Global "unglued"

it's that time of year where we don't know what else to do, but gather at the bar in the name of farewell and end-of-year celebrations.

what happens when you hear you have a four-day weekend

blue eyes blue

myself and the wonderful Min-ju lookn' toasty

Me & Joon (the hot bartender at WA Bar)

slacker & a celebration

perhaps I should call the "picture-a-day" posts off because apparently I can't remember to upload pictures everyday, and when I do I lack the motivation. ugh. anyways we are going to change it to a "post-a-day" which is much easier since I don't have to hook up or upload anything to blog.

So last Tuesday (Christmas Day) we went to a duck restaurant for "Carla-teacher's" farewell party. Moreover, we also celebrated Carla and Young-Jin's engagement!

carla & young-jin
the ring and the smile

the bread & butter of Global

the duck and all that jazz

Christmas Eve (pic-a-day #7)

Despite the fact that I felt like I was the only person in the world who had to work, it was a good day. I taught my students "Twas the Night Before Christmas" and they actually seemed to enjoy it. Of course they could have been feigning interest for my sake, but who cares. One of my classes (the class that I'm constantly butting heads with) gave me a Christmas card and a few invites to spend time with their families. Anyways later that night Jason (another teacher) and I went to a most amazing sam gyop sal restaurant. Here is a picture of me and the 할머니(literally: an elder woman). Not sure if was the owner or just worked there but she was completely taken by us. She was beside herself that we enjoyed the restaurant so much.

JYP

the man when it comes to music in Korea. Park Jin-young is a singer and now producer of many of the popular and successful artists. even better is he is fraternizing musically across the world! Ok maybe not a huge deal unless you are familiar with the likes of Mase and Lil' Jon in the states, but he is really awesome and he has a personality that makes you want to take his ass out for a drink! anyways I'm totally dign' Korean music, so I thought I'd get to the source.

Park Jin-Young (JYP)

Bi or "Rain" who works with JYP. His real name is Jung Ji Hoon and his music is like mixing hip-hop with trance. you won't understand unless you hear it.

check out those lips. while I'm still not interested in Koreans in so far as dating, I must admit they are easy on the eyes. The men have really amazing lips and furthermore their legs, thighs and hind parts scream "look at me." I'll take pictures soon to prove my point! ;0)

first issue

just in case you guys don't believe me when I say I'm writing for Global Village, the newspaper for my institution. Two issues have been printed thus far, but here's a picture of the first one. no close-ups because the picture is horrible with a capital H!

First Impressions

Palace (pic-a-day 6)

Gyeongbokgung...in Seoul

Gyeongbokgung Entrance ("gung" means palace)

"haetae" a mythical-like fire-dog that protects the palace

Geunjeoungjeon (throne hall of king)

not exactly sure yet (we think it held water)

more mythical creatures to protect the palace

some of that amazing architecture

me and one of the mythical creatures that protect the palace

throne room

throne

through-way

National Folk Museum of Korea

Hwangwonjeong

A Seoulful Weekend (pic-a-day 4&5)

This weekend I went to a visit a friend who lives near Seoul. Saturday we went into Seoul proper and it was amazing. Seoul is the "New York" of Korea although MUCH denser than the Big Apple. Of course one day was not enough to even touch a third of the city, but here are a few pictures from my adventure. Pictures from the palace are on the next blog...

the old in the new

woman of the hour sporting her lotus

all sorts of pretty

coffee after soju

man of the hour

"The Blue House" a.k.a. the President's house

if you lose your way, or your map, just use the one in the street...

really cool Indian restaurant

tasty!

a little excited about the curry

the luminaries in Seoul (shown only once a year)I love Christmas treesthe luminaries along the water

TGIF!!! (pic-a-day 3)

I'm headed to Seoul this weekend, so lots of pictures when I return...you can actually see how relaxed I am because my weekend has arrived. ;0)

pic-a-day #2

jolly pong...this stuff puts sugar smacks to shame...

Election Day

So somehow it's 5 am and all of Korea is asleep, but I have to drag my ass out of bed for a 6:20 am class for students who will be 15 minutes late yet expect me to be "bright-eyed and bushy tailed." Today is an Election Day also. Over half of Korea is off of work, but the teachers of Global Foreign Language Institute are not so lucky.

I'll post the results of the election later...

bridge (pic-a-day #1)

Here is my bridge in the morning. I call it my bridge because at least 3-5 times a day I walk up the steps, over the bridge, back down another set of steps, and then back again. My day begins and ends here. It's become such a constant in my daily life that I instantly recognize when something is "out of order" like a piece of discarded trash or a glove that has fallen out of someone's bag. Even the people like me who cross on a regular basis now nod in passing with a smile instead of staring blankly at me.

