Resolutions Anyone?

The new year is almost upon us, and again the time has come to make resolutions we will very probably keep for little more then a few months if we are lucky.  So I have come up with a list of resolutions my students told me they were making, a list of common resolutions and a list of my very own, wacky resolutions.  Enjoy!

My Students (Keep in mind these kids are between 13 and 15):

• Get better grades
• Do well in school
• Get perfect score on big test
• Get hot Korean boyfriend
• Get pretty
• Get taller
• Take over the world
• Sleep all year
• Save money
• Collect more comic books
• Watch new Tom Cruise movie
• Diet
• Not lie
• Exercise
• Improve math and english skills
• Quit academy

Most Common Resolutions (according to usa.gov) :

• Drink Less Alcohol
• Eat Healthy Food
• Get a Better Education
• Get a Better Job
• Get Fit
• Lose Weight
• Manage Debt
• Manage Stress
• Quit Smoking
• Reduce, Reuse, and Recycle
• Save Money
• Take a Trip
• Volunteer to Help Others

My very own Wacky and Wonderful Resolutions:

• Keep up with the eating healthy and working out
• Hike Biseulsan and the Temple there, Yugasa
• Explore Yakjeon-golmok Market
• Go to Palgongsan 
• Visit the other temples surrounding Daegu
• Go to the Penis Park here
• Visit a spa
• Learn enough korean to get by
• Dance down a street while listening to my ipod in the middle of the day
• Visit Japan
• Visit Australia
• Visit Italy, Germany, France, England, Greece, Ireland....
• Get my apartment perfect just when I leave South Korea
• Learn to cook traditional Korean dishes
• Expand my wardrobe
• Complet the first half of my novel and finally settle on a real plot for it
• Write at least 40 new poems
• Improve my drawing again
• Sing all the english songs at one of the music rooms here
• Stay organized
• Actually be able to find my way through Seomun Market without getting lost
• Dance every day
• Learn why Cost-co is so addicting
• Master haggling
• Read all the books I have on my Kindle including War and Peace
• And three other resolutions that are my business and none of yours.  :) 

Of Small Places

My apartment has no storage space.  It has a medicine cabinet in the bathroom, and a few cabinets in my kitchen space but no more.  All the rest of my storage comes from a wardrobe for my clothing, and a small tv stand with two drawers.  After moving in, the first thing I have started to do is create some more storage. I got an amazing desk from one of the korean teachers I work with that has really opened up some storage and I am looking for some good shelves for my books and for a few plants.  Other then that, I have needed to start getting creative.

I have a lot of really long necklaces and if I store them in a jewelry box it leads to two problems.  The first is that I don't really have any place to put the box.  My bathroom is my shower so anything that can't get wet can't sit out in there and I don't have a dresser to put it on top of.  The other problem, and the one I find more annoying, is that they get all tangled and I have to spend 20 minutes untangling them every time.  So, I bought a bunch of small 3m hooks and hung them on the wall in my bathroom to create a jewelry wall.  So far it is working pretty well and my necklaces actually make for very lovely "art".

My desk has also been great so far.  one side of it is a four shelf bookcase that works great for storing my books, dvds, workout equipment and other pretty things I have collected while I've been here.  I made my own hat rack and I am working on getting my desk drawers more organized.  It feels like a much longer and more annoying process then it normally does, probably because I know that everything I buy is going to be left behind for the next person who lives here when I leave.  I find it hard to justify buying anything nice.


However, that has not stopped me from getting into the christmas spirit as best as I can away from home and in a country where christmas really isn't celebrated.  I bought some wonderful christmas lights at Seomun Market which I hung over the door into my kitchen area and I bought a ten dollar floor lamp at E Mart that is the coolest thing I have yet to add to my apartment.  I also decorated stockings with a few of the other foreign teachers and I hung it up on my inner door so I see it every time I enter or leave my apartment.

Next time I will try to have more interesting stuff to talk about like christmas in korea, going to the huge Seomun Market, and the new classes I have.  Merry Christmas!

Settled In, Mostly

I have been really busy over the past few weeks.  Doing a lot of organizing and buying of stuff to help me organize.  I got a desk from on of the Korean teachers and it is amazing.  My stuff finally isn't all over the floor.  Next I need a comfortable chair or two then the apartment will be perfect.  I have a few small things to get still like more hooks, containers and some kitchen things, but overall I think I have what I need.

