Monday, December 31, 2007

a filipino christmas.

have you ever wondered why philippines is spelled with a "ph" but when you say filipino (like a filipino person or a filipino meal) it is spelled with an "f?" i have.

i have been in the philippines 10 days now and am preparing to head back to korea tomorrow morning. to avoid turning this post into a short novel, i will try to give a brief summary of the past week and a half:

i arrived in the philippines on saturday, dec. 22 and spent from then until dec. 26 at my cousin's apartment in manilla with his wife and 4 year old daughter. they live in an BEAUTIFUL apartment complex, with an amazing pool in the backyard, which is where i spent most of my time. it was nice being with a family for christmas since i wasn't with my own. the morning after christmas, i took a 3 hour bus ride to batangas pier, trying to pretend that i wasn't being stared at the entire time. (i was most definetely out of place as the only white girl and blonde on top of that.) i then hopped on a little boat that they call a "ferry" but i do not b/c when i think of a ferry i think of a big white ship with people hanging off the rails waving to their people on shore and places you can sit inside and a deck where you can stand outside and little men in boat uniforms saying "matey" and a big horn they toot as we sail away. the boat i took was about the size of two canoes put together run by 3 filipino boys who are younger than my little brother. and it rained the whole time.

so after a 2 hour "ferry" ride, i arrived on the shore of puerto galera, on the island of oriental mindoro. as i gathered my bags and made my way from boat to beach, i was bombarded with filipinos asking me if i had a place to stay or if i needed a ride, and i was led by a young man who said he could take me to my beach via trycicle. i was brought through very suspicious looking alleys and told to "wait here" and 10 minutes after standing in the rain being stared at by every passing filipino, just as the panick was starting to set in, my faithful ride came with his trycicle. i will put up pictures when i get back to korea, but the only way to describe this thing is a moped from the 1970s with a barrel attached to the side, which is where i was to sit as he took me on the worst, most pot-hole-filled, most up-hill down-hill, windy roads i have ever seen.. i'd like to say i was scared, and i was, but mostly, i was so full of adreneline and excitment that i was doing something that felt so appropraite to traveling in country like this, that i had a huge smile plasterd to my face the entire time. there was also a little sticker inside my little barrel that said "God bless our trip," which just made me smile more--the driver must realize the fear they often instill into their riders.

i got to talipan beach and the bamboo house that i was staying in and although i was relieved to be out of the rain, my little room i was staying in was much like camping. no frills, no toilet seat, a trickle of cold water coming out of the shower head, which completely soaks the entire bathroom everytime i use it, no air conditioning (and it was VERY humid--i woke up every morning bathing in my own sweat), and it looked liked i could get attacked by any number of bugs at any moment. but this, too, just made me smile, b/c it felt so appropriate to the experience. (and i was only paying 10 bucks a night so what do you expect, really?) but all the filipinos were so kind right away and did everything they could to make my stay unforgetable.

so the island. wow. i have seen many beautiful places, but this was the most exotic. have you ever seen the show "lost?" the island was so lost-ish i nearly started listening for big roars from the jungle and keeping my eye out for "the others." it was mountaineous and full of palm trees and rocks jutting out into the ocean and there were little huts made of straw everywhere and it felt slightly surreal. but there were no frills. the beach i was staying on was not the kind with resorts where you order pina colados from the middle of the pool, it was quiet, authentic, and restful.

what was maybe the best part of my trip was the people i met. i spent a lot of time with a couple from denmark who was staying at the bamboo house. we went out for dinner every night together (there was an italian place just at the end of the beach jutting into the ocean with AMAZING food that people come from all over puerto galera to eat at--seriously, how is there such a good italian chef in the middle of an island in the philippines?) and they were fantastic. i also spent some time with a family from manilla who are missionaries. we took a boat out to the reef and went snorkeling (which was really more like "dodge-the-jelly-fish" b/c they were EVERYWHERE--just little jelly fish floating around stinging us everywhere not enough to make a scar and did a little beach hopping. we also went hiking up to some waterfalls (guided by three 12 year old filipino boys who made us all look like fools as they climbed the rocks and hopped through the rivers with no shoes as we held onto the rope they had for us with dear life) and those were fantastic. on our way there we went through some areas where really poor filipinos were living--their "houses" were smaller than a kids' tree house and the kids running around were so skinney it made me want to cry.

