Who would have thought that monsoon type rain would not stop a group of American/Canadian kids from going to the waterpark with an entire Korean family!?
We accomplished that feat today. All week we had plans to go to this waterpark that is about an hour and a half away. It's called Caribbean Bay and is supposed to be one of the best in this part of the world. You have to make a reservation to go because they reach their capacity so quickly. It’s an easy way to control the crowd. If you ever come to Korea, don’t try to just walk up to the park. You probably won’t get in. Here is the link if you want to see more about the park before I continue my story…. http://www.everland.com/MultiLanguage/english/caribbean/main.html . My host mom invited Danny and Stacy to join us. I set my alarm last night for 5am (yes! 5am!! we were leaving at 6)... but when I woke up at 4am to the sounds of ridiculous thunder shaking my building and rain pounding on my window, I thought maybe our day plans were ruined. In the U.S., if even the slightest bit of thunder comes, the park is shut down. Here, NO WAY!! I walked out in the living room to find my entire host family already awake because the thunder scared them. We turned on some music and danced around the living room to calm their nerves (my suggestion!). Afterwards, I asked my host mom if we were going to have to make different plans. She responded by saying "of course not! We have more fun when it’s raining!"
We loaded up our cars and headed out. My host mom's sister, brother-in-law, mother, and the new baby joined us. Hera (my oldest host sister) had to stay home because she had to work today. A little while later, we had arrived! Busting out to "Barbie Girl" in the parking lot while the men bought our tickets, we enjoyed our little bit of calmness before the storm. Once we got inside, Stacy and I both realized this was not going to be like any American waterpark. We first had to go into the ladies locker room and get lockers for our stuff. Let me tell you when I say that Korean women have no shame! Women everywhere just stripped right down to change into their bathing suits. It definitely shocked us. Seeing how we both wore our swimsuits under our clothes for the trip up, we got out of there as quickly as we could. On the website it told us that everyone had to wear swim caps. When we got there, we figured out otherwise and were way excited that we did not have to adorn the fashion no-no. We made a "base camp" so we knew where to meet if we got lost from the group. We went on a few slides before heading to the wave pool. For the wave pool, everyone has to wear life jackets. John (my host brother), Danny and I made our way to the deepest part of the pool. We figured “what the heck, we are in life jackets so we won’t drown.” Going into this wave pool thinking it would be like Wet’n’Wild’s with massive waves knocking you down was a very bad idea for me to think. As we floated there, I realized that all this wave pool was going to be was some giant bumps in the water. We gently floated over each one and no matter how big it was, we never got any ounce of a wave feeling. Danny and I looked at each other like “are you kidding me right now.”
We saw where the waves were breaking so we tried to head back there. When we got to that area, we realized that it was blocked off. In the water, there was a thick green line about 10 feet wide. This was the exact area where the waves crashed. However, before every wave, the lifeguards clear that area. You have to either be in the deeper part where you just get bumps or the shallow part where the waves hit you at your knee caps. VERY DISSAPPOINTED. Danny and I made the move to get out as fast as we could. When we got out, it started pouring rain! Everyone wanted to stay under the tree but we all agreed to head up to where our favorite slides were. Standing in the ridiculous rain, telling stories about how we never get this much rain in a year was sooooo much fun! Stacy and I were laughing pretty hard at the fact that no lines got shorter and it seemed like no was affected by the rain. It stopped raining after a little while.
We left John at the wave pool so when we made the decision to wait in the line for the water rollercoaster, we went back to camp to look for him. Nowhere to be found so Danny, Stacy, Lisa (my middle host sister), and I headed up. The sign on the outside said 80 minute wait. We figured maybe it would go fast like our other waits went. Boy, were we wrong!! I think that after about 2 hours, we finally made it to the front. You climb in your 2 person raft and float around the corner to where a conveyor belt pulls you up to the top. You then have to get on a second belt until you reach the starting point of the rollercoaster. The 2 hour wait was definitely worth it. Going down hills to just be pushed back up another by extreme jets was so much fun. Definitely the highlight of the day! For lunch, I had fried shrimp with this tangy Caribbean sauce. It was awesome! Stacy and I discussed how you would never find an actual restaurant like we had in an American waterpark.
