Wordless Wednesday: A Biker's Jacket

Today's Wordless Wednesday is devoted to the fabulous jacket pictured below.  Usually the oddities of Konglish or unusual sayings are reserved for tshirts on teens or on the cup for that afternoon coffee break.  This particular slogan of "Pointed fox-like face with large pointed ears and a very busy tail" was embroidered on the back of the jacket of a hardcore motorcycle rider.

Only in Korea!

Routine

My dad is someone who likes structure, tradition and routine.  Like clockwork, he is up every morning before the sun even thinks about rising to get that cup of coffee and his bowl of honey bunches of oats.  He reads the paper, fills his green metal thermos, kisses my mother and is out the door.  He is a man of routine.

My dad is also a man of few words.  He doesn't feel the need to say something in 10 words that can easily be said in 3.  I'm sure if you have had even the most casual of conversations, you know about his dream of someday having a secluded cabin in the Black Hills of his home state, South Dakota.  He loves our family.  With a burning passion.  He also is a big fan of  Harley Davidsons.  The list goes on and on.  Throughout my life, I learned all of this and more by just watching him.  He may not have realized it, but I was paying attention.  I watched how he talked to his friends.  Our family.  Strangers on the street.  I learned more about him this way than any combination of conversations.  I learned alot about how to treat the people around me by using what I learned from my dad. By simply following his example.

Now, I told you that story to tell you another.  The vast majority of Koreans hate the Japanese.  The current population hates the Japanese because their fathers hated the Japanese.  And because THEIR fathers hated the Japanese.  Get the picture?  When the earthquake shook the country and the tsunami ravaged the towns, there were Koreans that rejoiced.  According to my students, the people of Japan are finally getting what they deserve.  Here is a direct quote from one of my students.  "The Japans are bad people.  This is God.  He is happy."   Keep in mind that the majority of my students are around 5 years old.  Clearly they did not come to this conclusion on their own.  They didn't get it from me.  They got this from their parents.

We don't realize how much of what we say or do is soaked up by those around us.  Even now at the age of almost 25, I still don't like asparagus because my dad doesn't like it.  I think the hills of South Dakota are beautiful because my dad always reveled in its beauty and untold adventure.  Flannel shirts will forever make me think of Norm Abram and the New Yankee Workshop.  I still drink Folgers coffee when I am at home because I remember my dad and of those cups of coffee enjoyed at daybreak.

Life is about tradition.  Life is about routine.  The children I teach day in and day out have been routinely taught that the Japanese are bad people and that this tragedy is what they deserve.  My dad's morning routine involves coffee and cereal.  There are some Korean children whose routine involves being taught that the people of an entire country are disposable.  I sincerely hope that the next generation begins to bridge the gap with the Japanese people and begin to think of them as neighbors, instead of the enemy.  

It's unreal to think how different routines can be...

[Everyone is entitled to their own beliefs.  There are many Koreans who will never forgive Japan for the egregious crimes in the past.  However, it has been said that many Koreans would be willing to forgive Japan if it vows to never repeat the tragic history they share.  If you want to know more about the history behind why Korea and Japan have such an aversion to eachother click here.  While it did help me understand why both sides are so rigid in their beliefs, it made me more concretely believe that some routines or traditions do not need to be passed along to the next generations.]

Financial Milestone

A financial milestone has been reached.  I just paid the last and final payment on my credit card(s).  I am completely free of any and all credit card debt.  Imagine me doing the "I have no credit card debt" dance.   While compared to others I know I was on the shallow end of the debt pool when it came to the shiny plastic card of convenience, I am finally out of that pool for good.  It took the better part of a year to rid myself of that particular debt and now that it's done I feel like I am 10lbs lighter.  Oh, if only it were that easy.

My next goal is to pay off at least ONE of my private students loans that were taken out during college.  My goal is to have at least one of them paid off before I leave Korea in November.

If I can get rid of my credit card debt I can rid myself of one teeny tiny (well not so teeny) student loan right?

Right?

Scooter Success

Today was an awesome day.  I got an amazing apple pie from the mother of one of my devil children and I got a scooter.  Yes, I know that they seem a little unequal on the levels of awesomeness but try not having a proper pie of any sort for a year and tell me what you think.

Back to items of the vrroom vrooom variety.  This little gem is my new love. Brand new and easy to handle.  Tomorrow after work I will begin the process of learning the basics of riding a scooter.  Watch out Pohang.  I've just gone mobile.

