Jupiter Class. The first little boy Joseph is my favorite student I have ever had. He is such a little geek, even though he tries to be cool. I will miss having him in class. I have a grudge against his new teacher.
Galaxy Class. They are my tough class. Ben is my favorite. The one who danced. His voice always sounds like that and he always has something to say in class. I often have to cut him off because he likes to talk ALL the time.
My new classes start on Monday. EEEK!
Sunday, August 29, 2010
Wednesday, August 18, 2010
Long Winded
Hello, there! I writing to you as a much older, mature, and smarter human because I am now 27 years old. Some would say that I have entered my late 20's. I would say that I don't feel a day over 22 most days. Remember, you are only as old as you feel. I will let you know if I still feel that way when I turn 30. I have been a little MIA lately. July was an absolutely crazy month for me! It actually feels like a blur. Did it really happen? Thankfully, I have pictures to prove it. The month of July in Korea is my least favorite month out of the year. It is hot, humid, rainy, and there is very little sun. It is known as the monsoon month. I'm a little confused though, because this year, August has had that same description. As someone who needs sunlight to be fully awake on most days, the weather has put a damper on summer, literally. Oh, well. Here is what I have been up to. :)
July 4th-> Independence Day
- I woke up at 6 A.M. to chug some coffee before I needed to leave for my big 10K race. I felt good, slightly prepared for the race, and it wasn't raining. I stepped outside to meet my friends and flag a taxi. I immediately started sweating. I realized real quick that running in 80-ish degree weather and humidity so thick I could cut through it was going to really suck. Yup, I was right. Before the race, there was a group stretching session. Thankfully, we had some women there to get us pumped up. I think they may have just finished working on a workout video or thought they were going to be back-up dancers for Britney Spears. Either way, I loved laughing at them at 7 A.M. I think there is hope for my dance moves because I KNOW I could do better and you don't see me wearing that outfit dancing for hundreds of people. The race started off fine. Then mile 2 came and I was tired. I was thinking crap (probably another classy word), but I THOUGHT I would get a second wind and Lady Gaga would get me through. I kept that positive attitude up until mile 6.2. The adrenaline never kicked in, which made it a run from hell. It was very tough. I blame the heat. It could not have been my lack of skills... riiight.
Lesson 1. I will NEVER run a race during July.
Lesson 2. I will ALWAYS have a huge American breakfast after a race. It makes everything better.
Lesson 3. Sometimes Lady Gaga does not pull through.
Lesson 4. Who cares, I finished.
July 14th- 20th ->MINNESOTA
I arrived at the airport already delirious from getting everything prepared at work for my subs. Thankfully, tylenol PM was my friend and i was able to sleep the entire trip. That is when the whirl-wind of activities began. I wish I could say that jet lag did not affect me when I was home, but I would be lying. I kinda felt like I was in a cloud the entire time. I did my best to act coherent in conversations and stay focused, but I know I failed. I know I walked away from conversations thinking I have no idea what we were talking about. Oh, well. I guess that's what happens when you get 4 hours of sleep at night and want to be in bed at 6 P.M. I don't think the trip could have been any better. I was able to spend time with so many amazing friends and family. I feel truly blessed that so many people went out of there way to make time for me. I definitely felt the love, which was amazing. It was a perfect time to go home, especially because I was going through a homesickness spell. I wish I could have spent more time with everyone, but 5 days is never enough. I was able to spend my birthday with my brother, parents, and the Doby/Brown family who was visiting all the way from Colorado. In the evening, it was the rehearsal dinner for Eryn's wedding. It was an unforgettable day and it honestly couldn't have been better. The wedding was beautiful and I am SO happy I was able to make it. I don't want to bore you with details. Here is some photos from my time in MN.
Eryn and Jeff (Future teachers in Korea this fall. YAHOOOO!!!!)
Best friends/sisters
The people who made me.
College group
I had fun. Check out my dance moves.
Herschel. He didn't fit in my suitcase. Believe me, I tried.
Falyn. She also didn't fit in my suitcase.
