The boat isn't rocking anymore....

My boss isn't being as crazy anymore (well, I'm keeping my head down and trying not to talk to anyone).... my tight rope is holding, and I'm juggling things the best I can, hoping not to slip. Wish me luck.

I wanted to take a moment to say how weird my grocery shopping experience was this weekend. I'm pretty acclimated to the shopping experience here, I know what to expect... or so I thought! Typically when you walk into the big grocery store (it's actually a department store) there is produce near the entry. It's a lot of familiar fruits and veggies, with a lot that are asian style which I don't mess with. After you venture through the ever crowded produce department you are thrust into the meat department.

The meat department is absolutely huge. There are 20-40 employees giving out samples, cutting meat, chopping at giant frozen tunas in the middle of the aisle, and stocking big cases full of meat. Not to mention the expansive seafood section which includes big tanks full of crabs, lobster, octopi, and other creatures. I typically buy some chicken breast, salmon, and ground pork at this point in the trip. I would prefer ground beef, but it's over 20 dollars a pound. Ouch. American beef is illegal here, they say the quality is too bad. So we eat Australian and Korean beef.... tastes the same to me! Actually, the korean beef is noticeably more delicious now that I think about it. Enough about meat.... let's head to the "foreign" section! The foreign sections is mostly comprised of sauces, some canned goods (I bought Healthy Choice soup and baked beans), pasta, pasta sauce, and random other things. It used to be the most exciting part of the store (things in English!!)... but that is not the case anymore! Ill get to that in a minute. After I scour for something familiar, it's time to hit up the dairy cooler! I don't like Korean milk, it's too sweet and thick for me, but Nick likes it so we buy it. The yogurt is thin and watery, so I don't buy that either. I did find cheese though! Only velveeta singles, but that is fine to make grilled cheese with in a bind. They carried some cheddar when I got here (which was kept behind lock and key) but that has since disappeared. I will keep an eye out for cheese!

Once I have my milk, produce, and meat it's time to head to the freezer section. This is where my big surprise came this week.... Korea officially has frozen meals now. WTF? My boyfriend calls this "Mission D cup" meaning, America is exporting unhealthy packaged meals to make asians fat (hence D cup) like Americans. Not only did I find frozen meals (which is really odd, considering Koreans don't typically have microwaves) but I found frozen pizza, frozen tortillas, chicken patties, cheese sticks, corn dogs... and an array of other familiar yet unhealthy food. I felt, if only momentarily, that I was back in the states. I did buy the tortillas because i was to make fajitas when I get my hands on the other ingredients, but I left everything else in it's rightful frozen place and meandered to the bakery. The bakery held some magical new discoveries for me as well. I found hamburger buns (which is awesome for when I make pulled BBQ chicken) and a big tray of fresh baked muffins! Blueberry! Banana! Chocolate chip! I was so excited. The bakery here is not superb but its sufficient. They have sliced bread, rolls, bagels in many flavors, some unfamiliar baked thingys, donuts, cakes, and random cookies that aren't real cookies. I live on egg sandwiches in the morning, so I'm very grateful for standard sliced bread.

I pick up odds and ends (tuna in the pouch, mayo, ketchup, pasta, dried fruit, peanut butter, and munchies) in the aisles and then my shopping for the week is done.

We walk to the store (the department store is actually in the basement of the mall), shop, check out the animals (hedgehogs!) and housewares, and take the bus back home in under 2 hours typically. It's a big change from hopping in my car and running to Safeway when I needed something, but it's manageable. There is a smaller grocery store across from my work that I shop at for a lot of produce and drinks (they have Minute Maid orange juice, yum) which cuts down on how much we have to carry on the bus.

So... there you have it, a typical trip to the grocery store and my new found Americanized purchases! I will have to cover free-samples and "freebies" another day. The things they give away here with purchases are so bizarre. I got some anti-wrinkle hand cream with my Philadelphia cream cheese the other day. I scored some hand sanitizer with my batteries, and even lucked into some household cleaner with my wine!

confused.... show me a sign....

I'm feeling really confused. I'm trying to make some sort of game plan for when I get back to AZ. This is not the path I had in mind for my life, when did I stray so far from what I wanted? Recent discoveries have thrown yet another wrench into my plans. As of now my life is a ticking time-bomb and I'm thinking about damage control for an event that hasn't even happened yet. Each day I am a day closer to the demise of my life as I know it.... I'm a tight rope walker and the rope is starting to fray. Don't look now, but I may come crashing down. I don't have a safety net, but I have a pocket full of cash and some big dreams.

