A Year of Many Thanks

There was no Macy's Day Parade. No turkey paired with the "fix-ins". No family squished around a table gorging and chatting away. No male family members deer hunting. No football game or football talk. No after turkey naps. No apple pie or pumpkin roll. And no game of dominoes.

There was just me, at work, thinking about all the things I was missing out on being a gazillion miles away on Thanksgiving Day. And if you think about it, that's quite ironic. I was left to sit alone and actually be thankful for all that I have in my life. This year, Thanksgiving wasn't just about having a day off and eating a lot of great food. It was like taking a look back at this past year and realizing how good I really have it. I am thankful for everyone in my life and all of the experiences I have had. And, I am thankful for being me. I am happy, and that's all a girl can really ask for.

Birthday Make-up

We're not talking cosmetics here. We're talking about the fact that I didn't do anything special on my big day.

So despite my poor health, I decided to lift my spirits with liquid spirits at Dublins with all of my friends. I think by the end of the night, I sampled all the drinks Dublin's has to offer. Car Bombs, martinis, mixed drinks, beer, and shots galore filled my insides and I was feeling much better about my Birthday-less Birthday the day before. I even received a home-made card (the best kind), a can of fake snow that was sprayed into the air all throughout the night, a stellar performance by Andrew that included all of my favorite upbeat cover songs, many shout-outs on the microphone, an amazing fire show, a few gifts, a delicious Korean cake (that I ate all of the chocolate pieces off of and then later started a cake fight with), and lots of love from all my friends.

All in all, it turned out to be a great night and a super fantastic 24th Birthday celebration! Like always, I closed the bar at 3 am and actually SK, the beautiful bar owner, kept Dublins open for myself, Cho, Alex, and the bartenders (DJ, Matt, and Tae) for a private after party with some grub and many bottles of soju. I think I got home around 6 am and in one piece.

When I woke up the next day for work, I moved at a snail's pace to get ready and all with a headache the size of Jeju Island. Now all that's left on the birthday agenda is round 2 which will take place Saturday night in the busy and eclectic area of Hongdae. I'm looking forward to a night of birthday magic and debauchery.

Birthday-less in Korea

If there's something I've learned about having a winter birthday, it's that with the cold, blustery air, flu season comes blowing in. Unfortunately I didn't get to really enjoy my birthday because I woke up with an awful cold. I somehow managed to get to the gym but I only lasted about 5 minutes on the treadmill before I had to call it quits on my cardio session due to not being able to breathe. When I got to work a few hours later, I headed to the Doctor's office for some meds. The Doctor insisted that I get tested for Swine Flu as I had all of the symptoms. But unfortunately I had to decline due to lack of time. I made it through the day of teaching, drinking 2 liters of orange juice in 6 hours. And then I had to cancel my birthday dinner afterwards to go home and rest.

On top of the misery I was feeling, my school forgot it was my birthday and I didn't get the cake I was looking forward to (as this is what our school does for every one's birthday). So yes, I was sick, not blowing out 24 candles, and not celebrating whatsoever that it was my Champagne year. Hopefully I can make up for it over the weekend. Happy fan-freakin' Birthday to me! ;)

I Stayed Alcohol Free Until 11-23

Not that this is something I should totally be proud of. But when you're in a country where everything is based around alcohol, it can be considered a major feat. So for all of you hooligans who said I didn't stand a chance, believe it, because I can say no. And in fact, it's Wednesday, November 25th and I still haven't consumed a drop!

Officially Winter!

After so many years in the sunny desert, I've forgotten what it feels like to experience the first snow of the season! This is surely the first time I can remember enjoying a moment like this as I took it for granted growing up in the very snowy upstate area of New York.

I remember always dreading this time of year because all it meant to me was slippery road conditions, scraping the windshield, and shoveling the driveway. But now that I don't have any of those responsibilities and it doesn't really snow much here, I really embraced every giant, fluffy snowflake that landed on my brow as I walked home from work last Friday night. In fact, I was so excited that I ordered a pizza feast (stuffed crust Hawaiian, garden salad, and oven spaghetti), rented two of the best Christmas movies ever: Home Alone 1 AND 2, and headed over to Jee's house for some quality girl time.

