I Was Strolling Through the Park One Day...

Actually, I was strolling home today, and I happened upon some awesomeness: 

It was basically an outdoor Tae Kwon Do demonstration...with little kids...and music. It was so fantastic. I stayed and watched for like 30 minutes. I hate so much that I was alone and there was no one to share in the fantastic-ness with me, what oh well. I still enjoyed it. It was a nice little happy break too, from my grumpy afternoon. Seriously, how much do you have to work out before the endorphin's kick in? An hour? Two hours? Because I forced myself to go to the gym, hoping for a pick me up, and I was still angry with the world when I left. Oh well. The outdoor surprise put a smile on my face. But, then, I saw these and I was back to angry: 

Korea has a serious shoe problem. There are lots of normal, lovely shoes here, of course. But, there seem to be an absurd amount of just HEINOUS shoes. Like, the worst ever. And I get super angry because they are on cute girls. Stop it ladies! What are you doing? Why would you buy those? And why is there no one in your life that is like, TAKE THOSE OFF NOW AND NEVER LET THEM SEE THE LIGHT OF DAY AGAIN? Sigh. 

Then I came home and the anger continued since I forced myself into making dinner. I say forced because I HATE cooking. So much. I think I am missing some girl genes...like the ones that make you like cooking and make you want babies. Maybe they'll come later...I didn't really like make-up until college. Anyway, I hate cooking a lot and the only reason I do it is because I keep buying food, telling myself I'm going to cook at home more often. So, now I have all this food and after letting a good portion of it go bad, I decided I needed to cook it so it wouldn't be a complete waste of money. I am also trying to lose some weight and it's a healthier option than allowing myself to eat a restaurant. Even with the best of intentions, I'll end up eating something I told myself I wouldn't. I have ZERO self control. Which is why my clothes don't fit now. Now I'm forcing myself to eat shrimp and broccoli and all I want is some bread. And ice cream. And literally anything besides this horrible broccoli. Why is everything delicious bad for you? Bah. Is popcorn good for you? The package says the entire bag of butter popcorn says it's only like, 150 calories but I feel like that just can't be right. Can anyone confirm this? I'll keep eating it regardless but I need to know if I need to feel guilty. 

Anyway. I did some other strolling, yesterday, in a lovely little park. I have been to this park before but I didn't realize there was a whole other part to it, that included this super awesome pond, some tombs,and just really pretty scenery in general. I had a lovely time just sitting and admiring the view. You can too: 

It was a lovely weekend. I also took a nice long walk on Saturday evening. The weather was perfect this weekend so I tried to take advantage of it because I know the cruel, cruel winter is coming to suck the life out of me soon. It was a really random walk. I happened upon three outdoor concerts, one literally under a bridge. I also saw two nuns, had to bushwhack my way through part of the river path and was nearly killed by a swarm of dragonflies. They are HUGE here!

So that's that. Just wanted to share the recent happenings. Nothing else too exciting going on. I am trying to plan a trip for Christmas, but funds are so low right now. So very sad. I also just checked in on my student loans lately and that a terrible, depressing idea. I thought I had paid so much off and NOPE. It's still a stupid amount of money. More bah. 

More later. I'm sure good things will be happening soon. I'm already feeling slightly optimistic after this broccoli and shrimp dinner. May reward myself with popcorn later. 

Dream big people! 

Golden Birthday!

Happy Birthday to me!

Wooooo, today I turned 28 on the 28th! So that means it's super special and awesome. Mainly because I decided it is. :D But, yeah, I've a really great time, especially since I am also on vacation!

Last week a co-worker and I went to down to Busan, which is the big beach city at the bottom of Korea. We took the "luxury" bus down and it took about 4 hours, and wasn't a bad ride at all. It has seriously been raining here for the last 3 weeks with no breaks, but we finally caught one! It was very lucky, the three days we were down there, the weather was amazing! It wasn't crazy hot, so we had a lovely time laying on the beach. For the first and last days, we were at the really big, popular beach. It was a little too intense for me. It was nice and I enjoyed it, but there were soooo many people...even for a weekday. We got down there Wednesday and also spent Friday at the same beach. It's so different from beach time at home. First off, pretty much everyone sits under an umbrella, which you can rent from 100 different people up and down the beach. You can also rent chairs and tubes, as well as buy chicken, beer, ice cream and an impressive array of other things. The water was super cold, but a ton of people still swim and most of them are in the tubes. It's actually pretty funny. The waves are pretty high so everyone screams from the cold and the waves, so there are tons of people just in these tubes, floating and screaming. Koreans are also interesting with their swim wear choices, so there are a lot of people wearing like, a full set of clothing in the water. Also, for whatever reason, tons of people wear hats and hardly anyone wears sunglasses. But, Busan has been one of the most chill places I've been in Korea. There were lots of people with tattoos, which you rarely see up my way.

Wednesday night there was some sort of outdoor concert on the beach and it was so random. It was basically a deejay outside on a stage with a bunch of people standing around watching. Koreans are pretty terrible at dancing and getting enthusiastic about concerts (from the ones I've been to), so there were only a few people busting a move. And I guess since it was a Wednesday night at 8, there were a lot of young kids there. Even some babies cruising around. I find there are often babies in unexpected places in Korea. Anyway.

Our hotel was SUPER nice in Haeundae (the first beach)...it had a huge bathtub, bathrobes, lots of cute toiletries and our own personal water cooler! Can't beat never running out of water..hot OR cold! When we went to the other beach (Songjeong) the next day, we found a pretty decent hotel a 5 minute walk to the beach for a really good deal. It wasn't as nice, but it was clean and had a huge TV in it. Plus, super close to the beach so I was thrilled. I just love the beach so damn much. It was so fabulous to just lay on it all day, even if there were lots of crazy things going on around me. Songjeong had a lot less going on and there were less people, so I liked it more. You could rent chairs and stuff (we did) but not quite as much craziness as Haeundae. They did have outdoor norebang (karaoke) at night, but overall, pretty quite and peaceful.

When we went back to Haeundae Friday, it was PACKED! The stage that had the deejay Wednesday night was hosting a some sort of beer and sunscreen promotion and it was completely ridiculous. There was a guy in a Psy mask dancing around with some girls and they played his songs, as well as a beer commercial he's in for like, 5 hours straight. I love Gangnam Style probably more than anyone, but it got pretty old after about hour 3. Other things that got old: the same 5 people wandering up and down trying to sell chicken and beer. The girls next to us that took hundreds of pictures of themselves. The girls on the other side that spent an hour putting on makeup and doing their hair with these huge mirrors that they brought TO THE BEACH. The girls in front of us that sprayed an entire bottle of spray on sunscreen on themselves, which got all over us. Basically all the girls we saw at the beach. Things that didn't get old: people watching all the ridiculousness. The super cute kids that were perplexed by my friends and I's foreign-ness. All the super hot men wandering around. Men that weren't super hot, but were hilarious to watch. And basically just being in the sunshiney goodness that is the beach.

