I've Been Promising Pictures

First, Thanksgiving pictures.

Manuel, Eddie, and Jane (L to R). Manuel lives in Gwanju. He is Eddie's fiance. Eddie is the teacher that came to Sahmyuk after me. They are both mellow, cool people. He's a kiwi, she's from the States. Jane is one of the korean English teachers and she's easy to get along with. She is my standing translotor for the hairstylist, and we always have lots of laughs when we hang out together. She's all good with it when I am goofy and silly.


Kristy, Canadian, teaches at a hagwon in Wonju, in the Lotte Cinema area. For me that is a walk and bus ride or a walk and a cab ride away. We went to Seoul today, actually, and I was with her when she bought this shirt awhile back. Joseph's amazing technicolor coat-can you say drama major, y'all?



Charles, one of the Sahmyuk teachers, looking thoughtful. He has been here for 5 years, has a girlfriend who speaks no English, and is an all around cool guy. Easy to work with and fun to have around.



Ok, finally, me, with straight hair when I actually took the time to make it look nice.



I promised proof that I went to the Seoul Stich and Bitch. Here it is. I was in the same neigborhood today with Kristy during part of our time in town today. I plan to go again this month, at least once.



And, of course, the yarn I ordered from handpaintedyarn.com. Very nice, for the most part. It's basically Manos, only cheaper. If you don't knit, you don't get it, I don't need to explain. It is designated to become a blanket (The multi at the bottom may become part of a pair os felted slippers if I can find a pattern-ideas welcome). The green on the far right was a gift that was thown in with my order. I will order merino for next to the skin stuff. Some of the colors are just amazing. Again, if you are not a knitter (crocheter)......then you must be family and you know I'm crazy. Yarrrrrn. Yum. I confess, I bought sock yarn from Ebay. I haven't even knit a real sock yet! Guess I better bust out the needles, eh?

I'm dreaming of a white Christmas........well, no. But we did have our forst snofall in Wonju yesterday. It's nice to be somewhere where it didn't start a month ago! The kids went nuts. It wasn't enough to stick, and one of my fellow teachers said the average that does stick, once in a while, is an inch. Whoo-hoo! I can deal with that kind of snow! Especially since I am not dispatching cable and don't have to worry about how crazt the weather will make my work day. I don't miss that at all! Of course, even in the rain or even the one monsoon style thuderstorm that happened after I came did not interupt electricity, phone, tv, or internet service to anyine I know.

So. it's cold I have been busting out my korean bought winter coat. I am getting used to it, so now I think it's not that bad (the coat). The fake fur actually feels quite nice if you zip it up that far.

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.

hite is korean beer, previously mentioned as shite. yup.

my cold has returned with a vengeance. sneezing, coughing, painful sinuses, etc. can't blame it on drinking cuz i haven't. i just realised that i have a really really short fuse right now and i don't want to take itout on anyone. so i am avoiding peopple. maybe that's good. maybe not. i went back to bed after i relised that the hike was off. anna called me to confirm while i was on the phone with teri (thanx for calling back, btw) and they said no can do. anna and i have come to the consenses that we are just going to leave it be unless they get in touch with us. so be it.
back to the involved lessonplan that i am trying so hard to avoid.

correcting an error

i wanted to acknowledge that my little big sis does visit my blog and was going to edit my last post, but blogger is having an error nite. Bridget, thanks for stopping by and for letting me know. just to retiterate, if you want to leave a comment, click comments below the particular posts-all can now leave comments and I will only edit or delete offensive ones. please do leave somments, so I know you read up on me, because sometimes I have no idea. I have had the impresion due to the lack of calls or emails that i was out of site out mind. glad to know that is not entirely true. sorry, bridge. love and miss you. sorry i misssed your call tonight-i had a rather crappy trip to seoul.

my travelling companion was rather against the bus even though we could have gotten home at a reasonable hour. some overly long cab rides and rude cab drivers put me in a bad mood. the promised apple pie that was not made when i wwent back bothered me, and it is hard to get used to being disregarded as a foreigner some days, so, Bridget, i mossed your call becsause U had to wait and hour and a half for the long train home instead of heading to the bus terminal. i missed a dinner i was looking forward to for a an unfulfilling trip. bummer. i had good company and got the second book in the eragon (christopher paolini) trilogy and some pepper jack cheese. i was cranky, though, and I hope I did not turn off a new friend by pretending to feel better than i felt. we'll see.

bad days

before reading, be warned that Reason has taken a day trip and left me. we parted amicably for a while. We both needed a break from each other. Ms. Nice Gal went with Reason. Of course, my mom may read this, though I don't think she remembers how to get here, but Ms. NG left a note that she may stop by...but sometimes Ms. Nice Gal doesn't have a clue. oh, yeah, Ms. Nice Gal is the one who doesn't swear. but I never claimed I don't-just not like i did when i made sunrooms with a bunch of guys.

