This week'sWeekly Writing Challenge asks bloggers to answer the phrase "I wish I were..." This phrase has so many different meanings. Age, appearance, knowledge, locations, languages...there are so many ways you can answer this question. What do I wish? I wish sometimes that I could be 'there,' not 'here.' Hold on with me for a moment while I explain what I mean. I never realized how big the world was until I took that 36 hour trip over here to South Korea from America. It's the moment when you realize...hey, there are things that I'm gonna miss out on because I can't just board a plane and be to my destination within one day. It's an absolutely terrifying thought sometimes. There are a couple, quite significant, events that I ... Read More
Archives for October 2012
Foreign
This week's Weekly Photo Challenge asks readers to post a photo of something 'foreign' to them. As most of you know, I live in South Korea as an English teacher, and have been for the last eight months. Seriously, everything is foreign to me. I'm constantly caught of guard by little things, and this reminds me even more that I'm an alien in a strange land. I've gotten pretty used to the food...but sometimes a certain side dish can throw me of guard. It's quite normal to get a side dish of pickled radishes, seaweed, kimchi, rice, cabbage salad, and some sort of grass salad with red paste on it. What I wasn't expecting was, when we went to a BBQ restaurant, to get a side dish of chilled octopus tentacles covered with red paste and served on ... Read More
Sorry if i’m rude, i’m american.
It has become strangely clear after 8 months, our culture (American) and Korean culture are completely different, especially when it comes down to customs, etiquette, and manners. I am still constantly learning 'no, no's,' which a concerned Korean will so gently mention to me AFTER I have done something 'offensive.' Sigh. Yes, I know the stereotype is that we're all just rude, loud, obnoxious foreigners, but I really wouldn't mind living life without offending the natives each and every day. What am I talking about? Check out the list I've composed of rules to live by. 1. DO NOT blow your nose in public...or wipe it for that matter. For the first several months I was constantly sick. I swear I've never had so many sinus colds in my life. ... Read More
Expat resources
Hey readers...especially expats! Check out the new page above labeled 'Expat Resources!' I've started compiling a list of online resources that ship to Korea/Worldwide! This not only helps me, but it may help you. Enjoy. :) ... Read More
As the days get colder
Fall is not a season that wants to linger here in Geoje. The farmers have almost harvested all the rice, and the fields are left an empty burning mess. I swear there's a haze that just won't leave, as the smoke refuses to rise. We were not blessed with spectacular trees here in Geoje, although I heard there are some absolutely amazing natural fall 'decor' a little north of here. I do miss the bright oranges, yellows, and pink leaves of the maple trees though, along with the pumpkin spice lattes from Starbucks (who would have known that Starbucks in a different country doesn't celebrate my favorite season with this delectable drink?!) , the sound of geese migrating south, and of course the excitement as the holiday shopping draws near. It ... Read More
Big
For most people, when they think of the word 'big' they're thinking about the biggest ice cream cone they've ever seen, the biggest race they've ever won, the biggest steak they've ever eaten. On an normal day, during a normal week, I'd be thinking along the same lines. But I'm not. It's big news that has spurred on my inspiration to write/blog about this week's photo challenge subject. What is big to me? It's the moment when you hear about something that touches down to your very soul and you can't help but want to react. This is Mr and Mrs J, with one of their many grandchildren. I have known this family since before I could remember. I grew up with their children, worked at their non-profit Christian camp (Sagrada Scholarship Bible ... Read More
Colors of change
Red, yellow, orange, pink. The colors of fall look quite a bit different on this side of the world. I'm used to the vibrant pink and yellow leaves of maple trees, the bright orange cheery glow of pumpkins that are for sale at a nearby grocery store, the clever reddish/brown fall pattern on my 'to go' cup of my delicious spiced latte. Fall looks different here. Blue, gray, white, green, purple. I stare out at the blue ocean bay that only hopes to change color by reflecting off it's surface the colors of the sun. I walk through the tall gray and white buildings that have been here for less than 30 years, but from the looks of it, they have not fared so well. The dark green silhouette from the pine trees on the mountains remain the same ... Read More
Chuseok
It took me a while to actually figure out the title of this post. Yes I know, how can a person get any more basic than 'Chuseok?' I wanted to think of something clever, something sentimental, something that would truly define this ever-so-welcome Korean vacation, but the truth is-I couldn't. You see, there was just too much to tell for a mere title, to many memories. A few words cannot even due it justice >>Wait a moment as I go grab my can of beans that I have warming up for dinner (don't judge). I'm settling in for the long haul on this post.<< Alright. Chuseok. It's a national Korean holiday celebrating harvest and prosperity, as well as paying tribute to ancestors. Most of my students were pretty excited about this ... Read More
24
My 24th birthday. To be honest, I feel a little cheated about my 24th year, because in Korea I'm actually already 25. I'll be 26 when the lunar new year hits. I seriously had to think about how old I was, and it took a while to figure out I was only turning 24. Where have all these years gone? I know im still 'young' and 'fresh,' but I feel like it was just yesterday that I got my first job working at Sonic Drive-In, or walking into my first class at College of the Ozarks (Comp 101 8:00 am with Dr. Barnes). I used to look forward to turning another year older...but after 21, my mind started changing...and now i'm like CRAP. I'm getting old. You don't start to feel old until you teach kids who were born in 2007, and they can't even ... Read More