Welcome to Korea: Some of Our Adorable Students

Welcome to Korea: Some of Our Adorable Students:
is a blog written by one of my old co-teachers and it in it they had some lovely pictures of my old kindy class, that we all taught.

What? How is this even possible?

Somehow while cleaning my apartment, I managed to make it messier.

I guess I should commence my attack on the blob of crap lying around my apartment.



Also, I am hosting a female couch surfer from China on Wednesday! (Hence the need to REALLY clean my apartment and not just reorganize the junkpiles)

Muuido

One of the many pleasures of living on the coast, and in a port city, is that you have the opportunity to go to a lot of the small islands around the city. I had a great weekend in Muuido, which is one of those small islands in Korea. By the way, "do" - pronounced doe - means island in Korean. The water, which was about the temperature of bathwater, wasn't exactly refreshing but it was nice to be on a beach all the same. We had badminton, booze, beach, bonfires, and birthday cake. It was a really nice end to summer. I still don't have my camera, since it was demolished at Jisan, but my friend Taylor got a lot of really cool pictures, which I will include below.

Directions: The easiest way to get to the airport island is to take the 303 bus to the airport. Then from the airport take the 222 or the 302 (+ a five minute walk) to Jamjindo Wharf. It's 3,000W (...and you don't have to pay on the return ferry). Once you're there wait about for the village bus and ride it for about 20 minutes to Hanagae Beach - you have to pay a small entrance fee. (2,000W) The beach huts are 30,000W plus a 10,000W deposit. Or you can pitch a tent. It's free to camp if you own a tent or you can rent for 4,000W. There are seafood restaurants over there and a corner shop so not need to cart your food and drink all the way there.

Jisan Music Festival

I went to a great festival. My camera was utterly demolished by concertgoers and completely broken, but the sim card is intact. (If we're friends irl or on facebook then you'll see pictures soonish) I lost 70,000 won when it fell out of my pocket between the hours of 2 am and 8 am.(possibly in the giant communal showers) I laid around a pool and went down this giant dinosaur slide at the pool. I lost my cute going out shirt when I took it off during MUSE. (I had a tank top on underneath to soak up most of the sweat because it was ridiculously hot) I met the creator and owners of TOMS shoes. Also, I saw some great music and danced around like a crazy person.

Can kimchi cure my cold?

1. Kimchi eliminates cholesterol
"Selenium from the garlic works to scoop cholesterol off of arterial walls. Allicin from the garlic works with the onions to raise the levels of HDL transport molecules which carry the cholesterol down to the gall bladder. The high levels of Vitamin C are used to convert the cholesterol to disposable substances. And the glutathione peroxidase made from the garlic along with the phytochemicals from the fruit and vegetables all work to magnify Vitamin C's availability. If there is a single-food defence to heart ailments, kimchi has to be it!"

2. Kimchi promotes intestinal health
"Kimchi also works to clean out your system by feeding the lactobacteria and bifidobacteria that live in your intestines. These are the “friendly bacteria” that we need to be healthy. Kimchi nourishes them so they can thrive and outnumber the “unfriendly bacteria” that threaten our health from the inside. The bifidobacteria that are responsible for producing many of the B-vitamins we need, including the B-12 that is so frequently missing from vegetarian diets. Since the body cannot produce these vitamins for itself, these bacteria are essential for our health. The lactobacteria prevent flatulence and keep sticky, sludge-like waste matter from accumulating in the intestinal tract, adhering to the intestinal walls, and interfering with nutrient absorption."

Also, it makes you poop leading to ...

3. Kimchi makes you lose weight
From what I remember at the Kimchi museum the same lactobactilli that's in Yogurt (which helps you lose weight) is in Kimchi.

I went to the Kimchi Museum a couple of weekends ago and made 2.2 pounds (1kg) of Kimchi.
We even got cute little totes!


Anyways, I have a cold now. I also have about a pound left of Kimchi. I am going to eat Kimchi everyday in hopes that Kimchi is the cure to the common cold. I mean, I have been told it prevents Cancer... so hey maybe it will get me better too!