I am having a I hate Korea day. It will pass. it better pass.

don't care if i am an english teacher today. punctuation, spelling, the impulse to correct runon sentences and all that crap can take the back seat on shitty days. hell, they can walk. i do. the three month slump has hit with ha vengeance. PMS is kicking my ass. if you're a guy reading this, too bad. not that it matters. my regular readers are few, but htey are welcome to leave comments-as all can now do by hitting the comments button. that way i know who stops by. (Edited because my little big sis Bridget does stop by, but I didn't know until noe). no one calls. nope, i have to foot the international phone bill if i want to hear a friendly voice. come on people, is that anyway to treat family?

i can't read the bill. the people at the bank are laughing and the companies are ripping me off charging more than they promised. the koreans that i know and can ask for help seem to be such pushovers they don't seem to expect the company to abide by their promises. what the hell? it's cultural. koreans pay more for stuff here than we pay for the same shit back home in walmart. i have no sympathy, and it's my blog so i'll cry if i want to. you know the tune.

dana-i don't think you will ever read this but, i wrote back, but it was carthatic and you lowered yourself below receiving the well considered response that actually took your feelings into consideration. btw, don't ever tell me you love me in christ-christ does not love people like that-he treated people with respect. to him, their feelings and their souls mattered more than his own desires. he did not respond in anger and he knew people made mistakes. i know i do. but your email implies that you don't care what i think. if some one offers you something thinking you will appreciate it, maybe you should appreciate the thought behind it. i appreciated what you did for me, and tried to pay or do something there because i knew it would be harder once i got here. maybe you don't realize that i can't have a real conversation at the post office. hell, it took me 2 months to find out where the closest one was-my friends used to go half way across town. maybe if someone tells you something doesn't exist in a country because an entire people don't want to wear clothes with their own language on it, and maybe, if you haven't spent any real time there, your should accept that some one who, at the time believing she was still your friend was telling you the truth because she cared about you. i could emphasize past tense, but i do hope you find friends that you think are worthy of you and will treat you as you treat them. obviously you don't think i am worthy of you. after that email, i agree. i don't deserve swearing, disrespect, defamation of my character and insults to my family. DO NOT EVER DISRESPECT MY FAMILY LIKE THAT. Anyone who thinks they can be that way about my family can get the frack outta my life.

if there is one thing i have learned in this world, it is the only ones you stand a chance of keeping close, who might love you, and have your best interest at heart your whole life are the family members you work to maintain a relationship with (including the inlaws that are like blood, the adopted swedish ones, the newly discovered ones or others). there are those in my family who don't, but my brothers and sisters an my mom-just don't go there. EVER. I love my family more than anything and everything, myself included. they are more important than anything to me. if you ever read this i'm sure you can infer what i think of your opinion. no one who loves christ or claims they love christ writes opinions in emails like that no matter how bad they are hating. and opinion it is, not fact. you should film yourself when you are drunk and pole dancing and swearing on your phone or at people who thought you were a friend. do that while you proclaim to love jesus. there are reasons i keep my faith intensely private and do not publicly call myself a christian. it's not shame, it's respect. i don't like organized religion. it inevitably screws up and organized religion screwed me up for many years. i don't live my life by scriptures perse, but i remember those that tried to teach me how to be good and true. i know there is something out there bigger than me. i don't know exactly what it is, but i pray to god because it is a good name. maybe he doesn't hear me or care. maybe because i use the wrong label i don't count. no matter what is beyond this, i try to live my life right and i screw up. everybody does. and i don't want anyone to ever look at me and think i am bad representation of the beliefs of an entire group of people, most of whom are good people.

when my frontal lobe kicks in again, this may be edited or deleted. how about a vote for whether honesty should stand in all it's starkness? Bridgett, my dear, that would be you. Ja/Nine? (nien?)

My third graders may soon find themselves strangled (not all of them, just most) or without an auction. possibly both. they refuse to behave like members of the human race despite either rewards or punishment, such as I am allowed to mete out (not much). there are a few repeat offenders that i would like to ban from class. perhaps i will. and tell them that they are still responsible for the material. not that it matters. in this crazy country, children are not held back-even the kids who do not fill out their tests at all! that's right folks, you can get an absolute zero and still pass through to the next grade with all the pomp and circumstance that koreans may see fit to shower there over indulged children with. And yes, overindulged. Insanely expensive ($400) cell phones are treated like toys. A teacher here even said that-that cellphones are like toys for kids. and they are sooo much more expensive than back home. which is why i have stuck with the free korean script only one that a coworker so kindly gave me. I can barely use it at all, but it was free. i may break down eventually,if i can find a place that will bybass the usual descrimination that demands that foreigners not be given anything nice, like cable, cell phones of a certain caliber, etc.

A more balanced post, or one that highlights something good may follow later. Uuh, I am saving more than back in the US. i thought i was going to add cheap killer internet, but even though mine has never gone down, it is just as expensive as back home. well, mine is. Eddie pays less and so do ralph and anna. go figure.

