A cold breeze, a cup of tea, and a plan

Beautiful Boracay

More Boracay... be jealous (pics not mine, obviously)

Suri mountain, view from my window



Seoraksan National Park

Seoraksan (these pics not mine either, you'll see my version next week!)

It only took one night to go from walking to school with no jacket to wearing a winter coat. One night like any other in which the icy winds crept in replacing the gentle breeze with biting gusts. The cold weather brought something with it other than chills, however, it brought a nagging feeling that my year here was coming to a close and I needed to begin planning for the future.

If you know me at all, you know I am not a planner. A schemer, maybe. An impulsive day dreamer who dives headlong into recently concocted, half planned adventures...sure. It's my nature, so I go with it. Besides, it hasn't steered me wrong yet. Nevertheless, staying in Seoul requires some forethought and I am certain I want to remain where I am.

Sure, a huge part of me wants to move on and continue journeying. I can teach anywhere, right? Well, not with massive student loans breathing down my neck. The huge financial benefits of working in Seoul mean not only that I can pay off my debts, but that I can afford to travel all over Asia whenever I get the chance. Plus, I have a lot of friends here and I am only just starting to feel at home. There is more time to be put into Seoul.

The frigid winter winds also coerced me to start thinking about my winter vacation. Yes, that's right, two months after my last two week vacation I am planning the next (why is it I want to stay??). I found out I have 17 days off starting on Christmas Eve, not coincidentally the same 17 days that Lacy will be off work. So, we've booked a flight to the sunny blue skies and crystal clear waters of Boracay in the Philippines. Flights are cheap and the living is easy, so it was a simple decision.

We want a nice tropical vacation to take us away from the winter chill, but we also need to conserve cash. Why? Well here is next year's plan, still in the works:

After our vacation, winter camp begins. Between Christmas and the end of February, there is only a week and a half of regular classes, the rest being various English camps (and often half days). My contract ends at the end of February and I plan on switching to a new school so that I can get a shared apartment with Lacy who will also be staying another year. Living alone has definitely had its perks, but living far enough from my best friends that I don't get to see them during the week has been a bummer. Being able to come home and cook dinner with Lacy and take classes together will be such a nice change!

Another development is that we are trying to get a job beginning in April so that we can take our end of the year bonuses and go backpacking for a month in Vietnam, Cambodia and Laos. We figure one of the huge advantages of our job is the flexibility and if we have the ability to do this we can't pass it up. How amazing it would be!! I'm crossing my fingers that it all works out.

So that is the plan, I mean scheme, as of right now. I'm working with a recruiter at the moment to make it all happen and until then I'll just keep living the dream.

Bringing it back to the present, we went on a teacher's hike today on Surisan (Suri Mountain). I thought a "teacher's hike" meant just going for a nature walk, but I was so very wrong. We scaled a beast of a mountain! As we climbed teachers began to drop out, but I was determined to prove yet again that foreigners are not inept, so not only was I going to the top, I was going to be one of the first to get there. Our principal led the way, I assume as a symbolic act, but even though he was the oldest one there, he could really move! After mistakenly believing I had arrived at the summit several times, only to turn and climb more, I made it to the top panting and sweating and was greeted with high fives and looks of astonishment (yes, foreigners can climb). Cell phones were whipped out for pictures, and celebratory cups of makkoli (a milky Korean rice wine) and fresh cucumbers were passed around to "rehydrate." And, even after nine months, they squealed with delight when I said "kamsamnida" (thank you) when they passed me a cup.

After the hike I had my Korean class and then I had to teach an evening class for second graders. At the moment I am exhausted and sore and a little worried about my stamina for this weekend's hiking trip to Seoraksan National Park. I'm excited to enjoy the outdoors in one of Korea's most beautiful areas, however, before winter sets in for good.

Summer Camp Pics I Never Posted

The kids felt this poor dog needed a mohawk

The dog definitely looks happy about it.

My 3rd graders sponge painting at school camp

My City Summer Camp kids brought me a present. Teacher really loved it...

View from my kitchen at City Summer Camp

Funny Face Sandwich Day!!

