It snowed on Christmas!

Merry Christmas everyone!!!

I would have to say that Korea isn't exactly the best country to celebrate Christmas--it's a little anti-climatic--but nonetheless, Christmas was celebrated, and it was a memorable one.

Christmas here is sort of like Valentine's Day back home--very much for couples, and not so much a big family holiday. It really didn't feel like Christmas at all--especially with all the stress and drama of my school preceding the vacation. And my entire family is together in Florida, so I'm just trying to make the most of my holiday so I don't feel too left out!

Ali and I officially did no cooking this holiday. We ate out pretty much all meals out, which consisted mostly of Koreanized Italian food. They just don't know how to get full in this country! Christmas is about gaining 5 pounds and eating as much comfort food as possible! That didn't really happen this year for us, but we were filled with the company of good friends and good drink!

Christmas Eve, Ali and I went for dinner, opened presents, and drank white Russians. :) Then Christmas morning, we woke up early and met Joy and Rob for church, and spent the day at their place, exchanging gifts, eating crepes, and playing speed scrabble. Then we met John and Amanda that night for dinner and drinks, and while drinking our port bought especially for Christmas, and watched the first snow fall of the winter from the window. It actually felt a little bit like Christmas! I felt lucky that I had good friends to spend the day with. Next week our real Christmas begins, cuz we're going skiing in the east Korean mountains! We're heading out with John and Amanda Monday morning and spending a week at a ski lodge in Taebaek. Should be interesting for all, since other than John, we're all been skiing once. Ali is sure he'll be on the hardest slopes by lunch, and I can't exactly let him be a better skiier than me. Let the fun begin!

Enjoy the pics from Christmas so far!



Before...















After...












Christmas # 2 together...











Honey mask, lush lotion, fuzzy socks, charlie brown mug, striped scarf, hot pink i-pod...I'm a happy girl!















Backpack, hoodie, leg warmers, lush shaving cream (according to the Korean employee, George Clooney wears it!)books, and Q magazine...Merry Christmas!
















Ali and Rob playing cards...














Crepes and candy cane!











Good friends make a good Christmas!!!

OMG it's happened again.

And another one bites the dust.

Well, this Wednesday marks the premature closing of my second school in Korea. I have the best luck EVER. It went a little something like this:

2 weeks ago, I found out my school might be closing. The next day, I found out the school is almost definitely closing. The next day, I found out my boss had no plan to pay me the $7,000 he owes me from the three months of wages he had yet to pay me, because he was bankrupt. The next day, I panicked in search of new jobs. The next day, I had 2 interviews. Later that day, I had 2 job offers. Best week EVER. (eye roll)

Then last week, I find out that my boss might sell our school, meaning I can keep my job and he'll pay me my wages from what he makes selling the school. YIPPEEE! Then today, I found out the potential buyers were no longer interested, so the school is still closing and I'm still not getting paid. BOOOOOOO. So later today, I wrote to the other school who offered me a job that I was interested in, and took the position. I'm not unemployed. YIPPPEEEE!

So, to the labor board I go, with all my Korean co-workers, to squeeze every penny we can out of our bankrupt boss, and when there is nothing left to be squeezed, the government will supposedly partially compensate the wages that were not paid.

I love working three whole months for free.

So, that pretty much sums it up. Hence the lack of blogs this month. My brief summary makes it sound pretty cut and dry, but it hasn't been, as you could probably guess. My boss isn't a evil Korean business man like sounds, he's just gone bankrupt and hasn't cared to tell any of us the past few months. I think (hope) it's natural that I sort of want to rip his head off, but I also feel terrible for him and his situation. He's a good person, just maybe a little, uh, how to say it gently...stupid.

I've been pretty stressed, and I think I hit a low point this weekend. It's hard to start all over, especially living here, because it takes so long to get to know your co-workers and the kids, and to get comfortable and understand each other. I really loved Kookje English Village. It's daunting to start at square one at another school.

I went to the gym tonight. (Yes, I'm joining the gym. I am NOT doing another winter of running outside in sub zero temperatures.) I haven't worked out in over 2 weeks, and it felt SO good. I just felt like I was running and sweating away all my stress. Pearl Harbor was on the little TV connected to my treadmill (is it weird to still have a crush on Josh Hartnett?), and watching a movie about war made me remember that it could always, always, always be so much worse.

My new school is right around the corner from where I live now, and I think I'll even get to stay in my same apartment! It's called Feinschulle English Institute, and it's a small kindergarten/elementary (same as Kookje). However, this school is a franchise with about 40 other schools around Seoul, and the school I'll be working at here in Ilsan is the head office, with the publishing company attached. They are hiring me to teach (I can keep teaching my music!!!) but also to create and head up their new drama/musical curriculum. So I get to develop curriculum, implement the drama program they are creating, and then promote the curriculum and program to all the other franchises around Seoul. I think it's a good step up for me. I love a new challenge. :)

I suppose it's true that when one door closes (slams), God opens another. Now I just have to pick up the pieces and try to move on.