Saying Goodbye is Never Easy

That is especially true when you must say goodbye to new found friends! Sarah and Amber, two girls I met only one month ago, are leaving Korea to head back to their homes in Canada and Florida. Both Sarah and Amber have been here 2 years now and as you could imagine, they've been shining stars to myself, Sionna, and Pauly. Whether they were sharing the ropes with us of what places to go and not to go, warning us about new comers, or even just advising how to get around, they were always there. But their kindness was more than just helpful. It led to a bond - a friendship that I hope will last for years to come. I believe Sarah and Amber have completely shaped my experience in Korea thus far and it is hard for me to imagine this place without them. Good luck to the both of you and I hope we can meet again soon!

Photos to be or not to be...

You must agree with me when I say that "Pictures say a thousand words". And most of the time, those pictures say any words a thousand times better. But what is the point of taking hundreds of pictures? Maybe some hope for the perfect candid and maybe some just want to try and capture that "perfect" moment. Well I have to admit that I love the idea of taking hundreds of pictures because it certainly documents a series of events in the PUREST form. When looking back at all of those photos...they real tell a story - and as I mentioned before, usually better than you could tell it yourself with words. Pictures are memory keepers.

So then this brings me to my next thought. If you're going to take a hundred photos, then what's the point if all you are going to do is delete them all!?! It makes no sense to me and quite frankly I'm tired of it.

Day after day and night after night, my camera happens to run dead from all the attempts at documenting a journey. Then those photos are published and then one by one, they all happen to get deleted because of this reason or that reason. "I'm not looking my best in this one, please delete." Or "My hair is not perfect".

Let me remind everyone that they are PICTURES OF REAL PEOPLE. Of course not everyone is going to be "perfect" in them at all times. Besides, every ones idea of perfect is different. Photography is an art form!

Who needs Television when you can pretend to be like STATUES!!?!

Saturday had finally come! I woke up and hopped on a bus to Suwon to meet the girls for my first afternoon hiking trip. We wandered to a trail located behind a nearby university and began the "Rocky" run up the MANY steps. It was beautiful! All of the trees, dirt, and well...nature! We stopped for a few photos and at one point some Korean women were telling us "cheeseah" and pointing to their smiles as they waited for Sionna to snap the shot before they passed by. We climbed for about another 40 mins or so, found some kind of quartz-looking mineral, and chatted up a storm! We talked about planning each others upcoming birthday bashes, future wedding plans...ya know - chick stuff. Then Paulina and Sionna shared their most favorite spot in all of Suwon. As the path began to clear, we came upon what looked like a greek inspired ampitheater. It was one of the most gorgeous places I have ever seen. And I had no idea they were taking me there which made it all the better. Soon after our arrival, we decided to take advantage of my self-timer camera. Poses of everything under the sun. We even drew a Korean crowd as they stood staring at us in awe running around the place. We posed in our best "Romeo and Juliet" dying look, our best statue, Rocky - theme song, mission impossible...ya know the normal stuff! Then we decided to head back home but not before making a bet between Si and I ... ;)

And then I vowed I will perform there someday soon...just to see what it's like. You can't just run into a stage like that and not perform!

Still Single this Valentine's Day = Very Good Times with your Girlfriends

So many things happened this past weekend that in this case, pictures speak way louder than words. Thanks to Sionna, every portion of the weekend was well documented. And I'm talking 400 photos worth of documented memories! You've got to love her for that! I will share a little for those who have not yet seen our snowboarding adventure.

