No Hugging

My Korean co-teacher told me today I should stop hugging the students so much. Especially my little buddy Lay since he has been getting worse recently. A no hugging policy is obviously never going to work for me, since the little boogers are so dang cute, but I am going to have to start getting a little stricter with Mr. Lay. He has started saying "no" to everything I ask the class to do. Unacceptable. The other kids all laugh, but thankfully no one else has started down his path of rebellion as well. They rest of the class is doing pretty well, behavior wise other than some getting a little too worked up for their own good sometimes. But, it is a pretty long day for them, so I can understand when they start getting a little stir crazy.

Anyway, I finally went to the doctor here. He spoke really good English and it was really really cheap. About 11,000 won..that's like $10 and some change! To see a doctor! Amazing! And the meds were cheap too. So fantastic. I did have to pay $11 for some honey, but it's all relative I guess. Anyway, I feel a lot better, but I have a cough that will NOT QUIT. It's so annoying. Especially when it wakes me up at night. Or when I have coughing fits on the subway or in front of the class. Not fun. The meds have not taken care of that quite yet, but I'm hoping soon. The doctor said the coughing at night is because of acid reflux...but I'm not so sure. I mean, he's the doctor and all...but I cough all day and it's not any better/worse at night. Who knows. Apparently I have to stay away from chocolate, alcohol, caffeine, ice cream and peppermint. The caffeine is kind of a problem, since I get such bad sleep and the meds make me tired. Doesn't really work well when you have to teach and be happy all day. I have never eaten so many Halls in my life. They don't have the heavy duty Ricola here, so I've stocked up. For a good thing, they are only 1,000 won ($1 about) so I can buy lots. For a bad thing, the package says "cherry candy" on it. Which kind of concerns me. I can't read the rest, so I'm thinking they are probably chock full of sugar. And even though they do soothe the coughing, they don't work for very long. Oh well, I haven't found anything else helpful. Do they say that in the states? I never paid attention. And where they that cheap? I don't ever remember being sick for this long. I usually have allergies, but they only has a few days normally. This is getting ridiculous. Although, I was warned since pretty much everyone told me I would be sick for a while. The "Korean Crud," or just "The Korean," is what people call it. I think I'm going to call it the "Korean Funk."

However, I did have some energy today and I cooked myself a nice little dinner! It's amazing what a little energy, motivation and grocery shopping will do for you! As always, though, I have to buy more food than I can use before it goes bad so I'm going to see if anyone is interested in some onions tomorrow at school. I also looked into how to freeze veggies, but it seemed pretty complicated with blanching and blah blah. Can't deal with all that, sorry.

Oh, and I finally got paid! So fantastic. I have a bank card and everything! Korean banking is a little on the wack side, though. Setting up online banking was a pretty arduous and ridiculous experience. They have like, 10 different security things you have to install and use..it's a little much. Which also means you can't just sign into online banking just anywhere, like at school. Also, you can't make transfers into foreign banks unless you actually go into the bank, with your passport. Seems a bit much to me. But whatever. My money is going fast though! I can finally buy groceries..which includes some expensive "foreign" groceries..like honey and pesto sauce. Luckily, I got a hook up at the commissary on base and he has provided me with 3 boxes of Crispix!!! So excited! Also, there are pretty much a million trips I want to take and things I want to see, so money is just flying out of that bank account.

Well that's it for now. Got some cool trips coming up, including a DMZ tour next weekend! Excited! And now I'm going to watch the last Harry Potter movie. Also very exciting! I really like it here. Once it gets warm, I think things are going to be even better. Can't wait!

Dream big people!

Danger!

That is what my buddy LAY (Ray) says every time a picture of something "dangerous" comes up....in a book, on the TV screen, in a powerpoint, a flashcard, whatever. Things like sharks, anything sharp, like a saw or a knife, big animals or anything that is pointy that my co teacher has warned them about the evils of what can happen if they wave it around in the air, like a pencil or fork. There is lots of danger in the classroom! We are trying to get him to say dangerous, but I think he is pretty proud that he knows the word danger...I also don't think he realizes there is a difference. He looks at us like, yeah, that is what I said fools.

Anyway, the kids have been cracking me up this week. Today we had "Uniform Day" and once again, the same kid didn't get the memo. I guess his mom doesn't like to conform or something because this kid NEVER wears the uniform on designated uniform day. He wears a track suit instead. So 70s and awesome like.  All the classes had to get on stage and sing a song in front of the rest of the school and oddly enough, the child that sings the loudest in class refused to go on the stage. Stage fright I guess. He didn't want to share his gift with the entire school. There have been other funny things going on, but I cannot remember any of them right now. My brain is a bit foggy since the last few days have been the return of the mucus attacks. I'm kind of glad the kids have no idea what I'm saying because some dumb shit has been coming out of my mouth this past week. I know they think I'm a little strange, but now they also probably think I'm crazy since to them, I am always laughing for no reason.

I seriously cannot believe how many times I have blown my nose over the past two days. I had been feeling a lot better too, dammit! You know who else is sick? LAY!!! That little booger! Buuut, probably my own fault for catching it since I am always touching everyone. Most of the class has a runny nose. Probably because it's still FUCKING FREEZING HERE. Such nonsense. Can't even talk about it anymore. WHERE IS SPRING KOREA?!?!

For some positive news, The Hunger Games opens here today! I am going to see it this weekend, woo hoo! I am also going to a birthday party tomorrow where my plan is to drink my cold away. I have also been downloading movies and need some suggestions. I am about to watch "Say Anything" because I've never actually seen the entire thing. I decided to first catch up on 80s classics I've never seen or need to re-watch. This past weekend I re-watched "Pretty in Pink" because it's so damn good and "Annie Hall" because they talked about it on "How I Met Your Mother" and I felt I needed to see it. Wasn't a huge fan. I've also never see "Star Wars"  or "ET" so those are on the list.

So I'm going to go watch that now and go to sleep soon (it's 9:00 here). I wanted to go to bed at 7, but I knew that if I did, I would never sleep the whole night. Last night I went to bed around 11, woke up at 1 and again at 5 and ever really went back to sleep. That suckkkeeedd. Crossing fingers tonight is better.

Tomorrow will definitely be better because I will finally get PAID!!! YAY!!!! I am marching myself straight to the grocery store and buying whatever the hell I want! Damn straight. And then I have to pay back everyone that bought me stuff while I was poor.

Ok, dream big people!

I Laughed, I Cried

Today was a mixed bag. First off, let me just say that I am (for the moment) genuinely excited about seeing my kids every day. I went to sleep Sunday night pretty pumped about seeing all their goober selves Monday morning. Waking up Monday morning was another story. I have discussed previously my dislike for mornings and Korea is no exception. I don't think there is anything I hate more than waking up to an alarm....any morning, for any reason. I know I should be grateful for the day and all that jazz, but horrible, horrible thoughts are in my mind when that alarm goes off. Horrible thoughts and reasons why I should hit snooze 1...then 7 more times. Every night I decide tomorrow is the morning I'm going to get up a little earlier and have a little extra time in the morning to make coffee, get to school a little early, whatever. And every morning I decide how long I can feasibly stay in bed and make it to work on time. I hate it, but I am a night owl and that's that. The absolute latest I can leave my apartment is 8:50...8:55 and I feel guilty about being late, even though no one would say anything. My alarm goes off at 7:40, I usually get out of bed at 8:20 and leave around 8:45. I've given up on trying to look decent. I like Korea, but it's freezing and it's making me ugly. I don't know what is happening, but whatever small amount of good looks I had before I got here have been sucked right out of me. It's very sad.

Anyway, point is, after my initial anger of having to get out of bed (seriously, this happens every morning...even weekends when I can get up when I want. And even days when really great things are going to happen. It's bizarre), I get pumped because I get to see all my little goobers. I stress a little about what I'm going to teach that day, but I usually manage to get my shit together. Monday mornings we have a teachers meeting so I don't get to greet the kids as they come in and it makes me a little sad, but I get to see them later and I get a "Good Morning Jacky Teacher" so I'm good. Well, today, we had snack (fried cornbread with some sort of honey glaze) and then it was off to the bathroom for hand washing. We go on class bathroom breaks probably 6 times a day. I noticed one girl was wearing her headband around her neck so I took it off and tried to put it back on her head. And that son of a bitch broke. It just snapped right in half! Apparently it was made of plastic and not the flexible rubbery material mine is made out of.  All the little girls in the bathroom were just staring at me, silent. And then the little girl burst into tears. OMG-I felt SO terrible. And the worst part was, at first I kind of laughed. LET ME EXPLAIN. First off, that is what I do when I get nervous/uncomfortable/awkward. I didn't think it was funny at all, but it did make me super flustered. I was basically thinking in my head: FUCK. This is not good. Plus, all of them were staring at me like I had just chopped off her hand so it was horrible and I had an audience. And she didn't stop crying for like, 30 minutes. She also refused to look at me and wouldn't come write on the board when I asked her too when we got back to class. Oh my, I just felt so awful! But, later I got her laughing and I gave her a sticker...she seemed pretty pleased about that, so I hope I'm forgiven. I also wrote her mom a note and made an "I'm sorry" card. I think she and I are good, I just hope the mom is cool with it. I'm kind of nervous because a lot of the families have a lot of money and the other teachers are always talking about how demanding the moms are. So, I'm nervous she'll be mad AND I'm nervous that the headband cost a lot of money. I wrote the mom that I would replace it, so I'm just hoping it wasn't a Burberry or Prada headband. Because some of them have Burberry and Prada jackets and clothing. No joke.

