07.04.13

Today I went through the most frightening ordeal of my life. I auditioned for the church worship team.

My legs were shaking, my voice faltered, I couldn't hold the mic still. But I got through it.

Thank goodness that was pretty much the only requirement because my performance wasn't good enough to qualify me for shower-singing, let alone leading people at church!

But I felt ok once it was over. And everyone was so nice about it.

Then I got to hang out with Lucy which was a load of fun as per usual.

The view out of the window at the department store.

She's too excited to close her mouth.

06.03.13

HAPPY BIRTHDAY AMY!!!!

It was so good to see that girl's face on my screen in my new favourite cafe.

Life felt right. Except that she wasn't sitting across the table from me in real life. That would have made it better.

We had conversation and fun and it was so nice to hang out and speak, not email. Emailing is overrated.

It was a good day for doing things I like, because this evening Lucy and Nicole came over to my house and ate food in front of The Proposal (still the best Rom-Com of all time). It was just so lovely. Honestly, it's one of my fave ways to spend a Saturday night.

Give me chicken, freshly baked cookies, and Ryan Reynolds anyday!

05.04.13

I baked tonight! I went on a hunt for vanilla essence but it is nowhere to be found!

That's ok though because I improvised.

The mixture, although a normal amount, was enough for almost 6 batches because I can only fit 8 cookies on the tray each time.

The first couple were average so I started being creative with baking powder and cinnamon. In the end the last couple of trays were glorious!

It was so good to be baking again. The house was smelling of cookies, and I was happyhappy.

Can you see them?

04.04.13

Tonight I stepped off the subway into another world. It was so strange and exciting.

There was the faint sound of beautiful voices floating through the air. I decided to follow them and found a trio of classical/opera(?) singers busking in the station.

It was really amazing. I got some tingles and I couldn't move, even though I was running late for lifegroup. I love all these little surprises.

I carried on walking and I passed so many cool little places. All the store fronts were like different places around the world. They did make the mistake of putting Australia and NZ on the same poster for an event, but it can be forgiven because I walked into an art gallery next!

There was an installation of sculptures in the hallway. I loved it!

What a gem!

And lifegroup was sweet. The house was a 40th storey apartment with real floorboards and a big kitchen. I was impressed.

Here's the amazing performance:

03.04.13

I love it when I'm walking home from the subway or supermarket and see a bunch of middle aged men jovially striding home, holding hands. It's definitely a side-effect of the soju they've been consuming, but it sure is cute.

Tonight I didn't even notice it at first, I just kept on walking. And then I realized that these sights are not usual in NZ and that they are noteworthy.

I don't want to stop picking up on the little cultural differences I see everyday. They're what keeps me smiling.

02.04.13

My oven arrived this afternoon! It was getting later and later and my fingers were crossed.

Just when hope was diminishing, I got a call from an English-less delivery guy. I walked outside to see him in the street. He came brought it inside, unwrapped it, told me not to put it too close to other things, slapped it on the bench, and then left.

It completely made my day! I am so excited about the prospect of roast veges and homebaked goodies. 

I took some creepy photos for your viewing pleasure:

The truck arrived!

Add caption

I made this

It's home!

01.04.13

No work today (it's my school's birthday), so I tried to be as productive as possible.

I wrote letters, did two loads of washing, mopped and cleaned, visited the post office (a confusing encounter for all involved), tried to find an elusive mobile store, walked a lot, went to Costco, spent a lot, taxied home, watched Modern Family, met friends for dinner, failed at getting my phone sorted, went to bed.

What a day!

Costco, the visual diary:

Coffee sustenance in a scary taxi ride

I have arrived!

First stop

So many trolleys

Signing my life away along with $35

There have been better ID photos

You can only pay in cash!

This lady helps pull your trolley off

Everything is massive

Free lollipop sample

Uh oh

Free chocolate sample

Ridiculously expensive honey from NZ

Wine sample

Ladies making me spaghetti for lunch

Yeah, so it's expensive. Bought it anyway.

