Apparently this week, my sinus' decided they didn't like Korea anymore and have gone on strike, you know from helping me breathe. I am Feeling pretty gross. I am popping airborne like crazy in hope to prevent it from turning into a sinus infection. I also looked up methods online to alleviate the pressure. I have spent most of my classes today massaging my own face. The kids asked me why and when I explained it was completely lost in translation. I think they think I am crazy. Oh well. Tonight I intend to practically take a bath in Nyquil to help knock me out so my body can recover. I guess it has just been a stressful week. My body is feeling it.
Hopefully I will feel better tomorrow. :)
Thursday, January 28, 2010
Monday, January 25, 2010
It only took two years...
Too bad it is only a foot tall. I guess I will have to wait a few more for a western sized table. :-) haha
Also, I included a picture of the painting I made to go above it. :) I have since moved it down so it isn't so awkwardly high like it is in these pictures.
Also, I included a picture of the painting I made to go above it. :) I have since moved it down so it isn't so awkwardly high like it is in these pictures.
TOP FIVE!
TOP 5 RESTAURANTS WE ENJOY:
O. So - Traditional korean Barbecue which is really nothing like BBQ americans associate with. Raw meat is brought to you on a plate and you cook the meat on a small grill on your table. The side dishes are awesome. Egg, Spicy Soup, Grilled Garlic and Bean paste, fresh romaine and sesame leaves to make wraps, and of course Kimchi. It also helps that is directly across the street from our apartment.
3692- Similar to O. So in that it’s specialty is Korean BBQ bu the flavor is completely different. They are known for their sweet sauce. It is out of this world. The atmosphere of 3692 gives it an edge beyond other eateries in the area. Low lights, floor level tables, and a great traditional ambience as you sit, legs crossed, enjoying your meal.
VIPS- This is an American style Steakhouse with a Korean flair. This is no Longhorn knockoff. It is better compared to Ruth Chris. The steak is top quality and we were assured by our Korean hosts, NO MADCOW, you know like those blasted Americans.
American Pleasures: These are a few of our favorites because they remind us of home. Also the quality of all of the menitoned restaraunts is phenomenally better here for some reason. Mac Donalds, KFC, Burger King, BBQ Chicken (that is the actual name -but the fried chicken is awesome), KRAZE burgers, etc.
LeAmo- Not the best we have ever had, but if you want some pasta this is the place to go. It is a brief taste of Italian that hits the spot when we get a craving.
O. So - Traditional korean Barbecue which is really nothing like BBQ americans associate with. Raw meat is brought to you on a plate and you cook the meat on a small grill on your table. The side dishes are awesome. Egg, Spicy Soup, Grilled Garlic and Bean paste, fresh romaine and sesame leaves to make wraps, and of course Kimchi. It also helps that is directly across the street from our apartment.
3692- Similar to O. So in that it’s specialty is Korean BBQ bu the flavor is completely different. They are known for their sweet sauce. It is out of this world. The atmosphere of 3692 gives it an edge beyond other eateries in the area. Low lights, floor level tables, and a great traditional ambience as you sit, legs crossed, enjoying your meal.
VIPS- This is an American style Steakhouse with a Korean flair. This is no Longhorn knockoff. It is better compared to Ruth Chris. The steak is top quality and we were assured by our Korean hosts, NO MADCOW, you know like those blasted Americans.
American Pleasures: These are a few of our favorites because they remind us of home. Also the quality of all of the menitoned restaraunts is phenomenally better here for some reason. Mac Donalds, KFC, Burger King, BBQ Chicken (that is the actual name -but the fried chicken is awesome), KRAZE burgers, etc.
LeAmo- Not the best we have ever had, but if you want some pasta this is the place to go. It is a brief taste of Italian that hits the spot when we get a craving.
payday
We had our first pay day today. Well, technically it was supposed to be Thursday but our boss gave us an advance because our debit card that has worked the whole time we were here somehow demagnetized. The timing of it all was spectacular. It was directly after we had been in the big store Lotte Mart picking up a million things for our place. We even bought some furniture. We made our way up to the check out lane, scanned everything, and with a huge line of Koreans pressing in behind us staring as they commonly do when foreigners are present we were declined. The sales clerk looked at us as if to say, "where is your money at?" We didn't know what he problem was at the time so we had her run it again several times and then abandoned my beautiful new dining room table. I was so angry. It was so cute. It is a floor level table (We wanted to go uber Korean) and a beautiful set of pillows for seats. We looked lie a couple of broke aliens in the middle of our city's most crowded shopping plaza. The next day (today) we were scheduled to go to the bank with one of our school associates Sean who would help us set up an account at a Korean bank. The bank checked our card and said the strip was bad. :( Oh well. Sean and Jack talked and our school said they would pay us a few days early since we had no cash. We had just been using our debit card for Wachovia because I had gotten it approved to work in Korea. It was a fiasco.
