Apparently I am getting Old

I have been getting the weirdest headaches lately. I would consider a few of them to even be migraines. I decided to go to the doctor for them. One of the first things he asked was the last time I had my eyes checked. It was several years ago. I bit the bullet and went to an eye doctor. Upon completion of my visit I realized my prescription has doubled... Awesome. Let the aging begin! haha! Health care in Korea is relatively cheap. I got two pairs of glasses from the cheapest section. They are definitely an Asian brand however. They are both very big and super hipster-y. It wasn't my intention, they were just cheap. Just give me a scarf and a starbucks cup and I am officially cool again. So the bad news is I am getting older and apparently blinder; the good news is I look super cool doing it (and by super cool, I mean I look a little like Lisa Loeb and a hoot owl had a baby). I love being unintentionally trendy because I am cheap. haha

Care Package

So our care package arrived form home today. We were very excited. I am so happy I get to have lucky charms. :D

Spring has Sprung

Today Jack and I enjoyed a nice stroll down by the river near our apartment high rise in Sang Mu. The whole trail was filled with beautiful cherry blossom trees lining the street. It was really peaceful and fun. Spring has brought with it new and beautiful life.

Korean Spring Time: Yellow dust and Festivals Galore

Korea in Spring time is one of the most beautiful places as well as one of the most potentially painful. Sandstorms and/or duststorms affect the Korean peninsula each spring and come from the sand deserts of the Gobi region and Loess Plateau in the Asian continent. The area of Asian dust source regions cover most of northern China and Mongolia. What might look like pollen is actually a yellow dirt filled with sulfur and pollution that is kicked up by the winds in the Gobi region. When leaving the apartment some day what seemed like a cloudy day through the window turns out to be a dust filled day. Many Koreans wear medical masks on these days to offsets it's affects of the respiratory system. They can be quite severe with those with respiratory issues like me. I have borderline asthma which is induced by allergies. It is pretty rough but the great festivals of the season keep bringing me outside for more.

There are a number of festivals throughout the Spring season. There are lovely cherry blossom festivals all the way to a festival for anchovies. Quite a strange spectrum to go from end to end of but it is worth it. Last year we attended several of these. Included in our festivals were the bamboo festival as well as the green tea festival. This year I am hoping to go to the one of the many cherry blossom festivals as well as the Hampyeong butterfly festival. Now I just have to see if I can get Jack on board for this. Butterflies don't rank high on the manly scale. haha.

Homeward Bound

We are officially coming back to America. Granted it isn't for another 85 days, but we are very excited about it. Jack and I are applying all over the place back home for jobs and cant wait to get back. We will be landing in America on June 28th. We have not decided whether we are flying back into Atlanta or Jacksonville yet. We are going to decide based on where we get jobs. Wherever we get jobs will will fly into the opposite city so we can spend a bit of time with our families. I am hoping that somehow we wind back in Jacksonville. I would really like to be back in that area. I miss the beach so much and our friends. We should find something out within the next few weeks so we will keep you all in the loop.

Birthday moments...

As you saw in the last post, yesterday was my birthday. It was an uneventful day as I just slept late, talked to my mom a bit, and went to work. The day immediately picked up after we left work. We decided we would go somewhere nice for dinner (my party was last weekend) so we went to VIPS. It is a really great steakhouse in Sangmu. The only problem was getting there. We have become pretty accustomed to walking everywhere since we have been in Korea. We don't mind at all since everything is super close and public transportation in Korea may be the best in the world. We were trying to be all uppity and fancy for the birthday so we took a takshi (taxi). Big mistake. I knew something was wrong when he pulled the opposite side of the street to pick us up rather than just making the u-turn to come get us. It was freezing outside so I wasn't going to complain. I just wanted to be warm. We jumped in and immediately my radar went off. The taxi wreaked of alcohol. Then I told him where to go and he slurred it back out to me. I am lucky to have made it through my birthday car ride. So, today I am thankful for another year and surviving another drunken taxi driver.

Happy Birthday to me.

Jack was sweet this year and surprised me with an all expenses paid girls night out with all my friends for the night. We went to Fridays where this little serenade took place. Obviously, it was a little embarrassing. :D

Winter Camp

The Winter camp curriculum I developed is apparently being sent to the leader of Compass learning in Seoul. I am really excited. If they like it, I could get freelance work creating curriculum for them. :D

Around the World in 30 Days Curriculum

Korean Shoot-out

The weather has actually started to warm up over the last week. It has been glorious. Today was a great afternoon in Sang Mu with our friends. Apparently in South Korean it isn't uncommon to have stores set up that seem a bit like a fair booth on the inside. Today all the foreign teachers from our school(minus 2 who were celebrating a birthday in Seoul this weekend) and a few friends from Kumho Dong went to go to a shooting range. A strange idea in the grand scheme of things as Korean citizens do not have the ability to have firearms legally. We walked in and if you hit the targets you get prizes. Instead of actual guns there were super high powered air-soft rifles and pistols. It was awesome. The GA girl in me came out as I enjoyed shooting at things. I wasn't great at it, but I blame the equipment. The rifle just shot sporadically. I would shoot and not move at all and pull the trigger again and it would go in the opposite direction. Jack on the other hand did great. I don't mind though because he gave me his stuffed animal key chain prize. :D

Justin and Amber are married!

This weekend was our friends' wedding in Seoul. Justin and Amber got married on January 30, 2011 at Doeksugung Palace in Seoul. Enjoy this quick preview video and photo album I created.


JABOOK

If you would like to see the full ceremony, visit the links below:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TF53pqF7QEk (PART 1)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IZE_F5TZycM (PART 2)

Winter Camp is Over!

Well winter camp is finally coming to a close. I must say it was a bit sad to see some of the students leave. Some students come to Hans specifically for camp and are not regular attendees for classes. I will miss them. The camp was a lot of fun. The theme was Around the World in 80 Days (well, 30 for our purposes but who cares, right?) We ended it today with a trip to Chile complete with rain-sticks from the Atacama Desert. Also, we watched the movie "Around the World in 80 Days." The Jackie Chan version, not the old one. Koreans love them some Jackie. I think overall it was successful and I can't wait to get the paycheck from it. :D I am going to keep adding to my shopping list of things for my future house.

Here are some pictures from throughout the camp.

Latest Book Published while in Korea

This is a learning and reading comprehension book that works with our online learning module through compass learning.

History Book

New Year, Fresh Start

Well the year has come and gone there will be a post later describing things learned and reflections, but this is more of a shout out to the coming year. Today we started our new slew of classes. While the thought of getting roughly 36 new classes at ten or so students a pop seems a bit overwhelming, it is the thing I love most about today. I was able to get rid of my worst classes as well... That sounds awful, but I am stoked. Also, my junior high classes are all A and B level. That means they are the smartest and most well behaved. I am loving it!

Also, I have a bunch of new younger students. My phonics level kids are the cutest things. They are all six or seven and barely know the alphabet. Being unattended by a translator has been interesting, but it is nothing lots of hand signals and google translate cant fix. :D I am looking forward to my gloriously clean slate! :D I hope that they will stay in this groove and eventually open up more and speak English.