Someone's out to get me...

So, I know that I posted a little ago that I had gotten sick. Well...it was true. And finally I got over whatever it was. I still say allergies...but others say different. Anyways, so...all the neon-green snot gone, I've been feeling better. That is...until today.

I've started having coughing fits again..and there's a bit of a soreness at the back of my throat. Now..I don't get sick. Everyone knows this. The Mathieus never get sick. If they do, it's something serious like Bronchitis. Never a cold. So...if I am getting sick, I have a feeling I know who it is. Jade.

Yes...Jade the little annoyance in my life. She has been sick for a while now. However, she's gotten to the coughing part...bad enough that she needs her little SARS mask. No, I don't think she has SARS, however all Asians have one. You get sick and you get a SARS mask. Anyways...today, I was helping the kids make Christmast trees from paper. And Jade just starts coughing right on me. After leaning my head to avoid the germs (like that really works), I told her to cover her mouth when she coughed. At first she just gave me a blank look. Then Sue showed her how, cause she's sick and started having a fit too.

Once again...Jade starts coughing.......right at me. So I tell her to cover her mouth, and what does the little brat do? She shakes her head no and starts coughing on me again!!! However, she never seems to cough when I'm not around. I think she just holds it all in until I come around her...payback from all the times that I've yelled at her instead of pampering her and doing all her work for her.

So...now...I'm coughing. If I get sick...I'm gonna give it right back to her. Petty...yes I know. Sinking down to her level...definately. But if I can get her sick enough to miss a few precious days of class, I'll be happy. I know, I know...that's just wrong. However, class is much more peaceful without her there. It's quieter...

So, Jade is out to get me. Maybe she thinks that if I get sick enough, I'll miss work. Tough luck. I am not, let me repeat that, AM NOT missing $140/day for being sick. I'll infect everyone in that school if I have to.

In other news...

Esther, today, was trying to make us teachers force our kids to learn somesort of dance for the Christmas party tomorrow. Last week Thursday she told me that I had to learn some sort of hip-hop dance and teach it to the kids on Monday. I watched this dance. It would take me a good solid day to get the moves out. And how does she think that a bunch of 6 year-olds would be able to master the dance in only 2 days? While in between classes mind you. Yea...I gave up on that after watching the video on Monday.

So today, we had to sing carols with the kids while trying to show them some motions for the songs. I got to teach the kids how to hold imaginary candles while walking in a circle to Silent Night. Then Juliene got to think up moves for Santa Claus is Coming To Town. Her moves were good, but the kids, being only 6 and having 30 minutes to get the dance down.....didn't follow. So, while we were all sitting in the gym listening to the music and trying to figure out what the hell we needed to do, I started dancing. Just basically doing a mini can-can to the music. Esther seemed to like that...because I was put incharge of teaching EVERYONE how to do it.

Yea....

So...now the kids get to do a mini can-can and Jazz hands to the song. Some liked it, others seemed like they couldn't give a rat's ass about what they were doing so long as they didn't have to go back to class.

Tomorrow..is the Christmas party. I guess all the parents are coming. Yippy. I have to put on a good face for them and not yell at the kids now...I suppose. But no guarentees.

So that's it...Jade's out to kill me with her child disease and I have to put on a good face for parents.

Oh...here's the video of the dance that I was supposed to learn to teach the kids.




Peace out and have a good Holiday.

The first time in a long time...

I've finally gone out!

I've left my apartment and ventured further than the PC Cafe.

Last night, I went out with one of my co-workers, Juliene, and some of her friends. Our mission was to find a place to go ice skating. So, we went out to Bexco (some sort of famous building in Centum City) to see if the rink was open. Nope. Instead there was some sort of concert going on. We, of course, tried to con our way in for free...seeing as tickets were about $99 a pop.

That mission failed.

So, then we tried to figure out what to do, seeing that ice skating was out. Karaoke! What else? It's an Asian country. Everyone has to sing. So while there...I managed to bruise my hand on...the tambourine. I'm not too sure how I did it, but my left palm is all nice and purple. But it was a blast. Got to meet new people and sing horribly.

Of course, it was far too early to go home after singing, so what's the other thing that all Asians do? Drink, duh. So we went to one of the 'foreign' bars in Haeundae. It was pretty cool. I guess Friday nights they have free drinks for ladies until 1. Let me tell you, I was pretty happy with the two beers that I had before we got to the bar (we bought some before we went on our quest to go ice skating) but I couldn't pass up free drinks. So...three Vodka Tonics later...I was gone. It was the first time in 2 years that I had been drunk.

I've also found something out while drunk. My already horrible pool game gets even worse while intoxicated.

Anyways, while at the bar, I met a ton of really cool people. Can't remember all of their names...but I think one was called Harley. Well that was his 'American' name at least. Oh! And I met someone else from MI who's a newbi too. Her name's Holly, and she comes from Rochester. It was great, cause when she asked where I was from, and told her 96 and Telegraph, she knew where it was. Yay! A Michigander!

But I guess she's been sick since she got here like 3 weeks ago. Insane. I don't know how she could still be sick. Of course, it isn't as bad as another girl I met, who's been sick for 7 weeks. I think it's really just allergies, but it's different cause they're in a new environment.

Anyways, so that was my time out with real people instead of just staying in and watching the Mummy.

In other news.....

My identity has somehow been stolen already. Not sure how this happened, but it did. I went in today to go pick up my health statement from the hospital so that I can get my ARC, and it was....already picked up. According to Esther (they had to call her to tell me what was going on) someone had already come in and picked it up on the 11th. Funny...cause I didn't tell anyone to go get it for me.

And what's even more special is that the hospital's policy is not to release anything without proper photo identification. Like an ID card or passport. Hmm.... I still have both my passport and lisence... So not too sure how they released it to some Korean with my name and no ID. And of course, they can't give the name of the person who picked up my statement, cause that's confidential.

Lovely.

The only way I could assume someone taking my passport is if they came into work, figured out which office was mine, rummaged through my purse to get to my passport, take it to the hospital, get my statement, return back to work, and put my passport back all before I took a break. Which, I see as highly impossible. And, well I don't have any extra photo's laying around, cause I gave my last two to the hospital.

Which really makes me wonder just how in the hell they could confuse someone for me when I have all my IDs. So...I'm gonna have to have Esther or someone get to the bottom of this. I really don't like the idea of some Korean trying to impersonate me. Unless there really is a Korean out there that has freckles and doesn't look Korean at all.

So that's all. I'll update again once I have some more info for you all.

My Kids are Rich

So...as of last update, I've been doing some research.

I already knew that my kids came from somewhat wealthy families. I mean, Sue's parents are both dentists, and another one of my kids' parent is a doctor of some sort...so there's money flying around. However, it was today that I found out that Calvert School is actually a real school in the States.

Calvert School is located in MD, and according to their website have been in business for over a century. Kudos to them. However, all schools list their tuition prices on the website for prospective parents. And after looking at it...well...these kids are loaded.

For the American school, the tuition is as follows:

$9,500 for kindergarten

$17,900 for 6-10 year olds

$19,000 for 5th-8th grade

Now...I know that I went to private school, and it wasn't cheap...however..... This is ridiculous. I mean...I think it was maybe around $1,000 total, per year, for me to go to grade school (and that's just me thinking about 5th grade and up). And by the time I left HS it was roughly $10,000. But..almost $20,000 for one kid in the 5th grade? And that's the amount paid every year until the little bastard graduates? Geeze. I know, I know...this school is meant for the rich and famous or what have you.