Maybe Sarah is right to have faith in my (love ya, cupcake).... maybe I'll go to confectionery school and make some of the biggest, baddest cakes and cupcakes this world has ever seen!! Take that, college degree!




Monday.

MMMMMMMonday!

Sleep deprived but happy

I've discovered you learn a lot about a culture through its children. Children don't have that sensor yet.. the one which enables them to realize certain tidbits of into they know about mom, dad, school, the neighborhood, or even the culture should be withheld from the general public. It's kind of exciting to learn about Korea through a childs eyes. Here are some fun things I've learned so far...


Some of the kids have not eaten ice cream in over a year, despite the fact every convience store and shopping center is loaded down with tasty ice cream options.

The majority of the children I teach have never touched an animal. Most of them told me it's because their parents have told them to be afraid of animals.

Children in Korea do not tell parents (or any family member) that they love them. I was playing a "when was the last time you..." game and one of the questions was "When was the last time you told someone you love them?" And 90% of the kids said "never." A few said they will tell their mom they love her. Isn't that crazy?

Children typically (this is the norm I have seen, not a rule) do not have a relationship with their father. We we writing about things we enjoy doing with our mothers (they replied, cooking, studying, watching TV, and shopping) and what they enjoy doing with their fathers (getting money and driving the car were the standard answers). I asked why they don't play games with their fathers or interact on a more loving level and they explained that their fathers work from the time the sun is up until well after children go to bed. Some of the kids go all week without seeing their dad. On sunday when men have the day off, they are resting so they can work another 100 hour work week. (This will be another blog topic later).

Children have an average of 2-3 extra classes per day, and that number rises the older they are. I was telling some kids that American students go to school for 6-7 hours a day, and thats it. Some choose to play a sport or do an activity, but it's not mandatory. My korean students were blown away. Even the 7 and 8 year olds have martial arts, piano (some), computer class, English class almost every day after school. The older students also take an extra math class, science class, History class etc. to get good grades in school. If they do not do well in English (hence all the extra classes) they will not get into college. If you don't go to college here (and you can't go back as an adult) you are destined to have a crappy job. I've seen high school students walking home from school at midnight or 1am.

I had a discussion with some of my students asking how they feel about the long hours they put into their education. Many of them said they wish they had it easy like American kids. They wish they could run around outside and play instead of spending every daylight hour in a classroom. Others added that they are ok with the long hours because they are "smarter than American kids" and "will get better jobs." I never stopped to think about that point of view before! These children do have a larger skill set than American children, (fluent in 2-3 languages, playing 1-2 instruments, learning a sport or martial art, all the extra math and science classes) but is the cost too high? The cost of giggles and picnics on a Wednesday afternoon or baking cookies with mom after school, or even making forts with the neighbor kids in your living room after school? Hmmm. Food for thought.


I will have to discuss my views on all the extra classes and work koreans do in a later blog, it's way too much for my brain right now!


On a personal note, life is still good. I'm frustrated with my job. Not the students, they're fine... just the structure of how my school is being run. There is no consistency and they are piling extra work onto the employees because the other American girl is still slacking and sleeping at work. Instead of firing her and setting a standard, they chose to assign a shit ton of work hoping it would light a fire under her. I spent all day today (my weekend!) working on things for work instead of relaxing! I'm resenting some choices the management is making, but they aren't my choices to make so I will continue to do my best and ignore as much of the bullshit as I can.

We had brought another kitten into the house last week, but after the kitten decided it hated me and was repeatedly pooping and peeing on me while I slept... we had to return him to his previous owner. He ruined all my bedding and pillows... so it is costing me a good chunk of money to replace everything he destroyed. As much as I would have loved to work on training him, I can not afford to replace all these blankets every day!!






out with a group of friends for soju and games!

Ho-hum

Ever feel like the weeks just run together? The days are just a count down to the weekend that comes and goes in the blink of an eye? Thats how life feels right now. I don't hate my job, but it's not a career or something I'm invested in, so it's quickly become a routine of work to get to the next week. I hate feeling this way, but I think it has more to do with the weather than my job. It's SO cold here. It hasnt been above freezing in weeks and the snow is here to stay for a while it seems. It's too cold to really enjoy the weekends. It's just a shuffle from one errand to the next. I can't wait until it warms up and I can enjoy my time away from work. I want to see things and explore this giant city. I want to take weekends and leave the city, too! I guess it just doesn't feel like a break from working when I just run errands, clean, and sometimes drink or eat out. It's boring. I need some excitment. I need a change of pace.



