Happy Thanksgiving

So the Sahmyuk English teachers and Jane, one of the Korean English teachers, had our Thanksgiving celebration last night that also included a Canadian (Kristy) and a New Zealander (Manuel). So, there was me, Anna, Ralph and Charles and Edvish-the Americans of the group. I took lots of pics and willpost them up when I am feeling a bit better. It was a fun time, and I learned some interesting things a about people :)

What I really need is my big bro. Thanx for checking in Jay. And my little big bro and my sisters and my mom. I miss you guys something fierce. really and truly, I do.

I need a punching bag. I hate KT. That would be my internet and phone. They suck. I pay about $6 more the Eddie and she lives right next to me-literally the next apartment over, and I pay $10 less than Anna and Ralph. And they set it up for automatic withdrawal without even telling me, then they didn't withdraw last month (I had no idea that they didn't) and there is an extra charge on this month's bill. I need a KT punching bag. This is not the week for this to happen to me either, if you catch my drift.

Arrrghhhhhhhh.........gonna watch some comfort tv on my itty bitty computer screen (don't get me started on the fact that I paid an arm and a leg for the cable install and I can gaurantee that I haven't turned the tv on a dozen times since I got it in late August).

muuuuumblemblembel.....grumble....fi-faaaa....shis.....mar........ship-p'al (closest I know in Korean)............grrrrrrrr..........

p.s.

I cast on a boatload of stiches tofinally make a scarf out of the manos cotton stria I have becasue the majority of clothing here is hideous and outrageously expensive. Koreans seem to think nothing of ripping each other off. Send the same cheaply made stuff to the US and they woulld get half the price...oh, wait, a lot of it just wouldn't sell. Not fashioable where I am from.

Can you say horizontal stripes aren't flattering? Well say it five times fast in Korean!!! Ugh, I hate the clothes here. And they are clearly made poorly and are too thin too keep you warm...especially since heat in the school is too much to ask for, along with soap (I kid you not) a towel or anything to dry just rinsed (can't call 'em washed) hands on, or even toilet paper!


Yes, toilet paper. Ladies, travel in Korea sans toilet paper at your own risk. I hope it doesn't get cold enough for my butt to freeze to the toilet in the unheated bathroom. Don't get me started on the fact the kids think there is "no air" if you close the windows between the bathroom and the unheated hallway. Ugh. I close them, the co-teacher opens them. I will have to tell her that when it is my class, that just won't do. Then have a sceince leson to explain to the kids that they won't asphixiate. The things that I hear.......oh, wait, I was going to bed to sulk!

Hello?.......deleted because I don't think anyone is paying attention.

Browncoats Unite!

Hey Robin, thanks for stopping by. Love the Serenity -ahem-cross stitch (duh). For those of you who don't know, robin is a kick ass chick I met at the Seoul SnB last Sunday (pix to follow) who is quite accomplished and exxxtremely patient at errrr.....cross stich. Not the least of which because supplies are in even shorter supply for her than for us knitters out there. She had a great Serenity (yes, it's....) cross stich which I can not rave about enough. Look forward to seeing you again soon! I will try to make to next weeks SnB if I have the energy for the round trip. By the time I got back to the bus station after our dinner, Robin, it was 8 o'clock and the buses were booked until 9.45! will have to find out if I can buy my return ticket upon arrival and then make sure that I can get there on time.

Glad to hear Steph is getting the help she needs. I have been there, in my own way, and I am glad that she has the support network that she needs. It was more than I had, and Steph, honey, make the most of it. Just because people don't know what you are going through, doesn't mean you don't mean the world to them. Call me whenever, ok? I wish I could be there, for whatever help I might be able to give, or at least understanding. Also, kiddo, remember that just because some people's experience is a bit different, that doesn't mean that they don't have a really good idea about how you feel. It may be for different reasons, but we often end up in the same kind of head space. Be proactive, don't settle, and find the right person for you to help you, Just because they have you see one person, if it doesn't feel right, well it just ain't right. Been there, done that, and found the most wonderful woman to help me. Sometimes I wish I could still talk to her.