So that was the crisis for the day. But at the end of the day, I squatted down to give a little boy a hug goodbye and he gave me a kiss on the cheek! Then my heart exploded. So everything ended on a good note. :)

Also, I have been coming up with some bombass ideas for my class and I'm pumped about using them. I haven't gotten everything 100% ready, but those kids better be prepared to be stunned and amazed. And I also hope they like it because they sometimes don't get into things I think they'll be excited about. We'll see.

Well, I'm tired. Time to go to bed all excited about tomorrow and then wake up grumpy and cursing the world. Yay!

Dream big people!

Littlecase

Yall. I am so in love with these little Korean babies...they are too much. Oddly enough, what amuses me the most is when they have their shoes on the wrong feet. Every morning when they get to school, they take off their "outside" shoes and put on "inside" shoes. And there is always one that puts them on the wrong feet and it cracks me up every time. I know, it's weird...but they're such goobers. I love it. I have been trying to teach them to use uppercase and lowercase instead of big and little for letters. One kid keeps splicing the two and when I ask what kind of letter it is, he yells out: "LITTLECASE!" Precious. These kids are either silent, whispering or yelling. There are no other options.

Also, today, our little trouble maker gave me a hug out of the blue and it just made me so happy. He is so dang cute! He is the worst child!! He never listens, is always touching people, can't sit still, is always talking (in Korean) and when I ask him his name, he yells out: "I AM LAY!" Which is supposed to be Ray. Makes me smile every time. Also, he is terrible at lunch...he ends up with rice all in his hair and the hair of the child next to him. But I sit behind him and every now and then he just turns around and grins at me. With his whole face, if that makes any sense. It's too precious. I'm pretty sure he has ADD, but he's giving out hugs so I don't care. I pretty much love them all, but he cracks me up the most. I also yell at him the most so I hope I'm not sending mixed signals.

I also got observed today. Didn't get really find out anything helpful, but didn't get any negative feedback either so whatever. My principal just thinks I should play more fun games with them, but the kids are never into the games I try to play with them. I guess I need more fun games. Every teacher I've asked has suggested Duck, Duck, Goose. Which seems odd to me since it's not educational. Also, we are in the tiniest classroom and there is no way we could play in the room. Let me know if you have other suggestions! We are singing lots of fun songs, but she missed all that. That's too bad.

Bedtime for me! But, here are a few pics of the cuties and one of Mr. Lay. I tried to get some singing, but the video turned out crappy. Trying again tomorrow. And no, I did not tell them to throw up the peace sign. They do it all on their own. It's the Asian way.

Oh, and my class is Cherry class and today I made a "Cherry Family Tree" with pictures of the kids family for the hallway. I don't think I've ever been prouder of anything. Seriously. I think it's so awesome. It's a work in progress. Behold:

Dream big people!

Thank you for the food

Only not really. I am getting more and more disillusioned with the Korean lunch food. Again, I try to sample most of it, but sometimes it's just really sketch/unappetizing looking and I can't do it. Yesterday, for example, we had stir fried baby octopus:

And it looked straight up disgusting and I didn't want to try it. I've had octopus before...it didn't look like that, it was cut up in much smaller pieces and was in spaghetti. That was in Greece and I didn't really like it then either. It's too chewy. Anyway, definitely wasn't trying this...especially since I'm pretty sure you can see it's brain in that first picture. No thank you. However, we did have some sort of yummy rice cake thing with jelly today. Wednesday we had cream puffs for snack and they were fabulous. I ate like, 10. And then I stole 4 and took them home. I don't feel bad taking from the school because they are the ones not paying me until April. Also, yesterday we had doughnuts that tasted like hushpuppies with sugar on top, so I only ate one. And Tuesday we literally just had a plain baked potato. For snack, at 9:30 in the morning. No salt, butter, sour cream, nothing. I didn't eat that at all, so I think it all balances out.

I also had "real" Korean BBQ last night and it was, sadly, not as delicious as the Korean BBQ in LA. It was also more expensive and there was less of it. Also, people were smoking in the actual restaurant and that was not pleasant at all. Especially since there is already a ton of smoke from the grill. Oh, at Korean BBQ, you cook the meat yourself at the table, btw. That's why there's a grill. This place was a little different from LA though, in that they give you lettuce to make wraps with the meat. So those were pretty tasty...but really messy and kind of hard to eat.

Oh yeah, and the other weird thing this week. So we have to do a fire drill sometime in the near future with the kids and they are making us evacuate to the roof. The ROOF! What the hell?! Makes zero sense to me...and the rest of the foreign teachers. We all made a big stink about it at our meeting and then we got a memo giving the following reasons as to why we have to go to the roof and not downstairs:

"1. Smoke is the worst damage from the fire especially in the building so it's the best to get fresh air for everyone asap. (Roof is the nearest place that we get fresh air).
2. Going to the 1st floor is a very long way especially for the kids.
3. This building is built out of concrete not out of wood, so there's no possibility for this building collapsed by fire so it will be fine to move to the roof and wait there until they put out the fire."

I love that third one the best. It was claimed that the fire department was contacted about this matter, but I'm not so sure. I am no expert, but going somewhere you can essentially be trapped does not seem like a good idea. Again, not an expert, but I'm just saying...if there is ever an actual fire, I am grabbing as many kids as possible and heading downstairs.

That's it for Korean strangeness this week. Going on a bus tour Sunday...can't wait to see what that brings!

For now, enjoy this fantastic video of my kids singing their "thank you" song. I guess it's kind of like a prayer before eating. See if you can spot the goober that NEVER seems to get the memo about uniform day, and the crazy child that always seems to be off in his own world. Hint: he's waving a fork around. And FYI, Kate teacher is the assistant that gives out the food. I wish I could video them all day, every day. They are too funny and cute. I am going to try to get some dancing soon. Enjoy!

Dream big people!

A Little Tenderness

Latest music obsession: Otis Redding. Why has it taken me to get on board the Redding train? I mean, I've been a fan of 'Dock of the Bay,' duh and his version of White Christmas is my fave, but there are SO many other good ones. He does a version of 'Stand By Me' and 'The Glory of Love.' Love them both. Wish I had like, a million dollars so I could buy it all on iTunes. Come onnnn April 7! I need money! I have a whole list of things I want to buy and I'm probably going to be able to buy all of one of those items when I get paid finally. Apparently a lot comes out of the first paycheck, which blows but whatever. Better than nothing. Debating if my first item (besides food) is going to be a book bag or new tennis shoes. I've seen badass ones of both and both would be useful. But maybe a book bag because I don't have one of those here and I do have tennis shoes. Decisions, decisions. I also need a phone.

Today was a good day! Felt good at work, no longer feel like the walking dead and am getting a grasp on how things work. I haven't blown my nose in like, 2 days! Lunch wasn't terrible. Not great, but it wasn't broiled squid, so a definite plus. I also did a little Zumba in my room which always makes me feel awesome. I mean, I also felt pretty stupid since my computer is tiny and I'm having a one woman dance party in my teeny apartment, but this is me making-do. :) I also figured out how to make my Korean frozen dumplings more crispy and therefore, more tasty. I also flossed. Things are looking up.

Also, real quick, wanted to share with everyone how awesome I am. I wrote this life plan as a note for myself on my ipod touch last summer:

Now:  study/take GRE, look into Australia.
Fall: move back home, find temp job
Dec: ham store?
Feb: Switzerland
Mar: Korea
2012: apply to grad school/be awesome in Korea
2013: travel? Grad school in fall


Car, save money, GRE, 15 lbs


Get on it, you can do this. Dream big :)


Cool part is, most of it came true. I didn't take the GRE, but I did do a little studying for it. I also looked into Australia and that is an option for the future. Then I moved home, did some temporary work, worked at the ham store in December. In February "Switzerland" came to me instead of me going there. I got to Korea a little earlier than March, but so far I'm being awesome in Korea so dreams are coming true. This is what happens when you dream big and then write it down. I also got a car, and saved money. That last 15 pounds is still tripping me up, but I haven't lost all hope. Joining a fitness club here so it's definitely a possibility. Especially if I keep up with apartment, one-woman Zumba classes. 


I have some travel goals, so I'm gonna write those down and see if I can make those happen as well. Top of list: Great Wall of China, Terra Cotta Warriors, and Japan. A lot to fit in two weeks vacay. But....


Dream big people!

Rainbow Mullet

Happy St. Patrick's Day from Korea!!! My St. Patrick's Day is actually over, but for people in the US, the drinking is probably still going on. Crazy.