Work is going fine.  The students just had exams so a lot of them have been out of class.  Setting up their homework has been a pai in te ass but it is all smoothing out now and we can finally get back on a set schedule again.  It is going to be a little hard having all my classes full again, but the last two weeks of smaller classes hav given me a chance to get to know my students better and to figure out more effective ways to use class time.  I have made up a bunch of worksheets that focus on different parts of essay writing and different speaking topics.  I am in the process of going through all the books we use right now and filling in answers and figuring out which lessons are the most effective for the classes and which ones need supplemental information.

We got two new teachers in at the beginning of this month and they seem to be working out okay so far.  They just started observations and next week they will be starting their real teaching work.  I have a feeling things will be rearranged a bit once they start because of the odd number of teachers now but I am sure it will work out eventually.  As for me, I am just going to keep doing what I am doing because it seems to be working out pretty well, at least now that I finally get to stop requesting new books for a little while.

I have started to write again.  I wrote my first poem in over a year the other day.  I borrowed a little bit of Jess' method for writing poetry because it worked well for the flow of the poem:

a first impression of drastic changes, warping inhibitions before time passes, image darkens and hatreds heated white with light spill down while thoughtful truths destroy an image with nefarious blue and belligerent black, deeper darker depths revealed, revulsion spreads throughout the annoying questions and truthful lies with violent inhibition raging red randomly across a mindful mind of masked moments and harlequin heartbeats hidden beneath the destiny of truths totality 

A bit dark but it was how I felt at the time.  I have also been working on my novel again, at least reading it over and making some adjustments to it.  I don't feel ready to start writing it again just yet.  It is a little strange, (and I admit very lame and cheesy to say) but I feel like I am waking up.  I have been stuck in one place and with one thought for so long that I seem to have lost the ability to write the way I used to.  I feel like I am dusting myself off and oiling gears.  And not just in my writing.  I started drawing again as well, and in that as well, I feel like I have been sleeping.  I am starting to find myself again and in finding myself, I am finding my muses again.  I feel very silly writing all this, but sometimes a person is allowed to experience things in cliches.

I am going to keep working at the writing, drawing, and other things I used to do while I am here.  I have started my workouts again, and I am locating places to visit when it warms up a bit and I have time to do them.  Until then I am going to continue learning everything I can about this place.  I bought some Korean textbooks and a book on Korean history.  I have a lot of solo learning to do and exploring to get done.  Stay tuned.

Students, Colds, And E-Mart

I have been crazy busy over the past few weeks.  Work is crazy but I am catching on.  The students can be awful  but most are good.  And I got a cold like I haven't had in years, but I struggled through it with the help of ginger tea and honey, liberally spiked with soju to help me sleep.  It actually worked and cured me of my cold in about two days.  I was impressed and plan to market this when I return to the states.  I think I shall call it. "The Super Yum Cold Cure."

Because of feeling like I was going to die by head explosion, I haven't had a chance to get out and see much of Daegu.  Next weekend I am aiming high and hoping to hit two temples.  I just need to figure out how to get to them.  Until then, I have been exploring more of the are around my house and the local E-Mart.

I spent four hours there with some of the Korean teachers from work the other day.  They can really shop. Thanks to a coffee shop and food court, it wasn't too bad.  I saw a TON of cool things, and found a desk that I think will work in my apartment aw well as a side table for my bed.  All I need is a comfy chair or small sofa and I will be golden.  I bought some fun things while I was there and I may have to go back again soon for a few more things.  I really want to find some christmas cards in Korean to send to my friends.  I found some classic books there in Korean.  I bought one that I am determined to read by the time I leave.  Let me say now, it will never happen, but a girl can dream right?

I have been enjoying all the different advertisements here in Korea and trying to read different signs and things as I walk.  My reading skills are very very bad, but I can pick out certain letters at lest now, so I am improving.  I really do like it here a lot, even if I don't love everything.  Some things I have decided I love about korea: my bathroom, the floor heat, being able to walk everywhere, how cute all everyday objects are, Korean advertisements, sample day at E-Mart (they even have alcohol to sample), being surrounded by mountains, the weather....  Some things I do NOT like about Korea: Not being able to read any signs, being stared at every time I leave my apartment, having to walk everywhere, how hard addresses are to figure out, scented toilet paper, no dryers, no counter space, how impossible it is for me to order anything online....

