23.05.13

Today just seemed to drift by pretty slowly. This afternoon I got to go see Shanna's open class. Her school is really posh. It was cool to see another teacher do their thing, and do it so well!

Her students are so cute. It was an all-girls class and they took a real liking to Lawrence, another foreign teacher who had come to observe. His black skin made the girls take a special interest and he just smiled and waved from the back as they pointed, giggled and squealed.

One girl, bright red, came up to him at the end and extended a handshake with the other hiding her face. The rest of the class started chanting, "HUG-U, HUG-U!!!" (the way Koreans say 'hug', with the extra sound at the end) and the teachers started shooing them out of the class hurriedly.

I was red for him!

I was taking photos of myself for Cindy cos she loves it.

It was SO HOT. I found pretty roses.

22.05.13

Tonight I ate almost half a pumpkin. It was amazing and I just could not stop. I meant to leave it so I could have more tomorrow night but that did not happen at all.

My yoga mat has become more like a feature rug in my apartment cos I use it every night and can't be bothered putting it away. I had such a nice time with the chilled music on, just stretching and doing some exercises.

I also watched Crazy, Stupid Love and I just don't get the Gosling mania. I mean, he's definitely attractive, but he's no Gong Yoo, or even Leo.

This concludes this very important update.

21.05.13

I finally saw The Great Gatsby after months of waiting. I was trying not to get too excited, because that's always a recipe for disaster, but it had a lot of promise, what with Wes Anderson and Leonardo DiCaprio. I wasn't so sure about Tobey McGuire, Carey Mulligan or Jay Z having so much influence on the soundtrack, but that did make me all the more curious.

I came away with the sense that it was a good film. It checked all the boxes, followed the novel word for word sometimes, and never strayed from the plotline.

I appreciated that it could be a good film without all of the complex storylines, character development, and plot twists of modern blockbusters. Sometimes it gets a bit too much.

Yet it was just 'good'.

After reading a couple of reviews which expressed my feelings in words and gave reasons as to why I felt like that, this is my conclusion.

Technically, the film isn't lacking anything. There is abundance. Everything from the set and costumes, to the acting and editing, is painfully obvious.

To me, the book is magical because it is so vague. At the end I was left thinking, "So did he die?" It was all just a little bit cloudy and my imagination was left to fill in the gaps.

The film had no gaps. Every last inch of the screen was constantly filled with letters, lights, flashing jewels, and glossy people. It was all very 'there'.

Although it captures all of the action of the book, it lacks the essence of F. Scott Fitzgerald's masterpiece.

That being said, I'd definitely see it again. Not Wes's best by far, but still a good solid film.

20.05.13

Oh my word it was difficult to keep my eyes open today as I listened to speaking tests. I had to stifle a few yawns and make myself be interested in what they were saying. Some of them were genuinely interesting and had great stories.

They never cease to make me laugh, these students. The funniest ones are the ones who are the noisiest/naughtiest in class. They're usually a hoot.

One boy psyched himself up so much today. My coteacher was laughing so I looked up from my paper to see him shaking his hands, breathing purposefully with his eyes closed and an intense look on his face. We were cracking up but he was so serious. He finally picked out three and then started flicking them so they'd fly away. It was quite involved.

I wish I could film them. I'd have the best montage.

Never give me plants to take care of.

Sweet Dreams

I love dreaming about the future. It's one of my favourite pastimes. It's the reason I have so many future husbands and so many lists. 

Even though life next year is still pretty cloudy, I'm pretty sure I want to live in Seoul for a little while. It's a fabulous city with so much culture. I really feel like I fit in. Daegu is great and I love it, but its so conservative that I'm scared to wear red lipstick lest I be judged harshly. It's a bit stifling. 

Seoul is so different. There are all sorts of houses, everything you ever wanted to see or do or eat, and so many interesting people to gawk at. No one even looks at you twice. 

I'm not sure if I want to teach next year, but I'd definitely like to experience the Seoul life for a bit. It would be awesome to have a vintage store and cafe, or some sort of small business. Who knows!?

It's exciting.

Until the next dream comes along...