I didn't do a lot of hardcore drinking yesterday...just wasn't feeling it. Also, I didn't want to feel like death this week so I've decided to skip drinking for a while. I know, I am soooo boring. Don't care. I woke up today at 7, went back to sleep until 12, had a snack and went back to sleep until 2:30. It was awesome. Except I was having a very weird, disturbing dream and I didn't like that. I have really strange dreams here. They are seriously so bizarre. Last nights involved me and a family (not my real family, but mine in the dream) running away from a killer and lots of people getting shot. Didn't enjoy that at all.

Anyway, St. Pats was not as crazy as I thought it would be here. Probably because actual Koreans don't celebrate, it's only the crazy foreigners. There was a festival with Irish dancing and music. It was actually kind of nice out, so it was a lot of fun to sit and watch the bands. One was all Korean, and I thought it was pretty fantastic they were playing an Irish jig. It was also fantastic watching all the drunks people trying to do an Irish dance. I mean, I guess they thought it was just jumping up and down, so that is what was happening. Maybe it, I don't really know a lot about Irish dancing but Riverdance seems a little more complicated than that.

After the festival, I got dinner with friends and took the bus home. All in all, a fun day. I can't wait for the Cinco de Mayo festival!!! Latin music blasting in a Korean park somewhere sounds like a blast!!! I have some pictures from the festival, but I'm too lazy to upload them right now. You'd think with all the sleep I'd be more energetic, but not really. There was a guy in a pretty awesome rainbow mullet running around. He was actually a friend of a friend and it was hilarious until he got suuuuper drunk and started spilling things on people. And then he took his shirt off and it wasn't cute anymore.

Afterschool classes start this week. Wish me luck! Still haven't gotten my actual classes down yet...should be interesting teaching things I have no idea about. I mean, I know my letters and numbers. But science fun? Uh oh. I'll let you know how it goes.

Dream big people!

Whipped Butter

I am beginning to wonder if Koreans know how real cake tastes. We keep having cake at school and it looks so delicious and I'm all, yummm, caaaakkkkeeeeee. The cake is all eeeeaaaatttt me and I agree and then the cake just tastes like bread and whipped butter, even though it looks like mocha sugary yumminess. It is SUCH a disappointment. Really, it's so very sad. And I keep trying it because I'm like, maybe this time the baker remembered to put in the sugar, but they never do. Such a shame. Arent' there any bakers in Korea that have been to America or another country with sugar and tasted how fantastic cake and frosting can be? The cookies are the same...very flat and sad tasting. I think they're all just confused though, because today my Korean co-teacher was describing a banana to the class and kept calling it sweet. Bananas are delicious and nutritious, but sweet? No. This is coming from a candy addict, so I know what's up.

Speaking of candy, feel free to buy a bunch of Easter candy when it goes on sale next month and send it this way. Specifically jelly beans. Specifically Starburst jelly beans. And JellyBelly..specifically Very Cherry, Watermelon, and Top Banana flavored JellyBelly jellybeans. If you're feeling generous and nice and want me to love you forever, ship em on over. Oh, and those sourpatch watermelon things. Please, don't send Peeps, Cadbury Creme eggs, or malt eggs. Those are gross. And if you're feeling especially generous, throw a box of Crispix in there. I would LOVE me some Crispix right now. I would probably eat it every meal. I am already over my Iron Chef Korea phase...it got old pretty quick and eating out is expensive. Crispix is the perfect solution. Who really loves me? :) Email me for the address.

For those of you don't really love me, but read anyway and are mildly concerned about my well-being, I am feeling MUCH better these days. The fever is gone and I actually had some energy today. It was  a lovely change. However, I am still astounded at the amount of mucus that is coming out of me. It is insane. Where is it all coming from?No idea. And,  I am still having sleeping problems, but hope to get that remedied when I can finally go to the doctor next week. I will finally get my alien resident card next week so I can hopefully go to the doctor and get a phone. But maybe not since I still won't have money until April. So we'll see.

Speaking of money, I can't wait until get some. Mainly so I can buy more food and start bringing my own food for lunch. Like I said, I am usually down for trying things at school but I might also be getting over that phase as well. Especially when I'm feeling under the weather. I mean, if I'm feeling miserable, I'm really sorry, but I just cannot handle eating broiled squid, kimchi, quail eggs and bean sprout salad for lunch. I know, I know. I'm inflexible, non adventurous, picky, whiny, whatever. Don't care. Even on a good day, I don't know that I would put a quail egg in my mouth. It does amuse me, however, to watch the kids eat because they eat all of that. Please, people of America, try to get your 4 year old to eat quail eggs for lunch. Let me know how that goes.

Oh yeah, I found out that all my kids are 4 in "American" age. Crazy! Such babies! But I'm impressed with them. We had no crying today, everyone uses the toilet by themselves and everyone can write their name. I have no idea what age kids starting doing that stuff in the US but either way, I'm amazed such a tiny person can really, do anything by themselves. And today I found out that tiny people really like to shake their sillies out. It was sooo funny!! The kids lost their minds! It was awesome. I only wish I had Raffi to sing for them. There is not a lot of Raffi music on YouTube over here (no idea why not) so I had to use the Wiggles. They are not as great but it was still pretty fun.

Today we found out what we have to do for our after school programs and that stuff is going to be such a bitch!!!! It sucks because it's an hour and a half and there is no book to use so I have to make up everything. Luckily, I have 3 classes and each one is only once a week. Unluckily, one of the classes is science. Not that I hate science, but I haven't done anything science-y in a looong time. Also, I was finding videos and materials to use today for the life cycle of a butterfly and science is gross. Watching a caterpillar make a cocoon is disgusting. So are the words pupa and larva. So far, science is grossing me out. I couldn't bring myself to watch anything actually being born so we are just going to skip over all that. Sorry kids, someone else will have to teach you the miracle of life.

My other class is speech, which should be pretty easy..it actually does have a book. But the last one is "Speech with Fairy Tales" which is as vague and stupid as it sounds. I have no idea how I'm going to fill an hour and a half AND apparently at the end of the 6 weeks, we have to have a script and make a video. Oh, and there are two kids in the class. Anyone know of any two character fairy tales? Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs is out, obviously. My favorite part was my supervisor, who is the most vague, ridiculous person ever (this seems to be common in Korea) was all, oh I'm sure you can come up with good ideas since you have experience. Mmmm, not sure where she got her information from but I do not have any experience in science, speech or fairy tale teaching. Also, every time I talk to her, she adds more to the list of things I am supposed to do. So I'm going to stop talking to her.

Anyway, things are good. Still waiting on it to get warmer. Learned my lesson last weekend and will not be venturing outside again for more than 15-20 minutes at a time until it gets at least in the 60s. Not even kidding.

Dream big people! Send candy and cereal!

Soft Kitty

I need someone to sing that to me asap. Preferably Sheldon (from Big Bang Theory). Ohhh my, I had such a fun weekend but I feel like death right now. For real, I feel terrible. And I'm so hot but so cold at the same time. What is going on?! Someone fix me please!!! It's mainly my face. I guess I have a fever? My face is burning up. I'm freezing from the neck down but have a cold rag on my face. Whine whine whine.

Ok, done. Let's talk about positive things. For instance, how I had a super delicious meal on Friday night. Lamb, Korean BBQ style. Yummmmmy. We cooked it ourselves and it was so very tasty. We also drank an entire bottle of soju, which is like super cheap Korean vodka. It was a little intense. Then we went out to a bar and danced the night away. They served drinks out of buckets and had free popcorn, so it was my kind of place. Other than some of the creepsters there, I had a really good time. Saturday I was really tired so I went to dinner with some other teachers (On the Border...random...and expensive) and then had to call it a night while everyone else went out. Maybe I made myself sick from the drinking, who knows but life sucks right now. And it has started getting colder instead of warmer and that does not make me happy at all. I really need to invest in a ski mask. I think that's the only way I'm going to be able to handle walking outside.

Anyway, Sunday I went to Costco with some people and that was the craziest shitshow I've ever seen. There were SO many people there! I guess I didn't really ever go to Costco at home, so I don't know if it's the same but it's basically just packed with people and their carts and they are all running over each other. And sadly, I still don't have any money so I couldn't really buy much besides Coke Light (Diet Coke) and shrimp...I know, random, but my head was kind of in a fog. And I really wanted the Diet Coke. They don't serve it anywhere here! And I've only seen one store that sells it, so I had to snatch it up while I could. Sadly, restaurants sometimes have "Diet Coke" on the menu but it's really Coke Zero! Lies! It's not the same! And I don't like the taste of regular Coke, that is why I don't want Coke Zero. It's a travesty, really. I am contacting the embassy as soon as my brain starts working again and I don't feel like I'm melting.

Ok, time to attempt sleeping. The sleeping pills have failed me in the past, but I've got high hopes for tonight. Cross your fingers for me, please.

Dream big, people!

