Meet Howard

So we did it! We finally welcomed the newest member of the family. Meet Howard. He is a plant. He resembles a Hydrangea (google it). Yes, Hydrangeas are a fairly feminine looking plant but who cares? Ours (we suspect) will bloom in a few weeks. I believe he could hold his own in a plant show. He is sorta hardcore for a plant because he has spiky-ish leaves and a wood-y stem. I picked him out (of course) even though Erin wanted a Christmas cactus. How boring. Maybe we might get Howard a sibling in the future. As for now he is all we can handle.

We had planned on getting a Betta fish. You know the ones that sit in a cup of water and seem depressed all the time. That seemed like the perfect pet for me since he could live in a cup on the coffee/dining table for the rest of his life. Then I thought to myself that all of my fish have a high mortality rate. Sad but true. As a rule: If it doesn't have four legs then chances are it's gonna die. I was so excited too since I thought I was gonna have a bona fide pet in Korea. I had planned on talking to it and maybe petting the side of the plastic cup. Oh Petey (this was gonna be his name) if only...

Then again you would've lived for exactly a week and a half. But for that week we would've had some good times.

Hasta mañana!

This weekend: Korean dramas, Sola Seoul, and Alice

So Friday night Erin and I decided that we were gonna have another Girl's Night. This time just by ourselves and our super delicious pizza. Erin tried to convince me about how Korean dramas on TV are really great. I asked her if we could watch a movie while we ate but she tried to tell me that her favorite show was addicting. I sighed and agreed to watch it. It was called Girls Before Flowers or Boys And Flowers. Maybe it was Boys Behind Flowers. The point is that apparently this is a super popular show and I agreed to see what the big deal was. I can now understand the allure. You have super hot Korean guys + silly/cutesy Korean girls+ ridiculous out of this world plot= Great show. We watched for a few hours while chatting and eating really great pizza and some sweet/spicy chicken nibblets. Yeah so I ate the equivalent of 2000 calories but who cares? it was Girl's Night.

Saturday I took the bus to Seoul. It takes four hours to get there by bus and the bus itself is really luxurious compared to American standards. All I'm gonna say is that the buses have wide, reclining leather seats with a footrest that pops up at the push of a button. The seats are as wide as a first class seat on a jet. The best part is the the seats are assigned so that there isn't a mad dash to get a seat. The bus has two seats on the left side (for couples) and a single seat on the right (for solo passengers). The only seats that aren't divided like that are the four seats in the back of the bus. They are raised a foot and a half and they are smaller than any of the other seats on the bus. I almost always get the single seat. it's great cause you don't have any annoying passengers next to you. I always pity the people who get stuck in the back of the bus. Those seats are truly awful!

So I arrived in Seoul and headed to the salon. I brought my own relaxer (chemical that resembles mayonnaise and straightens kinky/curly hair). The owner of the salon looked surprised that I did that because she claimed that she had relaxers that wouldn't damage my hair. I had to explain to her that my hair needed the gentlest products available (that's why I brought a relaxer made for kids). She was sorta pissed but allowed her employee to apply it. After her employee put the relaxer in my hair she walked away for what seemed like an eternity (she's supposed to wash it off right after applying it or else it burns my skin). She went to the bathroom for about 10 minutes. My scalp was on fire the entire time and I thought I could feel the skin around my hairline burning. Finally she decided to grace me with her presence and I told her "You were supposed to was this off right away!". She then replied "I know what to do". There was a guy there who clearly wanted to make conversation and as soon as I sat in the shampoo chair he started to chat. Let's call him Morty. He had this super annoying nasal-y voice with a Brooklyn accent. He seemed super eager to chat about his life as I sat in the shampoo chair with my head on fire. Finally my hairdresser starts shampooing me and Morty decided that he was gonna keep on talking. I had to tell him that I was sorry and I couldn't hear him so we would chat when I was done. Well, he wasn't gonna have that. He decided to speak louder. The whole time I wished that this guy would just shut up but he kept on going. I told him "Look, I can't really talk cause my head is in a shampoo bowl". Morty thought that was code for him to talk even louder (I believe that people across the street could hear him) and ask me super loud questions. At this point I was glad that my shampoo was over and I was wheeled to the chair. Before Morty left he wanted to exchange info. I politely declined (Okay Okay I just said that I had a boyfriend and that wouldn't be a good idea). The boyfriend card is fantastic cause it gets me out of situations without the need to lie (not that I would cause almost everyone knows that I suck at lying).