Sweet Nana Claire

My surrogate Nana passed away. She was hooked up to oxygen tanks the last time I saw her, but she was still cracking jokes and seemed to be okay. She was so full of life and an amazing person. I mean she was definitely the best adopted grandma a kid could ask for- and she took on five extra kids. We don't have any grandparents that live in Georgia, so she took that role and had us call her Nana Claire. My mom met her because she was the mother of her best friend in college. She acted like a mother and then a friend to my own mother and she came to every major event in all of our lives. I'm really going to miss her big hugs and kisses with her signature line, "Oh you look so beautiful, darling!" in her rich voice. She was amazing and she lived a great life. That's about all you can hope for at the end of your life, to be loved, missed, and to have made a difference. I love you Nana!

To Mommy, Aunt Susie, and the Gilberts, I hope you know you're all in my thoughts and I love you very much as well.

Happy Mother's Day

I know a lot of people would say this, but no offense my mother is the coolest.

She has been an editor, journalist, photographer, public relations specialist, communications consultant, an organizing member and first vice-president of the Atlanta chapter of the Coalition of Labor Union Women, as well as a special education teacher and has been very active in organizations involving women’s politics. (She was president of the Georgia Chapter of the National Women's Party Caucus) She produced a TV show, interviewed presidents, raised 5 children, maintained a happy marriage for over 30 years, and she just won yet another award for the service work that she does with her special needs class. Her class has sold books and with the money they made bought seeds. They learned about which fruits and vegetables work best their climate and grew a garden. Then she taught them about how homeless people have high sodium diets and they donated the fresh fruits and vegetables to the soup kitchens and shelters in the Atlanta area.

Earlier this month she was being honored for a project she designed for Read-Across-America day. Her high school special education students work with other special education students at the pre-kindergarten level to help them with reading. Her class wrote a Seuss-style children's book and donated copies to local elementary schools and local libraries.

My sister wrote to me today:

"B and I went to cheer on mom at the award show this week. She was the first one honored but we both agreed they should have called her up to the podium and give her an award. Then we proceeded to cry as each kid Pre-K thru 12 was awarded!"

Her father refused to pay for his daughters to go to college so she worked her way through college in 3 years to get a BS in Jounalism, then worked my dad through law school, and then went to Columbia for a BFA in photography. It wasn't until I was in 8th grade that she decided to get a degree in Special Education. My father is a lawyer, so even with 5 children she didn't have to get a job. She works because she honestly cares so much about making a positive difference in the world.

Oh and did I mention that the reason I have camped in 48 different states is because my mother took all 5 of us- in one van- camping across the US, every summer for 4 years. (occasionally my father would fly out to meet us when he could get off work)

Happy Mother's Day to my hero and inspiration, My Mother.

Vlog ... testing, testing?

China Video

Tienanmen Square 2010

On our first day in China we hit up Tienanmen Square, which is infamous for the 1989 protests and massacre, and it was a relatively calm actually being in the square. Getting into the square was quite the experience though, and also proved Big Brother was always watching.

So when we entered the square we had to go through metal detectors plus a security sweet of our bags, and this was after already going through metal detectors and a security sweet upon entering the subway. I'd have taken a photo, if I thought that it wouldn't have been confiscated. (This is not what I was after since it was only our first day in China.)

Big brother watches at all times as you can see with the Cameras above each of these lampposts inside the square:



Here are some of the other views from the square, which was a lot bigger than this really shows, but then we were in a hurry to see the Forbidden City. (A post on that is coming soon!)

In flight fanciness + day 1 pt. 1

Tasty Tira Misu and Taylor enjoying our in flight coffee ...


So this would be where we landedin Bejiing and the sweet airport murals.



We left the airport with my cool Uncle Bob and got to their apartment/hotel dealio. Check out our sweet diggs:

The Dining Room and
the Living Room The Bathroom

The Kitchen: Our View:

So the place we went to dinner had a pretty good view of the place we stayed, The Ascott, and the meal was amazing. Although, I will probably have to save a whole other post just for the meal. Here's a view of the building, my aunt and uncle, and Taylor and I at dinner...

Living the life of a V.I.P.

So, Taylor and I had to book our tickets Business Class to Beijiing in order to get the shortest flight, and it was only a little bit more than a 5 hour flight we were looking at earlier. When you check in with Business Class at China Eastern they literally give you a golden ticket into a VIP lounge. This place was SWEET! (See pictures below.)

From China in three days 2010!

From China in three days 2010!

From China in three days 2010!

From China in three days 2010!

From China in three days 2010!

From China in three days 2010!

From China in three days 2010!

Cheers!

From China in three days 2010!

Meet my friends

Oh hello there, friends!

