Hi everyone. Today is my 25th birthday. 25 was always that scary age, the official milestone that meant "no longer a kid", I'm officially out of the young adult category 18-24 and I can't be on the Real World (cruel world!!)
I celebrated my birthday on Saturday night, it was a joint party with my friend Pym because he's leaving the country soon. He's one of my good friends here and he will be dearly missed, Tyler and I refer to him as the voice of reason. Saturday was nice because I got to see a lot of people who have been off the radar for a while. I got an ice cream cake (my favvv) and some warm winter clothes. Nice times with a nice group of people.
Tonight I'm going to go to the doggie cafe with some of my friends and spent my first night as a 25 year old playing with dogs. Sounds pretty good to me.
I have purchased my tickets to Europe and I'll be arriving in London on August 31. That'll give me three weeks in South East Asia and then hopefully another 2-3 months in Europe, just traveling around to all the countries I want to go to. Right now I know I'll be in England, Denmark, Belgium and Spain, but I'd love to go other places if it's feasible. I've been reading Eat, Pray, Love and getting excited about my round the world trip, even though it's far in the future.
Sunday, November 21, 2010
Sunday, November 7, 2010
Peitsa visits and Scavenger hunts
It's monday, November 8th in Korea, and I'm at work after a nice three day weekend. Peitsa came to visit last week. Our family friends, who are both professors, are taking their sabbatical in Kyoto and Peitsa went to go visit them. My mom got him a layover in Seoul for three and a half days so we got to hangout and I showed him around. I was able to get friday off from work and we climbed Ansan mountain behind Yonsei, walked around Sinchon, and then went to the local traditional village in Anguk, where we found a cafe that roasts their own coffee beans (quite rare over here). After Anguk we went to the Chungechung river and looked at the laterns set up for the lantern festival, it was a cultural day and we got a lot of exercise. It was really nice to see him too especially since I didn't think I was going to see any of my family for almost two years.
He loves spicy food so I tried to take him to all the spiciest restaurants that I've been too, but though he enjoyed the tastes, nothing was spicy for him. Has someone burned away all their tastebuds?
After Peitsa left on Saturday I went on a scavenger hunt with Julia, Pym, Tyler, Nick and Nick's friend. The scavenger hunt involved going to five different bars and doing various random stunts for points and we had a camera to document everything. One of the dares was to cheers an older Korean man outside of a convenience store (where they usually drink) and we asked if we could cheers him (innocent enough right?) and he lost it and started yelling at us. Even after we put the camera away and turned away from him he kept yelling at us to go away. Yikes. We opted to not do that one again.
The scavenger hunt was really fun and our team dressed in mismatched clothes (costumes were encouraged). At midnight we all had to meet up with the other teams at the Hongdae park. Then we went out dancing into early in the morning, all in all it was a great night.
I've been listening to Arcade Fire a lot recently, I know I'm really late on the bandwagon but they are really, really good.
He loves spicy food so I tried to take him to all the spiciest restaurants that I've been too, but though he enjoyed the tastes, nothing was spicy for him. Has someone burned away all their tastebuds?
After Peitsa left on Saturday I went on a scavenger hunt with Julia, Pym, Tyler, Nick and Nick's friend. The scavenger hunt involved going to five different bars and doing various random stunts for points and we had a camera to document everything. One of the dares was to cheers an older Korean man outside of a convenience store (where they usually drink) and we asked if we could cheers him (innocent enough right?) and he lost it and started yelling at us. Even after we put the camera away and turned away from him he kept yelling at us to go away. Yikes. We opted to not do that one again.
The scavenger hunt was really fun and our team dressed in mismatched clothes (costumes were encouraged). At midnight we all had to meet up with the other teams at the Hongdae park. Then we went out dancing into early in the morning, all in all it was a great night.
I've been listening to Arcade Fire a lot recently, I know I'm really late on the bandwagon but they are really, really good.
Sunday, October 31, 2010
I renewed my contract
Today is November 1st, my birthday month and the start of my 11th month in Seoul. About a week ago I signed a 7 month renewal contract so I'm employed through August 3, 2011. I was a little worried that they weren't going to offer me an extention so I'm very happy and relieved right now.
