Yesterday, my throat was unbelievably sore. Denial: Telling myself it was my vocal chords. Today I woke up without a voice. Denial: Telling myself that I'm not sick! Getting to work and realizing I really need some sudafed and am shivering in the ridiculously overheated classrooms---confrontation. I am sick again. I have been washing my hands compulsively, taking my vitamins, getting lots of sleep and eating well. Well, trying to eat well in any case. Oh petri dishes. How you TORMENT ME.
On the up and up though I climbed yesterday, BEFORE I felt sick and it was fantastic. Even though I can still only climb for an hour or so it was amazing. Last time was fun but frustrating, it was like my body wouldn't listen to my brain. My feet kept getting tripped up, I was moving my body awkwardly, forgetting the easiest technique to make things easier. Last night, I did the 40 move bouldering problem perfectly the first go, something that took me the entire hour to get right last time. Then I worked on a harder route and once a climber nearby showed me (reminded/showed, same thing eh?) how to balance and throw my weight differently to go for a high hold I got that route too! Now I'm working on something the next level up which I want to try at the beginning of the night when I'm fresh next week. Climbing talk is boring for non climbers but the point is that I was ecstatic. I left the gym happy and I woke up happy albeit in denial about being sick. My ankle is tender today but Not as tender as it was last week after climbing so I'm definitely making progress. Next month I'm going to go twice a week and see how that goes. For now, I'm taking it easy and trying to get better. I see noodle soup in my dinner future.
I took pictures of the gym but honestly I'm feeling to yucky to be bothered to upload them. Unfortunately, I didn't remember that I'd brought my camera with me until after I had finished climbing so there are no pictures of me anyways. I think I'll just wait until next week when there are photos of me And the gym.
Wednesday, February 25, 2009
Monday, February 23, 2009
Materialism! Documenting Materialism!
Friday night I ended up staying in even though I told everyone I would go see Keiko's Last Smile (with TWO bassists) at Psycho. For those of you less apt at figuring out obscure band names, Keiko's Last Smile is a tiny expat band of no significance whatsoever but they are fun to watch and listen to if you have a few beers in you. It's just that, knowing I had to get up for work the next day made me completely unwilling to go out, even if I was home by midnight. So I ate dinner locally with a friend at a restaurant I hadn't been in since the night I arrived in Korea. It was a lot more fun when I wasn't delirious with jet lag and using my boss's 12 year old daughter as a pseudo interpreter. We got galbi, some part of the cow, marinated in a sweet and savory sauce and cooked over hot coals at the table. One of the best things about dishes like galbi is that you order 2 portions of meat, maybe a bowl or two of rice and they still cover the rest of the table with interesting side dishes that vary seasonally. My favorite winter dish is a sour radish dish, paper thin slices of radish soaked in a sauce and oh so tasty. Anyways, back to the story, one of the dishes is a crab stewed in some sort of interesting sauce that's a bit spicy. I personally only eat them occasionally because I find it nearly impossible to maneuver with chopsticks and just too much effort when there is a table full of other dishes I could eat instead. My friend on the other hand had never had it and enthusiastically attacked it with chopsticks and sucked away at the meat. Two minutes later he burst into hives and made strange clicking noises with his throat as he tried to clear it. For he is most definitely allergic to nuts. Not peanuts, but nuts of any kind will cause rather unpleasant reactions.
Me: ....Oh my dear God are you okay?!
Salsa boy: Absolutely! I'll be fine in a minute!
Me: Errrrr, are you sure? Because you have these red bumps around your mouth and are making really disturbing noises...
Salsa boy: No really, it's okay. I'll just eat some kimchi!
Me: Yes, because that makes SO MUCH SENSE. Seriously, I can run to the pharmacy and get you a benadryl, it's like 10 feet from the restaurant door.
Salsa boy: NO. No, I'm okay, see, spicy food helps!
He proceeded to shovel kimchi into his mouth and make disturbing noises with his throat and left me CONVINCED he was going to keel over and die (even though logically I knew he wasn't showing signs of going into anaphylactic shock).
This is a classic example of me, worrying gone overboard though in this case I did have legitimate stimuli telling me 'Warning! Danger ahead!'
After that epic event, I went home, checked my email and went to bed really early. Well, 10:30. Early for a 22 year old on a Friday night in any case.
Saturday was made of exhaustion even though it wasn't as bad as I thought it was going to be. I still think graduation from KINDERGARTEN with this sort of pomp and circumstance is ridiculous but it seems to be a country wide trend which made me feel marginally better. What I want to know is that if this is how long a ceremony for kindergarten graduation is, what on earth do Koreans do for college/university?! I must ask one of my Korean friends about this at a later date. I went out for a few drinks after dinner and again, called it an early night. Nothing like keeping high strung six and seven year old children calm, happy, and quiet to wear you out. I walked up and down lines with a gigantic jar of lolly pops and said:
"Mmmm. Yummy lollipops. You want one? You have to be quiet. What's this? Talking, you don't want a lollipop?! More for me?"
I had the most quiet lines. Worth every penny for that jar. Plus I get to eat the left overs. *sucks away merrily on a pineapple flavored lolly.*
Finally, the event we've all been waiting for...the descent into Materialism! Sunday afternoon I hung out with Salsa boy again. Mainly because we have similar tastes in books. So we split what we buy with promises to share/lend what the other bought. To be perfectly honest, I tend to be a little pushy in book choices.
Salsa boy: This Vonnegut looks interesting, could be an interesting alternative to Slaughterhouse 5.
Me: No, I want Slaughterhouse.
Salsa boy: Are you sure? Because this one looks good too...
Me: No! Death is interesting! Oooooooooooooooo shiny, did you see this one. It won a Pulitzer Prize. See, it has a shiny label!
Salsa boy: hmmm...what about Hemingway!
Me: But shiny! Also, my friends read it for a course in college, I can't remember Which course but I've wanted to read it since then only I didn't have time. Or money. And I hate other people's marginalia. It's usually bad. Or illegible. Or distracting. OR ALL THREE. So obviously I couldn't borrow their copy and thus I've NEVER READ IT! It's TRAGIC!
Salsa boy: Pulitzer prize winner it is!
The Pulitzer prize winning book is A Confederacy of Dunces by John Kennedy Toole. It doesn't really have a shiny label announcing it's win but it does have a big bold strip across the cover in another color which is Practically the same thing.
I also tend to read the books I want first. Salsa boy tried to start reading Slaughterhouse 5 but I reminded him that he STILL owes me the Gabriel Garcia Marquez book, Love in the Time of Cholera and he is not allowed to start another novel until he finishes. It is true that I will probably finish both books before I get the Marquez book but it isn't my fault that I read like a freak.
We left What the Book and went to Myeongdong to attempt to look for jeans. It took me 4+ hours to find one pair of jeans. Korean girls don't have hips. At all. I finally ended up in a Ralph Lauren store of all places and got a pair that fit me. American sizing but made in Turkey with a label sewn in Korean next to that to explain the washing in Korean. I think. I got lots of fun stuff from street vendors and boutiques in between despairing of ever finding a pair of jeans before mine ripped in two. Like a fantastic black fedora, turquoise wallet, funky shiny black head band, knee socks and yummy street food.
Where are the pictures you say? LOOK.
....The length of this post reminds me that I should refrain from writing while on a ridiculous sugar high from eating lollipops non stop for an hour. Just maybe.
These pictures are care of Salsa Boy, as it is a bit difficult to take pictures of myself. Also, I'm too ADD while shopping to remember to take pictures of things while there are so many interesting things to look at.
Me: ....Oh my dear God are you okay?!
Salsa boy: Absolutely! I'll be fine in a minute!
Me: Errrrr, are you sure? Because you have these red bumps around your mouth and are making really disturbing noises...
Salsa boy: No really, it's okay. I'll just eat some kimchi!
Me: Yes, because that makes SO MUCH SENSE. Seriously, I can run to the pharmacy and get you a benadryl, it's like 10 feet from the restaurant door.
Salsa boy: NO. No, I'm okay, see, spicy food helps!
He proceeded to shovel kimchi into his mouth and make disturbing noises with his throat and left me CONVINCED he was going to keel over and die (even though logically I knew he wasn't showing signs of going into anaphylactic shock).
This is a classic example of me, worrying gone overboard though in this case I did have legitimate stimuli telling me 'Warning! Danger ahead!'