So I left work Friday evening and headed straight for Sionna's apartment. Soon after I arrived, we went to the jimjilbong (which for now, I will spare you the details - but you should know it's a bath house). We laid around relaxing in shallow pools of green tea and sat in the best massage chairs you have ever experienced! $1.00 gets you 10 mins of pure bliss!! Then it was food time (mind you it is 2:00 am at this point, but hey! that is Korea for ya!) We all agreed upon some galbi (which is where you are served raw meat and you cook it yourself at your table) and then we parted ways with Sarah and Amber. Considering it was 3:30 am at this point, we decided since we had to wake up at 5:00 am, sleeping was out of the question. On to Home Plus we went in search of snacks for our big weekend in the snow. We purchased Soju, water, cookies, crackers, and LOTS of V-day candy (with all of us single and fabulous, we would just have to treat each other). We went back to Si's to pack and wait for the morning bus. Si's backpack was large and in charge to say the least as she chased little asian men walking down the street. We were laughing and shouting...you'd think we were on drugs! We arrived at the bus stop where the giggles continued as we performed our morning stretches in front of the 7-11 in our shades (even though it was still dark out). The bus finally arrived and we took our usual seats or the designated foreigner seats (in the very last row) and began yet another one of our rituals: singing classic songs from the 90s for all the early birds to hear.

It turns out we may have over guesstimated our travel time to the snowboarding bus as we arrived an hour early. So we decided it would be a great time to grab some morning coffee and breakfast. To our dismay, the streets were dark - no neon lights to be seen and the sun still had not risen. Desperate for caffeine at this point, we wandered back through the subway station looking for any glimmer of hope. Paulina put her nose to the test and found us a Dunkin Donuts in no time! You could imagine our excitement as we approached our 21st hour of being awake. The hour passed by quickly and on our way to meet Aaron and his new friend Karim, we heard a voice say, "Hey! You girls going on the ski trip? Can I follow ya'll?"

Meet our new friend Nikki. We found our guys, boarded the bus with Adventure Korea, and set out to Phoenix Park (somewhere north of Seoul) for the weekend. Before we knew it, we arrived at a rest stop where Sionna helped me bargain for new winter gloves with a street vendor. Soon after we arrived at the rental place where we picked up our gear, took snapshots in various funny hats, and made yet another friend - Adrienne (she happened to be Nikki's friend and they didn't know each other were going on the trip). We then finally arrived at Phoenix Park (about 2.5 hours later) met up with Mark and Andy, and hit the slopes. Most of us were around the same level, but Aaron and Mark seemed to be having a pretty tough time. We ended up splitting up, meeting another new friend - Jamie, and all tackled a black diamond slope together.

Soon we were exhausted and needed some "chill time". The 8 of us new found friends checked into our hostel (my first one ever) and took showers one by one with our itty bitty towels. Aaron and Karim went on the hunt for bottles of CASS and ended up coming back with small shot bottles of Jameson (oops!). Si and I were about on our 32nd wind and Paulina was out for the count. I looked around the room and noticed a problem - no table. So I constructed one from the TV stand and shelves in the closet while Sionna unpacked the essentials: big ass bottle of Soju, (1) silver kettle, (2) bottles of energy drink, paper cups, and toilet paper. (We used to be party planners for a living - we don't mess around!)

Eventually, we went out looking for dinner where we walked into not one but two places and quickly walked out of each (they didn't have exactly what we had in mind). We finally spotted a Popeyes Chicken joint and observed the BEST performance of "Hey Mickey" by 3 little Korean boys on one HUGE open mic night stage at the base of the hill. After cheering at the top of our lungs, we went back to the room to get our drink on.

The rest of the night turned out to be VERY random, adventurous, and oh so exciting!!! But I'll leave all of those memories to the many photos. I'd be here until July reciting all of the craziness. So thanks Si!! And what a VERY HAPPY Valentine's Day it was!!!

I love the rain...

