Home...

is great. It's like I never left.

But Korea's great too... It's weird.

I'm LOVING this!!!

STRESS

Today, the day before I leave, very few things went right.

I tried to transfer money to my account back in the US and it didn't work. I thought I had dealt with that problem weeks ago with calls and visits to the bank already! Well, it was happening again... so I spent all morning on the phone with Citibank trying to figure out why it wasn't working with a Korean woman who spoke so quietly I could hardly hear her!

The most frustrating part wasn't even that. It was the fact that they had NO IDEA why it wasn't working. They told me "oh, it's because of this!" and we did something different and it STILL didn't work, so then they'd say, "oh, it's because of that!" and we did it all over again. I was on hold for 30 minutes, and then they called me back three times only to say we have no idea why it's not working. Actually, the reason they came up with in the end is that you can't send money to yourself, so that's why it's not working. Which is complete BULLSHIT.

Because of that I was late going downtown to meet my friends for lunch (and didn't even get to eat with them!), and because of that I was late taking my dog to the Animal Hospital for boarding, and because of that I was late to work and had to pay for an expensive taxi to avoid being MORE late.

And I didn't get to eat lunch.

The only thing that went right was that when I was downtown I was able to get my friends the presents I was looking for.

I JUST WANT TO GO HOME...! Ugh.

Gift

The man I am helping learn English wanted to give my parents and I a gift.

So he decided to ask his friend the artist (one of the most famous calligraphers in Korea) to make something for us.

This is a Korean fan. The letters he printed on there are in Chinese... but they say "Man should do the will of God." Apparently since Chinese was the language of the educated, that's what most calligraphers write in.

He also made one for me! This one is in Korean. It says "Happiness is in my chest!" It was really cool. I was only sad that I didn't actually get to see him make them.

I'll Be Home for Christmas!

With only one more week to go before I'm HOME... I can't stop thinking about it. It's weird being in a culture that doesn't celebrate Christmas.

PEOPLE here celebrate Christmas... but the culture doesn't. There's a few decorations up in some stores, and one or two major streets have lights on them... but it's SO not the same. It makes me REALLY miss America. And so glad I'm going there soon!

I've been sinking a little into culture shock once again. (Not sure if that's possible...?) But getting definitely homesick with each passing day, and less tolerant of things I don't understand in Korea.

The first thing I'm going to do (besides see my best friends and family) is go to Best Buy and get my freakin computer fixed! I tried to figure out the process of getting it fixed overseas... WOW. It sucks. I'd have to pay for all the costs and then they'd pay me back in about 2 months. Yuck. I'm just praying they can get it fixed before I leave!

And then the next thing I'm going to do is go shopping at a drug store for necessities... that are in ENGLISH! And then I'm going to have something amazing for dinner. And then grocery shopping. And then Christmas.

Ugh... I am so homesick... I can hardly wait!

Apsan Round 2

So I climbed Apsan back in the summer with Jin, and it was warm and beautiful then.

Well, my roomies wanted to go get some fresh air... and we knew it was cold, however we thought we'd warm up as soon as we started hiking.
\Basically what happened is we took the cable car up, walked around for about 30 minutes, and took the cable car back down.

Yes, Tharine found "snow" up on the mountain. I guess we shouldn't be surprised... it is technically winter...

We were FREEZING. The wind really does it to ya...

We did bring Noona though! She loved the mountain hiking... but was definitely shivering the whole time. We weren't sure if it was just from cold, or being scared, or excited about her first time out!
We did have a fun time! But next time we decide to go hiking in the winter, we're wearing everything we've got!!!

Church Thanksgiving

I really missed having Thanksgiving in America. Our church did make a great substitue though! It was a big Thanksgiving meal after the service the weekend before actual Thanksgiving.

We all got together and bought turkeys and mashed potatoes and corn and baked beans and bread and salad and cranberry sauce... However, fun little fact: (Most) Koreans hate turkey. Its too "gamey" for them! Needless to say, the turkeys were very difficult to find because of this.