But think about it. The kids I teach, honestly, remind me of all the other kids I've ever seen. Well, minus some of the designer clothes. But, if what I'm thinking is correct...then the Korean parents are paying just as much if not more. I say more just because Koreans like to swindle eachother out of money

Oh, and not to mention that at the American version of my school, the middle-schoolers have to buy laptops. Really? Do they honestly need one? No. Well, at least I don't think so. No kid should have 'advanced' technology. And yes, advanced technology means a laptop and cellphone. I didn't have one. Didn't need one. They can have a pager. That's what I had and it worked. Hell, I didn't even get a cell phone until senior year of HS, and that was only because my sister left the country for the first time

But as I was saying...

8 and 9 year old kids do not, and I repeat myself, do not need laptops. They have a hard enough time concentrating in class as is, no need for something else to keep their minds wandering off in space. I know how they work. I was one....still am at some points in my life. And hell...I teach them. Korean or not, kids are kids and they're all the same.

At least my kids don't have laptops. If they did, I would confiscate them....maybe keep one or two depending on how nice it is........

HAHAHAHA

Sorry, I know that was random. I was reading the website for the American school, and was going over the guidelines for the uniform appearence of the students. So, after reading to see if their uniform was the same as ours or not (it's not...our's are cooler) I get to this line

Hats may not be worn indoors
Tennis shoes must have shoestrings or Velcro closures (no zippers)
No body piercing or visible tattoos
Underclothing may not be visible under school uniforms or physical education dress.
Shirts MUST be tucked in at all times
Logos of any kind are not permitted on shirts.
Rain/snow boots may not be worn in class.
All socks must be 6-inch crew socks, not tennis or golf socks
Flip-flop, clogs, or sandals are not permitted
Dyed, colored, bleached, or streaked hair is not permitted
Extreme hairstyles are not persmitted (as judged by the administration)

Take notice to posted item number 3. Okay, yes, girls have pierced ears and I'm sure that's ok, but...read on...that's right. Visible tattoos. Now, I'm not sure what sane parent would let their precious little kid get inked...but...this makes me wonder...have they had kids with tattoos?

Right.

I'm kinda happy I'm teaching where I am, because I get to wear jeans and what have you to work everyday. I have a sneaking suspicion that at the actual school, if I were working there...I would have to actually look...'professional'.

Bah to that.

That's all. I have more posts involving my kids writing the greatest things, but I'll leave that for another time. As it is...I'm gonna go and watch more Criminal Minds online.

Bye now.

Mc Sparkly....and....My Kids Write the Greatest Things Revisited

So...I just got done watching the Twilight movie. *sigh* Not as good as the books. Of course, not many movies are. But...I was satisfied none the less. I've been dying to see the movie, seeing that I left the States just before it came out. Let me just say...Robert Pattinson (Cedric Diggary from Harry Potter) as Edward Cullen was nice. I wasn't too pleased with who they casted for the other Cullens though. Alice is totally supposed to be shorter than Bella. But the girl who played Alice wasn't. Oh well, guess they can't get everything right. But...now that I know how the whole Korean movie thing works, I can go to the movies again. Hell it's even a bit cheaper here than back home. Tickets cost about 7000 won, which is roughly $5-6 and even their combos are much cheaper. Like $2 for a pop...where at AMC it's almost $5. So not half bad at all.

Now...on to my kids writing the greatest things.

So, every Monday and Wednesday, I have Bad Kids 1. For homework, I assign them like 7 words to write at least 3 times and then put them in a sentence. Tony...no matter how hard I try always write...'I like...' and what ever the word is. Sure, this can work for some of them, but not all. Which means, he isn't even trying to figure out what the word really means. So...I've been trying to come up with more creative words to ... encourage him to write better sentences.

However...Willy...he writes the greatest things. I'm not sure if he gets help from his parents, or pulls the sentences from the dictionary....but what ever it is, it makes me laugh everytime. I'm fairly certain the kids think that I'm crazy...cause whenever I check his homework...I start laughing. I'll give you a few examples:

-Band: The band dressed up in drag. (Not sure where he got this one from..)

-Sneak: Sneak a smoke (makes me wonder...)

-Cement: Time is the cement of friendship. (I think dictionary...or he's one...philosphical kid)

-Donkey: The man belabored his poor donkey. (dictionary definately)

-Cute: A cute little bugger.

-Alphabet: The alphabet of logic.

When I read these, I knew that I had to share them. They are absolutely great. Sometimes they make teaching just a smidge better. However, then I remember I have to deal with those kids....and everything goes down hill.

In other news...

I think I've caught some sort of child-disease. I don't know what it is. I've been feeling like crap lately, going to bed really early and waking up all tired and what not...and last night...well rather this morning...I woke up with a really sore throat and stuffy nose. Of course, I first wondered how I could have gotten sick. My apt is pretty warm for the most part, and the weather's been alright here.

But then I remembered...I'm surrounded all day by coughing, sneezing, nose-picking little kids. Not to mention that June has some sort of nasty nasal infection that he periodically picks at and wipes on this sleeve, then goes and starts touching my things. And being who I am...I completely forget about it like 3 seconds later, and touch my face and eyes and what not. The portals to illness.

I'm hoping....more like praying...that it's just a late set of allergies. Cause I'm not coughing or wheezing or anything. Yet. However, I can't get sick and miss work. Cause I found out that they dock you....roughly $20 and hour that you're gone, $10 if you have a doctor's note. But here's the best part...they don't dock you for the day you missed. Oh no. They make sure that they can save the most amount of money when cutting your pay...so they dock you for the longest period you work that's on your sched. For me....that's about....7 or so hours. So..if I were to get really sick and miss work...I would be docked...$140, even if I missed a day that I work only 4 hours (today).

Bastards.

So...no getting sick for Katy.

Oh...and I just might be venturing out tomorrow night. Might go hit up the bar that everyone goes to. I figure...I'm gonna be stuck here for a year, might as well socialize. Though I did meet some girls tonight after the movie. They were from...America...somewhere. Maybe Canada....but it was nice to be able to talk about the movie with someone. Of course, I guess that neither of them have completely read the entire series. Which...I had to hold back. Cause one girl was only 100 pages into the second book, which meant neither myself or her friend could explain why we were so depressed while reading it.

But finally! Other Americans besides my co-workers.

Oh...and it's official.

Sue has claimed Jason as her, and they're a couple. Well...as of Tuesday they were. Not too sure now...but onto the Days of My Life....Korea. I told you about last week, how Sue got all territorial over Jason and wouldn't let Kerri near him at all while we were cooking. Well..on Tuesday, they were really friendly. Like...they wouldn't stop touching eachother friendly. And that's a big no-no in the school. You aren't allowed to touch your friends while there....I think they're trying to enforce that whole...keep your hands to yourself rule, but failing miserably at it.

Anyways...

As I was walking out to go teach Kangaroo class, Jason had his arms around Sue and gave her a huge kiss on the neck! Now...even that is like totally taboo in Korea. I've never seen PDA here, aside from holding hands or arm over a shoulder. But...those are normal things that everyone does. I guess if you're two guys who are good friends, it's perfectly acceptable to hold hands while walking down the street...

Yes, crazy I know...