Soon exams start for my students and i will have free periods to catch up and get ahead at work.  And the weekend of the 9th I have some days off so I think that maybe I will take a trip up to Seoul for the day just to wander around.  Or maybe to a temple or mountain nearby.  Also, we are getting two new teachers at our school the second week of December and I get to go meet them when they get off the bus.  Hopefully they can find the right one!

My Toilet Paper Is Scented

I start the last day of my first real week at work in about two hours.  This week has been completely nuts.  I feel like I haven't sat still for more then five minutes all week and my brain has never turned off.  I am very ready for the weekend.  After grading probably sixty essays in two days, dealing with wonderful and horrible students, and trying to figure out a computer system that is writing mainly in hangul, I am ready for a rest.

I really like most of my students.  A lot of them are excited to learn, or at least are excited to learn if it involves chances to talk.  Most of them did pretty good on their essays and some of their responses were completely priceless.  The topic was "what do you think someone moving to your city would like or dislike?"  One of my favorite responses was "there are many mountains here for climbing.  And many hospitals for after climbing."  Another great one gave amazing insight into the brain of a 14-year-old boy, "Daegu has the most pretty girls.  I love daegu!"

I am finally feeling comfortable taking cabs.  The next big step will be the bus and the subway.  This weekend I am going to attempt to make it out to Daegu National Museum and maybe Yakjeon-golmok Market as well.  I also am making another trip to E Mart to get some serious shopping done.

A Week In And Loving It

Finally settling in here in Korea.  I am really loving it!  There are so many interesting things to see and try and do.  But I can show you all that through the pictures.  My first week has been pretty easy at work.  I have been observing the other foreign teachers while they teach so I can get a feel for the way they teach.  Monday and tuesday went great, wednesday I actually got to teach a some classes.  The students are really cute, most of them.  They ask silly questions and get really nervous and laugh when I answer them.  Thursday and friday were supposed to be observation and teaching of two of the teachers classes, until something crazy happened on Friday.

Friday morning everyone from work met for a trip to a traditional Korean lunch out in the countryside just outside Daegu.  The food was amazing and it was really fun to get out of the office with everyone and get a chance to talk.  After lunch, we all returned to work and us foreign folk went to burn an hour and a half before we had to be at work. I went home and did some laundry.  When I got back to work I started to prep for the two classes I was teaching.

About twenty minutes before classes began, I was notified that instead of teaching those two classes, I would be following one of our other teachers the whole day and then, starting monday, I would be taking over there classes.  I was supposed to have at least one more week of training before I was assigned my own classes.  So, I get to start teaching a bit earlier than I thought.  Apparently this other teacher is no longer working with the school.

Today I am heading to the E Mart to get some last supplies for my apartment and to explore the city a bit more.  I will have to take a taxi back to my apartment but for two dollars, it is totally worth it.  I will take lots more pictures, but here are some new ones for now.

First Trip To The Store

I braved one of the local markets yesterday all by myself.  I didn't actually get all the stuff I needed because I got a little overwhelmed.  There was more strange food then I have ever seen and the food and other stuff was all over the place.  None of this is said in a negative way.  I had no clue what I actually needed to buy and no clue what to make with the stuff that I did buy.  But I made it there and back, bought things with money I am not familiar with, and left after paying the correct amount.  Overall successful trip.

I need to go back again today to get a few other things, like a knife, toilet paper, and a broom.  Not really looking forward to carrying a broom and a big package of toilet paper back to my place.  Here are some pictures of the walk and of the stuff I found there.

Quail eggs.

Ramen.... So many options

More shopping options

My new street.  I'm up past the blue car.

Giant maple leaf looking leaf

My first homemade meal.  Classy, I know.

Longest Day Ever, But Really Good Day

Guess who is finally in Daegu!  That's right, me!

Okay, so I guess I need to give you an overview of my super sweet trip here.

Started out at 5 am on (what day is it?) Tuesday headed to the Chicago airport with my parents.  I made it through everything all right and spent the next two hours waiting for the plane.  I was pretty excited to discover that I not only had a window seat, but I didn't have anyone next to me.  So that flight wasn't to bad, though I forgot to eat breakfast and I would have had to pay for food, so I went hungry.  We arrived on time and then I started my speed run to the next flight.  I had only twenty minutes between the two.