On the way home I decided I'll be taking the train from now on. The bus ride isn't bad, but they only stop one time halfway through, and I had to pee so bad I thought I was going to die. I was seriously contemplating how I was going to successfully pee in a bottle when they announced they'd be stopping soon. Then I bolted off the bus and just barely made it to the bathroom. It was horrible.

Anyway. Then I came home and had an epic birthday party that lasted until 5 in the morning last night. A pretty good way to ring in 28. Now I'm going to use the rest of my vacation to recover because I am SO OLD. Then I'll have another party next week, but maybe slightly less crazy since I'll only have one day to recover. We'll see.

So yeah. Thanks if you sent me a birthday wish. There is still time if you haven't! Plus I'd love you anyway...even if it is my super special amazing golden birthday. I'd forgive you.

Dream big people!

Home of the Free...and Frumpy

Heyyyyy Oohhhhh.

Oh my! It has been SO long! Right? How are you friends? Me, I'm doing just dandy. It has been QUITE the interesting last few weeks. I mean, what was even going on last time I posted? Was Lincoln still in office? I don't even know. Sorry for the huge break. I know all of you were heartbroken.

Whoa. I just checked the last post and I skipped over all of May and June! Goodness! Now it's July and it's almost my GOLDEN BIRTHDAY!!! WOOOOO. That means I will be 28 ON the 28th! I am so old! I kind of can't believe this is really happening! I am also a little nervous that it's not going to be epic and awesome. It is over our summer vacation and almost everyone I know here will be out of town...or having babies. I will have to round together a rag tag group to make it awesome. Totally possible, don't worry.

Anyway. So much has happened! I'll rewind and hit the highlights. And then I'll try to start posting more often...I'm sure people need to know things.

I broke up with my boyfriend! I'm the one that did it and I'm ok with it now, but man oh man it was quite the dramatic experience. Seriously, more drama in a week than I think I've ever had. It was a little ridiculous and I was all, "is this real life?" And it was and it sucked. But, that's over now and I'm moving right along. I've never been the one breaking up with someone, I've always been broken up with, so it was a new experience. I didn't really like it, so I'm going to try and avoid it for the rest of my life. My plan is to just do whatever I want and not be called anyone's girlfriend until I think I'm with the person I'm going to marry. Good plan, right? I thought so.

Anyway, I also went home! Dang, I really can't believe it's been that long! A lot happened at home and it was all fascinating, but I'm going to just gloss over it since it really deserves it's own post (but probably won't get one). Main thing, my sister got married. Yay, good for her. Her new husband is very nice and has lots of fun, interesting family and friends. I guess they're my family too now? I actually don't really know how that works. The wedding was very pretty, she looked amazing and I looked pretty awesome as well. I still think my hair looked very 50s mom-ish (I was told repeatedly it didn't), but my make-up was amazing. Basically I was smoking hot. Quite pasty and fat, but my face was looking good.

I also went to my 10 year high school reunion while I was home. It happened to be at the same time, so I figured why not? It wasn't bad, but it was pretty boring and uneventful as well. Sadly, not very many people I was interested in seeing were actually there. I had a fine time in high school and didn't really have any grudges to avenge, but it would have been more fun to see people I was better friends with. I did go with my good group of girlfriends and were (obviously) the life of the party. Seriously, no one else was dancing. No one else as drunk as us, but I hardly doubt the two correlate at all.

My two best college friends came to visit me while I was home, from Florida and Texas and that was an awesome time too. Probably my favorite time. Other than all the time I spent at the beach. There are not even words to express how much I love the beach and how I wish I could be at it all day every day. Sadly, it rained quite a bit while I was home so I didn't get to spend as much time as I wanted there, but I did get a pretty good tan. Which was mentioned literally every time I saw someone for the first time when I got back to Korea. I guess it was kind of a big difference from when I left, but I thought it was pretty funny that it got mentioned all the time. Also, Koreans are more into having very white skin, so I don't think most people were impressed...more shocked I was happy being so dark. And I was! Quite proud of my tan...and very sad now it's fading.

I also ate a ton of good food while in the States. But, because I had some stomach issues while I was there (stress and different water, I think), I didn't eat as much as I wanted. Which, was probably for the best, in the end. I think I would have gained a lot more weight if I could have eaten 3 STP Dippers a day, like I wanted. I am sad that I didn't bring back a proper amount of food (mainly candy) with me, so feel free to send some my way...I have a list. I also didn't buy as many clothes as I wanted either. I got kind of conservative with my money, which I realize now was a stupid decision. However, I did invest in some good quality under garments for the first time in my life and it has made a HUGE difference. So yay for that.

So that was America. Lots of good food, good friends, good driving, amazing beach time, just an overall good time. It was actually quite strange to be home. People are so different! Mainly, in the way they dress. Most of the men here are SO stylish and put together. At home,everyone seems so frumpy because they wear ill fitting clothing. Don't get me wrong, I am pretty frumpy myself, but I like to look at men that aren't. But for some positives, the grocery stores are amazingly huge with so much selection, I almost cried when I for the first time. I also went to Target like, 7 times (in the first week) and spent so much money. I had to put myself on Target restriction. I realize now that was stupid, but at least now I'll maybe have some money saved for a kick ass winter vacation. So, yeah, America was great. But, I was happy to come back to Korea. It was nice to be welcomed back by all my babies and my lovely co-workers. I think that's a good sign...to be happy to go back to work. I was so excited to see my class! I feel so lucky to have a job that I really love and enjoy and am looking forward to the rest of the year!

On that same vein (skipping ahead 3 weeks), we had Parent/Teacher conferences on Friday and it just further solidified my satisfaction with this job. I wasn't really looking forward to them because it means sitting in a chair all day, mainly just listening to my co-teacher and the mom speak Korean while I pretend to look interested. Sometimes the moms can speak English and we chat and my co-teacher translates some as well. But mainly I just sit. BUT, point is, the moms were just so nice and grateful, and it's just another reason I love the job. First off, a lot of them bring us presents, which is AWESOME. All food, since we are not "allowed" to accept real presents, but I love food, so no complaints here. A group of moms brought us peaches, which are crazy expensive in Korea. Also, they told me they brought fruit instead of cake because the students told them I was on a diet. Which I find hilarious....they thought this because I usually eat an apple at lunch and the kids see it. I also eat pizza, fried chicken and a host of other unhealthy dishes, but that one piece of fruit indicates a healthy diet. I love it! They also had lots of good things to say about how much their kids love coming to PSA because they love me and my co-teacher, and how they are all very impressed with how much their kids are learning. I love (and need!) positive feedback, so this is all just fantastic for me. Love it. Then I celebrated with noreabang (Korean karaoke) and we sang all the musical songs they had in the book...'Do You Hear the People Sing,' 'Under the Sea,' 'Do Re Mi,' all the things Korean people want to hear while they're drunk.

