Happy New Year!

Happy New Year From Seoul!

Actually- I have not reached midnight, but I am just saying it in advance!
I get to experience New Years 14 hours ahead!
Last year I was 3 hours behind in San Francisco!!!

After work I am going to meet some friends!!!! Can't wait :) :)

Happy 2011 everyone!!!!

Much Love,

Kristen

Merry Christmas!!!

Merry Christmas!!!!!!!!
I cannot believe it is Christmas. Everything is blowing my mind!!!!!!!!
Last night I taught until 10 PM and thought, wow this is definitely a new kind of Christmas Eve. Thankfully the kids were really good yesterday and they all wished me a Merry Christmas!

Now I am in my apartment with some coffee and full after the delicious omelette I made myself and I am ready to skype my family back home! I do miss Christmas Eve at home because of everyone getting together and having the family dinner.
It is something I took for granted all these years.
However, I am completely happy with being here in Korea and I am planning on having a fabulous day with some friends :)

Merry Christmas to all!!!!


Kristen

Here We Come A-wassailing...

I found this amazing Christmas song by a songwriter named Kate Rusby. She kind of sounds a little like a folk singer, but her Christmas songs are awesome.
Her songs are comforting and make missing home a little easier for me. In my opinion, having Christmas in Seoul is sad because I do miss being home for the holidays, but there is not as much build up and hype here. This makes it easier because then I don't think of it as often.

The post office situation is ridiculous that I have now come to the point where I Fed-Exed five cards to my Mom so that she can give them to my family. I still want them to feel loved even if I can't be home :)

I received a package from my parents with gifts and a mini-Christmas tree! It looks great on top of my TV! Christmas morning I will open gifts and skype with everyone!

Next week at school will start "intensives" I will be teaching three extra morning class 9:30-12:30 and then my 4-10 PM shift. It only goes for four weeks and I will be making some extra cash. I could have done four classes a week, but I do hear that intensives get rough and you start to really need the caffeine every day.

My Friday night class is probably my favorite class this term. The middle school kids are funny and they don't disrespect me (yet) haha. I am glad that my weekend gets started on a good note and not an exhausting draining kind of night.

The weekend went well and I got together with some friends in Itaewon which is where most of the foreigners live. We went to a Thai place to eat and then some bars afterwards. Such a great night!
We also went to a Nori-bong (or Karaoke in Korean) It was hilarious with all the 80's songs we sang to and of course some Mariah Carey!
I also requested Piano Man by Billy Joel because we all know he is my favorite. Plus I really didn't need the words on the screen because I know them by heart :)

Sunday I finally made it to Harry Potter! Great movie and I can't wait for the second part to come out. The Korean subtitles were an extra bonus! At least the movie was in English!!

Last night Racheal, Brandon, and I went to this one fish place where they grilled the entire fish. We had the head, tail, and had to spit out some bones!! It was super delicious and reminded me of a fish I had in Vietnam. It was a rather tender mackerel fish! The kimchi soup was great too, extra spicy!
Very successful weekend and I am looking forward to this week!

Stay Warm!

Kristen

Christmas is coming!

Hey Hey Hey!

Only two weeks until Christmas! Can you believe it?!?
I have officially been in South Korea for four months as of today. The thought of it is absolutely ridiculous. I have experience so much already and cannot wait to see what life throws at me for the next eight or more months.

I hope everyone has been buying all of their Christmas gifts and not waiting until the last second! I hear there has been some crazy weather back in Rochester and probably all throughout the country too.

My weekend was filled with some new adventures to some places I have not been to in a while. I went back to a place called Insadong which is known for many art galleries and little shops. I bought a couple of things, but was really cold so I decided to go somewhere inside.
I also found a gym about seven minutes away from my apartment! I was super excited because when you go from running and working out everyday, to not doing much physical activity it makes you irritated and frustrated. At least it made me feel that way.
It was my second day of going to the gym and running! It will be good for the winter months when I can't run outside or really enjoy much of the weather.

Yesterday I actually had a full day! I skyped with my parents, Grandma-Loie, Matt, and Claire! I was able to see the Christmas tree but with no decorations yet. I will miss decorating the house and the tree :(

I then went with Racheal to get my haircut!!! I got a bunch cut off because I didn't think it was very healthy. I also have the side bangs again and I really like it. After haircut we went to a cafe and prepped for our classes. We went to this really cool art building where the cafe was on the sixth floor.
The cafes here in South Korea are everywhere and the unique ones are the best. We sat there for a couple of hours and attempted to get everything done, but was not as successful as we hoped.
Dinner was delicious at a great Italian place and to top off the night with some Chai tea at an Indian Restaurant!

Having Monday's off is a plus, however it does confuse me on what day it is when I get back to school.
My classes are still going well and the students are (hopefully) enjoying my class :)

Take Care!

Kristen

Start of Winter Term

Week One? Check!
I have finished week one with my new kids! I like my younger kids a lot because they are interactive during class. I can also be more interactive with these younger classes because it is a lower level.
For example, during the first half an hour they look at a couple of pictures and come up with words they think of when they see these pictures. The pictures are about the story we read in class.
Last week the picture was about camp. I asked if they have ever been to any camps and started a discussion that way.
They have been to Academic camps, but nothing like we have for summer camps. I told them about my experience at Camp Stella Maris. It brought me back to how much fun I had during the summers as a kid.

I have only taught two middle school classes so far. My third middle school class has been cancelled for the past two weeks for exams they are taking. I will get to meet them next week. So far, the middle school kids are respectful of me. It is really the only thing that I ask :)

Nothing too crazy happening here. Yesterday I went to Namdaemun market with Rachael to get more Oatmeal! They have the huge container of Quaker Oats. I like it more than cereal because I can't have milk anymore. We also found this one place in the market selling coats for really cheap. I bought a pretty blue coat that will be warm in the winter.
We just did some exploring and ended the day with some delicious Kimchi Soup!!!

Today (Monday) I have school off. I don't teach on Monday unless someone needs me to sub for their class!
I will be heading to a coffee shop and prepping for all my classes this week. Hopefully it won't take me TOO long to prep :)

Enjoy your week,

Kristen

It's Getting Cold!

Brrrrrrrrr!!! It is definitely getting chilly here in Seoul!
Saturday night was probably the coldest it has been. I walked outside at night and had to go back in my apartment to get a warmer coat.

Everything is going well here. I know there is probably a ridiculous amount of media coverage about North Korea, South Korea, The United States, and China, but honestly I do not hear about any of it. I have to make it a point to go on the Korean English News Source, The New York Times, or CNN.
Last night there were some riots from Korean War Vets rioting about North Korea. I am not positive where this was held but I didn't see anything.
Like I said before, I have a bag all set just in case of anything.

This weekend went by way too quick!

Friday night was the big party to celebrate the end of the term. We were also celebrating new people coming in and saying goodbye to the co-workers leaving. It was a great time. We had Korean BBQ and toasted with some beer and soju.
I was able to talk to some co-workers I don't usually get to see or talk to. When you work with over 45 people, it is hard to get to know each person well.

Saturday I went into school to get some of my "welcome letters" done for my classes this week. We give them a letter, syllabus, and what our rules and expectations for the term.
This term I going to most likely have Mondays off. Yeah three day weekend!!
However, Saturday I found out one of my co-workers strained her voice really bad from singing. She went to the Hospital and the doctor told her not to speak for at least a week.
Therefore I am going to take over two of her classes! I did welcome letters for her class and all of the paper work.

Next week another co-worker asked me to take over three of his classes while he goes on vacation. They are upper-level classes which I am a little nervous about, but should be a good experience.
I figured i'll get the extra hours and when I need people to help me in May for Matt's wedding, maybe they will remember some hours I took for them.

Saturday night I went out with my friend Aisling and a couple of other Irish girls. We went to an Indian restaurant where we sat on the ground with comfy pillows and had an awesome meal.
I don't usually do Indian because of how sick I was in India, but this was delicious.

Sunday I went to a couple of coffee shops and sat down and prepped for my classes this week.
I am going to be teaching younger kids around 8-10 and than two other age groups that I am not entirely sure of yet.
I am exciting about teaching the lower level because I hear I can be more creative! I have also already written down what I want to do differently for this term. Some of my rules did not stick for the 13 weeks, so I want to do a better job at enforcing them.

From what I have heard, everyone had a great Thanksgiving! I definitely miss that Macy's Day Parade! I totally forgot about it until I skyped my parents and they were watching it.
Christmas will be without a doubt a lot harder. I have never been away for Christmas. I will still make sure to do something fun with friends and celebrate the season with some Christmas treats:)

Have a great week!

Kristen

I'm Okay!

Hey!
Just thought I would write a quick message to say despite all the news about North Korea firing shots into South Korea, I was not physically affected.
I had a couple of loving friends and family write on my facebook wall and wanting to know if I was alright.
My Faculty Manager e-mailed us and told us if anything did happen where we needed to leave the country- we would be the first to know. Her husband would have to leave to go to the military as well as a lot of our Korean staff. They would all have to report to the army ASAP.
However, I do know where the US Embassy is here in Seoul. I have registered with them and they would send me alerts if an emergency did happen. I also know where the nearest evacuation site is right next to my school. I have some things packed just in case of anything.
Just wanted to let you know I am prepared for whatever :)

Thank you for all your thoughts! I appreciate them so much!!!