Last year it was so nice that we got a lot of breaks from work. I loved my job... a lot, but kids take a lot out of you when you are invested in them. It was really nice to be able to get away for long weekends and holidays to recharge my batteries. In my current job we are supposed to get 2 weeks vacation, but my boss dictates some of those days (like New Years Eve) so in reality I don't get two weeks off. I know 2 weeks is pretty standard in the US as far as vacation goes, but it doesn't feel like enough over here. I want to be able to go places (China, Japan, maybe Thailand) and it doesn't seem possible if my time off is so limited. Hmmm. I have a cold, I think it's making me cranky?



Anyway, life is good over in Korea. I haven't done much, which is why I haven't been updating. Nothing new to talk about. I do have some topics I want to cover, I just haven't had the time or energy to write lately. The kitten wakes me up every 20-30 mins EVERY night, so I'm exhausted every day. My life seems to revolve around the kitten. I love him, but I can't wait for him to grow up a little so I don't have to rush home to play with him every day. If he doesn't get a few hours of play time in before bed he doesn't let me sleep at all. Brat. We have created a monster! A cute monster.

New Years Eve

2009 was supposed to be the tannest year ever..... I had some really tan moments, so maybe I achieved that bronzed goal.

Sorry I haven't posted in a while, not much is going on to be honest. It's the same daily grind, same routine, same everything. I don't have anything new or exciting to share. Christmas came and went without much notice. I got a kitten (Jack) who has made me totally sleep deprived, but he is pretty damn cute.

So it's New Years Eve..... 2009 is toast. I did a lot this year. It was a pretty good one. It had it's wonderful moments and it's shitty moments. I feel like 2010 wont really count.... I'll be in Korean 90% of it. If I'm not with my friends and family.... it doesn't really count. Sure, I'll have some new experiences, I'll see some stuff.... but mostly I'll be working in a job that my heart isn't in, to pay for my student loans. I will be a year older, but still not totally sure what I want to do with my "life."

Every time I think I've got it all figured out...... life throws me a curve ball.

I realized recently when I get back to the states I'll be 26, with a college degree that doesn't help me much in the real world, with not a lot of real job experience. I think ASU did a pretty crappy job preparing me for a real career..... and I have many other friends that went there who feel the same way. I went and saw a career counselor, and you know what he told me? Follow my dreams, open a business. Who tells someone that is almost 30k in student loan debt to open a business in a terrible economy, that has no business knowledge? With a brilliant idea like that he probably went to ASU himself. Don't get me wrong, I loved my time at ASU, I learned a lot about a lot...... just not a lot about what to do with the skill set I paid for.

sorry to end the year on such a moody note...... but I don't feel like 2010 will really be the "best year ever."

My plan is to make a plan so I go back to AZ with some new goals and a lot more research under my belt about career options.
Is it awful I paid over 30k for a degree, but I'd really love to be a cosmetologist? or go back to confectionary school and learn to be a baker? Maybe college should start in your 20s..... when I started at 17 I had NO idea what I wanted out of my life.

Well, Happy New Year my friends..... I promise my next entry will be more uplifting. Maybe I'll even make some resolutions that I won't stick to hahaha.

Changdeokgung and Jogyesa (Insadong)

So, it was a pretty quiet week around here. Super busy at work.... and getting back into a routine at home with an additional person here. I think we've got a nice little schedule going. It's good that I get home an hour before Nick, it gives me time to start dinner, pick up around the house, throw in some laundry if needed... and unwind from work! Quiet time is good. :-)