After that epic event, I went home, checked my email and went to bed really early. Well, 10:30. Early for a 22 year old on a Friday night in any case.
Saturday was made of exhaustion even though it wasn't as bad as I thought it was going to be. I still think graduation from KINDERGARTEN with this sort of pomp and circumstance is ridiculous but it seems to be a country wide trend which made me feel marginally better. What I want to know is that if this is how long a ceremony for kindergarten graduation is, what on earth do Koreans do for college/university?! I must ask one of my Korean friends about this at a later date. I went out for a few drinks after dinner and again, called it an early night. Nothing like keeping high strung six and seven year old children calm, happy, and quiet to wear you out. I walked up and down lines with a gigantic jar of lolly pops and said:
"Mmmm. Yummy lollipops. You want one? You have to be quiet. What's this? Talking, you don't want a lollipop?! More for me?"
I had the most quiet lines. Worth every penny for that jar. Plus I get to eat the left overs. *sucks away merrily on a pineapple flavored lolly.*
Finally, the event we've all been waiting for...the descent into Materialism! Sunday afternoon I hung out with Salsa boy again. Mainly because we have similar tastes in books. So we split what we buy with promises to share/lend what the other bought. To be perfectly honest, I tend to be a little pushy in book choices.
Salsa boy: This Vonnegut looks interesting, could be an interesting alternative to Slaughterhouse 5.
Me: No, I want Slaughterhouse.
Salsa boy: Are you sure? Because this one looks good too...
Me: No! Death is interesting! Oooooooooooooooo shiny, did you see this one. It won a Pulitzer Prize. See, it has a shiny label!
Salsa boy: hmmm...what about Hemingway!
Me: But shiny! Also, my friends read it for a course in college, I can't remember Which course but I've wanted to read it since then only I didn't have time. Or money. And I hate other people's marginalia. It's usually bad. Or illegible. Or distracting. OR ALL THREE. So obviously I couldn't borrow their copy and thus I've NEVER READ IT! It's TRAGIC!
Salsa boy: Pulitzer prize winner it is!
The Pulitzer prize winning book is A Confederacy of Dunces by John Kennedy Toole. It doesn't really have a shiny label announcing it's win but it does have a big bold strip across the cover in another color which is Practically the same thing.
I also tend to read the books I want first. Salsa boy tried to start reading Slaughterhouse 5 but I reminded him that he STILL owes me the Gabriel Garcia Marquez book, Love in the Time of Cholera and he is not allowed to start another novel until he finishes. It is true that I will probably finish both books before I get the Marquez book but it isn't my fault that I read like a freak.
We left What the Book and went to Myeongdong to attempt to look for jeans. It took me 4+ hours to find one pair of jeans. Korean girls don't have hips. At all. I finally ended up in a Ralph Lauren store of all places and got a pair that fit me. American sizing but made in Turkey with a label sewn in Korean next to that to explain the washing in Korean. I think. I got lots of fun stuff from street vendors and boutiques in between despairing of ever finding a pair of jeans before mine ripped in two. Like a fantastic black fedora, turquoise wallet, funky shiny black head band, knee socks and yummy street food.
Where are the pictures you say? LOOK.
....The length of this post reminds me that I should refrain from writing while on a ridiculous sugar high from eating lollipops non stop for an hour. Just maybe.These pictures are care of Salsa Boy, as it is a bit difficult to take pictures of myself. Also, I'm too ADD while shopping to remember to take pictures of things while there are so many interesting things to look at.
Off Key
Right now I'm supposed to be writing about my weekend and having a lovely series of photos uploaded for your viewing pleasure.
My neighbor is humming off key. Very, very loudly. Did I mention how out of tune she is? WHY???
*plots the best/worst possible playlist to blast in a passive agressive** retaliation*
A real update later tonight, I promise.
**Even if I did feel comfortable asking a total stranger to pipe down, I can't because that is Way beyond my Korean skills so I am relegated to passive agressive behavior. Not my shining moment, I admit but I really hate it when people hum off-key that loudly.
My neighbor is humming off key. Very, very loudly. Did I mention how out of tune she is? WHY???
*plots the best/worst possible playlist to blast in a passive agressive** retaliation*
A real update later tonight, I promise.
**Even if I did feel comfortable asking a total stranger to pipe down, I can't because that is Way beyond my Korean skills so I am relegated to passive agressive behavior. Not my shining moment, I admit but I really hate it when people hum off-key that loudly.
Thursday, February 19, 2009
Ooops, I'm late! Rock Climbing Tales...
On Tuesday, I bounced around all day, counting down the hours until I could leave to go climbing. It was like waiting to open your birthday presents when you are 9 years old--impossible to sit still and focus. Luckily, as a kindergarten teacher, the more hyper I am the better my classes end up being.
The first thing that was said to me when I walked into the gym was 'where have you been?!' I explained that I had sprained my ankles (though I didn't mention that I did it climbing at another gym). The trainer kept an eye on me, making sure I took frequent stretching breaks and that I wasn't climbing through pain. I climbed for an hour and a half, half an hour longer than I said I would but I took an obscene amount of breaks for stretching and doing crunches and push-ups. Climbing was exhilarating though I had to work to keep from getting too discouraged at how much my strength and technique had deteriorated in the past 5 months. Instead of pushing into V2/V3 bouldering I'm back at V1 and feeling the burn. My first route was a 40 move V1 bouldering problem (or there abouts, they don't grade bouldering routes the same...and I can't read the Korean signs anyways so I rate it based on how hard it felt, the holds, etc). Going through the route once involved falling a few times (don't worry, lots of crash pads) and serious lactic acid build up, the type that I would have after an hour of climbing when I was in shape. It was amazing but irritating that my forearms were getting tired before my ankles. The non climber interpretation verdict: exhausting but so much fun I thought I was going to explode from the endorphin kick. I was still exuberant the next day at work. It was one of the first times in my life I was happy to wake up sore. My ankles were okay too! They were a little tender but not painful. I wore my high tops for extra support Wednesday and that helped keep them happy.
The rest of life is okay. Sunday I am making a special 1 hour subway ride to my favorite bookstore to restock because I am in a desperate situation. I never want to read political theory in my 10 minute breaks at work. I need a novel. The newspaper only lasts me through the first half of the day and I don't love the English papers that are available in my neighborhood. I'm thinking of asking my local corner store if they can carry the International Herald Tribune for me which I've seen around Anyang but no where near my route to work. I love reading the newspaper but I'm not making a 20 minute detour for the paper. What I really need to do is think of a favor I can exchange with a Korean speaker for them to write the note/interpret on the phone for me...
I apologize for any errors...the keyboard at work is on it's last leg. Also, I'm not in the mood to proofread. Oh well.
The first thing that was said to me when I walked into the gym was 'where have you been?!' I explained that I had sprained my ankles (though I didn't mention that I did it climbing at another gym). The trainer kept an eye on me, making sure I took frequent stretching breaks and that I wasn't climbing through pain. I climbed for an hour and a half, half an hour longer than I said I would but I took an obscene amount of breaks for stretching and doing crunches and push-ups. Climbing was exhilarating though I had to work to keep from getting too discouraged at how much my strength and technique had deteriorated in the past 5 months. Instead of pushing into V2/V3 bouldering I'm back at V1 and feeling the burn. My first route was a 40 move V1 bouldering problem (or there abouts, they don't grade bouldering routes the same...and I can't read the Korean signs anyways so I rate it based on how hard it felt, the holds, etc). Going through the route once involved falling a few times (don't worry, lots of crash pads) and serious lactic acid build up, the type that I would have after an hour of climbing when I was in shape. It was amazing but irritating that my forearms were getting tired before my ankles. The non climber interpretation verdict: exhausting but so much fun I thought I was going to explode from the endorphin kick. I was still exuberant the next day at work. It was one of the first times in my life I was happy to wake up sore. My ankles were okay too! They were a little tender but not painful. I wore my high tops for extra support Wednesday and that helped keep them happy.
The rest of life is okay. Sunday I am making a special 1 hour subway ride to my favorite bookstore to restock because I am in a desperate situation. I never want to read political theory in my 10 minute breaks at work. I need a novel. The newspaper only lasts me through the first half of the day and I don't love the English papers that are available in my neighborhood. I'm thinking of asking my local corner store if they can carry the International Herald Tribune for me which I've seen around Anyang but no where near my route to work. I love reading the newspaper but I'm not making a 20 minute detour for the paper. What I really need to do is think of a favor I can exchange with a Korean speaker for them to write the note/interpret on the phone for me...