Koreans love meat samples

Contents of my trolley

About to pay

Just paid. Had a hernia.

Not ideal.

Ready to find a taxi.

31.03.13

So many threes today. And I didn't even ask Lucy to say the date. What a wasted opportunity (she says tirty and tree).

We awoke to scrambled eggs and me, to a voice message from Lucy's friend, Fiona. She also has a great accent and we are going to be friends when she comes to Korea. I'm forcing it.

The main event for today was the Indian Holi Hai Festival on the beach. We got a paint packet and chucked the powder all over each other. It was great fun. We formed a circle as a lady taught us some dance moves. There was much smiling and festivity.

My favourite thing was finding a little craft market in the train station. I didn't think I'd ever see handmade things here. Not because an awesome art community doesn't exist, but because I lack the communication to find one.

That was the best surprise I've had yet I think. Some of the stuff was amazing and some quite similar to what you'd see back home, except with a flair of Korea.

A burger, donut, and cream-topped coffee also featured. I've eaten a lot of rubbish lately!

The Easter Bunny was staying in the hostel

The lady makes each miniature shoe out of rubber, felt, string, and glue. Must take a million years.

30.03.13

Weeheeee Busan day!

I absolutely love the feeling of Busan. It's a coastal city so it kinda feels more chilled. Kinda like New Zealand was in the air. No seagulls though.

Going to the beach was great. It was weird seeing the skyscrapers and the sand at the same time. It was also pretty busy, even though it was so cold!

We are staying in the cutest hostel which was the best surprise of all. Each room had a country theme (I was in Sweden) and it was just so cute.

Great first impression, Busan.

Gig on the Haeundae beach

My Swedish bed

29.03.13

When your soundtrack and situation combine beautifully, it is an elating experience.

Walking home from school, this exact moment happened. I was strolling down a tree-lined footpath as Artisan Guns was accompanying my contented thoughts. I broke into a huge grin when the drum hit and volume increased. It's such a good song and that part gets me every time.

Couldn't have been more perfect for a Friday afternoon.




This is the song I'm going on about.

28.03.13

So, a second grader has tuberculosis and the whole school had to be x-rayed. My classes were all interrupted, but it gave us something to talk about in the teachers class, so that's absolutely fine with me.

Don't worry Mum, apparently I'm TB free. The guy in the

I get messages from the administration in Korean so I paste them into Google translate for some Engrish fun. The message about the X-rays was especially great. It said that in the case of a positive result, teachers have "the right to shoot".

Oh the hilarity!

Well done, Katie!

27.03.13

I decided I needed some holy in my week seeing as I'll be chucking paint around on Easter Sunday instead of being at camp.

Once again, it was really great to be at church, and this time in the middle of the week.

It was acoustic, intimate, and there were prayer stations. It was familiar and fresh at the same time.

On the way to church I got a hot chocolate, and after walking a few blocks, listening to Ryan Adams and loving the starry night I felt a tap on my shoulder. The cafe man had been chasing me because he forgot to give me my 100 won change. All that effort for ten cents!

It made me love Korea even more though.

Just a little gem for you.

26.03.13

I have a phone which actually connects me with the outside world! It's ridiculous how much I have missed 3G. For hours I was glued to my little friend, texting, apping, downloading, and updating. And I was hanging out with friends!

We went downtown again and ate Italian at this amazing little restaurant. They gave us free icecream after.

It really was like having dinner out back in NZ. We got the little booth and had some red wine to accompany our delicious creamy pasta.

It's one of my favourite things to do and all together it cost me about $16! I'll be back. The chef and waitress were also the cutest things ever.

25.03.13

PAY DAY!!!!!

It's so nice not to feel anxious about my money situation. It's a really gross feeling, wondering whether you can actually afford to hang out with people. Today is the first time I've felt secure about the figure in my bank account for a very long time.

So it's no surprise that I went downtown for a spot of shopping after work today.

Spending money feels so good! And I do actually fit some of the clothes! That was one of the best points.