Jacky Teacher

That is my new name and I kind of love it. We've had 3 days of class now and things are not terrible. It is still a little chaotic and I don't really ever know what is going on, but the kids are SUPER cute. Well, most of them. We have one that is just too cool for school and she gets on my nerves. We have another that is terrible, but he is really cute and a total goober, so I like him.

The real problem with the class is that everyone is just all over the place and on different levels. We have one or two kids that can write their name, know their ABCs, colors, shapes...one child counted to 50 for me! And then we have some that can't hold the pencil properly. There's one or two that I don't think actually know their English name and another couple that have a hard time even doing repeat after me things. So it's a challenge to keep everyone focused...or just get them focused in the first place.

But, again, they are SO cute, so it's hard to love them. Yesterday was P.E. day so they all had to wear their matching gym uniforms. Adorable. And today was Uniform Day so everyone was wearing their fancy matching uniforms...except one kid, I don't think he got the memo. Poor Andy, not only was he not matching with the rest of the students, but he has the worst haircut I've ever seen in my life. Apparently my principal thinks otherwise because she was in the room with me today and she's like, "Oh, that Andy has a really cute haircut, don't you think?" I just smiled and nodded.

I feel like my day is pretty much like teaching first grade, only with some odd Korean things mixed in. Mainly the food, I guess. We have to eat in the classrooms because there is no cafeteria and rice gets everywhere. They gave us the menu for the month and there are some interesting things to look forward to in the next few months. Just to name a few: Shepards Purse Pie, Fried Lotus Root, Anchovy Panbroiling, Quail Eggs in Soy Sauce, Broiled Fish Sausage, Walleye Polluk Soup. Yummmy. I'll let you know how those turn out. In addition to rice and soup, they have kimchi every single day. Usually it's just regular kimchi, but there are some variations including, radish cube, white, radish, cucumber, and broiled. I never eat the kimchi, it's too spicy but it's pretty popular here. Apparently they eat it for breakfast sometimes. Delish! We also have a snack every morning. Yesterday was a sweet potato, today was sweet pumpkin porridge and tomorrow is a cream puff. Snack always has a juice to go along with it, and there are some interest variations of that as well....black soybean, mango, plum, aloe and corn. Corn juice sounds pretty disgusting but I'm going to try it because I've decided to try everything.

They also brush their teeth after lunch. I personally think this is a huge waste of time, but whatever. Gives me a little extra time to take a breather, so I'm not complaining. A friend told me their toothpaste doesn't have fluoride in it, so it makes it even more of waste. Oh well. Everyone also has to change into "inside" shoes for the day, so everyone has a set of inside shoes at the school that they put on each morning. I have a pair as well...they just look like pink adidas sandals. It's kind of nice though, I don't have to worry about my shoes matching my outfit. I also don't have to wear my winter boots all day, which is great. They are great for keeping my feet warm outside but they get a little too toasty indoors.

I really only ever eat Korean food at lunch. The area I live in is very wealthy and is known for it's "Cafe Street" which is a lot of really good non-Korean food. Last night I had some yummy Italian and had dessert at Coldstone. I want to try more good Korean (not cooked in mass quantities) but I am going to have to venture outside of my city for that.

Anyway, here are some pictures of the kids. See if you can find the bad haircut. Enjoy!

Dream big people!

Iron Chef Korea

Ok, not quite as adventurous as Iron Chef, but I had a pretty adventurous day in terms of jacky cooking yesterday. I don't know what came over me, but after school I decided to go to the grocery store. I was only going to get milk but then went crazy and got some pork (I'm assuming that is what it was...it had a pig on the front), mushrooms and some soy sauce, as well a few random other things. I went home and cooked all that up in my new pan and it turned out pretty tasty!  I'm not much into cooking but I think I'm going to have to start here. I personally would rather go out to eat all the time, but I live in an expensive area so I don't think that is the best idea. Plus yesterday was kind of fun so maybe I'll keep it up.

Anyway, the kids and their mommies came yesterday for a little mini-orientation. It wasn't that bad, except my head was in a fog. I couldn't even really hear myself so who knows what was coming out of my mouth. Also, it was a little uncomfortable because we had helpers in our room (other teachers) plus the moms and kids, so it was pretty much just everyone staring at me. Since the kids and most of the moms don't speak any English, I was getting a lot of blank stares. Plus, the kids were a little shell shocked. They are so young...there was a lot of crying going on. We also have a crazy kid that we can already tell is going to be a handful. But, for the most part, they were super cute and it was a successful day, for the most part. I think. Again, I didn't get a lot of feedback from the moms since most of them don't speak English. Oh, and this cracks me up...the moms choose an English name for their kids and we have one kid named "Churl." Ahh, what the hell?! Everytime I see it, it makes me chuckle. Such a ridiculous word. Some of them choose names that sound kind of like their Korean name, so that is what she wanted, even though it's not even a real word and/or name. Sometimes they choose names based on books or cartoons they like, so we also have an Eloise, which I think is cute. Last year the school had a MacQueen, which I think is awesome. I put some pictures of the classroom below. I'll try to get some of the students next week. Also, sadly, my Korean co-teacher is not really into making things cute like the other teachers are...and since I haven't really had time to make things cute (plus she is really in charge of the decor), our room is pretty sad and ugly compared to the other rooms. Very sad. Oh well, I'll try to work on it throughout the year. The first pic is my desk.

Oh, and I finally got internet in my apartment! It is just a cable connected to the wall, but whatever. It's not lighting fast, like I was expecting but I think that my actually be my stupid ass computers fault, and not the actual internet. Oh well. After my cooking adventure yesterday I was sooo tired, so I didn't get to play on it much. I did get to Skype some, which made me very happy. Today I have just been hanging out and blowing my nose, really. So much nose blowing. It's crazy. My Smile Day trashcan is pretty much full. Oh well, I am feeling a little better though.

Ok, well I am going to try and take more pictures soon. It is just such a pain to upload things on here. I need to rest up for the next week!

Dream big people!

Holiday

Today is the Korean Independence Day, so we have the day off from school. I slept until noon and it was fantastic. There is nothing I love more than sleeping and when you're sick, it's really the best thing you can do. I did venture out last night, though, and went to a "foreigners" bar with another teacher and met some of her friends. A lot of them are pretty hardcore into running, cycling, other sorts of extreme exercise sorts of things so I was feeling a little lazy. I mean, I don't really consider myself a lazy person, but compared to these people and their hikes and rides and blah blah blah, I am a couch potato. Guess what, don't care! I got pretty tired of hearing about it, actually. Whatever, most of them were nice and I ate a very delicious hamburger so no complaints here. Oh, well one complaint actually. Ok, so apparently Korean cab drivers don't like to give rides to people that are not going very far, aka won't have a high fare. So, when we left the bar, there are literally, 20 cabs in the street and none of them will give us a ride because we're only like, 5-10 minutes away. It was so bizarre. One, it pissed me off and two, it makes no sense to me that a driver would rather sit and wait on a bigger fare than take what is ready to go. It seems to me that they would just charge more for the short rides and/or drive really slow and make the drive longer. OR, they could just take the ride and come back. Apparently they are waiting on riders that are going back to Seoul, which is like 30 minutes. But that also seems strange to me because if you live in Seoul, I don't know why you would come here to go to a bar. We finally convinced someone to take us, but it was after a good 20 minutes of standing in the cold. So that sucked. Whatever.
I did venture out a little today and went back to the Korean won store. I managed to control myself, somewhat. I think I would have bought more stuff if it hadn't been a million degrees inside the store. I was dying! I dont' see how the people that work there stand it! You know me, I would rather be hot than cold anytime, any day but it was seriously uncomfortable. But, I did get some super cute stuff! I got a little trash can that says "Smile Day!. Please show me your bright smile all the time." Ok, trash can, I will! And, there precious little notebooks...there's four and each one says something different. "A giraffe has a long neck. A lion has a magnificent mane. A elephant has a long trunk." And my favorite, "A ostrich has a beautiful double eyelid." I have never seen an ostrich in person, but a double eyelid does not sound beautiful at all. My bigger notebook also has random sayings and cute animals. Everything here is so cute and positive, it's fantastic.

It was actually somewhat nice outside today (not freezing!) so I went and sat down by the river, which is right across the street from me. Then I came home, cleaned up, put away my new purchases and made spaghetti for dinner. It wasn't great...edible, but I've definitely had better. Some olive oil might have helped things...as well as a bigger pot. I also did some lesson planning. I am feeling a bit overwhelmed with all the lesson planning but I think I am just going to have to see how things go the first weeks.

Anyway, the kids are coming with their parents tomorrow so I have to be happy and friendly tomorrow. Which should be no problem for me, hahaha. I had a genius moment today when I figured out I could mix my cappuccino mix with hot milk instead of hot water and it was so tasty....so I have that to look forward to tomorrow morning so hopefully things will get off to a good start. Should be an interesting day. I also get internet installed tomorrow afternoon and I'm super excited! Who wants to Skypppeeee?? And I'll put up some more pictures then.

Dream big people!