I apologize for any errors...the keyboard at work is on it's last leg. Also, I'm not in the mood to proofread. Oh well.
Tuesday, February 17, 2009
Back on the Wall
I have been pain free in below freezing temperatures for two weeks. My ankles still get a bit stiff but they don't hurt anymore.* Today, in an hour and a half I'll be back in a gym and bouldering my heart out. For an hour. Interspersed with breaks for pull-ups, push-ups, and sit-ups. So not Really bouldering my heart out but easing myself back into a full climbing regime and I'm SO EXCITED IT'S HARD NOT TO BOUNCE.
*For those of you who are new to my blog, I fell bouldering in October and sprained/hurt the ligaments in both ankles. It was stupid and my own fault and I won't make the same mistake ever again.
Of course I forgot to put in my contacts but I'm going to go straight after work anyways because back tracking to my apartment would waste VALUABLE climbing time. Glasses will be fine for light climbing.
It took me 10 minutes to find my gear last night because I'd hidden it from myself (put it out of sight) so it wouldn't make me miserable every time I looked at it and was like oh yeah, I can't climb. But it's all in my back pack and ready to go and I'm ECSTATIC. Did I mention ecstatic? I'll post again soon and let you know how it went.
*For those of you who are new to my blog, I fell bouldering in October and sprained/hurt the ligaments in both ankles. It was stupid and my own fault and I won't make the same mistake ever again.
Of course I forgot to put in my contacts but I'm going to go straight after work anyways because back tracking to my apartment would waste VALUABLE climbing time. Glasses will be fine for light climbing.
It took me 10 minutes to find my gear last night because I'd hidden it from myself (put it out of sight) so it wouldn't make me miserable every time I looked at it and was like oh yeah, I can't climb. But it's all in my back pack and ready to go and I'm ECSTATIC. Did I mention ecstatic? I'll post again soon and let you know how it went.
Sunday, February 15, 2009
A less than spectacular beginning...
Mondays are always a little terrible. It's just the fact that you have a long 5 days before you can feel properly rested or relaxed that really weighs in. Once I have a cup of coffee I don't feel so desperate about it but before Bernie* and I have our date, facing the week seems terrible.
*Bernie is my coffee pot.
Today, I somehow managed to spill 1/3 of of my cup of coffee. And not just spill it. I knocked it against Something, I have no idea what, and managed to get coffee on nearly everything in my apartment. My TV, my fridge, the floor, clean clothing, the clothing I was wearing, a stack of bank papers I hadn't filed yet....it was a disaster. All of this 10 minutes before I had to leave for work. I managed to clean it up, brush my teeth and finish getting ready in time. I went to button my snazzy new jacket and 'POP' went the button and off it came. It isn't broken, just needs to be sewn back on. My sewing kit is actually loaned out at the moment to someone else with the very same problem. I think I will actually need to claim it back since I didn't realize how grubby my green coat looked until I put it on after having on my fashionable new black jacket.
Despite all of this, I'm managing to have a good morning. Something about being greeted with hugs, smiles, and cheery hellos and 'how are you's really makes your day. I only made one kid cry so far today and it's looking like a good day. I love my kids, and that's what makes my long week worthwhile. (He didn't follow directions, at all, despite clear verbal and visual demonstration. I ripped up his paper and gave him a new one to try again. I also explained it again for him slowly and carefully. Didn't stop the tears. Oh, well.)
Benjamin Button was fantastic. I recommend seeing it immediately! I can't say much about it without being to spoilery so I'll try to think of a way to review it without giving the entire plot away today and get back to you later. Onwards Monday! Do your worst!
*Bernie is my coffee pot.
Today, I somehow managed to spill 1/3 of of my cup of coffee. And not just spill it. I knocked it against Something, I have no idea what, and managed to get coffee on nearly everything in my apartment. My TV, my fridge, the floor, clean clothing, the clothing I was wearing, a stack of bank papers I hadn't filed yet....it was a disaster. All of this 10 minutes before I had to leave for work. I managed to clean it up, brush my teeth and finish getting ready in time. I went to button my snazzy new jacket and 'POP' went the button and off it came. It isn't broken, just needs to be sewn back on. My sewing kit is actually loaned out at the moment to someone else with the very same problem. I think I will actually need to claim it back since I didn't realize how grubby my green coat looked until I put it on after having on my fashionable new black jacket.
Despite all of this, I'm managing to have a good morning. Something about being greeted with hugs, smiles, and cheery hellos and 'how are you's really makes your day. I only made one kid cry so far today and it's looking like a good day. I love my kids, and that's what makes my long week worthwhile. (He didn't follow directions, at all, despite clear verbal and visual demonstration. I ripped up his paper and gave him a new one to try again. I also explained it again for him slowly and carefully. Didn't stop the tears. Oh, well.)
Benjamin Button was fantastic. I recommend seeing it immediately! I can't say much about it without being to spoilery so I'll try to think of a way to review it without giving the entire plot away today and get back to you later. Onwards Monday! Do your worst!
Saturday, February 14, 2009
Being Female
Warning:
For men who hate hearing about 'woman' troubles, just skip this entry.
I have my period. In the states, that really isn't a cause for complaint. I might pop a few Advil the first day and make sure I have plenty of chocolate but other than that, it's life. For whatever reason, Korea turns my body into a war against me for a week. I feel like utter crap, get cramps that are often debilitating and no amount of coffee can combat the fatigue. I literally couldn't get out of bed this morning. I cancelled my privates by saying I was violently ill and couldn't come in. [Yes, I mixed up the dates, my graduation crap starts next weekend.] I think violently ill implies that you are vomiting or something but just because I was vomiting doesn't make it any better. I woke up briefly at 1pm to talk to a friend on the phone who called and then went back to sleep until 5. Yes, 5pm. Went out briefly with friends but had to come home because the feeling like utter crap took over again.
Hopefully, I will feel better tomorrow so I can stock up on books before going out to the movies with the ladies. Benjamin Button! Other than that, my weekend is destined to be unexciting what with the massive feeling like crap. Oh well.
For men who hate hearing about 'woman' troubles, just skip this entry.
I have my period. In the states, that really isn't a cause for complaint. I might pop a few Advil the first day and make sure I have plenty of chocolate but other than that, it's life. For whatever reason, Korea turns my body into a war against me for a week. I feel like utter crap, get cramps that are often debilitating and no amount of coffee can combat the fatigue. I literally couldn't get out of bed this morning. I cancelled my privates by saying I was violently ill and couldn't come in. [Yes, I mixed up the dates, my graduation crap starts next weekend.] I think violently ill implies that you are vomiting or something but just because I was vomiting doesn't make it any better. I woke up briefly at 1pm to talk to a friend on the phone who called and then went back to sleep until 5. Yes, 5pm. Went out briefly with friends but had to come home because the feeling like utter crap took over again.
Hopefully, I will feel better tomorrow so I can stock up on books before going out to the movies with the ladies. Benjamin Button! Other than that, my weekend is destined to be unexciting what with the massive feeling like crap. Oh well.
Friday, February 13, 2009
My Day, Such as it Was
"Today I bought a small Frosty. This may not seem significant, but the fact is: I'm lactose intolerant. Purchasing a small Frosty, then, is no different than hiring someone to beat me. No different in essence." -Joe Wenderworth, from Letters to Wendy's
Today I ate a lot of Valentine's Day candy--loaded with milk chocolate, milk, and butter. I feel rather like Mr. Wenderworth in that sense. No more details needed. Fabulous book though, that Letters to Wendy's. Strange as anything though.
I was rather popular today as I gave fun Valentine's day related activities to do in class and passed out candy. Is it bad that I view hugs from my children as a peculiar form of torture? I simultaneously love them and am revolted by them since my mind converts their childish bodies to looming petri dishes of doom.
Not having enough iron is really starting to take a toll on my body, particularly since I forgot to eat protein heavy food for dinner last night and lunch today consisted of:
-sea weed soup
-rice
-rice cakes in sauce
-radish
-radish kimchi
Notice the peculiar lack of protein? My body does too. Note to self: coffee is not a substitute for iron.