I emerged from the salon looking great. I debated whether I was gonna stay in a hostel or a love motel. Neither idea seemed good or cheap especially since I was traveling by myself in the city. So after a bit of shopping around I headed to the bus terminal. I bought a ticket and got myself a smoothie from Smoothie King (delicious). When It was time to board the bus (at 8:20 PM) I noticed that I had seat number 27. After counting the rows I noticed that I had the hated last row. Not just that- I had one of the two middle seats. It sucked. I couldn't believe that I had one of the worst seats especially for a four hour ride. Eventually the man in our row who was sitting by a window moved his seat when he saw one that was empty. I asked the man next to me if he minded if I moved my seat (not really asked but pointed since I don't speak Korean). He was "OK OK". A woman got on the bus a second before it pulled out and sat on my old seat.

The bus ride started smoothly enough especially since I had my ipod with me. I just put it on and dozed off. During the drive I thought that the bus was jerking back and forth more than the usual but I assumed it was because we were in the back of the bus and we were elevated. The bus eventually stopped for the usual fifteen minute stop in a rest area (every 2 hours the buses stop in a rest area). At this time everyone got off the bus but me. I wanted to look at the stuff that I had bought. After the fifteen minutes were up the bus took off again. The man beside me wanted to start a conversation and I was not in a conversing mood. He started asking quite loudly for my name. I said Jennifer and he then told me his name. I then said "OK, I'm listening to music now". I placed my headphones on (which is the universal sign for leave me alone) but he didn't get it. He tapped me again and when I took off my headphones he then started asking me questions in Korean. I said " I have no idea what you are saying". He proceeded to laugh very loudly then slap me hard on my leg (as though I was his BFF or something). I'm not a violent person so it surprised me when I wanted to punch this guy and punch him really hard in the face. I was appalled that he did that so at this point all I could do was put my headphones back on and fume. As I'm doing this he gets up in my face and starts whispering/asking me things in Korean. He gets too close (remember- I am in a sold out bus in the back seat, I don't speak Korean so I can't tell him off and we are driving in the middle of the mountains, I am pissed, scared, annoyed, etc) and tries touching my face. I then try to back away but I can't cause I'm as pressed against a window as you can get. This guys apparently doesn't take my "NO" for an answer but then he places his hand on my arm and I rapidly pull it away. I am livid and wishing for this bus ride to be over immediately. I then said "Music!", put my headphones on, pulled on my hood from my vest and pretended to fall asleep. He left me alone after that.

As all this was happening, our bus driver seemed to be swerving and jerking the bus more and more. I was almost positive that he was falling asleep at the wheel. He drove over the noise strip that's on the ground for about 7 seconds. At this point people were really alarmed. As I pretended to sleep I kept peeking at the front of the bus and praying for us not to die. I've never been on a bus where the driver was swerving on the road and jerking the bus left and right. This was truly the drive from Hell. As I mentally calculated how long of a ride we had left- the driver gets on the exit for our city. As he is driving around I'm thinking that he better slow down on this exit cause it curved to the right. As I thought that, the bus suddenly hits something (I believe it was the side rail/wall that's on the side of the road. The whole bus jerked harshly to the left then right. There was also a loud banging sound. I yelped out "Oh my God!" which is how the Mr. Douche Bag to my right knew that I was up. He decided to continue harassing me until we pulled up to the bus terminal at 12:20 AM. The bus had to park behind parked buses and I decided to wait until douche bag got off. As I'm walking off the bus I see the guy talking to his friends but also slowing down. I duck behind a parked bus until I see him walk away. Then I walked (swiftly) to a taxi at the taxi stand. I make it home safe and sound but also very tense. My shoulders are sore from the tension between the jerky driving, the crash, and the jerk next to me.

Sunday was better. I woke up late cuz I had a late night gab fest with my friend Florida (One of the cool chicks I met in Seoul). I woke up pretty late in the day but I decided to clean, do laundry, and talk to my parents. I called California because he happens to be the only one on Skype. I tell him that I desperately want to see a movie. As of yet I haven't seen any and everybody talks about this amazing theater in Gwangju. So Boys Team and I decided to see Alice in Wonderland in 3D. I thought it was OK. Pretty much anything Johnny Depp is in is great so I eagerly went with Boys Team. They didn't seem as excited as I was but still. FYI- movie theater seats in Korea are assigned (you get to pick them out yourself). So you don't have to show up an hour early for good seats in a theater. What a great system!

That's it for now. I have to take an aspirin or something because my shoulders and neck are in serious pain from the horrible bus ride. Until my next entry- Adios!