Kristen

Week 13!

Hello All,

I have reached week 13! It is my last week with these kids that I have had for a while.
I will be sad to see a lot of them leave my class, but some kids it will be a dream to not have any more.

My faculty manager has already started with our schedule and it looks like I will be teaching some listening classes as well as reading. I am up for the challenge because I already know of so many things I want to do differently.
This new start reminds me of new semester in college as well. I had the chance to kind of whip off the slate of the last 15 weeks of college and I will do the same here.
There are a couple of girls who want to have me again as their teacher! I will have to see if I will be teaching the next level up of Par Listening or even Par Reading.

Well- last weekend I had a really great time. I went down to Ulsan to visit my friend Zach for his 26th Birthday Party!
THe KTX (fast train) was a piece of cake. I arrived in Ulsan at around 10:15.
We went to a bar to meet some of his friends and have some dinner. One of his friends who has been in South Korea for only a month, actually went to John Carroll! She graduated in 2008 and I kind of remember seeing her around but cannot be sure.

After dinner we went to a dance club near by and danced all night long. It was great! We kept requesting some Western songs but they were in a "techno" beat.

Saturday Zach told me he had to work from 2-6. Zach is also an English teacher for a Private school. He told his director I was from a Public school and how I wanted to see what a private school was all about.
Obviously this was a lie because I work for a private institute. It worked out well until she kept asking me questions about where I worked at this public school and I would always drift off into something different hehe!

I couldn't believe how different my school was. Zach only teaches hour classes and really has the freedom to conduct class as he wants. I have a strict schedule where I must do certain things in my three hour period.
I definitely liked how his school did things, but I also like a schedule where I know what I am doing. I don't think I could do that with Zach's school. There were also only about 10 or so instructors there.

Saturday Night was the big party. The owner of a Bar closed down the Bar to have a party for Zach. There were drink specials for him and he even bought Zach a cake!!
I got to know like 30 of Zach's friends. It was insane how many people know him! I suppose I shouldn't be surprised because that is how it was in college too!

Overall, the weekend was a success. It is really nice to get out of Seoul for a while and experience other places in South Korea. I was able to go to this one park in Ulsan and it was gorgeous. With a couple of lakes, bridges, and the leaves changing, it was picture-esque.

This upcoming week we finish off the term with a huge team party. It will probably be at a Korean BBQ.
Some instructors are taking a term off and there are two new instructors coming in :)

Happy Early Thanksgiving!!!
I will write before then!!

Kristen

And It's Just Another Day in Paradise.

I decided to name my post about paradise because it represents one of my favorite quotes, "Anywhere is Paradise, It's Up To You."
That is a quote that I will be putting up on my classroom white board.
It is true, anywhere can be paradise if you let it be. It is all about your state of mind. If I have learned anything in the past three months it would have to be patience and the attitude that one holds is an incredibly important quality.

The kids is class often say that they cannot do something or achieve something they want. I tell them they can if they put their mind to it. I also have to remind myself of what I was thinking at the age too. I clearly remember telling myself I could not do many things either. It is fascinating what ten years will do.
I know this post is a little strange but I had time to really think about what I have learned in the past couple of months.

This past weekend was filled with some great times. Friday night I went out for a birthday celebration for my friend Brandon.
Racheal and I picked out a cake and I brought it to a bar to surprise him. Racheal invited some co-workers to the birthday bash and it was cool. We sat around listening to stories, laughing, and enjoying the company of everyone. Very successful night.

Saturday I ventured to an extremely busy Seoul Station to buy train tickets to go to Ulsan next weekend. Ulsan is about an hour north of Busan. It will take me about two hours to get their on the KTX train. I am going there for another birthday celebration for my friend Zach from John Carroll. There is going to be a party Friday and Saturday night which I am assuming will be priceless.
Zach is one of the guys who has loads of friends who absolutely cherish him!
I figured why not go and have a good time. Bought my tickets early so that at 7 pm next Friday I can hop on the subway to Seoul Station and roll on out :)

Saturday night I went out with my friend Aisling from Ireland and her two friends Kat and Lauren. We went and had dinner at a Thai and Vietnamese place. I had Seafood Pho Soup. It was delicious! I have not had Pho since I was in Vietnam with my parents in 2008. It brought me back to some fantastic memories. We then went to three bars in Sinchon (town over from me).
I am hoping maybe to visit Kat and Aisling up north where they are teaching for Chungdahm.

Only two more weeks until I have new kids! I will also probably be teaching different programs as well. Maybe listening and speaking classes. I am ready for a little change at school, some different kids to teach:)

Love to Everyone!!

Kristen

Seoul Light Festival

Wahoops! I have kind of neglected my blog for about a week. Sorry about that:(

Last week was good at school. The kids are doing alright and they are finished with their test. Now that they are finished with the test, I have to make sure they still work just as hard as before the test. Even though the test counts for a majority of whether or not they level up, their progress throughout the term and my comments are important as well.

This week I have to do report cards for each kid. It really does not take that long for most of the kids.
Some I have put various extra comments because they need a lot of improvement or comments saying they are the best in the class.
Yesterday I had quite the class. The middle school kids kept texting on their phones and one kid was reading a comic book. I finally took the book out of his hand and put the book on my desk. Sometimes I really wonder what they are thinking.
I mean I understand they already have a lot on their plate at their regular school, but seriously lets try a little bit to pay attention and maybe learn something.

My elementary kids are doing well though. If they get into trouble they don't continue to do what they were doing, which is refreshing!
I like the kids for the most part, however it will be nice to get new kids and to have a fresh start. Now I know what to really implement in the first three weeks. I will have to be strict for the first couple of weeks and then ease up. They need to know what they can and cannot do right away.
After being here for almost three months, I know now what my expectations are for the kids and how I want to approach them.

My weekend was a super R&R weekend. Friday night Racheal and I went on a major face-mask binge.
We went to this one popular drug store called "Watsons" and bought a bunch of face masks. I bought a few to help with my skin and other cleansing ones. They are good to have after a stressful day and a way to wind down.

Saturday I went to Myeong-Dong. I know you are probably thinking I go there all the time, but I really like it there.
It can be overwhelming though. I tend to make small trips instead of dealing with the crowds for six or seven hours.
I bought a warm coat, skirt, and a couple of sweaters. I was going to buy some warm fleece leggings, but I can buy them anywhere. They have snowflakes, reindeer, or different winter patterns on them. They will be super warm in the winter with boots.

Sunday night I went to City Hall which is about a ten minute subway ride from Hongdae. They were having the Seoul Light Festival. It is a huge light festival of around two-hundred separate lanterns all set up on the river. It is a ten day display marking the beginning of the G20. The G20 takes place this weekend in Gangnam, the financial district of Seoul.
Gangnam is where I trained for the first week and I have not been back. I am considering going there to check it out.

The light fest was spectacular and I will have to upload pictures. They had flags from all the countries and different blow up lanterns of the Christ the Redeemer Statue, Statue of Liberty, Big Ben, and the Leaning Tower of Piza all to represent the countries that are coming. I went with my roommate from training, Holly. We met up and strolled around the light fest and went to have dinner after. It was nice to hear her stories about the kids and the branch she works at.

I promise I will write more this week! Happy Daylight savings time:) Hope you enjoyed that extra hour!!!

Always,

Kristen

Silent Disco?

Welcome to November my friends, welcome.

November is such a great month. Usually it is not extremely cold and you can enjoy the fall weather.
I hope that is how it will be here as well.

Well this is the week where all the kids take their Achievement Level-Up Test!
This term I am not administering the test because only the listening-speaking teachers are giving it to them.
I will get a listening class sometime in my year here, but not this time.
The kids are extremely nervous!!! They get nervous for a little test, that I cannot imagine what is going on in their head for this huge test.

On Friday, the head listening instructor/head of the program had a meeting for the new listening instructors on how to administer the test. I came to the meeting too because I am a new instructor who needs to know about the test.
I was able to get a peak at the test my kids will be taking. Lets just say it is no "cake-walk."
There were four sections, writing, reading, listening, speaking.
I remember doing the speaking session back in high school for spanish and it was nerve-wracking.
There is definitely a lot of pressure on these kids here in South Korea to do well.
I just have to remember, compassion for them and passion for teaching.

I had a fun weekend! I rested up on Friday so that I could party for Halloween on Saturday!!
Saturday I walked everywhere because it was a gorgeous day. I was in and out of little boutique stores and just gazed at some things. Saturday night I met up with my friend Aisling from training. She brought two of her friends with her as well.
We went to a little park by my house where they were having this thing called "silent disco."

We grabbed a pair of headphones they were handing out and there was techno-electronic music playing. They had a DJ playing the music and there were at least a hundred people dancing to the music only coming out of the headphones. If you took the headphones off, everyone looked like idiots because there was no music playing outside on speakers and everyone was dancing.
We were dancing with Koreans and some other foreigners as well. It was wonderful to dance and just laugh at how silly everyone looked!
I kept thinking to myself, I don't think I have had this much fun in a long time!
After dancing for a couple of hours, we went to a couple clubs and danced some more!
A good number of people were dresses up for halloween, but nothing like you would see in the United States.
We also did a count-down until Halloween. I felt as if it was New Years!

Sunday Racheal and I went to Myeong-Dong, the shopping district of Seoul. We didn't end up buying any clothes but had a delicious Korean lunch! I had kimchi soup:) It was spicyyy but soooooo delicious!!!