I arose from my slumber on Sionna's warm and cozy floor this morning to catch a bus back to Bundang. I was pleasantly surprised to step out onto the street and feel the "pitter-patter" of a light rain hitting my overly tired body. The air smelled sweet and it was actually quite warm, around 45 degrees. The sky was grey and gloomy. As much as I love the sun, a rainy day is always in order from time to time. About 20 minutes later, I boarded the red 5500-1 bus line back to my section of town. I sat staring out the window listening to the rain drops beat against the window like a drum. I watched the water spill into the road, flooding the sidewalks alike. My ride ends abruptly as all sense of time escaped me. I begin walking home, only first to cross the footbridge over the rushing river water below. The area was completely desolate, unlike any other time I had experienced in the area before. It was almost haunting in a way. I just couldn't help but stop in my tracks to take in the view of the riverside brush, the buildings on either side of the banks, the ducks floating by... I snapped a few photos with my camera and continued walking home. The rain was beating harder now, but still tolerable at best. I passed school children in the streets with umbrellas of all shapes and sizes, patterns and colors. One was bright yellow with polka-dots. Another was a pale pink color with white trim. The children twirled them in the air, splashing the sidewalks with dashes of color. I soon approached my doorstep and stood outside just a couple minutes longer to soak in a few more rain drops as they hit my pale, white skin. At that moment, I had a thought. With all the rainy days in the world, does everyone have a rainbow to look forward too?

Stop and Stare

So I have no officially been here two weeks and I'm not sure if people are just recognizing me on the street or if all of a sudden I look approachable. Because lately, well since Monday at least, random Korean strangers have been coming up to me to show off their English speaking skills. Store clerks, restaurant owners, and mostly kids of all ages. I happen to walk by a school and playground everyday on my way to work. And everyday since Monday, one child out of an entire group of kids will say hello to me. I just smile and say hello back. And then everyone giggles and goes off saying something in Korean. But to tell you the truth, I don't mind so much. I commend their curiosity.

The much older folk here certainly have another approach. They literally just stop and stare at me. I'm not sure if its the blonde hair, the blue eyes, or the albino color of my skin, but they say nothing. They only stare.

So it is at this point in my stay here where I completely sympathize with Paulina. See my friend Paulina is quite tall and very beautiful. For example, last weekend two little old men came up to her in the street, stopped, and just looked up circling her like she was some sort of alien from outer space. No speaking, no hand gestures. They just stared.

I am not so certain if I commend the elders curiosity as much, however it is really funny while in the moment.

Hooters makes you happy...

Yesterday, being that it was Tuesday, February 10th, was a glorious day for my friends Sionna and Paulina. You see, the 10th of every month is PAY DAY!! Their over month of waiting was finally over. So to celebrate, Sionna decided that everyone should go into Seoul and splurge at Hooters. Yes, there is a Hooters restaurant (as in the chain) in Seoul, South Korea. So I trekked from Bundang to Gangam via the magical subway. It was actually my first time and thankfully, it was very easy and I made it with ease (well, for the most part). I then met the gals at Hooters (it took me a little longer to get there) and we devoured all food in sight. From chicken wings, to chicken fingers, nachos, burgers, and fries - everyone was happy (just as their slogan implys) and stuffed to say the least. And yes, I ordered the largest angus cheeseburger on the menu and managed to eat the whole thing AND keep it down. I figure while I'm eating meat, I might as well go big or go home! After dinner, Sionna attempted to purchase a souvenir t-shirt but of course in Korea, they only sell size small - even in mens! Argh...

Unfortunately for as good as the transportation system is here, everything shuts down at midnight except the good ol' "cabbies". Taking a cab is always a special treat. We tried to wheel and deal a few of the drivers as they all tried to rip us off because we're foreigners and they think we don't know any better - WRONG!

Sarah: "Paulina you try to get a cab, I can't get anything lower than 50,000 won and that's absurd"
Paulina: "Okay how do you say 30,000 won (Sam chon won)"
Sionna: "You should try to speak with a Russian accent! Maybe that'll help...maybe they'll take pity!"
Paulina: "How do you speak Korean with a Russian accent?!?"
Paulina: "Samm chon vvonnnn!?!"
Me: ....HYSTERICALLY LAUGHING LOL
(Maybe you had to be there...I swear its the funniest thing I've heard in a long while!!)

We finally suckered one man into taking us to Suwon for a decent price. The entire ride was full of fun and much laughter (even from the cab ride as he could pick up a little of what we were saying). I ended up staying the night at Sionna's, picked up an ice cream cone on the way to her house, and even went to the PC Bang to catch up on the blog and tv shows!
Bed time finally came at around 3:30 am. My schedule is such a hot mess!!!