Anyway, nothing else exciting going on. Well, that's not all true...but they are not family friendly things. So, in other news, it has been raining like no one's business here, so I've been spending a lot of time indoors. I'm not complaining though because if it's not raining, it's hot as mess.

My vacation starts this week, so I'll be going to Busan (a big beach city) for a few days and then will be back to celebrate my BIG SPECIAL GOLDEN CHAMPAGNE BIRTHDAY!!! It's going to be awesome!

Dream big people!

Spring at last, spring at last!

PEOPLE. I can't even tell you what a difference the sun FINALLY coming out makes. I had a serious case of the winter blues and I think I can finally get rid of them. I have never been in a cold climate like this for so long and the Korean winter was bitchin. Ugh, it was so terrible. I have no idea how people live in places where winter lasts forever. And it didn't even snow that much here..not like in some other places. Like stupid Wyoming..it snowed when I was there in June! Anyway. Point is, I hate the cold and it makes me miserable. But nooowwwww, it is finally getting warm and life is good again.

Things are still crazy go nuts at school, but it's amazing how much easier it is to deal with kids when you're not dragging yourself around like a zombie. Don't get me wrong, they are still quite the handful. This year's kids are WAY rowdier than last years, so it's a whole new set of problems. For instance, yeseterday, one of my kids pooped in his pants. That never happened last year. Luckily, I was not the one to clean him up, but I was the one that had to sniff him out. Oh man, totally ridiculous. He was too embarassed to admit it, but I couldn't let him just sit there! Anyway, that's gross, so lets not talk about it anymore.

Lots of other craziness going on. But, I don't think anyone cares, so I'll just sum up.

School is crazy...everyday is a hectic mess, but it's still so fun. One of my little girls motioned for me to come closer the other day and whispered in my ear: "Jacky teacher, I love you." Oooh my, heart melting. Another little boy gives me kisses all the time. They are in strange places, like my thigh and stomach, but he's so cute because he sneaks them in all quick...like ninja kisses. I had another little girl singing Bieber's "Baby" the other day, which made my life because I totally did not teach it to her. However, I found out there is a KPop cover of it, so maybe not as special as I thought. Oh well. I'll try to post the video later...it's still pretty cute.

For other videos, you should watch Psy's new video "Gentleman" if you haven't already...and then search for his Beyonce "Single Ladies" cover on YouTube, because it is one of the most fantastic things I have ever seen. EVER. I just love Psy so much, I can't stand it. In Korea, it's pretty normal for guys to dress up as woman and do random shit...for the sake of comedy. Koreans find it hilarious. I usually think it's kind of weird, but Psy dressed as Beyonce is pretty fabulous. But the best is that Koreans are like, yeah, ok, this is totally not weird at all. I love cultural differences...they are so fun.

But for the best news...I am going home in  A MONTH!!!! I can hardly stand it. I am so excited to see my sister get married! Also, FOOD. And, the BEACH. Oh my, I am so pumped. Oh, and shopping!!! I shop a lot here, but it's different. For one thing, I have to get the biggest size in most stores here, which is a bit depressing. Also, they don't always let you try things on here, and that's annoying. And lastly, there are always so many people anywhere you go, so it gets to be a bit much. I have mini anxiety attacks if I'm not prepared for it. IE: I haven't eaten enough food. So yeah, anyway, looking forward to less stressful shopping.

Ok, well I will try to put up photos and other fun things soon. Don't hold your breath, I have to go enjoy the sunshine.

Dream big people!

On The Up

Ok, well things have improved a little bit in the last few week. Got a little worse in some ways, but overall, I think things are finally on the up and up.

I finally started teaching Zumba! It is actually much harder than I was hoping. I knew it was going to be hard, but it's something I really want to do. Mainly because I love it and there are no classes in my area. So I had to do it myself. However, being the person everyone follows instead of just being a follower in class is hard! First off, I am not a naturally great dancer. I don't have the best rhythm and latin style dancing is definitely not my dance forte. Actually, I don't think I even have a dance forte. I just like to do it. It's a lot of choreography to remember! Plus it's just really nerve racking to have all eyes on me. Sometimes I'll like, fix my hair or wipe my brow and everyone does it! So weird. I still get pretty nervous right before class, but it's been really fun so far. I hope the people in my classes are having fun. No negative feedback yet, so I guess so!

I canceled this weeks classes, though because whatever sickness I have is just NOT going away. I think it's just allergies gone horribly wrong, but I can't shake. I finally went to the doctor this week and got like, 8 different pills so I'm hoping one of them works. The last few weeks I've tried being Korean and just powering through, but I think I just need some rest...along with 8 different pills. Feeling a bit better today (Wed) but nowhere close to being 100%. Hoping pizza and sleep will help that tonight. Fingers crossed.

Oh, and for anyone freaking out about North Korea...don't! It is literally not even a thing here and not one South Korean gives a shit. This happens all the time and everyone knows NK is all talk, no action. And, if they were to be any kind of action, they would be shut down so fast by like, 10 different countries. Basically, it'd be suicide for them. So, yeah. Don't worry, it's all business as usual over here.

In other news, are people still against gay marriage? Hard to believe that is still a thing. People and their ridiculous opinions against it make me sick. I really can't understand at all. I am just hoping people come to their senses soon and just let people live their lives whatever way they want. Please and thank you.

Nothing else too exciting going on. Really looking forward to going home and stuffing my face with tons of delicious food. I am trying to lose weight now so I can gain it all back at home, but still fit in my clothes. Good plan, eh? The pizza tonight probably won't help that. Oh well.

Ok, well that's all for now. Have more to say, but I don't think anyone reads this anymore.

Dream big people!

Bah

So things went from good to shitty pretty quickly. I mean, things, overall, are ok, but lots of frustrations happening these last few days and I just want to crawl in a hole for a while.

I'm back to being super tired all the time. Not sure what is going on, but I am aiming to go to bed by 10:00 tonight. Last night it was more like 12, so I'm going to try reallly hard. But, even when I do manage to get to sleep, I usually don't sleep well and have some REALLY wack ass dreams. What is going on?!

Also, I got my new class last week and it is a MESS!! These kids are MUCH rowdier than my last group of angels AND my new co-teacher has no idea what is going on, ever. And sadly, I usually don't know what to tell her because the role of the Korean teacher is really different than my role...so I'm not much help. We also have a new assistant teacher who doesn't really seem to be on top of things either, so we are basically falling apart in Cherry class. It's going to be a funnnnn year. We are also already getting "helpful suggestions" from moms..should also be super fun. Most of the kids are cute, but they don't seem that interested in being well behaved. Last year they had a healthy fear of getting punished, and I'm just not really seeing that this year. Good times.

Anyway, lots of other bullshit going on as well, but oh well. I am trying to figure out ways to de-stress myself because I have a really hard time just chilling the fuck out. Suggestions welcome. Preferably that don't involve alcohol because weektime drinking usually makes my life worse. I'm hoping things settle down soon and I find some energy. I'm also hoping this stupid winter will actually end soon and I can get some sunshine and happiness back in my life.