I'm still a bit scattered. I was so angry and distracted on the bus home that I actually missed my bus stop, something I haven't done since September and had to walk home an extra few blocks. Not the end of the world but it certainly didn't help my mood. I have to work two Saturday's in a row for work, without overtime because it falls under the 'special activities' clause of my contract. In general, I don't mind working the occasional Saturday since they haven't abused that clause and a kid's graduation is important, even if it's only from kindergarten. However, the following Saturday we have to be there for 'orientation.' What do kindergartners need to be oriented for? Not to pick their nose? Good luck with that. They don't speak any English yet and neither do their parents so essentially they want us there to make the school look like a more authentic English academy. Couldn't they just put up big posters of us and say look, there are your teachers? That is all they are going to do in the meeting. We will end up sitting somewhere, on display, valued for our aesthetic qualities and pointed at occasionally. Needless to say, I will probably Not be allowed to read my book while on display. Joy. Why is this on a Saturday and not after work one night on a weekday? Saturday's are sacred. Sacred I tell you. Unless I am getting paid a nice bit of money and being fed, I'm completely uninterested in working on them. They are meant for sleeping. Afternoons are allowed to be minimally productive but the mornings must be petri dish free. The most taxing thing I tend to do on a Saturday morning is move my plant into the sun light. Occasionally, I venture out of the apartment before noon for takeout.
Speaking of books, I am completely obsessed with Kurt Vonnegut. I want to be a Bokonist! Why is it that the only religion I find truly appealing is a made up one in a satirical situation? This Saturday I will NOT BE ABLE TO GO TO THE BOOKSTORE TO RESTOCK MY NOVELS AND I AM DESPERATELY LOW ON ANYTHING TO READ THAT ISN'T POLITICAL THEORY. Neither will I be able to go next Saturday. None of my coworkers read. Well, this isn't entirely true. I have witnessed two commuter books in the hands of my coworkers: Chicken Soup for the Soul and the autobiography that Obama wrote. Both of which could be considered objectively interesting but it doesn't make me any more inclined to read them. This is probably a sign that I should get back to my political theory. The bibliophile in me protests and says that I must find some way to persuade myself to go to the bookstore on Sunday and buy every Vonnegut book they carry. Also, the rest of Orwell's books but unfortunately, English language bookstores only carry popular books or 'classical classics' and getting stuff delivered to my apartment is impossible and I hate getting packages at work. I can hear my parents now saying: "suck it up and order the darned books already" but this is my rant and and
I'm done.
Shortly, I will be going out to dinner with a friend that I haven't seen in awhile. We will binge on meat and soju and all will be well again.
OH! I have pictures of my leather jacket for you! None of my coworkers noticed it when I wore it during the freakishly warmer weather yesterday but I LOVED ROCKING IT. Definitely don't regret buying it.
Today I ate a lot of Valentine's Day candy--loaded with milk chocolate, milk, and butter. I feel rather like Mr. Wenderworth in that sense. No more details needed. Fabulous book though, that Letters to Wendy's. Strange as anything though.
I was rather popular today as I gave fun Valentine's day related activities to do in class and passed out candy. Is it bad that I view hugs from my children as a peculiar form of torture? I simultaneously love them and am revolted by them since my mind converts their childish bodies to looming petri dishes of doom.
Not having enough iron is really starting to take a toll on my body, particularly since I forgot to eat protein heavy food for dinner last night and lunch today consisted of:
-sea weed soup
-rice
-rice cakes in sauce
-radish
-radish kimchi
Notice the peculiar lack of protein? My body does too. Note to self: coffee is not a substitute for iron.
I'm still a bit scattered. I was so angry and distracted on the bus home that I actually missed my bus stop, something I haven't done since September and had to walk home an extra few blocks. Not the end of the world but it certainly didn't help my mood. I have to work two Saturday's in a row for work, without overtime because it falls under the 'special activities' clause of my contract. In general, I don't mind working the occasional Saturday since they haven't abused that clause and a kid's graduation is important, even if it's only from kindergarten. However, the following Saturday we have to be there for 'orientation.' What do kindergartners need to be oriented for? Not to pick their nose? Good luck with that. They don't speak any English yet and neither do their parents so essentially they want us there to make the school look like a more authentic English academy. Couldn't they just put up big posters of us and say look, there are your teachers? That is all they are going to do in the meeting. We will end up sitting somewhere, on display, valued for our aesthetic qualities and pointed at occasionally. Needless to say, I will probably Not be allowed to read my book while on display. Joy. Why is this on a Saturday and not after work one night on a weekday? Saturday's are sacred. Sacred I tell you. Unless I am getting paid a nice bit of money and being fed, I'm completely uninterested in working on them. They are meant for sleeping. Afternoons are allowed to be minimally productive but the mornings must be petri dish free. The most taxing thing I tend to do on a Saturday morning is move my plant into the sun light. Occasionally, I venture out of the apartment before noon for takeout.
Speaking of books, I am completely obsessed with Kurt Vonnegut. I want to be a Bokonist! Why is it that the only religion I find truly appealing is a made up one in a satirical situation? This Saturday I will NOT BE ABLE TO GO TO THE BOOKSTORE TO RESTOCK MY NOVELS AND I AM DESPERATELY LOW ON ANYTHING TO READ THAT ISN'T POLITICAL THEORY. Neither will I be able to go next Saturday. None of my coworkers read. Well, this isn't entirely true. I have witnessed two commuter books in the hands of my coworkers: Chicken Soup for the Soul and the autobiography that Obama wrote. Both of which could be considered objectively interesting but it doesn't make me any more inclined to read them. This is probably a sign that I should get back to my political theory. The bibliophile in me protests and says that I must find some way to persuade myself to go to the bookstore on Sunday and buy every Vonnegut book they carry. Also, the rest of Orwell's books but unfortunately, English language bookstores only carry popular books or 'classical classics' and getting stuff delivered to my apartment is impossible and I hate getting packages at work. I can hear my parents now saying: "suck it up and order the darned books already" but this is my rant and and
I'm done.
Shortly, I will be going out to dinner with a friend that I haven't seen in awhile. We will binge on meat and soju and all will be well again.
OH! I have pictures of my leather jacket for you! None of my coworkers noticed it when I wore it during the freakishly warmer weather yesterday but I LOVED ROCKING IT. Definitely don't regret buying it.
Thursday, February 12, 2009
My Swirling, Whirling Mind
Sometimes, I feel like I'm thinking about too much at once. It's as if there are so many thoughts and ideas jumbled together, sprinting forward that all I get is a vaguely nauseous feeling in my brain that my stomach starts to mimic. Maybe this is why my dreams are always so strange and complex, it's just my brain slowing down and processing all of the crazy things I've been thinking about or trying not to think about all day long.
On a completely different note, I just gave my very first verbal level test. It was a disaster. My supervisor gave me a 5 second notice and then stuck me in a room with an 8 year old. I have never given a level test. What was established is that someone should have told me what to do also that the boy can't really read. Voila. I felt completely incompetant. It wasn't entirely my fault but why don't we have a manual on this sort of thing?
I am still taking entirely too much sudafed and drinking entirely too much coffee but I am starting to feel better and my coughs don't sound quite as scary anymore.
On a completely different note, I just gave my very first verbal level test. It was a disaster. My supervisor gave me a 5 second notice and then stuck me in a room with an 8 year old. I have never given a level test. What was established is that someone should have told me what to do also that the boy can't really read. Voila. I felt completely incompetant. It wasn't entirely my fault but why don't we have a manual on this sort of thing?
I am still taking entirely too much sudafed and drinking entirely too much coffee but I am starting to feel better and my coughs don't sound quite as scary anymore.
Great Ideas in the Middle of the Night Don't Count
I woke up at 6am with a fantastic idea for a blog entry. I started outlining it in my head and then promptly fell asleep again. By the time my alarm clock went off at 8:00 (and 8:05, 8:10 and 8:15 with the snooze button) I had forgotten all about it. This goes to show that I really need to find a way to squeeze a bedside table in my room so I can keep a pen and paper there. I came up with the thesis for my Collective Violence class senior year at 3am and only saved it by jumping out of bed and writing it on the back of a pay stub I found on my desk [Analyzing the role of the media in the international community's delayed response to the genocide in Rwanda, in particular, the New York Times]. Of course it was mostly illegible but I managed to get the gist of it. I did that a few nights ago on a scrap of paper with an idea for a critical essay comparing Nietzsche and Foucault...only I can't find the scrap of paper. I woke up from a dream in which I'd been defending the thesis to a doctorate board and was so excited to work on it when I woke up. Obviously, this is a sign that I need to:
A. clean my apartment (I have also lost my remote control again. Somehow).
B. Buy a table.
C. Designate an idea notebook for said table.
D. Figure out what I want to research in grad school
The only thing I remember from what I wanted to write about is gender discrimination in the workplace (in Korea) only I want to think it out more clearly before I blog about it.
