EPIK 365 Day 127: Goodbye, Old Friend

I have to say goodbye to my old P60.  :(  I am so sad!  This camera has been to Fiji, Montreal, to countless concerts and shows, all around the Southeast, through graduate school, and made the trip to Korea with me.  Alas, this may be more than any one camera was meant to take.  I've been getting some purple digital noise in my photos for a while, but I've always been able to get my camera to right itself, but no more.  :(  I went and bought a "make do" camera…haven't thoroughly tried it out yet, but I am hoping it will be as good a friend as my P60 has been.

EPIK 365 Day 126: More Chickens

So, their little carcasses don't bother me.  What bothers me (and makes me go "aww, that's a little cute") is their little carcasses sitting there like "Hey, y'all!  How's it going?"

EPIK 365 Day 125: Gift Sets Just Aren't Quite the Same

Well, the glare from the lights don't help, but this is a gift set of fish…for eating…but you give it as a gift.  Because it is bad form to show up for Seollal (Lunar New Year) without a gift.  There are other less, uh, perishable gift sets available, too.

EPIK 365 Day 124: Demo Food

I've noticed this a lot in the cities…restaurants/cafes/eateries have really good looking faux food in their windows.  I mean, it looks really realistic…and kinda good.

EPIK 365 Day 123: Hanbok Shops

I think hanbok are so lovely!  I will be getting my own before I leave Korea, but for now I have to satisfy myself by looking longingly into shop windows.

EPIK 365 Day 122: Camp Cake

I bought my winter camp girls a cake to celebrate the end of camp.  They worked so hard and did such a great job I HAD to reward them!

…And, yes, I am once again behind in my 365s…I will get caught up soon.  Promise!

EPIK 365 Day 121: Bird in School

So, this actually happened yesterday, but today was a rather uneventful day, so I thought I would post it today instead.  There was a bird in the school yesterday.  Ok, I'm not afraid of birds, but this one flew right at my head and face as I was walking down the hall to my classroom.  Then it came back!  Apparently, the letters above my door were going to make a suitable nesting spot until it could figure out how to get out.  Every time I tried for my door it flew at me.  Feisty little thing!  I had to go get a tall student to shoo it away from my classroom.

EPIK 365 Day 120: Random Food Gift

So, I was leaving school today when I noticed another teacher on the other side of the crosswalk.  We exchanged hellos and bows/waves, and honestly, I thought that was it.  So, the light changed for us to cross and she stops me in the middle of the street and gives me this.  Another version of ddeok, I think. Ok.  It was still warm when she placed it in my gloved hand, but by the time I got home it was cold, solid as a rock, and let's face it, my gloves are not the cleanest thing.  I did not eat them, but I thought that the gesture was nice.

EPIK 365 Day 119: Feltics

I have student who wears a Feltics jacket all the time, and, honestly, I thought it was just the Konglish version of "Celtics."  I stand corrected.  It is an actual company.

EPIK 365 Day 118: Baby Hedgehog

Isn't this just the cutest thing?  You can get a pet hedgehog!

Also, my apologies with the rely in post the last few days…I've been a bit under the weather.

EPIK 365 Day 117: Silkworm Larve, Anyone?

So, I had assumed (that is, I had HOPED) that silkworm larve are a delicacy item here.  Maybe, but common enough to be available in the grocery store.  I haven't tried them yet…in case you are curious. I will before I leave, but I just haven't been brave enough yet.

EPIK 365 Day 116: Map

Waiting on the bus to the city today…needed to get out of town for a bit…and do some shopping.  Anyway.  I noticed that there was this little map of town at the bus stop.  It does not tell me what bus I need to take to go places, but it does show me where they are.

EPIK 365 Day 115: Studying Korean

I am trying out an internet-based Korean language course.  So far, I like it, they do an excellent job of explaining things and break the lessons into small enough chunks that I can "digest" the information.  I kinda think it is working in conjunction with immersion language learning…I am starting to catch things that sound familiar on TV.  Anyway, I'm going to keep it up for a bit.

EPIK 365 Day 114: Mug Brownie

I really miss having a oven.  I was having a rare craving for chocolate today…I wanted a chewy brownie, to be exact.  I like chewy brownies.  I decided to try out this "mug brownie" recipe that you microwave.  Ugh…it was so gross.  Too cake like and almost bitter…definitely needed more sugar…ok, to be fair, it would be a good microwave "cake" but you cannot market this thing as a "brownie!"

I'm So Vain...

…I probably think this blog is about me.

Oh, wait.

Anyway.

Today was a good day for my ego.