When I got checked in for my next flight, they crossed off my seat assignment and told me to check with the gate when I got there for my new seat.  I was running late so I figured the had switched me for an even worse seat than center row economy, so I was not thrilled to get that news.  When I arrived at the gate however, I was told they had overbooked and that I was being bumped to business class.  I have never been in business class before, but this was amazing.  It was nicer than the first class on the first flight.  I got amazing food, and a tv, and a bed.  Needless to say, the idea of a 12 hour flight went from terrifying to pretty damn exciting.

My personal tv on the flight.  Over 500 movies to choose from.

Remote for the TV and all my other controls

My plane socks

Lunch.  At least one part of it.

After several movies, and two meals, and several short attempts to sleep, the flight ended and so did my trips smooth sailing.  As I got off the plane, someone was waiting to tell me that one of my bags hadn't made it yet and that it would be there in the next day or so.  Wouldn't have been so bad if it wasn't the bag that had all of my socks, makeup, and movies in it.  After struggling through the airport to the baggage claim and locating my two bags, I headed to the lost baggage claim.  It took about twenty minutes to get that all sorted out then I exchange my USD for WON and headed for the buses.  This wasn't to bad, I followed everything on the sheet, but when I went to call my boss to let him know to send someone to get me, one of the numbers was wrong.  This wouldn't have been so bad, except that my phone was dying so I wouldn't be able to call both numbers later if I was lost.  I slept on the four hour bus ride to Daegu and watched a korean movie without sound about a guy and girl who hate each other but then end up falling in love and he has to win her back from the guy that he got to fall for her.  Universal storyline.  No words required.

When I got to the last stop, I asked the bus driver if it was right and he told me it was, so I got off the bus and he tossed my stuff on the curb and went inside.  an hour later, no one had showed.  Thanks to a wonderful gentleman working there who helped me call my boss and find the people who were looking for me, I left.  I owe him so much and I will forever be grateful.  However, the bus driver who told me the wrong stop can burn in hell.  We got to my apartment and they showed me around.  When they left.  I did a little organizing then watched sex in the city, and fell asleep.  

10:50 AM Tuesday, November 2nd

That is the time that my plane should be taking off from Chicago.  After a short stop in San Francisco, a really short stop that will have me running through the airport so I can catch my next flight in time, I will be leaving the lovely USA and heading al the way across the big blue ocean, and landing 12 hrs later in South Korea.  After a 4 hour bus ride, and one or two other jumps, I will be settled into my temporary home.  On November 7th, I will officially move into my own place.

I though I had my luggage squared away, until I found out that the airline I am using requires I bring half of what I thought.  So it is back to the drawing board, but I think I can handle it.  Over the next few weeks, I will try to fill everyone in as much as I can but I am predicting that I will be crazy busy/stressed/air-headed to do so very much.  Also, I am not sure how long it will be until I get myself some interwebs to interact with.

So, it is back to the last minute scramble and freak out of packing, the forced snuggling of pets, the loving, though obnoxious questions of the family, and the strange desire to curl up in a ball and forget the whole thing.  Hey, at least when I get over there I won't have to deal with people asking if I am more excited or nervous, or when I am taking off.  Here I Go!!

Here Comes The Sun

If everything goes according to plan, by this time tomorrow I will be getting on a plane, or at least arriving at the airport, and heading out for the big journey.  Holy scooby snacks.  I have finally begun to panic.  When I think about the fact that I am leaving I get a nauseous feeling in my throat and go a little cold.  So very excited and so very terrified all at once.  I am starting to believe that it is mainly excitement.  I think the nervousness is coming more from the stress of getting there then the thought of actually being there.

And I still have so much to get done!  If I knew my flight information this would not be as bad, but I don't, so instead I have to wait until the day before and then franticly call the airline I end up flying with for information about the baggage rules and all that.  I have come to the conclusion that I will not be able to make things work if I need to get only 50 lbs a suitcase.  the cases themselves weigh a little over 10 lbs, and sadly 80 lbs of clothing, shoes, bathroom stuff, and other things is not enough for a year.

