Brrrrrrr.

I feel like I'm finally starting to get back on top of things in my life. The period after Christmas is over always tends to be a bit of a slump. It's cold, there are no Christmas carols to be heard in the stores, no Christmas gifts to shop for, no Christmas festivals to give you a reason to leave the house on the weekend, it's cold...

Yes, it's VERY cold here lately. Last week Monday, Korea got pounded with snow--the most they've had in a decade! Seems like everywhere in the world is having the most 'something' this winter. Most snow, most snow days, most days so cold you start looking for jobs near the equator...

Things at Feinschule are going well so far. I'm excited for the opportunities this school is bringing me. On February 6 there's a big conference with all 40 of their schools in Korea, where I have to do a big presentation (it's about time I finally cracked into the world of power point) on the drama curriculum that I'm creating. Eeeeek! (But let's be honest--presenting to a group of mostly Koreans with a ranging ability of English really eases the intimidation factor...)

Here's some photos from a couple weekends ago when Ali and I walked on Lake Park. (That's right--on. It should really be called 'Block-of-Ice Park' this winter.)


Ilsan from the park.


























"Quack Quack. We're the only 2 ducks left. Doh."
































The beloved block of ice, which Ali took great pride in finding.















And then proceeded to throw the entire way home until it was not so much a block, but rather a tiny chip of ice.

Feinschule is a Fine Schooluh

I have survived week one at my new school. (Well, almost survived...still gotta get through today!) The week started out rough, but it’s gotten better and better each day. Monday morning, I came in and literally stood in the corner for about an hour b/c nobody told me where to go or what to do. Everyone just sort of stared like I was a blonde alien. A really inconvenient blonde alien. But things are looking up, and I’m starting to get in the swing of things.

So my new school is called Feinschule English Institute. It’s the head office of a franchise of about 40 schools around Korea, so this particular branch is both the school and the publishing company, where they make a distribute their books to the other schools. It actually turned out that while I was on vacation, this school talked to the boss of my old school and somehow it was arranged that all of the kids from my old school would follow me here. As well as my favorite Korean teacher, Amy. So it’s been an adjustment for everyone trying to squeeze our kids in with theirs, and adjusting the schedule accordingly. But I think everyone’s getting used to it! I love having my kids and Amy with me! (But Amy’s not staying. Can’t win ‘em all I guess…)

My current role at the school is preparing curriculum for the start of the new school year, which is March 4. I’m going to be the music and drama teacher, so I’m getting my yearly plan for music class together. And more importantly (and much more time consuming), I have to create a drama curriculum for Feinschule, which I have to present at their conference with all the schools on February 6, and which will be used by all the schools. I need to make 4 different levels, with 6 dramas each, which, if you do the math, is 24 dramas. Eeek! And each drama requires 3 books—the play/story book, the activity book, and the teacher’s guide. And each drama needs to last 8 weeks. Fortunately, I only need to have a couple done by February 6! I don’t really know where to start, and I’m not really getting much guidance. But so it goes in Korea!

Everyone here seems pretty cool. There’s another foreign teacher from Arkansas, and one Korean-Canadian who works mostly with the curriculum. And the Koreans have been really great so far. I’m just glad to have my first week down. Only 51 to go! (Not thinking about that, not thinking about that….)

So, in other news, I went to see Muse last night!!!! It was so good to see a live show. Nobody comes to Korea, they just skip right on over to Japan. I would like to write a letter to all cool bands out there, that goes something like this:

Dear _______________ (insert cool band name),

Please come to Korea. It’s really not so bad. The galby is delicious.

Love, Teacher in Korea who misses good music

Maybe I would elaborate a little. But anyway, Muse was awesome. If I were a rock ‘n roll star, I would like to be the female version of Matt Belamy. I would totally rock out the piano like he does.

Happy Friday everyone!

Taebaek Ski Trip

So here's some shots from our ski trip! Other than the fact that I thought I could hit the second hardest slope after three runs on the bunny and ended up riding the whole thing down on my bum, getting a huge bruise on the my right butt cheek, and crying mid-way down the mountain, I had a great time! For the whole album of my holidays, click here.


All bundled up and ready to ski!












Drinkin a brewsky after a day on the slopes.













Where we stayed: the O2 Resort.














At the bottom of the slopes.













Look at me zoom down the mountain!

















Ali getting the feel of things...

















At the top of the mountain.













The view, about ready to ski down to the bottom...











Taking a break...

















The balcony on our condo.














The view from the condo.


























Happy New Year!!!

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.

Fall '09 in Pictures

I think it's about time I give a glimpse at my happenings as of late. (For the full album, click here.) The first shots are pictures from the lantern festival along the stream through Seoul that we went to a couple weeks ago. Everything was made of paper lanterns--everything!









Everyone could sign the lanterns running along the wall of the stream.













There's me! Signed in red lip liner. (You gotta do what you gotta do when you are pen-less.)













One of the exhibits on the stream.















Scary!









It was like a very bright parade, only we did the moving and the exhibits stood still.















My coat matches the lantern!
















These next few shots are in Joy and Rob's alley ways by their house.















































Joy and I by a market near her place.



















The market.














And finally, these shots are some images of Korean fall at it's peak located in Lake Park, just a 5 minute walk from my house. This is where I go running, for those of you who would like a visualization of my daily activites. :)















This was a month or so back--the leaves are all pretty much gone now. But they were pretty while it's lasted!

A bus driver in a good mood.

This morning I left my house after a restless night of little sleep, ran to starbucks to get a badly burnt, badly made vanilla latte (why can’t Korea make better coffee!?!?!?) sprinted to the bus stop only to see the two busses I can take to school rush by as I desperately yelled for them to stop, and finally caught my bus 10 minutes too late, only to have my worst nightmare stare me straight in the face as I climbed the short steps onto my bus. From the driver’s seat, I heard a loud and enthusiastic, “Anyong Haseyo!” come out of the mouth of my smiling bus driver, as his kind eyes twinkled at me as if to say “Thank you for riding my bus! Welcome aboard!”

This is my worst fear. A bus driver in a good mood. I plan the timing of my morning around the assumption that my bus driver will be pissed off, angry, and in a hurry so that I can get to work on time. They sail through red lights, zoom through pedestrian crossings, nearly give the old Korean Grandmas a heart attack as they floor it while she’s still trying to find her bus card, and come to a halting rather than gradual stop, causing a wide-eyed and fearful frenzy at every bus stop as someone frantically waves, jumps, and then runs to the bus which stopped a good 10 meters ahead of the appropriate location. This is what gets me to work on time. This is what creates a calm, easy, and relaxed start to my morning.

This morning, however, after being greeted with the friendly hello, I knew it was going to be a disaster. This dreadfully happy driver calmly waited at every stop light, while other buses rushed past, laughed and smiled after nearly crushing a clueless old man, who, rather than waiting on the curb for the bus, waited in the middle of the intersection, and even waited for a solid 3 minutes at one stop because he saw a woman sprinting from literally a half a mile away towards the bus. And then we had to wait for a train. Needless to say, I was nearly 15 minutes late to work.

Bus drivers simply aren’t meant to be nice. It throws world order out of whack.