Lenten Resolutions

Lent has arrived in Korea and even though I have been less than devout in being a practicing Catholic, i'm going to give Lent a shot for the first time in more years than I care to remember.

This year I am giving up a few things and making a commitment to a few others.  I figure writing it down on here will keep me accountable.  What am I giving up and/or committing to this year you may ask?  Well here we go.

1.  Gossip  less.  I am not huge on gossip to begin with but taking it out of the equation entirely will help me really focus on the important things and people in my life.
2.  Work out 5x per week. The ladies of Pohang have started a daily 6am workout regime.  It will absolutely suck but for 40 days I can hack it.  I hope I can anyways.
3.  No fried foods.  While this won't be the hardest thing I am giving up it will definitely test my willpower.  I don't exactly crave this kind of food but when I have a few beers in me, french fries become almost irresistible.  Let's see how much willpower I actually have.
4.  Try something new at least once a week.  Whether it be a different food.  Meeting a new person.  Trying out a new store.  Going to a new city.  I want to see the beauty of Korea and I have done a less than stellar job of doing that over the past year.
5.  Be as frugal as possible without it affecting my daily life.  I make a pretty decent living while teaching here in Korea but I don't have all that much to show for it.  Sure I don't have anymore credit card debt and i'm making a dent in my student loans...but that's about it.  This is the 40 days for me to really see where my money is going. Do I really need that $11 package of tortillas?  That 4th drink at the bar when we all know that the 3rd one was more than enough?  That $8 taxi when a $1 bus will suffice?  It's all about cutting corners and figuring out what I really NEED not WANT.

Well, those are it.  My long-time-coming Lenten resolutions.  Say a little prayer for me if you think about it.  I've got a feeling i'm going to need it.

2011: A Second Year in Korea

I have decided to forgo the traditional and impractical "New Years Resolutions" this year.  I am not in a traditional place so why should my resolutions be that way?

This year I have a few other resolutions that I will try to keep.  Try is the operative word.  I am not talking about losing a specific number of pounds.  Visit a specific amount of countries.  Do a certain amount of experiences.  My resolutions are more abstract and more fitting to my surroundings and my current frame of mind.  Simplicity is key when you are living in a country so far away from home.

Be more spontaneous

Live in the moment

Take every single opportunity to experience a different culture or country

Save enough money to finish my education when returning stateside

Pay off my credit card(s)

Keep an open mind

Be mindful of others

Become more participative of the outdoor and active population of Pohang

Be more diligent in writing in this blog to remind myself of the amazing experiences had abroad

Skype more often to friends and family

Make time for myself and not allow the feeling of selfishness to overwhelm me

Do my best to impart knowledge into the minds of my students

Stop sweating the small stuff

Learn to pick my battles
Stand up for myself
Don't settle for less than I deserve

There you go.  That's the simplified list.  Short. Sweet. To the point.  2010 was a whirlwind of change and excitement.  For 2011, I hope it brings me much of the same excitement from the previous year but with additional clarity, understanding and patience mixed in. I have a feeling that 2011 will be filled with memories that will last a lifetime.  If it is anything like the last year, I am in for one hell of a crazy ride.

Bring it on 2011.  I'm finally ready.  

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.

WITH WINE

Over the weekend I was one of the20 lucky Waygooks (foreigners) to be asked to go to a 1 year anniversary party for our favorite wine bar, WITH WINE.  The theme for our attire was "colorful."  We played with this and added face  painting throughout the night as the wine began to get the better of us.  Along with more than 40 wines from who knows how many countries, we were given scrumptious itty bitty sandwiches and entertainment galore.  It was by far one of the classiest places in Korea I have been to thus far and somewhere I hope to return to again.

Congratulations to WITH WINE on their 1 year anniversary.  May you be blessed with many years to come!

face painting for a little color

So much wine

My new random Korean friend who insisted on a picture.
Complete with the kimchi pose.

Claire and Frank

Anna and Luke, complete with face paint and wine.

Quick shot with some of the wine-goers

An anniversary party isn't complete without swing dancing

Trevor providing entertainment for the evening

Hot Yoga

Today I found a new love.  No Mom, not a man, Yoga.  More specifically, Hot Yoga.  I know, I know.  "Jenn loves Yoga now?!"  A few of my friends have been talking about it for awhile now and I decided see what it was all about. I like my gym but it has been feeling a little monotonous lately so I decided to at least try it out.  For one whole hour, I was twisted into positions I never thought possible and sweat more than I ever have in my life.  And yes Chili's kids from Muncie, that includes all of our softball games during the summer tournaments.  Combined.