19.05.13

Today has been far more chilled than the previous two. We decided to hang out in Itaewon and take it easy.

The first thing to be done was brunch. We went to two places before finding an open cafe with space for us. It was pretty good. The place was cool. It was bright and grungy. Kind of like Itaewon itself.

I quite like it. Not as much as Hongdae or Insadong, but I'd like to go to some more food places.

It had a real morning after feel with trash through the streets, people packing things away, and general quietness. It was also quite seedy and reminded me of K-rd a bit. People were selling all kinds of knock offs along the streets and there were heaps of foreigners from all over the world.

After looking around, we went back to the hostel, picked up our gear, and headed to the station.

It was a very good weekend, and I have fallen in love with Seoul. I've actually written a whole post about it, so until then...

To top it all off I got to see my beloved

18.05.13

Seoul Day 2: Cultural Awareness

We were true tourists today, visiting Gyoungbuk Palace, Hongbuk Village, and eating a traditional lunch in Insadong. 

I fell even more in love with Seoul after wandering around and looking at the back streets. There's so much more we could have done in Insadong. We didn't have the legs to carrying us to the tea rooms or around the nifty shops. That'll go on the list for next time. 

The historical houses were so cool and I decided to take many photos of people having their photos taken. It was a fun hobby for a while and there were  certainly enough opportunities. 

We had patbingsu in a cafe which refreshed us enough to give us the energy to get back to the hostel to change before visiting Namsan Tower. It was raining so hard and we bought emergency umbrellas from a lady. It all happened very quickly but I ended up with a clear one like I had always wanted. I felt very cool walking around with it. 

The view was cool up the tower and I was stoked to find a window dedicated to showing the direction of NZ. I can't wait to go back there when it's light and dry. 

Lucy kept hurting herself and the walk down from the tower was funny as she looked hilarious, trying to be quick but careful in the pouring rain. The cars were swishing by and it sounded just like Auckland. 

Our Indian dinner was accompanied by wine and more discussion about boys. It was a lot of fun. Much laughter was shared. 

When I looked in the umbrella pot on the way out I was disappointed to find my one gone. At least I knew the joy of the transparent umbrella for a few moments. 

The walk home soaked us despite our remaining umbrellas, but we sure did enjoy ourselves.

17.05.12

Thanks to Buddha getting one year older, I made my way to Seoul instead of working today. It has been a fantastic day.

Bright and early I rose, got ready, and left the house at 7:30. Quite a feat really. Nicole and I caught the KTX and arrived in record time. 

On the way we made an itinerary and it brought us great delight to have a plan for the best weekend ever.

First up was a 5 Extracts, a coffee shop in Hongdae. The location was a lot better than the coffee. I noticed straight away how each house or store was in a different shaped building. There were so many hidden gems on the back roads. I immediately fell in love with the area. 

We went to the hostel to meet Lucy, Becky, and Maggie before setting out on our shopping adventure. Hongdae just kept getting cooler as we found all sorts of shops, including some vintage ones. 

We moved on to Myeongdong where I spent quite a bit at this one shop with cheap vintage clothing. It was amazing. I could have stayed in there forever if it wasn't for the crowds and the heat. 

Then it was on to the stream which was beautifully lit up by lanterns in Buddha's honour. I was very impressed and Lucy showed me some camera tricks which I've forgotten already. I'll never get the hang of it. 

We ate some Mexican which was so delicious, and talked about boys over our margharitas. We were absolutely knackered so we made it back to the hostel and crashed. 

I should have thought about all the walking when I packed my shoes.

16.05.13

More interviews today and the students had Rebekah and I run through so many emotions! I was "awwh-ing", uncontrollably laughing, and sitting there flabbergasted as the boys answered my questions.

One said he had a crush on a girl and she is his ideal type. He wouldn't divulge her name, but he did tell me what class she's in. He described her so beautifully and grinned the whole time. I hope she likes him too!

Another boy had quite the personality! He talked for so long about whatever he could think of. When he plonked himself down he started rifling through the box of folded question numbers, opening them all and muttering "Number one" over and over. It took me a while to recover from my shock and amusement that he was so obviously cheating and looking for a question he prepared for. He got his wish though and he drew a 1.