Brother, Uncle Lavern, and my FAVORITE pic of my grandpa. The puppy is in love with his ear.
FAMILY! The Aulwes clan! :)
Duke and Graham. My favorite twins in the whole wide world.
HOT cousins!
I miss you all dearly,those who are present in the photos, those I saw and forgot to take pics with (doh!), and those who I missed. You're wonderful.
July 24th-25th -> Taiwan
Going with the theme of July and August, it rained everyday we were in Taiwan.We could not do a lot of the things that we had hoped to do because of the weather. It was a bummer, but I still had an amazing time. I got to see a country rich in culture. Taiwanese people are the friendliest people that I have encountered in Asia. Woop! Woop!
Taipei which is a city full of craziness and a real "China" feel. Amazing Chinese food that I fully enjoyed, especially the dim sum and red bean filled bun. I wasn't a huge fan of Taiwanese food.
I realized I am not a surfer, but I do enjoy jumping in the waves. However, I don't enjoy being tossed under the waves and worrying I may be shark food because they are never going to find me.
Getting lost in the rain.
Seeing a spider the size of a chocolate chip cookie and screaming bloody murder. Also, seeing the spider run into my room, never finding it, and realizing I was going to sleep with it that night.
I smelt and ate stinky tofu. Yes, it is really THAT stinky. Taiwan is the place to eat. Obviously, I loved it!
We stayed in a "bed" that fit four people. I say "bed" loosely because there was no mattress, only a thin piece of fabric over the wood frame. Luckily, we were with friends in our "bed". Sometimes you aren't that lucky. I love hostels.
The girls!
Beautiful girls. Don't you want to buy their wigs?
Stinky tofu! I have wanted to try it for a long time! It smells like food that you forgot about in your refrigerator for months. Tasty? I'll let you decide!
Best dim sum EVER! It is stuffed with pork and soup. My mouth is watering right now.
Wonderful fresh fruit stands in the market.
Market!
Night Market!
At the restaurant called Modern Toilet. The theme is toilets. Everything is served in urinal shaped dishes. Classy.
Temple in Taipei
Women praying with their prayer beads.
More praying. I love how at peace they look.
Taipei 101. I think it is the 2nd largest building in the world. It looked like Gothum City that night. I kept hoping I would see Batman.
If you look closely, you can see that the whole care is decked out to Hello Kitty. Meow.
My future wedding dress.
Sadly, I did not receive the memo about the animation conference. Sometimes Asian stereotypes are true. Just sayin.
So that is the major events in a nutshell. Life has been good here in Seoul. I have made some new amazing friends and have stayed in contact with a couple friends from last year. A new semester is starting in Korea, which means new students and new classes. I'm sad to loose some of my students, especially the kindergartners. I have them everyday, so it is very easy to get attached to them. We are going on a field trip to Character World tomorrow. It should be... interesting. Pictures to follow.
Sorry for the long winded post. Are you even still reading? Are you awake?
I hope all is well and you have had an amazing summer!!!
xoxo
July 4th-> Independence Day
- I woke up at 6 A.M. to chug some coffee before I needed to leave for my big 10K race. I felt good, slightly prepared for the race, and it wasn't raining. I stepped outside to meet my friends and flag a taxi. I immediately started sweating. I realized real quick that running in 80-ish degree weather and humidity so thick I could cut through it was going to really suck. Yup, I was right. Before the race, there was a group stretching session. Thankfully, we had some women there to get us pumped up. I think they may have just finished working on a workout video or thought they were going to be back-up dancers for Britney Spears. Either way, I loved laughing at them at 7 A.M. I think there is hope for my dance moves because I KNOW I could do better and you don't see me wearing that outfit dancing for hundreds of people. The race started off fine. Then mile 2 came and I was tired. I was thinking crap (probably another classy word), but I THOUGHT I would get a second wind and Lady Gaga would get me through. I kept that positive attitude up until mile 6.2. The adrenaline never kicked in, which made it a run from hell. It was very tough. I blame the heat. It could not have been my lack of skills... riiight.
