Swimmin

Last week, I went on a field trip with the kindergartners to a hotel pool. In Seoul, it is required that all swimmers wear a swim cap when you are in the pool. All the kids' swim caps matched their swim suit. Pretty cute! It was a lot of fun, but completely exhausting. Plus, ate at an amazing buffet in the hotel. I will always be won over by great food. ha.




No, she isn't "flicking you off". She is giving the peace sign.


Can you feel the love?




Twins. No matter what country they are from, they are still trouble makers. FYI, my brother and I were perfect.




Spiderman??

Guess not!


Boys pushing their Korean kindergarten teacher in the pool.

Dog Dung

My students have been complaining about how much homework their public school teachers gave them for their summer vacations. Most of them have just been whining about it in class. However, my student Eric wrote a page about it in his diary. Here is an excerpt from it. I almost peed my pants laughing. He is so clever. I'm wondering how long it took him to look up words in his translator dictionary to express how he feels about his teacher. He is a rock star.

"I'm annoying the holiday tasks. I think not vacation. Because most holiday task, I go to school is same! I'm angry! Class teacher is a rascal, fool, dunce,imbecile. Class teacher is my play vacation spoil. My teacher is a mongrel, dog dung,sea anemone, the pang."

- Eric, age 12.



Of course my students are rock stars, with a slight country edge. Duh.

Oh, Harry!

Hello, there! How are you? It has been a little while since I have talked to you. Last week I moved to a new apartment, which I am happy to report has NO ANTS! YAHOO!! It is a nice change of scenery, especially because I now have a COUCH, a TV that WORKS, and a tiny glass wall that separates my shower from my toilet! HOLY COW! LIFE IS GOOD!

I am now 26 years-old. I had a great b-day of Indian food, rice cakes, and cake with wonderful friends! The wife of the restaurant owner (I think), gave me a hand-made journal from India. It is pretty amazing and I am saving it to use on my long travel adventures in November. Also, I ended the evening seeing the new Harry Potter movie. It was awesome! FYI- this is the second b-day that I watched a Harry Potter movie opening night. I am so cool. PS. One of my students told me the ending of the last book, which will be the next movie. I think I am going to give him an F on his next grade report. What a punk!

Yeah, we were bored and waiting for the movie. Dude, it was my b-day. Don't judge me. I can act like I'm 5 if I want! Yes, I made a wand out of straws.




Just hanging out with the Potter clan. Be jealous.


Now, back to being somewhat of an adult. I have made a big decision. I will be spending another year abroad! I'm not sure if I will stay in Korea or go to another country. I'm still trying to figure it out, but I will not be looking for jobs in the US. I am really excited and fired-up about it! Nothing is set in stone, and things could change, they always do. However, right now I do not feel like my place is back home. I feel like my soul needs a little more time in this ever-changing, extremely challenging, wonderful, and constantly stimulating environment. I'm not sure what is around the corner, where I will go, who I will meet, or what I will do, but I am currently content in that. I have wrestled with this decision for months. I have been trying to tell myself that I should go back home and be "normal" like the other 26ish year-olds and stay in one spot for more than 1 year, but who I am kidding. I have always known that I am not that average or "normal" speckled girl (I won't refer to myself as a woman. Women are old). So, as much as I will miss you all and am counting down the days to see you, I think there is a path for me else where for another year. Hopefully, through faith, it will be revealed to me soon. I will still be home for a month or so and hope to get a job in February. We'll see!


Korea moments... Did you know...