My mom's friend works with someone who's son is also heading out to Korea possibly on the same day as I am and going to the same town. While I have no clue who this person is, I kinda hope he is on the flight with me so we can flip shit together rather than in silence.

So now I leave you all until the next time I post.  If I don't leave tomorrow I am sure you will get an angry rant about it but If I do, the next post will be coming to you live from Daegu, South Korea!!!

Can't Get "Leaving On A Jet Plane" Out Of My Head

Well lovely people, The time is growing closer, I am starting to get more nervous, and I still am having packing trouble. I can not seem to get the right amount of weight into the right number of bags.  I am very close however.

I got all of my finances taken care of, and my banking stuff fixed.  I am starting to clean up my room and office and set it up to be left for a year.  I am saying goodbye to my pets, family, and friends.  I am collecting addresses so I can send people stuff from Korea.

Later today I am heading to Target to buy a new Ipod and headphones.  I have a big old bonfire set up for tonight, as long as the rain holds off.

Even with all of this going on, I have little to say because I have settled into a state of complete shock and numbness.  My visa will be returned to me by monday and I will be leaving within a few days of that.

I leave you with a super adorable picture of one dog and a video of the other.  Two things I will be staring at a lot over the next year.

Packing Pains

I spent the entire day yesterday going through my mountain of clothing, trying to slim it down to a manageable amount of stuff.  I packed up my large suitcase and the little one, ended up with only half of my stuff packed and a two suitcases that are too heavy.  So its on to Plan B.

I'm going to send some of my stuff in the mail.  There is no way around it.  I really do not think I have that much clothing.  I wear all of my clothes all year, adding layers when it gets to be cold.  I have a lot of shoes, most of which are flats or boots.  I have way too many scarves, hats, and mittens because my mom is constantly knitting them for me.

So, I will have the large 50 pound suitcase, the smaller 30 pound suitcase, a 15 pound carry-on, and my purse.  I will also have my parents send one or two 20 pound boxes to me once I get settled in.

Today, I head to chicago to turn in the last paperwork, and I say goodbye to friends tomorrow at the last bonfire.  I still have to get to the bank and call the credit card company and buy one or two more things.  I also need to email the travel and tech folks and ask them what exactly will be happening once I get off the plane, how do I get where I am going, is there going to be someone meeting me?  In fact, I think I will do that right now.

One Week, One Week, One Week!!

This weekend was a weekend of goodbyes.  I got together with most of my dad's side of the family on saturday to see my cousin Niki and her new baby girl, and to say goodbye to them all.  I got really tired of telling people if I was excited of scared and of telling them how come I was going.  I was tempted to make a t-shirt that had all the questions pre-answered.

Sunday I went up to madison to see Jess and Ian for lunch and a bit of halloween browsing.  Then I headed to my aunt's house to see her and say goodbye, then I went to Dana's new place in Edgerton.  Her place is super cute and it is in the middle of beautiful countryside.  She and Joe also have an adorable puppy who used to have the same name as me!  Thank god they changed it, that would have been a bit weird.

A week from today I will be living on the other side of the world.  I still seem to be unable to wrap my head around it completely, but after spending the day organizing my clothing and shoes and other belongings, the panic has definitely gone up.  Tonight I will be going over the exact measurements of the suitcases I can get away with and the right number and weights and packing everything to test it out.  Then I unpack it all, wash it, and then repack it.  I have taken over mot of the house with my belongings and junk.  I have also collected together a ton of stuff to donate.

Tomorrow, I drive to chicago to turn in the last of my forms, then i wait three days to hear back and get my ticket and I am gone.  While I wait, I will be notifying my bank, and the post office of my change of address and I need to call up my credit card company as well.  Besides packing and stressing about all that, I spend as much time as possible with my pets and my family.  I can not wait to be on the plane and away.

One Step Closer, Nine Days To Go

After a week of nail-biting waiting,  I got my visa insurance number!  Yay Me!  Monday or Tuesday I head to Chicago to the Korean Consulate to turn in the visa application and within hopefully three days, I will be all set to leave!

My contract begins on the 31st of this month, nine days from now.  I feel like I need to keep repeating this to myself so that it finally sets in.  It is almost too big a concept to get my head around.  I finished my last day at target, I am saying goodbye to family today, I have all but one or two things bought for departure, and I still do not really feel like I am leaving.  I have a feeling it will settle in a little more each day until the moment the plane takes off, at which point I will have a full on breakdown.  Hopefully not.