Now this week I have to get my kids focused on the last couple of weeks. I am trying to give them some tips for the test they take this week and of course handing out more candy! They eat chocolate like you have never seen. Yesterday I saw a kids stuff three little bars of chocolate into his mouth. "I'm like woah woah woah, settle down there, don't get too crazy!"

That is all I can think of for now, but there will be more stories this week!!!

xoxo Kristen

Hall-o-Weekend!

Halloween weekend! How excited is everyone from back home?
Halloween is not a very big deal here in South Korea, but Chungdahm and the foreigners try to make it something.
There is a huge company party on Sunday night where everyone gets dressed up. I can imagine that it would be crazy because it is everyone from Chungdahm throughout South Korea.

This week was actually pretty relaxing. I had to administer the practice test to the kids. It was a good hour and a half of just test-taking, so they were tired after the three hours. For the rest of the time we had, I went over test taking strategies as well as the type of questions they will encounter next week on the actual test.

The kids did not enjoy taking the practice test, but it was a nice week for me:) I am ready for the regular schedule to come back, however, I was able to connect a little with some of students who I constantly have to talk to about their behavior.
My new attitude to the kids who misbehave is to make it sort of a joke. If they come back from break with food or are late, I now am trying to say a joke about them being late. I think it lightens the mood and it is a change to me telling them to stop coming back late, talking, etc.

They also LOVE the seven pounds of halloween candy my Dad sent me:) M&M's and Kit-Kats! I have seen M&M's once here in Korea and they are expensive. They were on the floor with excitement when I told them what I had!
Thank you Dad, you are truly the best <3

Right now I am Cafe Bene, the coffee shop where I go to get out of my house and skype some people. It is a gorgeous morning probably about 50 degrees and I am sipping an Americano coffee.
There is also a "photo shoot" going on in the coffee shop. One lady with her nice camera taking pictures of this one beautiful Korean girl. I have seen these photo shoots many times in coffee shops. It is for a certain magazine they have here. She has posed outside, inside drinking coffee, reading a book, and other poses. I find it quite fascinating.

Tonight I might go around town with Racheal and find some cute coats and shoes for her. We get off work at 7PM, so we are able to do some shopping:)
I think there are a couple of Halloween parties going on as well. I just have to figure out what I will be.....
Next weekend my friend Dan from Semester At Sea invited me to a Pub Quiz Night in Cheonan. I went to Cheonan when I first arrived to Korea and it would be fun to go again. He leaves to go travel and then back to the States in November.

Happy Halloween! Drinks lots of cider and eat loads of candy for me :)

xoxo Kristen

Beautiful Autumn Weather

The weather in Seoul has been gorgeous for at least three weeks now. I don't think it has rained in a couple of weeks either.
September was the end of the rainy season and I am hoping that we don't get anymore flooding like we did a month or so ago.

Yesterday was the end of my eighth week. All of my classes were pretty well behaved and I think a majority of them are really understanding and learning something!! I have some doubts about the kids that don't care and don't put any effort towards wanting to learn.
Next week (week 9) I have to administer a practice achievement test to all of my classes. The students come to Chungdahm Mokdong Branch two times a week. One day they come for their Listening and Speaking Class and then they come a second day for their Reading and Writing class. I only teach Reading and Writing this term, but have been trained for Listening and Speaking.
I may teach some Listening classes next term.
Therefore, all of the reading teachers administer a "test prep" session for the kids on how to do well on the achievement test which is in week ten. I will give them tips on certain question types and remind them on listening and reading transition words such as however, finally, on the other hand, etc.
I still have to prepare for next week, so I don't exactly know what the passage and listening portions are about right now.
I do however have to make around ninety copies of the practice achievement test. The practice test is twenty-eight pages.
It is most definitely a lot of paper!! Good thing it is the same practice test for the two different levels I teach. That would have been most confusing. I have to go into school today and make sure I have enough copies because I don't want to be rushing around next week.

I am not entirely sure what I am going to be doing this weekend. I will probably get together with one of my friends from John Carroll who is here in South Korea. Anyone reading this will know if you went to John Carroll, Zach Katris! He has been in South Korea for a while, but lives further south. He is here this weekend for the DMZ tour and other activities I suppose.
I may hit a couple of other markets in Seoul tomorrow as well.

I will leave you with something new I have been doing in my class. I am now giving them a quote of the day. These quotes are about life, passion, success, friendship, and attitudes.
Friday my quote was up on the board. It said, "If you want to be happy, be." It is fun to see what they say about my quotes and to laugh a little bit. I love quotes a lot and I feel that why not bring some of my personality to the classroom :)

Have a fun filled weekend!!

Kristen

Dynamic Busan

All of the signs on the beach and around the streets said, "Dynamic Busan." I guess they are really trying to promote how great it is!
Busan was BEAUTIFUL!

I met my parent near their hotel in Seoul on Friday night after work at 7PM. They had an awesome time in Japan. With great food, informative tours, and fantastic weather, who wouldn't have a great time? They stayed in Kyoto and toured around and went to different places around that area. Kyoto was my favorite place when I visited Japan, so I told them they had to go there!
I wanted to take a week off from work and join them because the essence of Japan is remarkable. I remember what a great time I had there when I went for Semester At Sea. Maybe I will get a chance to go back while in Asia.

Saturday we took the 9AM KTX (fast) train to Busan out of Seoul Station. Even being on the train was cool because I was able to be with my parents and catch up:)
When we first arrived I was a little unsure of what I thought about Busan. Right out of Busan station was a huge area of just shipping and industrial supplies. I knew Busan had a big shipping industry, but just seeing container after container was crazy!

About twenty-minutes later we approached on the area where I knew everyone who loved Busan was talking about. We crossed over a white bridge that looked exactly like the Golden Gate in San Francisco! I looked to my right and left and was blown away. The view was ridiculous. I was extremely taken back and had to remind myself I was still in South Korea.

The day we arrived was sunny and probably about seventy-five to eighty degrees. The sun was shinning and it made the water glisten and sparkle. The mountains were tall and green and I felt like I could stay forever.
We arrived to the "Westin Chosun" about forty-minutes later and settled down in our room. We opened the blinds and wow there was the beach! Literally twenty-feet from outside the hotel was an expansive beach!!!
I could definitely see myself coming back to Busan in the summer for a little R&R and just to take in some rays :)

I took like twenty-pictures from our hotel room, but those were not the only ones I took. We went outside and explored a little before heading out to the largest department store in the world.
We walked in the store and yeah it definitely was a huge place.
The bottom floor was filled with Chanel, Fendi, Burberry, Louis Vuitton, and some other Korean high end stores. I swear the more floors we went up the less expensive the stores were. They also had some sales going on outside each store.
The place was set up almost like a mall, but is a department store. There was not a shortage of stores like Nike, North face, Adidas, Lacoste, and plenty of Korean stores.

We didn't end of getting anything because we really don't need anything. I only wanted to check out the biggest department store and see what it was all about. I can't imagine what that place looks like near Christmas time. Maybe something like Macy's in New York City or Saks Fifth Avenue on Black Friday....
Later that night we went to a restaurant in the hotel called "O'Kims." It was a take on an Irish pub, but had the name Kim in it because it is a popular last name in Korea and the owner of the hotels last name was Kim.
I do like Korean food, but once in a while it is nice to have some food that reminds me of home :)

Sunday we headed out to the Busan Aquarium! Now nothing can compete with my absolute favorite aquarium.....anyone guess what it is???

You got it!!! At the Atlantis!!
However, this aquarium had some species I have never seen before and I was able to read more about them. We also saw a ton of sharks in one tank. Different kinds of sharks with huge teeth. The penguins were also really cute!!!

Later on we took a taxi to a part of Busan where you can see the ocean really well, along with the beach, bridges, and high rise buildings. We ate some lunch and took in the view and walked down a pretty steep road.

We kind of just hung around the beach and walked around. There was also this walk/run for diabetes going on with plenty of white tents around the beach.
Many people were also in the water swimming around or snorkeling.

Ahh I forgot this one hilarious part of the trip! I think it was Sunday that we looked out our window in the hotel room and saw at least fifty people swimming to the shore like it was a race. It must have been a half-mile they were swimming with their wetsuits and swim caps. I still don't know if it was a race or what it was for.

Later on we saw those same people treading water in a huge circle. They were singing and chanting in Korean.
If you were wondering if I got a picture, I did. In fact I even took a video. I couldn't let that scene slip by. It was great :)

The weather in Busan could not have been more perfect. The weather for my parents couldn't have been more perfect either. It was warmer than expected for them, but they did great.
Now I am sitting at my computer shaking my head because I can't believe it is over and they are going home.
We had some hilarious laughs and I enjoyed taking them around for what I know of Seoul.
If they decide they want to come back, I will know more of where to take them!! Or maybe I would be able to meet them somewhere if my schedule permits.

Yesterday I said goodbye in the middle of the subway station. I think it was harder to say goodbye yesterday than when I left in August. Although it was comforting to hear them tell me they feel good about me living here in Seoul.
I will miss them because of what a unbelievable time we had.

If you come to visit me, I will miss you just as much!!!

