Raw

Wowza.  (Do people say that anymore?) It's been a whole month since I've updated this thing.  As you can imagine, there's a lot to write about.  I can however sum things up in one sentence: I've found myself increasingly more busy with my social life, due to meeting a bunch of new friends at an orientation, and increasingly less busy with my school life, due to my winter vacation schedule.

Sweet, so there it is....the grand update.  

Jooookes.  I guess I'll be more specific.  

So December 13th through the 17th I attended the mandatory "teacher training" for the new public school teachers.  Nearly 300 waeguks (foreigners) corralled to Gyeongju, Korea's cultural city, and locked up together in a hotel for 5 days.  Not much good can become of this, right? I'll go on.  Our days were scheduled out from 9 am to 9 pm, in true Korean fashion, jam packed with presentations on various parts of teaching (listening and speaking, classroom management, etc) and cultural experiences (field trips to the temple, Korean language class, etc).  I'm not sure if it was the 12 hour days in a conference room, the fact that 300 foreigners were all in the same place at the same time, or a combination of the two, that made those 5 days a breeding ground for idiotic behavior and ridiculous partying after 9 pm.  Example:  On the first night one teacher (need I remind we are all teachers here) got so drunk he thought it would be funny to spray the fire extinguisher all over the room in which he was partying.  The hotel was pissed (duh) and that sir was kicked out of the training and hopefully his job as well.

Amongst the crowd of foreigners there were no doubt some classic freaks.  We had Muffin Man, "Don't slander me" Man, Death Man, Mr. Ed Man and a few others that will go down as legends of the training.  People who make you question the screening process.  The teachers were divided into 6 classes of about 50 people each class.  Those 50 people in my class were the people that I really got to know since we were together all day during presentations and outings.  I must say my class, class 3, was pretty fantastic.  I met some pretty normal and fun people...a few that live in my same apartment building!  I love having dinner/gym/movie/hangout buddies just a few floors away now.  

One afternoon we were put in group of 4 and had to prepare a lesson plan, then present our lesson plan to our fellow classmates who gave us feedback.  My group was voted best in the class, receiving the lovely prize of the famous Gyeongju bread!  Red bean filled bread.....haha SICCCK!  And a notification to our principals of our job well done.  The success did not stop there.  Later that evening we had a talent show where each class had to prepare some kind of act.  A group from my class (including me, of course) decided to dance to Michael Jackson's Thriller.  It. was. awesome.  Check out my link on Facebook if you don't believe me.  By far the best performance of the night, although that's not saying a whole lot if you had seen the show in it's entirety.   

Next came the end of the school year (Dec. 22nd)!  To celebrate my principal took us all out for a lunch of raw seafood.  I used to be against eating most anything from the sea but Korea has made me open up to cuisine from the sea slowly but surely.  However, I had yet to venture into the realm of raw seafood until then.  The live octopus was brought out first.  Yes, LIVE octopus.  Squirming, twisting, sucking, pieces of octopus on a plate.  I couldn't help but giggle as I tried to pry the sucking tentacles off the plate with my chopsticks...not easy.  I dipped the wiggling piece in some soy sauce and.....chewy.  Very chewy.  But not bad.  Various kinds of shell fish followed all which I tried but didn't necessarily enjoy.  Then came the shasimi (large pieces of raw fish).  My principal made me a shasimi wrap and insisted I eat it with everyone at the table eyes'  on me.  It was too chewy.  The more I chewed and thought about what I was consuming, the more I wanted to gag.  With half the wrap still in my cheek,  my principal joyfully makes me do a shot of soju with him.  Ugh, down goes the soju but this is not helping the queasy stomach.  I continue chewing but realize I simply cannot eat anymore raw fish for fear of an embarrassing upchuck.  I jump up quickly and scurry to the bathroom where I spit out what was left in my cheek, 2nd grade I don't-like-mom's-pot-roast-style.  Relief.  I won't be ordering any raw seafood for awhile, although I'm not opposed to giving it another shot in the future.  

Speaking of upchucks, along comes Christmas Eve.  I traveled to Seoul to visit Matt.  I grabbed a roll of gimbop for the train ride.  I ate half and packed the other half away in my purse for later.  Little did I know it spoils quickly.  Hours later, after seeing Avatar at the IMAX (aaamazing!  go and do it!) and a few beers, I pulled out my gimbop for a late night snack. Terrible idea as it turns out.  Hours later I transformed into a food poisoned monster!  All fingers point at the gimbop.  I have never been so violently ill in my life people, it was awful.  Aaaand kind of funny.  Matt took good care of me by providing me with a Gatorade diet for those horrible 24 hours.  Although he did find much joy in bringing up gimbop and/or any kind of food to get a terrible groan and gag out of me.  I can't blame him though.  

Christmas day Matt and I fought the crowds in Myeongdong, Seoul's famous shopping district, so I could visit Forever 21.  Most insane crowds I've ever seen.  I should have taken a video but alas.  After that we served dinner at a homeless shelter.  I was the chicken server, an important and stressful job!  It was a lovely way to celebrate Christmas and I look forward to finding some regular volunteer work like that in Busan.   For Christmas dinner I went with Matt and his friends to a Brazilian BBQ restaurant.  My first solid food since my food poisoning!  It was delicious but I couldn't eat as much as normal since my body was still recovering.  