Reason may return later, but a shite stout and a couple of coronas have just stopped in. I wouldn't want to be a bad hostess, so i shall see if i will add anything to my liquid dinner. wish guiness would make an appearance. that would be brilliant. but my digs are pretty low rent for the cristal of beers. i had a brief talk with guiness at U2 bar a while back, but next time i think a nice GI will have to make introductions. It is a true tragedy that Young's Double Chocolate Stout does not even seem to know that South Korea exists. I think I shall introduce the shite stout to bacon and eggs and tabasco, my staple dinner since I can't get good korean delivered in the sticks, and I can't read the labels at the store too well. getting better..

i have an invite to go to costco in seoul tomorrow. i want to go just to check it out. i also have an invite to outback, time TBD, and they may conflict. both are expensive propositions. i also have to do a detailed (read minute by minute) lesson plan for my least favorite 2nd grade class, TIPS, which is based on a really shitty korean book that masquarades as a social studies type book that is (to my misfortune) incorrectly classified as science. this detailed plan is for the benefit of the parents of my little lovelies-2nd grade. Mostly moms come to observe. perhaps i will do everything i planned this weekend and pull one out of you know where sunday nite, since it is a given that it will be wrong and require many do-overs. anyway. you are probably tired of my rant. to be honest though, if I had a tub, some epsom salts, real pizza, and a BIGASS hug, i'd be so much better. but i will be ok. i have been through worse and pulled through it.

hey, somebody in the family, call me, ok? IT'S YOUR TURN. I sent the number, but if you need it again, just email me. and send deoderant-preferably tom's all natural lavendar, assuming mom hasn't. i asked, but i don't know if she remembered. iam trying to order yarn online and i will send it to you teri, if i do, because mom forget's about the packages. and you are closer to the post office. ok, enough rambling. i am going to sign off and see about food. i wish my fucking school wasn't so cheap and left us out here in the sticks so i could get delivery (not to mention the bus fare and higher utilities). food...and drink and knitting and comfort tv. all will be well. I have bigger 'wish list' but the shite is gone now and the corona and i are becoming acquainted. time to go..........

On the needles

Currently on the needles, a blanket in a very soft and plush poly yarn, light purple. I bought it at Dongdaemun. Blue fingerless mitts from Weekend Knitting and the Skully Sweater from SnB that will bear no skulls. Not necessarily in order.

Blah

Fybromyalgia and isolation are getting the best of me this weekend. I tried to make plans with people who did not call back or who cancelled. I ended up not hiking because I was too tired that early-which was not in fact early, but I just couldn't get myself in gear on time. If, in fact, it is the fibro. I know I am hard on myself, but sometimes I am afraid that I am using it as an excuse. But then, I truly don't know how some people can get so much done and have so much energy all the time. People like I used to be. Ugh. The near constant pain in my foot (sometimes both) does not help. I wonder if what kind of orthopedic help I can get in Korea. I may have to look into that. After all, all of my students are the children of doctors and university professors. There may be the occasional lawyer, but this country is not sue happy like the States.

Well, I have a special class test to write and tons of paperwork to create for my second graders to make, too. Miss Won wanted me to do all kinds of stuff this week. The only reason I am OK with it is because I know she works her butt off too. At the moment, I wish Ilived in Seoul so that I could go out and d stuff with out having to have it be a big to-do. I would love to wander around Dongdaemun today, go to a book store and go to Starbucks. Tere is a bookstore here, but it does not have English books. There is nothing remotely like Dongdaemun.

I need to buy some clothes, too. Another shirt was ruined, though I am not sure how and the band of my sweatpants broke. I have tried some stuff on here, but in addition to being very thin, Korean women's bodies are just different. Not only are they smaller from hip to hip, but not so wide from front to back, and tend to have flatter butts. They have tiny shoulders and even smaller busts than I do, but they wear baggy clothes up top for the most part, with strange layers. Shirts are not lowcut, but have what I think of as old lady style frills on the bodice often times, and are made for layering. The layers are made to lay in diffennet places than the layers that are currently common in western clothing. To me it looks rather messy, although I think that a lot of the current western layering looks messy and is unflattering to a woman's figure as well. Anyway, the point of this is that it is hard to go shopping. Most places do not have fitting rooms, so you have to wear a shirt and tank top to try on clothes, and returns are not possible at a lot of places. It is not unusual to not receive a receipt. Of course, I cannot read most things and it is not unusual for the price to not be posted. And then there is the way sales people here hover. I do not like shopping here.

Ok, enough procrastinatng. Maybe if I get done in time I can go downtown and buy a copy of the Economist or something. So I will add some pictures and elaborate later. Wonju Tatto and some other stuff to, if I have time and the patience.

USAF Band, The army band was on the far side of the stage. Unfortunately, the US did not play on the night I went.



Some cool martial arts diplays thanks to Korean performers.



A great fireworks display lasted quite some time at the end of the show.



Did I mention I had my hair straightened? Now I need to grow it out. It is much cheaper to have that done here.

A Few Changes

Several people have told me that they want to leave comments even though they do not use blogger. I have set the settings so that anyone may leave comments in the hopes that people who check my blog regularly will let me know what they think, and I also hope it won't be abused.

Photos from Wonju Tattoo coming soon! Neither of the American bands performed for the opening ceremony (bummer), but the Kiwis had a great perfomrance, as did the Koreans. Some nice martial arts forms were performed, too. They were definitely for show and not for strength, though, but cool. Especially the parts of the staff/spear form that were part of the forms I was learning.

Wonju Tattoo

Ugh. I hate heartburn. And coughing. And colds. But I love my big sis, Teri and it was great to talk to her last night. Thought I was caught up for school and I got loaded with progress reports today. Uh, scary. What do I say??? Frankly, I couldn't tell you if one child is doing well in reading, but not in conversation, not to mention if (s)he did better in the first part of science, as opposed to the 2nd half of the month. I do not take daily or even weekly notes. It took me at least a couple of weeks to get all their names down!