Oh, and I'm super tired of the majority of people in my life being super lame, awkward and just overall buttfaces. So, if you could just cut all that nonsense out, almost everyone, I would appreciate it. Seriously, why do people suck so bad?

For some good news, I bought my plane ticket home! It was cheaper than I thought and it's actually a decent itinerary too! I have flown enough to finally realize the cheapest way is not always the best way. I bit the bullet and opted for the more expensive ticket with shorter travel time. I'm not sure why any airline thinks a 15 hour layover is an acceptable thing to offer people. My beef with airline companies is for another day. Back to the good stuff, I'll be home May 28-June 17 so I hope to some people! Lots of stuff going on then...a wedding, 10 year high school reunion and LOTS of sitting on the beach time. Come join me on the beach!

That's all fro now. It's almost my bed time.

Jumba!

Well well, turns out no one really reads this so I'm not sure why I keep posting, but I've committed now, so whatever.

Like always, SO busy these days. Maybe a little too busy...which I can't even believe I would every say that but I'm losing my mind just a little bit. This week we had graduation AND orientation and it was just a bit too much. I had to say goodbye to my babies (even though I'll see them around school next year) and had to say hello to new ones. Which wasn't bad, and I have some cute ones. It was just weird to have new kids in my class, doing the same things I did with last years. Also, my new co-teacher is brand new, and wasn't there to help me (she had commitments to another job) so I was on my own with orientation. Luckily, I'm an old pro now, so everything was fine. However, it's still awkward to have the moms stand around and stare at me while I have to give a lesson to their kids. And then not have a teacher to translate for me.

ANYWAY. Should be an interesting year. In other news, day one of two day Zumba certification is over! It was a LONG ass day, but lots of dancing and lots of fun. And lots of Korean! Most of the class was Korean, so it kind of sucked to sit through a lot of Korean talking, but whatever. It also kind of sucked to sit and listen to an hour long business ploy to get you to pay more money to join a Zumba instructor club type thing. It would be worth it if I was going to make this my job, but I don't have time for that! The instructor is from Colombia, so at least when he was talking it was a fun accent. Looking forward to tomorrow!

So that's my life. Going to bed at like, 9 today. Exhausted! But happy!

Dream big people!

Heartache

Guys, my heart has been wrenched out once again. Another one of my favorite boys quit the school without a goodbye. My littlest one, my precious Joshua! I am SO sad! I am so so busy these days so I don't have as much time to mourn over him (like I did Ray), but it is still a very sad Cherry Class without him.

The worst part is that his mom is basically just being a crazy lady because Joshua placed into the B class for next year, instead of A. I am mad at her...I wasn't mad at Ray's mom because she was bullied out, but Joshua's mom is just being crazy pants and it's annoying. I mean, ok, whatever, maybe you think the school is not doing him any good if you want him to be at the top. But, really? There were only FOUR days left in the school year when he quit..just let him finish it out! I wonder what she told him...sorry, no more friends for you. And, wtf...it's really unfair to me and my co-teacher to not let us say goodbye. We've spent a year with him! We love him! We want to say goodbye. Ugh, crazy bitch.

Maybe I get too attached, but how could you resist this?

 The answer is no. You would fall in love with this child because he is precious and is even more precious in person. Too bad he was born out of a devil woman.

Sigh. Sad jacky teacher.

Dream big people.

Oh My!

My kids new favorite words: Oh My! It's fantastic.

Also fantastic: the amazing sing-a-long we had in class today. It was seriously the best. I used a duster as a microphone and we just jammed. I loved it so much. I seriously CANNOT believe the year is over next week. I am honestly super sad to see the end of my precious Cherry Class. I got SO unbelievably lucky with this class. I LOVE LOVE LOVE my babies so much!!! Not everyone in Korea feels this way, so I've heard, so I am just so happy that things turned out so great for me. I just can't say enough good things about my experience with them. They are so cute, so smart, so hilarious and they make me so excited to go to work every day.

Enough gushing. More later. For now, I'm super tired. I've been getting up at 6 every day and it sucks real bad. In other news, I've been SUPER busy. You know me, I love being busy but I'm learning that I do NOT like being busy when it's freezing cold outside. When it's super cold, all I want to do is sit in my bed and be a lady of leisure. This is not an option, so for now, I'm just getting through one cold ass day at a time. When I'm outside, I just have to force myself to keep moving and tell myself I just have to get my destination and there will be warmth. It works, but I'm still pretty miserable. Sometimes I make weird noises and say cuss words outloud, so sorry to any passersby.

Ok, cold meds are kicking in. Oh, did I mention I'm getting sick again? Hooray! Those 1000 mgs of Vitamin C are not doing their job. Pull it together! Make me healthy!

So yeah, more later. Life is great, getting better all the time but I need it to be warm soon.

Dream big people!

Fancy First

This week has been SO busy, it was crazy times! But, really good. Lots of good stuff going on and I somehow managed to make it through. I've been feeling a little run down lately, but this week wasn't bad, even after a rough weekend. Oddly enough, not much drinking involved except for a few glasses of wine with dinner on Friday.

Now it's Friday again! This post has taken me all week to try and write! Things are crazy go nuts here! The year is winding down at school and TONS of other stuff going on!

Saturday I took a Zumba class and it was AWESOME. It was super high intensity and dancey and fun and just awesome. I have been trying to get a Zumba class going in my area (most of them are in Seoul) and we finally found a teacher and a place. But after that, everything turned into a mess. The teacher and I were not on the same page about class content or money and the gym wasn't either and it was just a mess. So frustrating. So anyway, it was great to just go dance and have a good time. Plus the instructor was SUPER nice and invited me to him and his girlfriends place, where I got Krispy Kreme AND A BATH. It was so fantastic. Bathtubs are rare here...I think the last time I had one was at the hotel in Thailand. I'm not a huge bath person, but sometimes you just wanna soak, ya know? And soak I did. It was glorious. Oh, and I signed up to get certified to teach Zumba next month so I can make my own classes! Wooo! Will be so awesome!!

Anyway, the real highlight of last weekend was the First Birthday Party I went to. Ok, so Korean first birthdays are a BIG deal. I'm not sure why, but it's huge and they throw big parties for it. I wasn't aware of just how fancy of an affair this was going to be, so I was not appropriately dressed and I looked like a bum among the fancies. Ok, not that extreme but I was def wearing jeans and Toms. Which was stupid for so many reasons...like it started snowing and I was wearing TOMS. Damn.Fail. Also, most other people were wearing very nice clothes and I felt silly. Also, my hair looked terrible, pretty much like it always does here in Korea. It wouldn't have been so bad if I could just sit and enjoy the party and go unnoticed, but no. They asked all the foreigners to come on stage and sing "Happy Birthday" to the baby. Why? I have no idea. So, not only did everyone at the party get to see my bum self, but it was also videoed and many a photo was taken. Awesome. But, whatever, it was hilarious plus we got gifts! Again, no idea why, but so lovely.