Internet Miracle

I am currently sitting in my apartment, stealing wifi from somewhere and it is actually working! Love it! I had major difficulties at Korean Starbucks this afternoon, I was NOT a happy camper. Not only did my stupid drink cost 5,000 won (like $5) but apparently you have to some sort of ID nonsense and sign up and blah blah blah to get on the internet there. I was pretty furious. I had this whole plan to sit at Starbucks, write emails, do stuff, la de dah but instead it took like, 30 minutes to just find internet to get on and then, after all that mess, my computer had like, 30% battery left. Which was another reason to be angry. You see, I bought an adapter yesterday and guess what! It's not the right kind! I went with a girl that I thought knew what she was talking about when she advised me to buy this one. Lesson learned-pretty much never listen to other people because they're probably a moron. The adapter is actually for Koreans to take with them overseas. It works only if I wedge the plug in between something, or it falls out. Also, my computer can be really temperamental and slow sometimes and it drive me insane. It is constantly updating, scanning or reprogramming something and I have no idea whats going on. Most annoying. And I can't really buy a new one because I am not getting paid until April 7 and every time I turn around I have to pay for something new. A health check up, internet (finally getting it installed Friday!), cough medicine, etc. Plus I went to the Korean dollar tree (won tree?) this weekend and lost my mind. It is exploding with cuteness, I can't take it. I tried to stick to necessities for my apartment, but it was hard with so much cute in my face. Also, turns out, where I live is expensive compared to the rest of Korea since it's a big city. It's cool, lots of stuff, very modern...but very expensive. Boo.

Anyway, I also had a bitching sore throat this weekend, which was not fun at all. I was a pretty sad sack Saturday night. I didn't have anything to make hot water or anything else to help soothe it and it was pretty miserable. I was dying for some hot milk and honey but I had none of that. Honey is pretty expensive here and people are kind of stingy with it, I found out the next day. I'm feeling better now but have since developed a lovely cough to go along with it. I think it's the change in the weather, plus new air and all that. It's sooo freaking cold here! Today it was 19 degrees when I left for work! I really don't remember the last time I was somewhere that cold. Thank GOODNESS someone awesome bought me some winter gear before I left or I would be dying right now.

Today we started setting up our classrooms and all that jazz. I got a little taste of the nonsensical mess that will be this year. I mean, the school is pretty organized as far as curriculum and all that, but it's a very roundabout system and there are some ridiculous practices going on. For instance, each classroom is pretty much set up the same way. Each one has a felt calendar with Velcro so you can move around the dates and some sort of system of smiley and frowny faces to give to good and bad kids. Ok, so when you move rooms, you can just leave that kind of stuff in the room, right? Because it's ALL THE SAME....just like, different colors and shapes. Nope, we had to take the stuff from the old room and move it to the new room and vice versa. Again, it's all the same. And instead of just leaving up the crap like numbers, letters, body parts, etc in the new room, it all had to come down. Makes no sense. And super wasteful because we threw away a lot of the crap that we will, at some point, need again.

Another example. Last week they told me I would have to do a health check sometime this week and stressed that it was really important that I not eat anything before because they had to draw blood. Never heard that, but ok fine. They never said when it was, just this week sometime. This morning, they say, are you ready for your health check? Well, ok, yes, but I ate this morning...no one told me it was today. What? Why did you eat?! You have to go to your health check! What the hell! Also, they asked if I had passport photos to take with me. Again, no one told me I needed such things. Why would I have those?!? Whatever. I feel like this year is going to be a lot of smiling and nodding and just moving on with life. Hopefully I can remember that or I'm going to go insane. Another strange thing-we had a meeting for the teachers this morning, but only the foreign (me, Canadians, Brits, etc) teachers and not the Korean teachers. Which makes zero sense because they are supposed to be co-teachers, not assistants (we have actual assistants that clean up, serve food, pass out papers, etc). Especially later when my co-teacher and I are talking and she is either asking me about things we discussed in the meeting or telling me things we already went over in the meeting. Why we couldn't all be together, I have no idea.

Whatever.

Good thing is, I have some internet in my apartment. I got my health check post-poned until tomorrow and I am feeling a teensy bit better. And, in the event my throat flares up again, I have milk AND a pot to heat it up in. No honey, but I do have some Nutella. For some bad news, my hair looks like total garbage and it's quite depressing. I'm embarrassed by it. The kids last week told me I looked like a grandma...apparently Korean grandmas are the only people with curly hair. Fine with me, at least I don't look like a high schooler to them.

Things are good, though. Here is a picture of my cute apartment "kitchen" and the city. Haven't taken many photos yet...it's too cold to take my hands out of my pockets outside. I will soon.
That thing on the wall is my drying rack...I did some laundry! I just pushed some random buttons on the machine and thankfully didn't ruin anything! Gonna get a translation soon...

Dream big people!

Weekend Update

Ohhhh, my goodness people. So sorry it's been forever since I posted but life has been a ridiculous whirlwind of activity, plus I don't have internet at my new apartment yet so posting has been put on the back burner. But, let's do a review.

First off, had the BEST visit ever with one my favorite people in the world. Three weeks of just total happiness. So great, can't say enough good things about it. So thankful and so lucky it happened, I sometimes still can't even believe it's real.

And now, here I am in KOREA, and I am also having a hard time believing it's real. I mean, it is just too bizarre for words. A true roller coaster of emotions. Saying goodbye at the Charleston airport, being a sad sack, packing in a frenzy, saying goodbye again over hamburgers and Groucho's, saying hello to great friends in LA, having a really fun day and a half, a 14 hour plane ride and helllloooo Korea. So nuts. The plane ride was much better than expected. It actually went by pretty fast and was quite comfortable. The Korean flight attendants were just insane...so put together and fancy looking...I loved it. The food was good, I got to play Tetris and the guy next to me got up a bunch of times, which was awesome because then I could up and go to the bathroom without annoying him a bunch of times. I also read my awesome new book about Saturday Night Live, which I was pretty much obsessed with. I finished it today and am super sad about that...also sad the book only goes up to 2002 because I would love to read more about the current cast. Oh well, it at least had a little my fave, Jimmy Fallon. I was discussing the book with a teacher here and surprise, surprise, he's not a Jimmy fan. So he's obviously a total loser. Just kidding.

Anyway, so many changes and stuff going on here! So little internet time until my computer dies at Quizno's (still don't have an adapter). I'll just hit the big stuff. My apartment is a studio, so it's pretty tiny, but I love it. It's all mine, I don't have to share it with anyone and apparently I lucked out big time because I have curtains. I also have a non-functional TV, heated floors and a good sized fridge. I feel pretty fortunate. The bed is hard as a rock (I'm pretty sure it's a box spring, not a mattress), but hopefully it will be good for my back. It's not uncomfortable to sleep on, but not particularly comfy either. but I do have nice fluffy pillows and a soft comforter, so no complaints. My toilet is normal and my shower has a door, so that is also something to be happy about (so I've been told). When I got here, my friend Jessica met me at the airport and then came "home" with me, so I got a lot of info from her about what is good and what's not. She thinks I'm very lucky and I'm sticking with that since she's been here two years now. I also felt very lucky she met me there because I'm pretty sure I would have been a mess without her. A 14 hour plane ride is pretty exhausting and not only helped me exchange money, find food, pay for a bus ticket, make a phone call and figure out where to go, but she also helped drag my heavy ass suitcases around and I am SO grateful.

Oh yeah, and my apartment also has a sensor light, and instead of a key, I have a code that lets me in. I think that is pretty awesome. The sensor light just pleases me to no end. I live in a high rise building, which I think is pretty bad ass. Honestly, I kind of feel like I moved to Koreatown in Los Angeles, only with better public transportation. It is a huge city, lots of big buildings, all kinds of stores (lots of "western" stuff), and tons of people. Weird thing is, the people all look the same and I feel a little out of place. No one acts weird, but I am definitely like, oh wow, I am the only non Korean person here. Like I said, I'm at Quiznos right now (I don't really want to attempt an authentic Korean restaurant by myself just yet) and across the street is a Jamba Juice and a Starbucks...as well as a "Waffle Bant" that looks delicious and I'll be trying it asap.

And the school! It's nuts. There are a ton of little kids running around, screaming all the time but everything is really nice and new and sooo cute! It's all decorated and just overall precious looking. I spent the first few days just observing, which was interesting for about an hour and then my butt fell asleep and I wanted to pass out. Jet lag is a bitch! I feel a little more normal today but I was totally dragging the first days. Just sitting around watching didn't help things so I'm ready to get in the game and start doing stuff. The kids come next week so we have a week of planning. From what I've seen, the kids are SO sticking cute. And SMART! Holy shit, I sat in on a 7 year old class and the kids were pretty much fluent and learning about space....they knew more about the planets and stars than I did! And in a second language! Makes me feel like a total fool. Fortunately, I will have beginner 6 year olds so I can feel smart again, for the first few months anyway. But maybe not since I cannot, for the life of me, remember how to say pretty much anything in Korean. I keep trying to remember hello and thank you, but my brain hasn't really been working.