It is actually quite sad how content I was with my big bag, crammed with a new coat, dress, tights, tops, sweaters, and socks.

Consumerism wins today.


I didn't get my phone sorted though. Pooooooooooos.

24.03.13

Today I found out that ill be auditioning for the worship band. I must prepare one song and he'll spring another one on me there and then. Ohhhh dear. That's a bit nerve wracking! At least I have a couple of weeks to fret over it.

Because I went to the practice, I prayed with everyone involved in the service before it started. We went up to the top floor where the acoustics were incredible. To start it off the pastor led, "Lord I give you my heart, I give you my soul..." and we were all just belting the chorus out. It was really really cool. And it sounded amazing.

I got back to Gaksan and was walking around to find fried chicken when I ran into a group of my students. I told them about my quest and they told me the best place to go so I decided to take their advice and carried on. It was packed when I got there and I kind didn't know what to do when I got inside so I'm pleased a couple of other students came into the shop. It seemed to be a queue so we chatted and they did their best in English. To let them know I appreciated it, I got them to teach me how to order in Korean. I felt a bit awkward and silly saying it to the lady, but it was well recieved and I got my chicken.

I ate it on the way home and popped the last piece in my mouth as I walked into my kitchen. That was a mistake. I had eaten it too fast and the last one really set my mouth on fire!

It was delicious though. Good thing too, cos I only know how to order the spicy one.

23.03.13

This was a great Saturday spent cleaning in the morning (I always enjoy it), and then exploring Duryu Park with Gemma and Nicole. We did a lot of sitting and talking while we ate icecream instead of wandering about, but it was definitely lovely and we walked to the cafe which took a while. It's justified ok!?

This morning I went on an internet hunt in my slippers because I needed to see if Sarah was still visiting. I got some weird looks as I wandered the streets, phone out, looking for signal.

I vowed to get my phone sorted today but alas, it couldn't happen! One day I'll be reliably contactable.

My neighbourhood

Flowers are blooming everywhere.

21.03.13

This morning's classes were cancelled because Grade one was on a field trip. I do like how Korea is last minute in these cases because it's like a pleasant surprise when you find out. I do love teaching, but this gave me the chance to finish my lesson plan, print photos for the class leaderboard, and catch up on Facebook. All important tasks.

When I got home I ate fresh strawberries, grapes, had a cup of tea, and some cereal for dinner. It was glorious!

20.03.13

I opened a bank account today! I have a card and everything. There's absolutely nothing in there yet, but it's a start.

I'm feeling more and more like this is my home now. I knew where more things were in the supermarket today, and the streets at night feel comfortable. I love strolling through the area I live. Things are getting familiar.

I know where the tree roots are that have made the footpath lumpy. I trip less these days. It's a good feeling.

Spring is making things a whole lot prettier.

19.03.13

You guys! I finally got me some milk. You know what that means.. I'm in the cashmonay game again. My settlement allowance finally came through.

I also went on a very long post-lunch walk (that's a thing here) with the lovely older English teacher to this river. It was about an hour round-trip but it was cool to hear stories of her childhood and what Korea used to be like. It sounds like a tough time what with the food rations and the lack of jobs for women. Life turned out pretty good for her though I think.

As I was waiting to cross at the lights I heard a small, "Hello" from behind me. I turned around to see a little girl on a bicycle wearing all pink except for her light blue face mask. I smiled and got back to standing there. A minute later I heard another more gutsy, "Hi," so this time I asked how she was and what her name was. After some very cute answers the light went green so I said goodbye. She said a crispy, "See you later," and whizzed off on her bike with her family in tow. Nothing makes my day like cute little kids practicing their English on me.

It was also Taco Tuesday tonight at Dani's. I really enjoyed wandering around E-mart, purchasing stuff and commenting on all the different things to buy. We then went and ate a very yummy taco salad, drank wine, and talked about a myriad of things.

Not a bad day at all.

I got far too excited to see these suckas in the supermarket.