It's getting colder but the weather hasn't fully committed to winter cold yet, we'll have a couple days of freezing cold (by California standards) and then a couple days of sun and warmth. This past weekend was Halloween and I had a really nice time. Since Halloween fell on a Sunday I had three days worth of cosutme options and I've always been kean on making my own costume and this year was no exception.
On Thursday night I went to a Halloween party in Gangnam and it was really fun. I made a Guiness bottle costume, I worked on the label for over an hour and I was pretty proud of the result. It got a bit crushed after a night of dancing but I did get some pictures of my masterpiece beforehand!
On Friday my company encouraged the employees to dress up because in Korea people don't really celebrate Halloween. I was a soju bottle (the National drink) and it was really easy to make (green shirt + handmade soju label) much less detail than the Guiness label. My students all laughed and were really curious about the Halloween mumbo jumbo. "What do adults do on Halloween??" "Well... they dress up in costumes and drink alcohol."
Saturday I went on a solo hike up the nearest mountain Ansan, it's behind the University Yonsei which is a hop, skip and a jump away from my house. I downloaded a couple podcasts and went on a three hour hike/walk and it was really nice. The weather was perfect and the mountain wasn't very crowded, which can be a problem on the mountains here. I took a couple pictures, but my camera has the unique talent of taking ANY picturesque sight and making it look lame, so I probably wont post any of them.
Saturday night my friend Julia and I went as ninja turtles along with a Waldo, a Woody and a lumberjack. We went to Itaewon and stayed most of the night at a westerner bar called Dillingers. My favorite costume was a guy dressed as Sailor Venus from Sailor Moon. His skirt was so short and I'm chuckling right now just thinking about it.
High light of the night: Julia and I were talking to the bar tender/ DJ and he told us to come behind the bar to show us something and as soon as we walked behind it, the bar owner announced (with a microphone!) that they were having a costume contest and th ninja turtles were in it! Um... I'm not a big spot light person and we both froze for a second. There were a lot of people there! Some how Julia and I didn't run away and we actually won second place. Unfortunately Brave Heart's costume was too good. I'm glad we did it, even if we did get tricked into participating.
I hope everyone else had a good Halloween too!
It's getting colder but the weather hasn't fully committed to winter cold yet, we'll have a couple days of freezing cold (by California standards) and then a couple days of sun and warmth. This past weekend was Halloween and I had a really nice time. Since Halloween fell on a Sunday I had three days worth of cosutme options and I've always been kean on making my own costume and this year was no exception.
On Thursday night I went to a Halloween party in Gangnam and it was really fun. I made a Guiness bottle costume, I worked on the label for over an hour and I was pretty proud of the result. It got a bit crushed after a night of dancing but I did get some pictures of my masterpiece beforehand!
On Friday my company encouraged the employees to dress up because in Korea people don't really celebrate Halloween. I was a soju bottle (the National drink) and it was really easy to make (green shirt + handmade soju label) much less detail than the Guiness label. My students all laughed and were really curious about the Halloween mumbo jumbo. "What do adults do on Halloween??" "Well... they dress up in costumes and drink alcohol."
Saturday I went on a solo hike up the nearest mountain Ansan, it's behind the University Yonsei which is a hop, skip and a jump away from my house. I downloaded a couple podcasts and went on a three hour hike/walk and it was really nice. The weather was perfect and the mountain wasn't very crowded, which can be a problem on the mountains here. I took a couple pictures, but my camera has the unique talent of taking ANY picturesque sight and making it look lame, so I probably wont post any of them.
Saturday night my friend Julia and I went as ninja turtles along with a Waldo, a Woody and a lumberjack. We went to Itaewon and stayed most of the night at a westerner bar called Dillingers. My favorite costume was a guy dressed as Sailor Venus from Sailor Moon. His skirt was so short and I'm chuckling right now just thinking about it.