"uhh...It smells like Pine-sol"

Wednesday Erin and I went into work "late" according to Ruby. She had several parents and their kids waiting for interviews. I came into work about 15 minutes after Erin did. Apparently Ruby was upset because we came in late to work. At that point I thought that I really did not care what this woman thought. Come on! We've asked her on multiple occasions about when we should come in to work. We normally get a "whenever you feel like it" response.

After an otherwise unremarkable day Erin and I stopped at our local supermarket on the way home. I needed to pick up some bread and fruit. Erin and I walked by the meat counter where they had what looked like popcorn chicken in a sweet and sour sauce. They had reduced it for quick sale so we took the last three packs. I confirmed that it was in fact chicken by doing the universal sign for chicken (since I didn't actually know the word "chicken"). I funky chickened in front of the meat counter lady and said "chicken?!" rather loudly. She nodded and said "chicken". I took that as a confirmation and we headed off to the check out counter. On the way home Erin and I talked about how we couldn't wait to heat up our grub.

We get home. I pop the chicken in a skillet and heat it up. I let Erin taste test before me. She took a bite then made a face like she was gonna throw up. She spat it out and said "that's def. not chicken". I said "what do you mean?!". She said that it was in fact pork. An animal that Erin doesn't eat. I thought to myself "oh no! I was really looking forward to chicken!". She was upset and made herself some ramen. I ate some of the popcorn pork (not tasty at all) while we sat around chatting.

Afterwards Erin decided to put on a face mask that she had gotten while traveling called 'Hyaluronic Acid'. It was obviously not made for Caucasians. You can see for yourself. Erin was worried that her face was gonna change color or that her eyes would burn off especially since she said that it smelled just like Pine-sol. It didn't help that the directions were in Korean. We had no idea what the package said since we don't speak any Korean...yet.

That was Wednesday in a nutshell. I'm gonna head to bed. Adios!

A Bug's (short) Life.

Ugh, this morning I woke up, talked to my parents, then started to get ready for my shower. I entered the bathroom and as I started to undress I see a black spider on the wall. Not your charming Charlotte's Web spider but your mean, black, Tarantula looking spider. Granted, it was small-ish but still. I ran to get Erin who told me that I had to be a big girl and kill it myself. I informed her that my brother does that for me especially since I have a massive phobia of spiders.

She wasn't gonna budge on this so all she did was spray it with some of her hair moose. She told me it was dead now. It most certainly was not. That spider had a strong will to live. He popped right out of the moose and looked pissed. let me remind you that I was half naked during all this and hyperventilating. I went back to Erin who told me that I had to take care of it on my own cause she had already killed three spiders in her room.

I groaned and made my way to the kitchen where I got our super long rubber gloves. I then grabbed three sheets of paper towels. I stared at the spider and debated mentally the pros and cons of using two or three sheets of paper towels versus one. I mean this is something I had to think about seriously. Had I used two or three sheets then the toilet might get clogged and the spider could get out of the toilet versus one sheet which would mean that I might be able to feel the spider in my hand which would mean that I'd freak out, drop him and then he'd surely attack me. Do you understand my situation?

Eventually I grabbed one paper towel sheet and one sheet of the flushable wipes (they break down easily= no clogging) and problem solved...or so I thought. I went to Erin grinning and told her that I grabbed and flushed a spider all by myself. She then asked me "you squished him right?". I said "uh...no cuz I could barely touch it. Why?". She then informed me that spiders can in fact float.

Merde.

Suncheon Girls

What did I do Saturday? Oh yes! My friends who I met in Seoul came to Gwangju for a day. It was a day full of fun. I woke up tardy and got to the bus station 20 minutes late. They were standing there patiently waiting for me. Let's call them Florida and Canada. Florida is a very fun loving stylish chick who loves life. Canada is great, she's sorta sarcastic (which I love) and is very kind. They both are a bit sassy and really cool. The best part? They love shopping more than I do! Erin is super pleased that I have found shopping buddies because as everyone knows- Erin HATES to shop. I LOVE to shop and walk around stores. Anyway- I pick the girls up and we headed to The Foot Place which is where I got my fish mani/pedi done.

