Description of Jenn Teacher

Today I taught a lesson to my 3C class (students between 10-11 years old) on how to write a description of a person, place or thing.  The lesson explained how to describe people and my students decided they wanted to write a description about yours truly.  I knew their descriptions of me would be colorful and quite imaginative so I agreed. What I was not counting on was the extrodinary amount of suck ups that my class holds.  Do I honestly care that I was told repeatedly that I was beautiful (a model I am certainly not) or thin (in my dreams)?  Not in the slightest.

Each student got some American chocolate and big hug as they were leaving.  I'm easy to please and compliments go a long way to put a smile on this tired teacher's face.

The boys of 3C:  Edward, Robbie, Michael and Zeki

The girls of 3C: Esther, Elly and Tiffany

The following is their unedited description of me.  Enjoy.

She is beautiful.
She is tall.
She is smart.
She has sand brown hair and blue happy eyes.
She likes samguypsal and chocolate.
She has a clean face.
She wants a vacation.
She wants to raise a panda.
She is wearing a black shirt.
She is thin like a flower.
She is a Kids College teacher.
She can speak English very well.
She likes her mom.
She likes games.
She gives chocolate.
She has favorite students.
She likes to swim.
She broke her leg last summer.
Her name is Jennifer Teacher.
She yells "No Korean" at Robbie everyday.
She studies Korean because she doesn't know it.
Sometimes she smells like flowers.
She likes red.
She has many friends but no boyfriend.
She has a nose ring.
She has many silver rings on her face.
She drives a car in America but not in Korea.
She is from America.
She is kind.
She is angry sometimes.
She has long hair like a pony.

Wordless Wednesday

The week before my little vacation I spent a few hours attempting to fly kites with the itty bitties.  Here are a few of the cutest pictures of that particular afternoon.

The kids attempting to pay attention during the Korean translation

Sunny can't quite get it off the ground

Ryan ran with his kite everywhere

The girls like the kite tails the best

My Korean staff decided that Smile, a little BOY,
would look cute with the tail being used as a bow in his hair

He did not like it

Sometimes a hug and a kiss just makes it all better

It Rarely Snows in Pohang.

So it looks like I brought the snow and ice from the Midwest back to Korea with me.  Sorry people of Pohang. My first day back resulted in a day off from school due to the snow that is so unusual in my neck of the woods.  Day number two is much of the same.  Two whole days off to recuperate.  Thank you thank you thank you.  The only downside to this blessing in disguise is the punishment that is in disguise as well.  Due to the fact that we can apparently control mother nature, we have to make up these days on Saturday.  Yes, Saturday.  One of the only days of the week where I am free from the munchkins and my less than cooperative coworkers.

My days off are including some much needed sleep and some even more needed cleaning around my pig stye of an apartment. Two huge suitcases to unpack.  Clothes to put away and yes Mom, I know I need to iron them.  Apartment organizing yet to be finished.  Working out to be done.  Clearly my to do list will keep me more than occupied.

Here are a few pictures of our most recent winter wonderland.  Not quite as entertaining as the previous pictures with the mohawked snowmen from the first snowday but interesting nonetheless.

My alley with an actual walkway 

Enough snow.  I want spring!

It's not a snow shovel, but a garden spade is a far cry
from the cardboard and dustpans used in the last snowstorm.

There and Back Again

Somehow it is already February 12th and I am started on my looonnngg journey back to Pohang.  My 11 day vacation from all things Korean is over and I am trying to get back to the right frame of mind to teach the itty bitties come Monday morning.

Now what did I do during my almost 2 week of bliss?  It all began at the Indianapolis airport.  After my combined 20 hours of traveling I looked down the tunnel to the public area to see my family with a huge balloon boquet.  I did that ever so cliché run that you see on the sappy romance comedies where the woman runs and cries from the gate into the arms of her husband/mother/father/complete stranger.  I didn't really believe I was home until I ran straight into the arms of my family.  There's just nothing quite like it. 


The next part of my trip was of me trying to cram as much western food as humanly possibly into my previously western food free stomach.  We're talking Subway, sloppy joes, homemade cookies, more fountain diet coke than any human being should drink, obnoxious quanities of real cheese and so much more. Oh, and did I mention this was all on the first day?!  Let's just say that even though my tastebuds went into overdrive...so did my digestive system.  Not fun but utterly worth it.  Mmmmmm cheese.

After a proper and fantastic haircut done by someone who speaks English as a first language (Thanks Jason!) I was able to spend time with a few of my Muncie friends.  A relaxing night at the Chug, one of my favorite bars during college, with my girls and crew from Chilis was definietely a highlight of my trip.  It's nice knowing that even after not seeing some of my dearest friends for a year, nothing has changed.

Just a few of my crew that made the visit so amazing

My first weekend home was spent in Michigan to see my little sister Angela.  We ate tons of food, with cheese as the main ingredient (naturally), played Mexican Train (if you don't know how to play it learn as soon as humanly possible) and played a years worth of catch up.  One of the biggest pieces of news I received was that I was going to be an Auntie!  My older sister Stacey is going to be a mommy and is due in August.  We're still not sure if she's having a girl or a boy (I think it'll be a boy) but I'm just so excited.  It's been decided that i'll be the cool auntie that takes him (or her) on fun trips.  Okay okay, when I say "it's been decided" I mean that I have decided this.  Let's face it people, i'm not exactly the disciplinarian.  Fun Auntie Jenn it is.   Let's just hope he's not like Grandma Joan and doesn't have an intense aversion to intercontinenal flying.  Fingers crossed.  Congratulations Stacey and Ross.  You will be amazing parents!