Lesson 1. I will NEVER run a race during July.
Lesson 2. I will ALWAYS have a huge American breakfast after a race. It makes everything better.
Lesson 3. Sometimes Lady Gaga does not pull through.
Lesson 4. Who cares, I finished.
July 14th- 20th ->MINNESOTA
I arrived at the airport already delirious from getting everything prepared at work for my subs. Thankfully, tylenol PM was my friend and i was able to sleep the entire trip. That is when the whirl-wind of activities began. I wish I could say that jet lag did not affect me when I was home, but I would be lying. I kinda felt like I was in a cloud the entire time. I did my best to act coherent in conversations and stay focused, but I know I failed. I know I walked away from conversations thinking I have no idea what we were talking about. Oh, well. I guess that's what happens when you get 4 hours of sleep at night and want to be in bed at 6 P.M. I don't think the trip could have been any better. I was able to spend time with so many amazing friends and family. I feel truly blessed that so many people went out of there way to make time for me. I definitely felt the love, which was amazing. It was a perfect time to go home, especially because I was going through a homesickness spell. I wish I could have spent more time with everyone, but 5 days is never enough. I was able to spend my birthday with my brother, parents, and the Doby/Brown family who was visiting all the way from Colorado. In the evening, it was the rehearsal dinner for Eryn's wedding. It was an unforgettable day and it honestly couldn't have been better. The wedding was beautiful and I am SO happy I was able to make it. I don't want to bore you with details. Here is some photos from my time in MN.
Eryn and Jeff (Future teachers in Korea this fall. YAHOOOO!!!!)
Best friends/sisters
The people who made me.
College group
I had fun. Check out my dance moves.
Herschel. He didn't fit in my suitcase. Believe me, I tried.
Falyn. She also didn't fit in my suitcase.
Brother, Uncle Lavern, and my FAVORITE pic of my grandpa. The puppy is in love with his ear.
FAMILY! The Aulwes clan! :)
Duke and Graham. My favorite twins in the whole wide world.
HOT cousins!
I miss you all dearly,those who are present in the photos, those I saw and forgot to take pics with (doh!), and those who I missed. You're wonderful.
July 24th-25th -> Taiwan
Going with the theme of July and August, it rained everyday we were in Taiwan.We could not do a lot of the things that we had hoped to do because of the weather. It was a bummer, but I still had an amazing time. I got to see a country rich in culture. Taiwanese people are the friendliest people that I have encountered in Asia. Woop! Woop!
Taipei which is a city full of craziness and a real "China" feel. Amazing Chinese food that I fully enjoyed, especially the dim sum and red bean filled bun. I wasn't a huge fan of Taiwanese food.
I realized I am not a surfer, but I do enjoy jumping in the waves. However, I don't enjoy being tossed under the waves and worrying I may be shark food because they are never going to find me.
Getting lost in the rain.
Seeing a spider the size of a chocolate chip cookie and screaming bloody murder. Also, seeing the spider run into my room, never finding it, and realizing I was going to sleep with it that night.
I smelt and ate stinky tofu. Yes, it is really THAT stinky. Taiwan is the place to eat. Obviously, I loved it!
We stayed in a "bed" that fit four people. I say "bed" loosely because there was no mattress, only a thin piece of fabric over the wood frame. Luckily, we were with friends in our "bed". Sometimes you aren't that lucky. I love hostels.
The girls!
Beautiful girls. Don't you want to buy their wigs?
Stinky tofu! I have wanted to try it for a long time! It smells like food that you forgot about in your refrigerator for months. Tasty? I'll let you decide!
Best dim sum EVER! It is stuffed with pork and soup. My mouth is watering right now.
Wonderful fresh fruit stands in the market.
Market!
Night Market!
At the restaurant called Modern Toilet. The theme is toilets. Everything is served in urinal shaped dishes. Classy.
Temple in Taipei
Women praying with their prayer beads.
More praying. I love how at peace they look.
Taipei 101. I think it is the 2nd largest building in the world. It looked like Gothum City that night. I kept hoping I would see Batman.