After a few more waves in the not so amazing wave pool, we made the decision to head home. Once again, Stacy and I were greeted by naked women all over the place changing back into their regular clothes. Maybe it’s just me but to get naked in a room full of women I don’t know would just be weird. We quickly changed back and met up with the boys to get out of there. My host father’s favorite song is “Bad Case of Loving You” by Robert Palmer and he used to be in a band. On the way home, he asked if he could sing the song to Stacy and I. As he rocked out with the music blasting and hitting every note, we couldn’t help but laugh at how he excited he was to sing to us. He was actually a pretty good singer too!
After a day full of rain, crazy wait times for rides, and a wave pool with no waves, we were all super tired but my host mom insisted on taking us to dinner. We drove up this hill by our house to this gorgeous restaurant. The street it was on was known was a good place to eat out. There were restaurants everywhere but we were going for BBQ duck. Our restaurant was covered in ivy and had a cute little waterfall out front. It was very quant. It really put be me at ease after the chaos that was Caribbean Bay. Dinner was awesome and I couldn’t have asked for a better time with better people. My host mom’s brother-in-law drove me home while she took home Danny and Stacy.
Now it is time to crash because I have never been so tired in my life!
Tomorrow is a light day… maybe some shopping in a new area of town I haven’t explored yet and maybe a movie!
Goodnight!
Saturday, August 7, 2010
Thursday, August 5, 2010
I will miss this place....
Today was our last day with the 4th and 5th graders. Until today, I didn't think I would miss anything about teaching when I go back home. I always knew that even thought I might have the talent to work with children, I would never be able to work within the teacher's salary. I will be the first to admit that my spending habits would be too much for that position.
However, I found myself leaving school at 12:45, on the verge of tears. Our students had an English contest where they had to answer questions and if they got it wrong, they were out. We combined all 3 classes and of course, the 3 students that won were all advanced students. The winning question was spelling what state or city zach, travis, and I are from. After the contest, we went downstairs for the closing ceremony. Much to our surprise, we were asked to give a closing speech with no warning. The Korean teachers at the school always think about things in their head but never give a warning of whats going on. Since Zach can think off the top of his head, he spoke on behalf of the 3 of us and did an awesome job conveying how much we are going to miss these students.
We then went upstairs back to our classes with our homeroom kids. Even though the orange class (intermediate students) can be a handful sometimes, I saw myself getting upset when they were telling me how much they were going to miss me. The Korean teachers and all of the students make us giant thank you cards. As I read the ones from each class, my eyes definitely started to well up. I would have never expected to have this reaction. I figured it was just another group of relationships that would come in and out of my life. Once the students were dismissed, I had a crowd of girls from the green class (advanced students) come rushing in to take pictures with me and get my email address. There are two girls that Zach, Travis, and I call "the twins" because they are closer friends than sisters will ever be. With bright smiling faces they told me they would be emailing me EVERY DAY!!! They both then hugged me as another one of their friends yelled "Krista teacher... I love you!" That is when I lost it. I tried to stay strong and not show my emotion but a single tear fell down my cheek. I sucked it up and told myself I would be okay.
As Zach, Travis and I started to walk home, the same group of girls were waiting outside. "Teacher, buy me ice cream please." In America, all 3 of us would have been like "HELL NO!" because they just asked. But because we love these girls so much, we politely agreed. They walked us to a small mart and had the biggest grins on their faces while we paid for their treats.
Those smiles have made teaching all worth it. Even though we have 8 more days of teaching, I am fully satisfied with the work we have done here. I really hope that the kids do email me every day because I will glady respond with a huge smile on my face.
The one single tear told me that I will miss this place more than I know yet....
However, I found myself leaving school at 12:45, on the verge of tears. Our students had an English contest where they had to answer questions and if they got it wrong, they were out. We combined all 3 classes and of course, the 3 students that won were all advanced students. The winning question was spelling what state or city zach, travis, and I are from. After the contest, we went downstairs for the closing ceremony. Much to our surprise, we were asked to give a closing speech with no warning. The Korean teachers at the school always think about things in their head but never give a warning of whats going on. Since Zach can think off the top of his head, he spoke on behalf of the 3 of us and did an awesome job conveying how much we are going to miss these students.