Although the air was chilly, I had my MP3 player and a list of Christmas tunes, an Italian feast, and Jee to keep my spirits warm. Who knew I would come to love the snow! I guess I'll have to just wait until our first "out of the blue" snow storm. Then all of those happy feelings may melt along with the slushy snow!

Why I Love My Family

I recently called home just to check in and see how things have been going. In a short time, I learned that Peter has been grounded from his guitar as he's been slacking on his homework. I learned that football season is over and that Jacob's team was undefeated. I discovered my dad's been super busy at work, often working over the weekends (which is somewhat unusual). I learned that it's now wrestling season (the fun never ends). And I also found out my brothers were making their annual Christmas lists, which was coincidentally one of the reasons I called.

Now you should know that this is the first year ever that all four of us kids won't be together for the Christmas holiday. Although I've lived out west for the past few years, Christmas has always been the one time of year I've traveled to good ol' upstate New York to pay a visit. So with myself being in another country and not able to make it back to North America, and Colt coming at that time for two weeks, my poor mother is devastated. And unknowingly, my two youngest brothers are feeling the same way.

So, when I asked Jacob (the youngest sibling, age 11) what he wanted for Christmas, he said, "Sis, all I want is you."

Well as you could imagine, that gave me the biggest grin from ear to ear and yet broke my heart at the same time. There is no doubt this Christmas will be tough. Being away from family and friends and all that is familiar this time of year is already feeling painful...even a month out. But it's so good to know you're wanted and that you haven't been forgotten.

Thanks Jacob. You mean the world to me!

Mommy, Care Package Juseyo?

In the almost 10 months I've been in Korea, there hasn't been too much that I've missed with the exception of family and friends of course! Over the course of the summer, I would have loved to get my hands on some Boca Vegan-friendly Burgers and couscous. I would have loved to walk into a grocery store and accidentally stumble upon giant Portabello mushroom caps and real cheese under the price of $20.00 per ounce. Even non-perishable things like undergarments larger than an A cup would have made me fall over with joy. But all in all, nothing I couldn't live without.

But now that the weather is changing yet again, I find myself being more nostalgic and craving more of those chilly/cold air items. With Thanksgiving only days away, I find myself racking my brain on how I can get or make my Mommy's sought after Pumpkin Roll or even bake a delicious homemade apple pie with my non-existing oven. Knowing the inevitable, I have tried to change my focus on more realistic items. For instance, how incredible those Christmas wrapped miniature peanut butter cups and Andies Candies that good ol' Mom always has stocked in little candy dishes all over the house this time of year would taste. Although Korea is full of Starbucks Cafes, a Starbucks Pumpkin Spice Latte (that is non-existent in this country) would really hit the spot in so many ways. Creamer for my coffee that I am now used to drinking black and real life ground coffee beans instead of the instant coffee I now consume would be almost magical.

I found myself thinking about all the things I would potentially love to have from back home if I had them at my disposal; the things I've done without for the past 10 months. Then that brought up another question. It seems as each day passes, I am leaning more and more towards staying in Korea for another year. As I am planning to visit home in between contracts, what things will make the cut and what things won't? Before I know it, I'll realistically have to make those decisions and it's not something I'm looking forward to. On the bright side, I know what I can expect when packing a year's worth of belongings into a few small suitcases. But at the same time, that same knowledge could also hurt me. Without a doubt, it's something to at least ponder.

The best made-up holiday

Pepero (빼빼로) Day falls but once every year on November 11th. It's a brilliant advertising campaign created by the makers of the Pepero snack, a delicious chocolate wafer-like stick, that also comes in a few other variations as you can see from the photo above.

According to Wikipedia, Pepero Day is an observance in South Korea similar to Valentine's Day. It is named after the Korean snack Pepero and held on November 11th, since the date "11/11" resembles four sticks of Pepero. The holiday is observed mostly by young people and couples, who exchange Pepero sticks, other candies, and romantic gifts.