I'm out of iron pills and unsure of where to buy them or how. The iron deficiency induced exhaustion combined with being sick is making me extraordinarily tired. However, two days of arts and crafts projects for Valentine's Day has made me extremely popular with the kids.
A. clean my apartment (I have also lost my remote control again. Somehow).
B. Buy a table.
C. Designate an idea notebook for said table.
D. Figure out what I want to research in grad school
The only thing I remember from what I wanted to write about is gender discrimination in the workplace (in Korea) only I want to think it out more clearly before I blog about it.
I'm out of iron pills and unsure of where to buy them or how. The iron deficiency induced exhaustion combined with being sick is making me extraordinarily tired. However, two days of arts and crafts projects for Valentine's Day has made me extremely popular with the kids.
Wednesday, February 11, 2009
Death by....
Yesterday I came very close to death, not once but twice. Perhaps very close is an exaggeration but not by much. The first time I was crossing the street (NOT jay walking either) on my way to work. I looked both ways (it's a 6 lane road) before carefully making my way across. All of a sudden a motorcycle comes speeding out from behind a truck and has to slam on the brakes so he doesn't hit me. I yelled at him in English "It's a red light you moron!!!!!" He might not have had a clue as to what I was saying but I'm pretty sure I got the point across. He looked rather ashamed of himself. This incident strengthened my resolve to learn the colors in Korean. Unfortunately, I've only mastered yellow so far. 'Red' is a three syllable word in Korean. Tomorrow, I shall conquer red. Maybe. In any case, my kids are having fun trying to teach me during our lunch hour.
Death by motorcyclist event number two:
I was walking Home from work when a motorcycle zipped up behind me on the sidewalk and had to swerve last minute to avoid hitting me. Yes, a motorcyclist on the sidewalk doing highway speeds. I kid you not.
This morning my bus blew through a red light. At a 3 way intersection of 6 lane roads. Why, oh why did I decide to stare idly out of the window instead of reading my book? No good can come of me observing these things. Granted, this event wasn't a near death experience but it could have been. In my 5 months in Korea I have witnessed or experienced hundreds of traffic violations while riding in taxis, buses and private cars. I have never once witnessed a police officer give a ticket or harass someone for it. It's one thing to overlook parking laws, it's another thing when people are being needlessly reckless on the road. Earlier this year a coworker of mine had to go to the funeral of a young friend who was killed in a motorcycle accident. Sadly, this is quite common. Korea might be a developed country but despite the paved roads and traffic lights, the experience is strangely akin to driving around in India. That is to say, frightening and dangerous.
Positive side:
As much as I hate corporate, pseudo Christian/pagan holidays, I'm enjoying doing Valentine's Day projects with my kids. They love all of the arts and crafts and a holiday devoted to saying 'I love you' and chocolate. What could be better for 6 and 7 year old kids? Nothing. I am going to feed them chocolate late in the afternoon and then send them home to their parents hyper.
This might be slightly vindictive of me. Just a little.
Death by motorcyclist event number two:
I was walking Home from work when a motorcycle zipped up behind me on the sidewalk and had to swerve last minute to avoid hitting me. Yes, a motorcyclist on the sidewalk doing highway speeds. I kid you not.
This morning my bus blew through a red light. At a 3 way intersection of 6 lane roads. Why, oh why did I decide to stare idly out of the window instead of reading my book? No good can come of me observing these things. Granted, this event wasn't a near death experience but it could have been. In my 5 months in Korea I have witnessed or experienced hundreds of traffic violations while riding in taxis, buses and private cars. I have never once witnessed a police officer give a ticket or harass someone for it. It's one thing to overlook parking laws, it's another thing when people are being needlessly reckless on the road. Earlier this year a coworker of mine had to go to the funeral of a young friend who was killed in a motorcycle accident. Sadly, this is quite common. Korea might be a developed country but despite the paved roads and traffic lights, the experience is strangely akin to driving around in India. That is to say, frightening and dangerous.
Positive side:
As much as I hate corporate, pseudo Christian/pagan holidays, I'm enjoying doing Valentine's Day projects with my kids. They love all of the arts and crafts and a holiday devoted to saying 'I love you' and chocolate. What could be better for 6 and 7 year old kids? Nothing. I am going to feed them chocolate late in the afternoon and then send them home to their parents hyper.
This might be slightly vindictive of me. Just a little.
Tuesday, February 10, 2009
Germs, germs, germs
For the past several mornings there has been a routine: wake up, despair at feeling so congested, drag self into steamy shower, make coffee, pull coffee into bed with me, sneeze or cough violently before I can put said coffee down---proceed to spill coffee all over self/sheets/bed, despair at the waste of coffee, finish what's left, get dressed for work. This morning was no different except that in my inbox my Dad had linked me to a recent NYTs article.
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/02/10/health/10klas.html?_r=1
For those of you who just want the basics: basically, I'm screwed at avoiding getting sick. No amount of vitamin C is going to help someone who comes into this much direct contact with the little petri dishes I teach all day long.
*fantasizes about a sterile workplace with lovely white suits*
On the positive side:
-I have a new job for September when my current contract is up in which I will be working substantially shorter hours for substantially greater pay. I am a fan.
-The coffee that is left in my cup is still yummy.
-It is Wednesday and I have shortened morning classes because of GYM CLASS. The best class of all for little kids. Burn that hyperactive energy! Go! The kids love it. I love it. I wish they had gym class three times a week. If they had an English speaking gym teacher it would be easier to market to the parents...
-I discovered possibility C. for next up on my reading list: Cat's Cradle my Kurt Vonnegut, stolen from a fellow expat bibliophile. Much more what I'm in the mood for and better suited for reading in short spurts like I tend to do lately.
-I have lots of clean laundry and can devote my weekend to trying to get the coffee out of my sheets!
...I'm scraping bottom here. My sinuses concur. I fantasize about the weekend. Lots of sleeping in and steamy, sinus clearing showers. Mmmmm.
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/02/10/health/10klas.html?_r=1
For those of you who just want the basics: basically, I'm screwed at avoiding getting sick. No amount of vitamin C is going to help someone who comes into this much direct contact with the little petri dishes I teach all day long.
*fantasizes about a sterile workplace with lovely white suits*
On the positive side:
-I have a new job for September when my current contract is up in which I will be working substantially shorter hours for substantially greater pay. I am a fan.
-The coffee that is left in my cup is still yummy.
-It is Wednesday and I have shortened morning classes because of GYM CLASS. The best class of all for little kids. Burn that hyperactive energy! Go! The kids love it. I love it. I wish they had gym class three times a week. If they had an English speaking gym teacher it would be easier to market to the parents...
-I discovered possibility C. for next up on my reading list: Cat's Cradle my Kurt Vonnegut, stolen from a fellow expat bibliophile. Much more what I'm in the mood for and better suited for reading in short spurts like I tend to do lately.
-I have lots of clean laundry and can devote my weekend to trying to get the coffee out of my sheets!
...I'm scraping bottom here. My sinuses concur. I fantasize about the weekend. Lots of sleeping in and steamy, sinus clearing showers. Mmmmm.
Monday, February 9, 2009
A Brief Literary Update
I finished George Orwell's Animal Farm today. It is my 4th Orwell novel and definitely my least favorite (in order of consumption: 1984, Down and Out in Paris and London, Burmese Days). I love political satire, I have even waded through Voltaire's satires in French. My main problem with Animal Farm is how much he has simplified the various aspects of humanity into flat stereotypes of the dull witted human. I suppose it could be a commentary on how important the role of universal education is but it ended up making me more frustrated with the characters than anything. Supposedly, this is negated by the fact that they are animals who merely seem to have human traits, such as speech but I don't think it's entirely successful. There is too much in the narrative that could be mistaken for 'this would work if only this had happened' when in reality he is trying to decry totalitarianism completely.
I'm not sure if this is entirely coherent. I have had an excessive amount of sudafed today as of course, blowing your nose is rather taboo in Korean society and I have a head cold. What do Koreans do? I have yet to discover this.