He told me how he wants to go to "Australia" because that's where famous composers like Mozart are from. It was also where The Sound of Music was filmed. Then he reached for his phone and asked if there was time for him to sing along to 'Doe a Deer' for me. Luckily my co-teacher was quicker than I and said no. About halfway through I figured he meant Austria. It was fun thinking about Australia as the capital of classical music for a while.

He reached back into the box of numbers and pulling out one he disliked, he put it back and got a better one. I didn't even try stop him this time because I was laughing too hard.

Another boy absolutely floored me when he took a seat. He is one of these massive Korean boys and he just sits there in class like a gentle giant, never making eye-contact or participating at all. I was expecting a very one-sided conversation because he hadn't said a peep all semester.

I asked the first question and in the faintest mumble I have ever heard, I detected perfect English. I took it as a challenge to draw him out of his shell and I did a bit. His volume got a fraction louder and I even got him to chuckle. It feels really cool to discover hidden talents like this.

The only reason I deducted from pronunciation was because I couldn't hear if he was saying each word correctly. I hope I can get him to speak in class by the end of the year.

Challenge accepted!

15.05.13

For the first time in a while I picked up a book and read it start to finish, only stopping for bathroom and snack breaks. It was great to be immersed in the land of fiction once more.

This was a story about teenagers battling with cancer. John Green's, "The Fault In Our Stars," a book I've wanted to read for a while. I really do enjoy a bit of teen fiction, and even though this was no Hunger Games, it brought up some really good things that a person who is suffering might be going through.

I liked how rational it was about everything and realistic. The teenagers were witty and laughed about their situations like you could imagine someone with a terminal illness would do, given no other option but despair.

Anyway, I laughed, I cried, I thoroughly enjoyed it.

Now I can understand my Tumblr feed a bit better.

Today was also Teacher's Day and a student gave me this cute thing.

14.05.13

One of the 2nd Grade speaking test questions is, "What would your ideal girlfriend/boyfriend be like?" While the answers are always interesting, today I felt like the whole question was a mistake when two boys started answering with cheeky smiles on their faces.

"Umm, she has golden hair... Big eyes ..."

Uh oh. I couldn't help my blushing when I said, "No, no, no. Someone else!"

That stumped them. They had no other answer. They weren't getting any more points for flattery!

------------------------------------------------------------------------

On a similar note, my day was amazing because a certain very cute maths teacher sat next to me at lunch. He's the only young teacher at the school and he has the best glasses.

When he and another teacher approached, I mindlessly moved over so he could sit down. I didn't see the spare seat at the end of the table until it was too late and now it looked like I wanted him to sit next to me. Which was entirely the truth, but I blushed bright red when the other teachers started making "Oooohing" noises. Unfortunately I also broke the other chair as I went to pull it out, making the whole debacle even more embarrassing.

The redness continued for a while into the introductions, with my co-teacher looking between us smugly. Even the embarrassment didn't dampen my mood. The other teacher was hilarious and although he spoke Korean, I got the gist of the jokes. I made them all laugh too a few times through translation! Maths teacher is even cuter when he's laughing. Good golly!

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After school I had a date with Rebekah, my co-teacher. We ate delicious 손칼국수, a sesame noodle soup that was kind of like creamy pasta. It came with the best kimchi I have ever tasted. It was at the perfect stage of fermentation.

After that we went shopping. I found so many lovely things that were totally buyable. Maybe after I get paid I'll go back there.

Then we watched the cutest Korean movie. It was so quirky. I cried about three times. Tears rolling down my cheeks despite the language barrier. I am amazed at how a film can portray meaning without words. They are incredible things.

What a lovely day!

13.05.13

Today I made a decision. I want to learn my students' names. It's going to be impossible to get all 700 of them memorized, but I'll give it a shot and maybe a few will stick.

I printed out photos and am labelling them. It's great practice for my hangul reading and writing. I feel like I'm getting miles faster.