Along with the department store drama, it has been a fairly easy going week. It is testing week for January, so all our classes are very quiet and relaxed for the first half of the week at least. The good news is we share the same bank as our school so the deposit showed up immediately. It as awesome. :) We withdrew some cash and by God I am buying a dining room table tonight after work. I don't care if I have to carry it the mile and a half back to our apartment or not. (Probably not though. haha Thank God for Taxis)
I dedicate this post to Jennifer who is bored at home on baby bed rest and checks my blog all the time. You're welcome. haha
Also, check out our pictures of Sang Mu Market. It was beautiful. It is set up every Friday along the Street and next street over from our apartment and school. You can view them HERE
Along with the department store drama, it has been a fairly easy going week. It is testing week for January, so all our classes are very quiet and relaxed for the first half of the week at least. The good news is we share the same bank as our school so the deposit showed up immediately. It as awesome. :) We withdrew some cash and by God I am buying a dining room table tonight after work. I don't care if I have to carry it the mile and a half back to our apartment or not. (Probably not though. haha Thank God for Taxis)
I dedicate this post to Jennifer who is bored at home on baby bed rest and checks my blog all the time. You're welcome. haha
Also, check out our pictures of Sang Mu Market. It was beautiful. It is set up every Friday along the Street and next street over from our apartment and school. You can view them HERE
Tuesday, January 12, 2010
Our walk to the store.
It was beautiful on the way to the store today. So I decided to put up a few of the pictures i took. I hope you enjoy. I f you wan to see more clicxk on our link to our gallery.
Monday, January 11, 2010
The Hans
Here are a few of the recent pictures from our school. Most of them are from my (CRystal's) classes and a few are just of the school itself. :)
All the classrooms are named after American and European influential universities.
One of my brightest students!
Here is a quick video of one of my classes reading their story book.
FOR THE FULL ALBUM VISIT OUR GALLERY
All the classrooms are named after American and European influential universities.
One of my brightest students!
Here is a quick video of one of my classes reading their story book.
FOR THE FULL ALBUM VISIT OUR GALLERY
Tuesday, January 5, 2010
It has been snowing in Gwangju the last few days and may continue tomorrow. It has been beautiful, but freaking freezing as I mentioned in my last post. I will also include a few pictures in this post of the snow. I am beginning to miss Florida on days like these. haha We walked home tonight with pretty intense snow. The best part was when Jack decided he wanted to try a "Risky Business" moment. He went to slide in his traction-less steve madden dress shoes and in an instant he was gone. It was a flash of bookbags and 100 won coins. He had just counted change to see if we had enough for dinner. In addition to the snow falling a glimpse of silver caught the air as 2800 won worth of 100 won coins flew through the air. Jack feet went practically up over his head and he landed on his back/left shoulder. At first I was freaking out because he looked stunned like it had hurt him badly. Once I realized he was okay I just started laughing. The best part was the extra ten minutes we had to stand out in the snow to dig up our money. We normally wouldn;t have cared because it is roughly about 2 or 3 dollars US, but we weren;t sure if we had enough for dinner. He made it.
As much as I am picking at him, it cant be said that I had a bright moment this morning when I chose to wear boots that had heels on them. I came quite close to eating the icy pavement about thirty times on the way to and from work today. It was pretty hilarious. Oh well. Tomorrow=tennis shoes and no more Tom Cruise moments for Jack.
Second Day
Today was our second full day of teaching. It was a bit harder than yesterday. There are far less breaks on tuesdays and thursdays. It makes the day go faster, but it seems a bit more rough. Nothing to serious though. I am looking forward to going to O.So tonight. We discovered it last night. Two other foreign teachers, Peter and Leah, from the middle school campus took us last night. It was AMAZING.