Next up: Much Ado About Nothing by Shakespeare (gifted to me by a friend who was vaguely horrified that I'd never read it) or Foucault's Madness and Civilization. We'll see how I feel before the bus ride tomorrow. In all likelihood, both will end up in my bag, defeating my never ending mission to try and cut down on how much stuff I lug around with me.
I'm not sure if this is entirely coherent. I have had an excessive amount of sudafed today as of course, blowing your nose is rather taboo in Korean society and I have a head cold. What do Koreans do? I have yet to discover this.
Next up: Much Ado About Nothing by Shakespeare (gifted to me by a friend who was vaguely horrified that I'd never read it) or Foucault's Madness and Civilization. We'll see how I feel before the bus ride tomorrow. In all likelihood, both will end up in my bag, defeating my never ending mission to try and cut down on how much stuff I lug around with me.
A positive bank experience
I feel like every time I post about the bank in Korea or even think about it, I am stressed out and whinging a bit. Last week I spent nearly 2 hours in the bank trying to get money sent to the States automatically every month for college loan repayment. Even if I had spoken fluent Korean I think it would have been a nightmare. In order to not have to fill out customs form every time I had to open a new account, just for overseas remittances, fill out paper work for that, fill out customs sheets, fill out withdrawal forms to have the money taken out of my regular account the day I get paid, put into the new account and THEN sent overseas. I did all of this with a lot of gestures, broken Korean and a couple of phone calls to my supervisor asking her to translate when we ran into a problem that couldn't be acted out/communicated at our level of Korean and English. I wanted to tear my hair out. After two hours all of the paperwork STILL wasn't completed and I had a class that was going to start in 15 minutes. However, the only day of the week I can come to the bank before it closes is Monday. After a few minutes of pointing at the calender we established that I would come in again the following Monday, today. I made sure I was well caffeinated, had a water bottle, and a translator on standby at the office.
I needn't have worried. When I came in, the woman recognized me, had all of the paperwork ready for me AND a different employee ready to translate. The whole thing only took 5 minutes. I was so grateful I could have kissed them both. Sometimes, going to the bank is okay.
I continue to be sick. It is evil. For the first time, I seriously considered calling in sick today. Lots of coffee has helped me get through the day, not to mention sudafed. Also, the great thing about being visibly sick is that your kids feel bad for you and behave themselves without asking. AND I had two kids come and give me candy. I love little kids.
I needn't have worried. When I came in, the woman recognized me, had all of the paperwork ready for me AND a different employee ready to translate. The whole thing only took 5 minutes. I was so grateful I could have kissed them both. Sometimes, going to the bank is okay.
I continue to be sick. It is evil. For the first time, I seriously considered calling in sick today. Lots of coffee has helped me get through the day, not to mention sudafed. Also, the great thing about being visibly sick is that your kids feel bad for you and behave themselves without asking. AND I had two kids come and give me candy. I love little kids.
Sunday, February 8, 2009
Merengue, Salsa....and shopping
I had many things on my shopping list. New jeans, a belt, an adapter, and a winter coat. I ended up buying some fancy stuff for my face, a winter coat, and a leather jacket. The winter coat is great. However, notice that my sweater peeks out from the sleeves. It's one of those stylish winter coats with 3/4 sleeves that demand you buy elbow length leather glove. So while the coat was far less than I thought it would be, buying the gloves will take the price back up I suppose. I tried to buy gloves too but I couldn't find any the right length in Anyang. Very strange, considering how popular these coats seem to be. 
As for the leather jacket? It was on sale, gorgeous Italian leather and I've wanted one Forever. Forever. Those types of jackets will last ages and it will be my spring/fall jacket. Do I sound like I'm trying to justify this purchase? Well, you are absolutely right. I will try to get someone to take a picture of me wearing it next time I meet people at my apartment.
I actually went Salsa dancing! The club played a mixture of merengue and salsa and it turns out that merengue is much easier. I picked up the step in no time and and had a blast being twirled around. Salsa is another story. The step is more complicated so I had to expend a lot of energy thinking about what my feet were doing instead of just enjoying myself. I'm addicted to merengue. I would like to practice salsa a little more before going out again, at least the step so I don't have to think about it quite so much. The club had an interesting mix of Latino army boys, Koreans (who had obviously taken the classes), and random Itaewon foreigners. It was nice being in the minority as an American teacher I suppose. My only complaint: the amazing merengue and salsa music was interspersed with some truly bad hip hop. Hip hop clubs and bars are a dime a dozen, especially in Itaewon. If you are the Salsa club of Itaewon, stick with your branding. Most of the people left the dance floor for these numbers. Don't get me wrong, I love hip hop clubs for dancing but it wasn't what I was there for.
Tonight was supposed to be Benjamin Button but my friend got the dates wrong and it actually comes out next weekend. This is probably a fortunate occurrence as I'm sick, yet again and would have annoyed the rest of the movie patrons by coughing, sneezing and blowing my nose throughout the movie. You know how in movies they have those sterile rooms and people have to be hosed down before and after the room? I want one of those at the entrance to my classroom. Also, face masks should be mandatory for all of the kids. Mandatory I tell you.
While walking home from the store today, one of the people who works at the sam gip sal restaurant I'm always going to said hello and asked me where I was going in Korean and I UNDERSTOOD. It was exciting. I was even able to say 'home!' My ghetto Korean is blossoming. I do feel slightly gratified that at least I know the alphabet. There are plenty of foreigners here who don't. This week: Valentine's day. It's actually a kind of fun holiday though I dread the sugar highs from all of the candy on Friday. Also, the red and pink is a bit nauseating. But other than that, fun!
As for the leather jacket? It was on sale, gorgeous Italian leather and I've wanted one Forever. Forever. Those types of jackets will last ages and it will be my spring/fall jacket. Do I sound like I'm trying to justify this purchase? Well, you are absolutely right. I will try to get someone to take a picture of me wearing it next time I meet people at my apartment.I actually went Salsa dancing! The club played a mixture of merengue and salsa and it turns out that merengue is much easier. I picked up the step in no time and and had a blast being twirled around. Salsa is another story. The step is more complicated so I had to expend a lot of energy thinking about what my feet were doing instead of just enjoying myself. I'm addicted to merengue. I would like to practice salsa a little more before going out again, at least the step so I don't have to think about it quite so much. The club had an interesting mix of Latino army boys, Koreans (who had obviously taken the classes), and random Itaewon foreigners. It was nice being in the minority as an American teacher I suppose. My only complaint: the amazing merengue and salsa music was interspersed with some truly bad hip hop. Hip hop clubs and bars are a dime a dozen, especially in Itaewon. If you are the Salsa club of Itaewon, stick with your branding. Most of the people left the dance floor for these numbers. Don't get me wrong, I love hip hop clubs for dancing but it wasn't what I was there for.
Tonight was supposed to be Benjamin Button but my friend got the dates wrong and it actually comes out next weekend. This is probably a fortunate occurrence as I'm sick, yet again and would have annoyed the rest of the movie patrons by coughing, sneezing and blowing my nose throughout the movie. You know how in movies they have those sterile rooms and people have to be hosed down before and after the room? I want one of those at the entrance to my classroom. Also, face masks should be mandatory for all of the kids. Mandatory I tell you.
While walking home from the store today, one of the people who works at the sam gip sal restaurant I'm always going to said hello and asked me where I was going in Korean and I UNDERSTOOD. It was exciting. I was even able to say 'home!' My ghetto Korean is blossoming. I do feel slightly gratified that at least I know the alphabet. There are plenty of foreigners here who don't. This week: Valentine's day. It's actually a kind of fun holiday though I dread the sugar highs from all of the candy on Friday. Also, the red and pink is a bit nauseating. But other than that, fun!
Thursday, February 5, 2009
Dancing and the Button
This Friday I think I am actually going salsa dancing. The other weekend I ended up being too tired to go into northern Seoul, just to have to pay for a cab home an hour later so I decided to stay local in Anyang. Assuming I actually sleep through the night instead of waking up at 3am and staring at the ceiling for a couple of hours I will go into Seoul, eat yummy Bulgarian food and then go dancing. I've never actually been salsa dancing, nor do I know how but I can follow pretty well so it should probably work out. Or be really hilarious to watch. Either way it should be entertaining.