But, Jason totally laid one on her. This, sadly, made me a little giddy, as the going-ons in my classes are the only form of entertainment that I can get. However, on Wednesday...I don't know what happened. Sue was super depressed for most of the day. And Kerri...well she was pleased. Kerri and Jason were being all buddy-buddy while Sue was left all by her lonesome.

Jason...though only 6, is a player in the making. He has the girls strung after him. Not to mention, he seems like he'll be the love 'em leave 'em type, as he moved onto Kerri after maybe...a total of 5 days with Sue.

Of course, Sue does have her pickings of the boys if she wants. I guess that everyone in Dolphin class (all boys taught by Juliene) are madly in love with Sue. Especially Min, June's younger brother. So, if Sue wanted to...she could just move on. Oh well, I'll have to see how this developes. Hopefully once I get cable/internet...I'll stop paying such vivid attention to the romance between 6 year-olds.

I think that's it. It's been an official month since I've been gone *sadness*. Only 11 more to go, then I come back home and try to find a job.

That's it for now.

My Kids write the greatest things....

......I hate IE.


I had the greatest post typed up....

And....

then it was gone.

And I don't feel like re-writing it at the moment...

So now...

You all have to wait.

Blame IE.

I am Forbidden to Speak Korean....

While listening to Harry Potter and complaining about my kids to other teachers...I came up with a brilliant idea. As some of you may know...(if you've read the 5th HP book) Umbridge makes Harry write lines in order to get a message across. And Kate said that she used to make her kids write lines whenever they were bad. So...I decided to come up with a nice little sentence for my kids to write whenever I hear Korean. It is as follows:

I am forbidden to speak Korean while attending ETS and am participating in Katy-Teacher's class.

Now, they have to write that 5 times. Which...may not seem like a lot. But it is a lengthy sentence and much more than they have to write on a daily basis. As it is, I'm fairly certain that Bad Kids 1 hate me. They're the ones that have to write it the most. Today, I even made Tony write it 10 times just cause he started to complain in Korean while he was doing it.

However, I am a little leniant. I try to warn them at least twice before I make them write it. But....that doesn't work. The poor kids. I might give them tendonitis by the time they're done with me. Of course, Esther does want us to be more strict with them. Plus, while they're writing...I get a few blissful moments of silence. It's wonderful.

Oh, and by the by...the flabotomist did puncture my vein. I have a nice bruise growing to prove it. I guess that I wasn't the only one to have this happen to. Juliene said that they did it to her. I guess Koreans can't really see giant American veins. Or something. All I know is that I'm not too happy about the new bruise. Cause there are alot more on my knees and shins. I'm not too sure where they came from. I know that I haven't smacked my legs on anything recently...or at least I don't think I have.

Oh..and little bit about snow. Well it's over. It's now nice and warm. Currently it's 52...and tomorrow it'll be 62! Oh happy days! I'm sorry to all of you still in MI where it's cold and snowy. Wish you were here...where it's warm. XD

Seriously though...don't mean to rub it in. At least on Friday and Saturday...it was about the same as Michigan weather. I didn't like it. I actually had to turn on my floor heater (cause Koreans don't believe in using vent heating) and leave it on for a while before I was happy.

Though, I can say that I'm not missing American food as much as I thought I was going to. I'm happily content on eating ramen, rice, and kimchi. Though...I do miss packaged veggies. Most of the stuff here is normally bought fresh...not frozen. I like the convenience of frozen veggies. I don't have to keep buying them every-other day. But oh well. It doesn't matter anyways, as I haven't bought veggies yet. I'm holding out til my paycheck (on Monday next week) before I do any shopping. Though...I may hold out even longer....cause I think I might just buy a laptop with this paycheck. Not sure though. May even see if I can get some money from family so that I can get one...this way I'll have internet and can stop spending my money on the PC Cafe.

As much as I love it here...it's too damn expensive. Especially with how long I tend to spend here. But...I need internet....have e-mails and what not that need responding to. C'est la vie.

So that is it. Debating if I should go home or not....probably won't for a while...just because I'm running out of DVDs to watch and need to make them last. If any thing...I'll just watch them over and over again and learn Korean that way.

Peace out!

Flabotomists that need to be schooled...

Today I had to go to the hospital. Nothing serious. Just had to get a health statement so that I can get my ARC. What was nice about it was that Linda, a Korean working at the school, took me to the hospital and translated what the people were saying to me. I now have a hospital card for whenever I go in. Also, she gave me her spare train card. Now, all I have to do is hold it over the little card reader and board the train. No more tickets for me. And when it runs out of money, I can choose how much I want to put on it.

Super convenient.

Anyways, so we get to the hospital and what not...and I thought the thing was going to take at least 2 hours. It always does in the states. But not. It was only going to take like 10 minutes.

Awesome.

So we get up to the second floor, where everything is, and the nurses there ask if I'm...on that time of the month. Well..Kate warned me about this before hand. I guess the Korean's don't really know how to translate it...and all that comes out is Men...and blood. So once I heard the word 'Men' I shook my head no. So they handed me a paper cup to pee in. They even marked a line on it so I knew where to fill it to. How nice.

But after the pee test, they had to draw blood. That's cool. I don't mind giving blood every now and then. However, this woman....well I don't know what she was....cause it wasn't a flabotomist. The damn woman punctured my vein! And yes...I know she has to in order to get blood...but what I mean is that she went through!

How do I know this you ask? Well I'll tell you. I've had my blood drawn before. It was simple. And afterwards...I don't bleed. But no. Not this time. Either I've developed a blood clotting disorder...which I highly doubt, or this woman pushed straight through my vein. The second part is what I'm leaning towards.

Anyways...after I got my arm stabbed, I went in for a chest x-ray. Now...I know I'm taller than most Koreans...but the place that this man had the template raised to made me feel short. I had to lift myself up a little more to be able to place my chin on the little indent, then take a deep breath and hold it. Not to mention that my arms were at awkward angles....which made the hole that the nurse put in there only moments before....bleed worse.

After that...we had to go into another building that was still part of the hospital and get my height/weight checked, eye sight and blood pressure done. That was it. And guess what...it only cost me $50 for all that. I know that an x-ray back home would cost $200 alone.

After converting my weight (just finished that...) I've magically gained 6 lbs since I've been here. I think their scale is wrong. For one thing...I know that I haven't gained weight. And if I have it's all been muscle. Cause I don't eat much as is. I also blame it on the fact that I was wearing all of my clothes. They add weight. So the scale lies. However, I haven't grown any. Still 5'5". Oh well.

So...now I've been officially checked out. Now all I have to do, is get my ARC and I'll be able to have cable, internet, and a phone. I still plan on shipping my phone back to the States to have my mom unlock it for me, then send it back so that I can at least have that to text with.

However, I haven't eaten since last night...and I think that I should make my way back up the mountain so that I can make me some foods while watching Dae Jang Geum...seeing that it's the only thing that I can watch until I figure out how to hack my DVD player (I bought one...) or get an account at a DVD place here.

That's All!

Teacher Teacher It's SNOWING!

So, there's a funny rumor going around.

It doesn't snow in Pusan.

HA!

When I knew that I was coming to Pusan, the first thought I had was "Good...it doesn't snow there.." And according to all of my students and the other teachers here, it doesn't. Or make that didn't.

As I was walking to work this morning there were little white puffs floating in the air. At first I thought...'Well..it's snowing..' but then, it doesn't snow in Pusan. So..I had to be wrong. As I continued walking down the mountain there were more of those little white puffs. So...the next thought I had was that someone's pillow must have ripped open and it was the stuff from inside.