School is still going good, some kids are getting a little better and getting into the swing of school. Others still give me a hard time and sometimes it gets exhausting exerting that energy toward one student. I have a positive attitude in the classroom which is what I think helps me deal with those situations.
It is already week eight at school and their tests are coming up to see if they will "level-up" to a higher level.
Should be interesting to see how they do.

Sorry this is so long! I had a lot to write:)
Hope all is well back home or wherever you may me!

Always,

Kristen

New Additions

Check out some of my pictures I added.
I added two pictures at the bottom of my blog. One picture is when I got my haircut. Racheal took the picture of guy that cut my hair and I.
The other is my Dad and I at Namdaemun Market last week. I look so happy :)

There are three other mini pictures on the right side of my blog. One of Racheal, Brandon, and I at a palace on Cheseok (Korean Thanksgiving) and the other one is of a fountain right near that palace. The third picture is of Seoul Tower. You can't really see how big it is in that picture, but the view from the tower looking out on Seoul is phenomenal. Just absolutely breathtaking.

I had to stand back and take the entire scene in. It is hard to believe I have been here already for two months.
Some things still feel so new, where others I swear I have been used to for my whole life. It is kind of a hard thing to grasp, but just know I am doing well.

I will write more at the end of the school week. Bed time!

<3 Kristen

What a Great Weekend :)

I had an outstanding weekend!!!
I met my parents at the hotel on Thursday at around 8:00AM. It was fantastic to see them:) We had some breakfast and then went to a shopping market called Namdaemun Market. I bought a few items for the winter months. They also brought me my uggs and winter coats as well.
We went to eat at a traditional restaurant in the market. We had some good items that I have not had before and some other ones I knew they would like. Honestly we did so much I can't remember all we did. I bought a coat, a couple of dresses, and some brown boots. Abolsutely love them:)

Around 2:30 I had to go to work and get set up for the six hours of teaching. I was a little nervous for my 7PM class because it was the one that caused me the most problems. However, one of the girls that misbehaves was not there!! I'll have to deal with her next week, but at least I could control the class the way I wanted to.
The two classes went by fast and I took a taxi to my parents hotel. I had a late dinner and enjoyed a drink too!

The next day I went back to the hotel around 9AM where we had round two of breakfast. It was nice to have an "American" style breakfast. Usually Koreans just take some coffee and baked goods if in a hurry or have rice and kimchi for breakfast.
We went to one of my favorite places in Seoul called Insadong. A lot of arts and crafty places. I bought a dress and a flag!!!
I have been looking for a Korean flag for a long time. We walked around and took in the gorgeous mountains and perfect weather.
I had to go to class again at about 3PM, but only worked until 7PM.

At 7PM, Racheal, Brandon, and I went to meet my parents at a nice Korean BBQ restaurant. Unfortunately the traffic for my parents was awful. It took them almost an hour and a half to get to the restaurant. It is supposed to take twenty-minutes.
The BBQ was fantastic. The meat was nice and tender and I was super full.

Over the weekend we went to all of the sites. We went to a palace, Seoul tower, an electronic market, an old house, another big market, and more. Seoul tower was great because you could see how sprawling Seoul really is. I can picture myself going up to the tower and just relaxing and prepping for classes.

I felt bad because I don't know a lot of Korean and it was a little hard for us to communicate to the natives. My parents thought a lot more people spoke English, but in reality people only know a small amount. It has just recently (last ten years) become a big push to learn English.
We had a fun time laughing and telling stories about what has gone on at home and what my experience has been like so far.
Today they have left for Japan until Friday.
I am incredible jealous!!! Japan is gorgeous and they will love every second.
I will see them again on Friday and we will make our way to Busan for the weekend.

More to come!!!!

Love,
Kristen

TOMORROW!

My parent's flight arrives in Seoul at 4:00 AM tomorrow!!!
I talked to them a couple of hours ago and they were hanging in the Korean Air Business Class Lounge.
They flew from Rochester to JFK and had a layover from like 6:00PM to 1:00AM.
At least they had stuff to do in that cool Business Class lounge.
I figured why not give them a call and tell them to have a great safe flight:)

I can't begin to even write how excited I am for them to come. I know I have already told you about my excitement, but I can't contain it.
It is like the time they came to visit me in Vietnam! We had such a blast exploring and experiencing the culture together.
This time, I get to show them where I have created my "home" for the next year.

I probably won't get the chance to write very much in the next week or so.
I believe they are staying in Seoul until Monday and then make their way to Japan. They are staying where I think is the most beautiful place In Japan, Kyoto. Then on Friday they are flying back to South Korea and we will go to Busan. Busan is on the south-eastern coast of South Korea. We will take the KTX bullet-train there. Busan has the largest department store in the world and has beautiful beaches.
I unfortunately won't be able to experience the beaches, but definitely the stores:)

Okay, time to go prep for the next couple of lessons for the next two weeks. I don't want to be bogged down with lesson plans when my parents are here.
Tomorrow I will head over to their hotel at around 7:30AM and hang around until I have to go to work at 4. I hope they can stay up!!! I didn't tell them it took me ten-days to get used to the time difference. I figured I would not tell them until they read this in my blog.
However, I did have training at 9AM one day after I arrived in South Korea and that made me even more tired. I had a weird sleeping habit because I was studying at the same time.
I have some places I really want to take them. I also have to show them where I work:)
I will just have to inject some caffeine into their system to stay up I suppose! hehehe.

Hope you are enjoying the fall weather!

Kristen

October? Wow!

It's already October!!!
No, but seriously...where has time gone?
Today I am starting my sixth week of teaching!! I also have the joy of getting the middle school back this week. I am actually looking forward to having them back in my class because their lessons are a little more interesting to teach.

This week the lesson is about language diversity. The different dialects of the English language and such. The difference between a person who is from Texas and say New York. I think it will be fun to ask them if they have the same kind of thing in South Korea.
However, I am completely prepared for them to look at me like I should be committed into an insane asylum. I will be sure to let you know how that goes.

I have been trying to think of my favorite part of teaching these kids and I would say it has to just be their smile.
When they finally understand something or just are happy would be what makes my day. There are a few kids who are constantly smiling and I have found I connect with them much better.
I also tend to make fun of myself a lot in class. It may sound weird, but sometimes it is what makes the kids laugh and loosens up the atmosphere in the class. I want to make sure the kids know I make mistakes too and it is okay if they do as well. No one is perfect.

The weather here is getting cooler. I would say about mid 60's and lower 70's. Sometimes it gets pretty windy, especially at night.
However, there is still no sign of the party ending for the college students! It should be interesting to see what the scene looks like in the dead of winter. I hear the girls still wear short skirts but just with leggings and high heels. I am thinking they have to be absolutely crazy. That will not be me. It will be pants, boots, jacket, and scarf. I will bring a little of America to them.

The weekend was a bit of R&R. Friday night we walked around a part of Seoul I have not been to. It is a couple of stops away from where I live. Ewha Women's University is what the subway stop is called. The school looked gorgeous, but I did only see it at night. I will have to go back in the daytime.
Saturday I walked around for like five-hours. I was getting a little sick and didn't want to do any kind of strenuous work. Not that I have been doing anything strenuous....haha
Night time I went out with Racheal, Brandon, and a Co-Worker's boyfriend. He is actually my group leader's (Sasha) boyfriend.
We just had some drinks and called it an early night. Like I said I was feeling a little sick this weekend.

Sunday I went out to get some fresh air and ran into my friends from training!
I didn't hang out with them on Saturday, but randomly ran into them Sunday morning.
We went to Starbucks for some coffee and then caught a movie. I FINALLY got to see the movie I have been wanting to see for almost two months, Eat, Pray, Love.
The movie was really good, although I here the book was better. I should now read the book.
I wanted to see it because it is about a women who leaves her life to travel for one year in Italy, India, and Bali.
I wouldn't say it is exactly what I did, but some of the concepts are the same.
I left to find something new and exciting. I left for adventure and an experience that will be life changing. I did leave the movie wanting to go back to Italy, India, and even venture to Indonesia.

Now I am waiting in a coffee shop for my parents to get on skype. They will be here Thursday!!!!
I better quick learn some Korean before they get here....
Actually we will be just fine:)
Yeah!!

Love,

Kristen

Lazy Days

Alright well not too much has happened since I last wrote.
This week has not been as crazy with the kids because I have less of them. Only the elementary ones have come for week five classes. It is hard to believe I will be prepping for week six of my classes this weekend.
I am thinking of prepping for week six and week seven because my parents are coming to Seoul on Thursday.
I don't want to be doing my lesson plans when they are here. I want to spend the maximum time with them and hope that they enjoy themselves!

Tuesday night I had a dinner with my "group leader" and team at a Korean BBQ place. Each instructor at Mokdong has a group leader who will answer questions, help you in you have any problems, and in my case, watched my TV of my classes a couple times. My group leader's name is Sasha and she is really nice. I think she has been in Korea for about two years now.
She took five of us out to dinner and we had a great time. There were three of us who were new to teaching and three who have been there for a couple of years. Actually, there was a guy who has been in Korea for seven years! He doesn't know any Korean either. I am already feeling like a idiot for not knowing the language. Seven years of not knowing much, that seems crazy to me!

