HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!!!

I would like to wish my two biggest fans a WONDERFUL birthday this week!!!

Those of you who don't know them, I used to nanny for them in Colorado. I spent almost a year taking care of them. They have my heart. Their whole family is amazing. I hope you get to meet them someday. Love you guys! :)


Dear Falyn and Herschel,

I'm so sorry I'm missing your birthdays again. I miss you both so much! If I could fly across the ocean for your special day I would, but then my students wouldn't have a teacher. They would be very sad if they couldn't go to school. They really like to learn and see their friends, just like you! I hope you have a wonderful day! I will be thinking of both of you and wishing I could give you a big hug! Will you do me a favor? Are you sure you can handle it? Ok. Please have a HUGE dance party on your birthday just like we do together! I will have one for you in my kitchen in Korea! We can pretend we are dancing together! Remember to do lots of twirling. :)

I just blew you an air kiss. Did you catch it?

Love you lots and lots all the way to the MOON. Wow, that's really far!

Be kind to each other. Also, please try to remember to stop growing! :)

Love,
Megs

FOOOOOOD

My favorite Balinese street food dish- veggies, tofu, tempeh, and other unknowns.

Food. It's one of the first things I think of when I wake up and it's a constant thought throughout the day. I get excited about venturing out in Seoul on the weekends and finding new places. I always wonder what my lunch at school is going to be, since I never know what is going to be on my plate until I walk downstairs to the kitchen. Sometimes, even then I am unsure of the substance. I usually ask a lot of questions and hope it isn't squid or dried fish. It has come to my attention in recent years that I really enjoy food. Especially after traveling with Brittney (not Brittney Spears) who is notorious for window food shopping. Seriously. I think she has a problem. :) I love trying new foods for the most part, but I have become more adventurous since I have landed on Korean soil. With that said, I also love eating and drinking things that are familiar to me. I have had an amazing food/drink week. It has been so great, I think I'll share it with you. Here is what I have found...

- Large affordable quantities of tea.
- Granola bars that actually resemble my favorite Kashi ones from back home.
- Mueseli cereal which has changed my mornings. Check it out if you don't know what it is. I LOVE it! I ate it everyday when I was traveling throughout SE Asia. I actually was so excited when I saw it that I did a little dance. I wanted to call someone, but I knew no one would share my excitement. At least no one in Korea. :)
- COFFEE!!!! I went to go buy coffee today and they now sell it in 2lb tin for about 19 dollars!!! That is a steal for Korea. I have been paying about $16 for a tiny bag.
- Alley Cat beer. A beer that actually has flavor and doesn't taste like water. Phew! I was beginning to lose hope. Colorado breweries have made me a beer snob and I finally feel content with two beers to choose from when I feel like splurging. FYI- Import brewskies are usually double the price compared to domestic Korean choices.
-Smoothie King. Expensive, but tastes ALMOST like Jamba Juice. I've known about it since I arrived last year, but I just never wanted to cheat on Jamba. Feelings change. I've changed. Yum.

I've heard that Korea has made new trade embargoes with other European countries. If that is true, I would like to thank them for making their products more affordable and assessable me. Weeeee!

You may be thinking to yourself, "Woopy!" or "Not exciting" but seriously people, THIS IS HUGE! Do you sense my excitement? It is a quick, temporary fix when I am feeling homesick. Also, It is a meal a day that I have control over (not Korean) and that I cook. Does pouring cereal, milk, and yogurt into a bowl count as cooking? I think so! I'm sure my mother would approve. It is a start to future domestication. Hmmm.... I'm starting to make myself nervous. Forget I said that.


My favorite Korean snack. Rice cakes. They are all different kinds filled with red bean. YUM. You either love them or hate them. They have a chewy/gooey consistency. One of my friends said it reminds her of glue that is starting to dry. I get it, but I still love them.


I'm heading to Taiwan for 5 days in July. I leave 4 days after I get back from MN. It will be a crazy couple weeks and I can't wait! More food adventures! :)

Happy Memorial Day Weekend! Enjoy your day off!

xoxo

Yes, Unfortunately Kim Jung Il is STILL Alive...

I am sure most of you have read the recent events with North Korea. I haven't really heard any Koreans talking about it, but of course us foreigners have chatted a bit. Some of us have been in Korea longer, while others are fresh off the boat. You can tell the veterans are much more at ease about everything. I am the type of person who goes through possible worse-case scenarios in my head and I think about what I would do if it were to happen to me. Lovely. Believe me, after last year's drama between the two Koreas, I have thought of everything. Although the situation is different from before, it is nothing new here. There is always something going on. North Korea is always wanting attention when the spotlight is off of them. They are the screaming child who needs attention. North Korea is completely at fault this time and should be punished for it. Unfortunately, NK people are the ones who feel most of the consequences. Most of the people are nearly, if not starving, so having no aid from South Korea (except children and infants) is a huge blow to the weak population.