But...no...my little dilusions were ruined once one of those puffs hit my face...and melted. I was greatly disappointed to finally accept that it was snowing. So, I made my way into work, trying my best to ignore the snow falling and jamming out to the CD that I was listening to (which I'm fairly certain that the Koreans now think that I'm insane cause I sing to myself).

By the time I got to work, it seemed like it had stopped. Ah. No more snow and I could go back to my blissful way of thinking that no snow ever falls in Pusan. As I was talking with Mike over trivial matters, I brought up that it was snowing while I walked into work. This confused the poor man. It seems that in the year and some that he's been here, there hasn't been snow. He honestly looked like he didn't believe me.

Quickly thereafter the conversation was forgotten and I went about making photocopies of the papers that I needed to pass the time with. That is...until Mike let out an exclaimation. That little lull in the snowing that I experienced was just the prelude to the blizzard that happened after I got into the building. Looking up and out the window at the end of the hall, there was a white wall of snow blowing past. No more bliss for me.

As I was walking down the hall all I could hear was 'Teacher Teacher! It's snowing! Look! Snow! Snow!' The kids were fairly excited to see something that supposedly never happened in the city. So...once I got to class, I had to make a new weather tag....Snowing. That did not make me happy, but pleased my students. Then...I heard clamoring from the other classes. We were going out to the roof so that that kids could play in the snow. I have pictures of this...it was actually kind of cute. The kids were running around trying to catch snowflakes in their mouth.

However, the fun only lasted so long. After about 10 minutes of this, we had to go back in to actually start lessons. That made the kids mad. They wanted to keep playing. But...we had to be the bad guys. Of course, this didn't stop my students from staring longingly out of the window. It got so bad that I actually had to close the blinds to keep them from staring at the snow and allowing them to concentrate on their work.

So...it snows in Pusan.

BUT!

It'll be back to being nice and warm on Monday, so no worries. 57. I can't wait.

Anyways...

Yesterday was cooking day. And the only thing great about that was 1) I got to have 'pancakes' and 2) Jason looked like he was going to kiss Sue. Now, what I mean about 'pancakes' is that it was pancake batter and everything...but they were made in a waffle maker. So...they were waffle-pancakes. It didn't matter. The kids loved them. I have pics of the kids making them and what not too.

But..onto Jason and Sue. I don't know what it is about the girl, but all the boys in the kindergarten class want her. I guess that Min (June's little bro) has a huuuuge crush on Sue, and so does everyone else. Sue and Jason are both in my kindergarten class. But on Thursday...Jason couldn't keep his hands off her. Like, she went over to sit next to him to help him color his Christmas tree decoration, and he just draped his arm over her and kept leaning in and whispering things in her ear. At one point it looked like he was going to kiss her. He even started petting her hair and everything. I found this extremely cute. It seemed that Sue didn't mind this at all. Hell, even during our cooking time, she sat next to Jason, and everytime Kerri (in my class as well) would try to take her seat, Sue would push her away and say something in Korean. I'm assuming it was a territorial issue. I think that Sue has officially claimed Jason as her's.

Of course, that doesn't seem to be detering Min at all. After cooking, while we were in the gym, Min would hang around Sue, give her things and what not. It's positively cute. More love triangles between the kids I teach! Haha.

It's sad that I get entertained by this. That tells you how...uneventful my life really is. Child romance makes me happy. Of course, it does seem to be causing some problems in my class. I think Kerri likes Jason too.

Hmm...

Oh, and in Kangaroo class, there's a new student! She's from Michigan as well. Her English is superb and even speaks like an American. However...she can't read...but she is only 4. Though, at such a young age...I don't know why she's in a class where everyone's like 7. Oh well.

Oh, and I've lost some students and gained new ones. One of which is Sam. He's in Dolphin kindergarten class. Now he's also in my E class which used to be Elliot and June. Elliot's disappeared. Sam definately has ADD. He couldn't concentrate on anything and would periodically drift off into space. It took Eddie (the headmaster) to come and force the kid to read to get through the class.

Also, I've lost John from Bad Kids 2. Instead...now I have Frodo. At least he's properly placed now. Instead of G2 he's in N1. Which seems to be more his level. Harry is still as bad as ever. I really can't stand the kid.

That's about it.

It snowed and I'm not happy about that.

So...until next time!

More news from the land of Korea

So...I left off at moving. Yes. I have. But I've found out that it's terribly boring. I have no entertainment what so ever. No TV, my PS2 won't work (no matter how many converters I try....though I have a new one and will be trying that soon), and no books (I've read everyone that I've brought....and even the one I stole from my sister). So I have to resort to walking into Haeundae to get internet. I've found out, though, how to get cable at my apartment...it's a bit of a hassle.

First...I have to get an ARC (alien registration card). In order to get that...I have to get a doctor's notice. Which means that I have to get myself to a hospital....get checked out by a doctor, pay $50...wait 5 days for the note....then go to Immigrations, do something there...pay them $55, and wait for my card to come in the mail. After that...and only after that...can I have cable. Which means I will be entertainmentless for about a month. Boo. I'm almost tempted, if my PS2 refuses to work, to buy a DVD player. Been searching around for a cheap one. So far $89 is the best that I can do.

Oh...and I'm gonna keep saying it. I hate mosquitoes. They're beasts here. Seriously. They're huge. Monstrous.....abnormal. And resilient. Those things just won't die. No matter what I do. Uhg.

So on to the kids (cause in my life....there's nothing else).

Well so far...they've been good. Of course, now I only have Bad Kids 1 and 2, and CS2. Bad Kids 2 only on Wednesdays...which saves my sanity. Oh, and of course, I have my kindergartners. Who I love. And they love me. Or so they tell me every day. And...I don't know if it's ingrained in the Korean genetics, but I must say, my Panda class loves to give me massages. It's great. All I have to do is sit down and kinda hunch over, and Sue comes running behind me and starts at it. But, because no one can be left out of this....Kerri and Jason must come in a assist. Then Jade, feeling alone, comes along and joins in the fun. I love it! I have my own personal masseuses.

But Bad Kids 1 are getting better. After a few good yellings and threats to write lines, they're pretty good. Plus...I think they've realized that they can't get rid of me. I have them for an hour and a half now. Which means, there's no new teacher to torment after me. And I'm not having any of their bad behavior.

CS2 are always good for me. Though, I did have to make Ryan and Eric write lines today for speaking in Korean. And the only reason why I did this was because we got kinda yelled at today for not punishing our kids for speaking Korean in class. We had a 'teachers meeting' during lunch (which sucked cause I had to miss lunch) and they went over what was going wrong with our classes in general. One was that we didn't punish the kids enough for speaking Korean/forgetting their books and homework. Also, we found out the parents don't think we're being strict enough for them. Esther (the manager that no one really likes) told us how we need to be stricter. It's not America. We can't be slack in yelling at the kids. We need to put a fist down. Well...not literally. Cause then I think the parents wouldn't like that.

So....I don't know where they're getting us not being strict enough from. I know that I personally kill myself yelling at Bad Kids 1 enough. Of course I did so more with 2 and 3 than with 1. But...I guess I'm gonna have to be...more Korean. That's what they want. But....on the other hand, I'll have to be more Korean without actually speaking Korean (we got yelled at about that too.....). Seems like they don't want us to use any Korean in class at all, and a few of us have been caught saying things like baliwa (hurry up), ya (I use this alot...it essentially means you...or hey...), hajima (I think it means come here), yogi (again...me), and I've used some Korean words to yell at the kids with, like shikidah (shut up)...or however you spell it.