This party was seriously like a wedding reception. Full food buffet, flowers pictures and decorations everywhere and soooo many people. I don't think anything that fancy has ever been thrown in my honor! The big highlight is the choosing of the future. The baby chooses one of a couple different objects and that decides what he's going to be in life. He can choose from a stethoscope, a microphone, money and some other random things I couldn't see. Baby Westin chose the microphone, which means he will grow up and be a singer or entertainer! Yay! He'll be famous and I'll be all, I WAS THERE WHEN THIS HAPPENED! There is video proof, haha!

So yeah, the party was fun/awesome/awkward/hilarious/sweet. I need to meet some more Korean babies because I want to go to more! And now I know how to dress so I'll be ready!

Also started some side projects this week so I've been having some looong days.

Whew. I am sick of this post because I've been trying to finish it for a week now.

Quick summary:

Last month with my kids! :O
Got packages in the mail!! :D
It's sooooooo fucking cold here! >:,,,(
Other than that, things are great!! :)

Dream big people!

Good Things

....happen when you don't feel like death. Finally getting over my cold (and my hives, yay!) and today I drank Korean coffee at like, 2 in the afternoon! Woo, I have been a productive machine since then. It was probably a terrible idea and I will probably get zero sleep but whatever, I'll just drink more coffee tomorrow.

Lots of good stuff going on! First off, I emailed my new life hero, Rita Golden Geldman, who is a writer. My class is OBSESSED with her children's book, "More Spaghetti, I Say!" It's a super fun book and the kids never ever ever get tired of it. Seriously, they read it every day. Out copy is in tatters, but it doesn't matter because most of them have it memorized. Also, when we have spaghetti day (every 5th Friday), the kids are so excited because they get to yell out, "more spaghetti, I say!" when they want more. It's just a little too precious for words. Anyway, I was doing research on her to teach the kids for Author's Month this month, and I found out she's super awesome. She has been a self proclaimed "female nomad" for the past 20 years or so and literally just travels around the world, writing and being awesome. THAT IS MY DREAM PEOPLE. She is living my dream!!! Anyway, she has an adult book, "Tales of a Female Nomad," which I finished yesterday. Great read, if you need something. I was so inspired that I wrote her an email. AND GUESS WHAT HAPPENED? She wrote me back!!! How awesome is that?? I told her about my kid's love for her book and she offered to send a signed copy to the school! I mean, so fantastic, right? This lady is clearly awesome. Go to www.ritagoldengeldman.com if you would like more information and to see for yourself.

In other news, I recently acquired a bottle of Modge Podge and am getting ready to glitter the hell out of literally, everything, in my apartment. It's going to be a huge glittery mess of awesomeness. I have already done a glass bottle (see fb) and attempted my phone case, but that didn't turn out so great. Never fear! Going to try again soon.

I also recently got some side jobs that are making me some extra money and I am SUPER excited about that. Especially since I'll be flying home in the summer and I looked at ticket prices today and cried a little bit. SO EXPENSIVE. Will focus on that later when my strength is fully restored.

Today at the gym, I made some new friends and actually had a productive workout. Usually I just wander around until my squash lesson starts and just pretend to do stuff. Today, I actually did stuff! Before and after! Crazy! It's a good thing though because I have recently become a hungry monster and ate my weight in candy today. Also ate a quesadilla even though it was straight up disgusting and am still currently starving while typing this post.

Oh, and when I came home from the gym, I made myself study Korean for like, 30 minutes. This is about 20 minutes more than ever before. I know the vowels! And some other consonants  Off to a good start, I suppose. Only took a year. Gonna be fluent in no time. Get ready.

So that's that. It really is amazing what some energy does for you. Yesterday and Monday I legit felt like death and now I'm ready for anything! Let's do this!

Dream big people! Yay Korean coffee!!!

Stupid Monday

I know how to start a week off right. It's raining, it's freezing, my nose will not stop running and I have an itchy rash all over my body! Heck yes, what a great Monday it has been!

Apparently I had an allergic reaction to something I ate. I thought it was from the cold medicine I took, but the doctor thinks it was food. I don't remember eating anything unusual, but I'm staying away from dairy for the next few days. Which is hard, and somewhat depressing. Cheese is so good. I did eat some sour cream that was a little questionable in terms of freshness, so I'm hoping that was it and once it's thrown away, I won't have to worry about it anymore. I REALLY hope so, because this itchy rash business is no fun at all. I have medicine to take and was directed to take it "after meals," so now I'm just debating if popcorn and jelly beans counts as a meal. Thoughts? I'm guessing no so I'll probably make a sandwich soon. I really don't want to make anything, but the kimbap store is too far to walk to in the rain. Sad times for me.

Anyway, nothing else exciting going on. Had a weird weekend..I just wanted to sleep but I had a lot to do Saturday so I was running around all day. This is usually how my life works. When I have nothing to do, I'm bored and wishing the opposite, which is the majority of the time. The few times I have a busy weekend schedule, I feel like nonsense and want to spend the day in bed. Anyway, I had to work in the morning...it was like an orientation type thing for new students that are coming next year. Normally I don't really mind doing extra work, but I heard that our PSA is the only branch to do a Saturday orientation and now I'm angry. One, why at 10? That is too damn early..and two, why not in the afternoon like all the other schools? Our school is the smallest branch in the company so sometimes I think it has little man syndrome and feels like it has to prove itself all the time. No no school, you are doing just fine, let's chill out a little bit.

These things are always kind of awkward because the parents are there and it's like the foreign teacher show. It's always fine, in the end, but I always feel uncomfortable acting like a goober in front of 1. kids that are super shy and don't want to participate (probably because they have no idea what I'm saying and 2. parents that also show little to no enthusiasm (also because they don't know what I'm saying). I've learned to just tune everyone out and just try to have fun. I'm sure I look like a crazy person but whatever. The school already made us wear these ridiculous giant bows so I looked stupid by default. Might as well go with it. There was one really bad kid, but the rest were ok. It's also hard to discipline when the parents are right there. You can't be too harsh, and I kept thinking the mom would get him under control, but no, she just sat there in her mink coat and looked unaffected. There were one or two kids that participated and the other 6 just sat and stared. Good fun.

Anyway, hoping I don't have the punk kid in my class next year, but we'll see. My fingers are crossed...cross yours as well please. Also cross your fingers that this allergic reaction chills out..I'm over it.

Dream big people!

New Year

Oh me, oh my, two weeks into 2013 and no post! My life has been pretty boring as of late, so nothing too exciting to say about the New Year.

My 2013 started off pretty shitty, but things have improved. I'm hoping it's not a sign of things to come, but I'm thinking not, since it was mainly due to drunken misunderstandings and jerks. Contrary to popular belief, I don't really get drunk enough for misunderstandings that often. And I plan to weed out the jerks, so other than that guy, life is currently jerk-free.