The people at the school are all really nice and friendly as well. Yesterday was "graduation" (OH MY GOD-the most ridiculous spectacle I have ever witnessed, more another time) and afterwards we all went to dinner (Italian, oddly enough) and it was a lot of fun. Two teachers are leaving...one I'm sad about because she's really nice and the other I'm kind of glad because he is a talkative know it all. All the guy teachers there are married to Korean women, which I find odd but it seems to be pretty normal around here. I am the only actual newcomer to Korea, which is good and bad. Bad only because people tend to assume I know what's going on because everyone else does. Good because when they remember that I have no freaking clue as to what is going on, they're super helpful. Oh, and so far the food has been really good at school. They have kimchee every day, but they also have other non-spicy food that's tasty. Also, they have peanut butter and jelly sandwiches available for the "foreigners." Which is just fine with me because I love me some PB&Js. A few days I ate both because since I got here, I've pretty much been insatiable. Not sure what's going on with that.

Anyway, that is all for now. I've been in Quiznos for an uncomfortable amount of time now. Also, someone just came in and set a cat in a cage down beside me. No thanks (sorry Kelley!)

I really miss everyone. Not like, I wish I hadn't done this...because I'm really excited about my year and all the new things going on, but more like, I wish all my friends and family were here with me. I think part of it has been not being able to get in touch with people, with no phone and internet, the last week so hopefully that will go away when I can Skype and such. Once I can, you people best be setting dates with me! I have a super handy time chart I can send to you, if you like. Also, once I figure out where my mailbox is, I would love to get some letters. Care packages will have to be sent to the school. Feel free to request the address. I don't really need anything at this point, but I'll keep yall posted.

Dream big people!

Oh Happy Day

Happy Valentines Day everyone!!!! Real friends know I love this day and this years is the BEST so far. I have gotten some fantastic gifts and the day has only just begun. I am currently typing this on a German (Swiss German technically) so forgive the mistakes. I cant figure out where the apostrophe is so sorry my contractions are not correct. And if you see a z where a y is supposed to be, its because they are switched on this keyboard.

Also, sorry I have been so slack on blogging. Ive had a guest and been preoccupied. For an update: things are GREAT, thezre going to suck Wednesday but will hopefully pick up again on Saturday when I leave for LA and then Monday when I leave for Seoul!!!!! CRAZYYYYY. I really cant believe its really happening, just like I cant really believe the last 3 weeks have been for real.

More soon....some pictures too. Hope everyone is feeling nice and loved today. If you're reading this, I probably love you!!! Happy V-day!!!!!

Here are some random funny German symbols on this computer: ö ä ü ¨^ ç.

Dream big people++++ (that is what shows up when I try to make a !) Kisses, friends :)

PS-So sad about Whitney!!! I will always love you AND I wanna dance with somebody. I wanna make a heart but cant find the less than sign on here.

Good Times

Whoa, people. BIG, EXCITING things happening lately! January has pretty much been fantastic and I'm pretty sure February is going to be even more awesome. 2012 is off to a bombass start.

Most recently, I got to spend the weekend in Savannah with some of my best college buddies. We wandered around, ate some good food, had some good conversations and saw Grease, which was super cute and fun. Too boot, the hotel was free! Can't beat that goodness.

And the Korea job business is just coming along so great. I am getting more and more excited about the whole thing whenever I talk to people about it. I know people that have gone and one that is there now and they have nothing but good things to say about it. Makes me really happy. The only downside is the things I'll miss while I'm gone. Thank goodness for the internet. I can't believe how fast it's all happening, but I am really ready for this new adventure.

I am also REALLY ready for it be 2:36 on Tuesday afternoon. Because then I'll be in Atlanta picking up a very special Swiss friend!!! I don't know that I have ever been so happy to go to the airport. :) I think the next three weeks are going to be fantastic.

Last, but not least, and on a totally unrelated note: I am re-reading "The Power of One" by Bryce Courtenay and not only do I highly recommend it, but I also wanted to share some of my favorite quotes from it...

"Sadness has a season and will pass."

"Pride is holding your head up when everyone around you has theirs bowed. Courage is what makes you do it."

"...God is too busy making the sun come up and go down and watching so the moon floats just right in the sky to be concerned with such rubbish. Only man wants always God should be there to condemn this one and save that one. Always it is man who wants to make heaven and hell. God is too busy training the bees to make honey and every morning opening up all the new flowers for business. ... It is better just to get on with the business of living and minding your own business and maybe, if God likes the way you do things, he may just let you flower for a day or a night. But don't go pestering and begging and telling him all your stupid little sins, that way you will spoil his day. Absoloodle."

There are some other ones, but you should probably just read the book for yourself. I am also going to start trying to incorporate the word absoloodle into my vocabulary more often. I suggest you do the same.

Dream big people!

Check Yes or No

It would be so fantastic if things were that simple and I could just get everyone to answer my questions with a checked yes or no. Somehow, lately, even though I feel like my life was simplified by moving home, things have gotten more complicated. I realize that kind of makes zero sense, but whatever.

Anyway, I went back to the cat house last week, and was house sitting for 5 cats and a dog as well. I never thought I was allergic to cats, but I think with 6 animals, the extreme pet hair kind of got to me. It was a sneezy past couple of days. I think it made my brain kind of fuzzy as well because I am having a rather difficult time making coherent thoughts and putting together sentences. It also just took me a little while to remember how to spell sentences. Eesh.

Whatever. On a more positive note, the band O.A.R. is on TV and they are way hotter than I imagined. I have never seen them, only listened to their random music and this is just a lovely surprise. You should check them out. Also, I watched some pretty bad ass TV today. I love me some 80s movies AND SNL, and thanks to the power of DVR, I got to watch both today. Pretty in Pink is so amazing and now I'm watching Don't Tell Mom the Babysitter's dead for the first time. Which is technically early 90s, but it's pretty cool. And Daniel Radcliff on SNL was fantastic.

Oh, and I got myself a job. It's in Korea. Kind of too much to process right now, so more on that later.

Lots more to say, too tired.

Dream big people!

New Career

Man oh man, my life is so boring, it's slightly embarrassing. I don't really mind, but it makes for some uninteresting blogging. My apologies. One time, I tried asking for suggestions for blog topics but no one had anything, which led me to believe that no one really reads or cares about this mess, so I moved right along from that. Also, at this juncture in my life, I don't really feel like taking suggestions anymore, so sorry, you missed your chance.

No worries, I still write for my benefit and my benefit alone.In other news, I have figured out what my dream job would be. I honestly don't know how I didn't think of this sooner. This job combines my two loves, traveling and making people (that I like) happy and/or helping people. Are you ready for this? It's going to be blow your mind. My dream job would be....SANTA CLAUS! RIGHT???!!!! SO PERFECT! I mean, he gets to go literally, everywhere in the world so that would fulfill all my travel dreams. And, he does nothing but fly around (another perk, I love being up high) and make people happy with awesome gifts. Best part, he doesn't even have to make the gifts! He just gets all the glory and the elves do all the work. I mean, I wouldn't mind pitching in and helping with some gift building every now and then, but I would mainly hang out at the beach and eat. Which brings me to the next HUGE plus-it's totally fine and expected to be fat! This job clearly is meant for me. I know, I know, Santa is a guy but guess what friends. It's 2012 and it is time for the sexism to end. Jacky Claus is coming to town.

Anyway. Hope everyone rang in the New Year like a rock star, like myself. I got a long distance international drunk dial, which made me quite happy but things kind of went downhill after that. I apparently made a few enemies and my shoes came off pretty early in the evening, which is never a good sign. But whatever, I had a great time even if a few people hate me. I started off 2012 with Waffle House, which I'm pretty sure means this year is going to be the BEST YET. Maybe not for my cholesterol but in all other aspects, for sure. I hope the same for you.

Dream big people!

Did you say lawn care?

This year is almost over...total insanity. I really can't believe it. But, I also haven't put a whole lost of thought into it. I mean, years go by, blah blah. It is strange to think about how much things have changed over the last year and how different things were this time last year.

But I'm not complaining. 2011 was a fantastic year and I'm pretty sure 2012 is going to be EVEN BETTER.

Damn straight.

Anyway, I don't really feel like expanding on my inner thoughts and feelings on that subject, so moving right along. I think I might give my baking career another go. I mean, I got a new pan for Christmas as well as a super cute baking-esque ornament so I might as well, right? We'll see how this adventure goes tonight and I'll get back to you. I might attempt bread again next week when I have some time. We'll see. So far, things smell pretty good so I think I'll be ok. Although I did get a good bit of the ingredients on my clean shirt. Boo.

I've also been extremely crafty this week and I am quite proud of what I made. There is really nothing I love more than painting random things. Nothing is safe. I've been eyeballing my moms wooden cooking equipment but I learned my lesson about that sort of thing in middle school, so I'm going to control myself for now.