I've been thinking about all the things that are really "constant" in my life, and all the things that I only perceived as constants.

smurfs

my "pic a day" blog is coming in a few hours, but I had to post the fact that it's 8:30 am and the Smurfs on on t.v.! I feel like I'm eight years old again, and playing hooky from school, it's awesome. But damnit it's in Korean! Why I would be annoyed or surprised considering I am in Korea is of course a little uncalled for, but still. till later...

coming soon to a blog near you...

As a blogger I spend a lot of time also reading other people's blogs. It's kind of like a tit for tat kind of thing. Besides it's impossible to keep a blog and not read other blogs, especially those that run along your same lines of interest. so the other day I was reading an apparently very popular blog that has existed since 1989 or maybe earlier I'm not sure! Anyways this blogger began posting a picture a day and then writing about it and how it fits into his life at the moment in 1989. While I do try to keep my blog somewhat individual from others there is a certain level of likeness to others that is in every blog. I usually would just post pics or ideas as they come without paying mind to the ins and outs of my favorite blogger. However, after reading through many posts of the "pic a day" blog I have become inspired to do the same during my stay in Korea. I will begin my "korean picture a day" with the next post. Do understand that just because I'm in Korea that not every picture will be Korean.

some of the people in my day to day life...

"likki" and "jenipal"

midget lovn' in Korea"jenipal" with the office guys "jackie" and "he"

the way hot teacher "tim" and myself (I look pregnant! I promise it's not even a remote possibity)

welcome to my humble abode...

for those of you who think I've been living in a cardboard box in a country you may equate with Mars because of how far away it is...it's not true! lol

"tis the season..."

where I entertain...myself

where the magic takes place

where I pull lesson plans out of my arse so I can play teacher...

yes I look rough, it's sunday...

oil spill

this weekend I visited Taean to help with the oil-spill-clean-up. the beach was beautiful however, seeing the damage up close was heartbreaking. here are some pics although not in order which they were taken...

your's truly in like 4 layers...I felt like a walrus!

someone made a mound and prayed over these rocks

somehow the oil made it's way all the way up to the rocks...

help is on the way...they informed me it was an American ship

the people I met on the way to the beach who asked me to join them

one the helpers who told me he loved the Golden Gate Bridge

before clean-up next to the bags that had piled up in just two days

food line

clean-up crew

really cool Korean

around 430 it began to snow...

all in a day's work

today I spent literally 10 minutes explaining the words "excrement" and then "bowel movement" all because of an article making a comparison. just imagine this please and then imagine one of my quieter students all of sudden piping up out of the blue with "shit jenipah, i think you mean shit." All I can think is this really happening to me? Did this kid really say shit, when I've spent ten minutes trying to work my way around that word?

articulate

you must know
I have something
I want to say
but there is
something
pressing my words
together.
vowels no longer vowels
and the
consonants no longer consonants
the paper is just a
blank space
where my pen
can release it's ink
in meaningless scrawl.
I envy my pen


jnw
tbc...

one of my favorite quotes of all time...

“Remember to be gentle with yourself and others. We are all children of chance and none can say why some fields will blossom while others lay brown beneath the August sun. Care for those around you. Look past your differences. Their dreams are no less than yours, their choices no more easily made. And give, give in any way you can, of whatever you posses. To give is to love. To withhold is to wither. Care less for your harvest than for how it is shared and your life will have meaning and your heart will have peace.”

Kent Nerburn

So yes truth be told, I've a favorite Korean song at the moment. My students love that I can sing some of the song in Korean and of course the English part of the chorus. Some days my "teaching" just isn't enough and so my students enjoy hearing about my adjustment on a day to day basis as if it's the latest gossip. I can say "this is present continuous..." or "Englishee is not a word, it's English" and their eyes begin to glaze over, but the minute I ask "where can I find the best kimchi bokim bap" they perk up with "Oh jenipah your pronunciation is good, you almost Korean, but we tell you good kimchi bokim bap place."