So, even though I don’t strictly HAVE TO go to school during winter break, I usually go in for half a day.  I couldn’t afford to go on vacation and I NEEDED to get some work done...I make all of my materials from scratch, so each lesson takes quite a bit of time to put together.  And sometimes...sometimes...a student will come see me during lunch to practice English.  

I was feeling a little unmotivated today...end of the week slump, I supposed, but I made myself go down to the main office to use the laminator.  So, I laminate just about everything I make because I have learned the heard way that my students can be rough on class materials.  I know the school secretary probably thinks I am a little nuts...and then I feel bad because she always helps me prepare my materials for laminating (or coating, as they say here), which she does not have to do and then I feel a little guilty.  

I got my stuff coated and decided to take the long way back to my classroom.  Heading down the Grade 1 corridor I saw half a dozen of my boys out in the hallway on their knees.  I know that means they were being naughty and I didn’t want to get them in to any more trouble, but it was too late to change direction.  So, I stopped and asked why they were in the hall, where they being bad?  They had the grace to look embarrassed and said yes.  I told them that made me a little sad.  Clever students, because they have recognized that I can’t control my blush reaction, then blurt out, “You are very beautiful.”  Of course I laugh and say thank you, but I can feel that my face is a bit flushed.

Without being totally vain, I do feel beautiful here.  Not in a just because I look like the majority of people here or because I have a physicality that has been fetishized, but because my students tell me so.  Ok, yes, they are teenagers, but Korean standards of beauty are pretty rigid.  (Eat Your Kimchi has an in-depth article about Korean beauty standards here: http://www.eatyourkimchi.com/whats-the-ideal-korean-woman/).  Now, I’m no fool, I know I don’t fit the ideal so when a student tells me that I am beautiful (and I tend to think that Korean students are more honest than American students, because if an American student said it, I would just be all “yeah, right”) I believe them.  Especially days like today when I was feeling a bit blah to begin with.

Skip to the end of the day.  I decide to leave a bit early since no one really monitors my comings and goings.  Most of the students have left for the day (or so I think), but as I got outside I hear someone call my name.  So, at the far end of the building (maybe 40 yards or so away) I see three of my Grade 2 boys waving.  (I feel like I need to justify that at this point I only know these are my students because EVERY student at the school is my student.)  I get a little closer and I do recognize them, they are some of my favorite students because they are sweet, funny and smart...and not shy…and would occasionally come and visit me in my classroom.  I think a normal teacher might consider them naughty students, but I think they are good kids and I like them.  Anyway, they waited for me to get to the end of the building and talked and walked with me till the road split.  Then they said good bye and told me “be careful of cars.”  Really?  Come on, that’s sweet that they worry about me.

I should leave school with my students more often.

EPIK 365 Day 113: In Case There was Any Doubt...

…to what I am doing here.  This is the door to my classroom.  It leaves no room for argument that I am here for English. :)

EPIK 365 Day 112: School

This is the main classroom building of my school.

Topsy-Turvey Poems

I am pretty sure that my students hate that I like poetry.  And more that that I like making them write poetry because I think it is good for them to think creatively and individually.  More than that, it shows that there is more to English than rules and grammar.  I feel like it helps them use the language in a realistic way.

So I had my winter camp girls write sentences using a magnetic poetry-like exercise.  Then I made them use their sentences to make poems as a team.  Here they are:

Doctor
Doctor sees gold
Doctor is angel
Angel is gold
So gold is doctor.


Love
If love finish
We act without purpose
with desperation
but
we overcome sadness


Topsy-Turvy Poem
Learning is success
Success is freedom
Freedom saved the war

Books make good man
The man is wise more than other human

Privilege make others think
The violent privileges never change others.


And the last one played a little fast and loose with the guidelines of the activity, but the result is astounding!

Untitled
You can't forgive the man isn't you?
Someday, sometime
You had opportunity of happiness

Angel has eternity
But not the peoples.
Poor angel
Your love is eternal, but
his love is joy

Yes, I know you can't forgive the man
Ii know what will you say
"I wish you keep sorrow all the time."
What a poor, stupid angel.

EPIK 365 Day 111: I am SO Loved!

I always feel loved here…my students are especially good at making me feel special.  They always seem so happy to see me and constantly tell me "I love you", which after the first shocking "I love you," to which I replied "thank you," I was told students use it like "hello."  So now I can say "I love you, too."  And I do.  I love my kids.  My kids are the best.  Have I said that enough yet?

Anyway, my winter camp is well underway and today my girls (my camp is all girls, they were the only ones to sign up) brought me treats today!  So sweet!

EPIK 365 Day 110: Tofu Two Ways

Fresh…

…or….