The following Monday my first week of English winter camp began.  It went well despite the lack of planning and preparation and organization from my co-teachers.  I could vent for hours about that but I digress leaving it at; I am enjoying teaching winter camp and I think the students are having fun too.  Two more weeks to go and then.....vacation time for me!!!

New Year's Eve was a classy one this year.  I went out to eat and to an orchestra concert with a new friend from the teacher's training, Justin.  It started at 10:30 and brought in 2010 with a short countdown (from 5) and confetti being shot out from the stage.  We met up with Kate, Chaz, Gon, and Andrew at Haeundae beach for some New Year's drinks and dart games after the concert.  With hopes to stay up to watch the first sunrise of the new year (and decade!) on the beach like many Koreans, but we only made it to about 5:30 before sleep took priority to the sunrise.  I'm still kicking myself about missing it...just a few more hours and we would have been golden.  Oh well...there's always next decade.  :)

Miscellaneous life details: Tonight I joined a gym, it's pretty hip and I'm feeling good.  I got a new cell phone.  It's not the Iphone but it does the job.  By that I mean it has caller ID.  Yaaaay! I can screen calls again!  My Adjussi co-teacher is impressed by my hiking skills and wants to take me out on more trails.  Yaaaay!  I started being tutored in Korean on Saturday mornings.  I enjoy it so far.  I'm also starting a Korean class that will meet Tuesday and Thursday evenings for 3 months.  In theory my Korean language abilities should drastically improve in the next few months.  That's the goal.  My new friend Matt lives directly two floors above me.  We have plans to experiment making a string/cup telephone.  I'm excited for it.  I'm also super pumped for Kat's return.  Hopefully at the end of this week!  Such a glorious reunion it shall be!  And I'm tired after writing so much.  Never again will I go a month without posting.  

Goodnight all!

  

Strings

As I sat down with a cup of coffee in a cafe to write some Christmas cards on this chilly and windy Sunday afternoon, I get word of my grandpa's passing in an email from home.  Though I live thousands of miles and 15 time zones away, I have never felt disconnected from home thanks to Skype, web-cam, instant messaging and email magic.  Until now.  A web-cam simply cannot give that comforting hug from other grieving family members and a Skype conversation sadly cannot replace an absence at a funeral.  My grandpa's death in itself does not sadden me.  He lived a long life on Earth and my strong belief in an eternal afterlife with Jesus assures me I will see him again someday in heaven.  The disconnect at this time is what saddens me.  Not being able to share "grandpa stories" with people who knew him well makes it hard to properly grieve.

Among various titles in his life of husband, father, soldier, carpenter, farmer, etc, etc, my grandfather was a writer. And a good one at that. He had folders and folders full of poem, short stories, and "proverbs."  Many that he would find himself writing in the middle of the night.  It would be more than fair to say he was a man of many words, in both writing and speaking.  Therefore, I find it only appropriate to express my thoughts through writing as a way to honor his life on this earth.  

A stroll past Dunkin Donuts today reminded me of The Donut Hole.  My first distinct memory of eating donuts is sitting with a tall glass of chocolate milk in The Donut Hole between you and Dan, both with your strawberry bismarks and me with my pudding-filled chocolate long john.  You never could convert me to be a bismark lover but you tried your best.  Now donuts make me think of the sugary goodness of elephant ears.  Elephant ears at the Boone county fair.  A week spent away from home in the summertime always meant a week with Dan, grandma and you at the fair.  The place where I fell in love with the Tilt-A-Whirl as you watched from afar smoking your classic Sherlock Holmes-style pipe.  That pipe makes me think of  the deal we cut when I was eight.  I would stop sucking my thumb if you would stop smoking your pipe.  Your bad habit was a bit more difficult but with some extra nagging from me and a little perseverance you quit.  I was a master persuader even as a small child, wasn't I?  Difficult situations reminds me of stories from your childhood.  Being the oldest of eight brothers and sisters during the Great Depression meant picking potatoes at the age of 12 to help support the family.  Potatoes reminds me of your extra sweet, sweet potatoes on Thanksgiving Day.  I was your biggest fan.  The word fan sparks thoughts of summer which reminds me of clothes lines.  Your threats to hang me upside down on the clothes lines did actually worry me a bit but I couldn't let you know that.  Hiding emotions makes me think about your WWII army experiences and the late-night poems that revealed much more about that time than you told us for our school assignments or Memorial Day parade.  Watching you march in those parades reminds me of the pride and responsibility I feel knowing such tough, honorable and brave genes are in my blood.  Feeling proud reminds me of our last hug goodbye just a few, short months ago.  "Stay away from that Korean alcohol," you chuckled.  Followed by a, "You know I'm proud of you, kid."   But mostly, this string of memories reminds me of your constant string of stories and commentary on everything.  I know you're entertaining angels with this skill now.  

Love you grandpa, see you again someday!