We had a lot of set-up and cooking the day of. Trying to make sure we have enough for everyone to eat! And informing people in both English and Korean... haha. That was also my first time tearing apart a turkey with my bear hands! (Or, "carving" the turkey... haha)

Our kitchen crew was fun and I loved seeing everyone enjoy our delicious food! I am definitely having "real" Thanksgiving food when I go home though... ㅋㅋ

Food...

So I have a little over a month till I will be back in America again! And besides my family and friends, all I can think about is food. hehe. I really miss the variety of America!

Here is a short list of things I will DEFINITELY eat during my short 10-day trip:

Planet Smoothie
Ben & Jerrys
Mexican food (REAL chips and dip, and quesadillas!)
Lasagna
Banana bread
American Chinese take-out! (specifically: Orange chicken and Pad thai)
Meatballs
FRESH veggies! (No more fermented kimchi)

...And that's just a short list off the top of my head. I'm sure when I go home there will be plenty more. ^^

I can't wait!

A Scary Experience

There's a Korean proverb that says "Men are wolves." It's true.

A few nights ago I was out with my coworker and other friends at one of our favorite hang-outs, and had one more drink than I should've. But I was with friends so I figured it was ok.

There was also a friend of theirs that was there. They really talked him up and they trusted him, so I trusted him. When we all parted ways, they had him walk me home because he lived close by me.

Well, walking home was fine up until the point where he started to get too friendly. When we got to my apt he got WAY too friendly. He wasn't listening to "no" or anything that sounded like it.

Thankfully I was able to eventually get him to leave but not after being sufficently traumatized.

That will not happen again and I definitely plan to be more careful in the future. I am not trusting people--specifically men--that I don't know. My friend Jin was pissed that I didn't call the police... and has now given me their number. ^^ Let's just hope I never have to use it.

To my girl friends... please be careful! To my guy friends... please help protect us!

Thoughts

A few things about Korea and me living here:

1. I've eaten more tofu in my life here in Korea than I ever thought I would. Ever.

2. This is the most excited and motivated I've ever been about learning a language... and I'm actually not bad at it!!!

3. I really do like teaching. But only sometimes do I like teaching kids.

4. I don't like Korean bosses. Or older Korean men in general...

5. I like listening to Korean pop music! Never thought I'd admit it, but I do.

Halloweeeeeeeeeeeen

Since it was two of our dear friends birthdays, we decided to throw a party for Halloween! However, it ended up having to be on Friday night the 30th instead of the 31st... no matter how fun it was, I am never throwing a party on a Friday night after I finish work at 10 pm again.

Koreans don't really celebrate Halloween. It's definitely a Western holiday (and South Africans don't celebrate it either!). There was only one costume shop in the whole of Daegu that had some decorations and outfits. However, since they were the only supplier... they could charge whatever the hell they wanted. :( Needless to say, we made do with tons of black trash bags and candles. haha.

We did have some pretty great drinks though. And enough snacks to last us into next week!


But people's costume's were fantastic! And it was great giving everyone a reason to dress up and have fun with us!

Me, Tharine, and Eli

Church Retreat

We had a church retreat for a night. Not a whole weekend... just a night. And it was exhausting! But fun. However, I felt really burned out by it. Us girls (Tharine, Eli and I) volunteered to do the food... so we had to get up extra early. And we had to skip out on part of the service to start lunch.

It felt like it all went too fast and was too hectic. My favorite part was the campfire we had when we first got there. That was the only time we could all relax.

I now feel really sympathetic to the people who are ALWAYS the ones putting things together in the church. You don't get to sit back and enjoy!

Chusuk / Jeju Island!

My friends and I made a last minute decision for our long Holiday weekend (Korean Thanksgiving) to go to Jeju Island! It's Korea's vacation spot... kinda like America's Florida.

Eli, me, Sally and Tharine in the airport
(our friend Rob is taking the picture)

It was a little stressful catching our flight because we thought we weren't going to make it... even though it was at 2 pm. hehe. (We had missed our train to the airport...)