…pre-packaged.

EPIK 365 Day 109: Mr. Shin's Restaurant

My personal favorite Korean Barbecue restaurant in town.  Clean, the food is delicious, you don't have to take your shoes off, you don't have to sit on the floor…oh, yeah, it's it across the street from my apartment.

The Ballad of the Lost Water Bottle

So, I can't sleep…it's been happening a lot lately.  I just have too much left over energy at the end of the day.  I could say it's because it is too cold out to do anything more than get from home to school and vice versa.  I could say it's because I finally have a job that doesn't require extreme physical exertion all day long.  I could say it is because I have just had too many days off…but it's probably a combination of all of those.

In an attempt to burn off some excess energy, I tried going jogging.  Even with the extra layer of super-thermal leggings and tops, it is so hard to breathe the freezing air that I can't stay out long.  (Just so you don't think I am a total lazy-ass wuss, the last few times I have gone out for a jog it has been in the low 20Fs.)  Just to point out how wonderful my thermals are: once they are on and I'm moving around the track, I actually break a sweat…but I can't take the icy-cold air freezing me from the inside out.

Anyway, if you remember in "Cab Rides and Konglish" I had gone through quite a bit of effort to get a new filtering water bottle so I don't have to keep making trash…or recycling.  I mean, in all honestly, I probably went through way more effort that was necessary for a water bottle but there you go.  I don't think I mentioned it, but in order to get the bottle sent to my mail forwarding address for free I ended up having to purchase 2 bottles…this will be important later.

So, the other day I made another noble attempt at jogging.  I take my spiffy new (well, not so new anymore) water bottle with me.  I get to the track and get ready to do my thing and sit the bottle down on a park bench.  I've never had problems with people taking my things…and the park is usually not crowded when I get there.  Couple of old people walking or some kids playing basketball or soccer, but never too many people for me to worry about hiding my things.  So, I take off around the track and a couple of rounds later I need water.  I get back to the bench.  MY. BOTTLE. IS. GONE!   So, I look around the bench thinking that it probably just fell off.

No.

It is gone.  I'm pretty sure the little old lady who picks up trash probably thought I left it and threw it away, but IT WAS MY BOTTLE!

Now, normally, I wouldn't get so worked up about this…it's just a bottle…but, damn, it took so much effort to get the thing here in the first place.  I guess from now on I will only take a disposable bottle to the park with me.

So, now it's a good thing I have a spare.

EPIK 365 Day 108: Bus Schedule

Intercity bus schedule…so if I'm hanging around Jincheon county this is the bus schedule I refer to.

EPIK 365 Day 107: Korean Coke

So, this is more what I imagined the Korean Coke bottle to look like.

EPIK 365 Day 106: Sweet Potato in its New Home

So, I moved my sweet potato plant from its glass on the windowsill to a new pot of dirt on the table.  It was touch and go for a minute there…sweet potato did not care for the change of scenery and environment, but now is looking better than ever.

EPIK 365 Day 105: Chicken House

The chicken house where I get my "no-bone" chicken.   I like the chicken and owner is really, really sweet.  And the location can't be beat…just on the corner from my apartment…I can stop and get chicken on the way home and even in these below-freezing temperatures it is still warm enough to eat right away!

EPIK 365 day 104: Maichyu Addiction

Ok, got this one in just under the wire…honestly, I forgot to post and then realized that I forgot to take a picture for today.  Ooopps!  Anyway, I have this kinda sickening addition to strawberry maichyus…kinda like Laffy Taffy.  But seriously, they are delicious!

EPIK 365 Day 103: They're Grrreat!

Korean Frosted Flakes….they don't seems as sweet as their American counterpart, but then again, it has been so long since I've had American Frosted Flakes I can't be sure.  However, I am missing my multi-grain Cheerios.

EPIK 365 Day 102: Ride or Die...

All in for Jincheon!  Well, I'm down...

EPIK 365 Day 101: Chickens

I JUST noticed this…the bushes in one of the roundabouts here in town are shaped like chickens.  And yes, they are in front of a chicken restaurant.

EPIK 365 Day 100: The World's Most Expensive Black-Eyed Peas

So, according to tradition…that is Southern tradition…I should eat black-eyed peas and greens for luck and money.  I was concerned because black-eyed peas are not native to Korea…how's a Southern girl supposed to get her luck?  Well, I went to World Mart and paid 5,000 won for a bag of peas.  That's a bit short of $5, but…well, tradition is tradition.

EPIK 365 Day 99: Hot Commodities

Cheese.  Blessed…glorious cheese!  All locked in anti-theft devices because cheese is so expensive here!