11.04.13

I received my first care package today! It was full to the brim with Easter goodies. So much chocolate!!! There was also a beautiful rose headband and some cards, plus a gift from Debbie. I'm not opening that stuff until my birthday though. It'll be special.

I tried to use it as a reward for when I finished my lesson plans but that didn't work. I caved pretty quickly.

The bunny helped me get through so it was successful.

Another exciting thing happened today. I went to a baseball game with the students who stay in the dormitory. It was so much fun. It got a bit cold, but between innings we all jumped up and danced and cheered.

I also got to see the kids outside of school context which helps heaps with the getting to know them and being familiar.

I also think it is hilarious that the teachers brought beer along. Korea has many different rules. No hands in pockets, but a few beers is just fine!

Chicken for dinner.

Samsung Lions

Getting into it.

10.04.13

This afternoon I got home from school, turned on Modern Family, ate too many jellybeans, and nearly fell asleep in my bed.

Just when I thought it was too late, I received a text with the directions to homegroup. It was one of those things I had planned to do, but I wasn't so gutted that it wasn't going to work out. I was contemplating a wee nap and I was very comfy.

When I got the text, I begrudgingly got out of bed and raced around to do everything before I left. Even if I had gone straight away I'd be late.

After the long subway ride, and the long walk in the dusk, I made it.

It was really refreshing, actually. I'm glad I went. There were only four of us, so we got to have some good chats about life and the Bible.

It was really cool. And I really like Sanjtie, the leader. She's just real about stuff.

I'll definitely be looking forward to it next time.

09.04.13

I love it when I see a class improving. Today I was prepared to have a bit of a battle with my last two classes today. They're not bad or anything, they're just a bit chatty and excitable. I thought I'd have an issue with the lesson plan which was pretty involved.

They actually listened and I didn't get a sore throat to be heard or anything! They're great students. I do love them.

Aaaaaaand I'm typing this from my cafe that I found on Saturday. It's so cute!

A couple of my students came in before to study and they were acting very cute. They got me to draw something in the cafe guest book and we talked about bands. They waved at my parents on Skype even! It was awesome.

Plus I got a free iced coffee. A Dutch Coffee. They offer it at heaps of places and now I know what it is finally. It's a special filter that looks like it's straight out of a laboratory. It's great.

 But man I've gotta peeeeeeeeeeee.

I made tiramisu with the jelly belly's. It was surprisingly good.

I can add plumber to my list of handyman skills.

Said beverage with heart on it.

08.04.13

Today went by so fast! I always wake up on Monday and think, "here we go again," but today was pretty good actually.

I got home to my jelly beans, trail mix, cookies, and Modern Family.

It's such a hilarious show! Every time Phil does something great I think of Lucy Collins. It makes me extra happy.

Also, I can watch it on my big TV screen now that I sussed out a HDMI cable.

Joyjoyjoy!

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.