This weekend however, was not quiet!! We kicked off the weekend with a work party. This entailed going to a restaurant that had food Alicia and I hated, so we proceeded to go shot for shot/beer for beer with everyone.... with no food in our stomaches. This set the pace for a long night haha. After the work party we went over to Kondae with the other teachers to get some more drinks. It was really fun! Nick showed up after a while and had a few beers at Miller Time (an "American" bar) with us. We played some Korean and some American drinking games, which never fails to be amazing entertainment. After quite a few beers we decided to go to bar Yuki, our favorite bar in Kondae. It started off normal enough, Alicias friend Matt being funny and making friends with Nick, while us girls chattered and hung out. Before long, DJ MissMissy took over my body, and I decided I was going to be the guest DJ for the night. It started out me just telling them what to play, but before long I took the controls and was making playlists. What does good music, drunk people, and good times equal?,,,, a dance party!!! We programmed some awesome music and danced out booties off!! We got the whole bar dancing, including the bartenders and the stuffy looking koreans. Around 3am we decided to call it a night.... and walked home. On the way home Matt (awesome Korean guy) decided to jump the barrier on the road and run to a taxi.... we were so busy watching him and laughing we all failed to notice the giant puddle of vomit on the sidewalk. I then proceeded to slip in said vomit. It only got on my shoe, but I hyperventilated and frrrrreaked out over it. We then thought it would be fun to chant about my "dirty boot" which I took off and made Nick carry. We were quite the sight heading home..... I can only imagine what all the Koreans thought about the spectacle we were making haha. This "dirty boot" thing is going to haunt me for a while I'm sure haha. Thank goodness for good friends like Alicia who cleaned my dirty boot and brought it back to me today! Not only did I get my boot dirty from falling, I took all the skin off my knee and left a grapefruit sized bruise. It hurts! Boo for vomit on the sidewalk!

Saturday we had plans to head out with Alicia to Insadong to see Changdeokgung Palace (the Palace of Prospering Virtue) which is the oldest palace in Korea. It was absolutely breathtaking. I was shocked at just how huge the palace grounds were. We literally had to hike to different parts of the palace. They had buildings for raing silk worms, eating, sleeping, making babies, sitting, entertaining.... and so on. It was so rich in history and culture, I love it. The tour was in English and the tour guide was so funny, but she wasn't trying to be. She kept getting flustered and saying things like "why am I getting so defensive?" hahah. It cracked us up.









After we went to the Palace we all wanted to see the Jogyesa buddhist temple. It was equally as breath taking. It was nice on the outside, but the inside (we only saw through the glass wall because service was going on) was like nothing I'd ever seen. I can't do it justice, but I'll post a picture that gives a little idea what it was like. The temple grounds were really nice, lots of statues and an area where the monks were drumming and chanting. They also had an area that had hundreds of lanterns hung, it sounded beautiful in the wind. I want to go back there for sure. We were interviewed by a newspaper while we were visiting. They wanted to know what we thought about the temple, and what we know about temple stays. I really want to do a temple stay, but i've heard it's the hardest thing many people have done in their entire lives. I think I would be worth it for the experience though, ya know? Hmm, I'll think that one over some more.
Our last stop of the day was Insadong where the streets are lined with stores and restaurants and whatnot. I found where I am doing all my shopping for souvenirs for myself and other people. So much beautiful handmade Korean stuff. They have some amazing antique stores (out of my price range!) as well. I was very impressed by the whole experience. The day reminded me how rich the culture is here, and how much there is to learn about Korean history. I'm looking forward to experiencing more temples and palaces.











Today was my typical mellow sunday! We started off the day by going to emart to pick up our groceries for the week. After shopping the three of us went to eat some Korean sushi for lunch, then went to the local little coffee shop to sip some carmel macchiato and reading our books. Two hours had passed before we knew it so we all headed our separate ways. Nick and I cleaned the house, which needed it! Things get sooo dusty here. If I dont sweep and mop 2-3 times a week we get a rather large dust bunny population in every corner of the house. It's gross. I also have to dust and clean every surface in the house a few times a week or it looks like no one has inhabited this place in years. Annoying! I miss my mopping and dusting once a week routine. Once the house was clean I cooked my first American style meal (and first time cooking meat in the two months I've been here). It was SOOO good! I made sauteed chicken breast, mashed potatoes, corn, and stove top. I'm not typically a Stove Top fan, but it tasted sooooo good! Yummy! It was worth the premium cost. Oh, I also took off the whole corner of my pinky with the new potato peeler. It was not my weekend!! I had a little first aid kit, but hours later my finger is still throbbing. Ouch, again!

For anyone interested in Korean Costco, I'll post the link. They deliver everything, but it's really expensive! check out the prices!!! Keep in mind these prices aren't for American size costco things, it's for one box/can/unit of each thing unless specified that there are two units. I am ordering the tortillas, but not sure about anything else on there. I am finding a lot of produce/veggies/meats I can cook meals out of once my mom ships me the box of seasonings and spices.