We then went upstairs back to our classes with our homeroom kids. Even though the orange class (intermediate students) can be a handful sometimes, I saw myself getting upset when they were telling me how much they were going to miss me. The Korean teachers and all of the students make us giant thank you cards. As I read the ones from each class, my eyes definitely started to well up. I would have never expected to have this reaction. I figured it was just another group of relationships that would come in and out of my life. Once the students were dismissed, I had a crowd of girls from the green class (advanced students) come rushing in to take pictures with me and get my email address. There are two girls that Zach, Travis, and I call "the twins" because they are closer friends than sisters will ever be. With bright smiling faces they told me they would be emailing me EVERY DAY!!! They both then hugged me as another one of their friends yelled "Krista teacher... I love you!" That is when I lost it. I tried to stay strong and not show my emotion but a single tear fell down my cheek. I sucked it up and told myself I would be okay.
As Zach, Travis and I started to walk home, the same group of girls were waiting outside. "Teacher, buy me ice cream please." In America, all 3 of us would have been like "HELL NO!" because they just asked. But because we love these girls so much, we politely agreed. They walked us to a small mart and had the biggest grins on their faces while we paid for their treats.
Those smiles have made teaching all worth it. Even though we have 8 more days of teaching, I am fully satisfied with the work we have done here. I really hope that the kids do email me every day because I will glady respond with a huge smile on my face.
The one single tear told me that I will miss this place more than I know yet....
Sick as a Dog
Today started out what I thought would be okay. I woke up and did not have an ounce of hunger in me. I knew that wasn't right because normally I'm starving when I get up. I told my host mom I didn't want to eat breakfast but she insisted I eat something. I had this little wraps about the size of a half-dollar coin filled with rice. I only ate about three before I told her I could not eat anymore.
Once again, I waited about 30 minutes at my bus stop before the bus finally came. Of course the new route I have to take only has 1 bus so it takes forever to come. Once I got to school, I could definitely tell I wasn't feeling well anymore. 10 minutes into the first class and I was throwing up what little food I ate for breakfast. Dry-heaving the rest of the day, I toughed it out. I tried to put a smile on my face for afternoon class. I'm not sure how that went over.
The instant I got home, I told my host family I was going to lay down. I chugged down my nausea medicine and passed out from 4:30pm until 8pm. At 8 my host mom woke me up to see how I was feeling. She gave me this plum juice that was supposed to help calm my stomach. She also proceeded to give me a 15 minute stomach and hand massage. I think there is a nerve or something that has to do with calming your body down in between your thumb and pointer finger. When Travis was sick, that is where his host dad focused majority of his acupuncture. Tonight, that is where my host mom massaged the most.
Now I am laying in bed, ready to go back to sleep. Tomorrow is my last day with our morning students before we get all new ones next week. I am definitely going to miss them. There are certain students that just brighten my day when I see them.
Pictures: http://www.flickr.com/photos/46379050@N04/sets/72157624658911382/
Once again, I waited about 30 minutes at my bus stop before the bus finally came. Of course the new route I have to take only has 1 bus so it takes forever to come. Once I got to school, I could definitely tell I wasn't feeling well anymore. 10 minutes into the first class and I was throwing up what little food I ate for breakfast. Dry-heaving the rest of the day, I toughed it out. I tried to put a smile on my face for afternoon class. I'm not sure how that went over.
The instant I got home, I told my host family I was going to lay down. I chugged down my nausea medicine and passed out from 4:30pm until 8pm. At 8 my host mom woke me up to see how I was feeling. She gave me this plum juice that was supposed to help calm my stomach. She also proceeded to give me a 15 minute stomach and hand massage. I think there is a nerve or something that has to do with calming your body down in between your thumb and pointer finger. When Travis was sick, that is where his host dad focused majority of his acupuncture. Tonight, that is where my host mom massaged the most.
Now I am laying in bed, ready to go back to sleep. Tomorrow is my last day with our morning students before we get all new ones next week. I am definitely going to miss them. There are certain students that just brighten my day when I see them.
Pictures: http://www.flickr.com/photos/46379050@N04/sets/72157624658911382/
Wednesday, August 4, 2010
I am not a Kindergarten Student!!