Yea...things are starting to settle down now.

Oh, and my new apt...though nice and big with a washing machine....smells funny. I don't know what it is. I've thoroughly cleaned it on Sunday....but the odd smell is persisting. I think it's originating from my bathroom. Not sure though. I'm gonna have to clean it over again and see if that helps out at all or not.

Right....well that's all for now. I need to make the trek back up to my apt, try to force my PS2 to work so that I can be entertained tonight (I'm running out of Harry Potter CDs and batteries), and get some dinner in me.

So...

Fare thee well.

Movin on Up

I've realized that I don't post much about my daily life. Well...considering that work consumes most of my days, there isn't anything else to really post. However, I figure that I'll at least make one post about what I do outside of work. (This is going to be a short one).

Well for the first 2 weeks of my stay here, I've been living in Dongnae. Which is at least 40 minutes from work, on a good-the-trains-are-on-time-day. But last night, I finally moved closer to work. As it is, I am now a 20 minute down-hill walk from school. 30 minutes back up according to Kate (who I found out lives 30 seconds from me). So that's good. I'm not sure if I'm up to the walk back...all up hill. But I'll try it out.

Anyways, so...outside of work, I really don't do much. I visit PC cafes whenever I can, watch alot of TV...occassionally cook...and...that's about it. By the by...not sure I like the ritzier PC cafes (at one now), they cost double what I was paying in Dongnae.

I can say one thing though. Never drive in Korea. Yes...my third post was about my trip to the first apartment. However, I've gained a new appreciation for American drivers. Yes, we may be a bit crazy (dad), but still not as bad as here. For one thing, most drivers, I've noticed, don't like to drive with their headlights on at night. Another....the people with the little moped thingies don't really follow rules of the road. By that I mean, they'll drive on the sidewalk if they so please. Which is deadly...considering that you can't really hear them.

I've also realized that there are a ton of white people here. I won't say American, just cause I'm not really sure if they hail from the States/North America. However, where I work, there are a ton of them. Oh...and I finally have a shipping address. Check out my facebook for that. If you don't log in to that here it is:

Katy Mathieu
7th Floor SeJong World Building 1479-3
JaDong Haeundae Gu
Busan City, S. Korea
612-030

Hmm....I think that's all. I'll make another Bad Kids 1-3 post later. Need to run and meet my aunt and uncle with gifts of food and what not.

TTFN

Don't Drink the Kool-aid

There has been a trend, if you haven't noticed, in my posts. Most of the kids that I have are bad. Very bad. I think I posted last about being the meanie in Patrick's class. Well...since then, there have been more problems that I'm sure made almost every one of my classes hate me for.

Monday:

What a horrible day. Well not as bad as today, but damn near it. First, Jade was giving me problems in the Panda kindergarten class. She was captain, but didn't hand out any of the books, or participate in class. She just kept giving me the stink-eye. I kinda figured that it would just be a bad day. I'll skip Kangaroo class, cause they're always good for me. Then came Bad Kids 1. I seriously don't know how Patrick (I think it was him who had the class before me) handled them. They started the class off bad, and didn't stop until the end of class. I swear. At least they answer questions for me now, in sentences no less.

After Bad Kids 1, there were the Newbies. They shall be upgraded to Bad Kids 3. They were making a huge uproar. After the whole Silvia/June episode, they thought they could push me around. And, I found out who the ring-leader in the class is. Ken. He wasn't there the first few times that I taught, but has been there since. He's the one that starts the talking and doesn't stop. So, after handing out a few check marks, I kinda had the situation under control. (just wait til today...it gets worse)

The rest of the day wasn't bad. Thankfully. Except that I had to take Mike's class, so I was stuck there until 7, instead of 5:30 when I normally get to leave.

Tuesday:

The kool-aid has been officially handed out. Jade was being her normal 'I hate the world and don't want to do anything' self. I've given up on her.

Now, Tuesday and Thursdays are normally nice, because I don't have Bad Kids 1. However, I guess June's been talking to them. Cause, he and Elliot were horrendous. I don't know what it was, but they would not stop playing with random things. By the middle of class (the first break, cause I have them for an hour and a half) I had obtained a silver chain, two large magnets, 4 Yu-Gi-Oh cards (some sort of card game that fell out in the States like 5 years ago), and a paper shurinkan (or throwing star). Even after that, and checking their names off, they wouldn't stop. I swear, I think I'm gonna loose my voice from all the yelling I have to do. Anyways, I got mad enough that for the last 5 minutes of class, they had to stand with their hands above their heads. How I wish I had buckets of water.

The rest of the day was rather dull, comparatively.

Today (Wednesday):

Ah, so the horrors continue. Well Bad Kids 1 were their usual selves. No use in trying to say anything more.

Newbies (Bad Kids 3) were completely outrageous. I guess before I came in, June and someone else were semi-fighting, which got the class started. The only reason why I know they were fighting was because June had a flesh wound on his hand. Within the first 5 minutes of class, I had everyone's names on the board with checks. Well all except Mike. A rather quiet kid. Ken, Tim and June just wouldn't shut up. June was the first to go stand against the wall. But he kept going at it, so I had him hold books above his head. This was for about 10 minutes. I kinda forgot about him. Soon after Tim and Ken joined him. The class quieted down from there.

However, I'm sure they hate me now. Seeing that I've never punished them before. Oh, and I held them after class. They kept making bell sounds (seeing that the bells still aren't working), and once I said they could go, they all bum-rushed the door. That was it. I slammed the door shut and made them all sit down. Then, 1 by 1 I called them so that they could walk from the room like reasonable human beings, not a pack of hyenas moving for their next meal.

The day only went downhill from there. N3 (I haven't decided on a nick-name for them yet) weren't horrible, but they weren't their normally OK selves. However, time did fly with them. I've figured out, if the kids are good, time goes by too fast. If they're horrible little bastards, then time stops, and you're stuck in Hell.

My next class....we'll call them Teacher-Time class (seeing that's all I hear from them) were....well they were Bad Kids 3 level. They too have a ring leader. Lina. Dear god, can she talk. Talk talk talk talk talk. It wasn't until I made her go and stand against the wall, did I have some quiet. And with all the talking, I barely had time to get my lesson in.

And the creme de resistance.

Bad Kids 2. These kids seriously make me contemplate murder. Sometimes I wonder if the sentence for murder here is less severe than in the States. Max, the sweet one, was ok. He would talk when spoken to...and occassionally would gab with the other two. John and Harry just wouldn't shut up. I actually slipped a few times (okay, more than a few. It was about every five minutes) and told them to shut up...in English and Korean. However, it was Harry that drove me to fantisizing about strangulating a 9 year-old kid. He just wouldn't stop. He refused to take his test, even though on the ones he did answer, they were right. And then, he thought it was funny to give me lip when I handed out his daily vocab test.

That was the last straw. I went down and got Esther. She is the bane of existance for every student in the school. I can understand why, but still. They all fear/hate her. Hell even Bad Kids 2 John and Harry wrote in their books 'Esther Die'. I'm not kidding you. Anyways, Esther reemed Harry out for a good 10 minutes, and I was able to actually teach. Even John was being good for me.