Proud Student- They all wanted a picture with their sandwiches

Instructions: Draw an Under the Sea scene

My 3rd graders are pretty creative

Summer, that perpetual sneak, has breezed past me yet again in a blur of heat, haze, and sun (sometimes). Teaching summer camp has been a welcome break from the monotony of the national curriculum. Although it is more work, I have enjoyed having complete control over my lessons. I have been able to teach topics like camping, baseball, pirates, oceans, drama, and super heroes. My students and I have played games, sponge painted, written stories, listened to music, and created our own TV commercials. We even had a game of handball out on the playground.

The last week of July I taught at an overnight Gunpo City summer camp for five days. I stayed in a cabin in the mountains and taught cooking class. Making homemade ice cream with 75 students is a complete mess, but its a fun and delicious one. I was exhausted at the end of the week, but I really felt like I bonded with the students there and I had a great time hanging out with the other councilors.

Outside of school I have been spending lazy afternoons by the pool or listening to the drum of the rain on my apartment window. I've gone river rafting, bungee jumping, and to a Manchester United vs. Seoul football game that had Maddy and I ecstatic for the entire game. We couldn't help but join in on the "Fighting!" cheers and the calls for South Korean Manchester United player Park Ji Sung, who sat on the bench until the final 20 minutes. That didn't stop the camera man from showing his face on the big screen every 5 minutes, however. South Koreans sure love their own. Another highlight was when Kpop girl group Girls' Generation performed at halftime. It was a complete surprise and even with several lip synching mishaps, it was awesome!

Vacation time is staggered throughout the summer so there are always friends coming and going on two week adventures. I've had to wait until the very end for mine, but I am finally taking off for Thailand tomorrow. Don't expect any posts for the next two weeks, but expect that when one does come it will be epic!

Here I Stand

I had a few reservations regarding our end of the semester teacher's trip. After all, I'm the only foreign, non-Korean speaking teacher at the school, so these gatherings require some effort. This time around, my co teacher would not be attending because she had to take care of her children. She gave me the option to attend the trip or remain at school for the day - anti-social and alone. Despite my slight fear of the prospect of 12 hours of incomprehension, I refused to peg myself as the outsider and decided to attend.

For no apparent reason except bad luck, I couldn't sleep at all the night before the trip. I arrived at school hot, sweaty, tired, and unenthused. Nevertheless I was early and my poor start to the day declined further when I turned my key in the classroom door and it snapped off in the lock. Great...

At 10 am I boarded the bus and sat next to one of the teachers on my floor who speaks English very well. Song Hwa is a kind and very beautiful wife and mother in her thirties and I enjoy speaking with her, but I was mainly happy that the teachers didn't just avoid me so they wouldn't have to speak in English the whole ride. When the bus set off, bottles of Korean wine were immediately opened. Korean adults can be a bit like high school students - Summer vacation wooo!

Two hours later we arrived at the ferry which would take us across the Han River to Nami Island. Ropes swung high atop a bungee tower and motorboats skimmed across the river towing massive yellow inflatables which flapped like kites in the breeze. Mountains rolled on the horizon like waves of soft green forest beneath the afternoon sun as the ferry made the short crossing.

Sunshine and a soft breeze graced us with their presence as I explored the island with Song Hwa and Jong Hwi, a tall and lovely teacher who strikes me as regal but always entertains me with the latest gossip. There were footpaths lined with tall pines snaking all over the small island and we followed them leisurely until it was time to catch the ferry back to the mainland.

The next stop was the somewhat random "Le Petit France" - a small group of buildings built to look like French villas and housing tributes to various aspects of french culture. I couldn't quite figure out what was going on or why the melodies to Beatles songs were playing on all the speakers but we were atop a hill and there was a lovely view of the river and mountains. Unfortunately I had forgotten to charge my camera and only managed to take a few photos. I did however pose in countless pictures with the other teachers, most in front of a statue of the storybook character "Le Petit Prince" and they've assured me they will email me copies.

At this point I was near exhaustion and we headed to a restaurant for what would be one of the best meals I have ever had the fortune of eating. After discovering that the restaurant we were supposed to go to was closed, we walked towards the shore and stopped at a small outdoor patio to enjoy a dinner of fresh eel.