Ok so not a lot happened today, except for the funniest moment ever with my host brother....
Travis and Danny (my new Canadian friend) came over so my host mom could cook dinner for them. She was so excited to meet the people I have been hanging out with. It was amazing dinner but she definitely made too much. After dinner, the three of us went with my 3 host siblings to Karaoke.
I'm not sure if I have explained this already but karaoke is way different here and I am totally thinking I need to find an investor to help me open a business like this in Las Vegas. Every group gets their own room. With brightly colored lights that dance along with your song choice, you have your own flat screen and own sound system. It's amazing because in no way do you have to embarrass yourself in front of 50 people you don't know. You can bring in your own food and drinks or buy from the location. It would absolutely kill in Vegas!!
So we went to the best karaoke room closest to us, The Princess Room. Every room has its own theme. We were in the sailing theme so there were sail boats all over the walls and our couch was boat shaped. It was awesome! I didn't think my host brother would sing but he actually sang a lot, including some American songs like Linkin Park with Danny and Travis. My host sister Hera definitely gets the vote for best singer of the night. Her voice is amazing!!! I could listen to her sing all day. She also taught Travis the dance to a popular Korean song right now. When you look through my pictures, you will see Travis' attempt at it.
Now, to explain the title of this blog post....
At our apartment, you have to use a card key to get in at the bottom of the building or you can call to the apartment you are visiting and they can buzz you in. I had my key on me so I got to the door first and opened it. My host brother didn't see me use my key and goes "WOW how did that open??" and I told him it was magic... and he gave me a funny look. So then I said "OOO the door saw me coming and said oh no krista is coming and opened" and he looked at me and goes "i'm not a kindergarten student. i'm not 5." My host sisters and I cracked up laughing. Hera looked like she was about to cry because she was laughing so hard. Maybe it was a had to be there moment but it definitely made my night.
Tomorrow is exercising with my morning kids (their lesson for the week is "stay in shape" so I'm making them do one of my My Gym warm-ups) and mini-olympics with my afternoon kids.... should be a lot of fun and I will try to take a lot of pictures!!
BTW: Thomas and Sam have all their pictures up on a website. If you go to www.pictage.com ... then register and search for "thomas and sam" on june 26th, 2010... you will be able to see all 1007 pictures!!!
Pictures from tonight: http://www.flickr.com/photos/46379050@N04/sets/72157624527854929/
Travis and Danny (my new Canadian friend) came over so my host mom could cook dinner for them. She was so excited to meet the people I have been hanging out with. It was amazing dinner but she definitely made too much. After dinner, the three of us went with my 3 host siblings to Karaoke.
I'm not sure if I have explained this already but karaoke is way different here and I am totally thinking I need to find an investor to help me open a business like this in Las Vegas. Every group gets their own room. With brightly colored lights that dance along with your song choice, you have your own flat screen and own sound system. It's amazing because in no way do you have to embarrass yourself in front of 50 people you don't know. You can bring in your own food and drinks or buy from the location. It would absolutely kill in Vegas!!
So we went to the best karaoke room closest to us, The Princess Room. Every room has its own theme. We were in the sailing theme so there were sail boats all over the walls and our couch was boat shaped. It was awesome! I didn't think my host brother would sing but he actually sang a lot, including some American songs like Linkin Park with Danny and Travis. My host sister Hera definitely gets the vote for best singer of the night. Her voice is amazing!!! I could listen to her sing all day. She also taught Travis the dance to a popular Korean song right now. When you look through my pictures, you will see Travis' attempt at it.
Now, to explain the title of this blog post....
At our apartment, you have to use a card key to get in at the bottom of the building or you can call to the apartment you are visiting and they can buzz you in. I had my key on me so I got to the door first and opened it. My host brother didn't see me use my key and goes "WOW how did that open??" and I told him it was magic... and he gave me a funny look. So then I said "OOO the door saw me coming and said oh no krista is coming and opened" and he looked at me and goes "i'm not a kindergarten student. i'm not 5." My host sisters and I cracked up laughing. Hera looked like she was about to cry because she was laughing so hard. Maybe it was a had to be there moment but it definitely made my night.