We arrived at the nail place where three nail techs were waiting for us. We changed in the locker area and afterwards we were taken to the foot tubs where our feet soaked in colored/heated water. From there they moved us to the pool with the fish. I had forgotten that it was icy cold water. We had the fish picking at our toes for quite a bit. Eventually we were taken to the mani/pedi stations where the women did a fantastic job with our hands and feet. Since Florida was getting a very elaborate hand painted design on her fingers, Canada and I headed out to shop inside the store that the Foot Place was in. Kinda like a Super Walmart. Canada was in the market for a new camera so we headed on over to the electronics department. I don't know squat about electronics just how to turn them off or on. Canada doesn't either. She picks a camera based solely on the fact that it is pink (her favorite color). I think it also happened to be a Nikon or Cannon. To be honest I don't really remember but still...it was the color that mattered.

Once we left the Foot Place we headed to Old Downtown. This was Canada's first trip to Gwangju. We headed on up to First Nepal- my favorite restaurant in all of Gwangju.

After a super great meal of Butter Chicken and Nan we walked around town showing Canada the sights. We did quite a bit of browsing/shopping. As we walked we would get stared at by people or pointed and stared at. I guess it was because these people had never seen three colored girls walking down the street together.

We had a super fabulous time and we plan on getting together again. Where is the question. Until next time- Adios!

Byrl's Night

Erin and I had decided Thursday morning that Friday was gonna be Girl's Night. We decided to eat drink and bond. Erin has decided that she is going to travel every weekend so we can't hang out like we used to anymore. This only leaves us Friday nights. We decided to have a girls only night and since Christina is our friend we invited her too.

Friday at NewSchool was horrendous! Erin and I couldn't wait for our chance to get out of there. We decided to leave at (gasp!) 9PM. Normally we leave that building around 11:30 so the thought of leaving earlier made us nervous especially since Ruby was in the office chatting with a man for what seemed like 2 to 3 hours. They were still speaking when we left.

As soon as we went out the door we ran like the wind down to the second floor of the building where Erin had to stop to adjust her shoe. We ran like the proverbial bat out of Hell. We walked rapidly down the streets while at the same time checking our backs to make sure that Ruby or her family members weren't behind us. We eventually make it home to wait for our friend only to find out that Christina AND California (a boy?!) were joining us.

Several hours later they show up bearing grub. We sat around talking, complaining, moping, joking, and bonding. This is what Girl's Night is all about to me. A lot like the sleepovers we used to have when we were little kids. Except in the adult version there wasn't the sleeping over part and there was food and a bit o' Soju involved. Ahh Soju...you just can't have a gathering without it. Not to sound like an alcoholic or anything but Soju goes well with certain foods. To appreciate it you need to take it slow.

So that's it. Sounds like a boring night for most people but for me it was great. Girls Night turned into Byrls Night (a boy and several girls- get it? b-y-rls). We laughed, almost cried, cooked, ate, sang (Korean pop songs), and had an overall wonderful night.

Everyday things

Every morning I do the same thing. I check my e-mails, call my boyfriend, check on my parents (if they are online=they are home=they get called), eat my breakfast cereal (my students say that it is poison for my body coincidentally so does my boyfriend), check FB (who doesn't?), and shower. Once I leave the apartment I pass our trash man/guard who is always sifting through the trash or watching outside his little guard booth at the comings and goings of our neighbors. This little old man always gives me a beady little stare and never cracks a smile or waves back. I always greet him with a "Hello" in Korean but nothin' not even a head nod. I'm gonna make him greet me back one day. It's a promise.

The walk to the new school is mostly uphill. Not fun to walk but I swear that my legs are getting more muscle-ier (I don't think that's a word but who cares? It's my blog so I will spell whichever way I want... Even though I am an English teacher so...). They look much better now than they ever did. Of course I arrive at the school sweaty and completely winded but who cares? My legs look great so that is a small price to pay.

The landlord of the building (that the school is in) is bankrupt. There are many empty office spaces. The bathrooms are foul. The toilets have brownish/black water in them. It is beyond a doubt disgusting! It's the type of bathroom you would imagine a murder might happen. I have taken to using the bathroom on the second floor which happens to be in front of a golf clinic. The golf clinic has men practicing their golf swings to improve their game (as if there are that many golf courses in Korea). It happens to be a co-ed bathroom so that men and women sides are separated by a foot of wall. I would be uncomfortable with this but since I've bared it all in front of complete strangers in Africa for a week I'm perfectly fine in the co-ed bathroom. Erin is not. She won't even set foot in that bathroom. Luckily she has a very large bladder. I do not.

I should also let you know that the back of the building faces a driving range. There are four levels and a green net so that the golf balls don't fly all over the place. This thing is packed day and night with men practicing their swing. The bathroom across the hall from the school faces the driving range. There are toilet to ceiling windows which means that when I peed for the first time the men saw everything and then some. Sigh.

