What's going on here in Kimchi Land...
-I had my greatest triumph and greatest defeat as a pre-school teacher in the same half hour. The youngest class I teach, Leshi, has two developmentally challenged kids who are about 3 years old. There is a Korean assistant in that class who is SUPPOSED to help me keep them under control while I teach the other three kids in the class but she's pretty flippin' useless and I usually spend the class running after them instead of getting anything accomplished.
So...one of them, Jae Min, I've been teaching for about 5 months now and he's picking up things here and there. He loves singing Twinkle Twinkle Little Star and he knows to say "hello" rather than "annyong" to me so he's getting there. This week, though, for the first time in 5 months, he did the Hokey Pokey on his own. I was so proud of him, I was totally crying and trying to hide it. It totally made my week and I still get all weepy when I think about it.
Then, about 25 minutes later, Seog Hyun threw the big story book out the window. It was hilarious but...damn it!
-I've finally started kumdo (검도 in Korean)! To recap briefly, my friend Steve's roommate Dan has been taking lessons for a while now and I thought it would a really cool thing to do. Dan's also been talking it up to other people so there's a group of 4 adult foreigners and 5 Korean elementary school students in the class. It's pretty funny, the instructor treats us (Dan not included) like very slow kids. We even get dropped off at the subway station in the school van with the other kids.
The kumdo itself is pretty cool. We wear blue outfits and have bamboo swords. So far, I've learned the basic foot movements, how to hold my sword, and basic arm movements. I totally make light saber noises because yeah, I feel like a Jedi. Assah!
Friday, 22 February 2008
Saturday, 16 February 2008
Videos!
Yes, more videos.
Video One: Claude
You know what? I'll have as many videos of my cat on my blog as I want. Did you just call me a crazy cat lady? Huh?? Say it to my face!
But seriously, he totally looks like a catnip junkie, all wide-eyed and freaking out...so cute!
Video Two: Musical Chairs
Holy crap, musical chairs was some dog-eat-dog hyper competitive game with the kindi class. There were tears, bruises, and triumphant dances. It was pretty funny.
Video One: Claude
You know what? I'll have as many videos of my cat on my blog as I want. Did you just call me a crazy cat lady? Huh?? Say it to my face!
But seriously, he totally looks like a catnip junkie, all wide-eyed and freaking out...so cute!
Video Two: Musical Chairs
Holy crap, musical chairs was some dog-eat-dog hyper competitive game with the kindi class. There were tears, bruises, and triumphant dances. It was pretty funny.
Tuesday, 12 February 2008
I'm pretty bummed and pissed about some moron burning down the Namdaemun gate. I almost typed "...Namdaemun gate burning down" but that makes it sound like an accident. I guess this is so upsetting because the Japanese and North Korean armies did such a good job of destroying significant historical sites that they didn't need any help from their own people.
On my first full day in Seoul, Justin took me by this on our way to the market and its remained one of my favorite visuals in the city. A lot of people said it was pointless but I loved how this modern city sprung up around the gate. It was built in 1398, it was the number one historic site in Korea and the oldest wood structure. Sigh.
Monday, 11 February 2008
Happy Lunar New Year
Today was my first day back after 5 glorious days off for Lunar New Year. One of my favorite things about living in Asia is all the time we get off for lunar holidays...though there is the trade off of Western holidays basically ignored. I can't believe I didn't get Martin Luther King Day off, damn it!
My holiday followed two intense 13 hour days. A friend was going on a ski trip to Japan so I subbed for him on Monday and Tuesday, meaning I was working all damn day. It was kinda cool to be around the middle school/high school kids again. I forgot how fun it is to gently mock them! Apparently, I was a big hit and the director of the school offered me a job at the end of Tuesday but I declined. I would miss my little hooligans too much if I left them.
I began the break with an intense night of drinking at a little place (ha!) called Monkey Beach. They serve their drinks in buckets and that's all I'm going to say about that. Stef and I made it home around 4:30 after a detour in Itaewon for grilled meat.
After that auspicious start, I did absolutely nothing for 5 days and it was amazing! No, wait, I did do some teaching prep work and I did a major cleaning of my room but that was it. I got wicked drunk on Saturday but it was at a bar I can see my house from so it doesn't really count as getting out there in the world. On Sunday, Stef and I worked it so we each only had to leave the house once (and the trip each of us made was for food!). I really needed the rest, though. The bags under my eyes are finally gone!
The greatest thing about the break: I found another Jew!!!
I've officially gone balls to the walls for Obama. Why support a candidate half-heartedly, I always say. My lovely auntie is sending me an "Obama for yo Mama" t-shirt and whoever sends me an Obama window sign will have my love forever.
My holiday followed two intense 13 hour days. A friend was going on a ski trip to Japan so I subbed for him on Monday and Tuesday, meaning I was working all damn day. It was kinda cool to be around the middle school/high school kids again. I forgot how fun it is to gently mock them! Apparently, I was a big hit and the director of the school offered me a job at the end of Tuesday but I declined. I would miss my little hooligans too much if I left them.
I began the break with an intense night of drinking at a little place (ha!) called Monkey Beach. They serve their drinks in buckets and that's all I'm going to say about that. Stef and I made it home around 4:30 after a detour in Itaewon for grilled meat.
After that auspicious start, I did absolutely nothing for 5 days and it was amazing! No, wait, I did do some teaching prep work and I did a major cleaning of my room but that was it. I got wicked drunk on Saturday but it was at a bar I can see my house from so it doesn't really count as getting out there in the world. On Sunday, Stef and I worked it so we each only had to leave the house once (and the trip each of us made was for food!). I really needed the rest, though. The bags under my eyes are finally gone!
The greatest thing about the break: I found another Jew!!!