Upside: I am going to Wonju Tattoo tomorrow with Jane. Since Helen and Sherry could not go, they gave me the tickets, so I asked Jane. Wonju Tattoo is all about music, so you know I jumped on that, right? Wonju invites military bands from all over the world to come and play at their art center. I do not know which countries will be playing on the night that I am going. But I can't wait. I hope I don't have heartburn!

As promised, more pictures:

Sports day at school a couple of weeks ago. Good old fashioned tug of war.

Sherry, Helen's daughter. They are hiking buddies. Anna and I go over on Sundays and head up Beberosan (san=mountain)

They let some of the chicks hatch to add to their coop. This chick is about 10 days old.

Bung Bung, or Bunga, is one of their dogs. She is the only off leash dog. She did not trust me at all, but she is getting used to Anna and I and I give her lots of love and she is starting to like it. She really is a sweetie, an always comes along when we hike.

Some shots from the field trip to the gardens. More later, ok? I promise.

Some of my second graders, a traditional korean farm house, part of a whole valley of pagodas, amd an interior shot of one of the rooms in the traditional house.

Ok, my apologies. I told a lot of people that I would update my blog while on Chusok vacation but I have thus far failed to due so. My excuse, pitiful as it is, is that I am still sick and also (not an excuse) being more than a little lazy. I woke up with a horrible migraine today. So bad that I did not hear the phone ring when Anna said she called. I tried to eat around 1 pm, but failed and took some daytime cold medicine. Daytime or not, it knocked me out unitl 4 pm. I managed to get up and take a very slow walk before it got dark. I should eat something, but seeing as how I live in the middle of nowhere, no restaurants witha na appetizing menu deliver to where I am am. Cook, you say? Ha-and I thought you knew me.

Actually, wuth any luck, I will manage a grilled cheese sandwich before the headache takes over again. In the meanwhile, since I can't really think straight, I am not going to try to construct a third grade test, but watch comfort tv on my computer, and, if I am not too wiped, knit. I did manage to get 8 skeins of a lovely soft poly yarn in a light purple from Dongdaemun while in Seoul on Sun-Tues with Desi this week. I also met some of the ultimate frisbee players and had fun and hoisted a few brews with them. I was invited to go camping this weekend with them, but as I am not big on camping (if you know and love me, you know I love handy facilities), and that much of the talk was all about hooking up (and as yet, I've no one one the horizon in that regard), I decided to pass. Plus, I lived out of my bags for 3 days whilst in Seoul and did not want to do that again. I have lived out of bags quite a bit in the last 2 1/2 months and it;s not something I really enjoy. I always misplace things I really need. Like that pesky wallet. Imageine that. At least I have no keys here. Have I mentioned that you don't need keys for my door? You enter a four digit code. Viola. Varsagod.

Ok, pictures. yep. I know that's what you really wnat, and that's the part that takes forever.

It blows my mind

It blows my mind that people I have never met in real life, people I have only met over the internet, are more willing (and to make a point to) keep in touch with me than many (not quite all) of the people that I sat next to day after day after day.


Oh, and BTW, random blog-thought I wish I could share with the entire world: if you are not under contract with them now, don't ever use T-Mobile. Their customer service sucks and is condescending. They claim not to have an address that you can mail documentation to (because their fax will not work with yours, half way around the world) unless you ask them for a supervisor. Only then will they pony up with an address, and any documentation you send must include a letter as to why you are mailing them something.

To: Unknown person (because your reps do not take mail and won't tell me your name)
From: Check to postmark-it's from Korea, just like I said in both faxes I sent before I left the States!
Re: The bills you keep sending me for a charge T-Mobile keeps levying that is not theirs-legally.

HI,
I AM MAILING YOU BECAUSE YOUR COMPANY SUCKS.
Here is the proof you wnated that I moved. A bill, It is in korean, so you have no proof of anythin!
Hahahahahahaha. Your company sucks. Please note, that as a former customer service rep, I am NOT saying you suck. I know the difference. But, please tell Delores whose real name is Sharon that she it is inappropraite to be condescending. If I wasn't half way around the world, I would tell her myself. But, you are customer relations, so you tell her, ok?

Thanks. BTW, bill me again and I will report you to the better business bureau. Not that you care, but I will.

Have a nice day when you get out of work. If you are not happy, leave CubicleLand ASAP. I wasted 2 1/2 years more than I should have. (the first 6 months were ok, then I knew my job so well I was bored silly).

Mallory


End rant. Please excuse mistakes. Too ripped to check.

Dongdaemun is Calling

Dongdaemun is calling. Oh, that lovely yarn from the bottom floor of that building outside 424 blueline (lite blue, that is) stop is calling me.

"Come back! Buy me! Make something soft and cuddly and wonderful with me! I may be polyester, but I am the best darn polyester you have ever seen!"

It's calling loudly, too, because I can hear it over all the stupid racket the uni kids are making outside the building. I want to move to Musildong! There is nothing here except for uni students who throw up on the stairs! Ergh! Disgusting. Ok, I am too tired (and probably sick, basedont he way my throat hurts) to post the pics from my field trip tonote. That was Monday. It was a long long long day. Pretty scenery, though. Long.

