acupuncture

Found a place for acupuncture through one of the students at our school. It was good. Definitely not like back home though! Back home provides you with more of the zen, full mind-body-spirit experience. In Korea, I laid on a bed withy clothes on, bright lights in my eyes for 15 minutes, then it was over. Glad I can do it here, but would really like the full meal deal of home; I think it truly does add to the overall process.

Seoul Baseball

Game was rained out. But we tried.

Seoul Olympic Stadium 1988

Staying Connected

Found a site that allows my computer, and hopefully soon my iPhone too, to think it is back in Canada. Google: VPN Express. And thank goodness for that! First world problems I know right. But I am able to watch netflix and my guilty pleasure show: Real Housewives of Orange County. For some reason though, Korean websites still pop up :( Like when I was trying to add money to my Skype account, it's all in Korean. If I really want to get that done, ill need to find someone back home to load my account.

Family/friends have been wonderful for this! I cannot thank you all (ESPECIALLY KP)! You have saved me!

Another way to keep in touch is through iMessage and textplus. Skype is good too! You just need to be with it enough to know the time exchange :)

inspiration from home

homesick

I have now been here for three weeks. With my double shift days Monday to Friday it feels like I have been here for three months. I am going through a phase where I am feeling more ok being here but then at the same time want to go home as well. It's a hard mixture of feelings. I don't know how to sort them all out. But I hear that this is normal.

This too small pass.

Never having something to say

In talking with people back home I feel like a blabbering baboon most times. During the week I don't do anything. My weekends are my fun times. I have new things to say and new experiences to share come Monday, but between Tuesday - Friday I only have enough words to complain about my school. Which is a hogwon though advertised as a Canadian International school utilizing British  Columbia curricula. Ballz ass lies!

People I love back home: please bear with me. I am trying. Honest. 

I love our chats/calls/texts/skypes. Please. Keep them coming. I need them. I miss them. And I miss all of you. Tons! More than I ever thought.

Dinner at Rice Story

week two

How it is hard to believe that I have completed two weeks here. It truly feels like I have been here for ... Forever! My weeks feel doubley as long because of the split shift, which is awful. I know that I am crazy busy right now at school due to conferences, open class, bulletin board writing and writing contest but it still blows chunks.

If I was fortunate to be off earlier than 7:20pm every Monday to Friday I would enjoy either more time to explore, relax, read a book. Anything! I would appreciate more time, ya know. Because really, I only have 50 more weekends to explore ...

I have been to Nami Island, the market and Myeong-dong. Am off to a baseball game this Saturday too!

Missing home, but technology helps:)

Keeping Up With The Jones'

Our parents are constantly in competition with one another; trying to show up each other with birthday party extravagance, and in teacher gifts. One teacher has received a pearl necklace, earrings and bracelet! Just the other day, pizza was delivered for the teachers. It tasted like home!

home cooking

My kitchen is very small. This is me attempting to cook up some stirfry in my tiny kitchen.

I am enjoying not applying and worrying about make-up here. For one, I just don't give a rats ass and two, it's so hot and muggy that it just sweats off. No point really. Enjoying the facial nakedness.

screwed

Though things are complete crap with the Canadian International School (CIS) that I work for, I am slowly learning to just let it go. It is what it is and honestly there is nothing I can do besides where a smile.

For anyone planning to work for CIS I would strongly recommend against it even though the money is better than most other schools. Look up the school WonderLust; they have a strong affiliation. They are basically the same school.

Hours are awful, the amount of work you need to do increases daily, nobody can tell you what's going on, your supervisors (Koreans) speak ok English-getting meaning across is hard at times, everyone (even the koreans) are feeling screwed over, basically no time off in twelve months, pensions not being matched .......

I am just wanting to put it out to the world. You, have been warned. If you do still come out, I would not recommend staying any longer than your one year contract.

All the best!

FOOD!

Oh man! I may have to start running miles a day to stay ahead of my waistline. Here is some delicious Korean BBQ that I had last night. A bit pricier - 15$ Canadian - but finger licking good!

peppers

An old lady lays out her tarps and sells these peppers on the bridge near my place.

August 21, 2013

It is starting to cool off here. And by cool off I mean it is 27 and not 30-32 haha. Here was the view on my morning run. Way less smog and fog.

Medical Exam

In order to work here one must participate in and pay for their own medical exam. Though I had everything checked out prior to leaving Canada, I still needed to be examined.

I was to meet my supervisor at 9am as I needed a translator. She was late! I was panicking. I do my have a phone here (mine only works in wifi) and she has no way to reach me. God! I really hoped I was in the right location to meet her.

We went in. All went ok ...

Teeth - normal

Eyes - very good

Height - 175 cm

Weight- 65 kg; I was told I need to be at 60 kgs. I am obese by Korean standard. If this happens to you, it is normal. There views on weight are very ... off shall we say. 