i read 3 books--prep by curtis sittenfield (or her last name is something like that), into the wild by jon krauker (his last name is something like that) and a spot of bother by mark haddon. loved all of them and they were all very very different. i also got a killer tan. i look like a chocolate bar. milk chocolate not dark chocolate. that would just be an exageration.

and now i'm back in manilla and tomorrow i leave for korea. i'm eager to get home and get back to my normal life. it will be very interesting to see what school is like when we get back. hannah and raquel aren't coming back, which all came about the day before i left for vacation, so my apartment is absolutely covered in stuff that they couldn't take back to canada with them--dishes, food, pans, detergent, fans, drying racks. and we have gone from 4 teachers to 2, and my guess is they haven't found anyone in the time that we were gone, but i could be wrong. vacations are wonderful, but coming home and getting on with normal life is wonderful as well.

we're leaving early tomorrow morning for the hospital where asli (my cousin chad's wife) is having her baby (a c-section). i may even get to see her before i have to leave for the airpot. cool. :)

happy new years everyone!!! whoop whoop for 2008!

Friday, December 21, 2007

a doozy of a week.

this is going to be short and sweet, but i just wanted to post before leaving. what? leaving? yes, i'm heading to the philippines in about 8 hours to spend 11 days soaking in the sun and celebrating christmas on the beach. i'll be flying into manilla and spending a few days with my cousin, chad, on his pregnant wife and 5-year-old daughter. i'm hoping to do a lot of day trips--there's a famous volcano thing not too far away, some famous mountain thing not too far away, and also just check out manilla. (i really don't have a set itinerary, i'm just gonna go with the flow like they do down there. i don't really know if they do down there, but it just seems like they would since it's hot all year round. there's really no logic in that but whatever.) and then i'm heading to an island called puerto galera and staying in a little bamboo hut right off the ocean that you can check out here. (that will take you to some pictures of it, but if you look further down the page you can click on something called amenities that shows what the rooms and such look like.) i'll be staying there for most of my trip, hopefully waking up every morning, walking out my front door, and laying on the beach for the entire day.

i really cannot express how excited i am to be out of the country for awhile, see a new place, spend some time with family, and lay on a beach for an entire week all by myself and completely refresh my spirit and rejuvinate my soul. it has been a horrible week that i don't even want to begin explaining, but 2 out of the 4 of us teachers got fired, leaving 2 of us to do double the work that we are capable of, and dumping a pile of stress from both our co-workers' end (who are also our friends) and also from the administrative end. i don't think i've been this stressed out for awhile, so this vacation comes at a perfect time.

i've also never had a christmas away from home before, so it will be a new experience for me. i'm quite excited actually to see what it's like and so far i have felt ok about it. i think it will be hard when my sisters get home and my whole family is together without me there. i really can't imagine my family doing christmas without me. i like to think i'm the glue that holds it together, but that's what every member of the family likes to think. :) i'm sure they'll get along fine without me and i'm sure i'll get along fine without them, but it will be different and sad as well. i will miss them. :( merry christmas family.

Sunday, December 16, 2007

happy birthday, merry christmas.


friday night, we had a big tango pango work party hosted by the four of us teachers. we introduced korean to a progressive dinner (we did appetizers at mary's, main course at my place, and dessert and hannah and raquel's) and to mexican food. i made fajitas and they were all very much impressed.


i was also given the "employee of the month" award by my fellow teachers. before you all start thinking i'm the greatest little teacher there ever was, i feel the need to explain that it was a joke. i also got a stocking full of presents to open on christmas. as if i'm waiting till then.





it was our last weekend before everyone takes off for the holidays. so, needless to say, there was many a party taking place in the city saturday night. conveniently, both parties i was suppose to be at ended up at my favorite bar, bricxx (i may have had a hand in the planning...) and it was a really fantastic night. party #1: hannah's birthday. 20 people. started at mad garlic (pictures on your left) for dinner and moved onto bricxx (pictures below).


this is bricxx.








on left, hannah and annie. (aren't the walls rockin'?) on the right...hookah anyone?









lydia, bruce, raquel, and mary.









trees! with lights! in an underground bar! so cool.







this is party #2 that was quite literally a 2 steps from the other party. we eventually just combined them b/c we were so close. i love it when things work out like that! this was a christmas party with a gift exchange and everything--like my new scarf???




debbie and i.