A shout out to Sade in Spain for her help in figuring out the Skully pattern. I hope my mini tweak is ok. You will now see that she is linked to my blog. She knew who I was too! Must have seen my posts (or Spinn's) about coming to Korea. So, check out her blog too, if you have stopped by!

Ah the LUV

My oldest big sissy loves me looooooots. She sent me my first care package with lot o' goodies. Teri, keep the fake American dollars coming so I can have an auction with my third graders. I need something to motivate them to act like good doobies. I know they get a lot more work starting in the third grade, so they are getting tempermental and they are no longer think of school as fun. But it is so important that to me that they pay attention and learn and hopefully have a good semester with me so I am working hard to figure out how best to work with them.

I got my Sox hat as requested and that made me sooooooooooo very happy that was dancing aroung my shoebox (a.k.a. my apartment) to The Devil Went Down to Georgia, even though it skips. I was so happy to hear a song like that that makes me think of my family. I love you and miss you lots. Thank you, thank you, thank you, Teri. My big sis' rocks!

No, Really, Seriously Y'all

How am I supposed to take a cop shop seriously if they have this picture on the outside? No, really, no joke. Can you believe this?

Downside: it smells like gimchi central outside my apartment right now. Ick. Ugh. All Gimchi, All the Time! College kids have moved in en masse over the last couple of days. It's getting loud and messy. Grrrr.

Say What?

Some how this just doesn't seem right!

I'm getting there. I am ready for this week, and even partially ready for next week. Tomorrow I will meet with my co-teacher to go over the plan for grade 2 for next week. I compile that into something in English for her for Wednesday. Should be interesting, since Mr. Hong decided that we are doing a welcoming dinner for the new teachers (Edvish and me) tomorrow evening. Hopefully it won't take too long. I'd like to get things to the point that I am getting all my prep done during my free periods at school.

Tomorrow the second graders have some sort of practice, so I do not have 1st period. I will only teach the lesson once, and I get to go in late since I do not start until second period. Sweet!

These photos are from a trip to Seoul a couple of weeks ago. Anna and and I met up with Desi, who was fresh off the boat from Georgia a mere week before me. The first is Desi looking proud of her new hat and then one of Anna and me where we had lunch. I can't remember what the food is called at the moment. It is meat, gimchi, garlic and veggies cooked on a dome shaped grill like thing so that the fat rolls down and away from the food. It was tasty, though not something I am crazy about.

There is a place downstairs in my building that serves the same thing, I think. Fattening if eaten too much. Pork, too, which many people I know here don't eat. SDA's are often vegetarian, and even those that do eat meat usually don't eat pork.





Maybe I'll add pics from my trip this past saturday next time.

Ready

10:15 P.M. For the first time, I actually feel ready for the next day. I managed to pick p some supplies so that I could feel organized. I have everything ready so that I I know what I am doing tomorrow. I feel like I have enough material to keep my kids busy. The third graders are starting to realize that I will not put up with BS and they are starting to realize that if they tow the line, they will get rewarded. Group A got rewarded today for good behavior for the last 2 days, and for getting their work done. Group B did not. I am counting on one group telling the other, so that they realize that they can earn it. I hope this works.

On a side note, I am glad Isabelle lost all her power on the 4400. I couldn't stand her! Hehehe. Also, Edvish, the new teacher, seems pretty cool. I must admit to being a bit jealous of her schedule. She only has about 20 hours of class time. She is already prepped for about a month for the classes for which they have given her her books. That's not many. Welcome to Korea.

Everything here seems to take me 3 times longer than it should. I screwed up my computer. Did I mention that I hate it anyway? I am miserable right now and I can't help but wonder WTF I have done. I don't want to be here now, but even if I was going to leave (hypothetical-I don't want to give up), I don't have a home. I am so isolated and lonely and unhappy right now.

*******edited for the worst of my pissy attitude**********

2 Hours, 1 walk, and 5 minutes of online research later, I used a piece of cardboard to get the stupid disc stuck in the drive out. Now, if I can just get the Office suite to stop giving me so many problems!

Just some Updates

Ok, so, the important stuff....

I am not too keen on Korean food so far. Their veggies are very different from home.

As you can see from the picture, some dishes come with some rice and LOTS of veggies. I do not recognize 90% of them. Radishes are popular here, frequently yellow, and I do not know how they are made, but they are sweet. Not bad. For me, preferable to others. Sometimes used in a nice cold soup.

So far I like dagalbi, which is very spicy chicken with thick rice noodles and cabbage, shabba shabba (something like that, anyway) which is beef cooked at the table in a broth with veggies, and tang sa man du, which is a plate of sweet and sour pork dumplings. Lunch is available for free at school, but it is straight up cafeteria food. Occasionally not bad, but rarely good.












Ms. Wan, Ms. Lee, Anna and I (right to left) went to Woljeogsa Temple over vacation. Beautiful scenery, beautiful buildings. No photos in the museum, and I did not take pictures of the Buddha out of respect. It was a story tall, beautifully made and housed (in an ornately painted building like the others). There were candles with Chinese script on them that glows as they melt down, I will have to remember to ask Anna where I can get some of those.