We arrived in Jeju safe and sound! But not sure where to go/what to do seeing as we hadn't planned the trip. Yay for spontaneity!

With the help of friends back home and their wonderful internet access, we found a place to stay that was nice and in the middle of the best part of the island! Close to the beach and other interesting attractions. We loved the name too: "Sugar Beach."

Since we couldn't rent a car or scooters for lack of an international driving license (and none of us even WANTING to drive in Korea)... we took taxis everywhere. Sadly, that trip caused my dislike for taxis to grow considerably. But we still had fun together!

While there we visited what everyone said was the most beautiful side of the island. Waterfalls, "hot springs," beautiful scenery, fun mazes and delicious food! The beach was wonderful as well even though our stop there was short-lived (due to a taxi).

It was a great trip and I definitely want to go back again! There's so much to do there... Coastal bike rides, hiking the local mountain/volcano, multiple beautiful beaches, and caves to explore! I'm praying the winter months go by quickly. I'm already ready for summer again!

Korean Thanksgiving (추석) Pt. 1

Some friends and I went to Jeju Island (Korea's Florida) over the holiday weekend (more on that later)... which isn't exactly what Korean Thanksgiving is about. But most of our Korean friends were busy doing family rituals for the holiday.

A friend from church, Brandon, put together a CLIP about what they do for the family rituals and I thought it was definitely worth sharing. So please, check it out if you want to understand/see a bit more about Korean culture.

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Note: The egg shaped mounds of grass are their graves. They are shaped that way because traditionally they believe in reincarnation, and the egg-shape of the earth symbolizes re-birth.

First Birthday Party

Apparently first birthday's are a big deal here in Korea. It's like a mini-wedding. Or a Bar-Mitzpha. Or a Quincenaera. First birthday's here are called "Dol"s. They're a big deal because babies didn't use to make it to 1 year. The daughter of our Pastor (Andy) and his wife (Hyun-jin) was turning 1! So we had a perfect chance to see what all the fuss was about.

Sienna and her mother looked like Princesses! They were all dressed up for the occasion.

The decorations were pretty elaborate too.
Sienna will never be so spoiled again in all her life! haha

Father and daughter, the perfect combination.

One of the things they do at a baby's first birthday is foretell their future. It's tradition that the baby is shown a tray of various things and the child picks one out to see what their life will be like.

On the tray their was:
Microphone - she'll be an entertainer
Money - she will be wealthy
String - for long life
Computer mouse - she'll be a computer major
Pencil - she'll be a scholar
Bowl of rice - she'll have her needs met (food, shelter...)

Being shown most of them and having no interest, Sienna chose the microphone! She'll be an entertainer! I'm almost surprised they didn't put a Bible on the tray though... ^^

We all had a great time dressing up and celebrating Hyun-jin and baby Sienna--who is a baby no more! I love birthdays. <3

Death in the "family"

Babo died last night. He had "distemper" and the last stage was seizures. We woke up to him barking uncontrollably and seizing, and there was nothing we could do for him except try to keep his body from flailing everywhere... So we wrapped him in a blanket and made him as comfortable as possible and watched him die.

It was so strange. I've never seen the life in something leave it... I've never seen something alive become lifeless. It was strange. And sad. It seems to happen so quickly...

House Party!

On Saturday we had our official House Warming Party! We invited all the people we loved to come spend the night with us celebrating our new home in Korea. ^^ S.J. and Gloria brought their Wii, and later the guys came up with group games for us to play together! The party was so fun!

Here are some pictures from the night:

S.J. playing the Wii... everyone else chowing down^^

Spending time with Joo-hyung before the party got too crazy

Minkey & Hyun-jin playing the Wii!
They were definitely the most entertaining to watch... hehe

We had champagne for a roommate toast to celebrate our new "life" together! :D

Eli, Tharine, and me <3

Puppies!

So a few weekends ago, the three of us girls decided we'd been thinking about getting a dog long enough. Our friend volunteers at the local dog shelter, so we decided to stop by and see what there was to see.