- Superstitions-
* Do not eat eggs or seaweed before a test because eggs break and seaweed is slippery- so you will fail.
* Eat rice cakes before a test. They are sticky and you will do well. Knowledge will stick in your brain.
* The number 4 is unlucky. 7 is lucky.
* Do not sleep with your fan on. It will either suck you into it and kill you or take away all your oxygen and kill you. Either
way, it is VERY bad to sleep with a fan on.
- My student got hit from his mother because during his talent show, he didn't read his English story loud enough and didn't
win. He wrote about this in his diary.
- A 5th grade student named Steven asked another boy, Eric, if he was the one who farted in class. Eric said, "No" but Steven
didn't like his answer, so he made Eric stand up from his chair. Then, he proceeded to smell his chair for evidence. Eric was
clear, the farting student has yet to be caught. Boys are GROSS, but hilarious.
- Koreans find it very odd that my female friends and I actually run. On numerous occasions, people literally stop and point at
us shocked- sometimes with mouths open. Sweet. I love feeling like a circus show.
- I have a new student in my class who greets me everyday by trying to rub freckles off of my arm. He still doesn't
understand that they don't come off.
- Sunday afternoon, I witnessed two guys carrying a drunk guy off the subway tracks. The train came MAYBE 20 seconds later-
from both directions. I guess he was walking and he fell. He was pretty banged up, but he was moving and able to sit
up. I'm so glad I didn't see him fall. It was tramatic enough watching them save him. He was one lucky guy.
- A Korean friend of mine was studying at his university, when he was interrupted by a group of 3rd graders who were getting
a tour. They asked him what they needed to do to prepare for university. ARE YOU KIDDING ME? I didn't think about college
until high school. Talk about pressure.... Can you imagine?
- For last last month, it has been monsoon season. This is no joke. Today was the first day of sunshine in weeks. I have never
seen so much rain in my life. It down-poured for days. My clothes took days to dry due to all the moisture in the air. I went
to class soaked numerous days.
- My students fall off their chairs daily and I always laugh. It's hilarious. Am I a bad person?
- I have two new students, who happened to be identical twins and they are identically weird. They won't keep their shoes on
and their feet are always touching their face or in their mouths. Gross. At least they are flexible. Thankfully, I only have them
two days a week.
- I ate sea urchin a week ago, while I was hanging at this beach town for two days. It wasn't good. The little feelers were still
moving- just like the tentacles of octopus. The "insides" were like lumpy, runny pudding that tasted like the sea. Hmmm...
yummy?



I hope you are all enjoying your month of July. Hopefully, you are able to get some relaxation time to enjoy the sun or a BBQ with loved ones. I miss you all SO much!

I have been in Korea 9 months! 4 months until I get to see you! :)

xoxox

Happy Birthday, Grandma. We miss you.

INTERVENTION

Dear Kim Jon-il,

As a teacher and former nanny, I believe that you need some tough love, which most people would call a time-out. I'm not sure what kind of time-out you would prefer- crabby corner (this is one my parents' favorite options), crabby stool/chair, go to your room and come out when you are feeling "normal" again (the normal thing might be difficult for you), or go to a deserted island and never come back. I am completely against spanking, but I will make an exception for you. Please note, I do not want to touch your bum, so I will have someone else administer it. You may pick either or all of them, but choose wisely.

Also, I am deeply worried about your lack of social skills. You won't show your face to the media other than old pictures or staged outings. Have you become vain in your old age? Are you worried people will say you aren't aging gracefully? Your sons seem to have their own issues, which worries me. I hope you are giving them time-outs when they need them, so they do not repeat your own mistakes. If you aren't aware of any mistakes being made, we (the world), will gladly let you know.

I wanted to thank you for firing off missiles in celebration of the USA's Independence Day. I was so surprised that you fired off 7 of them! WOW! It was very thoughtful. However, next time, fire works will be just fine. Actually, please send over some sparklers. Our children miss them.

I would also like to give you some more advice. My parents always told me that I have chosen my friends very wisely and that they are wonderful people. I'm not sure what your parents told you, but I think you chose very poorly. China and Russia do not have the greatest reputations, thus maybe they are pressuring you to be someone you aren't? Your friends sometimes reflect who you are. Maybe you need some new friends. If you would like, I can call Barack and maybe we could schedule a play date. Just a thought. Let me know.

As your neighbor in Seoul, I would prefer that you and your family choose the deserted island option (see above). Actually, I think the world would like that option. My parents would sleep easier at night and your fellow citizens would like to eat.

Please take everything that I have said to heart. I live only 1 hour from you. I've seen your stomping grounds through a telescope. I used to play soccer. I have a strong, forceful kick. Just sayin'.

With love,

xoxoxo
Ms. Schwartz

Happy Sparkler Day!

Hello, July! Yes, it's July, just incase you weren't aware. For you, it is Fourth of July weekend coming up- full of celebrations. For me, it is just another weekend here in Korea. As far as I know, there isn't any special events going on. I'm sure if I looked hard enough, I could probably find something Americanish. Nahh....