Right now I am beginning to flip-flop between really excited and verge of panic.  The panic is more related to the packing and keeping myself occupied on the 22 hour flight then with really leaving.  I have waned to do this for over a year and I feel like I am relatively prepared to leave.  I am sure the first night there alone I will have a good cry about missing my family, friends, and mostly my pets, but then I will be so busy learning, working, and exploring that I will forget to be lonely.

Well, I am off to cut my wardrobe in half!

A Whole New Wardrobe For $62

Platteville was quite fun as usual.  It was homecoming, not that that really effected my trip at all, and there were a lot of parents and visitors around campus.  Jess, Ian and I really didn't know anyone at all coming back for it so it was just a basic weekend for us.  Got there late friday.  Saturday, Jess and I sat around watching PBS until Goodwill opened, the splurged there.  Sunday, we relaxed, and watched more PBS, yelling violently at idiot politicans, and then went to goodwill and walmart for a bit more shopping before I headed out.

I spent a total of $62 on clothing while I was there.  I went with specific goals in mind and I followed them very closely.  I only bought one item that I wonts be able to wear to work but I can wear it anywear else.  My goals were to find nice pants for work, shirts to wear under my blazers, tanktops to wear under some shirts that are too low for work, and To find a few more cardigans.

The only thing I bought that I can;t wear to work was a black and red pirate sweater.  It was completly adorable and very me so I bought it anyway.  At a high cost of $2, it was a big slurge!  I will probably wear it all over the place this winter and in spring and, who knows, maybe I could wear it on some kind of holiday in Korea to work.

I found four really great cardigans there as well.  Two of them are plain and very simple.  I need them to go over some of the tank tops and t-shirts that I already own that have lots of colors and designs on them.  The other plain one is not the prettiest color but I loved the style of it.  It feels a little like something from the 50s with the one button on the top, and it looks adorable with a plain tank and a skirt.  The last one I found is a Liz Claiborne, pale blue cardigan with small flowers on it.  I wasn't sure if it was too pretty but it looks great and is so very soft.  Never thought I would become such a cardigan fan.

I also found a plain brown sweater that will work great with the pants I bought.  It isn't fancy or even all that pretty but I will be able to dress it up and it will be nice for those days when I don't feel like putting as much effort into my appearance.  And I got a cute little blue top to wear under my blazers, as well as a olive and black striped t-shirt.  I love that the stripes on the t-shirt are all different sizes and are not straight across.  I also loaded up on tank tops in various colors and patterns, to be worn under lower shirts and cardigans and blazers.  Pictured are about half of them.

I managed to find three pairs of trousers for work as well.  I didn't find a solid black pair, but I got two brown pairs and and a gray and navy pinstripe pair.  There were a lot of REALLY bad pants out there. Many were ankle length which I do not really like and one pair had the zipper sewn on the outside and looked like something a stripper wold wear.  The ones I found are actually pretty good brands, one is even coldwater creek.  The pants alone would have cost me over $100 dollar if I bought them new, which is why I love goodwill.

In addition to the pants, I found two very cute vintage skirts.  They are thick enough to be worn with leggings when it gets colder out and cool enough to wear in the hot summer.  Plus they looked great with a bunch of the tops I bought.

At walmart I bought a pair of $5 shoes, a $3 necklace, and a $5 belt.  I really liked the shoes, and they were gray flats, which I have been looking for, so that worked out well.  The necklace is long and simple, but I liked that it had some american coins on it.  I thought it would be fun to have some america along when I get to Korea.  I really needed a new black waist belt.  My old one is now to large for my waist and is always falling down.  The little snake detail was a nice touch.  Amazingly, I needed a size small for a snug enough fit!

And that is all the crazy stuff I got.  I joked with jess that I bought and entire wardrobe this weekend, but mine really needed a lot of these basics.  I am now going to try to pack again.  I think I am going to try on all my clothes and make them into outfits.  If it no longer fits, doesn't fit right, or if I can not make an outfit with it, I am giving it away.  I also need to cut back on the number of sweatpants, and old t-shirts I bring.

I also just noticed that this was post 100 for me so congrats to me!