Tomorrow is exercising with my morning kids (their lesson for the week is "stay in shape" so I'm making them do one of my My Gym warm-ups) and mini-olympics with my afternoon kids.... should be a lot of fun and I will try to take a lot of pictures!!
BTW: Thomas and Sam have all their pictures up on a website. If you go to www.pictage.com ... then register and search for "thomas and sam" on june 26th, 2010... you will be able to see all 1007 pictures!!!
Pictures from tonight: http://www.flickr.com/photos/46379050@N04/sets/72157624527854929/
Tuesday, August 3, 2010
Pictures from Thomas and Sam's Wedding
This is completely irrelevant to my trip to Korea but Sammy just posted some of the pictures from the wedding and I'm so freaking excited....
Here is the link to my flickr album..
I will add more pictures as she adds them and will keep you posted if new ones go up!!!
http://www.flickr.com/photos/46379050@N04/sets/72157624525645619/
Here is the link to my flickr album..
I will add more pictures as she adds them and will keep you posted if new ones go up!!!
http://www.flickr.com/photos/46379050@N04/sets/72157624525645619/
Longest Day EVER!!!
Today seemed to drag on like no other. Morning session normally goes by quick, but it felt like I had been there all day by the end of second period. Travis and I live further from the school now so we decided to eat lunch closer to school and just not go home. We tried the Lotteria which is one of the big department stores. It was definitely an experience trying to order food from someone who speaks only Korean. Luckily we had a menu we could point at pictures to show them. I ordered ice cream for dessert thinking I was going to get this small bowl of vanilla ice cream. Instead I got this massive bowl filled with shaved ice (that's normally how they serve ice cream) with vanilla soft serve on top, covered in different berries. I definitely had to ask Travis to help me with. Let's just say I won't be ordering that again.
I was excited for afternoon session because we have a new class. We have second graders for the next two weeks. New class means new teacher as well. This one seems a lot more relaxed than the first. Things do not have to be as perfect but I love both teachers equally. The second graders are doing the same lessons that the first graders did so today we taught them animals. I was very confused to see that our first graders knew more English than these second graders. Conversation was definitely difficult but once they got going, they warmed up to us quickly. I'm excited for Thursday's class because not only are we doing body parts again but we are also doing mini olympics like we did with our morning students. I'll take pictures again.
After school, I came home and hung out with my older host sister Hera. She is very funny and is constantly making me laugh. We watched some Korean TV shows. My host mom then left to pick up the new car that they bought on Saturday. During that time, her sister and brother-in-law came over with their 6 month old baby. He is by far the cutest Asian baby I have seen on this trip. The brother-in-law spoke awesome English and was making conversation with me left and right. He also brought over a traditional Korean game for us to play. There are four wooden sticks (one side flat and one side round). Each team gets 4 button-looking game pieces and there is a game board that looks like a square with an X through the middle. Each team takes turns throwing the sticks. Depending on how they land (on their flat side or round side) that is how many spaces you get to move. If you last move is on a corner of the square, you can then use the middle lines to make a short cut to the exit. Each combination of throws has a name but I cannot remember them if my life depended on it. We played my family vs. their family. It was me, my host sister Hera, and my host brother John against the sister, brother-in-law, and the baby (yes, the dad threw for the baby from his walker). It was definitely one of the funnest games I have ever played.
As I watched how excited the brother-in-law got every time the baby made the slightest sound, I realized how precious the life of a baby is. Parents will love their child unconditionally, through thick and thin. It made me think of Quinn Bodine. I have made friends with the youngest Bodine, Amber, over the past year through various classes we have had together and helping each other pass the most difficult class I have taken in college. Quinn is the newest edition to the Bodine clan and is in the hospital battling some infections. Her parents have yet to have the honor of taking her home. I cannot even imagnine what it would be like to be carrying that life around inside of you for 9 months and then not being able to hold her at night when she can't sleep or laugh at the little sounds she makes when she is happy. I have been praying for the Bodine family since hearing about Quinn's condition. I look forward to Amber's constant updates on Facebook about the progress she is making. Every day I get excited to hear good news. I will continue to pray for Quinn until she is a completely healthy baby in the arms of her parents, being amused by the little things her new big sister does for her. I hope that all of you will keep Quinn in your prayers!