Anyway, I can't believe I've almost been here a year! Next month will be my "Koriversary" and I will have gone through all the seasons in this lovely country. It has gone by so unbelievably fast! I have decided to stay another year, so I'm really excited about that. Obviously, I really like it here and am going to stay at my school and all that jazz.

It blows my mind how far my precious Cherry class as come. I am actually a little nervous for next year because I'll have to start all over with kids that don't speak any English! I know I can do it, but it is going to take some serious readjusting since my class is so smart and wonderful now. But that can be discussed further when the time comes.

For now, I am just focusing on getting through this winter. It has been a struggle! Luckily, it hasn't snowed in a few weeks, but there are still piles of snow all over the place! It's too cold for them to melt! Insanity! At home, the rare times it does snow, it comes and goes within a few days. I wish that were the case here. Mainly, I am getting tired of wearing the same wintery clothes ALL the time. I mean, I wear different shirts and stuff, but it really doesn't matter because always wearing the same jacket. I have one heavy duty winter jacket and one or two pea coat type things. Sometimes I get crazy and wear the pea coat, even though it's still heavy duty jacket weather. Obviously, I pay for it, but sometimes I just can't handle wearing it another day. Also, I have been wearing leggings under my jeans most days and that sucks a lot...makes me feel like I put on 10 pounds over night. Again, sometimes I convince myself it's ok not to wear them and by the time I get to work (a 10 minute walk), I am regretting that decision. Same with shoes. I am so sick of my winter boots, but I've learned the hard way that tennis shoes, TOMS and basically any other shoe doesn't really keep out the cold. Even when you're hearing thick socks. Damn.

So yeah, that's pretty much my life now...figuring out ways to stay warm and not look completely frumpy and horrible while doing it. Usually I just give up and frump it up because it is just too damn cold. The highest high this week is 39...above freezing at least...but the lowest low is 15, so I'll guess I'll be sticking with the frump master look for now.

That's it for me. Excited because I have a busy week ahead of me. Yall know how I love/have some weird desperate need to always have plans. Or maybe you didn't, haha. Oh well.

Dream big people!

A Very Japanese Christmas

Woooo, I went to Japan for Christmas. My life is so awesome, I seriously just can't even stand it. Christmas. In Japan. Amazing. Of course, some of my friends here are posting their bathing suit pics of themselves in Thailand or somewhere warm...but whatever, they can suck it. :)

Anyway, I met up with my awesome friend from LA who was the best tour guide ever. Not only did she bring me goodies from the States, but she can also speak Japanese and had lived in Osaka before, so there were no issues trying to figure out how to do things. It was fantastic. Plus, she knew all the good eating spots so we had some amazing food. Of course, I don't remember the names of anywhere we went or what we ate (for the most part), but everything was fabulous and delicious. Oh, I do know we at okonomiyaki, which is an Osaka specialty (which I've been told they have in Korea), and went to Kyoto and Nara. So that's something.

I hate to say it, but I think I like Japanese food more than Korean food. I know! I feel like such a traitor, but I am part Japanese, so maybe I'm just genetically disposed to it. Also, there isn't really any spicy food in Japan and yall know I like my food bland. Korean food is a gamble because all Koreans say, "oh, it's not spicy!" and then laugh as my lips catch on fire. Anyway, I pretty much ate tofu rice balls and potato sticks every day for breakfast, which may sound unappealing, but you don't know what you're missing. I forgot what the tofu things are called in Japanese and I don't know how to spell it in Korean (uboochubap is what it is phonetically), but they are delicious. And hopefully nutritious because I ate at least 50 of them while I was there. Every lunch was something fantastic...gyoza (Japanese dumplings of delciousness), ramen, okonomiyaki, etc, etc. And dinner was always amazing as well. Except for Christmas Eve..we were supposed to eat KFC (that's what all the Japanese do) but my friend fell asleep so I ate candy in the hostel instead. But, the next night, for our Christmas feast, we had sushi and it was fabulous. We also got some "fried cheese" and I'm pretty sure they just threw any random western looking food they could find on the plate, because it came out with lemon, popcorn and a tomato on the dish. So random. Our Japanese friends even found it strange. Whatever, it was totally delicious.

Christmas day was spent trying to take Christmasy Japanese photos, and I got some good ones. I tried to find the most Japanese looking things I could. I could have done better, but I was embarrased to be taking so many pictures. In Korea, they are all about taking pictures of everything, all the time, but not in Japan, so I felt out of place, haha. It was also interesting to see the differences in Japanese and Korean culture. They are similar in a lot of ways, but soooo different in a lot as well. Koreans are much more conservative in how they dress, hair styles, etc. I also personally feel the Korean men are better looking...the Japanese men are a little smaller and some of them have some crazyyyy hair styles. I saw so many mullets, it was a little ridiculous. I wish I had gotten more photos, but I was too stunned. Also, wonky teeth seem to be the norm there...not sure if there are any orthodontists in Japan. I did see some cute guys, though. None with mullets, though. Take a hint, friends.

There were other random things I noticed about the differences in the two countries, but I'm guessing no one cares. I just find it interesting because a lot of people at home lump Asia all together and that is not the case. A lot of people do it with Europe as well, and it's also not true.

Anyway.

Another night we met up with our Japanese friends we met in LA (they were students at my school there) and had a great time. Oddly enough, we ate at a Korean restaurant since all the Japanese ones they wanted to go to were too busy, but it was a lot of fun. I drank soju...no sake this trip..weird...but it was gross because here they always have cider but there they only had club soda and tomato juice. YUCK. I got it down but it was rough. We also did karoke and wandered the streets laughing at Japanese mullets. A good time.

Thursday I spent most of the day in the airport, but it was quite entertaining. We did some shopping, wandered around, did a lot of people watching (more mullets!) and ate sushi..where I witnessed the most fantastic restaurant situation of my life. Behold:

Right???!!! It's an express train! TO YOUR TABLE!!! Sooooo awesome. First off, they have sushi that is just cruising around the restaurant on a conveyor belt and you just grab off whatever tickles your fancy. And if that isn't cool enough, you can use the COMPUTER at your table to order things from the kitchen. Then, they put it on the express train and zoom it out to your table. Fantastic. I thought nothing was cooler than the call your waiter button at Korean tables, but this wins for sure.

Anyway, I had a great time in Japan and did tons of shopping. I was never much of a shopper before but lately, I've been losing my mind in stores. Maybe because it's cheaper, or I have more money, or I'm just getting old, but I love shopping now. Kinda lost my mind in Japan, but hey...how often do you go to Japan? Ok then. Plus, a lot of the stuff was gifts. Even though, I ended up keeping one (or three) things that were meant as gifts. Whoops...sorry friends. Next time!

Pictures are coming soon! My internet is on the fritz and the wifi isn't strong enough to support picture uploading. My apologies, I'm sure yall are dying.