Friday, December 14, 2007

tis the season to post funny links.

so here's some things to brighten your day. they sure brightened mine. you must, oh must, listen to them. you'll laugh, you'll cry, you'll cringe, you'll cheer:

from andrew:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2Fe11OlMiz8

from kristin...Messiah organist on crack:
http://www.btinternet.com/~tim.johnson77/rambler/Messiahorganistoncrack.mp3

Monday, December 10, 2007

the ladies' man.

the latest drama at tango pango: who will doyoon chose? subin or hee won? here's the scoop. we've been noticing that doyoon (english name donald, which i'll use from here on out) has his little 4 year old heart set on subin (english name rachel, which i'll use from here on out). she has long flowing hair, short choppy bangs, and wears big purple dresses with lots of fur. what's not to love? so the two have been spotted getting cozy during lullaby time in my music class--snuggling their faces together, donald pushing rachel's hair out of her eyes--and always leave the school walking hand in hand. last week thursday, donald came to school with a love letter, complete with a very "is this contemporary art or is this the work of a 5 year old?" picture on front, and some very messy korean scribbles on the inside that said something like "i think you a very pretty. love, doyoon." cute right? a letter for the love of his life in the purple fury dress, rachel. WRONG! the love letter was in fact made out to hee won (english name, monica, which i'll use from here on out). donald then proceeded to shower all his love and affection and hand holding and hair stroking on the much surprised monica, to the utter dismay of the much heart-broken rachel. but alas! rachel would not be forgotten so easily. the next day, she came wearing her finest and furriest dress and won back the coveted spot next to donald during the lullaby in music class, leaving poor monica confused, betrayed, and alone. in a last attempt to fight for her brief love affair with donald, monica stood up just as i was ending our lullaby, "By 'n' By," and made a brave dive between the happy couple, positioning herself face to face with a very-much-enjoying-himself donald. but her seeming victory was brief, as rachel quickly shoved her out of the way, grabbed donald's hand, and turned his attention back to her bright purple fury dress and short choppy bangs. in a grand gesture of defeat, monica cuddled on donald's back side, wrapped her arms around his waist, and burried her head into his shoulder blades. i don't even think he noticed. rachel and donald have been spotted leaving tango pango hand in hand ever since. HOWEVER, today, much to rachel's dissapointment and frustration, donald was caught snuggling up to min gyu (english name, charlie--the naughty one who's picture i've put on here that has the mischevious look in his eyes but is, ofcourse, one of my favorites)!!! i think donald is one confused little boy. the kicker? out of the little korean boys at our school, donald is NOT the cutest. and that's putting it lightly. in fact, i'd dare say he looks sort of like a weeble wobble with his giant head that's too large for his body and his now permed hair making it look even larger. (why or why do parents perm their little boys' hair here???) what do the girls (and boys) see in him?



here's some pics from my saturday night out with the girls. amelia (my yoga instructor), is on my left, and debbie (the only other person as unflexible and ungraceful as me in my yoga class) is on my right.





turns out my friend josh was playing a show across the street. how convenient. it was cool. he did well.





it also turns out that i rock at pool. who knew. well, let's be honest, i rocked at first. it was one of those blissful moment where i getting every ball in and everyone was like "what do you mean you never play pool!" and i thought "my hidden talent my hidden talent my hidden talent! it's finally here!" and then i got too excited and starting doing things like missing the ball with my stick and i realized that very rarely can you be amazing at something you never do. i have that with bowling sometimes where i think i'm amazing for the first 10 minutes. but i'm not.

