Halloween 2011: Pohang Edition

I hope you all had a very happy Halloween and that you are stuffed to the brim with candy and spooky treats galore.  As my last post explained, my spooky day at Kids College was a barrel of fun.  While it was a barrel of fun, it was with dozens of tiny children who were vying for my attention by screaming about their favorite candy, throwing tantrums about not getting the candy they wanted or not getting as much candy as the person next to them.  Obviously candy was a big factor in this years Halloween for my students.  Shockingly enough though it wasn't my littlest kids that were the biggest whiners.  The whines came from my oldest kids.

But, i'm getting away from the topic of conversation at hand.  This post is about a Halloween away from all the itty bitties and being in the company of people who have the ability to understand what i'm saying and be able to enjoy an adult beverage or two.  Or three.  Or four.

This year, I split my time between TILT (you know i'd be there) and LiveStory (a local bar that plays live music) with the boyfriend and all of my friends.  Dan and I went all out this year and got mail ordered costumes of Mario and Princess Peach.  Unbeknownst to us, Mario and Princess Peach are HUGE in Korea.     Everywhere we went, we were greeted with, "MARIO!  PEACH! Picture!  Picture!"  We felt like quite the celebrities and actually ended up being the winners in a contest!  Hooray for us!

Due to the fact that a picture is worth a thousand words, I think the pictures of that night can explain it better than I can.  

Princess Peach and her Mario

Mario getting embraced by the owner of LiveStory

A demon, zebra and a bunch of grapes

Vampire and Elphaba (from the musical Wicked)

The ever famous, Angry Bird

Wonder Woman and a very realistic skeleton

Some of my favorite ladies partying the night away

Upcoming Adventures

[Happy 27th Birthday Mike.  I wish I could be there to celebrate with you but know that sometime in the next few years we'll do it up right together.]

It's been awhile since I have posted anything on here with something more to say than just a casual Wordless Wednesday or snow-filled pictures.  Somehow it's March already and  the weather is beginning to shake off that winter coat it's had on for the past few months.  Beach time is around the corner and I can hardly restrain myself from riding my bike beachside and waiting for the sun to finally reach us here in Pohang.  If you see me down there with my tank top on trying to tan my legs, just leave me.  I'll learn my lesson when I get another cold from Mother Nature, who just can't seem to make up her mind on day-to-day weather.

In all seriousness, the past few weeks have been a bit dreary.  I have said goodbye to some amazing friends, cutesy little kids at Kids College, gotten sick repeatedly (from the cutesy kids at Kids College) and had a horrible bout of homesickness that I felt would never pass.  Boo hoo.  Whine Whine.  Sniff Sniff.  Clearly my life could be o so much worse.

What lies in store for me during the next few weeks?  Well quite a few little adventures.  I will be going to Jeju Island for a weekend getaway with some friends due to the outrageously slashed flights found for less than $25 round trip.  I will also be going to the Jindo Sea-Parting Festival as well to part those seas like Moses.  I'll let you just think about the locations "Jeju" and "Jindo" until I actually go on the little excursion so as to prime you for the explanations at a later date.

Keep reading...the next few posts could be intriguing.

Recent Ridiculousness

It's been awhile since i've actually written about what i've done in Korea.  I've done the usual "it's late and here's what I am thinking" or the "Wordless Wednedays" but not much about daily life.

Here you go.

The past few weeks have been hectic to say the very least.  Teachers coming and going.  Getting back into the swing of teaching after a Thailand vacation.  Getting ready to come back to the good ol' USA.  Goodbye parties everywhere.  Like I said, hectic.

One very good thing to come out of the busyness is that the ladies of Pohang have decided that we need to see much more of eachother. Specifically, we need to see more of eachother without all the men.  While we girls do love all the boys that make up our group, it's nice to sometimes JUST have the ladies.  Talk about the boys.  Talk about female things.  Gossip.  Yes, gossip.  It happens in every circle and regardless of what the boys say, they do it too.  We have instituted a bi-monthly(ish) girls only afternoon and it has made a HUGE difference for me.  There's just something about being with girls who are all going through similar things and have similar outlooks on life that puts a smile on my face.

Aside from the ladies who lunch, I have been attempting to lay low in order to save money and not tucker myself out before the big stateside visit.  In less than 9 days (finally single digits) I will be flying into the Indianapolis airport and enjoying American food at its finest.  Now for the obvious (well at least it seems to be for the living abroad teacher spending the holiday at home) question.  What will my first meal be?  My meal is still up in the air (I have narrowed it down to be some sort of boneless fish) but my beverage has been decided for months.  And yes, I will explain why the "boneless fish" would be a priority after coming from living for a year in a coastal city.  Back to the important topic of the beverage.  At home,  I am a huge fan of Blue Moon.  A pint of that with a orangce slice in a frosted mug...Yes please.  Yes, it's beer.  No, i'm not an alcoholic.  You try living off crappy beer that rivals PBR (sorry Lia) for a year and tell me how you feel about your favorite brewed beverage.  You would be just as pumped as me.