Wednesday I didn't have any school. I slept in and went to go get some breakfast. I then traveled to that same area where I went shopping a couple of weeks ago. I just wandered around because it was a cool fall day. I ended up at this one traditional market called Namdaemun Market. It reminded me of the Vietnam markets my parents and I went to.
They did have cheap things, but it was the atmosphere I admired. There were a lot of people around buying various items like hats, panty-hose, socks, etc. It is kind of just a whole bunch of things mixed together at this market.
It was an outdoor market, but once I walked in I had to stop and take it all in. One of the entrances was on a bit of a slant and I was able to stand at the top and look at the people shopping below.

The scene brought back the memories I had from Vietnam with my parents as well as the feeling of wow, am I really here?
I know I have been in Korea for a while now, however I still have these random moments when I have to take a step back and realize how lucky I am to be standing here right as this moment. It is really remarkable:)

Yesterday when Racheal and I were coming back from class we were watching some weird gigantic blow-up people walking down the street. There were like three or four of these "people-ballon figured" who were advertising the beer "D- Dry Finish." It was almost like a parade with these figured, blow up beer bottles, and women with streamers.
We thought it was pretty odd. Although it was more funny than odd.

We kept walking down the street to our apartment when we saw this mini silver bus with a big blow-up beer on top with people standing in line. We waited in line and finally got into this bus. They gave us free samples of the beer and then let us take the rest of the beer! We also got our pictures taken with the beer in our hand. Apparently the pictures will be on the website next week. If so, I will post them somehow!

As for this weekend, I don't have any solid plans. I know our friends from training are coming up again though. We might see a movie or just explore more. I do want to go back to that market again and see what I can buy!

Love,

Kristen

Seoul Style

Hello-
Sorry I have not written in a while! I have been on-the-go for a week just doing various things.
I had Tuesday and Wednesday off from school because of the Korean thanksgiving and it has completely thrown me for a loop.
I find myself forgetting what day it is and getting confused.
I started back to school last Thursday with only the elementary school kids. The middle school kids have a couple weeks off to study for a big test they are taking soon. I had one class Thursday and one class Friday. Saturday I made up my class I missed on Tuesday. This is why I am confused on what day it is because I worked on a Saturday.

Friday I finally got the internet for my apartment. It is a USB device I put into my computer every time I want to use the internet. I have a certain limit on how much space I use, so I am not sure how often I can use skype. It might take up a lot of my space but I don't know.
Anyways, The kids I am teaching are doing pretty well and I am getting a better grasp at the whole teaching gig.
I really liked the people I work with because most of them have been in South Korea teaching for a while and they know the places to hang around in Seoul.
Friday and Saturday night I went out to a couple of bars. I had a delicious margarita:) Hongdae at night is absolutely shocking. There are so many people on the streets that it is insane to even think of driving down one of them. However, there still are the crazy people who drive down and it seems like it takes them forever to go one-hundred yards.

Racheal, Brandon, and I sat down on a street corner and people watched for a while. We were looking for the best and worst dressed people. We found some pretty funny people who were wearing outfits that didn't make much sense. We also found some really well-dressed guys and girls as well. People watching is great because you can relax and take in the scene.

Today (Sunday) I went to a little mall which was the next subway stop over from Hongdae.
I didn't do much clothes shopping, but bought a pretty scarf and a water filter. I have been on a hunt for a water filter with no luck until today. It takes up a lot of room in my fridge, but at least I don't have to buy water all the time now.

My favorite part of the day was when Racheal and I were walking home from the mall.
A girl with some pamphlets came over and said a salon was styling hair for free to get their store name out to the public. In the middle of the street were a bunch of stylists, chairs, mirrors, hair products, and people waiting to get their hair styled for free. Racheal convinced me to wait in line to have my hair done.

I sat down and decided to let the male stylist curl my hair. I kept laughing because I was sitting in a chair having my hair done in the middle of the street. He curled it with an extremely hot curling iron and then put some product in it.
I love curling my hair at home, it just takes so much time to do it. My hair is now in big beautiful curls and it looks really nice.
Racheal got her hair straightened and it looks cool too. Her hair is short and curly, so it took a little longer but still worth it.
We got our pictures taken by a woman who works at the salon when it was all finished.
I kept saying too bad I didn't have anywhere important to be because it would have been nice to go somewhere fancy after my hair was all done.

Now it is time for me to prep for school tomorrow. I don't have any 7-10PM classes this week. Therefore I only have to prep for one level. Who knows what I will do with all my free time!!!
I'll be sure to let you know:)

Kristen

Chuseok

How is everything in the US of A everyone?
Everything is going well here, just teaching the kids and living the dream in Seoul, South Korea:) A couple of you might get the living the dream reference, sorry for those who don't.
My weekend was relaxing but I was constantly on the go as well. Teaching ended at 7PM on Friday for me because I have a half day on Fridays. I don't think there is a better day to have only one three-hour class.
I went out to have a couple of drinks, but didn't do much else because wanted to get up early and find a big park to run.

Saturday morning I woke up early and took the subway a couple of stops to a park called Yeouido Park. There were hundreds of middle school students at the park. It must have been a middle school clean up day because they all had garbage bags and plastic gloves. I remember doing the same thing at the Erie Canal for Pittsford Crew, but these kids were actually have a good time.
There were two paths in the park. One for bicycles and the other for walking/running. I ran all around this park for around six miles. I had to convert kilometers to miles. I couldn't believe I could still run because I have been slacking on the working out situation.
The park was pretty and I would definitely go back. There was a part in the middle that looked like there could be some concerts held. A stage and a whole bunch of chairs set up. There were also statues of important kings, different ponds, basketball area, and grassy areas to have a picnic. The place I really want to run is right beside the Han River. The Han river is the one that flows directly through Seoul. I go over the river on the subway when I get to my school every day. There is a little path that goes next to it. I need to find the best subway stop and get off to run:)

Saturday night I went out with some people from work because it was one girl's last day in Seoul. She had been teaching at Mokdong for a year. I don't like when the people I have started to get to know leave three weeks after I meet them.
Her name was Rachelle and she was leaving that next day to go travel through Thailand. I like finding out where people are traveling after they are done with teaching so that maybe I will get some ideas for myself!
We went to a cute place where I had some red wine. It is the first time I have wine in this country! It has been only beer, random cocktails, and sojo which is like a watered down vodka. Only this stuff comes in a bottle like beer and is around 1,000 won. 1,200 won is around $1.00.

Sunday was my favorite day of the weekend. Racheal and I went out to find some places to shop. We found the shopping district called "Myeong-dong" where everyone goes. We also met up with the other two girls from our training, Aisling and Sanam. Aisling is from Dublin, Ireland but lived in London for a couple of years. Sanam is from Toronto. They are all a little older than me, around twenty-five and twenty-six.
We found a HUGE Forever 21 with four floors. I was in love with this place. I got a coat and a shirt for work. We went to H&M, but didn't like their stuff as much. All of these places were outside on a side road with all kinds of stores. H&M, Forever 21, The Body Shop, Converse, four DiFFERENT Zaras, Gap, etc.
We then went into an actual mall and within maybe a couple of minutes left. There was Coach, Fendi, Gucci, Louis Vuitton, Chanel, etc. I'm like "yeah, not really what we were looking for."
A couple of subway stops away from Myeong-dong was more of the Korean market. It reminded me of the markets in Vietnam but more expensive. These people didn't want to haggle AT ALL even though the stuff was not even the best quality. I bought a black winter dress that I really liked, but nothing else caught my eye.

After shopping we went to eat some Indian food. I don't usually go for Indian food because when I was in India I was really sick on the plane ride from New Delhi to Chennai. It was a good experience this time though. Nothing too spicy and it did not upset my stomach.

I have honestly liked just about everything I have eaten here. I have had an upset stomach a couple of times, but it was probably from getting used to the spice. I am also not eating much lactose either, which has made a lot of difference because I think I have a bit of lactose-intolerance.
I have been eating a lot of kimchi, korean bbq, rice, cold and hot noddles, vegetables, and fruit. I have a vegetable and fruit lady down the street:) Love apples, oranges, and bananas.

This week is a little different than the other weeks. Tomorrow (Wednesday) is the Korean version of Thanksgiving or Chuseok.
I don't have school on Tuesday or Wednesday because the kids travel and see family. They asked me why I wasn't going to see my family. I told them the thirteen-hour flight for two days was not really worth it. I had a full day yesterday, half day thursday, and regular half day friday.
Last night after work about ten of us went out to grab drinks and food in Itaewon. Itaewon is known as the foreigner's town in Seoul. A couple of my co-workers live there. I like it, but it is almost too much of a foreigner's town for me. I don't want to walk into every bar in Itaewon with only western people. Itaewon is also known for the many different types of restaurants though. Any type of food you want would be there.
Today I am just hanging out in my apartment because it is down-pouring here. I don't want to walk anywhere in this. Thunder and lightening as well. Later I will probably go out with some people and see what is open. A lot of places close down for three days, so we will have to see what is open.
Tomorrow I have been recruited to go hiking and climbing up some hill in Seoul. I don't know many of the details and who knows if it will actually happen.
Nothing will be open tomorrow and we don't have much family here.....
However, my parents are coming in two weeks to visit me!!!! I am writing down some places to go with them. CAN"T WAIT. Should be a fantastic trip for them and it will be great to see them too!!

Have a great week!!!

xoxo
Kristen

Cooling Down.....Sort Of

Hey Hey Hey-

Yes, it is cooling down in that it is not as humid. However, it has still been around 82 degrees for the past week. This week has been extra fantastic because it has not rained for at least five days. I think it is the record since I have been here. I like rain once in a while but when everyone has their umbrella up on some narrow sidewalks it gets hard to walk past people and sometimes if you are not careful you will get hit.