We also found out we have been eating Gambi incorrectly the last few times we have gone out. They fill the table with side dished and sauces. One of the things brought to the table is a basket of lettuce and sesame leaves. We had just thought it was an uninspiring salad, but it is actually supposed to be used to make wraps with the meat. All along we have just been picking up the meat and leaving the other stuff alone. It definitely explains a lot of the weird looks we have been getting when we go out to eat at different places. haha We love it though. It also doesn't hurt that this particular restaurant is directly across the street from Landpia (our apartment building). A good choice the last two days since it has been snowing like crazy here. Quite a bit of a change from the sunny Florida weather we are used to.
More updates later.
We also found out we have been eating Gambi incorrectly the last few times we have gone out. They fill the table with side dished and sauces. One of the things brought to the table is a basket of lettuce and sesame leaves. We had just thought it was an uninspiring salad, but it is actually supposed to be used to make wraps with the meat. All along we have just been picking up the meat and leaving the other stuff alone. It definitely explains a lot of the weird looks we have been getting when we go out to eat at different places. haha We love it though. It also doesn't hurt that this particular restaurant is directly across the street from Landpia (our apartment building). A good choice the last two days since it has been snowing like crazy here. Quite a bit of a change from the sunny Florida weather we are used to.
More updates later.
Saturday, January 2, 2010
res⋅o⋅lute: /ˈrɛzəˌlut/ [rez-uh-loot]
Resolute:
–adjective
admirably determined, purposeful, or unwavering
1. firmly resolved or determined; set in purpose or opinion.
2. characterized by firmness and determination, as the temper, spirit, actions, etc.
I find the definition of this word a bit ironic when coupled with our most predominate usage of the word around this time of year. Each year we write out, blog, etc. our goals for the year. The most common are lose weight, quit a bad habit (smoking, drinking, and so on), and get out of debt. However, it would seem to stamp the term resolution on a goal is almost to damn the idea. You resolve to do a few things and have most likely failed or progressed in the opposite direction by the end of January.
With that as the case I have refused to make resolutions this year. I am simply going to list a few hopes and if I achieve them all the more empowerment for me. If I do not, it will not end my world as I know it. It will be a minor dissapointment.
Last year Jack and I wrote out goals as a couple and seperately. For the most part, we accomplished nearly all of them. We got a dog, a new job, moved abroad and traveled abroad several times (Brazil/Korea/Bahamas and a few others), and are on our way to getting out of debt. All in all, not bad for a years work. This year I have a few additional items to add to our list of aspirations and goals.
1. Travel to at least two more countries not previously visited
2. Finish getting out of debt and paying off at least one whole school loan.
3. Thrive at my new school in Gwangju as a foreign language teacher.
4. Read more.
5. Learn as much Korean as I am able to. (which honestly may not be much but still will be fun and rewarding)
6. Learn new video/photo editing software
7. Do more sweet things for those who deserve it in my life
8. Take photography more seriously. I want to take an amazing picture worth framing in my home.
9. Forgive several people in my life whether they say sorry or not.
10. Make time to go hiking when it warms up. :)
–adjective
admirably determined, purposeful, or unwavering
1. firmly resolved or determined; set in purpose or opinion.
2. characterized by firmness and determination, as the temper, spirit, actions, etc.
I find the definition of this word a bit ironic when coupled with our most predominate usage of the word around this time of year. Each year we write out, blog, etc. our goals for the year. The most common are lose weight, quit a bad habit (smoking, drinking, and so on), and get out of debt. However, it would seem to stamp the term resolution on a goal is almost to damn the idea. You resolve to do a few things and have most likely failed or progressed in the opposite direction by the end of January.
With that as the case I have refused to make resolutions this year. I am simply going to list a few hopes and if I achieve them all the more empowerment for me. If I do not, it will not end my world as I know it. It will be a minor dissapointment.
Last year Jack and I wrote out goals as a couple and seperately. For the most part, we accomplished nearly all of them. We got a dog, a new job, moved abroad and traveled abroad several times (Brazil/Korea/Bahamas and a few others), and are on our way to getting out of debt. All in all, not bad for a years work. This year I have a few additional items to add to our list of aspirations and goals.
1. Travel to at least two more countries not previously visited
2. Finish getting out of debt and paying off at least one whole school loan.
3. Thrive at my new school in Gwangju as a foreign language teacher.
4. Read more.
5. Learn as much Korean as I am able to. (which honestly may not be much but still will be fun and rewarding)
6. Learn new video/photo editing software
7. Do more sweet things for those who deserve it in my life
8. Take photography more seriously. I want to take an amazing picture worth framing in my home.
9. Forgive several people in my life whether they say sorry or not.
10. Make time to go hiking when it warms up. :)
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