Heaven knows, Korea ain't easy and sometimes I could use some guidance. But, it is after midnight here, and I have cast on a scarf out of utter disgust for the prices that koreans will charge each other for items. Labor is cheap here, but stuff is not. If htey sent it to the US they would have to charge LESS in the hopes of getting people to buy it. I really wish I could go to H and M at the mall and get the inexpensive gloves they have-about 3 pairs, and a few scarves at their near unbeatable prices, some of them are pretty stylish too!

Nite y'all, gotta do come garter stich and crash, and mourn the fact that next week is the half season finale for Battlestar Galactica. That show rocks!

Ciao for now,

Mallory a.ka. 'Style

ps, Robin, does your site allow for comments and if so how?

Mood: improved thanks to SnB Seoul. Picturely proof to follow when it is not so late.
Minor frustration: Dongdaemun is closed on Sundays. No new yarn for me.
Cold: Still kicking my ass. Need expectorant and cough medicine, both apparently available from the pharmacy here. Translation unknown.
Wish list: Antiseptic gel. Kristy says she knows where to get it in Seoul. Don't know when that will happen or if it will be in stock.
Productivity: About 20 more rows on the back of the skully sweater at the SnB. finish it up, add the arms, seam it and I'll have a sweater. Not as easy as it sounds. The seaming, anyway. I suck at that.
More later.

Seoul?

Thinking about going to Seoul tomorrow. I have Monday off, so I would have time to recover. It would be just me, I think. I have emailed a friend to tell her I would be in town and if I go I will try to find the Seoul Stitch and Bitch and find some knitters. Hung out with Kristy today and she ended up buying some knitting needles. From listening to her talk I'd say she knows her stuff and can teach me a few things. We get along pretty well and I feel pretty comfortable around her and she still hangs with me after my crappy weekend last weekend, so that's a good sign.

Losts of thoughts running through my head. First, I should get some pix up to make my blog more interesting because that is what most people like. Viola.









































Yes, some one lives there. Maintainence seems to be a foreign concept here. You just use a building until it falls apart, ignore rust, holes, etc, then eventually build a new onw. If it is an apartment building, it looks exactly the same as the old one. Originality is not a big thing here.



Farmers dry their stuff out on the street. It's weird to me. Also, documenting the changes as fall comes. It's a strange fall, though. It is November 4th and I swear it hit at least 55 degrees today. If not warmer. I had a tank top and a light zip sweater on. Which reminds me of the things I wish I brought. More clothes. Anna said it would not be too tough to find wintery stuff here, but I don't like korean styles and I find shopping exhausting and frustrating here, even more so than at home. Wish list: Tums, please send me tums. I get occasional heartburn for reasons I cannot figure out. I wish I had my down comforter, but I bought a soft blanket in the downtown shijang today by Rodeodoree (Rodeo Drive-ain't even close, y'all!) with Kristy. Added it on top of everything else and added the plastic stuff you can cover your windows with that I bought from Costco. I added it last nitght and there is not enough space on top for it to stich, so it came part way off. I just stuck it to the window for now. It'll help some. See, my school put us out where they can save a bundle but it costs us more in bus fare and we have LPG for heat. Propane. It costs a lot more than whatever they use closer to town. Ah well.


I just like this one.

SORRY!

I don't mean to offend. I had no idea some of you were reading my blog-you never told me. I'm lonely, see? I know you get it. But see, here's the thing, no matter where I go, there I am. I can be melancholy in the Mass and make shit for pay and have a boat load of frustrations and barely survive, or I can go somewhere, live with a different but with another set of frustrations and sock away some money. Heaven knows I'd have to work like a bent korean ajumma farmer until I was 95 at home right now because I can't pay bills and save and have yarn back in the States. Besides, here I am exotic. Yes, I get stared at. Yes I hate it sometimes. Sometimes I can ignore it. no, being exotic has not worked in my favor.....yet. Maybe it won't. But I can feel exotic all the same. At least for a little while.