The family finally together again

Another extended part of my family, The Brewers.

The rest of my trip passed without much excitement.  I got to sleep in, eat whatever I wanted (whenever I wanted), go shopping (I may have developed a shopping problem) and got to see as many friends from around the city as I could.  Looking back on my whirlwind trip I realize that my favorite parts were the ordinary ones.  Starbucks and shopping with Mom.  A dinner with Dad, just the two of us.  Taking family pictures with the whole family.  Getting hugged by all the little daycare kids.  Having hundreds of channels at my disposal and having all of them in English.  All that beautiful cheese. Clearly it doesn't take a whole lot to thrill me.

One of my favorite daycare kiddies, Connor

And another one of my favorites, Jake, in his Korea soccer jersey.
Ya think I got it a little big?

Well, now I am in the Detroit airport waiting on the big flight that will take me home to Pohang.  While leaving my parents was hard, it was so much easier than the first time.  This time I knew what to expect and how to handle it all.  If the next 9 months (almost to the date) pass as quickly as the first year did I will be home again before anyone realizes it.  

Farewell Amurica.  See you in November.

Koreanism, Weekends, Plates

#156.  Most Korean homes have a separate refrigerator specifically for kimchi.  While kimchi is one of my favorite side dishes, it is also one of the most potent.  Even with kimchi in the "odor locking" containers, the pugnant smell somehow permeates into the refrigerator giving that carton of milk a decidedly kimchi taste.  There's nothing I loathe more than eating a bowl of cereal that has a little kick of kimchi.  I love my kimchi but kimchi in my milk is a bit much.

#157. Here in Korea it is extremely rare to have dressing rooms in clothing stores.  Here, everyone should know exactly how something will look on them and either buy it or put it back.  Not for me.  I need that dressing room to do the squats in that expensive pair of jeans to make sure they fit right.  I need to make sure tops fit correctly.  Swimsuits are as figure flattering as possible.  No dressing rooms?  No thank you.  I am not a cookie cutter size and do not possess a photographic memory. 

#158. Korea and snow.  More specifically, snow removal.  In Pohang, snow is a rarity.  Let me clarify.  This past January was the first snowfall that was more than a dusting in more than 50 years.  Due to this, the city was clueless on how to react to all the white, mushy stuff.  The citizens of Pohang did their best to remove the snow but instead of buying the standard shovels to take care of sidewalks or streets, they used pieces of card board or dustpans.  Yes.  Cardboard and dustpans.

#159. Hot weather.  Rainy weather.  Snowy weather.  Get out the umbrellas!  While the foreigners were happily romping around while the snow was coming down, the Koreans didn't seem to share our enthusiasm.  Bundled up in layers with an umbrella shielding their perfectly coiffed hair was how they enjoyed the beautiful white snowfall.  Oh Korea....

During the past 48 hours I accomplished hardly any of the goals I had set out for myself.  I had originally planned to have everything packed up for the return trip to "Amurica" by Sunday evening.  Well, it's Sunday evening and my apartment is in much the same state as it was on Friday evening: destroyed.

Instead of staying in and meticiulously packing for home, I decided to go out and experience my last weekend with some amazing people.  A decision I do not regret.  Friday night was spent in a DVD Bang with two of my favorite people, Alissa and Pat.  Saturday included alot of napping and the farewell party for my favorite bar in Pohang, Tilt Bar and Grill.  They are moving locations and will be open again at a bigger and better location near the beach sometime in February.  Sunday was spent much the same way as Saturday, alot of napping.

Dinner before TILT with one of my favorite people, Gayle

Even though my weekend lacked in the structure or productivity department, one goal WAS achieved.  I finally found the plate for my mother.  She has been asking, the request growing a bit more impatiently in the succeeding months, for a Korean plate to proudly display.  While I don't exactly understand why this was so important, who I am to question my mother.  My tired self, along with one of my best girls Virginia, spent the better part of an afternoon finding the perfect plate. Not too big.  Not too small.  Koreanesque looking.  Sheesh.  Eventually the blessed thing was found so now the next challenge is to get it through 3 airports in 3 different countries and 19 hours of continuous flight in one piece.   We shall see how that adventure unfolds.

In a few days I will be home.  Correction, in almost exactly 3 days from this moment I will be home.

Woah, shit just got real.  America here I come.   

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?

Wordless Wednesday

A wordless Wednesday devoted entirely to the freak snowstorm that is STILL plaguing Pohang almost a month later.  With two fully days off of school, we made the most out of our time and made some of the coolest snowmen ever.  Don't believe me?  Check out the one with the mohawk.

[Pictures courtesy of Emily Smits]

Sunny?  Rainy?  Snowy?  Umbrellas out.

Snow covered Pohang.

Using the roof of one of the buildings for a stage

Rolling the bottom part of a snowman

The best snowman ever.  Look at that 'hawk.

The girls of the day doing silly poses.

Teddy and Tim doing their classic couple pose with our
anatomically correct snowmen.