I forgot how good it is to learn something and watch yourself get better at it. It's mighty encouraging for my brain.

I take great pride when a student sits down for their speaking test and gives me a very pleased and surprised look when I say their name right, even if I did read it off a sheet of paper. 

Names are easy, they're just sounds. Next up is actually knowing what words mean.

12.05.13

HAPPY BIRTHDAY LUCY!

Today we woke up and it was boiling. It was cool. The builders were going for it. Korea knows no holy days of rest. 

We made our way to Sejong Lake which was absolutely beautiful. It reminded me of the Albany Lake by the mall except about 100 times bigger, complete with amphitheatre, kids in remote controlled cars, boats, kites, and families who set up tents on the grass.

We sat in the sun and ate. All afternoon. It was cool to just hang out in the shade of a tree and have a real life picnic. We even went an put our feet in the water. It was so tempting! I wish we could've swam there. 

I had a good time and I even got tan lines! Yay for the sun.

Sejong is one big building site.

11.05.13

It felt so good to be at the worship seminar today. A professor from a Christian university was speaking and it was really different from any other worship talk I'd heard before. It was very refreshing to hear his perspective on the Korean Church and how easy it is to slip into idolatry for the Church in general.

I was very impressed. I think I'm learning a lot more just being in a different country and hearing from people who see scripture through their own set of cultural goggles. They always pick out something interesting I hadn't thought about before. 

After the seminar I met up with Gemma and Nicole and we caught the train to Jochiwon, Lucy-territory. The train had a cool feel. It was like being on an airplane but with less belongings. The vibe was the same. I cannot explain. 

When we arrived we met Lucy and she showed us around. We got pizza from this cute little shop with a delightful lady who gave us oranges and communicated in gestures. 

We took the pizza back to her place and ate it along with wine and Pepsi. It was a great time just being friends and chatting until late. We started playing a fun song guessing game which Lucy likes to think she won. I think the real winners were Nicole and I for our heartfelt rendition of The Elephant Love Medley from Moulin Rouge. 

We didn't sleep until 4am! Crazies. 

Right on midnight Lucy opened gifts and started receiving messages from friends and family. 

It was a great time.

Napkin list of what we're going to do in Seoul next weekend.

10.05.13

Today I was just in a great mood all day. I think it's because I slept a lot and woke up feeling like a real human being.

The sun was shining, I was wearing comfy clothes, and I wasn't teaching. 

I had a day full of one on one conversations with students. They were so nervous for their speaking tests. One girl was in hysterics. To begin with I couldn't tell whether it was laughing or crying but she looked up and to my relief it was giggles. 

I took it as a challenge to calm each student down and help them through the questions. It worked most times and I was really surprised by how fluent some of them were. 

One guy told me about one thing on his bucket list and it was beautiful.

He wants to die up in the Himalayas because its so beautiful that it looks like it was carved out by the hands of God. So he is going to take his wife's hand and go up with her to show her where to meet him after he passes. 

It was in broken English but I'm pretty sure that's what he meant. 

Another boy who is so shy surprised me when we had such a natural conversation. He wants to travel to every country because he wants to, "Meet every person in the world."  It was darn cute!

09.05.13

Sports Day. What a day! It was 28 degrees, there were costumes, competitions, races, and games. It was so unlike the athletics day that haunted my high school life. Everyone had fun and it was so casual.

I had a great time hanging out with students, taking photos and cheering them on. I love these interactions outside of the classroom. I feel like it helps me connect a lot more and they know I care when I try have a conversation with them, no matter how difficult it is to communicate at times.

08.05.13

I managed to sneak in a cup of tea this afternoon before life group and boy oh boy was it magnificent.

I can't wait to get home to a selection of caffeine-free hot beverages every day. Shout out to my girl Von for an amazing care package. Daily it brings me joy. Bring on more fruit tea people!!

But seriously, that moment when I sit down on my bed, trawl through Facebook, and sip the perfect tea for my specific mood is one I wish would last forever. Complete satisfaction with life.

