Growing up

I've been talking a lot about growing up and maturing lately, and it just seems to keep resounding in my head after every decision that I make. I almost feel as though I am living my life outside of my own body looking in, watching myself make decisions and considering the aftermath of those decisions.

Recently, I have been "beating myself up" over the fact that I am still single after two years. I mean I know there is nothing horribly wrong with me that would make me unlovable, but why is it that after so long I still haven't had even a date that I could deem potentially relationship worthy? It seems every time I think I have found someone who has some sort of potential, they quickly unmask themselves and prove they are everything but. I'm going with the theory that I am aware of what works and what doesn't work now. I can easily pick up on the little red flags and choose to avoid them, where as before I would have pretended to ignore them. Maturing seems to make choosing relationships harder. When I was younger it was okay to date a guy who played games, you know the one who chases you and showers you with affection, only to completely ignore you the minute you show any kind of interest. Now I know better than to get myself involved in that kind of emotional mess. It's a hard decision to make. To choose no one, instead of a person who shows interest in you.  But shouldn't it be easy? At least, in the beginning? If this person and I are compatible in any way, shouldn't everything in the beginning be easy and thoughtless?

The question remains however, am I smart for being picky enough to know a bad thing when I have it, or am I just cynical and bitter so I don't let anyone in? In life, we all are inevitably looking for someone to share it with, but what if what they say isn't true, what if there isn't someone for everyone. What if some of us are destined to be hurt over and over, and to eventually live our lives alone? Then all of this work and pain is for nothing.

I suppose I could question this forever and ever. I won't know until it happens I guess.

Midweek

It's Wednesday and so far this week has been good. Last weekend was a bit messy, I adventured out with some new friends to Seohyeon to see a comedy show at a pub there. It was pretty hilarious, and I am glad I went. I wasn't however, planning on it being the all-nighter that it turned out to be. Pub 210 was everything I had hoped it would be. It was almost like I was back in Canada partying it up with the locals. It's basically a foreigner bar, so it was filled with many English speaking new friends! After an hour or so of side splitting comedy, my friends and I suddenly realized we were drunk...(I know, suddenly?!) The nights events tend to get a little blurry after this, but a few good things came out of that night. 1. I went to a new dance bar I had never been to before. 2. I realized I absolutely love my friend Sarah, she's a kickass Canadian. 3. I met some interesting new friends who are members of the US Army(more on this to come perhaps?..) 4. I woke up the next morning in possession of a nice new zippo lighter I did not purchase. and finally 5. I realized that I am getting old as fuck and can't drink like a 23 year old anymore!!!

So after a horrible two day hangover, I was back to work for another week. It's Wednesday again, which means half way to another weekend of fun! Tomorrow night I am going snowboarding for the first time in Korea and I am pretty stoked about that! This coming weekend could potentially involve a trip to the much anticipated Everland Theme Park! We will see what the future brings!

AMF.

A monumental day!

Due to my poor money managing skills, this past weekend has been rather uneventful. Aside from a few outdoor runs and a trip to the grocery store, I have spent the bulk of my time reading and catching some movies. Today, however, was a big day in my life....I began Tweeting. Now, as a late 20-something lady, I have attempted to avoid the social phenomenon that is Twitter. I mean do people really need to know my every thought every second of the day. I update my Facebook status frequently so shouldn't that be enough? A good friend of mine works on Parliament Hill in Ottawa and has opened my eyes to the magic of Twitter. From further analysis I have discovered that it is an amazing tool! Since I have a marketing degree, and will someday likely pursue some kind of job in that field, I figured it was time for me to get on the Tweeting band wagon. It is quite a useful tool for keeping up to the minute on the worlds happenings thats for sure! The only problem I foresee is that it is obviously more beneficial to those who are tweeting via cell phone. As it happens tweets are far more interesting than a past tense tweet! As a foreigner here in Korea, I have the misfortune of not being able to have any kind of smartphone. I am stuck with a phone that is only good for talk and text. So for now, I will be tweeting via my trusty old HP notebook until I am back in Canada and hooked back up to my (oh so missed!!!) Blackberry!

Another week of work begins tomorrow! Happy tweeting all!!

Sleep, sleep and more sleep!

Well it's the Lunar New Year here in Korea so I am in the middle of a five day weekend. It has been pretty nice and relaxing. Due to my lack of money managing skills, I have been pretty much stuck in my apartment with nothing to do all week. This has given me lots of opportunity to nap, as well as read and watch a lot of movies. It's kind of nice to take a break from life for once.