There was an overabundance of shitzues and poodles... both of which I hate. (I'm sorry, but I'm into cute dogs. hehe) But there were a few cute ones! There was a large puppy we called One-Eye (for reasons you can guess) that we wanted to take, but the lady said that he would grow to be bigger than a Jindo (which is the white Korean dog as large as a Great Dane)... so we decided it wouldn't be the wisest thing to do.

So we decided on one... and then another! We were talked into it. ^^;

Both are mixes. The boy, Ba-bo (Korean for "silly"), is a Pomeranian mix--and I don't like those dogs either... but he's cute. The girl, Noo-na (it means "older sister," it's what Korean guys call an older sister or older female friend), is a Che-something. We couldn't understand the lady.


As of right now, they are both sick. Babo is very sick... and the vets don't seem to be very good here. People in Korea definitely think of their dogs as toys instead of living things. ~.~

New Apartment!

The new apt is everything I could have hoped for and more. *^^* I love living with Eli and Tharine!

Here are some pictures of our place for your viewing pleasure:

Living room with a wall of window <3

Our giant kitchen!
Complete with an oven AND a washer... hehe

My room! 2 walls of windows <3

We have the most amazing view overlooking the
Southwest side of Daegu and the mountain range

There are two more bedrooms besides. We're right next to downtown and in a safe area. I don't mind spending another year under these conditions. ^^

Starting now...

I have signed a new contract with a different school. So, that means I am here for another year. Obviously, this is both good and bad... It means another year away from friends and family back home. But it also means a little more time to make money. I guess that all-in-all it's ok because I'm not exactly sure where I would go after here anyway. I know I want to go back to Grad school... I just have no idea where. Or which subject I want to study more in depth.

I found out I wont be able to go home for Christmas, too. That about broke my heart because I've been set on the idea forever. BUT I think I will be able to go home sometime during the winter... *hopefully.*

So I start my new job Sept 1st, and I'm a little nervous but excited too.

I'm also officially moving into my new apt this weekend! I've already got a ton of stuff at the new place and only need to move the other half. I also have a gym membership in my building! I feel like I actually have a life here... it's strange. But I'm so excited to live with the girls from my church!

*ALSO* my Korean studies are going pretty well! So... hopefully I can learn enough to use it in America...?

Busan Trip!

This past weekend I went to Busan... for the first time. All summer. haha. Here's a little review:

The famous Hyundae beach in Busan packed with people, but mostly umbrellas
(Because Koreans don't like the sun)

This is how people go to the beach in Korea. In their clothes. They get in the water this way too.

Korean lifeguards! Pretty much all male. ^^

Old Korean ladies on the beach trying to avoid the sun.
These sun umbrellas are everywhere in Korea.

Our lunch! It's called "Mung-gae" in Korean, but it's basically sea urchins. Yum...

I had a great time with my roomies! And the best parts of the trip were not photographed! hehe

Church Picnic!

I love church picnics and I really miss them. It makes me nostalgic for the days when I was just a lil girl and my church did the huge picnic/potluck-everybody-bring-a-ton-of-food thing. *sigh* Those were the days. This time my roomies and I were apart of the "bring food" group. We were in charge of... salads! Yay! lol. Not the most exciting, I know. But I think we did a pretty good job.


Our favorite was a fruit salad. Tharine cut up most of the fruit, and I mixed the delicious "coating"... vanilla pudding powder with pineapple juice from the can! It tasted SO delicious...! I wasn't too thrilled about having to make a pasta salad though. Especially since Korea is very limited on what kind of dressing you can find. I like the things that GO in pasta salad, but cold pasta is just SO not appealing to me. Or apparently to most people, I think, considering how much left there always is!

Well we actually grilled out at this park on the side of a mountain... and it was beautiful. I think I'm definitely getting spoiled by all the natural beauty around here.

I am enjoying my new church family a lot, and I hope this just keeps on.

Keepin' Busy

Sometimes it feels like all there is to do now is stay busy. And wait.

Wait for a change of residence. Wait for a change of jobs. Wait for opportunities to come my way.