Finally a quiet moment...

Sorry for the blog absence, it's been a whirlwind since Nick got here. Getting him unpacked, settled, and everything he needed from various stores has been a full time job. I didn't expect us to go right back to normal as quickly as we did. It's like no time passed in some ways, but a lot of time in other ways. I got really used to my little routine. I got used to having everything clean and put away where I like it. I got used to living alone. I'm adjusting to having another body (and all the luggage that comes along with another body) in the apartment, but it's hard not to have my house clean and orderly.... to my standards. Considering he hasn't even been here a week I think we have things pretty well unpacked and stuff, it's just a matter of finding a little more storage space so things are lying around.

Anyway, the weekend was wonderrrrful. I attended my first Korean wedding on Saturday. I feel badly for Korean brides. I felt more like I was watching some crazy Asian reality TV show than a wedding. First of all ,you invite EVERYONE you've ever met to you wedding, which results in half of your guests standing out in the doorway. The wedding, from start to everyone finishing the meal and leaving takes well under 2 hours. You pretty much HAVE to rent out a wedding hall, Koreans don't see it as optional... which costs at a bare minimum 40,000 dollars. So the ceremony starts, there are lighting effects and music going. After the quick vows we hear singing.... yes, the groom was SINGING (very poorly) to the bride. It was painful to watch. The sining stops and we hear cheering...... the groom was doing pushups with the bride sitting on his back!!! WTF! Meanwhile, people are coming and going from the wedding hall, everyone is talking and socializing, and half the guests are on cell phones. I felt like there was nothing sacred or special about the day. If I were a bride I would feel a little shafted as far as having that "special day.

After the mess they call a wedding, we (Nick, Alicia, and myself) took a cab over to Technomart. Technomart is any geeks HEAVEN. It's a huge building.... 8 floors of nothing but electronics. Each floor has a theme... 8th floor computers, 3rd floor cameras, 2nd floor cell phones, 5th floor navigation and other car electronics.... and other floors full of other electronics. It was a little overwhelming.... it's hard to tell where to start! I found some GREAT cameras, and now I can't decide if I want thing amazing little camera called the Mirror, it has a touch screen, HD video recording, and a screen on the front so you can take pictures of yourself. :-) I found some DSLR's for a great price as well. I'm really torn between a nice smaller camera, and the DSLR of my dreams! Eeep! I have some bills I want to pay off first, but maybe I can leave Korea with both in the end.

Once we finished the madness of Technomart we stopped at a few street vendors (it was sooo cold out, well below freezing) then hopped on a bus to Kondae. I couldn't wait to show nick Kondae, and I'm happy he was impressed. First we went and got some dalk galbi for dinner, which is probably my favorite Korean food. That's the dish I put pictures up of a few entries ago. He loved it as well! After dinner we decided to head down to the hookah bar, since it had been a long time since Nick and I got to smoke hookah together. He loved the hookah bar as well, and we all agreed it was delicious. A few beers and a cashed hookah later we ventured back out into the freezing and did a little bar hopping. We walked into Bar Yuki (my fav bar) right as they were starting the fire show. This is comprised of bottle of booze being tossed and juggled, table being set on fire, and fire breathing. All this while they turn up the music and turn on the strobe lights and such. Nick liked it all, but I think it was a bit much to absorb for one day haha.

By this time we had been out and about for like 7 hours, and we wanted to call it a night..... but not before going to emart, my korean favorite! What started out as a quick trip turned into almost 3 hours of shopping. There was so much to show nick! He bought a dapper new winter coat, and various other things. I was happy finding some new western foods... they tend to rotate things in and out. I didn't pick up the peanut butter pretzels, so I hope they have them next time!

Yesterday (sunday) Alicia and I took nick down to the open air market, which if you've been following you know is my favorite Korean place so far (well.... maybe a tie with emart). It was really cold, so we only stayed out maybe an hour... but he got to see a lot of the vendors and shops. We bought a few other things we needed for the house, then spent the rest of the day cleaning and relaxing around the house. It was a wonderful weekend indeed. I have big plans already brewing for next weekend, so hopefully it isn't as FREEZING as this weekend so we can venture further from home!

Mwah.