Yesterday I went in search of a gym I could join in the winter months because I won't be able to run outside. I called the "Korean Tourist Help-Line" and they told me of two places. One place was in a hotel close by my apartment. Mom and Dad if you are reading, it is called the Seokyo Hotel in Mapo-gu, Seoul. I went in and it was nice, but you might want to stay in Gangnum with the American hotels. The gym membership for six-months was 1,000,000 won which is about $800. It includes the fitness center, sauna, and the cooling and heating pools. It is more than I would like to spend on a gym membership. I went to search for another place but couldn't find it. I kept trying to ask and people were pointing further and further down a road I was traveling on. I don't want to be hiking twenty to thirty minutes to get to the gym on foot every day in the winter.

On my way home from the gym I couldn't find, I walked past a store called "Watsons." Watsons is a personal convenience store. They have all different kind of beauty products and supplies. Most of the brands were American. I bought some body wash I usually use at home, pantene conditioner, and a couple of nail polishes. Before I came to South Korea I was told it would be hard to find certain beauty products and things. I have seen numerous amounts of beauty stores that I have no idea what anyone was talking about with not being able to find supplies. This store is definitely going to be my go- to for anything I need in the beauty department. They even have vitamins, health food items, and awesome face/peel masks.

I STILL have not had the a ton of time to get the internet because my friend that will help us has also not had time either. He is teaching the highest English level we have at our school, so he needs to grade papers with essays and writing sections. Friday before school he said he can help Racheal and I with the internet.

Although yesterday I went to another cafe and skyped with a few people I have been wanting to talk with for a while. I was able to skype with my friends Erin and Kristen. It was awesome being able to talk to them from so far away on my computer. I sat outside and they could hear all the cars, buses, and people doing construction on the road. I wanted to sit inside but the music in the cafe was way too loud to talk to anyone on the computer. I also talked to my parents and Matt! If you are ever on skype definitely call me, I would love to talk to you:)

Teaching is going well, with the help of some starbucks double-shot americano drinks. Yesterday was probably my hardest day I have had teaching so far. I only have four kids in this one class who NEVER speak one word. When they do finally speak it is so soft you have to keep asking them what they said. I also had to sit down with this one kid because he has not done his online or offline homework for two weeks straight. He also does not do well on his in-class quizzes and doesn't pay attention.
I asked him if there was a reason he wasn't doing his homework and he said he didn't have enough time. I totally get that, they go to school all day and have different activities everyday after school until 10PM.
On the other hand, I told him he needs to try and make some time because if you don't do any homework it makes it tough to do well on the review tests and level-up to another class in ten weeks. I KNOW this kid is smart because when he pays attention and we do the questions about a reading together, he has all the correct answers.
I just sent him a "encouragement message" on the computer to tell him again I know he has the potential to do great in my class.
Everything else is going alright though. Not many other problems. I can't wait for the weekend because I want to go search for some parks and run!! I might run this 10k race in October with a couple of co-workers, we will see.
Adios Amigos!

Kristen

Official Alien of South Korea

Yeah! I got my ARC card or better known as the Alien Registration Card. I have been waiting for this card for a month. Now I can get an actual internet service for my apartment. Up until now I have been stealing internet from cafes and from someone in my building. Unfortunately the person I am stealing it from blocks skype and it is not always the best signal.
The card is super pretty. It has my name and that I am a E-2 Visa holder. E-2 is for people who are teaching English in South Korea:)
Hope everyone had a fantastic weekend. I had a great end to the week with my classes and then went out to have fun with some people from work and others from training.

Friday night Racheal, Brandon, and I went to hunt down a pizza place. There are a bunch of places, but they are usually extremely expensive for a whole pizza or just for a slice. The other thing is we didn't want to go to a pizza hut or somewhere where we have at home. We went to this place a couple of doors down from my apartment and the pizza was actually delicious. I had a slice of spinach with a couple different kinds of cheese. I probably should have gone light on the cheese because I have a feeling I am a little lactose intolerant. I have been staying away from cheese and milk for the most part. Sometimes I completely forget and my stomach hurts, therefore reminding me of why I shouldn't be having as much lactose.

Later that night, I went out with about five co-workers at my school. I hopped on the subway to the next stop called Sinchon. It is pronounced like "Shin-Chon. Along with the five of them, we had a couple of people they invited out who were not from my school. The eight of us headed out to find a bar which was not too loud and a place we could play darts. We found a couple of ridiculously loud bars and decided against them. They looked fun, but I wanted to be able to talk to people and not have to shout.

We walked a bit further down a brightly lit ally way where we found a place with cheap drinks and a place to sit. We talked, drank some beers, and played darts. I am completely awful at darts. I don't think I have ever played, but I realized how terrible I am at them. After the bars we went out to Mcdonalds and everyone grabbed something to eat. I think Mcdonalds is open 24/7, but a lot of the menu is different than back home. The Big Mac and chicken nuggets look the same, but you have a shrimp burger, shanghai chicken, and a couple of different wrap selections. I am not really the Mcdonalds type, so I didn't get anything. Everyone else seemed to enjoy it though:)

Saturday I slept in late because I was exhausted and didn't get home until late. I went to a few shops and purchased some more things for my apartment. Different hooks, cleaning stuff, and some fruits and veggies.
Later in the day I got a call from Racheal saying a few people from our training group were in Seoul for the weekend. After training (week one) about half of the people left to go to a different part of the country for their jobs with Chungdahm. A couple of the people that were in training were hilarious and I was sad they were leaving Seoul.

Racheal, Brandon, and I met up with four people from training. We went to this one place where they were selling turkish chicken wraps and sat down. It was great to hear different stories of their experience so far with teaching and more about the schools they taught in. A couple didn't like being in the "country-side" and wished they were back in Seoul. However the other two loved being out of Seoul because they don't like big cities or subways.

After the chicken place, we were engulfed by a couple of students wanting to take our picture for a project at the university nearby. This one guy took like ten pictures of us with our umbrellas and of course posing with the western "peace sign" hand gesture. He kept saying "one more, one-more picture." That was the first time someone has come up wanting a picture. It must have been because there were so many of us.

Later that night we went out to the bars and such around Hongdae. A couple of places were fun such as Zen Bar and GoGos. At Zen bar all they played was western music. I looked around to the other people in the bar and there was actually a fair amount of western people. I couldn't believe I was half way around the world and listening to the same music. I thought I came over to escape the madness of that kind of music. Don't get me wrong, the beats are fun and I do like any music, but I wanted something different. All in all it was a great night with plenty of dancing and laughing.

Yesterday I went to a huge electronic market at a place called Yongsan. I believe it is the biggest electronic market South Korea. They sold EVERY kind of electronic you might need. I didn't need anything but wanted to go because I heard it was huge. Maybe when I have money to spend I can go back and purchase something. This market was probably around eight or nine floors with electronic after electronic. There were also like a million people working there and asking "Can I help you, Can I help you." I just wanted to look but had to walk fast because I didn't want to be stopped by anyone asking if they could help me.

The weekend was filled with music, laughs, and good times. Now I have prepped for my week and have to look over the topics I am teaching about. Tomorrow I will probably go search for an internet service. I might ask my friend Tony to help because he speaks Korean and my Korean is not really up to par.

Miss you all!

Kristen

Mean teacher?

I couldn't think of a title. Although I am beginning to think I am a little bit of a mean teacher. Some of the kids in my class constantly talk! If they keep it up, I move them. I have a feeling some of the elementary kids like me, but the older ones are probably saying "I am so over being told what to do." I like trying to figure out what the kids are thinking in their heads.

Yesterday I had a meeting with my group leader. There are about five or six group leaders at my school and they are assigned to about eight or so instructors. Group leaders are there to help you with problems and just someone to talk to when you want feedback. I knew she was the one watching my "CCTV" (the tv in the classroom) Sasha (my group leaders name) told me I was doing a good job, but there were small things to adjust as far as not leaning on the desk, walking around more during tests and that kind of thing. Providing more examples of the topic, main idea, and supporting details when introducing a skill theory was also another thing I need to work on. Specifically Korean examples. She also told me that it takes time to get your style down and just reinforce the rules to the kids early on so they won't take advantage of you and break the rules.

I also had a class last week that had about eight students. Yesterday I print out the attendance sheet and I had fourteen kids in the class! Two of the girls that were now in my class transferred out of my friend Brandon's class. Brandon told me to watch out for them because they constantly talk and put on makeup during class. They were extremely loud and talkative yesterday. I was like ughh now I have these girls that think they are so cool and can talk during my class. Not happening.
The first thing they did that bothered me was coming back from the five minute break late. They came back three minutes late and then started talking and having a normal conversation in Korean. I turned around and just starred at them. You can't be late and then think you can have a conversation in your English class. The next eleven weeks with these girls is going to be tough and they might transfer out of my class, but they aren't getting away with anything!! hahaha

Teaching is going well though, minus the chatty girls. I have one class that is really interactive and answers questions and others who are sooooo quiet.
But anyways tonight I am going out with some of my co-workers to a bar or club! I haven't been to a club here yet. It is strange because I live by like fifty. Last night we all went out to dinner together after work! I didn't get home until One AM, but totally worth it because I really like hanging out with the people I work with. I don't know what else I am doing this weekend- maybe buying more things for my apartment? Rice cooker? More food? Not sure.
I will let you know:) Have a great weekend!!!