Along with sleeping and movie watching, I have been doing a lot of thinking this week. I've realized that I am slowly growing further apart from the life I had in Fredericton and becoming more and more independent and used to my "real" grown-up life here in Korea. Sometimes I find myself missing being a student, mostly just missing the life of never ending parties and friends around every corner. When I originally moved to Fredericton from my hometown, I was a small town girl in what I thought was a big pond. After three years of university and a few different jobs, I found that the "big city" I had moved to, was really not that big at all. It was virtually impossible to go anywhere without running into a classmate, coworker, or friend. That kind of familiarity has always been somewhat of a comfort for me, being from a tiny city of roughly 12000 people. But now here in Korea, I am easily lost amongst the hustle. It is so easy to fly under the radar here. I could go on with my life here and meet very few people. It almost forces you to become outgoing and seek out new friends and experiences. But it also forces you to get used to being alone and become comfortable with the fact that you do not always need to have friends around to be okay.

The other day I was having a conversation about life with a friend. Particularly, we were discussing our beliefs on religion due to a lesson we had to teach in school dealing with different aspects of the bible and God. Now for anyone who knows me, I am, by far, not a religious person. That being said, I am not going to argue that my beliefs are superior to those of any religious believers, but I will engage in a conversation to hear what they have to say. So my buddy and I were discussing whether things in life are "meant to be".  His stance on the matter is that there is a higher being, (not necessarily God), who determines the plots of our lives. Obviously I disagreed with him on the simple fact that this can not be proven to me. In my opinion, if there was a higher power dictating all of the events of the world, wouldn't said person be slightly kinder? I mean with all of the hunger and poverty on the Earth, you would think that a higher power would be able to make that a little less horrible? I believe that each of us makes our own future. We have the power to decide what we do on a day to day basis, therefore enabling us to change the path of our lives. My friend believes that he is meant to be alone. That this higher power put him on the Earth for the sole purpose of him living his life completely and utterly alone. Now because I love said friend, I spent the next twenty minutes telling him what an amazing person he is and that he obviously was not meant to be alone. But it got me to thinking, how are people getting through their lives believing this kind of thing? I mean if I were to wake up everyday and say, "all the things that will happen to me today have been already decided" I would likely not make any attempt to achieve anything new in life. I would have no motivation to pursue my goals or to try to become a better person. I would simply just survive. Now, with all that being said, I must state that I don't judge others for what they believe in. Everyone has the right to believe what they want and I think that each person uses their believes in a different way. I guess I would say I use mine, (or lack thereof) to accomplish my goals and pursue my dreams.

Whew, writing that has been the most productive thing I have done all week (besides organize my external hard drive of movies) I think it's time for another nap. Adios!

Korean Hot Yoga!

Tonight I decided to join a coworker of mine at her Hot Yoga class. I have been getting bored with my at home workouts and since it's pretty cold here I figured why the hell not! I have never tried Hot Yoga before and was a little nervous. But after work I sucked it up and went. I knew I would be confused what with the language barrier and all, but I figured I am semi on the fit side so I could probably figure it out. 

Upon entering the yoga studio, the staff greeted us in both Korean and English. Saying hello was pretty much the extent of their English skills, but I appreciated the gesture. It was a nice little establishment that wasn't intimidating at all. We got changed and then entered into the sauna they call a studio. It was hotter than I was prepared for. The workout itself was challenging and I sweat more than I have since my last 3 hours boxing session!!! I was very impressed!! 

After the hour long class, I had to finally come face to face with the biggest fear I have had here in Korea, (no Mom, not birds!).....the Korean locker room shower!!!! But I finally did it!!! I mustered up the courage, and with no shower curtain to hide me, I took an after yoga shower!! Now obviously this locker room was not as crazy busy as a larger one at a gym would be! But still I am very proud of myself for finally working up the courage to be naked!!! Hooray me! 

Needless to say, I thoroughly enjoyed the yoga class and will definitely be going back for me! Here's to a slimmer, more centered me!

How far I've come

Not much is new here in Korea. The weeks pass by so quickly and before I know it the weekend comes and goes. It's hard to believe I have been here for five months already. Seems like just yesterday that I picked up and left Canada for a new life. Lately I have been thinking that I haven't changed very much and how it doesn't matter where we go in the world, the problems we try to run away from are like debt collectors, they will track you down dead or alive. 