Thursday, December 6, 2007

mmmmm...butter...sugar...more butter...

last night, i got together with some girls for a christmas cookie extravaganza. you know how exciting it is to make christmas cookies. the anticipation, putting the food coloring in the frosting, listening to christmas music, so much christmas cheer. by the 9th batch, the christmas cd has long stopped playing, and your good spirits have been gone since batch #4. you feel sick from eating too much cookie dough made of 10 pounds of butter and licking the knife of the frosting too many times, you're covered in powdered sugar b/c you put the blender on too high, there's dirty dishes everywhere, and all you can think is..."seriously? there's more? i never want to frost another cookie again in my life." and usually you don't until the next christmas, when you forget the bitter ending from the year before and get just excited as you always do and think it's going to be the greatest event of the christmas season. so that's basically what happened.

the top picture is laura, stephanie, and debbie making the dough in debbie's little kitchen. the next picture down is laura and i...uh...eating.


"um...have you ever heard of a wise man christmas cookie shape? it looks like a pointy headed backpacker."







the finished product. it almost makes it look worth it.

Tuesday, December 4, 2007

korea kindergarteners.

much is new here in the land of tomorrow. (it's called that b/c we're a day ahead of all you people if you weren't sure what i meant. ) the most exciting news is that yesterday we started a kindergarten at tango pango. before, we were only what they call a "hogwans," which is a term they use for all schools that are privately owned and provide english classes. so as of yesterday, we have a kindergarten in the morning and hogwans in the afternoon. the kindergarten lasts for 2 hours (it will extend to 4 hours starting in march) and consists of an hour and half of classroom and 30 minutes of music for each class. it makes my mornings much busier, but i'm having loads of fun so far. the kids are ages 4-7 korean age, which means about 3-6 american age. most of the students have been going to the hogwans for awhile, including 4 of the naughtiest boys in the school, which, let's be honest, just makes things a lot more fun. the kids come every day, so i'm going to have to start being more creative with my class--i'm open to suggestions.

the weekend was really nice. friday night we took elly out for her birthday, complete with thai food, cake, and nuribong (in case you've forgotten or didn't read my last post--this is korean style karaoke). i think my voice is still a bit hoarse. which is just never good when you're the music teacher. saturday was restful--watched movies, painted something for matt and mary's wall as per their request. i've never painted for anyone before and i was stressed b/c i don't think people understand that i'm actually not a painter. but it turned out really cool and they love it. and then sunday i went to a little english worship service at a church some of my friends go to and ended the day meeting amelia (my yoga instructor) for a movie and a glass of wine at a really cool wine and coffee bar. we saw the movie "august rush" and i really loved it. sometimes i just get so emotional in movies and the whole time i wonder "do i really love this movie as much as i think i do? the next time i watch this am i going to think it's lame?" and then i just stop wondering and let myself bawl my eyes out. it's all about music and how it lives inside of you and i had so many moments where i wanted to stand up and shout "I LOVE MUSIC!" and i even had a moment through my tears where i cried out in my head, "God! all i ever wanted was to be a famous musician! to be really really really good at music and play it for thousands of people at a time! was that so much to ask?" i used to think i should be doing something greater than teaching kids, but then when i'm in my classroom and all of their squinty eyes are looking at me with their empty little heads(actually big--koreans have really big heads) just waiting to be filled with whatever i give them, i think God is just smiling and saying "sorry, carolyn, but you are not going to be famous. you are going to be a teacher. deal with it." it's a good thing those kids are so cute and i love my job. most days.

this morning my alarm went off at 7:20. i hit snooze. it went off again at 7:25. snooze. 7:30. what to do what to do what to do... snooze. 7:35 do i really have to get...snooze. 7:40. alarm off. lay down. don't fall asleep don't fall asleep don't fall asleep. sit up. lay back down. sit up. snuggle back under the covers. finally, i sat up and had a 5 minute conversation about why i needed to go running this morning.
"self, you're already up. you've been doing so well. it's not a big deal."
"oh, but i'm so tired and cold and hungry. that's like the triple threat reason not to go running." "self, you've been doing really well. if you don't go today, then what's making you go tomorrow or the next day?"
"oh, but it's colder today. it's not good for my lungs."
"self, your lungs will be fine. you'll feel better when you're done."
"fine. but i'm not going very far. only a 5k."
"fine you big baby."
"don't call me a baby."
and the conversation went on until i was dressed in all my layers and out the door. i've turned my heat off in my apartment to try to save money and it's getting colder and colder outside and i just wonder if i can do another winter with no gym. i felt like the air was going to bite my face off this morning.