Am I nervous? Yes.. It's usually after I read CNN. Am I going to continue doing what I do everyday? Yes. This life brings no guarantees for anyone. That is why we all should be living each day as if it were our last (easier said than done). No matter where you are in life, there is always uncertainty. This just happens to be something a little different from what we would normally face in the States. I will stay here until I am told otherwise by the US/Korean government or there is obvious safety issues.

I think I am here for a reason. I'm not sure what that is, but I know I'm not coming home yet. :)

If praying is your thing, please pray for peace. I will be.

xoxo

ps. Stop reading/listening to/watching American news stations. They blow EVERYTHING out of proportion. Stick to
Korean/Asian news or BBC.

Update- My boss Mark talked to our head boss and told her that some foreigners were concerned about the North Korea. situation. Mark said she started laughing and thought it was quite comical. This is the typical Korean response. They are so jaded by the past that it doesn't even faze them.

Happy Birthday, Buddha

Buddha is a pretty important guy here in Asia. This past Friday was his birthday, which means no school.Yahhooo! :) Every year in his honor, the Buddhist people of Seoul put on a lantern festival. It is an amazing, colorful festival full of food, arts/crafts, and culture. It is SUPER crowded, but that is nothing new here in Seoul. You just get used to it, or pretend and have a good attitude. The festival ends with a lantern parade. It is a stunning parade of lanterns, lights, monks, and buddhist people in traditional Korean clothing called hanboks. Unfortunately, the people in the parade walked very fast and my "seats" forced me to stand on my tippy-toes (which I am VERY good at) to take a photo. I did my best for you. I hope I met your standards. It was a great day. I saw more foreigners there than I have ever seen in Seoul. It is very strange that I get weirded out when I see a lot of people who are "similar" to me. You get used seeing mostly Koreans everyday. When I go to the popular western areas of Seoul, I tend to stare more at the foreigners than Koreans. It's very strange. Oh Korea, what have you done to me.

The figures are all made out of lantern paper. I'm not sure how they did it, but they were unbelievably cool to see. The pictures don't them justice.









My lotus lantern that a women gave me.

At a temple in the traditional area of Seoul. The women we prepping to start the parade.




Inside the temple. This is the only day that they really allow cameras inside the temple. I felt like a jerk, but all the foreigners were doing it too, so I HAD to do it! :) This is a pretty common sight inside every temple. The Buddha statues are always gold. There are usually gifts upon the alter which are offerings to him. This all seems silly to me. If you know anything about Buddha's message, it seems like it would be the opposite of what he wanted or thought was important. However, I am not Buddhist, so I probably don't understand.



"the man of the hour"

This little girl looks thrilled to be in the parade. :)


People wrote their wishes/prayers for the new year. Can you spot mine? 3 languages. Pretty awesome, if you ask me! It doesn't matter where you come from or who you are, everyone has similar wishes/prayers. We aren't as different as we think.

Happy Birthday Erin, Rachel, Darin, and Pete (in no particular order)!!!!! Hope you have/had an amazing day!!!!<3

Cloud 9

My friends Christina, Patty, and I. I call this "crazy street". There is a "crazy street" like this in almost every neighborhood. Yeah, Korea!



Well, hello there. I'm enjoying a lazy Saturday of drinking coffee, catching up on a few shows, and domestic duties. I'm pretty much on cloud nine right now. Yesterday was Teacher's Day here in Korea. It is basically a day for parents to give teachers wonderful gifts and in return, they are hoping their child's teachers will remember that when they are writing report cards. Modern day bribery at its best. However, my school has a strict policy about only accepting single carnations, handmade cards, or food that can be shared. They even sent a letter home to ensure that parents know our rules. A few teachers had to call parents and have them come to school to pick up gifts that could not be accepted. I received a lot of flowers, cards, and chocolate. My favorite gifts were the handmade cards. I love reading little notes from kindergartners saying "I love you", "Your clothes are pretty", or anything else they feel like sharing. One child wrote in his card about how tramatized he was after we had our earthquake and fire drills at school this week. He would prefer to never have them again because they were very scary. Clearly, I need to spend some time in class on Monday discussing the importance of them and how "fun" they can be. Poor little guy. All of the teachers were given a nice gift of money from our bosses and a special lunch at our school which included a homemade salad. Salad is a luxury here. Korean food doesn't really consist of many salad options. If you want it, you have to go to the grocery store and make it yourself. With that said, I don't eat salad often. :)

I also have some other exciting news!!!!!!! After weeks of stressing about getting home in July for one of my best friend's wedding, prices dropped and I was able to get another day off of work (I was denied when I asked my boss the first time). Prayers were answered! Yeah! I booked my flight home today!!!! I will be home July 14-19. It will be a very hectic few days, but I can't wait. I hope I get to see you all! I appologize in advance if I look or act like I am on drugs during those few days. I'm hoping all the excitement will help with all the jet lag that I will be experiencing then. Ha! 2 months!!