I finally got cable, which was my first experience of descrimination here. They did not want to install it because too many foreigners leave without paying the bill. Mr. Lee, the school administrator, called and arranged it for me. After all that, I barely turn it on, thanks to Korea's killer internet service. It really is very fast and very reliable, and there is plenty to download online.

I had a bit of a delay getting my plane ticket refund. It took a while and 3 of us explaining that when you buy a ticket online in the US, you only get an online receipt. The school did not want to accept that, but as I had nothing else (except my baording pass, which, thankfully, I had not yet tossed) eventually, I got my money.

Even with Ralph and Anna, I am still feeling isolated. Basically, I can barely communicate. It sucks. I am overthinking things at work, putting too much into it, and driving myself crazy as a result. As some one told me, aptly, you can not be an over acheiver here. Extra work is not seen as extra, nor appreciated as such, and may come to be expected as the norm, as has happened with some of the things that the foreign teachers have done as a courtesy. However, being new, I had a LOT dumped on me and expected of me. Even Anna said she thought it was a lot, which made me feel better. I was afraid it was just me.

After I kind of lost it a bit and had to leave the room (only Mr Hong and Ron were there) to compose myself, I think people started to realize that asking me to change up entire plans and expecting me to whip up schedules when I didn't even know the number of lessons in the semester was unrealistic. And it clearly got around, because I found out from another teacher that my co-teacher had heard. She hoped she was not to blame, which she was not, though I was feeling overwhelmed by everyone. If you want a certain lesson planned, tell me that first, before I make a lesson plan from where the kids left off! If you need a plan for the semester, you have to give me a schedule.....you get my drift. It is very Korean. I knew to expect this, but it doesn't make it any easier when I am emotionally overwhelmed. My last job was good training, though, because Adelphia changed their policies every 5 minutes, and if I did not know that, I got blamed for it. Even if the policy change was announced before my shift, on my day off and was never emailed. For a communications company, Adelphia was an epitome of miscommunication. But I digress, as so many people love to say these days.

I have a coffee shop that I like, called Maidu. They are very friendly, upbeat, and it has a nice atmosphere. I guess there is one closer to home, but I do not know where it is, so I take the bus or taxi to the one by Lotte Cinema. I was sitting there looking out the window about 3 weekes ago when I figured out my first Konglish, using one of my books to help me with the words. Lots of things are written in Konglish, which means that if you sound out the Korean letters, they sound like ( or are SUPPOSED to sound like) words in English. I do not have Korean letters set up on my computer, but suffice to say that after many consultations of my book, I deciphered: ALL TIME GAHM RENTA (no "L") which I surmised to mean 24 hour game rental, A.K.A. PC Bang (pronounced bahng). Of course, the graphics were obvious, but I was proud of myself nonetheless! I also heard my first K-rap. It is......upbeat K-style. Ralph and Anna have seen some videos and understand some of the words, and had a good laugh while telling me about it. Ralph thinks is is hilarious that the girls in the videos prance around in one piece bathing suits and that the rappers are in old schools style American cars that you never see on the roads here. They sing about how hard life is at home with mommy and daddy, I guess. I don't think there are many ghetto hardened gangsters here that have to worry about drive by shootings, even from a scooter.

I have tried to get furniture, but there is way too much orange pleather here. Koreans love leather and pleather and orange is big. So is a fluffy purple. I don't think pleather is at all comfy, so thus far the only furniture I have added is my Swedish Poang chair that cost about 30% more than at Ikea in the States. And I had the shopkeeper knock $15 off the price. Ah well. So, want to see my apartment? I am not cleaning it up especially for you!






I've included a shot the road outside the school as well as a shot of the school itself.

I love my second graders-they are excited, happy, and friendly as can be. I am learning their English names quickly. I had 2nd grade Science today, albeit from the Korean "Tips for Daily Life" which is a book that I hate. It is useless, as far as books go. They might as well say, this is your topic, now go figure out what you are going to do, because this book is only the roughest of outlines, a mere suggestion. Besides which, Tips is a social studies type book, not science. Grrrr. Science went well, today, though. Anna sent me some stuff that helped a lot, though I guess they had seen the presentations last year, although I thought they were geared specifically for second grade.

The third graders are a tough bunch. Everyone acknowledges that the third grader immersion class this year is tough. The kids are unruly and don't want to talk to the teacher, pay attention, or keep quiet with each other. I am going to have to get tough on them right away. That's hard to do, because you really have to watch your back. You have to use the other kids as witnesses, kind of, to show that you gave kids a chance, and you have to make them keep each other in line to keep from getting punished. I have been told that you need witnesses, because if a student complains about you, the school will believe the child over a foreign teacher. That is going to be strange for me. We shall see.

Ok all, it is 9 o'clock and time for me to veg on tv or a movie or book or something. Maybe tomorrow I will write about getting caught out in the storm and the cell phone drama :)

Many thanks to Bridgett, a.k.a. SpinnDiva, who checks on me via my blog regularly. As requested, I will get some photos up. My current knitting prject got twisted when I joined...grrrr...so I have to undo some and go back to the petals. It's a flower shaped wash cloth. I am not being ambitious right now because I have enough on my plate.