Saturday I need to actually go shopping. I've been putting it off for weeks because shopping in Korea is a bit depressing if you have curves or are larger than a size zero in American sizes. I have never been an extra large and yet voila, I am a size large or extra large in regular shops. It isn't that I feel fat, it's that I need to constantly remind myself that I have a lovely body and that it is simply a different shape (ie it has curves). Why the need to shop? Despite my protests to my mother that my winter coat is fine, it has sprung a hole and the lining is shredding. I still love it! It's green! It has fabulous wooden buttons! ...It is also no longer very warm. This is problematic. Also, of the two pairs of jeans that I can wear out at night, one is still covered in gum. A coworker recommended hair mousse for getting it out. We'll see.
I think I'll try to do something touristy on Sunday. If all else fails I'm going to see the Benjamin Button movie at night, which just came out here, with a group of girls. We think ogling Brad Pitt is a fantastic way to end the weekend. Also, something about the movie being nominated for some award. :)
The commute: Right now I'm reading Animal Farm by George Orwell. I think I am the only person on Earth who hasn't read it. Going to 3 different high schools probably had something to do with that. I've read 3 of his other books though, all of which I adore to bits so it was time. I'm not sure how I feel about it, it's definitely not my favorite but I'm only 50 pages in. The satiric aspects remind me a great deal of what Voltaire was trying to do with Candide and L'Ingenue. I finished the Hemingway book and despite the slow start, it finished brilliantly. I disagreed vehemently with the reviews on Amazon, I think the readers only read the first half of the book because the character's aren't flat just because we don't get to read much of their internal dialogue. I think I'll give Hemingway another chance and buy some of his more famous works. I really enjoyed his prose.
Saturday I need to actually go shopping. I've been putting it off for weeks because shopping in Korea is a bit depressing if you have curves or are larger than a size zero in American sizes. I have never been an extra large and yet voila, I am a size large or extra large in regular shops. It isn't that I feel fat, it's that I need to constantly remind myself that I have a lovely body and that it is simply a different shape (ie it has curves). Why the need to shop? Despite my protests to my mother that my winter coat is fine, it has sprung a hole and the lining is shredding. I still love it! It's green! It has fabulous wooden buttons! ...It is also no longer very warm. This is problematic. Also, of the two pairs of jeans that I can wear out at night, one is still covered in gum. A coworker recommended hair mousse for getting it out. We'll see.
I think I'll try to do something touristy on Sunday. If all else fails I'm going to see the Benjamin Button movie at night, which just came out here, with a group of girls. We think ogling Brad Pitt is a fantastic way to end the weekend. Also, something about the movie being nominated for some award. :)
The commute: Right now I'm reading Animal Farm by George Orwell. I think I am the only person on Earth who hasn't read it. Going to 3 different high schools probably had something to do with that. I've read 3 of his other books though, all of which I adore to bits so it was time. I'm not sure how I feel about it, it's definitely not my favorite but I'm only 50 pages in. The satiric aspects remind me a great deal of what Voltaire was trying to do with Candide and L'Ingenue. I finished the Hemingway book and despite the slow start, it finished brilliantly. I disagreed vehemently with the reviews on Amazon, I think the readers only read the first half of the book because the character's aren't flat just because we don't get to read much of their internal dialogue. I think I'll give Hemingway another chance and buy some of his more famous works. I really enjoyed his prose.
Tuesday, February 3, 2009
Jeans in the Freezer
Yes, that's right. I have a pair of jeans in the freezer. They are keeping my ice cubes company. In reality, they are there because I brushed up against a pole in Seoul last weekend and got gum all over the back of the leg. I think I will leave them there until this weekend before I put myself through the torment of picking off someone else's old gum stuck to the leg.
On a more cheerful note, it makes me want to name my refrigerator. I can't believe I hadn't named it already. Probably because there is never much food in it, only beer and bottled water. This week there are 3 different varieties of uudong (spelling...in English....not going to happen). I know you aren't supposed to go food shopping when you are hungry but it's the only time I can remember to go. I do miss the 24 hour grocery store that was on my block in Manhattan. Every week at 3am I would get hungry while studying, realize I was out of food and then was ABLE TO GO GROCERY SHOPPING instead of being miserable until morning. Unfortunately, I tended to mutter to myself about which lunch meat to buy--in French. I didn't realize I did this until someone started to chat me up in French and I couldn't help thinking, 'how on earth does he know that I speak French?' It wasn't until I got home that I realized what must have happened.
Apparently crazy is sexy. Who knew?
...I fear that gum on my favorite jeans is not so hot.
On a more cheerful note, it makes me want to name my refrigerator. I can't believe I hadn't named it already. Probably because there is never much food in it, only beer and bottled water. This week there are 3 different varieties of uudong (spelling...in English....not going to happen). I know you aren't supposed to go food shopping when you are hungry but it's the only time I can remember to go. I do miss the 24 hour grocery store that was on my block in Manhattan. Every week at 3am I would get hungry while studying, realize I was out of food and then was ABLE TO GO GROCERY SHOPPING instead of being miserable until morning. Unfortunately, I tended to mutter to myself about which lunch meat to buy--in French. I didn't realize I did this until someone started to chat me up in French and I couldn't help thinking, 'how on earth does he know that I speak French?' It wasn't until I got home that I realized what must have happened.
Apparently crazy is sexy. Who knew?
...I fear that gum on my favorite jeans is not so hot.
Monday, February 2, 2009
French hip hop and the Novel
Ever since I got an itunes gift certificate as a belated Hanukkah present, I've been binging on trashy French hip hop. I can't help it. If there isn't anyone around to speak to in French, at least my ipod can sing to me in French. And besides, with a name like Henri*, he is Meant to play French music.
*I name all of my favorite things. My hot pink ipod is Henri, my house plant is Hejin, my coffee pot is Bernie, my computer is Hermione....I also name hated things so I can more aptly swear at them. For instance, the printer/photocopier at work is Bellatrix. My left foot/ankle is Richard (think of that great nickname) and so forth.
I wrote the opening page to my novel at my desk this morning before classes. In all likelihood, I will rewrite every word before I get to page 5 but I'm doing it. I think I want to do a highly fictionalized account of my time in Korea, with nonlinear jumps to the character's childhood....scenes that relate, themes that repeat in her life, etc. The more I write, the less she is me and the more she becomes her own person. I couldn't stop thinking about what I wanted to write next on the bus home, and I would have pulled out my notebook and jotted down notes but it was rush hour and I didn't have a seat! I practically ran home from the bus stop, trying not to forget the details of the scene I had set up but by the time I got home it was already jumbled and frustrating to remember what it was I wanted exactly. I think I need to outline things better so that I can forget and change details at will.
Actually, writing about my frustration with forgetting the details helped me remember them and I just went back to a word document and outlined what I wanted to do. The thing with doing something nonlinear means that I need to plan much more carefully or it will just end up being confusing and muddled.
I think writing will inevitably increase my reputation as a bit of a nutter in my neighborhood. I was definitely muttering to myself as I dashed home. To be honest, the muttering was the least of it--I was also gesticulating wildly. There was definitely a crazed look in my eye when I sprinted up the 6 flights of stairs to my apartment. It is entertaining that the words seem to be bursting from the seams and yet each spurt seems to result in so few pages. However, I have always had the hardest time with beginning papers. Setting up my thesis and introduction for research papers always took me longer than writing the body of the 5 or even 20 pages. It's just that a perfect beginning makes everything else flow with minimal effort, at least for me. I'm not sure if that logic quite follows with fiction but we'll see.
In the mean time, I will enjoy my French hip hop and smatterings of indie rock that I downloaded. I have strange taste in music but somehow it all works out.
Currently reading: The Garden of Eden, Hemingway. I tried to start Friedman's The World is Flat but I disagreed with the introduction so violently that I had to put it down. I like reading works that contrast with my own worldviews but jabbing angrily at my book and scowling while I'm on the bus is a little much for Korean bus patrons. I tried Hemingway as a kid and hated it but have been persuaded by a friend here to give his prose another shot. Considering my love of modern literature, it is a bit of a travesty that I haven't really read anything he's written. After all, my 12 year old self probably found his world of sex and booze a bit much to overlook. I didn't love the first few chapters but it is definitely growing on me and suddenly I realized that I'd read 60 pages without noticing. The plot line is fascinating but the characters are hard to empathize with and leave me wanting to smack them around the head a bit.
*I name all of my favorite things. My hot pink ipod is Henri, my house plant is Hejin, my coffee pot is Bernie, my computer is Hermione....I also name hated things so I can more aptly swear at them. For instance, the printer/photocopier at work is Bellatrix. My left foot/ankle is Richard (think of that great nickname) and so forth.