Behind me is a map of Incheon, my front door, and proof that I am indeed alive and well. Come on a virtual tour of my world since I can't visit those of you who read this blog. I know I haven't been awesome at my coorespondence. I'm working on that I promise... but as the post office is closed on Sunday, I thought a blog post might be good too! I don't know how to make my text wrap around the pictures on this blog, so if anyone does ... Ahem Kathleen, I could use the advice.

Meet my friends ... for those of you who may have doubted that I had them in Korea. (I don't just work long hours!)

Pictured below are some of my work friends.

There's Mark, Nicole (who left already back to South Africa), and Jenn. Mark is a great guy and a great manager. He's very sensitive, and he's always there for you if you need him.

Of course, you'll see more of Jenn in the Halloween picture with as one of the Pirates. Chris, pictured on the far left, has also left, but Jenn and Jillian are both still raging life and being generally awesome. These two ladies introduced me to the awesomeness that is Makali.

To the left there is Jean and Chantel. Chantel is from England and Jean is from Connecticut. You may remember my post about snowpeople, which featured Jean. Both Jean and Chantel are very witty. I wish I had better pictures of them, but I seem to forget to bring my camera a lot of times.

This is Taylor and Melissa. They both tell great stories, go on great adventures, and are the life of the party wherever they go. I met Melissa when Kathleen was still staying with me. She was friendly and one of the first girls that I met in Yeonsu. I gave her my blockbuster rental card so she would have my name to facebook me later. I didn't have pen or paper and at the time it sounded less weird than what I'm typing now. Taylor was one of the ladies that came to the sleepover and we instantly bonded over a love of cake. I had two leftover cakes from my birthday which I brought to the potluck sleepover. She's now a staple of most of Sunday nights and she's going to China with me. Also, secret fact about Taylor. She was Ms. Teen Pennsylvania in the Miss Teen USA pageant some years back.

This is Rebecca and one of her many admirers. She charms everyone she meets, but I think she has an unfair advantage with her Irish accent. Of course general awesomeness is sort of ingrained into her very core, so there's that too. We met when we were both at a little cafe and a certain snl song came on over the PA. I looked around for someone else who might possible appreciate how insanely inappropriate it was to play that kind of song at around 1 in the afternoon in a crowded cafe of people.

This is Padrica (AKA Paddy) and this girl is like an accumulation of everything cool I wish I could be but have no way of actually becoming. Padrica can dance (without the need for liquid courage) and she can keep dancing until early morning. Believe me, I have seen it! Padrica majored in Art and is an amazing artist. She has actual fans on facebook, again something I'm pretty sure I don't have. You would think someone that cool would just make you jealous all the time, but she's so humble and down to earth that you just feel cooler around her. This morning she cooked me breakfast, and we watched The Royal Tennenbaums.

There are more to mention but I think I'll stop there for tonight just in case you're getting jealous. I miss all my friends back home, and you'll always be the best folks in my book. Lots of love, and expect letters soon!

Lunar New Year

In Korea, on Valentine's Day the girl's buy something for the boys, and then a month later (March 14 - White Day) the boys buy something for the girls. It's not so horrible to be single then because being with someone would mean I would have to buy them stuff today. Instead, I went out with some of my friends to this Italian joint in Yeonsu. The restaurant looked like Valentine's Day overload.

Also, it was Lunar New Years so we lit fireworks and set them off. Of course it took a few times to get them lit. Seollal is the Korean word for Lunar New Year, and a lot of shops and stores closed down. Actually we were lucky to find an open restaurant. Some of my students told me they were going to visit grandparents and get some serious cash. Sebae is a traditionally observed activity on Seollal, and is filial-piety-orientated. Children wish their parents and/or grandparents a happy new year by performing one deep traditional bow. If they do a good bow they get some cash from their grandparents.

I leave for China with Taylor on the 27th of this month and return March 1st. Sorry my blogs are mostly vlogs, and I'll work on a real post this week. Maybe you guys could work on real comments and then I'll be motivated to actually post. (I mean, how do I know you actually read this thing?)

Bau House in Hongdae

I took some anti-histamines and toughed it up to go to this "Dog Cafe." Before the jokes start pouring in, it was not a place where they served dog! The directions we found online we way off, and one day I'll edit this post to include better directions. Needless to say, we were able to get good directions from the helpful information guys right by the subway exit.