I think I'm going through a quarter life crisis...errr... almost 26 years-old --closer to 30 crisis. I know some of you just rolled your eyes and said something not-so-nice, but seriously, I think it's true. I just dyed my hair VERY dark and yesterday I signed up for a half marathon on August 30. Ok, so changing my hair is not a big deal but HALF MARATHON. CRAP! I haven't really been working out at all, so it is going be brutal training. I called 2 of my friends last night and got them to do it as well, which sucks because I woke up this morning thinking that was one of the dumbest ideas of the century. SO, now I have to do it being they are. Geesh. Someday, maybe I will learn not to make decisions in the moment- not likely.

I am officially done with tutoring in the morning for the next month! YAHHOOO!! I have my mornings free, which is awesome. I can breathe again.

Yesterday I had to explain to my students for the billionth time what my freckles were. After the discussion, David raised his hand and said, "Teacher, Raymond is make freckles.. (then proceeded to gesture how he was picking his nose and putting the boogers on himself and David) I no want the freckles." I love kindergartners... most of the time. How can you not laugh at that?

I am an countdown mode for the last week in July. I am going to have a visitor!!! Yahooo. Brianna, my good friend from Colorado is coming! I'm excited to make her do things and eat things that she never thought she would encounter. Mwahhahaha! Good times.

Anyways, not a whole lot going on here. Sorry for the not-so-interesting post. Have a wonderful 4th of July weekend! Wish I could share a sparkler with you.... and BBQ on the grill... my mouth is watering. Yum.

xoxo

My Brain Hurts

Hello! Hope you are all doing well! I can't believe that it is almost JULY! HOLY COW! Where did June go? Kids will be getting out of school very soon here, which means either A. they will be signing up for a billion different hagwons (private academies), B. going to school camps that specialize in different subjects, or C. playing a little and studying a lot. There summers are nothing like most of us remember- sports, playing, and doing pretty much nothing. Most of my kids do not care about summer vacation because it is not really vacation, just studying in different settings- very little fun.

Last week during my tutoring with the businessmen class, we had a discussion about how all of the students spent their summers. Most of them played very little and went to Hagwons. They talked about skipping lunch many times, so they could spend an extra 10 minutes playing basketball outside. Another student, the elder of the class, talked about his experience growing up 3 years after the Korean War (1950-1953). He talked about the hard times of poverty and just trying to make it. They didn't have toys/balls to play with, so they made balls out of anything that they could find. He said his only hope was to study and make something of himself, so that is what he did with whatever free time that he had. Nowadays, he is a successful, high-level boss in his company. He makes good money and likes to spend it on luxury things, because he was never given the opportunity when he was younger to have those things, like REAL golf balls/equipment to go golfing with.

The Korean War ripped Korean apart-literally. I have looked at the exact number of Korean civilian casualties, but every website has different statistics and a number has never been confirmed, so it seems. However, they have confirmed that the total loss of life during the war was MILLIONS. They have recently found mass graves of civilians that were killed, some totaling 100,000. THAT'S INSANE! Can you imagine living through that or even being born when the country is trying to piece itself back together? I can't. My point is, Korea is a very new, modern society that had to completely rebuild itself a little over 50 years ago. Older generations are seeing things that they never thought could be possible. Their country is completely different than it was 50 or 20 years ago. I feel like I can better understand the traditional mindset of the older generations now and why they act the way they do in some situations.

I recently read a book called Still Life With Rice by Helie Lee. The author wrote a biography about the life of her Korean grandmother, who was born in 1912. Her life was very inspiring, but it also gave me a glimpse into the traditional life of a Korean woman and what was expected of her. I won't go into great details of the book, but it was very interesting to learn about how the roles of men and women in society were and how similar it is today. For example, I have a better understanding why women are so concerned how their appearance. At one part in the book, Hongyong (grandmother) was very ill with a plaque and she didn't want to see her husband because she was worried about her appearance. It sounds so silly to me. Today, Korean women are almost always dressed perfectly- heals, makeup, and fashionable clothing. I didn't realize how important and connected it was to their past. In the past, women's main role in life was keeping up their appearance within themselves and their home. They spent everyday as a child training to be the perfect wife. Ideals for women have changed as Korea becomes more westernized, but some things still remain. They put up with a lot as a Korean wife, including the acceptance of men having affairs and attending modern day brothels frequently, especially on "business outings". There are "red light districts" practically in every section of Seoul. Gross. Still, many people believe women's place in society is to have children and run the household. Women are now starting to be accepted in the workforce, but it is not common yet. It is a very exciting time in Korea for women- a lot of changes are happening! Yahooo!

