried before school today that I would have trouble going through the different books/lessons for each class but it was easy, especially with the students' help! We had a lot of fun and laughed throughout the class. They just need a release I think when they get to us in the afternoon after being in school all day. I try to let them joke around and have a few minutes at the end of class to play a game or talk amongst themselves- they are kids after all! They cannot be expected to sit in a chair and listen all day (heck, I can't be expected to do that either).

Anyways, tomorrow is a new day with some old and some new classes so we will see how they go! It is strange getting there at 9 and coming back at 7:30...I feel like I miss out on sunshine- maybe I'll go for a walk during one of my breaks tomorrow? Who knows...Bucheon is my oyster...haha

Oh! Before I go- I came up with my song list for the next few months! Each month I will be teaching them a song to perform in front of the rest of the school so here it goes:

September: If I Were a Rich Man (can't you picture them shimmying around?)
October: Grim, Grinning Ghosts (A random Disney song)
November: From Me to You- Beatles
December: Run Run Rudolph (I think it was in Jingle All the Way?)
January: This Will Be Our Year- OK Go
February: Crazy Little Thing Called Love- Queen

Don't worry- videos will be taken so you can see how well they do! I think I am going to play it for them tomorrow if I have time :)

Miss you all!
Korean word of the post: 화요일 (hwa-yo-il)- Tuesday

"Bambi Stage"

Whelp, I have survived my first weekend, in an apartment, in a completely foreign city, without getting lost once! I say I should get some sort of award...no? This weekend was spent unpacking, getting some laundry done, and finally grocery shopping!

I went a little over-the-top I know, I should really calm down with the groceries, I just couldn't help my self. No but really, this was just a small shop to grab things to last me until I stop by a little corner shop to get fresh fruit and veggies! On the way to the grocery store (I wish I had my camera or phone with me to take pictures) there was a guy selling fresh clams out of giant buckets on the side walk and then 10 feet away a lady was selling the cutest puppies ever (besides Henry and Lucy of course...sorry guys...)! Once we got to the grocery store, Home Plus, it was so crowded (a norm for the weekends). It is basically a Walmart-Costco-Department store combination with anything and everything you could ever need or want in your entire life all in one place. Needless to say I was a tad overwhelmed. Thank goodness Katrina was with me to guide me through!

So grocery shopping was actually adventure number two today. The first adventure was me trekking around the city a bit on my own after Amanda showed me the park nearby. She gave me directions to the bank to get some money out (preparation for previously explained grocery adventure) and I went on my way. Now...I didn't ever find the bank- However! The journey was not wasted because I now have a much better feel of where I live in this crazy neon-sign-covered-building-filled place.

My third and final adventure was running to the park nearby! Around the corner from my apartment complex (pictures will be added as soon as I take some!) there is a park with running/bike paths, exercise equipment, fountains, and a lake. It is so convenient and a very enjoyable place to jog around! I am looking forward to heading over there to run until the weather turns absolutely freezing! While I was running I kept getting strange looks from people, I suppose jogging is not really a normal thing? I kept checking to see if I had something on my face or if I had toilet paper stuck to my shoe, but no I looked relatively normal so I'm not really sure what that was about. Crazy American running away from nothing, we are so weird.

Anywhoooooo This is when I explain the title of the post "Bambi Stage". We went out to a bar called Cheap Shots the other night and met a couple other friends of the teachers I work with. Being the newbie in the group I was naturally asked what I thought so far and whether I like it. To answer those- Yes! I really am enjoying it so far! I am just a bit over-stimulated still with the city in general. All the neon signs everywhere are hard to get used to.

So that's when the other teachers said I am still in the Bambi phase, learning to walk with wobbly legs and falling over a couple times- which I thought was a pretty clever comparison! Hopefully no one dies, and I don't make friends with any skunks, but who knows what can happen...

For now- I am preparing for my first week starting tomorrow morning! I'm getting that nervous and exciting feeling (or that could be the yogurt...). When I was introduced to the students over the first few days the Korean teachers told them to be "gentle" with the new teacher- I'm hoping that is just a common saying and that this isn't some secret Korean children's fight club that I have just walked into.

I'll let you know how everything goes!

Korean word of the post: 주세요 (joo seh yo)= please

Bye!