Anyways this song is called Lies or Koh Ji Mal by a group named Big Bang.

oil spill

My heart is breaking to see the coast of South Korea. Some of my students, who are usually not concerned about anything, are even talking about the spill. It's damage is far-reaching and even my students understand that the repercussions of this spill are far more serious than one can anticipate. A habitat for migratory birds has all but been eliminated, as well as miles of beach being contaminated including a major marine farm. The smell of oil can, according to our newspaper, can be smelled up to 10 miles away in some areas! Imagine. One thing that did annoy me is that my students seem to be more worried about tourism rather than the ecological side of things. Furthermore they reiterated that the fact that "thankfully" people tend to vacate to the east and south so not all tourism and commerce would be affected. WHO GIVES A DAMN? What about the homes of people who live near the beach, and most importantly what about the animals and contamination of the ocean. Of course many of them can't and maybe won't grasp the complexities of the situation. I know I shouldn't be so hard on them because they are just being realistic, but if you've seen the pictures and you give at least two cents about the environment, well you'd be annoyed as well. or maybe you wouldn't...

The New York Times did an awesome job of covering the story not to mention the amazing but heart wrenching photos...here are a few of them.

just venting...kinda

ok so I'm a slacker, but to be honest nothing really exciting happens in my day to day life. other than the fact that some days I smile at my students all the while wishing I had a taser (is that spelled right?) or stun gun. And another thing. Do not hold it against me if when I talk to you (those of you back home) I sound like I'm in a hooked-on-phonics session. I have lost my ability to articulate myself intelligently. There are days my students ask me a question and while I may know the answer I can't express it to them in my English because they don't understand, and I can't express it in their English because well I just can't. So I end up looking like an idiot. Am I making sense? I had a nightmare the other night. In it a friend who is just as much the fan of literature as I am, asked me had I read a particular book and my opinion. The conversation went something like this...

friend: "Jennifer have you read (insert author's name that bears a lot weight with the title)"

(I get the feeling in my dream that although I can't see my friend's face that these conversations about books and authors of considerable merit are common, and I am expected to understand why my friend has asked me have I read this book as well as the author and all that jazz. BUT I DON"T!)

Jennifer: "no I have not (placing emphasis on the a in have) i like to read that storey I think."

friend: (with a disgusted look that only a friend whom you have disappointed in the lowliest way possible could use) "wtf jennifer wtf" (not using the acronyms of course) and walks away.

This dream, seemingly real, leaves me with a sense of panic when I awaken. Not because I'm worried I might be confronted immediately upon arrival with someone who is seeking my thoughts on such and such book, but that any conversation I have when I return home will be similar. I am by no means a know-it-all. In fact I really know nothing, but I have thought (thought btw being the operative word) I was intelligent (on a small scale) and some days I even thought I might possess a thread of intellectual ability. NO this not the case at all, and if you have thought along these lines at any point in time please reassess. Whitman says "I am not what you supposed, but far different." There are deeper meanings to these lines that go beyond anyone's perceived intelligence of another, but I feel similar with how I may have been perceived. It's just a feeling I get of how I was perceived because I really don't know how others see me, but just so you know I don't know anything, and furthermore what I do know and think I have no idea how to articulate it. To make mattes worse, now when I try to write since I apparently can't verbally communicate there is like this huge blank space between me and my pen and paper. For some reason I can't write. So in summation I'm like a pressure cooker over here in the "land of the morning calm." Actually the only thing that really has given me a sense of calm is just writing random observations and of course Whitman. Why do I keep coming back to him when before now I never mentioned him. Because I never realized until Korea what kind of impact his work has had upon me. More on Whitman's (not the the chocolate) has had on me later...

Anyways I'm not writing this for any kind of response. As a matter of fact, I don't want a response because this blog is a rant that really only makes sense to me. I can't figure out how to vocalize or explain my perception of my predicament. This is just an observation I have made in between having conversations with different people and spending time alone on the weekends. I have spent the last two weekends at home in a sort of fog because by the end of the week I'm too drained to travel. Do not frown, for I truly enjoy this time to myself, and am actually quite selfish with my time. No I'm not withdrawing socially, because I do go out, but the majority of my time is spent surrounded by people so a day to myself is like a reprieve from the chaos. Anyways the aforementioned problem is also one of things that keeps me from updating this as much as I had planned. well that and the fact that I don't have a camera at the moment, but all of that will change this friday. I'm buying a camera and I will begin picture posting and hopefully get back into the groove of blogging.

please excuse me while I get a glass of milk...

doing nothing does something...

ugh

I apologize for my lack of motivation in blogging. I just can't bring myself to post random stuff, at least not until I buy a digital camera (coming soon) and then I can post random pics from my daily life in the "land of the morning calm. For now though spending all day with students having to talk like I'm in a hooked-on-phonics session leaves me so drained I can barely think about putting a full thought together. I promise soon...