It's Buddha's birthday next week, so there is a huge lantern festival tomorrow in his honor. I'm so excited that I will be in town for it. I missed it last year. I will put up pictures this week! Get excited.

I hope you have a wonderful, stress-free weekend. Enjoy your loved ones. Make it your own "Friends and Family Day" and tell them how much you love them. You can never tell them enough.

xoxo

Thank you for being in my life. You are loved.




I love you too, John Mayer.

SPRING is here!

I heard you got some snow in MN. That's very sad. Here is some flowers to brighten your day...or make you angry. Sorry in advance.


My neighborhood. Lanterns are everywhere because of Buddha's upcoming bday. I love it.




Glimpse of Olympic park (more pics to come)


Cute kids in the park.

Happy Parents' Day!

HI friends! This past weekend was Parents' Day in Korea. I have decided to celebrate it as well being I am here. I have been eating a lot of kimchi, so I'm practically Korean, right? :) Happy Parents' Day Mom and Pops. Love you. I dedicate this blog to you. Your gift is on backorder. It will arrive sometime after my first pay check rolls into my empty bank account on FRIDAY!!!!!!!!!!! Can you tell I'm excited?

Can you believe it has already been a month??? I am blown away how fast it went! If you asked me what I have done in the last month, I'm not so sure that I could tell you. I have been fully enjoying Korean food and everything that it offers me- joy, smiles, and a plump tummy. I especially enjoy getting free lunch and dinner at my work. It is a dream come true for a poor child who hasn't worked in a while AND never cooks. It takes a lot of energy to walk down two flights of stairs to our kitchen and fill my plate full of food. However, sometimes bad things happen when you don't know exactly what you are eating. Last week, I was minding my own business and eating peacefully with my other co-workers. I took a bite of what I thought was ONLY vegetables and noticed a fishy taste as I was beginning to chew. A second later, I felt a small pointy thing stabbing the inside if my cheek. I immediately knew what i was chewing and in a very classy way, I spit out my food and shrieked (in a classy way). I was eating dried sardines/anchovies. The eye balls were still in tact. The spine saw better days thanks to me. My stomach was not the same the rest of the day. Just another day in Korea.

I survived my first week of teaching my real students. I think I am really going to like my kindergardeners and elementary students. Of course, I miss my preschoolers. I knew I would. Grass is always greener on the other side, right? Plus, they are so freakin cute. I have decided that I am going to adopt a Korean child one day. I was also thinking it may be a little expensive for me to do this on a teacher's salary. I'm hoping that because I have been working towards spreading the English language and educating Koreans here, they will probably give me a discount on adoption, right? I think I'm going to write a letter to Lee Myung-bak (the pres) and tell him my thoughts. I'll keep you posted. Or I will just marry a Brad Pitt and adopt 8 kids. Or get a puppy. We'll see.

Random tid-bits...

-I am loving my co-workers/new friends. I work with about half Americans and half Canadians. They are a lot of fun.

-My apartment is yet to be decorated, so I am going to hold off on pictures. Give me a week.

-I got a toaster oven from a friend. I can make cookies or pizza. That's REALLY exciting, obviously not to you.

- I got to be a "tour guide" (not really) for a really cool couple (Barb and John) today from MN. I realized how fun it is going to
be have visitors. Hint. Hint. :)


On a serious note....

I have been following this blog since the earthquake in Haiti. http://livesayhaiti.blogspot.com/
They are doing a fundraiser to help build houses in Haiti. So far, they have raised enough to buy 12 houses and a company has promised to match whatever they raise- so they really have 24. Anyways, I know things are tight with everyone, but I thought I would spread the word a bit. I think they are doing amazing things for Haiti.



xoxo

Sandwiches are over-rated

My school took our kindergardeners and pre-schoolers on a picnic across the street to Olympic Park. It was chaos. I was in charge of the three legged race. Good times were had by all. Here are some pictures of my pre-schoolers that I have been teaching the last two weeks. As you can see, they are adorable.



This is my trouble maker Jun. He kept trying to blow bubbles into my camera and get really close.


Group photos with 4 year olds is pretty impossible.


and another one bites the dust...









American kids bring sandwiches on picnics. Korean children bring Kimbap (seaweed rice roll w/ fixings) or rice stuffed tofu. Cherry tomatoes were also very popular.

xoxo

phew. my internet didn't cut out...yet....