Now, you may be asking exactly what "Hot Yoga" is and what makes it o so cool and special.  Well here's the jist of it.

Hot Yoga is a series of yoga poses done in a heated room.  The room is usually maintained at a temperature of 105 degrees or more.  As you can imagine, a vigorous yoga session at this temperature promotes profuse sweating and makes the body very warm,  and therefore more flexible.

Hot Yoga may be just a craze of the moment but it is something I am going to be looking forward to now that we have hit the cold weather.  Yes 105 degrees is hot but when it is 30 outside it will be a welcome heat.  Who would have ever thought that I would love Yoga?!  I guess now I know to never knock something until i've tried it.  Lesson learned.

This is sweat, not water and yes, this is how I looked post-workout

Gobble Gobble Turkey Feet

I've come to the sad realization that I am going to be "that" Mom.  We all know who "that" Mom is. This is the Mom that thinks their kid is the best.  The smartest.  The funniest.  By far the cutest.  No, their kid did not start that fight on the playground.  Yes, they did bring in the best snacks to share.  As my little ones say, I am their 미국 엄마 or "America Mommy."  And yes,  I am "that" Mommy to 10 of the cutest, smartest, funniest kids in Korea. 

Helping Christina put her foot on the paper for
her "gobble gobble turkey."

Time out with Prince to do the standard "kimchi" pose

This is Smile.  One of the cutest little boys ever

Final "gobble gobble" turkeys.  Now if only they understood what Thanksgiving really was...

Pepero Day

#147.  In Korea they have an entire day devoted to the snack, Pepero.  November 11th is Pepero Day.  It is the one day a year where eating the various chocolate covered cookies is completely acceptable and expected.  It is common to give your employer a package of Pepero.  Students give them to their teachers. Boyfriends give to their couple clothed girlfriend.  It's a delightful and completely superflous holiday that has the sole purpose of ruining my workout regime and diet.  I thorougholy enjoyed my first Pepero Day.

Here is the story behind "Pepero Day."

Pepero Day is an observance that is specific to South Korea.  It is named after the Korean snack, Pepero, and is held on November 11th, since the date "11/11" resembles four sticks of Pepero.  The holiday is observed mostly by young people and couples, who exchange Pepero sticks, other candies and romantic gifts.  According to one story,  Pepero Day was started in 1994 by students at a girls' middle school in Busan, where they exchanged Pepero sticks as gifts to wish one another to grow "as tall and slender as a Peper."  Oh, Korea.  You would have a wish associated with slenderness that is also associated with chocolate.   Make those poor Korean girls even more self conscious of themselves.

A huge heart made completely out of Pepero boxes

Just a few of the Pepero options

To conclude, the students in my all day kindergarten class were intense about this holiday.  We happened to have a huge cardboard Pepero box that held enough sticks for the entire school and one of the students insisted on wearing it as a backpack.  I know, I know.  He carried it around and was so persistant that we ended up adding tape to the back that acted as straps for him.  Who am I to judge?  I'm sure when I was little I insisted on carrying around much weirder objects.  Right Mom? Needless to say, disaster struck after lunch when someone (likely little Hansu who had been green with jealousy all day) sneakily hid his new favorite toy.  A meltdown ensued and the crying wouldn't stop until the Pepero "backpack" was found

Here are a few photos of "Smile", the little boy who has me wrapped around his little finger. 

Pre-meltdown

Mid-melt down but finally reunited with his beloved Pepero backback

Korean Emergency Rooms

#144. In Korean hospitals, medical gloves seem to be optional.  Masks are all the rage, but in my experience the part of the body that actual comes into direct contact with the sick is generally not covered.  Glove those hands Korea.

#145.  American ER vs. Korean ER.  In America, when visiting an ER you are given your own private room (or at the very least a curtained off area), forms to fill out and have your basic vitals taken.  In Korea, you are thrown onto a gurney in a large room where those around you are in various states of emergency.  Someone with a common cold is placed next to someone that is being resuscitated by a team of frantic nurses.  Here the word "emergency" is used rather literally.