However, after the reeming, Harry kept giving me dirty looks. Refused to take his homework, and stormed out of there. Bastard kid. I swear....I better not have this class next week. If I do...they may have to call the police for pre-meditated murder.

On a funnier side of things:

Most all of the classes have a daily vocab test. These are prepared and given to students before hand so that they can study off them. In the class I had to take over for Mike, Esther gave me theirs.

While they were taking their already studied test, I was reading over the one for the next day. On the bottom are a few sentences demonstrating how to use the words. And #2 blew me away. So much to the point where I had to leave class and show it to the other American teachers.

Here it is:

2) I'm (definately) going to kick his ass tomorrow.

Now...if you read this and don't understand why I find it so funny....just think. This sentence is to demonstrate how to use a word in every-day conversation. To 12 year-olds.....

That's right. We've just taught young, developing minds how to swear. Effectively too.

Another thing, though it wasn't in my class, a girl was rather creative with her essay assignment. Kate had her kids write an essay for if they were stranded on a desert island. Message in a bottle essentially. Well one girl took it literally, or was trying to get brownie points, cause she actually handed it in in a bottle. A soju bottle at that. Soju is Korean vodka btw. What was great was the message itself. She actually had a map drawn on it, with a danger spot (whirlpool) and where she would be on the island.

I don't know who this girl is, but she definately made my day better with that.

As is, that's all for now.

The Scourge of the School

As I promised.....here's my update.

I last left off at Bad Kids 2. Well luckily, I didn't have them again this week. Which saved my sanity. As it is, the last few days have been killer. I start off on Thursday.

Not much happened there, aside from the Mini-Olympics that was held for the kindergartners. Essentially, it's gym day. But, because of the construction going on (I guess Eddie sold the other half of the school and it's now being re-modeled), there's no gym. So...for the first bit of the day we watched Mr. Bean's Holiday....which the kids seemed to love. Honestly, I think Bean transcends all cultures. Then, after snack, we took them out to a little playground near the school where they spent the rest of the time until lunch.

I can't tell you what happened after lunch, seeing that I sat in my office and read until the afternoon classes started. Now, those weren't too bad. For the most part, my kids listened to me and did what they were told. However, on Tuesdays and Thursdays I sit in on Patrick's (he's from Texas I found out) advanced English class. Now...these girls are horrible. For those of you who know my cousin Bethany, imagine her at their whiniest. Then multiply it by.....100. That's these girls. For those of you who don't know my little cousin, think of the most annoying, whiny person you know and do the same. Yes, a grimace is fully acceptable here.

However, I guess that Patrick's been playing me up. Telling these girls how mean I was to my other classes, and what not. Trying to put the fear in them I suppose. And it worked. On Thursday, these girls were bbbbaaaaaaadddddd. I mean, I know I have some problems with Bad Kids 1 and 2, but...man. These girls could probably teach them some thing. The first 10 minutes of class was them whining about how they didn't like science and wanted to do spelling, even though they have a science test on Tuesday.

So, not having any of it, Patrick warned them that if they didn't stop complaining and start doing their work, he would have me step in. All during this, I was giving them my best pissed-off/you don't want to mess with me look (per request of Patrick). His threat held for all of two seconds. Five seconds later, I stepped in. One good yelling was all that it took to shut these girls up and get them to read. It was great. In all honesty, I don't think I've ever heard this class be so.....silent.

Now, hopefully, they'll be good for the poor Texan, or else they might just get me when he leaves (even though that won't happen cause they're merging the class with another in December....but they don't know that :D).

Now on to yesterday. I missed my first two classes due to the fact that the metro takes frickin forever, and I lost track of time. However, once that was over and what not, I got back into the swing of things. Yes, I had Bad Kids 1. And, they were at their worst. Sure, occassionally they would pay attention to what I was asking them, but Tony, Perry and Stevey kept on going at it. To the point where I had to start doling out checks. However, they weren't as bad as the next class. Who, on a normal basis is pretty good.

June (normally a sweet boy) thought it would be great to sit next to his crush, Silvia. Silvia, is a super sweet girl and one of the brightest in the class. This, though, caused a huge uproar. All of the other kids (who happen to be all boys) in the class started making hooting sounds and teasing both June and Silvia. It honestly got so bad that Angela (another teacher, who I will be taking over for when she leaves on Weds) came in and yelled at them. It didn't work. After she left, they started up again.

They only quieted down once I started writing their names on the board and threatening to put checks down. June got two. Just because he wouldn't shut up no matter how many times I told him to. On a side note, I found out that Silvia doesn't like June. In fact, she likes Tim. Which is hilarious to me, cause there's a love triangle going on in my class, which will make Valentine's day interesting.

So after that class, I had a few more mundane classes where I'm certain that the kids either hate me or think that I'm a moron. I'm leaning more towards the moron side. But then, I got to my last class of the day. G2. Which means that they're pretty advanced. And....can spell a whole hell of alot better than I can. I was going over the topic of summaries with the group and couldn't spell interest. I blame it on not eating all day. I kept spelling it as intrest. So...I had to be corrected by my studends. Maybe I should have listened to my dad and bought a dictionary. At least then I would be able to spell things.

Anyways, the topic of summaries went well with the exception of Frodo. Yes, that is his 'English' name. Some cruel teacher who probably thought it was hilarious back in the day, gave him that name and it kept. So, Frodo, who either hates me because I took over for Mike or just doesn't give a rat's ass about learning English, didn't want to do them. And...when reading, I wasn't sure if I had gone deaf or not. I swear, if it wasn't for the other kids in the class reading along, I would have assumed that I had. His lips were moving, but there was no sound. I had to lean in and get right next to his head in order to hear him reading the sentences that I gave him. It got to the point that I just took over reading for him. We would have been there all night if I hadn't.

So now, as it is, I have a class who hates/fears me that isn't mine, another class that thinks I'm a moron and all my other classes (except kindergarten, they love me) who hate me. I can't wait til I get some new blood. XD

That's all for now.

Dead in the Water

Right...so I'm sure that all of you are eagerly awaiting a post informing you of how bad these kids can reallly get. And I assure you, they're getting worse by the day.

However, as it is....I'm dead in the water. For the last few days I've been tired and not really willing to walk the 10 minutes to get to the PC cafe and type a blog that requires me to actually remember what happened in the days before.

So..you're just gonna have to wait until I'm full rested and ready to post again. Which....should be tomorrow (yay! the weekend!) I'll be sure to post a nice long story about how I'm the scourge of one class (that isn't mine) and how most of my students probably hate me...and how others probably think I'm a complete idiot.


Until then!

X.x

What was one is now two.....

So. Here it is. I've been officially teaching for 3 days now. As it is, I still love my kindergarden class. The Kangaroos are the best ever. I never actually have to teach, cause they all do it. Esther seems to really want to be the star in the class cause she answers all the questions even before I ask them. I love smart kids.

However, I was dreading the afternoon classes. Because today I had Bad Kids class (plus a whole bunch of new classes where I didn't know any of the names). Anyways, Bad Kids class was first. Tofay, though, it wasn't so bad. All the boys, seeing that Kelly was missing, actually listened to me and didn't act up.......

Though, thanks to Perry, my ass was saved from Stevey trying to Kancho me. (if you don't know what Kancho is....just imagine a little Asian kid taking their two index fingers and ramming them up your ass. Not a pleasant feeling.) And here, I thought I was safe.