Clearly going back to the states has been on my mind for weeks.  The countdown is finally in single digits.  It is slowly becoming a reality.  Almost there.  One more full week of teaching and it's back to the stars and stripes I go.  NICE-UH!

To close here are a few pictures from the past few weeks.

[Photos Courtesy of Olya and Justin]

Eating honest to goodness King crab for the first time.
Clearly I was skeptical at first but after digging in I realized I will
have to visit the coastal cities MUCH more often.  One of the best
meals of my life.   

The last night for Pohang's favorite cover band, Happy Accidents.

Potluck game night at Franks.  Amazing food.  Great games.
Fantastic company.  What else could I have asked for?

A Year in Review

Exactly one year ago today, I began writing this blog.  It began as a way to document my journey to Korea and the teaching experiences I would have, but became so much more.  It become my way to take my friends and family around the world along with me while I travel .  My outlet for emotions.  My communication to those I cared for most.  Looking back on that initial post, it is hard to believe I am the same person.  I was lying on the floor of my mediocre apartment, trying to make this life changing decision.  Somehow I knew it was right for me.  It was meant for me.

Since that initial post, I have accomplished more than I ever thought possible.  I have formed friendships with some of the most amazing people from every corner of the globe.  I have been all around Korea and witnessed the Korean lifestyle and culture at its best.  I have traveled to Japan and found the beauty and destruction that has faced that country.  I have seen Thailand and seen the beauty of the country and its people.  Coming to Korea was the best choice I have ever made.  While it was one of the hardest decisions of my life, it has afforded me the ability to experience so much more than I ever could have imagined.

An entire year has passed and I only have the future lying ahead of me.  Before I came here I felt trapped.  Paralyzed.  Unfocused.  Confused.  Now I finally know what I want to do with the rest of my life and how I want to live it.  Coming to Korea changed me for the better.

Before coming here to Pohang, Korea I had no idea what was in store for me.  I didn't know the culture.  I certainly didn't know the language.  I didn't know a single soul.  I didn't know enough about Korea to fill an index card, let alone an entire year's worth of blogs.  Somehow I have fallen in love with the spontaneity, richness and culture that is the embodiment of Korea.

Here are my favorite pictures from 2010.  I can only imagine the shenanigans that will take place in the upcoming year.  The places in Korea yet to be visited.  Friends yet to be met.  Experiences yet to be had.  If 2011 is anything like 2010, this blog will continue with a newfound fervor.  May 2011 bring as many rewarding experiences and friendships as 2010 did.

Our Pohang Beerball League

My 24th Birthday.  Korean style. 

Going away party for Jared, one of the best guys I know.

My very first Pohang Steelers soccer game.

My first Daegu Ropes course excursion

World cup fever

Going away party for Nick Kelly

Mudfest 2010

One of many Guyompo beach trips

At a harbor in Japan with my ladies

The beginning of our Chuseok vacation to Geoju Island

After our hike up a mountain near Busan during Chuseok

Some of my best girls at Bogyeongsa

Angry Sunny during arts and crafts

Devilish little Hansu

The famous Homigot Hand

My part time kinder 6 class

Anna putting on her dancing shoes at With Wine

Pictures in Andong

Ladies afternoon in Daegu at the Holy Grill

Halloween 2010

Ugly Christmas sweater party

Caroling with the babies to each home.  Cutest Santas ever.

Standing on the Bridge Over the River Kwai

Two sleepy tigers allowed me to hold their tails.  Terrifying.

My newest tattoo.

Police and Pohang's Biggest Loser

#139.  Koreans and their obsession with photos.  First off, in pictures most Koreans don't smile.  They more often than not just look a little annoyed or like they would rather be anywhere than where they are.  They also take pictures in rapid succession.  One after another...after another...after another.  The quality of the pictures ranges from camera phone quality to the huge telescoping lens that you see on professional photographers.

#140.  The police in Korea are nothing like those in any part of the world I have been to.  Normally when the police are called to a bar fight in the states, they will question those involved, ascertain what damages have been done and then arrest or detain those responsible. Not in Korea.  Here is a prime example.  Last night at a local bar downtown there was a bar fight.  Not just a casual punch but an all out brawl complete with the throwing of billiard balls and glass pitchers.  Punches were thrown, the cops were called...case closed.  Or at least in America it would be.  Here, the cops brought the offending guys outside (where they proceeded to attempt to pummel the cops) and had them hold hands for twenty seconds.  They hugged them and let them go.  Only in Korea. 