So now it's time to ring in 2013. Insanity! Can't believe this year is over and 2013 is here. Time flies when you're having fun! My resolution: to use all the Kakao and WhatsApp emoticons. There are tons of them and in WhatsApp especially, they are suuuuper random. I don't know if I'll be able to use them all in context but I'm going to do my best. One of them is a syringe! When does that come up in conversation? We'll see...I have a year. And my theme for 2013? "Don't stop me now, cause I'm having a good time!" Thank you, Queen! It's also my new go-to norebang song. It's a crowd pleaser AND fun to dance to. Woo!

Happy New Year everyone! Hope your year was as fantastic as mine and I hope next year is EVEN BETTER! I'm pretty confident it will be. It's all about the meals you start/end the years with. This year started with Waffle House and this one will start with Korean BBQ. Good things are coming in 2013. So go welcome 2013 with something delicious!

Dream big people!

Merry Christmas Baby

I can't believe it's almost Christmas!! This year has FLOWN by and it just keeps getting better and better!

I'll admit, I had a little break down earlier today because being away from family on Christmas is hard. I love it here but my family is not here and it hit hard today. After a nap and some candy canes, I'm feeling better and am now excited because I leave for JAPAN TOMORROW!!!! AHHHH!!!!

Woooo, life is so damn awesome. Plus, the last few days have just been so great. We had our Christmas party with the kids on Thursday and Santa came! They were so cute and excited! One of my girls whispered to me, "Jacky teacher, Santa is soo cute!" Love it. I told her to tell him and maybe he'd give her some extra presents. She was too nervous, but it was still funny. The kids also said goodbye to our elf, Patty and we watched How the Grinch Stole Christmas, which they loved! It was an extremely hectic and tiring day, but they were all so excited about Christmas, it was cute. I'm not going to lie, though, I was a bit on the sad side because I only got a Christmas card from one student! Maybe some of them aren't big on Christmas, I don't really know..but oh well. My one card was lovely, so at least I got that.

Friday was our teacher's Christmas party and that was a lot of fun as well. There were no students there Friday so at lunch our principal ordered pizza and had wine for us. My friend and I declared ourselves the party planning committee, so we decorated and organized a white elephant for the lunch. It was actually a lot of fun and everyone had a great time! I am was very happy because I get upset when people aren't enthusiastic about things I plan, but this worked out great! There were some sad and awkward moments though. All the assistant teachers at our school left (long story, contractual disputes) so it was sad to say goodbye to all of them...they are all so nice and the whole situation was just a mess. Also, the new assistant teachers that are taking their places were all there, which was awkward. Mainly because no one told the party committee so we didn't have enough gifts for them to participate in the white elephant exchange. It would have been really easy to grab extra gifts for them (they were all from the dollar store), but we didn't know so they just has to sit and watch. Weird, right? Oh well. I just hope they don't think it was my fault and all hate me now since I was the one running it.

That night was a special friends birthday so about 12 of us celebrated with sushi and soju. I finally got rid of my huge bottle of soju!! I was petty happy. I drank a little too much of it, but nothing too crazy happened. Some of us went to noreabang (karoke) after and it was a blast, as always. I'm just going to assume that it's a requirement to sing "Creep" at every norebang session because someone always sings it. It's a downer, but I guess I'll have to get used to it.  On the way home I tried seeking revenge on my apartment complex by yelling in the courtyard, but that is about as crazy as things got. I am always getting woken up by people yelling and carrying on at random hours and even more random days. Hopefully I woke up one of the people that has woken me up before...that was my logic anyway. I'm sure I just angered random, very polite residents. Sorry Acrotel!

Well that's that. A good holiday season so far. Although I am just about out of Christmas spirit. School was just Christmas craft, stories, movies, songs, everything overload. I love Christmas more than the average person, I think, but I think I'm at the end of my holiday cheer rope. It was also a very DIY Christmas this year and I don't think I have it in me to make another card, craft or ornament. Just can't do it. I'm hoping someone can send me some Valentine cards because I'm not sure I can handle making those either. I don't know if I'll be able to cut paper again for quite some time.

Ok, JAPAN TOMORROW!!! Got some Yen yesterday and I'm super excited because it's really cool looking! Also, one bill s worth like, $12. Trying to convert from Won to Dollars to Yen is going to be interesting, but good thing I have my handy dandy smart phone!

Dream big people!!! And MERRY CHRISTMAS TO ALL!!!!!

No Words

There are literally just no words for the horrific shooting that happened in Connecticut  Just none. It makes me so damn sad to just think about it and pretty much anytime I see or hear anything about it, I just cry. I can't even imagine what friends and families are going through. Unbelievable.

As a teacher, I can't even comprehend someone coming in and harming my class. I couldn't take it. I also can't comprehend having and/or carrying a gun around with me in the classroom. The chances of something like that happening here are lower, as they have really strict gun control laws and pretty much no one has one. Of course there is violence, but nothing like what happens in the US.

In addition to being sad, I am truly shocked at the hatefulness, tactfulness and disrespect people have when making posts and/or commenting on it. People are disgusting and I am embarrassed for them. I had to defriend a load of people and force myself not to read and/or comment on what people say, on facebook and otherwise. I really don't think comments should be allowed on news stories. People are just awful. I don't really know stats and I don't really have a viable solution and I know I'm sounding naive, but I really really wish people would just BE NICE. And if you can't be nice, at least be respectful and show some tact. For instance, I have a lot to say about this entire situation and the way people have reacted to it, but I really try to avoid internet controversy. So for a positive note, it makes me happy to know there are also decent, amazing, wonderful, kindhearted people out there that would take a bullet to protect others. It hurts my heart to know some of those people are gone and that some of them were my age.

I am trying to just be respectful and sad instead of getting political  But, in my opinion, if you think violence is going to be solved with more people having guns and more praying, you need a reality check real quick. That is all.

Wishing there was something more I could do than just hurt for the families, but some hurts can't be fixed.

Dreaming big with a heavy heart. And in the words of one of my favorite people, "Be kind to one another."

My So-Called Organized Life

Yall. I have no idea what has come over me this week but I have been crazy productive. I am quite proud of myself.

Today I reorganized my entire desk area, labeled all my materials, graded two books and am about 3 steps away from being finished with the book we have to make to have published. Self high five!

Yesterday, I went to the gym AND actually wen to the grocery store and cooked dinner. Whoa. Today was even crazier. I went to the gym, showered, washed clothes, cleaned my house and restocked all of my bags and purses. Um, what? So I am tad bit on the...weird? side, I guess. I don't what you call it. Either super organized and awesome or just strange. Anyway, I like to have all my bags (bookbags, purses, school bag, etc) stocked with anything I might need in a crisis situation while out on and about. This includes medicine, vitamins, tissues (dry and wet), make up, tweezers, stain remover, a mirror, chapstick, sunscreen, bandaids and hand sanitizer. So now all my bags, including my travel toiletries case, has everything I need. I am pretty much a walking pharmacy. Weird? Don't know, don't care. Of course, the times I need these things are always the times when I decide not to bring my bag with me. Luckily, there is a convenience store literally on every corner and in every subway station here so I can usually get what I need.