Every day in Korea is Halloween

If you've checked out my facebook recently, you will have noticed a slew of very colorful pictures.

WELCOME TO THEME NIGHT (the first of many I'm afraid)

This past weekends theme was that everyone must wear ONE COLOR ONLY from head to toe. Well if you've seen the photos...you know that's no joke, and everyone literally dressed in one color from head to toe. For those of you who have yet to see my photos, please take a deep breath, keep an open mind, sit back and try to picture this:

Amber: Dressed in a light Teal - teal pants, matching teal tank, and even teal undies. A Teal Temptress no doubt.
Sarah: Dressed in all Black with matching black framed glasses to boot - lover of Big Bang.
Aaron: Brother Blue as we liked to call him - blue button up shirt with blue jeans, totally thuggin'.
Paulina: Wiggedy, Wiggedy, White - Dressed in white capri pants, white flip flops, white tank, and matching head piece. Oh and gold shimmer dust to boot!
Sionna: A purple headband graced her crown as we move down to purple eyeshadow, a purple dress, and matching purple tights. Allow me to introduce you to "Princess Plum".
Me: Lets just say solid yellow tights. Okay and an identical yellow dress to match, along with yellow earrings, a yellow watch, and a yellow corsage. NO ONE PERSON SHOULD WEAR THAT MUCH YELLOW!!! (That is unless it is for a Korean theme night in which case, I was in luck!) I was Chiquita Cass - not to be confused with the ever so famous Chiquita Banana.

(SIDE NOTE: I feel as though I should also mention I had prepared for an all brown ensemble. However, when I arrived to the dressing room, things soon changed! And unfortunately for your eyes, for the worst!)

Well now that you have been aquainted with the Rainbow, I cannot begin to describe everyones reaction once we arrived to Club Shampoo in Suwon. And you may be thinking - it was that bad, that obnoxious huh?!? Well, you would be wrong. No one even looked at as twice. Seeing sightings like this are actually quite normal in Korea. Everyone has just learned to accept them. So our attempt at being loud and crazy turned into a night of well just that for us...but a failure to the "un-foreign" eye.

So all I can say for now is that every day in Korea really is Halloween...and that's the damn truth!!

Teaching: The good, bad, and my 9 yr. old Crush

So I've said it before, but I'll say it again. I've made it through my first week and I do still like this whole teaching thing. The majority of my classes are pretty good and it is getting easier. But I have come to the realization that I don't care for older kids. Any definition of a teenager that immediately comes to mind...I'm dealing with it on a regular basis. Not paying attention, not doing homework, the attitudes, the "I'm too cool for you and this school" persona. But then I just have to think of all my other students. The 7-12 year olds who look up to me and want so badly to have the right answers when they raise their hand in class. The ones who volunteer to read out loud and who PARTICIPATE. Which brings me back to my older students. I literally sit and talk out loud with myself (not that its much different than before). Just now, it's for a 2 or 3 hour time period. I find days where I just stand at the board and talk about anything that comes to mind so when I'm being watched on camera, it looks as though I'm providing a wealth of knowledge to the youth of Korea.

But there is one boy on my Tuesday/Thursday class who I have come to adore. His name is Denny - I think he is 9 years old (He is 11 in Korean because they are already 1 year old when they're born - it's really just so confusing). But he has moved from the last desk on my class on the first day to now front row and center. I may or may not have a crush on Denny but he does happen to be my most prized pupil. I hold a very special place in my heart for him. For example, in our first class, I tried to teach the students about the concept of "love at first sight" as the phrase arose in our daily reading assignment. So I begin giving all of these examples and then the last one I gave went something like, "So really, I could be walking down the street in Bundang and see a young man and think he was really cute and it COULD be love at first sight." Well then little Denny rose his hand ever so shyly and said, "Teacher! Can you have love at first sight with a little boy?!?" Ohhhh Denny...all I could do was laugh and shake my head yes.