I've officially gone balls to the walls for Obama. Why support a candidate half-heartedly, I always say. My lovely auntie is sending me an "Obama for yo Mama" t-shirt and whoever sends me an Obama window sign will have my love forever.
Tuesday, 29 January 2008
Lament of a Progressive Hippie
Alright, this is about U.S. politics so mosey along if this might offend...(see, I DO have Republican friends, thank you.)
I've come to the realization that the Edwards campaign is dead. The nail in the coffin was when he lost the primary in South Carolina, his home state. I'm incredibly sad about this and feel like the country lost a huge opportunity. Edwards is a politician I was so excited about and excited by. I thought his ideas about poverty, social justice, and the environment were great and I would have loved to cast a vote for him in November.
Alas, alack! This is not to be and personally, I blame big media. Edwards isn't a "romantic" candidate in the sense that Senators Clinton and Obama are. His story never hit the big papers, he was continually left out of things. He was the John Paul Jones to their Robert Plant and Jimmy Page.
Speaking of Senator Clinton (NOT HILLARY! I am not on a first name basis with her, damn it, I am not her friend!)...I just read the lamest thing in the world at NOW-N.Y. This is something I've been fighting ever since Clinton made her interest known...yes, I am a dedicated feminist and yes, I would love to have a female president but damn it, not this one. I think the ultimate goal of feminism is to accept or reject a candidate based purely on their policies and ideas and that is what I've done. If I supported Clinton just because she's a woman, how is that any better than being against her for the same reason? Bill Richardson is Hispanic but he's also very pro-death penalty so I did not support him. Am I a bad Mexican now?
Sorry, I've been writing several emails about this to people but its something that I had to get off my chest since I don't have a lot of Americans (or any, really) to talk to about this and Canadians just don't get it...sigh. Any thoughts?
I've come to the realization that the Edwards campaign is dead. The nail in the coffin was when he lost the primary in South Carolina, his home state. I'm incredibly sad about this and feel like the country lost a huge opportunity. Edwards is a politician I was so excited about and excited by. I thought his ideas about poverty, social justice, and the environment were great and I would have loved to cast a vote for him in November.
Alas, alack! This is not to be and personally, I blame big media. Edwards isn't a "romantic" candidate in the sense that Senators Clinton and Obama are. His story never hit the big papers, he was continually left out of things. He was the John Paul Jones to their Robert Plant and Jimmy Page.
Speaking of Senator Clinton (NOT HILLARY! I am not on a first name basis with her, damn it, I am not her friend!)...I just read the lamest thing in the world at NOW-N.Y. This is something I've been fighting ever since Clinton made her interest known...yes, I am a dedicated feminist and yes, I would love to have a female president but damn it, not this one. I think the ultimate goal of feminism is to accept or reject a candidate based purely on their policies and ideas and that is what I've done. If I supported Clinton just because she's a woman, how is that any better than being against her for the same reason? Bill Richardson is Hispanic but he's also very pro-death penalty so I did not support him. Am I a bad Mexican now?
Sorry, I've been writing several emails about this to people but its something that I had to get off my chest since I don't have a lot of Americans (or any, really) to talk to about this and Canadians just don't get it...sigh. Any thoughts?
Monday, 28 January 2008
This past Saturday was the Wiz Island Kindergarten Winter Concert. Dudes, it was so cute! My kids did song and dance routines to "She'll Be Coming 'Round the Mountain" and "I Scream for Ice Cream!" They also did a play called "The Lion's Bad Breath" and they were awesome. Both my Korean co-teacher and I were so proud of them we were crying. They worked so hard to learn the dances and their lines in the play, it was so sweet. It made up for the fact that I had to work on a Saturday. Sadly, my camera has been acting up so I only got this one picture of them backstage.
I've been celebrating my return to this fine city with some nights of being sloppy drunk. Last weekend, I went to the infamous Carne Station (see entry from Jan. 2007) and drank way, way, way too much soju and suffered the consequences. Paula had to put me in a cab and I barely remember getting home. I do know that I passed out fully clothed on my couch when my bed is maybe 10 steps away. Ha ha. Winter is the time for drinking, as Craig says.
Here's another Claude movie I found while cleaning my hard drive. Justin would occasionally get it into his head that Claude shouldn't be able to have dinner until he exercised a bit. I really like how Claude is unwilling to play with the string but ultimately succumbs since he's, you know, a cat. Enjoy!
a-dor-able!
I've been celebrating my return to this fine city with some nights of being sloppy drunk. Last weekend, I went to the infamous Carne Station (see entry from Jan. 2007) and drank way, way, way too much soju and suffered the consequences. Paula had to put me in a cab and I barely remember getting home. I do know that I passed out fully clothed on my couch when my bed is maybe 10 steps away. Ha ha. Winter is the time for drinking, as Craig says.
Here's another Claude movie I found while cleaning my hard drive. Justin would occasionally get it into his head that Claude shouldn't be able to have dinner until he exercised a bit. I really like how Claude is unwilling to play with the string but ultimately succumbs since he's, you know, a cat. Enjoy!
a-dor-able!
Tuesday, 22 January 2008
Korean Kindergarten Kute Moment #2,503
Dante: Teacher, haircut?
Me: No
Dante: Perm?
Me: Nope.
Dante thinks for a moment.
Dante: Shower?
Hahahaha! Little asshole. Koreans are obsessed with my hair. It is wild and will not be tamed by any Magic Straight perm and this intrigues them. In the summer, when its ridiculously humid, I get asked if I got a perm on a daily basis.
Incidentally, I am dying to know how Dante got that English nickname.
Oh, and I found this video on my computer...one of Claude's first feature films...I love this one because of the way he chucked the toy and just went after Justin's hand.
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