The sun sunk low against the sky and the air grew thick with mist as plates of salmon sashimi arrived at the tables. We ate the fish slices wrapped in lettuce leaves with fresh ginger and an array of vegetables. Next came the eel. It was grilled in brown sugar and melted as soon as it reached your mouth, every bite tasting better than the last. I thought I couldn't eat anymore but steaming pots of spicy soup arrived brimming with shellfish and vegetables. My skin flushed as I ate spoonfuls of the spicy liquid, warming me as the air cooled and the night mist rolled in over the moonstone river.

Finally there were slices of fresh watermelon and small cups of coffee to go around. We finished our meal and were drawn silently to the shore of the river. The mountains were layers of tissue in cerulean, cobalt, slate and steel. They melted into the soft night air and multiplied to infinity in the glassy river surface. I stood silently a long while and remembered what it is so easy to forget in the city, that I am here, in the land of the morning calm, experiencing life and beauty as I have never known it before. And though the mist obscured my vision, turning the world to watercolor, I felt I could see clearer than I've been able to in a while. I remembered why I came here and what I've been missing and made a silent promise to return.

Listen and Repeat.... Cuuuuuuute

Some photos from the last day of my extra classes with the first graders. Sadly, they didn't give me one as a consolation prize. Enjoy the pure cuteness below...

I have no problem choosing favorites and "Tiger" was definitely it. He was possibly crazy, loved to dance, and sometimes hit me... aaah kids.

More Tiger. Look at that face!


Surprise! A camera!

It wouldn't be Korea without a peace sign!

And again... what a munchkin!

the boys eating pizza slices bigger than their faces and drowning it with coca cola. Korean kids always share with Teacher though, wish I had a photo of the kid who came up to me with a giant slice hanging way above his head...precious.

This never gets old for them.

Englishee Speechee Contestuh

Last week we had a Speech Contest for our 3rd and 4th graders. About twenty students were forced by their parents -I mean volunteered - to write elaborate speeches in English and then spend every waking moment memorizing them. They then had the privelage of reciting their speeches for a room full of teachers all in the hopes of being named number one.

The results were nothing less than adorable, and after a week of correcting and typing speeches I got to sit back and enjoy the show. I was really impressed with how well the students did. Here are some pictures and a very short video that I managed to take in between my judging duties. Enjoy!

I smile and the universe smiles back.

On Friday afternoon, life is great. It was my school's gym festival so there were no classes for the day. I seized the opportunity to have a Thursday night get together for all the new teachers who have arrived in Gunpo. Long story short, I ended up drinking a few too many beers and getting three hours of sleep. Not to worry, it's nothing a hot shower and an Americano can't cure. I was even early to work.

When I first arrived I was sad because I wasn't wearing a track suit and sun visor like the other teachers. I quickly got over it when I realized that my only duty for the day was to sit in the sun while my students fed my chocolate, gave me massages and told me I was pretty (love my job!) I even got a little tan until my co-teacher pulled me out of the sun and sent me to sit with the old Korean ladies under a tent.

The gym festival is quite the event. The teachers have been planning it for months and the kids have been practicing for a few weeks. Each grade performs a dance and competes in relay races and other events. The school is divided into two teams, white and blue, who compete for the highest total score. Friday was labor day in Korea so all the parents and grandparents showed up to cheer and take pictures. I especially loved the parents who ran next to their kids during the relays, just in case their kid managed to forget what to do. The parents even ran races and played tug of war. One of the dads wiped out during a race - it's no joke!

You can't beat the dances though. There is nothing like watching 5th grade boys shake pom poms to the beat of "Oh Mickey You're so Fine" to soothe the soul.

After the games we had a big lunch with all sorts of special treats (even beer!) My principal wanted me to drink a can of beer, but as soon as I heard the word I had a flash back to the night before that involved me yelling "I'm so good at chugging beer!" and then proceeding to try and prove it. I decided to abstain.

The best part was when at 2 pm my co-teacher told me I could go home. As I walked home in the sunshine, the air around me the absolute perfect temperature, I was feeling what I can only describe as euphoria. And it was only going to get better. Next stop, Taipei....