2 out of 3 is better than nothin'

Uhhh- sorry it's been so long folks. I've been uber busy with my psycho employer. Let me back up to the day that I received my luggage (March 3rd).

The suitcases were brought to my place of work. As I sat around trying to look busy, Ruby walked in with my long lost suitcases. They were greener than I remember- huh. Anyway- They were promptly handed over and I could barely contain my excitement. Ruby walked off to do "more important things" so I was left with my luggage in the staff room. I promptly sat and opened suitcase #1 which contained my shoes. Glorious, amazing, beautiful shoes. I swear my eyes teared up. It also contained my desk calendar- which I promptly pulled out and placed on my tiny desk. Of course my down comforter was there too. I had dreamt of this down comforter for a long time because I've been freezing every day for the last 2 months.

Suitcase #2 was also full of scarves and clothes galore. My happiness was immeasurable. I had the goofiest grin on my face all day. It didn't even bother me that the school was freezing (they don't turn on the heating...ever) or that Ruby was annoying me. At the end of the night Ruby told me that they would drop off my suitcases in the apartment in the morning. That's when I yelped "No! Erin and I will take it with us". I couldn't believe that after 2 months Ruby wanted me to wait one more day to get my stuff home. Erin and I dragged my suitcases home. That night I sat in my room and stared at them like an imbecile. I imagined the wonderful outfits I would eventually wear. After rooting in my luggage I noticed something a bit funny. The clothes I packed were mostly size 12 and 10. I am currently a small 8. I hadn't planned on losing so much weight so quickly. So now I have the not too unpleasant experience of having too many big clothes. Oh well, I could have ZERO suitcases and ZERO clothes right now so I am happy with what I have.

This brings me to the fact that my third suitcase is still MIA. The airline is still looking for it. Maybe I will get it in another 2 months. Who knows?! Until next time- Hasta luego!

First day of school

Today I started at New School which is considerably closer to our apartment. Remember the unfortunate incident on Sunday with Ruby telling me that I needed to show up on Tuesday morning? I woke up bright and early and Erin did not. You see she had to show me how to get to New School. I decided that if she wasn't worried about leaving early then neither would I. So I sat in my room patiently waiting for her to get ready. I did a bit of this and a little of that. Eventually she wakes up, gets ready and we head out to New School. 

On the way there was a group of pre-pubescent boys who yell (at who else?) "Where are you from? Africa?". I grit my teeth and avoid yelling back "Where are You from? China?". I have to remember that I am much older and wiser so I can't let snot-nosed kids get to me. 

We arrived at New School only to find that we were the only ones there. The school was really nice looking except that its in an almost abandoned building. There is NO heat so I asked Erin (repeatedly) "Why is it so cold?" as if her answer would change. She eventually sighs and says "Wait, it will get so cold that your cuticles will turn blue". I wanted to cry (for the millionth time in 2 months). 

Eventually Ruby and Narky show up and give me my first student. Let's call him Hyper Boy. I am almost positive he has ADHD. He could barely sit long enough to read and answer questions. He has been kicked out of many private schools for his hyperactivity. I told Ruby he needs to have private lessons because if you put him in a group setting then he won't pay attention or understand what is going on. I felt bad for the kid because he reminds me of someone I know so I treat him extra special. What is it with me and the kids who have mental/emotional/physical issues? I feel so bad for them that I feel as though I've gotta watch over them or something. Especially since in Korea they are considered for a large part of the population as a notch above worthless and/or retarded. They are thought of as kids that won't amount to anything. Also, interesting little tidbit- Found out from Erin (who found out from Ruby) that it is not unusual in Korea for parents to only take care/love/favor one child while the rest are ignored. The rest are considered at times "accidents". Most of the time the favored child is the oldest child.

After my one and only class today I sat around trying to look busy. It was hard but I managed. Then Narky bursts into my classroom while I was trying to read Pride and Prejudice and Zombies and tells me that my two suitcases arrived at the Grunter's apartment and that they will bring them over in the morning. I was cautiously optimistic. I then asked him about my third suitcase. After a blank stare he said that he would call to find out what is going on from the Grunter. I never heard back from him. 

When I got home today I read an email from the airline telling me that they found two of the three suitcases and that they were looking for the third. I emailed back saying thanks but also- I need compensation for clothes I bought when I got here as well as clothes/shipping fees for the stuff my parents sent me. I will not conveniently forget about that just because my luggage may have arrived. 

We shall see if it really did tomorrow- Buenas Noches!