So, my outlook on Korea has changed. The things that I thought were so weird before are still weird, but I have a greater understanding of the weirdness. ha. Also, I feel like I understand the older American generations as well. Everyone's ideals come from somewhere. They are taught by someone or learned through experience- everyone influencing each other. If the world could only acknowledge the weirdness of everyone, but try to understand and embrace the differences, the world MIGHT be a better place. Just a thought. So, what I am saying is that we are all weird. Deal with it. Move on. I mean that in the nicest possible way.

Phew! That was a mouthful and a little too deep for a Saturday morning. I will end with some not-so-deep pictures. I went to a country establishment - AKA bar- and had an AMAZING time. I am more aware of my two left feet issues as I was trying to conqueror the two step. I sang every song- loudly. We rocked some cowboy hats that a friend bought for everyone. It is currently hanging on my wall in my apartment.





Now I must kill some brain cells and go get my hair done. Say goodbye to the blondish hair, hello brunette.

Over and out.

xoxo

Beach Bum

Howdy! I'm jamming to country music, so that greeting sounds appropriate. I heard a country music song in a fine bar establishment last night and I practically fell out of my chair. I sang every word and my friends wanted to disown me. I think it is quite sad that some people will not allow themselves to fall in lovvve with country. Come on, people! It will change your life. I promise. :)

Anyways, I have had busy week or so! Last weekend I ventured to Busan. It is the 2nd largest city in South Korea and is located on the southern coast. It is quite different than Seoul. The buildings are much smaller and everything is a lot more condensed. I actually felt more stressed out in the city because there were soo many signs on the buildings and they had crazy lights everywhere. However, the people seem a lot more laid back than Seoul. They have a beach vibe, which I REALLY enjoy. We pretty much spent all of our time on the beach sipping on wine, watching the water, playing in the sand, people watching, and talking with other foreigners or Koreans. There were some idiot American boys one evening who thought it would be a good Idea to shoot each other with fireworks. I think their massive consumption of soju or beer made them believe that they were Harry Potter or something and they could shoot people with their "magic wands". Thankfully, they got kicked off the beach before I had to use my mad skills and introduce them to my guns (massive muscular arms). The weather was only in the 70's, so I didn't go swimming. My friends did, though, and I still think they were crazy. I would like to report that sharks are not that common in the waters around South Korea- yahooo. I will definitely go swimming next time and breathe easy knowing jaws isn't looking to make me it's next meal.


Me, Christina, and Patty (new friend and teacher at my school.)


At a crazy carnival. People actually pay to ride these dirty, smelly, and slow giant stuffed animals.


Beautiful. I starred at this scenery for hours.


Storm in the mountains.

Cute :)


I need to try this someday... but on a lake so I don't get eaten my sharks. That would put a damper on the fun.


This boy was so proud that he found a turtle. I'm wondering if he brought it home for dinner... yummm.... haha. Turtle soup anyone?


The cutest little girl (see next picture) and mom.


Adorable kids wrestling in the sand. We watched them run and play for over an hour. They were like the energizer bunnies, but way cuter. I wanted to steal them. For real. Don't worry, I didn't. I want a puppy first. Then I will move on to stealing children.


So it was a great weekend. It was something I definitely need. I have been feeling a little burned-out lately with teaching and life in Seoul. I am taking a month off from tutoring in July and can't wait. working 10+ hours a day gets old. I'm on countdown mode.

There is something about the ocean that awakens my soul. It is so refreshing. I hope you all can find that wherever you are. We all need to let it all go every once and a while. Do it. Be at peace. Listen to country music. ha.

More to come. I have a lot to say. Stay tuned.

Happy Birthday, Casey! Love you!