#146.  The level of pain is ascertained by poking the area in question repeatedly and waiting for the appropriate response.  You motion that the right side of your stomach is in pain.  Clearly the next logical step is to poke it as hard as humanly possible until the patient cries out in pain.  Again and again.  And again.  One poke is enough.  The cry of pain is a clue that maybe that IS the spot that it hurts.

So you may be sensing a theme from my "Korean-isms."  YES, I was in the hospital and YES I am fine.  Here is the story in all it's Korea-infused glory.

This past Tuesday began as a very routine, boring day.  Taught the kids some English.  Ate some kimchi for lunch.  Had the usual 1:00 coffee.  Routine with a capital R.  What was NOT so routine about my day was the ridiculous stomach pain that started and continued well into the afternoon and evening.  What began as an annoying and slightly uncomfortable stitch in the side, quickly escalated into unimagnable pain.  After assesing the situtation with the help of WebMD, self medicating with a little handy, dandy western medicine and trying to just relax it away, it was apparent that additional help would be necessary.  Thankfully my co-teacher, Heather, was able to accompany me on what would prove to be a very interesting evening.  

Off we went to the first (yes, first) hospital.  The first floor looked dark, but with the doors unlocked we took a chance.  After finding the elevator and figuring out that the emergency room was on the THIRD floor (clearly it's there for easy access) we attempt to find anyone who looks important to tell me what is wrong.  After finding a Korean and having her talk to my Korean supervisor for five minutes, we figure out the hospital is closed.  Wait just a second.  The doors are open.  The lights are on.  There are nurses and patients but it's closed?! Apparently they are overwhelmed with patients but have no doctors staffed at night, just nurses.  Well, wouldn't that just make me feel super comfortable if I was a patient there.  What happens if I go into cardiac arrest in the middle of the night.  Need emergency surgery.  Need any emergency anything that a nurse isn't equipped to do.  So screwed.

Off to hospital #2 and it just so happens to be an old friend of mine:  Sun Lin.  This happens to be the hospital that took such special (sarcasm) care of me when I broke my leg.  Once again I went to the dingy Emergency Room.  Once again I was waved over to a 1945 steel gurney and told to wait.  Once again there were the mysterious brown smears on the walls and floors.  Super duper.  After changing into the o so flattering hospital gown (with buttons that don't QUITE close) they begin to ascertain exactly what is wrong with me.  Five minutes of intensive poking and proding later they figure out that I have abdominal pain.  No shit Sherlock.  I have been clutching my stomach and wincing in pain. That is universal.  They proceed to start an IV, give me a plastic cup to pee in and walk away.  Without any instructions. 

So, now that you have the basic layout of what is happening you now need to know what's going on around me during this whole endeavor.  Now like I said in #145, in Korean Emergency Rooms, you are not special or sectioned off.  You are right in the middle of a triage center, makeshift intensive care unit, last rites site and daycare center.  Bloody bandages are strewn about, fresh and dried blood is on the floor, gloves are rare to see and a general sense of chaos is felt.  Around me are two hysterically crying children, an old woman who looks like she was just recently in a fire, an old man moaning in pain and another indisernible person underneath bloody bandages and tubes galore.

After eventually strapping my IV to a cart, I go and give them a urine sample.  Now in America, one would go to the bathroom and do what needs to be done, put the lid on the already labeled container and deposit it into the hands/or tray of a gloved professional.  Not in Korea.  Here you pee into a plastic cup with no lid or label and give to an ungloved nurse who puts it on the desk.  Puts it on a desk that has papers, computers and important documents in very close proximity.  Very hygenic.  Very hospital-like.

So eventually after the unhygenic transfer, multiple xrays and the mysterious medicine pushed into my IV, I am told that I do not have appendicitis like they previously thought.  Thank you Jesus.  Surgery in Korea is just not something that is on my to do list.  I am told I have an infection and that the medicine they will give me will take care of it.

Sorry Korea.  Though it only took about 1 hour from beginning to end, I still prefer the Emergency Rooms of the good old US of A.  At least there I know my doc will be gloved, know my allergies and speak my native language so that the pantomiming of symptoms won't be necessary.