I wrote the opening page to my novel at my desk this morning before classes. In all likelihood, I will rewrite every word before I get to page 5 but I'm doing it. I think I want to do a highly fictionalized account of my time in Korea, with nonlinear jumps to the character's childhood....scenes that relate, themes that repeat in her life, etc. The more I write, the less she is me and the more she becomes her own person. I couldn't stop thinking about what I wanted to write next on the bus home, and I would have pulled out my notebook and jotted down notes but it was rush hour and I didn't have a seat! I practically ran home from the bus stop, trying not to forget the details of the scene I had set up but by the time I got home it was already jumbled and frustrating to remember what it was I wanted exactly. I think I need to outline things better so that I can forget and change details at will.
Actually, writing about my frustration with forgetting the details helped me remember them and I just went back to a word document and outlined what I wanted to do. The thing with doing something nonlinear means that I need to plan much more carefully or it will just end up being confusing and muddled.
I think writing will inevitably increase my reputation as a bit of a nutter in my neighborhood. I was definitely muttering to myself as I dashed home. To be honest, the muttering was the least of it--I was also gesticulating wildly. There was definitely a crazed look in my eye when I sprinted up the 6 flights of stairs to my apartment. It is entertaining that the words seem to be bursting from the seams and yet each spurt seems to result in so few pages. However, I have always had the hardest time with beginning papers. Setting up my thesis and introduction for research papers always took me longer than writing the body of the 5 or even 20 pages. It's just that a perfect beginning makes everything else flow with minimal effort, at least for me. I'm not sure if that logic quite follows with fiction but we'll see.
In the mean time, I will enjoy my French hip hop and smatterings of indie rock that I downloaded. I have strange taste in music but somehow it all works out.
Currently reading: The Garden of Eden, Hemingway. I tried to start Friedman's The World is Flat but I disagreed with the introduction so violently that I had to put it down. I like reading works that contrast with my own worldviews but jabbing angrily at my book and scowling while I'm on the bus is a little much for Korean bus patrons. I tried Hemingway as a kid and hated it but have been persuaded by a friend here to give his prose another shot. Considering my love of modern literature, it is a bit of a travesty that I haven't really read anything he's written. After all, my 12 year old self probably found his world of sex and booze a bit much to overlook. I didn't love the first few chapters but it is definitely growing on me and suddenly I realized that I'd read 60 pages without noticing. The plot line is fascinating but the characters are hard to empathize with and leave me wanting to smack them around the head a bit.
Sunday, February 1, 2009
Groupies, Art, and a Novel?
Friday was the day from hell, as my ipod broke and I really wasn't feeling well. Teaching when you are not feeling well really, really sucks since you still have to be positive and out going. I went out to dinner with a friend and then called it a night. It was good to get out and be a little social but I wasn't up to going out.
Saturday was mainly devoted to Battle of the Bands. It was a blast getting ready with these three girls. One girl, S., made signs, one for each of us supporting our friends' band. And then came the tank tops decorated with Sharpies and glitter--the works. The band name: Polar Bears in Disguise. I actually managed a pretty good polar bear with sun glasses and of course, holding a beer. Apparently those art classes in France paid off. I ended up leaving early from Battle of the Bands because I committed the ultimate drinking sin: drinking on an empty stomach. I'm usually religious about eating big dinners before I go out, even if I'm not drinking much, because let's face it, I'm a fairly small person. In addition to that I usually have to eat a snack in the middle of the evening's festivities because my metabolism is so fast that if I don't keep noshing on something it will be messy as well. What happened? I had a late lunch and I just wasn't hungry. I wasn't sick or anything but I wasn't feeling stellar either so I left around midnight and went home to sleep it off. Oh well, we all make mistakes sometimes.
Sunday I Finally, FINALLY went to see the art exhibit at the Seoul Museum of Art that I've been meaning to go to for a month. It's imported from the Centre Pompidou in Paris and is a collection of French (or mainly French and French influenced) artists from the 1900s depictions of heavenly themes. Arcadia (the exhibits actual name) was fantastic. It was well hung, lit and organized. What did bother me was the fact that all of the signs, all of the catalogues were only available in Korean! There is a large expatriate community in Seoul and there were definitely other expats at the show. I would have bought a catalogue but it's no fun having one you can't read! I was surprised they didn't at least import a small box of English or French catalogues from the Centre Pomidou if they weren't going to print their own. I did buy a nice collection of post cards, none of which I'm actually going to send out since I can never manage to get to the post office here when it is open. I might use them to decorate a bit in my apartment though. It's so drab but I am loath to put energy into a place that is so temporary. I did it for 6 years in dorm rooms but my dorm rooms were all bigger than this! Next year I'm going to get a 2 bedroom place with a friend and it will be lovely and I'll make the effort to decorate. For now, I don't spend enough time in my apartment to make it truly worthwhile.
After the art show, I was sitting with my friend, E. (who accompanied me to the show), talking about writing. E. wants to start working on a novel, or possibly a collection of shorter stories about his experiences in Korea. I love writing. I'm always writing, in one way or another. It got my wheels turning and suddenly, I blurted out: 'Me too. I want to write a novel. Why not? We should make a pact to write 10 pages everyday or something.' Even if it's terrible, if I never show it to anyone, it would be a fun project. I'm not sure what I want to write about. I've had a lot of interesting experiences but I think a more fictionalized autobiographical work would be more fun and considerably easier to write. On the way home, it's all I could think about, turning ideas over in my head and considering. This brings me to yet another reason why I hate my apartment: I have no table, no desk, nothing. Where am I supposed to do my writing?
Saturday was mainly devoted to Battle of the Bands. It was a blast getting ready with these three girls. One girl, S., made signs, one for each of us supporting our friends' band. And then came the tank tops decorated with Sharpies and glitter--the works. The band name: Polar Bears in Disguise. I actually managed a pretty good polar bear with sun glasses and of course, holding a beer. Apparently those art classes in France paid off. I ended up leaving early from Battle of the Bands because I committed the ultimate drinking sin: drinking on an empty stomach. I'm usually religious about eating big dinners before I go out, even if I'm not drinking much, because let's face it, I'm a fairly small person. In addition to that I usually have to eat a snack in the middle of the evening's festivities because my metabolism is so fast that if I don't keep noshing on something it will be messy as well. What happened? I had a late lunch and I just wasn't hungry. I wasn't sick or anything but I wasn't feeling stellar either so I left around midnight and went home to sleep it off. Oh well, we all make mistakes sometimes.
Sunday I Finally, FINALLY went to see the art exhibit at the Seoul Museum of Art that I've been meaning to go to for a month. It's imported from the Centre Pompidou in Paris and is a collection of French (or mainly French and French influenced) artists from the 1900s depictions of heavenly themes. Arcadia (the exhibits actual name) was fantastic. It was well hung, lit and organized. What did bother me was the fact that all of the signs, all of the catalogues were only available in Korean! There is a large expatriate community in Seoul and there were definitely other expats at the show. I would have bought a catalogue but it's no fun having one you can't read! I was surprised they didn't at least import a small box of English or French catalogues from the Centre Pomidou if they weren't going to print their own. I did buy a nice collection of post cards, none of which I'm actually going to send out since I can never manage to get to the post office here when it is open. I might use them to decorate a bit in my apartment though. It's so drab but I am loath to put energy into a place that is so temporary. I did it for 6 years in dorm rooms but my dorm rooms were all bigger than this! Next year I'm going to get a 2 bedroom place with a friend and it will be lovely and I'll make the effort to decorate. For now, I don't spend enough time in my apartment to make it truly worthwhile.
After the art show, I was sitting with my friend, E. (who accompanied me to the show), talking about writing. E. wants to start working on a novel, or possibly a collection of shorter stories about his experiences in Korea. I love writing. I'm always writing, in one way or another. It got my wheels turning and suddenly, I blurted out: 'Me too. I want to write a novel. Why not? We should make a pact to write 10 pages everyday or something.' Even if it's terrible, if I never show it to anyone, it would be a fun project. I'm not sure what I want to write about. I've had a lot of interesting experiences but I think a more fictionalized autobiographical work would be more fun and considerably easier to write. On the way home, it's all I could think about, turning ideas over in my head and considering. This brings me to yet another reason why I hate my apartment: I have no table, no desk, nothing. Where am I supposed to do my writing?
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