I am currently watching 'Home Improvement' and damn, it is just so good. Totally underrated in my opinion. You know who else is underrated? JIMMY FALLON! He's freaking hilarious and I don't care who knows it. Watch this and tell me otherwise:

Saturday Night Live - 1920s Holiday Party - Video - http://www.nbc.com

 

Love love love.

 

Anyway. Last day at the ham store tomorrow. It's been lovely, but I've had just about all I can take. Also, it's making me fat. Can't have that.

 

I know I used to be interesting and funny, so I apologize for the horrible posts as of late. I am always so damn tired! I don't know what the problem is. Probably the ham.

 

Dream big people!

Merry Christmas to All,

And to all, a Good Night. :)

Had a great Christmas. It was missing someone, but everything was good. Got some good gifts, ate some fantastic food and the best part...it's not even over! Two Christmas dinners down, and I get another one tomorrow!

And finally, I get to watch Elf! Our DVD of it wouldn't work, bu now it's on TV so life is good.

I have been house/cat sitting for a woman the last few days and I have to say...cats are weird. Out of the five cats here, one has warmed up to me and I think we're best friends now. Although she has been a little aloof since I yelled at her for chewing on my computer cord. Sorry kitty, that is not food.

That's all that's interesting in my life. I have been super tired lately so if there was something better to write about, I can't summon the energy to piece together the words for sentences. I have to start exercising again...I think it will help things. Also, less bread. I went on a binge working at the ham store. No good.

The cats are being eerily quiet. I think it's time to check on them.

Dream big people!

Massive Fail

I figured out the secret to baking. It's patience.  Therefore, my career as a baker has come to an end. Sad, but true. I think it was just beginners luck with the first bread because since then, I have ruined 8 loaves of bread. So, so sad. I just can't recreate the magic of those first two perfect loaves. Booooo. I am going to try to read up on some bread making tips and see what I can do. Until then, I'm going to wallow in self-pity. I mean, the whole reason I like to baking it is to bask in the glory of praise when I make it beautiful. Now it's all ugly and I feel like a total failure.

In some more baking news, I've found that cookie decorating is not quite as easy or as fun as I always think it's going to be. Again, with the patience problems. It's super aggravating to roll them out and cut, I can't ever seem to get them shaped properly,  I don't want to wait on them to cool, and the frosting doesn't ever do what I want it to. It's a big huge stupid mess and someone needs to remind me of that next time I get to thinking holiday baking is a good idea. I also wanted to attempt a caramel cake, but that has been put on hold until my baking confidence has come back up.

Other than my failures in the kitchen, things are going pretty well. I am enjoying my time at the ham store, my car is cruising right along and I freaking love the holidays. Watched 'Love Actually' tonight and my love for it has been renewed. I never stopped loving it, it has just been awhile. We hate Uncle Jaime!

Ok, nothing else interesting to report. I'm tired, later dudes.

Dream big people!

Carrying Your Love With Me

That's the song I'm listening to at the moment. George Strait. I love me some old school country music. Also, I am all out of creative juices and can't think of clever titlyes any more. Especially since I don't have anything remotely clever to write about anymore.

Anyway, learned some things this weekend. 1. People are not really interested in taking shots at grown up Christmas parties. Which, really, is such a shame. I went to my first ugly Christmas sweater party and while it was a good time, my peppermint patty shots were largely ignored and I could only talk 2 people into taking one. Losers. 2. I am not as good with kids as I orginally thought. Rethincking my stint in Korea. 3. Converse do not keep your feet warm. I went to the Christmas parade and litereally could not feel my feet for a good hour. The parade was fantastic, with fireworks and all kinds of goodies, but that was a teensy bit miserable. But lesson learned. 4. More people dislike Jimmy Fallon than I thought. Too bad for them. I don't know why everyone has to hate but I am super stoked about him hosting Saturday Night Live this weekend. I do not care if he laughs the whole way through.

I'm sure there were other things but I don't remember them at this moment. I am currently getting ready to leave for my holiday stint at the ham store and am very impressed that I had the time to shower, eat and write this post all before even going to work! I RULE!

And now I have to sell the ham to the people. I love the holidays!

Dream big people!

Hey Baby Jesus, you wanna do pilates?

I don't care what anyone says, I think SNL is funny these days. I also think Jimmy Fallon is hilarious and anyone that doesn't agree can shut up. I love at the end of SNL when everyone hugs...I want to be a part of that someday. That is the real reason I want to be famous, so I can host SNL. I don't think they generally let nonfamous goobers like myself host for no reason. Who knows, maybe things will change in the future.

Anyway, I don't really have anything to say other than YAY, IT'S CHRISTMAS TIME!!! I had a very fantastically Christmasy weekend. Went to a bonfire, decorated the house, went to a Christmas party and listened to a shit ton of Christmas music. I literally never tire of listening to Christmas music.

For other music news, I am currently obsessed with Beyonce's "Countdown." I am becoming a bigger Beyonce fan that I thought. I have also been jamming out to "Ni***a's in Paris." Guess I'm a big Kanye fan as well because I'm also still obsessed with "All of the Lights." That shit cray. I love my new car, but it doesn't currently have a way for me to play music from my ipod or phone so I can't play them in the car which is my favorite but I rock out at home. But it's ok, the radio in Charleston is really good! I am just constantly switching back and forth between stations because I can't handle boring music or commercials. Other than that, no complaints about the new car...it's super cute!

In other less interesting news, I have somehow been both productive and unbelievably lazy these last few days. I haven't really left the house or done anything fun but I am kind of getting things done. Very small things. Car tags, got insurance, fixed my resume, downloaded some music, other stupid shit. And these next few weeks I'll be making some money helping my dad out and moonlighting at the ham store. Actually, the opposite of moonlighting because it's in the morning, but I think moonlighting is a cool word.

Now for some personal news. Nothing exciting, I just wanted to say I am very happy I decided to come home. Every day I'm a little more at peace with my decision. I miss my great LA friends and other random things sometimes (like Twist and In-N-Out and the PCH) but nothing beats the holidays at home. I've been sleeping better, I got some super cute new clothes (thanks Mom!), I've been reunited with my favorite sleep shirt, I discovered my talent as a baker and I am also excited about the possibilities next year holds. The only problem is the diet. I have gone completly off the rails and it is damn near impossible to get back on track with all the Christmas goodies. However, I'm very happy about a certain someone and a possible trip to SC. Nothing is set in stone but it's knowing it's a possibility has soothed my crazy runaway thoughts.

That's it. I'm boring and I'm ok with it for now. Christmas is exciting enough, I don't need to get crazy too.

Dream big people!

I can't think of fun titles anymore

What a fantastic Thanksgiving I had! I had my doubts at how things were going to go, but all turned out well, as it always does.

Last Monday I was so sick, I couldn't do anything. I got a stomach bug or something and couldn't even get myself out of bed. I was quite pathetic. I also tried to make round two of the Swiss bread and failed miserably. Beginners luck I guess. I accidentally killed the yeast, so it didn't rise at all. It was also quite pathetic and I was very sad about the whole thing. Thankfully, Tuesday I was able to pull it together, saw some old deli friends and made it up to North Carolina without any problems.

And in North Carolina is where the Thanksgiving insanity began. My family is always insane and this year was no different. It's always a blast, of course and there is always something ridiculous going on with 25 people running around in one house. And, of course, SO much food. We had two turkeys, one of which was 25 pounds and I never even saw the second one, it was gone before I had finished my mashed potatoes. There were about 35 people at actual Thanksgiving lunch, so it's no wonder everything disappeared so quickly.

Friday I tried again with the Swiss bread and was successful this time! There was only one teeny tiny little hiccup. Instead of three cups of milk, I added six because I thought the measuring cup I was using was for one cup when it was really for two. That's what I get for not actually looking at the writing. But it turned out for the best because I just doubled everything and made four loaves and they were all gone within an hour. Thank goodness for my fatty family!

I am so tired and this post is so poorly written, it's getting embarrassing. But, just because it was completely insane, I have to mention my ride home from NC. To make things quick and easy, the carriage top of my uncles car flew off while I was driving down the interstate, then the windshield wipers broke and then we got pulled over by the police. Quite the eventful ride home. Luckily, no one was hurt, the car got us home safely and no tickets or citations were issued by the police. Definitely thankful for that!

Today I got myself some car insurance and had a lovely conversation with a very cute boy. Things are good. Excited that I can finally start listening to Christmas music, baking Christmas goodies and putting up decorations! It's the most wonderful time of the year! Yay!

Dream big people!

Wheels

I'm all over the place right now, but first things first. I got a car today! Wooo hooo! It's just a little younger than me, but it has wheels and can get me out of my house and into the world, so mission accomplished. Why I did not take a picture of it yet, I have no idea, but I'll do that tomorrow. It's cute and I like it so no complaints here. I am so thrilled to be mobile again...feels good. I was a little hungover today from an impromptu marathon Juanita Greenburg's Saturday drink fest so maybe that is why I wasn't in picture taking mode. But, that was totally worth it. Started drinking at 2, and literally, 5 hours, 5-8 beers, 4 shots, and two plates of nachos later, I had spent $8. All thanks to my new "Gay Squad" (their words, not mine) and their Saturday generoristy. It was awesome.