Seasons Change

[Rewind]

I arrived in Korea during the final stretch of winter.  When I got off the plane I was greeted with blistering winds and a cold that bore deep into the bones.  The kind of cold that those pajamas, saved for this exact weather don't quite measure up to.  A hot shower just doesn't do the trick. Even that piping hot cuppa 'Joe doesn't go deep enough.  I arrived here during the tail end of winter.  Somehow, Korea is already nipping at the heels of the next winter.  An entire year of seasons have been experienced by me and I find myself trying to recall what they were and where they went.  Spring was a short season this year, marked only by the cherry blossoms that briefly reminded us that warmer weather was on the way.  A hot, humid summer soon followed and the long days were enjoyed beachside with friends, on summer holidays at exotic locations and sticky summer nights at our favorite haunts.  The calendar shows that November is just around the corner and along with the turkey it will bring, coldness is sure to follow.

I have extended my contract until almost one year exactly from today but am already beginning to wonder if I will escape this season intact.  The weather has only recently shown its cold shoulder to Korea and already that familiar ache is reappearing.  The ache that makes me want to squeeze out any remaining warmth from the sun and try like hell to hold onto it until warmer weather appears.  When the night sky creeps further and further into my day and forces me to change my routine.  Forcing me to abandon my recently purchased bicycle for fear of impaling myself upon something or someone while biking along the downtown streets.  When leaving the warmth of my bed each morning becomes more and more difficult when the wind howls through the shut window.

I catch myself waiting for someone.  For something to jump start me.  To make me finally feel the spark that has been absent from my life for so long.  However, that other spark still gets to me.  The spark that only a teacher knows.  That spark that sometimes flickers but is never fully extinguished.  Knowing that even though there are those days where students are obnoxious, coworkers grate on already frayed nerves and the tiredness after a long day becomes all consuming...you know you wouldn't trade them.  You wouldn't trade having the opportunity to change the life of that little girl in your early morning class and seeing that imaginary lightbulb when she finally understands.  That "A HA!" moment.  Knowing that it was me who helped her FINALLY get the right answer.  I would rather go through the bad days to get to that moment than be where I was before this journey began.

Prior to really embracing myself as the  person i've become, I was ordinary, beige and uninspired.  I did the exact same thing, with very little variation.  Every. Single. Day.  Very little influence.  Nothing to motivate me.  Nothing to remind me that my full potential wasn't being utilized.  I was a server at a local restaurant.  A recent college graduate.  I had become the things I did instead of letting those thing become a part of me.  I had lost who I was.  Lost what I loved.  Lost the importance of altering the path I was on.  Thankfully, I had my own "A HA!" moment.  One that has irrevocably changed me.  I realized I was meant to do more.  Be more.  Experience more.  To quote from one of my favorite bands (Switchfoot), "I was meant to live for so much more."  I am so glad I realized this when I did.  That this bolt of inspiration didn't hit me when I was in the kitchen with my future, nuclear family.  Doing a sinkful of dishes.  Daydreaming out the window at the coveted white picket fence about what might have been.

Thank God I opened my eyes and saw my potential.  On the day of my own "A HA!" moment, I filled out an application to be a teacher in Korea, pumped out my new resume and took that leap of faith.  That leap of faith changed my life.  Here, I feel free.  Healthy.  Content.  Inspired.  Motivated.  Encouraged.  The combination of being pushed at work, cultural differences and just the knowledge of what could have been if I would have continued being content with mediocrity...makes me feel a rush of belief that maybe i'm where i'm supposed to be for the first time in my life.

Even though I know that the decision to come to Korea was a bit extreme in order to get a new breath of inspiration, it was exactly what the proverbial doctor ordered.

Noise

It's nights like tonight.  When it's so quiet I can hear the rain fall on the eaves of the apartments across the alley.  So quiet that I can hear the tick-tock-tick coming from my watch in my backpack.  So quiet that every recessed memory comes out of hiding and is begging to be the forefront of my thoughts.  Quiet.  Still.  While sometimes I love this quiet more than I can even say,  I miss having noise.  The sound of the garage door opening and knowing my dad is getting home from work.  Hearing the dogs bark outside, whining to come in.  The noise of Mom sweeping the kitchen floor.

In Korea the noise is different.  The noise is of construction workers, scrambling to finish the building they're on. Of mosquitoes that somehow creep their way into your apartment at 2am and buzz and buzz until you're awake holding your shoe as a weapon.  Of honking taxis, desperate for your body in their cab so that they can make their nightly fare quota.  The noises are different.  The noises are not as comforting or as familiar.  They are just noise.  Like the sound of a tv when it switches from Golden Girls reruns to the black and white static that fills the screen.

It's weird sometimes the things you miss.  The noises.  The smells.  The familiarity.  Tonight,  I miss the noise of home.  The familiar sounds of family.

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.