Well today, as Denny and I grow closer, he asked me a new series of questions. He was asking me what tended to means. The book stated something about a farmer tending to his crops. So I respond, "It's like to care for or look after. I could also say that I tend to the children - my students, I care for them. I help answer questions and make sure they do their homework."

Denny: "Cassandra Teacher! Do you have children?"
Me: "No Denny, I do not have children, just many students."
Denny: "Teacher, are you married?"
Me: "No Denny, I am not married."
Denny: "Ohhh...hmm", with a puzzled look on his face.

Ahhhh....I do just love our time together. And he does help me with my Korean. All I have to do now is wait 15 years or so for him to be old enough to marry....(sigh)

Don't judge a book by the cover...

Or in my case, don't judge Korean junk food by the pictures....

Last night I visited my local 7-11 and made some small talk with the cashier there. My mix of english and korean is much better than my korean by itself. but the young man and I exchanged a few laughs...he prolly just likes my blonde hair.

so i begin paroosing through the isles and grabbed a few miscellaneous things purely out of curiosity. i came across this bag of potato chip type things and thought to myself, "sure! why the hell not!" They were cute little octopus shapes.

i venture home, try one of each item and then i come to the bag of chips. without much thought, i tossed one into my mouth. then another. and then another. (then the "talking to myself" kicks in)

"what the hell?!"
"'these are seafood flavor!!!!"

NO junk food should EVER be seafood flavor. It's terrible! i should have paid more attention to the cute shapes lol and took the cue from that!

so lesson learned...don't judge ANYTHING by the cover or you could be seriously surprised!

There's a first time for everything...

Today was a day of many firsts. I began my morning with a run alongside the river in which I can never rememeber the name of. I then took a different way home than normal, explored more of the many side streets in my hood, showered, and ate some oatmeal. I then nervously hopped into a taxi and headed to E-Mart. E-Mart is also like a walmart turned department store where I can buy other things than basic staples from my local 7-11. I roamed the many different floors in attempt to gain some familiarity and people were shouting things to me in Korean behind their counters. I eventually purchased a few items for my apt. as well as some groceries and trekked back home with my 2 canvas bags (go green!). Then at last I stumbled upon the infamous Korean street vendor. Now I should mention I have been looking for fresh produce EVERY DAY since my arrival and have been quite unsuccessful. So you could only imagine my delight as I approached the cart full of fruits, beans, and veggies!! Luckily there were signs with prices so I picked up a bag of mandarin oranges and paid my 2,000 won. I'm not ready to bargin with the vendor quite yet, but soon enough!

The walk was lovely but 40 mins later, I really wished I had taken a cab back home. Finally after 55 mins I arrived home safe and sound, dumped my new things on the floor, and picked up my material for work - I was about to be late! So by the time 10pm rolled around, I was starving! After work I decided that my Korean was good enough to go to a kimbop I found on one of my many journeys home. The woman I see there daily is very nice to me and happens to speak NO english whatsoever (bummer for me). But I manage to order some dumplings accompanied by sides of kimchi, radishes, and soup and scarf them all down as soon as they land on the table. I then played charades with the woman and she shows me what I ordered on the menu and I named some other food items and she pointed to the words so I know for next time. She must think I'm completely insane - but I'm okay with it!

I then walked home yet again, and upacked my groceries from the afternoon. Oh! I forgot to mention that for days, well since my arrival, that I have been sitting home in COMPLETE silence. I have a TV, but no channels, no radio , no computer, no nothing! And for those who know me well - it's been TORTURE!! So I bought a DVD player off a girl from work and yes the first thing I watched was my favorite episode from Sex and the City - I heart NY. I couldn't think of a more glorious moment. lol

So in my eyes, today was a HUGE SUCCESS!!
1. I took a taxi and managed to get to the right place
2. I traveled to E-mart
3. I bought produce from a street vendor
4. I made it home from E-Mart without getting lost
5. I ordered dinner in Korean and got what I wanted (that's huge!)
6. Watched Sex and the City in Korea

Hooray! I am thinking life couldn't get any better.