The other afternoon classes weren't so bad. That is, until I got to my last one. This class, I shall dub...Bad Kids No. 2. Only three boys in this class, and two of them made me seriously want to do bodily harm. I guess it was because I was a new teacher that they thought that they could get away with things....but I quickly made them re-consider that. First off, they're worse than Bad Kids class. Harry and John make Perry, Stevey and Tony look like little angels. The two brats wouldn't shut up while I was teaching, even after I yelled at them and smacked both of them on the head with my flash poster. John kept reading his comic book while Harry kept talking and laughing so loud, I was fairly certain that his voice would be gone by tomorrow. And Max, the other kid in my class, was trying to read and do his work. I love him. He's so sweet.

Anyways, so after about an hour (the class is an hour and a half), and two checks later (3 checks means a talk with parents), I sent them out into the hall to make them stand against the wall with their arms held above their heads. If I had some, I would have made them hold buckets full of water. But, alas, I didn't.

It was great for the next 20 minutes. Max and I were able to get some learning done, and Eddie, the owner/principle of the school, came by and reemed the two boys out.

So now, they should know that I'm not some push-over that they can destroy. Buwahahaha! I have a Korean mother. I know how to deal with bad little kids. *insert evil grin here*

Oh, I've also found out a few things that I hate about Pusan. One is the mosquitos. I don't know if I've posted this or not....but the damn bloodsuckers are still out. After getting here, I think that I've been fed upon at least 10 times. And those are the ones that I can see/scratch. Another is that there doesn't happen to be a subway station near me. In order to get to work now, I need to take a taxi to get to the subway station, then take 3 different trains to get to work. All in all it takes about 40 or so minutes.

That's all the updates that I have.

First Day of School

I believe I left you all off at me leaving for Japan....

Well I survived the boat trip there. Though it wasn't at all horrible. The ride there was nice and sunny until I got to Japan where it was raining :(. But...I almost missed my ferry. I arrive at the port about 2 hours before it left. Thought I had plenty of time...so I started to read the book that I had brought along. After a while...I was wondering why the ticket window wasn't open....

Of course, I didn't ask anyone about it. I just kept reading, figuring that it would open....

But it didn't.

So after one more check to my cell phone (that only serves as an alarm clock and 14 hour-off clock), I realized that I had about 10 minutes before I had to board the boat. So...it was finally time to ask someone. Found out that I had to be upstairs to check in. With all that rushing, I made it onto my boat with no problems.

Now, the short time I spent in Japan was fun. A bit mundane at first, seeing that I sat around Colleen's apartment for a few hours while she was working....but once we got out it was a blast. First we had dinner with a few of her friends. I was surprised at some of the English words that they knew....most of them are colorful enough to not mention in this post....but regardless..

Her b-day party (which we were late to) was awesome as well. She rented out a small club for her friends, and it turns out that she knows a ton of people. There had to be at least 80 people who showed up throughout the night. There were 4 Wii's set up with various games and Nomihodai, which is all you can drink for the non-Japanese folk. Of course, I didn't take advantage of this as I am not that big of a drinker. But there were plenty of people who did...inlcuding Colleen, even though she had to be up by 5 am to make it to Osaka for an interview. My sister is a trooper to say the least.

But as the night progress, the party ended and club opened for the public. Which was interesting in itself. I mean to say is that I have never seen soooo many Asians trying to be Ghetto and Gangsta in a really long time. It was absolutely hilarious. Imagine short little Japanese men, dressed in whatever is the latest rapper-fashion, leaning against walls in dark sunglasses, nodding their head to whatever bass-riden music is playing. It was great.

But Colleen and I had a blast.

The trip back to Korea was almost as uneventful as the trip to Japan. There were a few moments on the ferry where I thought we might capsize....but it never happened. If it had, I would have been pissed. Not because I would have been stranded some where in the Sea of Japan, but rather because I had to get to work the next day. Yes, I know, my priorities are so set. Once on land, I caught a taxi back to my apartment. Or at least I thought I did. It seemed that my cab driver had no idea where I lived, even though it was plainly stated on the piece of paper that I had given him. Instead, the driver decided to call it quits, pulled over....and put me in another cab.

Now, this cabby seemed to know where he was going. He moved in and out along the streets with all the confidence in the world...that is until he got lost. 3 times he had to stop someone walking on the street and ask where something was (later I found out that it was the store that's on the corner of my street). 10 minutes later, I see one of the stores near my apartment. So, I started yelling 'Yogi yogi!', which in essence means 'here, here', and pointing to the store.

So, finally I had made it home and was able to fall asleep while watching the Biggest Loser.

And now....we get to the piece de resistance. My first day working. Well I didn't really, actually do a full's day worth of teaching, but it was close enough for me.

The first class I had was with the Calvert Kindergarden class. One of the classes I thought I would have a problem with. Just because there's one girl, Jade, who doesn't necessarily like to participate when asked things. But today went off without a hitch. Jade was active and seemed rather happy to participate. She needed a little help making sentences, but aside from that, she was a perfect student.

I love the class after that. The kids in it are so well trained by my co-worker Kate that they basically told me what they had to do, did it and were so enthused. Made my job about a thousand times easier.

However...after the nice morning came the class I like to call the Bad Kid class. It's not that all the kids in it are bad....but the majority of them are. The majority of them being 3 (there's only 5 in the class). Now these three boys, (Perry, Steve, Tony) enjoy talking non-stop during class and not answering questions when asked. Or...even better, completely ignoring the teacher when they're talking. Luckily, with my mom yelling at me in Korean all these years, I was finally able to put some of my shotty Korean to use. At least Willy, a sweet little boy, does all his work and listens to me.

The class after that was even worse than the Bad Kid class. I found out today that classes are devided up into sections that eventually will spell out 'ENGLISH'. E is the most basic class, and so forth. I had E2. Now, I figure that because they were a bit older than my kindergardeners, that they would know some things about the English language. Nope. I should learn not to assume things. These kids started to ask me where Mike-teacher was, if I was their new teacher, if I was Korean or American, and something else, but I didn't get it cause all questions were directed to me in Korean. After a good five minutes of yelling at them to speak English, I realized that they couldn't. SO.....I improvised my lesson. I began to point to the flash cards (more like posters) that I had and asked simple questions like: What color is this, or What is he/she doing. That only got me so far, and I had 40 more minutes to go. Then, I asked what sound a bird made, and they didn't know...which lead off into defining the word sound and asking them what things do make noise and don't. Then numbers, they seemed extremely impressed with one million and billion.

I've also found out how to take the metro to get me home. It still involves a taxi, but on the days that I get out early (like today) I won't have to wait around for Eddie to drive me home.

So, that's all for now. More work ahead of me, need to do some planning for the Bad Kid class and the E2 (which I shall dub the Newbies) so that they can at least learn some English.

Until the next update on my new (and not-so-exciting life)....TTFN. Ta Ta For Now.

In the Motherland

So....it's just after 10 in the morning here in Korea. Alot has happened since I last posted. Well not really, but it's somewhat interesting to read about.

I left off in my last post complaining about having to go back to Chicago to get my passport. Well obviously I did, seeing that I am now sitting in a semi-busy PC cafe with a whole bunch of gamer Koreans who like to play WoW.

Anyways, well while on the way to Chicago...my dad and I were closely monitoring the battery gague to ny truck to watch as it would drop then rise back up. Needless to say the trip to Chicago was a long one. That, and try as he might, my dad nearly gave me a heart attack with the way he drove. Half of the trip I spent with my eyes closed and my toes curled.

