CHRISTMAS IS COMING!!!

I was quite proud of our little Christmas tree until we got our first gift in the mail. It is too big to fit under the tree! Haha I guess I should just be excited to open such a huge box, but it makes tree pictures look a tad bit ridiculous. Case in point:

Christmas in Korea is much tamer than Christmas in the U.S., where companies try to smack you over the face with Christmas spirit. There is no Christmas music blaring and it is rare to see Christmas lights. Some might say it is refreshing, but I'm less enchanted. I actually like it when Christmas takes over Omaha. I'm not a fan of the consumerism of it all, but I do love the spirit. So I'm going to have to don a Santa hat from here on out to make sure Christmas goes wherever I go! Luckily, I'm willing to make that sacrifice.

My poopypants...

Last night, Chin-Hwa fell asleep before me. I laid there and stared at his peaceful face (I swear that Chin-Hwa smiles when he sleeps...it is no coincidence that sleeping is one of his favorite pasttimes) splashed with moonlight. My mind started to wander and I thought about how I was so lucky to be with him at this particular moment. Just as I was nearing bliss, as well as nearing a stereotypical romantic movie moment during which I take out a conveniently located sketch pad and pencil so I could artfully capture this picture, he turned towards me and sighed...and my face was smacked with bad breath daggers, full of fear and spite.

Mood splintered.

These are the things you do not think about before deciding to move in with someone. So beware, young lovers. Beware! Don't start me on his recent hobby of pooping with the door open. (Yes, I know, Chin-Hwa, my conversation is enticing, but can't it wait?!)

ANTM

I don't mean to brag, and I'm probably actually risking something by admitting that I watch such poopy television series religiously, but I think I could do relatively well on the show "America's Next Top Model." Now, I never would go on the show due to my thoughts regarding modeling and body image as well as my ideas about how young women should be spending their time (stop doing fashion research! How is that a hobby?!) but what I couldn't do would be put up with Tyra's serious ego trips. Please note the video link below, and then ask yourself, who does that? And then ask, who writes a blog about that? This girl, that's who!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wDuRvXNJxk0

There she goes, changing the entire face of fashion yet again. What would we do without her?

Busan

Recently, I was lucky enough to travel to South Korea's second biggest city, Busan. (Seoul is the biggest city in Korea, but most of the cities seem huge to me!) Busan is on the southern most coast of Korea, and usually it would take five hours to drive there from Seoul, so six hours from my house. However, I found a superior mode of transport: the high speed rail.

The high speed rail, or KTX, was amazing. We traveled at an astounding 160 mph, and the only thing that felt strange was that my ears kept popping. It was also a little difficult to use the bathroom at such high speeds, but you don't need the nasty details, so I'll just move right along.

I traveled with my boss, Jae, and she booked us a nice little hotel room and figured out all of the travel options. It was so easy to travel because she knows Korean. I was amazed that whenever we had a question, she could simply go ask. These are the things I took for granted in the U.S.! I was very thankful to travel with her. We went to a beach in Busan (yes, it's November, but it was still beautiful!) and took a tram up to a lighthouse. Below the lighthouse were a bunch of "Women Divers." These elderly women spend their days going into the sea to get oysters and other yummy sea creatures and then sell them to tourists. We jumped right on that bandwagon, and I must say, for being from a landlocked state, I took those oysters down rather well. They were delicious, and while we ate, we sat right by the ocean water. Wow. I would have never guessed that I would have lived in Korea, let alone sat by the sea eating raw oysters.

We were also lucky to visit the largest department store in the world, Centum City. Yes, you read that right: the largest department store IN THE WORLD. It covers an entire city block. Please refer to the picture. And what did I do there? Shop? Get a massage? Enjoy the frivolities of travel? No. I clogged a toilet. Yep, I am that high class. At least I had the decency to tell one of the bathroom workers. I tapped her shoulder and said, "Um, there is a problem..." and walked away, ashamed and red faced.

This moment was the only bad moment on the trip, and I came back home, refreshed and wanting to travel again. Where to next?

G20 summit

The G20 Summit will happen in Seoul this Thursday and Friday. What is the G20 summit? Based on my quick research (I Googled it once...that counts, right?) I have discovered that leaders from the most influential economic markets across the world will gather together to discuss problems and solutions facing the world economy. Even Barack Obama is coming. You are probably falling asleep at the mere mention of such a dry meeting, but I assure you that it will not be boring due to the thousands of protesters that have started to gather all across the country. I don't know what exactly they are protesting, but they are loud and well organized, which is not surprising after witnessing how well Koreans can cheer together during a baseball game.

I have seen my share of protests (they protested about everything in Berkeley!) but we have been warned that these protests might turn violent. Seoul is off limits these next few days, although it would be exciting to see. I promise I will stay away! Here is more information if you are interested enough to explore:

http://www.g20.org/index.aspx

http://www.koreatimes.co.kr/www/news/nation/2010/11/113_75853.html

Korean lesson from me to you

There are some songs that are stuck in my head forever...Jurassic Park score, Radio Gaga, Yesterday, and this doozy from Stephen Colbert. It's nice to see Korean culture spreading to the U.S. The whole video is worth a watch, but if you want to see the singing culture war between Stephen Colbert and Rain (sensational Korean pop star), skip to 2:20 on the video. Enjoy!

http://www.colbertnation.com/the-colbert-report-videos/182950/may-10-2007/he-s-singing-in-korean?xrs=share_copy

Happy Halloween...bwahahaha

One of my favorite parts of my job is giving my students a healthy amount of indoctrination into U.S. culture. I enjoy teaching kids about unhealthy foods, idioms, and holiday traditions. So far, they have the general impression that all U.S. holidays are centered around food and/or candy, which really isn't that far off. It is for this reason that they love Halloween. A day all about getting candy from strangers? Hooray!

I have spent the last week writing scary stories with all of my students. (except the five year olds. I don't need them wetting themselves in fear in the middle of my class.) The resulting stories ranged from, "Uh, ok, nice try, but I think you missed the point," to "How does an eight year old write such freaky things?" Here are a few of my favorites for you to enjoy. Start your literary criticism engines, folks:

I Go to the Zoo

I go to the zoo in the morning. Because I want to see animals. I see a lion and an alligator. The lion is smiling at me. The alligator is swimming and the alligator is very scary. It has sharp teeth. I go home.

By: David

***If you're not scared, maybe you don't get it. I sure didn't. But a good try.

Girl and Mean Doll

There is a grandfather, a girl, and a doll in the house. It is the girl's birthday, so grandfater gives her a doll. Sometimes the doll is mean, and the doll looks like eyes are green, nails are long, and hair is brown color. When the doll is nice, her face is like a doll, her eyes are blue color, and hair is orange color. In the night, the doll walks and sits on the stairs two times. The girl comes to put the doll back on the bed but the doll takes a knife and kills the girl. Then, the doll walks to Sunnyside play room and the other toys are happy. Many children come to Sunnyside play room and the doll kills every child so it is the only doll in the country.

By: Amy

*Why are dolls so darn creepy? Really? Amy also drew a really disturbing picture to accompany her story, but I'll spare you so you can sleep tonight.