Anyway, like I said before, we started doing an Elf on the shelf type thing in my class. First off, my parents totally did that when we were younger so we were way ahead of the game. Second, no one here as heard of it so that's sad. But, this random elf looking thing randomly showed up in our classroom (seriously, I have no idea where it came from), but we named it Patty and she has started leaving notes for us. I don't think the kids completely get it, but they seem to enjoy it. Want to meet her?

That is Patty next to the super awesome Christmas countdown I made, and below are the letters my class wrote to her. Well, the dictated it and I wrote it, just to save time.

Anyway, there is still snow on the ground today which is depressing because it's still hard to walk AND even more depressing, it's supposed to snow more tomorrow. Make it stop!!! Unless they cancel school...in that case, bring it on! But stop on the weekend because I have things to do. Like go buy more winter clothes.

Oh yes, and here is further proof that I do not mess around when it comes to penny pinching:

 Gotta save up for some Japanese Yen, yo!

Time to make dinner! Whaaa, I'm on a roll!!!

Dream big people!

Video Skills

I don't think I posted this before...but this is the video I made for our pen pals. It's not the best editing or videography, but I'm pretty proud of it nonetheless. For someone that has zero experience with a camera or any editing program, I don't think it turned out too bad. And to boot, the entire editing program is in Korean and I didn't have anyone helping me translate. It was all trial and error. It took longer than it should have, but having pulled all this together in about two weeks, I would say I'm well on my way to becoming a professional video maker.

And this is a video I made on my phone today:

Nevermind it won't load. Just enjoy the other one until I can figure out how to get this one.

All I Want for Christmas....

...are some Christmas Tree Cakes. And actually a million other things, but I am actually pretty good right now. Things are awesome here and life is fantastic.

Oh, except for one tiny thing. And that would be SNOW. UGH, I hate snow! It's not even winter yet! WTF is going on?!! And apparently it's in the 70s at home. Fuuuuck that. It wasn't so bad watching it come down in the classroom...mainly because they kids got super excited about it. But then my coteacher opened the window (because she's crazy pants) and it was ridiculously cold. I also got cold just thinking about my walk home. Luckily it stopped snowing before then, but it was still really slippery. Some parts were pretty, like this lovely tree...

...but I had to concentrate pretty hard on not falling the rest of the way home so I didn't notice much else. I did see one woman in heels, which I thought was hilarious. I was having a hard enough time in boots. They don't have a lot of traction, but I can't imagine heels! She was shuffling a long pretty slow, poor thing. But seriously, why not carry the heels in your bag if it is THAT important to wear them. People are weird.

I also want to invest in a ski mask. How do you keep your face warm without one? I am pretty ill prepared for this weather. I mean, I have some warm clothes now, but not enough. Also, I don't really know how to wear them properly. Actually, the problem is that I'm in denial that I have chosen to live in this freezing ass place, so I delude myself into thinking I don't actually need to put on long johns and 5 shirts. I mean, people don't actually do that, right? I have a hard time accepting it is really cold enough to wear two pairs of pants. It's going to take some getting used to. The worst part is, it has only just begun. Apparently it stays freezing until at least March. Dammmnnnn it.

Other than this weather, things are just dandy. I love Christmas time because I can make tons of crafts with the kids. The options are endless. Today I spent all of afterclub making a gingerbread house. It was out of paper and the goober student made it pink, but whatever. I also started doing and elf on the shelf kind of thing in my class with Patty the Elf. I don't think the kids totally understand what is going on, but it was fun anyway. Friday we are making stockings and next week we're having a Christmas concert. We're singing "Let It Snow," which is a terrible song but all the good ones were taken and we don't have enough time to learn "All I Want for Christmas is You." Sad, but true.

Anyway, that's it for now. Oh yeah, wanted to share this. Penny pinching at it's finest:

My mom would be so proud. But, by saving money on lotion, I can spend my money on some more winter clothes. Or food. Whatever.

Dream big people!

500 posts of nonsense

WOOOO, 500 posts!! Confetti! Sparkles! Balloons! Fireworks!!!

That is what is going off in my head. And, I would put something festive on here, but I am too lazy to figure out how to put in those kind of graphics. So just imagine them with me, if you will.

I also have to apologize because I don't really have anything exciting to post. Things are just trucking along at school. We have been busy busy busy! We've started making Christmas decorations, which makes me super happy. One, I love decorating and two, it gives me easy things to do. Now I don't have to think of tons of projects, I just pick a random Christmas thing and away we go!

I decorated my apartment as well and I am just pleased as punch about it. It took a little hunting to track down everything, but I think I did pretty well.

                  

    

I also have some lights in my window...I'm the only one in the apartment complex to have lights, which makes me kind of sad. However, you're welcome, Acrotel, for having some Christmas spirit. I'm sure I am bringing joy to everyone that sees them.

Some friends I met during my study abroad in Rome were visiting other friends here this week, so I got to see them, which was a lot of fun. I can't believe the last time I saw them was over 3 years ago! And that we did the study abroad almost 6 years ago! Time is flying by. Even more crazy, my 10 year high school reunion is next year! Insanity! Time really does fly when you're having fun. I think I'll be one of about 3 people that aren't married with kids from my graduating class, but oh well. Maybe I'll take a Korean baby back with me and tell everyone I adopted it with my super hot Korean boyfriend that couldn't make it.

I could take Ray!! Haha, I had another Ray Day today and it was fantastic. I just love that little booger so much! I am so glad I got to see him again. And he is doing very well in his new school, so I am really happy. Apparently he is one of the smartest ones in the class. Hooray for Ray!

The rest of the weekend was spent watching the last two Twilight movies and eating Taco Bell.  The movies are a total waste of time, because they are so ridiculous (I hate Bella), but totally necessary. I needed to see the last four to complete the series...I obviously couldn't go on with life without this happening.

Oh, and Thanksgiving came and went. Wasn't as depressing this year, being away from family. I guess it's not as bad when no one is celebrating and you have to go to work. Plus, my school bought us Thanksgiving dinner and all the foreign teachers stayed and ate together. The food came from the army base...the turkey wasn't bad but everything else was not so great. The mashed potatos were nonsense. But, it was super nice of our school to do, and I won't lie, I still ate a whole bunch of food. Stuffed myself like a good American. I also went to a potluck party with friends that was a lot of fun. I made an apple pie and have to say, it was pretty damn good.

Anyway, so that is what's been going on and now I have JAPAN to look forward to! These next few weeks of school are going to fly by, we have soooo much to do! But I am happy because it'll go fast and then it'll be Christmas and I'll be in Japan! Wooohooo! Life is good :)

Sorry this is not more exciting for a 500th post, but maybe when I have some motivation I'll do something cool.

Dream big people!