I for one have been counting down the days until Pepero Day because they have become one of my favorite Korean snacks. However, when the day actually arrived, I was really wishing it fell on a weekend. My students were completely insane and all hyped up on chocolate and sugar!

I really wish the states would get the ball rolling and incorporate Pepero Day into the calendar. But then again, I wouldn't want to take anything away from our existing Veteran's Day. God Bless!

Alcohol Free until 11-23!

I can honestly say for the last month I've been a waste of life. I've really done nothing with myself but work, eat, barely sleep, and drink booze until all hours of the day and night. Although it was all in good fun, and mostly all for Sarah, I have become quite disgusted with myself. My health and good habits have vanished and my poor liver needs a break! So I decided that after Halloween, on November 1st, I would not drink again until my birthday.

As I made the announcement on Halloween Eve, everyone grunted at me with disbelief and said, "Yeah right Cass. There's no way you're going to make it, especially in this country." Lucky for me, all of that negative feedback has turned to fuel my goal and I've become driven to prove them wrong and stay alcohol free until 11-23. (Why 11-23 you may ask? Because it's my friends g'bye party and technically I turn 24 at midnight ^^.)

I've already turned down four drinking invitations and I managed to stay sober for two open mic nights. Everybody is making bets on when I'll crack, but the truth is, I can say no despite popular belief...and my liver and wallet are thanking me dearly.

Me vs. G-Dragon

One of the lead singers from the popular boy band group called Big Bang has gone solo and produced his own album with a few rather catchy hits. To make himself stand out and be known to the public minus the other band members, G-Dragon has died his jet black Korean hair to platinum blonde. I think it shocked everyone at first, but lately I've noticed bright, blonde Korean heads pop up among the Korean crowds. As mentioned previously, I too have jumped ship and went platinum myself. I have to admit my doing was for my Lady Gaga Halloween costume, but when I got out of the salon, all I could think was, "Holy shit, I look like G-Dragon." You can literally see me coming from a mile away!

So now when my students go, "Teacher! Hair!" I just say I'm G-Dragon. At least we all get a little laugh out of it!

Let's Go to MY HOUSE

Once the bar closes, no one really wants to go home. We all want to hang out and keep having fun!! So lately, instead of spending more money at a noraebong or some place you have to buy food just to buy a beer or a bottle of soju, I've been inviting everyone back to my place to hang-out. Everyone piles into cabs and off we go...to MY HOUSE!

Countless bottles of soju, jugs of beer, Korean friends, and crazy Korean bar snacks (like dried Squid, bowls of Ramen, and Mandu) tend to consume my floor until the early hours of the morning. But it's all good as it's been a LOT of fun. I'm so lucky to be surrounded by such good friends.

I'm already looking forward to the next few house parties (that is as long as the neighbors don't mind). There's a lot more fun to be had and my time here is running out.

A Lady Gaga Halloween

I have always been a huge fan of Halloween. Over the years I've had some pretty awesome costume. Whether I was a bag of jelly beans, Tinker Bell, or the Hamburglar, I've always had a good time. But I've also had some not so great ones in the mix as well (aka the year I dressed like an old man). Well this year, I think I nailed my costume right on the head. You can be the judge.

I've never been one to master a celebrity look-a-like. I've been told that I have similar features to a Madonna with her 80s retro glam or a Scarlett Johanson (which I really don't see). But nevertheless, nothing remotely remarkable. So for the past year, I have been planning on being Lady Gaga, the latest pop/dance sensation to top the charts. The artist known for her extreme, over the top outfits and super catchy dance mixes. Of course I waited until the last minute to pull it all together, but I honestly don't regret any of my decisions. My biggest worry of the night was if people would know who I was. I really didn't want ANYONE second guessing my costume and who I was trying to imitate. Well to my surprise, EVERYONE I came across was like, "HEY! It's Lady Gaga! Sweet Costume! I can't believe how much you look a-like. You look EXACTLY like her!!"

I've honestly never been asked by so many strangers for my picture before or to pose with them in their picture. Crazily enough, I was even asked for my autograph! Everyone was like you really do look like her...it's incredible!