If you look closely, you can see that the whole care is decked out to Hello Kitty. Meow.
My future wedding dress.
Sadly, I did not receive the memo about the animation conference. Sometimes Asian stereotypes are true. Just sayin.
So that is the major events in a nutshell. Life has been good here in Seoul. I have made some new amazing friends and have stayed in contact with a couple friends from last year. A new semester is starting in Korea, which means new students and new classes. I'm sad to loose some of my students, especially the kindergartners. I have them everyday, so it is very easy to get attached to them. We are going on a field trip to Character World tomorrow. It should be... interesting. Pictures to follow.
Sorry for the long winded post. Are you even still reading? Are you awake?
I hope all is well and you have had an amazing summer!!!
xoxo
Saturday, June 26, 2010
Happy Birthday, Pops!
I told my first graders it was my dad's birthday on Thursday and they immediately started singing "Happy Birthday" to him. I'm sure he heard it. The wind here as a ability to send messages very far! :)
My dad HATES when people make a big deal about his birthday! Of course, I would like to embarrass him any way that I can! With that said....
HAPPPPPPPPPPPPY BIIIIIIIIIIIIIRRRRTHDAAAAAAAY!!!!!! I wish I could be there to help you in your old age. Luckily, you still have hair, although it is far from your natural color. It's ok though. It is normal for people of your age.
FUN FACTS (sort of) ABOUT THE YEAR YOU WERE BORN...
-The Korean War begins
-Annabelle Candy Company starts. They go on to produce Rocky Road, Abba-Zaba, Big Hunk, Look!, and U-NO candies
-United States Population: 152,271,417
-World Population: 2.556 billion
- The McCarthyism era begins
- The first Xerox machine is produced
- Harry S. Truman was President and Alben W. Barkley was Vice President
- Richard Lawler performs the first successful kidney transplant at Loyola University
- Cost of a first class postage stamp was 3 cents
- Silly Putty is invented by Peter Hodgson
- The FBI starts its "Ten Most Wanted List"
I love you. Happy Birthday! Thanks for being an amazing Dad! See you soon! :)
Love,
Your favorite human
Sunday, June 20, 2010
Don't Smile
I can make any crabby child smile. That's a promise.
My homeroom kindergarden class. I love them. This is them being silly. Some of them missed the memo. My silly face was weak, but that was because all the energy I had was stolen by these rambunctious munchkins. We went to the Safety Center where they take you in simulations of tornados, earthquakes, and fires. It was pretty cool, but super scary for some kids. Seriously, taking a group of little tikes on a field trip is hard work. Especially having to give pep-talks all morning to certain kids who were about to cry. I held lots of hands and acted like cheerleader. Actually, who am I kidding, they are hard work EVERYDAY!
Lesson of the day. I'm glad I wasn't a cheerleader in high school. It is not my calling.
Just walk it off.
Sunday, June 13, 2010
World Cup Madness
Unless you have been living under a rock the past few months, you probably know that the World Cup is taking place in South Africa...now. Last night, you would have thought that South Koreans and the foreigners were watching the game live at a stadium between SK and Greece, however we were only staring at three ginormous screens and wishing we could be there. Everyone (i mean EVERYONE) was decked out in South Korea Devils gear and acting like they were in the presence of their team. They cheered throughout the game and shouted out-loud to their favorite players in hopes that the winds would take their words all the way to South Africa. I think it worked, because we won 2-0. :) I have never seen so much passion and energy than I did last night. Apparently, Koreans are famous for their team pride in soccer. There were viewing parties at a few the major stadiums, movie theaters, and parks. We went to the largest gathering, which was in city hall. This was the first year that they had the police keeping the crowds under control, which is insane. For some reason, Koreans have the ability to behave like civilized adults even when there are thousands of them in one place. I think we could learn a thing or two from them.
This was not taken by me, but it is from last night. I think you can feel what I was feeling the entire evening. Remember people, this was only the first game- not the championship. I can't imagine what it would be like if Korea made it to the finals.