So, on a unrelated note...here in Korea we have started our own little version of "Biggest Loser."  There are 4 primary ladies who are determined to get our workout on and lose some poundage.  We try and work out 4-5x a week and mix it up with circuit training every Tuesday night.  We motivate eachother with new recipes, words of encouragement and our monthly ladies nights where we get to get dolled up and paint the town with our newfound skinnyness.

Before I came to Korea I had lost 30lbs and was well on the way to my goal weight/size.  I gained a bit when getting here but have since gotten back to that weight (sans the 30lbs) and then a bit more!  My primary goal is just to get healthy but doing it with my girls and having the motivation is sure helping.  Since our start date of 10/11 I have lost 2kg.  Now for all of you non-kg minded people that is a little more than 4 pounds.  Whoo hoo you may say, she lost 4lbs.  Let's throw her a party.  Not so much.  I am simply saying that by just changing a few parts of my daily life I am getting back into the swing of a healthier lifestyle.

Sure having a vacation on the beach is a good motivator.  Being seen in a bathing suit is usually incentive for anyone to get back on the fitness train.  Another incentive is being able to shop in real clothing stores in February that will actually carry clothes I can fit into and aren't bedazzled with glitter kittens or grammar that can make you cringe.

It's on.

Curly Hair and Weekends

[During my weekly Sunday walk around Pohang I saw a Korean man with a tattoo that read, "No Pians.  No Gains."  A tattoo is permanent.  Spell check before you ink.  Lesson learned.]

#128.  In Korea the English teachers are sometimes offered to do private lessons for students not in their schools.  Usually they are referred by word of mouth or just by happenstance.  Teaching outside of a teacher's school is highly frowned upon and in some severe cases (very rare) the teacher in question can be deported if found guilty.  If you do private lessons you have to be very careful of who you tell, where you do them, etc.  Generally the pay (usually ranging between $40-70 an hour) is worth the risk.

#129.  In the past I have talked about the curly hair phenomenon that has swept Korea.  Permas are a hot commodity here and all the rage for men or women.  The topic for today is how Koreans respond to foreigners with naturally curly hair.  It is extremely rare for a Korean to be born with anything other than stick straight hair so the idea that I don't share the same type of hair is completely foreign to them. As many of you know,  I have naturally wavy  hair that goes a little nuts in high humidity.  Lately Korea has been intensely humid and my hair has reacted accordingly.  Frizz central.  Students are constantly touching my hair and asking when I got a perma.  Strangers on the street do the same thing.  I know I look different than you but leave my hair alone.  It's a hot mess in the humidity.  I get that.  Thank you for your interest but there is no touching of the tresses.  I'd wear a sign but I can't yet write in Korean.

I have clearly calmed down since my last post.  My kids were much more behaved and I only had to threaten one student.  I love weekends in Korea but they just go by so fast that more often than not I am even more exhausted on Monday because of it.  Having two whole days with no children begging for your attention is more appealing than I can even say.  The foreigners pack the local beaches, bars and noraebongs and try their best to cram in enough fun to get them through the next week.

Now don't get me wrong.  I love my job.  I love my kids.  I love my school (most days).  It is just freeing to be able to leave the confines of my school and be with 40+ foreigners who just had the same kind of week as me.  People who understand the obnoxious children who put gum in each others hair.  Who teach kids that speak in Korean constantly and have no idea what they're saying.  Who have coworkers that speak minimal English which perpetuates the hand signals you all know I love to do.

The list goes on and on.

Just a few of the people that make this experience worthwhile

Manpris, Transformers and Rogaine

[Last week I played "Can you guess what I am thinking with 8 year olds.  The clues were "It is very big.  It is in many countries.  It goes on a track.  People ride in it to different places."  The first guess was TV.  The next was a baby brother.  They've got a long way to go...]


#120. In Korea Manpris are everywhere.  For those of you who are not aware of what manpris are they are capris (not quite shorts but not quite pants) worn on men.  In America men would never wear capris. In Korea the men just can't get enough. 


#121. It is common for many people to wear glasses for the fashion aspect.  While there are many Koreans who wear glasses because they are prescription, it is commonplace to see glasses with clear lenses specifically because it is considered fashionable. 


#122.  This isn't really a Korean-ism but it is Korea-based so it belongs here.  I lose more hair in Korea than most people have on their heads.  Before coming here I had thick hair that I often got thinned out at the salon.  Now I feel like a balding, middle-aged woman who needs a strong dose of Rogaine.  


#123.  On Korean television, one movie is chosen and shown over and over again for months.  Sometimes years.  This year is Transformers.  On any given day it is usually a good bet that CGV (one of the English stations) will have it on at some point during the day.  More often than not twice a day.

It's weird to not be the new person in Pohang anymore.  The student has become the teacher when it comes to helping people navigate around downtown, figure out the bus system, etc.  I love that I am becoming someone that people can call on to help them around town.  I can help people figure out what food is tasty, what beaches are best, what bars are best, etc. 


Who have ever thought that I would be that person?  Surely not me.