Chest X-ray - awaiting results

Blood test - awaiting results 

Urine test - awaiting results; I could not for the life of me fill the quota required as I had been fasting and had not drank any liquids for 12 hours. A little hard to pee eh.

Anxiously I await the result as they need to be in BEFORE I can go to immigration, apply for my ARC (alien residency card) and change my single entry visa into a multi entry.

Oh and did I mention I am planning to head to Japan in a month. These documents must e completed BEFORE I leave. 

Gosh! Will my time crunches never end!

sanctuary

This place saves me on a daily basis. I am able to poach wifi on lunch to chat with family :) Also they have pretty good food and beverages.

In between my very short stints at morning running, I pop into this doughnut place. It allows me to text, call, and FaceTime with those back home. I also usually stop by after work too.

I  so appreciative of technology and the ability for me to keep in touch with those far, far away. I honesty don't know how people did this before hand. I don't think I could have/could be doing this without such a connection to back home.

late night mandu!

Things to Pack

Ladies! They don't have tampons here. Try to bring tons. And potentially even have someone ship you some as well. I have only seen a few boxes in one grocery store and they were double the price back home. STOCK UP.

Bring your own pillow. One, it will provide you with a home-y comfort. Two, they don't have North American style pillows here. Or at least not readily available/reasonably priced. Luckily I brought an empty anti-bed bug pillow cover that I was able to use to create my own pillow. I sliced open the awful, large, non-forgiving pillow the school provided me with to jimmy up a suitable pillow.

During the summer months it would help to have shoes a size or two bigger. My feet, and actually come to think on it, my entire body is swollen. The humidity/heat add an extra ten pounds I'd say ;)

Things I have Learned

You cannot dress for this climate. With 30+ weather matches with 75% humidity, I honestly rather be naked at all times. 

I mean I get looks as it is for being tall and brown/white, why not just take off the clothes and give 'em a show too!

My ankles have disappeared. I am not sure if it is the weather, the constant walking, or both, but I know feel as if I have cankles!

If Korean women consume a large meal, they will skip a meal and/or eating the next day; socially acceptable, infrequent anorexia.

The rules of the road, lights and stop signs are, for the most part, general guidelines. Crosser beware!

Week One

What a whirl-wind! I have come a LONG way from day one. I am still overwhelmed and feel pressure on a continuous basis and no one really seems to fully know what is going on. CIS is definitely not the school it says it is. For one, it is not Canadian, nor is it an international school; it is just a private Korean school - hence my severe lack of holidays and better pay. For any teachers out there, I would recommend not staying for more than a year (only one teacher has) or don't come at all. It will not be what you were led to believe.

I was hoping to test out the waters of the teaching world of elementary students. I had the thought I may actually be ok/happy to teach elementary back home, and what better place to test run that idea out. On a good day I feel like a drill sergeant with these kids. It's actually awful. I honesty don't see how any learning truly occurs.

I have started to establish the routine though. Working a split shift blows the big one, but I am saving cash money big time that way.

It is unfortunate though that the kids and I are unable to actually have fun and have creative lessons due to the schools structure.

I'm adjusting though. 1 week down, 51 more to go.

Nami Island - Korean Independence Day

Two-three hours of standing on a bus and train later ... We arrived at Nami Island. It is situated 63 km from Seoul in the middle of the Han River. Nami Island looks like a floating leaf. It is has an area of 480,000m2 and a circumference of 5 km.

We took a low-key, slow-paced zip line to then island and then toured by foot.

Food Adentures!

Eating kimchi! A bit spicy but still pretty good. I would suggest chasing it with rice ;)

Noodles & Octopus! This dish was deceivingly spicy. But sooooo good! Minus the collection of mini octopi. I did not eat them. Luckily, Krystal saved me.

run days

DAY 1

DAY 2

DAY3

DAY 4

<weekends = no run days>

Day 5

switching up the outfits ... saving in laundry (kp and mc, last weeks run gear smells like your hockey gear!)

DAY 6

DAY 7

DAY8 - ain't no rain going to keep me and my body from getting healthy ;)

DAY 9 - Sunday slow run/no run Tuesday 

Too cool for school afternoon 

DAY 10

DAY 11

Can run up to 15 mins straight now. Slowly. But I'm doing it. one step at a time ...

DAY12

It's starting to cool off. Thank good was! But, my throat is barely functioning - it's hard to swallow and I cannot breathe as well. But no swollen glands. Bad cough though. FML!

DAY 13

DAY 14

switched it up a bit. Check out the routine.

Runs will still be continuing, at least until it is too cold here.  Pictures may cease however. It has quickly become fall here, almost over night really. The runs are helping me turn off my mind, and zen out. It exercises my body, mind, soul, and spirit. If I had more mental control, I would run until I could go home.