I'm trying to keep myself busy with my amazing friends from church and soon-to-be roomies. It helps (but I still miss Jin).

Tharine (one of my new roomies) stayed over for a few days this past weekend since she's inbetween places to live at the moment. We can't move into our new place for another week, and her school let her go at the beginning of the month. And since the schools usually control the housing... yeah, you're homeless. I think both Tharine and I are really happy that we're going to "own" our own place. If something happens to our job, we'll still have a home.

The other really nice thing is that Tharine and I will have this place the whole next year we have our contracts! However... Eli's (my other roomie) is finished next year... She's not sure what she'll do yet.

It's definitely nice because more and more this church and its people are becoming a family to me. Even though I know it's not permanent here, I don't feel like I'm drifting... and that's nice.

It's so double-sided because I love traveling to new places and seeing/experience new things... but I miss having a home. A stable place where the people have known you for years and love you and want you around. I guess right now home is still Florida... with my parents there and some of my dearest friends... I guess it will be for awhile. I just still need to figure out how to feel "at home" in a foreign land. I think I'm learning...

Good-bye Dear Friend

Jin left today.

R.I.P
4.26.09-8.05.09

Traveling everywhere together
Doing everything together
Understanding what the hell is going on around me

The Lying Buddha

At the end of July we had a much-needed vacation! Jin's family was kind enough to invite me to their trip to Baek-A mountain, which is a few hours southwest of Daegu. They were going to spend a few days in a cabin mountain.

This is our beautiful cabin in the woods!

Our cabin was split into two. The four of us on one side and another family on the other... the other family was fairly large and loud too!

On Thursday afternoon we took a tour of the countryside. We stopped by a bee farm and watched them add to the hives. There was a small convenience store with a kind old man! He built the wooden house and the store it was attached to. It was pretty awesome! It reminded me of a house you would see in Maine.

The people in the area were so nice too! They were very talkative, and gave us some of their Indian corn (ock-su-su) from their side-of-the-road gar

While we were in the area, we visited a few of the famous Buddha sites. This place was the "land of a 1000 Buddhas." Roughly. There were SO many! The myth for this area was that angels came down and were making all these Buddhas in one night, but the rooster crowd to signal daybreak and scared them all off. So most of them were left unfinished. Really interesting, but I wonder what the real story is.

This plant was used by women to paint their nails! If you crush up the flower it stains your fingers really easily. Jin's mom demonstrated for me. ^^

After MUCH hiking we finally reached the famous "Lying Buddha." It's the largest Buddha in Asia(?). But it's laying down... if I remember correctly it fell over because its base is too small. And in actuality there are two Buddhas stuck together... and they're actually carved into a bigger slab. Which I'm sure contributes to it being difficult to erect.

They have extra Buddha statues lying around every where! There really is no shortage of them.

The view from the top by the Lying Buddha was really amazing. There were both rolling hills and mountains everywhere. The weather was near perfect too... not too hot and a cool breeze at the top. I still remember Jin trying to catch dragonflies with his hat like an 8 year old... hehe.

Some of the Buddhas were definitely old.

This one reminded me of "The Thinker" statue.

I'm not exactly sure what kind of Buddha this is. I've never seen one in such a "come hither" pose. haha.

We took a break in the middle of the day on Sunday when we were seeing the "Dolman" stones. "Dol" means stone... So we were seeing "stone men." But the name is deceiving.

Basically all they are are large stones that don't belong there in the region. They were cut to build something, but that something was either never accomplished or so completely destroyed that they can't figure out what it used to be.

This is the largest dolman stone.

Apparently it has a hole in the top that looks like a vagina hole. The myth goes that if you throw a rock into it (and you're single) you will get married. If you miss the hole, you'll never get married. OR it could also mean that if you get your rock into the hole you'll have a boy for your first baby.

I got one in after the 4th try. Which either means I'll have to wait a helluva long time to get married... or I'll have 3 girls and a boy. haha.

If you can see the difference between the two pictures... congrats! You've found my rock.

It was a great trip with Jin's family. They really made me feel at home! It was nice being with a family again since I miss my own...