Kristen

Trip to Cheonan

Hi! Hope the Labor Day weekend was awesome:)
I did not have a three day weekend, but no problem because I think I am getting a couple days off this month for the Korean Thanksgiving. Their Thanksgiving is called "Chusok" and I have a couple classes cancelled and others I have to make up on that Saturday. I need to find more about these Holidays! It is going to be strange to have off for Thanksgiving in September and not in November. I will miss having turkey day at Maureen and Pa's:( They make dinner extremely special and everything is delicious.
I have missed Thanksgiving a couple of years ago because I was in Hawaii for Semester At Sea ( I ate so much- remember Ginny, Amanda, and Ben?)
Anyways I went to travel to Cheonan which about an hour or so train ride south of Seoul. I took this train out from Seoul Station and went to a smaller city where my friend Dan from Semester At Sea is currently teaching. He has been in South Korea since November and has a ton of friends. Also in town is a friend named Will from Semester At Sea. Will just finished a six-month internship in Japan. He decided to come visit Dan for two weeks and then the two of them are going to Japan for a week. Will lives in California, so after the Japan trip he is going back to the states.
Dan invited me a couple of weeks ago to an 80s/90s party and I decided why not go? The party was in a really cool bar with over like seventy people. I think Dan knew like half of the people because whenever we were walking down the street he would be like hey...Monica, Preston, Sean going to the 80s/90s party? I swear he knew everyone in that city. I put on a black and white striped dress, bright blue patterned leggings, a belt, and a shiny headband to complete the outfit. I looked absolutely ridiculous!!!
Dan, Will, and I talked about different stories we had from Semester At Sea and would be like "remember when this happened or remember that person?" I loved talking about being on the boat and the stories because Semester At Sea is probably the best thing I have done besides coming to South Korea.
Sunday afternoon I took a different train back to Seoul. This train is called the KTX and about two times faster than the train I took the day before. I completely forgot about the KTX the day before and the other train was leaving first on Saturday. I don't believe it is as fast as the Japanese bullet train, but it went really fast and arrived in Seoul in thirty-five minutes. I wanted to stay longer in Cheonan, but I had to do my two lesson plans for this week.
My lesson plans are on Seabirds for the younger group and Genetic Research and Aids for the older kids. The medical lesson is extremely difficult and has a long passage that the kids need to figure out on their own. Yesterday the older kids were being a little obnoxious and laughing and talking when I was talking. Therefore I had to raise my voice with the kids and tell them they were being disrespectful to me. I felt really really really mean. I had already asked them a few times to be quiet and they weren't. Sooo raising my voice was a must. Other than the kids talking in class, I am having a great time teaching.
The project the older kids had to do on the medical lesson was to pretend there was a new pandemic virus out (similar to H1N1 and SARS) However this virus is different because it has hit everywhere besides South Korea. They had to come up with a domestic and a global action plan. I made the flu outbreak originate in the United States. They thought it was funny I had an outbreak originate from the place I was from. I received presentations range from there can be absolutely no people coming to South Korea or leaving from the country. Some other presentations included stopping all kinds of imports and exports in case it came from an animal like pigs or birds.
When it comes to the projects some kids get really into it and creative, but there are some that want to do anything BUT the project we are doing. The thought of actually having to draw and let alone think about something is completely draining to them. I mean I understand because they go to school for eight hours and then have to think more when they come to Chungdahm. On the other hand, this is how you learn more about a language. The kids just went through two hours of me asking them questions, taking quizzes, and reading various passages. This is the time to put what you learned into a presentation and make it your own. I constantly have to stress this or else the kids forget what the project is for.
The reason we have over 1400 kids at the school is because Chungdahm works! Our program is effective and the Korean Mother's love that!!! Hence why their kids are in my class:)
Okay I need to shower and then maybe go to the coffee shop to skype my parents and other various people.
Miss everyone!

Kristen

Three Weeks In

Can you believe it? I have almost been in South Korea for three weeks. Three weeks seem to have already flown by! I talked to my parents today and they said it feels like I have been gone longer. It must be because I have been on the move between my apartment, shopping, and teaching!
I have taught 7 classes this week and have one more today from 4-7pm. Having a half day on Friday will be really nice because I can start my weekend early. My friend Racheal has a half day as well. Having a half day is also great because I can eat a regular dinner. I have been eating my lunch or a snack at like 4:00pm but I am starving by 10pm. Once I have been teaching and getting into a schedule I don't think I will be as hungry. At 10pm a lot of the instructors go out to a restaurant and get food and drinks:) I went to a good Chinese restaurant the other day with some people- delicious!
I enjoy hearing stories about the instructors students and what problems they had! I get to share my stories too. I had to ask a girl three times to stop eating in class. She kept eating and crunching her food and it was bothering me! I also set some rules at the beginning of class telling them I didn't want them eating in class, going to the bathroom every five minutes, or having cell phones out. After the third time she got the idea.
Teaching is a great time but exhausting! My feet have my hurting because I am standing for six hours and constantly walking around the room. The kids for the most part are well behaved, but you know kids will be kids. I also have to give them the benefit of the doubt because they sat in school for seven hours before they come to see me. I tell them they are lucky to be learning a second language because I never learned a second language as well as they are.
The 4th graders I had yesterday could carry on a full conversation with me and understand almost everything I was saying. How cool, right? After two hours of learning a skill and doing readings for the scheduled lesson we do a project called the critical thinking project for the last hour. This is where the kids get to be creative and create their own thing. I had the upper level create anti-smoking ads and the younger group create a new South Korean national flag. It was a blast! Laughing and joking with the kids while doing these projects are what makes my day.
Seeing a simple smile reminds me of what I am doing in South Korea.
Having my own class is crazy to me!! Ahhh I love it!! Maybe this is what I want to do when I come back to the states? Not sure yet, but I do know I like teaching.
Wow it is already labor day weekend? Long weekend for you all:) Enjoy!!!

xoxo Kristen

My first day of teaching!

Yeah! I survived my first day of teaching:)

It was a complete rush of emotions from 3:30 until midnight. I went thought just about every emotion you could think of in one day. Happy, excited, anxious, nervous, confused, joyful, and my favorite of the day would be the feeling of accomplishment and achievement. Maybe those two are not the same type of emotions, but you know what I mean, right?

From the moment my first student walked into my classroom at 3:50, I felt a rush of panic and a feeling of "oh my gosh, there is a student who is here to learn English from ME." I was just a student in a class a little over three months ago! How did this happen? I had to take a breath and calm down. After the twelve students came into my class, I pulled myself together and went through the syllabus, attendance, a welcome letter, and I introduced myself. I probably sounded pretty stupid, but I couldn't think of anything else to say. "Hi guys, I'm Miss. Mendick but you can call me teacher ( teacher is what they call their Korean teacher at their school). I told them I am from the United States and one of my passions is traveling. One kid loved the fact that I was from New York. He couldn't get over it!

My 4-7 pm class was full of 5th and 6th graders. They were pretty quiet at first, but by the time the last hour came around and it was time for projects, they were talkative and were engaged into the project. My 7-10pm class was full of 8th and 9th graders. They were quiet the entire time until the project too. It was like dead silent. No one wanted to talk even if I called on them. There were also only two girls in this class who were shy, so I am going to have to get them to participate more. Two boys in this class were making jokes the entire time in Korean and I had to finally say, hey what is so funny? I like a good laugh, tell me the joke! (in a funny tone) They knew they were not paying attention and got the hint that I was picking on them because of that.

All in all the first day went well, but I am looking forward to meeting more kids and to gain more experience. I want to be the perfect teacher right now and understand that is not going to happen. I have to take one day at a time and improve each day. I am also trying to set goals for myself for each day too. Whether it be to make the class more fun, talkative, or even spice up the lesson. I need to do this because at 9 pm these kids want to go home and go to sleep. If I can find a way so that they want to be in the class and participate my goal will be accomplished and my job will be that much more fun. I had a fantastic first day:) Time for round two: the second day! I will meet all new kids and try my best to put my personality out there more. This is my goal for day two.
Love,
Kristen

Night out on the Town

Hello:)

I am trying to write in this blog a lot before I start working because I know I have more time now then I will in the next coming weeks.

Since the last blog I have explored much more of the town I live in and have bought more things for my apartment. I bought a really soft comforter and pillow:) I also bought some more food and water as well. I will have to make my way to either costco or another place to get a water filter. The water is safe here, but it definitely tastes better when it has been filtered.

Yesterday I went into my school and opened a bank account with the other 8 new instructors. Our faculty manager, Helene Kang, helped us open one so that when we get paid it goes into Woori Bank. Helene is extremely nice and is willing to help anyone with anything. She then took us down to the third floor to get our books for classes. She has been changing the schedule around a lot, therefore I do not have the same schedule as I put in the last blog. I am teaching every day, but have a half day on Wednesday and Friday. Wednesday I work from like 6:30-10 and Friday I get off of work at 7. I am only teaching reading and writing classes which I am ecstatic about. For some reason during training the reading and writing portion was much easier than the listening and speaking section.