I sent Bobby an awesome gift... everyone should bug him to see it!
Tomorrow is just morning school, then shopping with my host sisters. Travis, Schuyler, and Danny are coming to my house for dinner and then everyone is going to karaoke. I will definitely be taking pictures! (Karaoke here is way different! You have your own room with your group so you do not have to be embarrassed trying to sing in front of a ton of people. I'm totally thinking I need to find an investor and opening a place like this in Las Vegas. It would make a killing! It would be crowded every day!!!)
Goodnight for now.....
I was excited for afternoon session because we have a new class. We have second graders for the next two weeks. New class means new teacher as well. This one seems a lot more relaxed than the first. Things do not have to be as perfect but I love both teachers equally. The second graders are doing the same lessons that the first graders did so today we taught them animals. I was very confused to see that our first graders knew more English than these second graders. Conversation was definitely difficult but once they got going, they warmed up to us quickly. I'm excited for Thursday's class because not only are we doing body parts again but we are also doing mini olympics like we did with our morning students. I'll take pictures again.
After school, I came home and hung out with my older host sister Hera. She is very funny and is constantly making me laugh. We watched some Korean TV shows. My host mom then left to pick up the new car that they bought on Saturday. During that time, her sister and brother-in-law came over with their 6 month old baby. He is by far the cutest Asian baby I have seen on this trip. The brother-in-law spoke awesome English and was making conversation with me left and right. He also brought over a traditional Korean game for us to play. There are four wooden sticks (one side flat and one side round). Each team gets 4 button-looking game pieces and there is a game board that looks like a square with an X through the middle. Each team takes turns throwing the sticks. Depending on how they land (on their flat side or round side) that is how many spaces you get to move. If you last move is on a corner of the square, you can then use the middle lines to make a short cut to the exit. Each combination of throws has a name but I cannot remember them if my life depended on it. We played my family vs. their family. It was me, my host sister Hera, and my host brother John against the sister, brother-in-law, and the baby (yes, the dad threw for the baby from his walker). It was definitely one of the funnest games I have ever played.
As I watched how excited the brother-in-law got every time the baby made the slightest sound, I realized how precious the life of a baby is. Parents will love their child unconditionally, through thick and thin. It made me think of Quinn Bodine. I have made friends with the youngest Bodine, Amber, over the past year through various classes we have had together and helping each other pass the most difficult class I have taken in college. Quinn is the newest edition to the Bodine clan and is in the hospital battling some infections. Her parents have yet to have the honor of taking her home. I cannot even imagnine what it would be like to be carrying that life around inside of you for 9 months and then not being able to hold her at night when she can't sleep or laugh at the little sounds she makes when she is happy. I have been praying for the Bodine family since hearing about Quinn's condition. I look forward to Amber's constant updates on Facebook about the progress she is making. Every day I get excited to hear good news. I will continue to pray for Quinn until she is a completely healthy baby in the arms of her parents, being amused by the little things her new big sister does for her. I hope that all of you will keep Quinn in your prayers!
I sent Bobby an awesome gift... everyone should bug him to see it!
Tomorrow is just morning school, then shopping with my host sisters. Travis, Schuyler, and Danny are coming to my house for dinner and then everyone is going to karaoke. I will definitely be taking pictures! (Karaoke here is way different! You have your own room with your group so you do not have to be embarrassed trying to sing in front of a ton of people. I'm totally thinking I need to find an investor and opening a place like this in Las Vegas. It would make a killing! It would be crowded every day!!!)
Goodnight for now.....
Sunday, August 1, 2010
Tale of Two Cities
I'm sure you are all wondering why I would possibly have a blog post titled "Tale of Two Cities." It is not because I have a story referencing the book, but most definitely because with my new host family, I feel like I will have a completely different Dobong experience.