07.05.13

I Skyped the lovely Mika after school today and what a treat it was! She caught me up on all the relevant goss and I got to hear her beautiful accent, which I am sure is becoming more Kiwi by the day. Saaaaaaaa sad!

After we were rudely disconnected, I cleaned my apartment, put away shopping, did dishes, made dinner, and watched some TV shows. It felt like I had all the time in the world. What a great evening!

I finished by using my new yoga mat and doing some stretching and exercises. Happy, contented, and refreshed I went to bed.

06.05.13

Today was my open class after lunch. I was getting more and more nervous as the day wore on. I kept finding out more people would be attending.

First it was just the guy from the Office of Education, plus some other native English teachers, but then it was also the principal and vice principal. Then the VP went and invited all the English teachers to attend. And then there was a film camera and photographer added!

It was all a bit much.

At lunch a couple of teachers said to me, "Sorry I cant make it, I have class in 5th period, but good luck!" This was encouraging both because of their support, and because there would be less pairs of critical eyes.

I sat with the three teachers I am closest to over lunchtime and they really helped me by saying so many nice things. They complimented my teaching, told me I had nothing to worry about, and even said that I had a God-given gift for reading people which helps in the classroom. Their words really made me feel better and I calmed down.

Once the lesson had begun, it was smooth sailing. I tried to ignore all the teachers and just help the students engage. They did great and in the debrief after, the man from the education office only had good things to say.

I'm so pleased it's over and that it ended up being ok.

Now I can put the pressure on the students for their speaking tests later in the week! Kidding. I'm not that mean.

05.05.13

Today was crazy full. It was a really good day though.

I finally opened a bank account to transfer money home! It feels like a giant weight off my shoulders and was definitely worth the earlier start time, and travelling.

When I arrived at church, there was mandu waiting for me! I love mandu and this stuff was amazing. I love that they get food for us each week. It makes singing that much more fun.

Church was good, I had a mic at practice, even though it was shocking and I only knew one song. I'm really struggling with the songs because they are so not my thing! And I definitely do not enjoy watching lyrics videos on YouTube of 90s songs with Papyrus and other Word fonts superimposed over dreadful inspirational pictures. But I'll get over it one day.

After church we had dinner to say goodbye to a girl who was going home, then we hung out in the park, ate pretzels, and went shopping. I love my new friends from church and I'm super stoked that they seem to like me. They like imitating my accent, at least. Somehow it always comes out British.

04.05.13

Today was one of the greatest days. It's been a very busy people week so when I woke up this morning I decided to have a chilled day at home, knowing that tomorrow will be pretty packed.

I managed to Skype some beautiful girls. First up, Clarry and Cindy. They couldn't get the sound working at Cindy's which was pretty funny because we sign languaged a bit, but then they braved the rain and went to Clarry's. Then I Skyped Alysha, which was just so lovely.

It was all so lovely. It was great to see their beautiful faces and hear their stories. We did highlights, lowlights, girl crush, boy crush, just like usual.

I love them sooooo much!

03.05.13

Tonight was the first of my Korean classes and it was actually good fun. The teacher is a bit crazy. She only speaks Korean (I'm understanding what it's like for my students), and she gets so excited when we pronounce something vaguely right.

She's so animated. It was actually getting annoying, but then she announced it was break time and gave us bread, so I was pacified completely.

It's also a great chance to hang out with Dani. We were late because we decided to get chicken which took 30mins to cook. It was hilarious trying to scoff down the piping hot stuff, get the rest to go and then run through the unfamiliar campus to find our classroom.

Even better was strolling back to the subway in the dark, munching on chicken and spitting the bones in the bushes, giggling the whole time.

02.05.13

As I write this I am sitting on the subway, facing a whole lot of my students. One is with her boyfriend and they are wearing matching shoes. It's all too cute.

When I wrote that, I was on my way to meet a Korean girl called Kate. She was really great. I forgot how much I had missed talking about NZ. She has just come back from a year there studying English so we had a good yarn about Queen St and culture. It felt really nice.

Once again I ate far too much food. Korea will be the death of my wardrobe.

I'm quite good at sneaky subway pics.

The perfect end to the day, banana milk.