However, we made it about half an hour after the consulate opened. Making my way up to the 27th floor, I wondered if they would even be ready with the thing. Nope. As I asked about it, the lady got a bit miffed with me and told me that I had to give them at least 2 days to process the thing. Which meant that I had to come back at 3 pm. SO......there was a good 5 hour gap to fill. Which didn't make either me or my dad happy. We proceded to drive around the area to kill some time, getting lost a bit because I realized that I couldn't read a map as well as I thought.

So the boring bit short, we finally found a Borders, where we bought some books to read and pass the time. By the by, never buy smokes in Chicago. Too bloody expensive. At about 1, we tried again at the consulate but I got the same thing...come back at three. Boo. However, as I was walking out of the building, I saw Jerry Springer! Haha. He looks sooo old without make-up on. Needless to say, at 3 I got my passport and we finally left Chicago.

Now, things were going great on the way back. My battery gague didn't drop once and we were making some good time. Once we got into MI, I started thinking of all the things that I still needed to pack and hoped to god that my laundry was done. Just when I thought that we would make it home in plenty of time, my dad let out a curse. The battery gague dropped and didn't come back up.

My alternater had died. Being who we were, we decided to ride it out and see how far it would take us before the truck actually died. That only happened to be about 3 miles. So, we pulled off and into the lot of a Denny's just off 94. My dad shut off the truck and tried to re-start it with no success. Which concluded in trying to find people to come and jump my truck so that we could essentially ride the thing back to Detroit, stopping only to charge the battery again. 20 minutes later Dan was heading on his way to get us, and we were going to order dinner.

It was in that time that I found out that I still had AAA road service. Which means that Dan didn't have to come and get me....and we got a free tow ride home. 80-something miles that we were stranded. Then it was the mad-dash to pack and try to get some sleep before I had to wake up for my flight.

Skipping a bunch of stuff that's not really important.....

Once I made it past security, I promptly went to the bar and got a bloody mary. Sure it was 10 in the morning when I ordered it....but it was night-time in Korea :D Plus I had forgotten my sleeping pills and the only way that I was going to be able to sleep was if it was alcohol induced.

The flight was rather boring, and did involve sleeping on my part thanks to the alcohol. Food was.......eh....I suppose as good as it could get for an airplane. Once in Japan....I realized that everyone must have thin blood because it was boiling in the airport. But...I was able to buy a carton of smokes for like $23. It was amazing.

The flight from Tokyo to Busan was un-eventful as well, but I will say that I got sucked into watching the American Girl's movie...

Now....I've realized that driving with my dad is much safer than driving with a Korean. I completely forgot on how horrifying a short trip can be. Seriously. The man who got me from the airport drove like he didn't care and owned the road. It reminded me of what Dan said. The lines are only a suggestion here. You don't really have to follow them. And well, this guy was doing just that. Occassionally he would drive between lanes, even though there were cars.....

Thank god I was too tired to actually fear for my life.

Now....here I am in Korea....got situated in my temporary apartment and found me an internet cafe. Now...you all must be thinking....temporary? Yes. Temporary. In 3 weeks, I'll be moving closer to the school to a better place. The place I'm at right now currently sports a bathroom and bedroom/kitchen/dining room/living room. It's about as big as my living room (for those of you who've ever been to my house) which isn't that big at all.

Now...I need to find some cheap food and hold out until after I get back from Japan with some money to buy groceries. If something new and interesting happens, I'll be sure to post it :D

For now...

That's all folks.

Leaving on a Jet Plane.....

So as it is, I actually haven't left. There was a bit of a mix-up in communication between myself and the people I was going through in Korea. This screw-up cost me some time and alot of frustration. What had happened was that I thought that they would be scheduling an interview for me at the Korean Consulate, and they thought that I would be doing so. So....after alot of e-mails, I finally figured it out and had to schedule a last minute appointment.

Of course, this appointment was set for the day after I was supposed to leave. @.@ Talk about strain there. Thus ensued another bout of frantic e-mails to reschedule my flight. So now, I'll be leaving in 2 days.....and still haven't packed.

Now...the consulate part was a hassle as well. For one, I had only gotten about 2 hours of sleep before I had to wake up and drive 4 hours to get to Chicago in order to make it before my appointment. (here's where I forgot about Illinois being a whole hour behind MI). Once there, I decided that I didn't like the city for 2 reasons. 1) I spent about $15 on toll roads and 2) They drive worse than Michiganders.

Anyways...

After getting there an hour early, I managed to be completely frightened by a Subway. It wasn't that the store itself scared me, but rather the extremely loud alarm that had gone off once I entered the door. At first I thought that I had just broken into the place and the cops would be showing up to arrest me and completely screw over my plans. But luckily there was someone else in there that informed me the noise was to alert the workers that there was someone there. Personally I think that they should be out infront instead of doing whatever they were in the back.

Back to things....

The consulate was interesting. Found out it was in the same building that films Jerry Springer. It was almost tempting enough to crash a taping, but, alas, I didn't have the time. Now, I don't know why they called it an interview. In all honesty they asked me questions about if I wanted to make teaching in Korea my career and made sure that I could actually speak English (I partially thought that it was a screening to make sure that they weren't hiring any looneys to teach their kids whacked out ideas). During the interview, I found out a small snag in my plans. I wouldn't be getting my passport until Wednesday.....a day after I leave.

So what do I have to do? Tomorrow, I have to haul my ass right back down to Chicago to pick up my passport. Luckily, I won't have to drive. I'll have someone else to do it :D

Now...I'm begging to think of everything that I need to pack, making a list (probably will check it more than twice), getting things in order and dreading my 14 hour flight to Korea.

So there it is. In two days I'll be leaving everyone I know and love behind to pursue a career, however short it may be, in teaching. Hey...maybe I'll like it enough to keep doing it after. Never know.

For now....I'm still here, and who ever is reading this, will be the first to know what happens when I finally get settled in and start my new life.

Peri-leaving

So, as it is, I'm in the States getting ready to leave for Korea. A couple of months ago, I applied for a job to teach English there, and lo and behold, I actually got one. Of course, it took a couple of months to actually find a school that wouldn't change their mind....

However, it was a set and done deal.

Now, however, I finally got a date on leaving. A week from today. Freaky. I mean, really freaky. When I first heard about the date (mind you I don't actually have my Visa to go teach there...) I thought it was fine, until I realized that the 7th of November was only a week away. Then...bam. Everything hit.

I would be gone for an entire year, leaving everyone I know and love behind to teach in a country where I don't even speak the language. Sure, there are some people there who speak English...but it's more...Engrish. And mind you...I've lived with someone who's Korean all my life, but still.

Anyways....so I'm freaked. Trying to figure out what I'm going to take, who's gonna take care of my cats while I'm gone, and figure out how to say 'Do you speak English' in Korean (considering that I know how to say it in Japan and French...neither which will help me...). Sure, I know I need clothes and the essentials, but that's not what's worrying me. What is, is what games will I take, and how will I fit my PS2 in my luggage. There's also the issues of what books will I take and how much it'll cost to ship my computer over. Sure, I could buy one there....but it won't have all of my tv shows on it. ;-;

Anyways...

This is the start. Further on down the line, I intend on writing about my experiences while in Korea, maybe even posting some photos or what not.

For now...fare thee well.