We moved in with our new families yesterday. I was expecting some differences from the first but not to the extent that I got. I walked into an apartment that could probably fit 4 of the first ones inside of it. Lots of rooms and nice wooden floors. Everything was SOOOOO clean! When I say these people are germaphobes, I'm understating it completely. They had me wash my hands and feet when I came inside. I walked into the living room to find a big sign saying "I love you" and posters with all of my family's names in Korean and English. There are three kids; Hera (19), Lisa (16), and John (14). The mom's name is Julie. The best part about the collage on the wall was finding out that my host father's English name is Captain. I LOVE IT!!! The father was at work so I didn't get to meet him. Hera had to leave to go to work in Incadon at her Aunt's cafe so I only got to see her for a little bit. The warmth in the house was so much different than the first. I felt like they truly wanted me there without a doubt.
Julie, John, Lisa and I went out to lunch. They asked me what my favorite food was in Korea so far. I think it is spell Sam Yup San or something close to that. It is like super thick pieces of bacon that you fry on a grill that is in the middle of your table. We had it our second night here and I have been in love with it every since. So they took me to a super cute restaurant where we could get that. By the conversation we were having, you would have thought we had known each other for years! After lunch, we went to Baskin Robbins for ice cream. While we were eating, my host mom was telling me how she is on a diet. She said "All Korean women always on a diet." It made me laugh.
We went home and just hung out, relaxed a little, and watched some Korean game shows. Even thought I had no idea what was going on, it still put a smile on my face. Lisa and I talked about the American TV shows she knows and I introduced her to Glee! They talked a little fast for her to fully understand what was going on, but she laughed the entire time. My mission is to turn her into a Glee-k before I leave!!!
My host father doesn't get home until 9pm. He is a journalist in downtown Seoul and his only day off is Saturday. When he got home, I realized he had bought me a beautiful bouquet of flowers. I could tell that the smile on my face made his day. He is the only one in the family that doesn't speak English. He can understand it completely but just doesn't know what words to use.
My host mom made this amazing dinner!! It was almost like fondue. She had a portable heated pot (like a crock pot) that she put on the table and filled with beef stock. Shen then cut up a ton of vegetables and put them in, along with this paper thin sliced beef. You grabbed whatever you wanted out of the pot and dipped it in this chili sauce. It was definitely one of the best things I have had since being here. The conversation at dinner was definitely the best I have had with any Korean since being here! My host father sat there with an "Everyday English Conversation" book, flipping through pages asking me all sorts of questions. I loved that he was making such a good effort to talk to me. When Hera got home from work, I asked her what her hobbies are. She told me her favorite thing to do is eating but her hobby is dieting. I died laughing! My host brother John didn't say much and Julie kept teasing him. Everyone was cracking up laughing and I coudldn't figure out why until Lisa translated for me that John was going through puberty and is being stubborn. That definitely made my night.
After working on some lesson plans for class this week, I watched the Miss Korea pageant with my family. We then watched the news and learned about the North Korean bombs that washed ashore in South Korea yesterday morning and killed 1 person. If you havent heard about this yet, look it up. North Korea has been getting ridiculous rain and some of their mines washed into the river. The South Korean man and his nephew thought it would be a could idea to pick up the boxes and carry them home. They exploded while on them! Not the smartest decision...
I called it a night at about 1am after talking to Dad and Grammy. Every time I talk to someone from home, I miss home more and more.
Today at school, we taught the intermediate kids about the Zoo. I showed them the San Diego Zoo and all the animals there. They loved watching the videos of the new babies. After first period, we had cooking class. We taught all 3 classes how to make rice krispie treats. Even though they don't have the same ingredients here as we do, they still turned out to be pretty good! I was impressed at how much my students loved to cook.
Tonight I am going out with Hera. She said there are some things she wants to show me. It's good to have host siblings that I can relate to more. I'm excited to be in this house..
I uploaded pictures of the signs, flowers, and my new room.
Only 17 more days people!!!
Oh, and by the way, the day I come home (Thursday, August 19th) we are going to have a big dinner at Yardhouse in Town Square at 7pm. I get in at 5:50pm and I know I am going to want to see everyone but will be super tired. This is the easiest way for me to see everyone at once! Let me know if you are coming so we can make a reservation with the right amount of people!!!