High light of the night: Julia and I were talking to the bar tender/ DJ and he told us to come behind the bar to show us something and as soon as we walked behind it, the bar owner announced (with a microphone!) that they were having a costume contest and th ninja turtles were in it! Um... I'm not a big spot light person and we both froze for a second. There were a lot of people there! Some how Julia and I didn't run away and we actually won second place. Unfortunately Brave Heart's costume was too good. I'm glad we did it, even if we did get tricked into participating.
I hope everyone else had a good Halloween too!
Monday, October 18, 2010
Monday Update
Hey everyone. I'm sitting in my office wearing my outdoor coat because there is an uncomfortable draft coming through the closed windows. Brr. October has been an interesting month weather-wise, its rained and shined and the temperature has dropped drastically. Last night I went for a walk with a friend and my sweatshirt, scarf and long pants still left me feeling colder than I would have liked.
Exciting news: My boss has agreed to let me sign for an additional seven months, so my contract can go until early August of 2011. I'm really thrilled because I'm not ready to leave Seoul yet, I have a job, good friends and a comfortable life here and January is just too soon to leave.
I got to talk to my mom and Eva for the first time in months last week. Both of them are doing well. Eva's in Denmark and living a good life, she was approved for her Danish citizenship and she's been taking intensive Danish classes for the past couple months. I really want to go visit her there when I'm done teaching.
I had my second photo shoot yesterday. It was really fun. I like Robin, the photographer, he's fun to work with. The only strange part of the shoot was that the studio booked another group to start exactly when we were scheduled to finish, with no time in between. As we're finishing the final shoot, which required the most dramatic makeup, the next group just bursts in, and it was so awkward. I'm trying to ignore a group of people walking around us, so rude. Who does that? Robin said the pictures should be ready soon so I'll upload some.
Exciting news: My boss has agreed to let me sign for an additional seven months, so my contract can go until early August of 2011. I'm really thrilled because I'm not ready to leave Seoul yet, I have a job, good friends and a comfortable life here and January is just too soon to leave.
I got to talk to my mom and Eva for the first time in months last week. Both of them are doing well. Eva's in Denmark and living a good life, she was approved for her Danish citizenship and she's been taking intensive Danish classes for the past couple months. I really want to go visit her there when I'm done teaching.
I had my second photo shoot yesterday. It was really fun. I like Robin, the photographer, he's fun to work with. The only strange part of the shoot was that the studio booked another group to start exactly when we were scheduled to finish, with no time in between. As we're finishing the final shoot, which required the most dramatic makeup, the next group just bursts in, and it was so awkward. I'm trying to ignore a group of people walking around us, so rude. Who does that? Robin said the pictures should be ready soon so I'll upload some.
Thursday, October 7, 2010
사랑니 (Love Teeth)
Two posts in one day, impressive I know. This was just too sweet to forget: I just had class with one of my students, he's a senior in university and he's getting ready to go abroad to the US for a year. He needs to get his wisdom teeth removed before he leaves, so we were talking about the dentist and the different names for different proceedures. I told him he needed his wisdom teeth removed.
Student: We called them 사랑니 SaRangNa.
Me: SaRang means love right?
Student: Yes, they are called Love Teeth.
Me: Why are they called Love Teeth?
Student: Because you are old enough to be in love when you them.
I thought that was pretty cute and wanted to share it.
Student: We called them 사랑니 SaRangNa.
Me: SaRang means love right?
Student: Yes, they are called Love Teeth.
Me: Why are they called Love Teeth?
Student: Because you are old enough to be in love when you them.
I thought that was pretty cute and wanted to share it.
Hey Again
The summer has come and gone and I didn't make any time for my blog, sorry about that. I'm turning into a white stereotype I guess. The other day I was in a book store, looking for some new reading material, when I came across the book "Stuff White People Like". I picked it up and after too many of the items on the list applied to me I put the book down, I ain't no stereotype. mutter mutter. One of the items said: Starting a Blog and Never Updating it. Gah. So to prove that list wrong, here I go.
I got a new office at work and it's definitely an upgrade. More space. More windows. 3ftx4ft World Map over my computer? Holla. I really like the map and it gives my daydreaming mind even more inspiration to imagine my extensive post-Korea travels.