So thanks to my new super-bleached blonde hair (which everyone thought was a wig and still do for that matter as I stroll through the streets) , blunt-cut bangs, my zebra print stilettos, fingerless black lace gloves, awesome shiny pink-metallic hoodie from American Apparel, black sunglasses, and simple black tights, I mastered this Halloween like never before. It's going to be tough to top this next year.

So Tired of Saying Goodbye

Good chingu's Dan and Krista recently said their goodbyes with a huge Galbi feast and soju cocktails. Although this popular couple is coming back to Korea after they tour around the U.S. and Australia, many of us will be gone before their return. I'm really sad things ended as they did, but I wish the best for them and a very safe trip on their travels. Hope to see you again in a few months friends.

My Month Long Binge of Fun

My first and closest friend in Korea leaves at the end of the month and I'm not looking forward to the passing of each day. Unfortunately for my liver, Sarah and I decided to spend every free minute together before she heads to America. Because we both sleep until we work and then we work together, our free time somehow always led us to some bar or another until closing time which then led to noraebong hours later.

As tired as I was this past month and as much money as I spent, we had a crazy good time. Lucky for us, both our families are based in Rochester so we'll be able to run into each other again down the road.

Good luck to you and maybe we'll both be back here teaching again together.

Taking the Dive

All Sarah wanted in her final days in Korea was to go bungee jumping and pay a visit to Jessica's Kitchen, an excellent buffet restaurant. So why not make a going away party of it! We met at Yuldong Park on a Saturday afternoon to take part in the festivities. Of the 10 + people that showed up, only 5 of us were brave enough to take the plunge.

The bungee tower is only 45 feet high and located over a small lake. But I swear, once you reach the top, you feel as if you're in the clouds. I was the last of the 5 to take the jump and boy was it ever scary. I decided to be bold and jazz it up a bit so I stood at the edge of the platform, took one last look down, then backed up and did a running leap towards the horizon. It literally only took seconds and everything seems like a blur. But it was the most exhilarating, heart pumping, adventurous thing I have ever done. We were all scared out of our minds, but once our feet reached the ground, we all said we would totally do it again.

As the sun was setting our tummies were hungry for great cuisine at Jessica's Kitchen. We all jumped on a bus together and headed straight to AK Plaza. Surrounded by plates full of food and cheap beer, we parked for the next 3 hours or so. Beer after beer and plate after plate of amazing food, we were all stuffed to the max and ready for some Dublin-time.

At first, everyone was in a food coma, not talking a ton and quite sleepy. But once everyone got over that, we had a "killin" time. We practically owned the bar...well because we were the only ones there. Mikey and I played every throw back song we could think of and everyone seriously rocked out. DJ even set up a live microphone for all of us to use. After we closed the bar, we all headed to noraebong for some classic fun time. For once I was actually one of the first to leave and at around 7am (due to some bullshit fighting between a co-worker and army boyfriend). I believe everyone else partied well into the early afternoon.

God damn. I'm ganna miss you Sarah. Always a good time. Love you half heart.

And I'll never forget...

...True love waits.

New Bling!

Considering getting a tattoo is never a good idea when you know that you will someday return to the unforgiving corporate America. Plus I don't see myself loving a tattoo forever. It's one of those things I'd love for a few months and then regret in the long run. So in effort to keep my skin ink-free, I ordered custom made jewelry. A "blinging" gold ring band that spells out CASS-AH in Hongul and a shiny gold necklace that spells out "Sarang" which means love in Korea.

I like to think of each piece as my "Carrie" necklace, as something I can always have to remember my time here. Perhaps someday I'll change my mind about a tattoo. But for now, all I need is my bling.

Quote of that Week

Sarah: Mikey! I leave in 3 weeks...can you believe it!??!
Mike: Wow...3 weeks. So Cass, when do you leave cuz that's ganna be a sad day.

To stay or not to stay...that is the big question

I am at the point where I literally change my mind everyday about whether I will stay here another year or go home and try to find a job. I keep thinking why am I living my life by a piece of paper (aka my resume).

I just need to do what's going to make me happy. I just don't quite know what that is yet.