I have has so much to do with school....more later!

We are currently experiencing the effects of a tropical storm here. Not quite a typhoon. It's quite windy and it has cooled by a few degrees, which will make it a bit easier to sleep tonight, I hope. The brunt of it should arrive tomorrow. No rain, just wind. I think the worst of it is supposed to hit in the south, around Busan. Anna and I are headed to Seoul tomorrow, to hook up with Desi and check out the sights. Hopefully, the weather will not end becoming a deterrent.

Pictures

So the pictures at the bottom, below Jay, from bottom up are: Me and Dana at dinner at Red Robin with a bunch of friends, Suzzallo Library at the UW, a picture of Jay, Dad and me in front of the Macbook with one of the effects, and Ralph and Anna out on the town one evening in Wonju. I can't remember what we were doing that night, though it no doubt involved some dinner.

So, here's the deal. I left for Washington, stayed with Dana while she partied away for a couple of days, then went to Spokane and saw Pat (left). This is the two of us in his room. I missed im an awful lot, but seeing what is going on in his life makes me very sad. I love him very much, and I want my little big bro to be happy. Clearly, he is not.

Jay arrived at the airport the next day. We all hung out for a bit, then we went to try to see the kids, but Marianne would not let that happen. I left the book I bought last november for thier Christmas present with Pat to try to give to them. I have never had an address to send it to. I cried about that one, I'll tell you that right up front. I miss those kids and I wanted to see them. I haven't been to the west coast in 4 years. There are a lot of things I have been missing.

Killer Washington brew is one of them. Yep, coffee and beer. Make that Coffee and Beer Ooooh, man. I had frappacino mix commin' out my ears by the time I left. I had a great stout from a microbrewery at a waterfront restaraunt with Gini.

But I digress. Back to a more linear story. Jay and I decided we wanted to stay with Dad from the day Jay arrived in Spokane. I had stayed with Pat for one night, but his digs a kinda weird. So, we met up with Dad at the Spokane house, which, last I heard, is under agreement for sale this month. He has completed the purchade of a place in Montana since I left the country, and is now the proud owner of a hydroponic tomato farm in need of some serious work.

We went straigh up to the lake house so that all could cool off. The air cools more there, and it was 100 degree weather (still cooler than the 106 that was rtegular in Wenatchee) and we could jump in the lake, too. Jay and I did that every day.






Well, there is plenty more to tell, but the macbook is getting hot on my legs. Time to cool it off by putting in front of the fan asnd watching a movie. I will try to get some more pics on tomorrow, y'all.

Lights, Macbook, Action (and Mike's or Three)!

Teri and I went sailing with her friend Ted. I'lll load a few more images in the next post. The night before, after a few Mikes, we went a bit crazy having fun with the photobooth on my Macbook. As you can see, we had great fun! I kept Teri up well past her bed time. I'll miss having my big sis around while I'm in Korea. We end up with some great photos whenever we get together witha few drinks and a camera.

Update on my Stash

So, as you can see from the pic below, I've updated my stash. A bit is thanks to Spinndiva, the rest is thanks to Knitpicks. I ordered some stuff the gauge, and then, once I figured out what works, I ordered some more. And....I'm not done yet! The big bunch of blue is for Skully (although the actual skull won't make it into the sweater :) and I still want to order for my first cable project and for Under the Hoodie. I'm waiting for Andean Silk to become available in Hyacinth, then I'll have my mum mail it to me ROK. The Shine worsted is for small towels, dishclothes, maybe a hat. And some bits for other things, too. A large portion of my luggage is going to be dedicated to knitting supplies.

As for what I will have to sacrifice to fit it in.....that will be tough!

Tomorrow is my last day at Adelphia. There are certainly some wonderful people there that I will miss, but I am looking forward to my new adventure. I leave for Seattle on the 20th, then for Seoul on the 29th. It looks as though my time in Washington is going to be more hectic than I wanted. There is so much to do before I go! I haven't had the time to study Korean the way that I wanted to. Ah well...I am sure that there will be time while I am adjusting.

Update on my stash

Insomnia

Can't sleep again. Insomnia sucks. Oh, sorry ma, "inhales profusely!" So, yeah, here I sit at 2.30 am EST typing diligently away. Ok, I'm not diligent about much these days. Just can't turn my brain off. I was knitting, but the left wrist is sore. I've been thinking a lot about why I knot and I've realized that, for me, it's not about what I make so much. It's that actual knitting itself.

Different knitters knit for different reasons. I have a bunch of really cool, and what are for me, complicated patterns. Of course, I can't use any of my many dpns so that's not saying much. But the fact is, simple patterns take up just enough brain power to either distract me just bit, or make me focus just a bit, whichever is required. So, while I do not yet consign myself to the group of "I knit square things" knitters, I definitely understand where they are coming from. Hopefully, with time, I will be able to knit some very beautiful unique square things. Heaven knows, the one sweater I've knit so far was not a resounding success. And, as it so heavy and bulky, it will become part of the pile of knit things that Mom will have to remind herself of me while I am in Korea. I just don't see that one fitting into the luggage. Even if it did, it would never make it to school. No need to set myself up for unnecessary taunting.