Anyways, Helene told us yesterday that after a term has finished (15 weeks) they have a dinner for the instructors leaving. It worked out for the eight of us new instructors who happened to be coming in! We were able to come to dinner and really meet everyone who worked at Mokdong. At 10:00pm we all went down the street from the school to a Korean BBQ restaurant. I sat myself down with some instructors I didn't know and found out most of the table I was sitting with was leaving to head back to the states. I am a little sad because they all were hilarious and fun to be around. Everyone was having a blast and did toasts to the people leaving and toasts to the new instructors coming in.

Although there were a bunch of instructors leaving, the people staying are great as well. I can't wait to get to know them better and to just hang out. There were probably around 35-40 instructors drinking and eating delicious Korean BBQ. The streets around us were lit up like it was Time Square. Lots of brights lights blinking and people everywhere. The young people are out super late, so it is not odd for people to want to keep going to different places around town at 2 am. I took a cab back with Brandon and Racheal to Hongdae and there was not a shortage of people partying when we returned. I have to remind you I live in a college town. On a Friday night the streets are packed with people standing in lines to go to clubs and music blasting. I absolutely love it!

I haven't had such a great night in a long time, nor have I laughed as much as I did last night either. The instructors at my school are a hoot and just fun to be around. They talked about some of the funny things their kids say in class and more general things about Korea. This one instructor I talked to for a good amount of time is leaving in a few days to go back to Seattle. His year is up and he is totally ready to go back to the US. I asked him if he loved his time in Korea or if he felt so-so about it. He told me he absolutely would not have given it up for anything. He made connections with the kids and other instructors he will remember and have for a lifetime.

This makes me even more excited for my year here. It seems strange to me that this time next year I will be meeting new people who are in my position now and I will be leaving. I wonder what I will tell them about my experience.

Okay, I should probably look at my lessons and prepare my things for Monday. My first lesson for the lower level is about flags. The first lesson for my higher level class is about heart disease. Can you believe 10 year olds are reading difficult passages about heart disease?

The Korean kids study their butt off for EVERYTHING here. Thinking back to when I was ten, what was I doing? Maybe buying beanie babies and worrying about what outfit my American Girl dolls were wearing? The cultures are incredibly different and I am out to learn as much as I can about this one.

Have a great weekend:)

Kristen

Hongdae

Annnyong Hasaeyo! Chal Chinnaesoyo? I think I am improving my Korean! The first part is hello in a more informal way and the second is how are you. I am trying my hardest to pick up a little Korean. It is easier said then done. Trying to speak Korean is actually harder than reading the symbols. I find that when I am walking around the streets it is almost too much to take in.

I have learned where the good "convenience" stores are for little things, but the good Korean places for food are still somewhat of a mystery to me. Usually I have to point to a picture of the food and hope for the best. I have been extremely lucky so far because everything is delicious. If you didn't know, the big staple here is the "Kimchi." It is cabbage and mixed with spices and seasonings. I have had it a bunch of times already and do like it. I am not as convinced that it is the most delicious of the Korean foods I have had. It is a great side dish to something such as rice, vegetables, beef, and noodles. I do however want Grandma Loie to know I will not become addicted to the Kimchi! It is good- but not THAT good.

Getting situated into my apartment or "officetel" has been somewhat of a challenge and rather eventful. Racheal (friend from training) and I were supposed to move in at 12:00 pm on Wednesday to our building. My school did not send the landlord our key money right on time, so we had to move in later and hang around for four hours with our luggage. Thinking about it now is actually pretty hilarious. We just explored and ate lunch during our waiting time.

My apartment is great! Today I went to Costco to find bedding and towels. I signed up for a membership because the chances I will end up there again is pretty good. I wanted to get more things at Costco today, however the subway and what I can carry limits me. I bought the essentials for now and will use a website called "The Arrival Store" to buy more items like a water filter and other things I will need down the road.

I also went to a type of dollar store called "Daiso" to buy some glassware, pans, dishes, and bath items. Alright so I might as well put this in my blog because I think most of you will get a real kick out of it. One thing I am not crazy about in my apartment is my bathroom situation. I have a western toilet, sink, shelves, and a shower hose. Yeah- the shower hose without a curtain or door is not my favorite. I took a shower this morning and just started laughing because I have never not had a separate part for a shower. Therefore everything in the bathroom gets wet including the sink and toilet. I had to put my towel on the other side of the door so that it wouldn't get wet. Just to let you know, I am not writing this in an angry or annoyed tone. I am writing it is a comical way because the scene this morning of me figuring everything out was way too goooood :)

The area around my place is perfect. I have already found the subway I will be using to go to work. I was thinking of what the town I live in reminds me of. I can't quite place it, but it slightly resembles a place in Pittsburgh where my brother used to live. It was called Shadyside. A couple of the streets here in Hongdae remind me of this one street in Shadyside known as Walnut Street. It is where all the shopping and some cafes are. If you ever come to visit me (please do!) do not quote me on the similarity. It was the closest I could think of.

I also find it fun that there are so many cafes everywhere you look in South Korea. When I was at the hotel in Gangnum, there was a cafe every two stores. It is the same here in Hongdae. Every cafe is packed and full of people meeting, studying, eating, or just listening to music. I have passed some small cute cafes I would like to try because they are unique and something different. Don't get me wrong I love Starbucks, but the little cafes owned by local people are where you feel like you can relax and take in the scene.

I have just finished "furnishing" my new place with all of my pictures, cards, and items I have brought from home. On the right side of my computer I have two cards my parents gave me right before I got on the plane. When I read them as the flight took off to Seoul, I suddenly realized how much I will be missing them. Those cards represent one half of my heart. Half of my heart for the people, friends, and family for whom I love and already miss. The other half is for my want to seek adventure and to find and explore new horizons. Hopefully I will have some pictures up of my new place here in Hongdae within the next couple of days.

Here is a quote that relates to this post and one from a great Dave Matthews Song-

"Sometimes the best way to found out who you are, is to get to that place where you don't have to be anything else."

Always,

Kristen

Heart and Seoul

I have no idea why I just called my post "heart and seoul!" It sounded cool though:) Alright...so I am continuing my final week without having to do much, but there actually is a lot to do. Yesterday and today I went out to find a place to live! They showed us a bunch of places around my school area and two other areas which are where the top universities are in Seoul. The two places with the schools and nightlife are about a 15 to 20 minute subway ride away from my school. I did not find much by my school because there was a limited amount of apartments left.

Today I found a place near a university called Hongik University. It is a really cute town where there are tons of restaurants and shops. I also feel extremely safe in this area. I am not rooming with anyone because the apartments are super small, but I am in the same building as a girl from my training group and Mokdong school. Her boyfriend is also in South Korea with an apartment down the road. It is a little on the expensive side...but I would rather pay more to know that I will have a good place to live for the next year.

Yesterday I went to go see my school and had some orientation classes. The school is extremely pretty inside. There are three different floors at the school with about 40 instructors. My schedule for teaching looks good as well. I will be working Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday from 4:00 pm - 10:00pm. Yeah for no school Wednesday, Saturday, and Sunday! I am super excited that I will be living near two people who will be coming back at the same time on the subway with me. We can also prepare our classes together and hang out around town:)

I am definitely ready to start teaching and to get out of this hotel! Cannot wait to set up my place! I already have a bed and new mattress, a washer, a desk and chair, tv and stand, and a closet for storage space. There are supposed to be 3 Costco around Seoul. I am thinking I would like to go there for certain items I may need. There are also these discount stores for like dishes, pots, pans, etc.

Oh and I forgot to mention that I went to a baseball game the other night! I went with my friend from Semester At Sea who is also teaching with Chungdahm Learning. He lives about an hour south of Seoul, but came up with his friends to an "LG Twins" game on Sunday night. A few of his friends are Irish, British, and South African, so they have never been to a baseball game. Trying to explain the "three strikes your out rule" was incredibly funny! Dan (friend from SAS) has been in South Korea since November. He has been giving me good advice on things to do and some cultural advice. Both of these things are very helpful.

Well I am absolutely exhausted from a day of just walking around everywhere looking at places. If there is one thing you do a lot in South Korea, it is walk. I am getting a good exercise from it though!

Hope everyone is well and enjoying the last week or so of August!

Love,

Kristen

Passed Training:)

Hi Friends!

I made it through and passed training week! It was probably the most challenging thing I have ever done, but completely worth the effort and hard work. I did about six mock teaching exercises yesterday for two trainers. In my opinion, I improved everyday and really tried to stay confident without getting too nervous.

Now I am back at the hotel until probably Wednesday. On Monday afternoon I am going to the school I will be working at which is the Mokdong branch. I will meet my Faculty Manager who will show me around the school and tell me which sections I will be teaching. Most likely it will be 4 sections of either reading or listening. I will probably be doing both. I will also have up to 90 kids a week! Each class could have 15 students! I am definitely giving them English names because I know for a fact I won't be able to get their names down if they use their Korean names.

This weekend I am just relaxing and enjoying my time here in Gangnam gu-Seoul. Gangnam is about a 40 minutes away from Mokdong using the subway. On Monday someone will also show me some places to live near my school. I hope there are some which are furnished, but that is not always possible. I'm not sure which kind of apartment I want to live in either, but will be seeing some on Monday.

I still can't believe I am here and will actually be living here for the next year! I absolutely love it here and CAN'T WAIT to start teaching:)

Have a great weekend! Love and Miss you All!

Kristen