Next step - learning how to take out the trash, and that's no joke! ;)

FINALLY EMPLOYED!!!

And boy does it feel good! Especially considering I haven't been working since early December. I am so much looking forward to my next paycheck in early March... and I mean literally!! But it is official. You may now refer to me as Professor Cassandra, or as the children say, "Cassandra Teacher, teacher, TEACHER!!!?!" :)

My first day of teaching was a huge success! I made it through my first two classes (of three) with ease and the children seemed to be enjoying themselves. However, my third and final class of the night consisted of 3 teenage boys. Lets just say I pretty much talked to myself, answering my own questions for the 2hr. duration as they sat there glazed over with no interest in what I had to say.

Despite the inevitable, I must admit I do happen to like this teaching gig way more than I thought I would! But, it is still early in the game. Tune in for next weeks' out cry for sanity! ;)

Welcome to Korea...Unwelcome all Vegetarians

I am ashamed. I lasted THREE DAYS in Korea without eating meat. But last night, I caved in. It is very difficult to be a vegetarian here - much harder than I ever imagined. And anything I order which I think is vegetarian ALWAYS has some sort of meat in it. For example, I ordered vegetables and fried rice for lunch yesterday at the Kimbop. Well to my surprise when it arrived, it was white rice and veggies, laced with ham wrapped in egg whites (almost like an omelet) and then covered with two kinds of sauces. It was also served with soup that looked (and tasted like chicken broth) as well as vegetable dumplings - which had pork all throughout. I have a hard enough time trying to order and when it does arrive, I can't just not it eat - I have to eat! Ugh. Such a bummer! So yes, it is official. I am now eating meat and I'm not too crazy about the idea. But it's meat or starve! So at dinner I had my first bite of pork and I chewed it forever because I didn't want to swallow it. Every bite I took, I wanted to spit it out. But I had a few more pieces and had enough for one day. The texture is terrible!! I also had bacon with my eggs at breakfast this morning. UGH!! This is all soo crazy to me! But one of my fellow teachers came here as a vegetarian as well and didn't last too long. Even the veggies they do serve has been soaking in meat sauces - its virtually impossible.

But enough about meat - and me hating it lol. I took my first bus to Suwon to visit Paulie and Sionna. It was actually quite simple and it only took me 30 mins which I was quite pleased with!! Much closer than I imagined - and by cab, Sionna told me it took 20 mins. So it depends on traffic really. Sionna also took a bus to see me and it was a 45 min drive. BUT - the best part is that it only costs 18,000 won which is the equivalent to $1.80. FANTASTIC!!! We visited for a while and I got to see their school and both of their apartments. They took me to Home Plus, which is AMAZING by the way, to help me purchase a few items like laundry detergent and bath towels. Its like a huge walmart that is sky high with many floors of different items. Later that evening, I made my first trip into Seoul. It was so beautiful with all of the neon lights and the millions of people. It's like NYC on steroids!! We ate dinner and then went to two clubs. They were both enormous, filled with smoke and crazy strobe lights, and played western music - all hiphop I know and sang along too!

Now something I don't think I will ever understand is men's fashion in Korea at nightclubs. They are VERY fashionable - some of the most materialistic people I've ever seen. But the club is full of hundreds of people, shoulder to shoulder dancing, and the men are all wearing hoodies with scarves and winter hats or jackets with scarves, etc. Really - just a lot of layers. I walked in and was dying of heat right away. I just don't know how they do it! I also have to admit, I find a good handful of Korean men quite handsome. I think I may be in trouble here!! ;)

But I made it home safely. I'm looking forward to vegging out today and preparing for my lesson plans tomorrow. It's my first big day of teaching!!! I'm nervous and stressed - but it will just take some time to get into my groove! So by the next time you read this, I might be a teacher!!! :) Hooray!