It's starting to get a bit nippy outside, I pulled my jacket out of the closet and it's been a constant companion this week. I'm not ready for Korean winter again. It was so cold last year.
This upcoming weekend should be exciting, there is a free local music festival in Seoul on Saturday followed by a fireworks show and then on Sunday my Canadian friends want to have a Canadian Thanksgiving dinner. It'll give me some good blogging material (hopefully).
I'm doing well and I hope all of you are as well :)
I got a new office at work and it's definitely an upgrade. More space. More windows. 3ftx4ft World Map over my computer? Holla. I really like the map and it gives my daydreaming mind even more inspiration to imagine my extensive post-Korea travels.
It's starting to get a bit nippy outside, I pulled my jacket out of the closet and it's been a constant companion this week. I'm not ready for Korean winter again. It was so cold last year.
This upcoming weekend should be exciting, there is a free local music festival in Seoul on Saturday followed by a fireworks show and then on Sunday my Canadian friends want to have a Canadian Thanksgiving dinner. It'll give me some good blogging material (hopefully).
I'm doing well and I hope all of you are as well :)
Sunday, June 6, 2010
You haven't REALLY lived in Seoul until strangers yell at you on the street
Like I mentioned before the Spring never happened and we are already rapidly plunging into Summer and its heat and humidity. The sudden weather change has left me in a dilemma of what to wear. I've been happily wearing dresses with tights, but now with the high temps and humidity ratios, tights are not a pleasant option but neither is getting stared at for not wearing them.
The other day I bought a couple of dresses at one of the underground malls, these places are awesome in the sense that I can buy three dresses and a cardigan for $35, but less than ideal when there are no dressing rooms. I've gotten pretty accurate at holding the dress up to myself and judging the length appropriateness but not always. One of the dresses was... a little short when I tried it on at home...but it was at an inappr-pro debateable length. It's not THAT short... errrr?
This morning I woke up to a coffeeless house and I couldn't quite think straight as I retried my outfit. I studied the dress in the mirror... maybe if I wear the cardigan with it! Tights? No tights? No tights got me down one flight of stairs until I felt like I was walking around without pants on and I ran back up to my studio.
I took the train to work and I was walking through the station feeling uncomfortably aware of myself, why was she looking at me? Is it because of the dress length (*Note to people back home: the average dress length in Korea is super super short compared to back home) Then a crazy ranting man that was waving an empty soda bottle in the air started directing his indiscriminate shouting at me, in Korean so I didn't know what he was saying. A;; I heard was "happa" or what I had thought was "heffer".
I asked one of the Korean tutors at work, "what does heffer, or haffa mean in Korea?"
Korean tutor, "not haffa, happa. it means "you're easy".."
Well I guess that answers the question about my dress being inappropriate.
The other day I bought a couple of dresses at one of the underground malls, these places are awesome in the sense that I can buy three dresses and a cardigan for $35, but less than ideal when there are no dressing rooms. I've gotten pretty accurate at holding the dress up to myself and judging the length appropriateness but not always. One of the dresses was... a little short when I tried it on at home...but it was at an inappr-pro debateable length. It's not THAT short... errrr?
This morning I woke up to a coffeeless house and I couldn't quite think straight as I retried my outfit. I studied the dress in the mirror... maybe if I wear the cardigan with it! Tights? No tights? No tights got me down one flight of stairs until I felt like I was walking around without pants on and I ran back up to my studio.
I took the train to work and I was walking through the station feeling uncomfortably aware of myself, why was she looking at me? Is it because of the dress length (*Note to people back home: the average dress length in Korea is super super short compared to back home) Then a crazy ranting man that was waving an empty soda bottle in the air started directing his indiscriminate shouting at me, in Korean so I didn't know what he was saying. A;; I heard was "happa" or what I had thought was "heffer".
I asked one of the Korean tutors at work, "what does heffer, or haffa mean in Korea?"
Korean tutor, "not haffa, happa. it means "you're easy".."
Well I guess that answers the question about my dress being inappropriate.
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