Getting out of the subway and arriving at City Hall was insane. There were people everywhere. It was hard to keep track of my group because everyone was in red. There was no order. People were trying to sell everything under the moon. Obviously there was no permit needed and people set up camp to sell their devil horns and squid anywhere they felt like. There were no extravagant stands. Products were laying on top of newspaper on the floor. Signs were made of cardboard and written with sharpies. No fuss. I love Korea.
Want one? I bought the horns. I think I shall sport them everyday.
The big, bad scary police. I wanted to tickle them so they would smile. They were so serious. It was not a serious evening. It's a horrible photo, but the crowds were moving so fast it was the best I could do.
Koreans will make any excuse to have a pop concert. I personally thing pre-game pop concert is a must for any sporting event.
Some of my friends I went with. I am also heading to Taiwan with them in July.
I am in love with this photo. I wish the lighting was little better. The little boy is beyond cute. I wonder if he is dreaming of playing at the World Cup one day.
My view of the game. Tippy-toes were needed at times. Good thing I am a pro at it.
Feeling a little soggy, but it was oh so worth it!
She looks familiar. Do you know her?
Crowds in front of us and behind us. Amazing.
We won!
A good end to the evening. Korean pride. I love it.
ps. I want to be their friend.
I'm sorry if you're not a soccer fan and don't care about the World Cup. How can you not? Helloooo! Does David Beckham ring a bell? I love soccer. I love everything about it. When I watch it, I go through old drills in my head and soccer terms. I can smell the field. I remember what it felt like to wear the uniform and be a part of a team that I loved. The last time I played soccer I got a black eye during the first intramural game. It was quite unpleasant, especially because I had just met ALL the players right before the game. That was the end of the season for me. Someday, I hope to dust off my cleats and play again.
GO USA and Korea!!!!!!!! Grab a beer and check out a game!
ps. HAPPY BIRTHDAY CASEY!!!!!!! Love you!
This was not taken by me, but it is from last night. I think you can feel what I was feeling the entire evening. Remember people, this was only the first game- not the championship. I can't imagine what it would be like if Korea made it to the finals.
Getting out of the subway and arriving at City Hall was insane. There were people everywhere. It was hard to keep track of my group because everyone was in red. There was no order. People were trying to sell everything under the moon. Obviously there was no permit needed and people set up camp to sell their devil horns and squid anywhere they felt like. There were no extravagant stands. Products were laying on top of newspaper on the floor. Signs were made of cardboard and written with sharpies. No fuss. I love Korea.
Want one? I bought the horns. I think I shall sport them everyday.
The big, bad scary police. I wanted to tickle them so they would smile. They were so serious. It was not a serious evening. It's a horrible photo, but the crowds were moving so fast it was the best I could do.
Koreans will make any excuse to have a pop concert. I personally thing pre-game pop concert is a must for any sporting event.
Some of my friends I went with. I am also heading to Taiwan with them in July.
I am in love with this photo. I wish the lighting was little better. The little boy is beyond cute. I wonder if he is dreaming of playing at the World Cup one day.
My view of the game. Tippy-toes were needed at times. Good thing I am a pro at it.
Feeling a little soggy, but it was oh so worth it!
She looks familiar. Do you know her?
Crowds in front of us and behind us. Amazing.
We won!
A good end to the evening. Korean pride. I love it.
ps. I want to be their friend.
I'm sorry if you're not a soccer fan and don't care about the World Cup. How can you not? Helloooo! Does David Beckham ring a bell? I love soccer. I love everything about it. When I watch it, I go through old drills in my head and soccer terms. I can smell the field. I remember what it felt like to wear the uniform and be a part of a team that I loved. The last time I played soccer I got a black eye during the first intramural game. It was quite unpleasant, especially because I had just met ALL the players right before the game. That was the end of the season for me. Someday, I hope to dust off my cleats and play again.
GO USA and Korea!!!!!!!! Grab a beer and check out a game!
ps. HAPPY BIRTHDAY CASEY!!!!!!! Love you!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)