Well, this is the point where the wrist gets even more rest, I bust out the book, and hopefully get to sleep early enough to get out of bed while it is still "am."

Wonju

I have accepted a position in Wonju, South Korea. I will be teaching at Sahmyook Elementary, replacing a teacher who is moving back to Canada with his wife. There are three other teachers there as well. Ralph, who I interview with, and Anna, his wife, who also talked to briefly. They are from Florida and have been teaching there for almost two years. Also teaching there is Trevor, but he and I haven't talked or emailed, really.

So far, Ralph has been very helpful with info. On my way to Seoul I will be stopping in Washington and Oregon for just over a week to visit with Dad, Jay, K, Dana, hopefully Ginni and others. Then it's off to Wonju, about an hour and half outside of Seoul. From all of his posts on Dave's ESL site, it seems like Ralph and Anna a very happy there. Apparently, they are negotiating their 2 year renewal contract now. That's a really good sign about eh school.

So, I am nervous, very excited and a bit stressed about getting every thing done. I decided to buy a Mac rather than a PC, so I have given myself a bit of a learning curve there, but it just means I need to invest some time reading. I will no doubt have plenty of that when I arrive, since I will only know Ralph and Anna. I'll bring some knitting along, too, of course!

Currently, I am taking break from my sari silk-the hands are getting tired. It's basically becoming a long thing. It was going to be a thick throw, but I cast on too many stitches and since I already frogged it twice (sari silk does NOT frog well) I don't' want to do it again. Frankly, it's too heavy to take with me unless I can make something useful of it, though. Perhaps a laptop case. We shall see.

Jordan May '06

Stephanie, Mom and I were hanging out in the green house. I can't believe he is four months old already.

Wonju

Well, I have accepted a position as an immersion teacher at Sahmyook elementary school in Wonju, which is just about central Korea, about 1 1/2 hours outside of Seoul. I start August first, though I hope to stop in Washingon/Oregon on my way out. So I will probably leave Massachusetts in mid-July.

The most important thing for me was trying to find a good school to land at rather than the most ideal location (I was thinking Bundang, which is a Seoul suburb). I still need to get a laptop, camera, and hopefully an iPod. There are a lot of things that I will need, actually, though those are probably my biggest ticket items. I will have to have all the shoes I need before I get there, not only because I wear a size 8, but mostly because Korean women reputedly wear crazy looking very high heels. I'll pass on that, thank you! So, I have to get everything in order here, as well. But, thankfully, I have plenty of time. No need to feel rushed!

Took some great new pics while Stephanie and Jordan were over last weekend.
I'll add them soon.

Korea

Korea is on. I am looking for a job now. I hope to start either two or three months from now. Hopefully I can get all my ducks in a row and manage to land in a good place. It's an excellent opportunity, even if it is not without risks. But the opportunity and experience are just too cool to pass up. Not just making money, but the chance to travel to another culture, learn another language.

The Flag II

Well, the flag did not make it into the show. Bummer. I have tried so many things to get this out there, including working with a contact in Germany, Wilfred, who sometimes facilitates selling art. It was his idea for him to try and sell it to a German collector after he saw it. I don't know what to do now, really. I'm not good at marketing myself or my art. That's why galleries take the percentages they do, right? But how to get a gallery to respond? I just don't know. It was already in a local show in Falmouth a while back, but I think that the only visitors were the artists, their families, and friends!

Well, I've been working on it for this long, so I'm not going to give up now.

Work is beyond frustrating right now. I wish the CAT tool was a physical thing that I could wring by the neck. Too bad it's just a computer program. Now, as for those who fill out the CAT forms......

In Four Minutes or Less

Still waiting for the Comcast deal to come through. They pushed out the final date again. Comacast is currently hiring for a dispatcher in Seattle, but of course, I would have to quit and start new with Comcast because the buyout is not yet final.

Thinking about flying out and staying with Dana, my closest friend from college, for a vacation. It would be a hectic visit. Fly into Seattle, Hopefully set up a meeting with Shawn to talk about his DXArts program at the UW. Shoot over to Spokane to visit my Grandma K. and Pat if possible, and make it to Lincoln City OR, to visit Jay. Gotta visit with Jay. Need to see both of my big brothers. And party with Dana in Wenatchee or Leavenworth, too!

I've also been thinking about teaching English as a foreign language abroad. Having lived for a year in Sweden, I know what a wonderful, tough, and rewarding experience it can be. So the reality check for all of this is, can I afford it?

I'm over my four minute limit. Off to dispatch some cable. It's getting ugly. The simulcast launch has made everything crazy again. Can we just tell everyone to tighten their fittings on all the cable connections? Who knew a radio signal could cause such havoc on t.v.? And on UPN, no less? I mean, if it weren't for Jeopardy I wouldn't know the station! :)

Happy Birthday to me! :)

Random knitly notes

I sent the big bad blankie to Sweden without taking picture for my blog. But my Top Secret sweater is almost done! I may have a marathon session on Wednesday. It would be nice to wear it for a bit before it gets too warm. It'll be nice to be able to say, "Yep, yep, knit my own sweater."

Four days off starting tomorrow. Good thing, because I went a bit nuts at the library and I have a bunch of books I want to read and would like to figure out my next knitting project, too.