Pictures: http://www.flickr.com/photos/46379050@N04/sets/72157624634289706/
We moved in with our new families yesterday. I was expecting some differences from the first but not to the extent that I got. I walked into an apartment that could probably fit 4 of the first ones inside of it. Lots of rooms and nice wooden floors. Everything was SOOOOO clean! When I say these people are germaphobes, I'm understating it completely. They had me wash my hands and feet when I came inside. I walked into the living room to find a big sign saying "I love you" and posters with all of my family's names in Korean and English. There are three kids; Hera (19), Lisa (16), and John (14). The mom's name is Julie. The best part about the collage on the wall was finding out that my host father's English name is Captain. I LOVE IT!!! The father was at work so I didn't get to meet him. Hera had to leave to go to work in Incadon at her Aunt's cafe so I only got to see her for a little bit. The warmth in the house was so much different than the first. I felt like they truly wanted me there without a doubt.
Julie, John, Lisa and I went out to lunch. They asked me what my favorite food was in Korea so far. I think it is spell Sam Yup San or something close to that. It is like super thick pieces of bacon that you fry on a grill that is in the middle of your table. We had it our second night here and I have been in love with it every since. So they took me to a super cute restaurant where we could get that. By the conversation we were having, you would have thought we had known each other for years! After lunch, we went to Baskin Robbins for ice cream. While we were eating, my host mom was telling me how she is on a diet. She said "All Korean women always on a diet." It made me laugh.
We went home and just hung out, relaxed a little, and watched some Korean game shows. Even thought I had no idea what was going on, it still put a smile on my face. Lisa and I talked about the American TV shows she knows and I introduced her to Glee! They talked a little fast for her to fully understand what was going on, but she laughed the entire time. My mission is to turn her into a Glee-k before I leave!!!
My host father doesn't get home until 9pm. He is a journalist in downtown Seoul and his only day off is Saturday. When he got home, I realized he had bought me a beautiful bouquet of flowers. I could tell that the smile on my face made his day. He is the only one in the family that doesn't speak English. He can understand it completely but just doesn't know what words to use.
My host mom made this amazing dinner!! It was almost like fondue. She had a portable heated pot (like a crock pot) that she put on the table and filled with beef stock. Shen then cut up a ton of vegetables and put them in, along with this paper thin sliced beef. You grabbed whatever you wanted out of the pot and dipped it in this chili sauce. It was definitely one of the best things I have had since being here. The conversation at dinner was definitely the best I have had with any Korean since being here! My host father sat there with an "Everyday English Conversation" book, flipping through pages asking me all sorts of questions. I loved that he was making such a good effort to talk to me. When Hera got home from work, I asked her what her hobbies are. She told me her favorite thing to do is eating but her hobby is dieting. I died laughing! My host brother John didn't say much and Julie kept teasing him. Everyone was cracking up laughing and I coudldn't figure out why until Lisa translated for me that John was going through puberty and is being stubborn. That definitely made my night.
After working on some lesson plans for class this week, I watched the Miss Korea pageant with my family. We then watched the news and learned about the North Korean bombs that washed ashore in South Korea yesterday morning and killed 1 person. If you havent heard about this yet, look it up. North Korea has been getting ridiculous rain and some of their mines washed into the river. The South Korean man and his nephew thought it would be a could idea to pick up the boxes and carry them home. They exploded while on them! Not the smartest decision...
I called it a night at about 1am after talking to Dad and Grammy. Every time I talk to someone from home, I miss home more and more.
Today at school, we taught the intermediate kids about the Zoo. I showed them the San Diego Zoo and all the animals there. They loved watching the videos of the new babies. After first period, we had cooking class. We taught all 3 classes how to make rice krispie treats. Even though they don't have the same ingredients here as we do, they still turned out to be pretty good! I was impressed at how much my students loved to cook.
Tonight I am going out with Hera. She said there are some things she wants to show me. It's good to have host siblings that I can relate to more. I'm excited to be in this house..
I uploaded pictures of the signs, flowers, and my new room.
Only 17 more days people!!!
Oh, and by the way, the day I come home (Thursday, August 19th) we are going to have a big dinner at Yardhouse in Town Square at 7pm. I get in at 5:50pm and I know I am going to want to see everyone but will be super tired. This is the easiest way for me to see everyone at once! Let me know if you are coming so we can make a reservation with the right amount of people!!!
Pictures: http://www.flickr.com/photos/46379050@N04/sets/72157624634289706/
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