In other news, the AMAs are on TV (I was not the person that turned them on, just so everyone knows) and I would just like to say Jennifer Lopez is ridiculous. I don't know if I've discussed my dislike for her before, but yeah, I'm not a huge fan. I'm just watching her perform in her like, sparkly spandex suit singing about drinking and dancing all night at the club and I'm just like, you are some one's mom, you know? I always think it's a little strange when people who have kids are performing/acting/posing or whatever else and looking all super sexy and whatnot. I mean, flaunt it if you got it I guess but how weird would it be if your mom was half-naked in front of the whole world. Happens all the time, I know, but I still think it's weird. It's obviously not just JLo, but something about her just irks me. Not that she gives a shit, she's rolling in money and I'm cruising around in a 1989 BMW sedan. So who's the winner here?

Anyway, I've also noticed from the stats that I got an influx of readers from Latvia. No idea how or why that happened but what up Latvia?!

OMG-I just saw a commercial for the new Bachelor. I mean, go Ben, but that old woman? Seriously?! Can't handle it. Sometimes I literally just can't deal with TV and it's ridiculousness. I will have to leave the room should that show ever be on in the background.

Last but not least, this girl I know started a website kind of about traveling and stuff and here's the link so check me out : http://llyov.org/647

A true reader and friend already knows this story but there it is in slightly shorter form and on a different website. Does this mean I'm a published author now? Probably.

Making more Swiss bread tonight. Seemed like a good idea a few hours ago but with another two hours of work to go, I'm not so sure anymore. We'll see.

Dream big people!

Thoughts

So. Haven't really been doing much with myself lately. I've come down off my bread making high (I'm still really proud) and then I had a really good Wednesday and now here I am doing nothing at all really. Wednesday I had a massage (thanks Mom for the gift certificate!), ran a bunch of errands and took like, the best nap ever. I don't think I got more accomplished after that but that nap was really fantastic.
Between half-ass looking for jobs/cars online, baking and an occasional outing, I have been watching a lot of daytime TV. And wow, it is SO bad. There really is no point in turning it on until like, 4 in the afternoon (when Ellen comes on) because there is NOTHING on during the day. It's awful. I try to record decent evening TV to watch during the day but I've learned my step dad gets a little stingy with the recording space. I have to delete before he finds out I took up some of his space. Man, living at home is the best. Only joking, it's really not bad but he does like to comment on everything I choose to watch. I'm not surprised, though. He likes to comment on anything and everything there is to comment on, even when no one wants to hear it. I am so appreciative of my mom and step dad but they talk A LOT during TV viewing. He also likes to watch TV at an insanely high volume which gets uncomfortable. However, we both like to watch Big Bang reruns so we get along pretty well.

Speaking of being appreciative, my mom is awesome. She bought me all these super cute winter clothes and I really wish I had more of a life so I could wear them all out. I seriously got the cutest jacket ever. I put it on in the store and literally shocked myself. For the most part, I am not a big fan of trying on clothes, or jackets for that matter because I rarely find things that are both cute and fit me well. But I have found jackets that are just that and my mom bought them all for me because she's awesome.

And speaking of cute clothes, I have been watching a What Not to Wear marathon and I have to say, I just LOVE it when the people are grateful and eager for the change.

Oh man, sorry these posts lately have been so terrible. I just don't really have anything interesting to say. Most of my thoughts lately are a little on the pathetic side and I've decided to keep them to myself. You're welcome!

Dream big people!

Oh, and this is my new obsession:

http://youtu.be/M4zCOHFrLVY

Lately

Stuff's been going on. Nothing interesting. Mainly just sleeping and eating. Still no job in case you were wondering.

11.11.11 came and went and nothing exciting happened. I didn't really have high hopes for it, but there was a tiny part of me that just maybe something crazy would happen. Nothing did. I don't even remember what I did that day. I'm that way about full moons too. I don't really think something will happen, but I'm always slightly hopeful something fun and interesting will happen and I'll be all, oh man, it's a full moon! Because that will explain the craziness. I don't know exactly what would constitute a crazy full moon time, but I'll let yall know if it ever happens.

Most of my days have been spent lounging around but today was special. I am just so excited about my day today and it is not even over yet! I know it's not really anything special but today was the first day I actually felt like getting up and doing something with myself. I didn't do anything too impressive, but I was a baking machine and things turned out much better than expected!

I decided I was going to attempt making bread. I'm not sure what exactly came over me, but someone sent me a recipe for a particular kind of Swiss bread and I thought, I can make that. I think that about lots of things and usuall things turn out on the diastrous side. I tend to skim things (like recipes) over and don't research and/or prep enough. It happened with this recipe, as per usual, so ended up with two loaves since I missed that first line that said "enough for two servings." I really don't even need one serving so I don't know what I'm going to do with the two of them, but I have to say, they turned out pretty damn tasty. I was pretty concerned about the final product after the yeast didn't really do what it was supposed to and the dough was being extremely difficult and sticky. The second batch I wrangled in with some flour and it turned out quite nice. I'm not going to lie, I am pretty impressed with myself. I did not think it would turn out well at all and oh la la, it's fantastic! Go me.

The first picture was attempt number one. Looks messy and unappealing, but it was actually pretty yummy. Flour helped get attempt two under control and made everything nicer looking. Also quite tasty. :) Bakery owner? New career path? Probably not.

I also made Nutella brownies that were a little on sad looking side, but they were also pretty delicious. Additionally, I made some cute cards to send off, cleaned the kitchen, took a shower and went the entire day without crying. A successful day if I do say so myself! Like I said, it's not even over yet! Plans to go out tonight.

Dream big people!

Home

Well. I'm here. I haven't really been up to writing. One, there hasn't been anything too exciting happening and also I have been super exhausted. I still haven't been sleeping all that well and I don't have a lot of energy or motivation to type. Still applies now, so sorry if this is lame.

Most of my days have been spent sleeping and/or eating. I have been trying to get back into the Jenny habits of dieting and exercising but it's not working out that well for me. For starters, sleeping is not exercise. I realllly wish it was, but I think I'm going to have to put in a little more effort than that. And, with my limited supply of funds, I don't think a gym membership is a good investment for me right now. Which means, running/walking is really my only option. Yes, I know I could do some sort of work out regime at home but I really just don't have the will power for that. I did get out there for a run/walk the other day. So boring. I try to go different ways so I don't get bored of the scenery, but it doesn't usually work for me.

Blah blah blah. Let's talk about positive things about being home. The previous paragraph is boring me. Since I've been home, the weather has been pretty nice. I've eaten a lot of really good food and I've gotten to see some lovely family and friends. Let's talk food. I went to a shrimp festival that had a bunch of different restaurants each with a different dish. There were some of the best shrimp dishes I have ever had, and never thought I would have. For example, shrimp and waffles. I thought I was being crazy eating chicken and waffles, and I had my doubts about this dish, but it was really really tasty. A Gullah restaurant had seafood casserole and some amazing brown rice. Sadly most of the restaurants ran out of food before I got to sample all of them, but everything I had was delicious. I've also eaten some homemade salmon and mussels (delicious) and had crab cake benedict for brunch today and put myself into a food coma. You just cannot beat the seafood here. I was trying to explain how fantastic the seafood is here to some goober foreigner I know but he doesn't think things get any better than Bubba Gump Shrimp Company in Santa Monica. He is obviously a crazy fool. I'm trying to get him to come here and see for himself. He's also under the impression he can go turkey hunting here so I'm trying to figure out how to make that happen as well.

Oh my, this is so lame. To conclude, I was having serious doubts about my decision to leave as I was leaving LA, but I think now I've done the right thing.  I'm trying to relax and get some rest so I have the energy to figure out what to do with myself next. Everyone wants to know and as soon as I know, I'll let everyone else know. I promise.Sorry this was the worst post ever.

Dream big people!

Crazy

I have one full day left in LA. This is crazy and I can't really wrap my mind around it. I am excited and I am ready for the next chapter of my life but it still is just surreal to me. Especially since I have, literally, no idea what I'm going to do with myself over the next few weeks. Or ever, really. Keep checking in, I guess.

To celebrate my amazing time in LA, I got a small little tattoo. Sorry family, I'm sure you're disappointed in me, but when you start getting angry...just think about my ridiculous brother and his tats, that are significantly larger and more obvious than mine. You can also just remember how fantastic I am and stop being mad, and start being awesome instead. So simple.

Anyway, been having a food fest here in LA lately. Went to "House of Pies" tonight and it was pretty damn delicious. I think my last meal is going to be In-N-Out. There is so much goodness to choose from, but I'm going to keep it simple.

I have almost everything packed and ready to go. Fingers crossed so hard my luggage is not overweight. You can cross yours as well, thanks.

Still not really able to process all this. I'm going to read my new book, "Little-Known Facts About Disneyland" and get some sleep.

Dream big people!