A good friend of mine is currently going through a pretty nasty break-up and although I don't consider myself the kind of person who gives good advice (especially advice on relationships, I don't seem to excel in that area), she has been leaning on me for support. Break-ups are always terrible for both parties, but generally we as women, get the shit end of the stick. We are over-thinkers and tend to dwell on things that are not important and out of our control. We look to the past and wish we had what we had before. It's not an easy process to deal with. We think about where he is or what he is doing, but we rarely think about the fact that he is not thinking about us. We go through telling ourselves that he cares and that he must be just as sad as we are. Now, don't get me wrong, I am sure there are sensitive men out there who are feeling that way, but for the most part, they are sucking it up and getting on with life.


So in talking with her and trying to do my best as a friend to help her figure out all of the why's, I have been thinking about where I am. It's been over a year and a half since my last break-up. And it wasn't just any break up, it was the kind that shatters your life and changes who you are as a person. After which you can never go back, but only pick up the pieces and use the pain as a learning experience to help you grow and become someone better. Now, let me state that I am not, by any means "over" that relationship. I still dwell on things that don't matter and think about how good things were in the past. There is not a day that goes by where I don't think about him. That being said, after listening to my friend speak, I have taken on a new realization that I have come a long way in the past 18 months.


Not only have I taken the giant step of moving overseas to teach, I have started to grow up and have learned to be okay with being on my own. It's funny when you are young, everyone always talks about growing up and how mature you are getting with age, but I think when you realize it for yourself, everything changes. When you start to realize things that you would have overlooked before, like the fact that you can be a successful, happy human being without being someones girlfriend. Or that not all relationships are meant to work out, some are toxic and are only useful to show you that you deserve better. Obviously these things take time, and as I said earlier I am not completely there. I have many a day when all I can do is cry and wonder why, why, why.  But then I look back on what I went through to get where I am today. Faced with the hurt and pain of being dumped, I eventually picked myself up and continued on with my life, whilst slowly reassembling myself like a challenging puzzle with a piece or two missing.  I finished my degree, tried new things and branched out to new friends. And I am okay. Did all of the hurt make me a better person? I don't know, it did however, change who I am. And for that I can always look back and say I am glad I went through what I did and came out the other side alive.


 On that note, I will leave you with one of my favorite quotes from Elizabeth Gilbert's book, Eat, Pray, Love. 


"People think a soul mate is your perfect fit. But a true soul mate is a mirror, the person who shows you everything that's been holding you back, the person who brings you to your own attention so you can change your life. A true soul mate is probably the most important person you'll ever meet, because they tear down your walls and smack you awake. Soul mates, they come into your life just to reveal another layer of yourself to you, and then they leave."

Vietnam for Christmas....an eyeopening experience!

Since it is my first year, actually, away from home, it was fitting that I spent my first Christmas away from my family. This year my friend Desiree and I planned a trip to Vietnam for a week during our vacation. Since I am new at this whole travelling thing, I was a bit nervous, but I had also done a fair amount of research so I felt I was ready for what Vietnam had in store for me. Little did I know.... I set off early Saturday morning for Incheon Airport in Seoul, where I met up with Desiree. We flew to Shanghai, where we had a 7 hour layover that turned into a 10 hour layover, until our flight to Ho Chi Min City.  The time in the airport was long, but we made some friends along the way. We finally arrived in Ho Chi Min at around 4am Sunday morning. I had booked a private car to pick us up and drive us to our resort 4 hours way in Phan Thiet. For the first part we slept, and then the sun came up and my eyes opened to a world I had never known.

Driving through rural Vietnam was unlike anything I had ever seen before. The houses (if you could even call them houses) were made of concrete, cement, or sometimes just twigs and sticks. There were no cars in the drive way. No televisions in the living rooms. Animals were running freely everywhere. Chickens, cows, bulls, dogs and cats. Even though it was the early hours of the morning, children were running around playing in the yard. I was in shock. Never before have a seen so much poverty. How easy it is for us to ignore places like this when we have our own luxuries. 

We arrived at our resort in Phan Thiet at around 8am and we were greeted by the concierge. The resort was beautiful. A major difference compared to what we had just witnessed. Even though we were tired, the sun was out and we were eager to get out and explore. We took a quick nap and then grabbed some bikes (which were free to use at the resort) and went exploring. The city of Phan Thiet was quaint and slightly more wealthy than what we had seen on our way there. In the middle of the city there is a harbour filled with colorful fishing boats. 

One of the interesting things I liked about Vietnam was that everyone drives a scooter or a motorbike. There are very few cars and they are generally taxis. The rules of the road are simple. If you are bigger, you have the right away. 

Naturally, we decided to rent our own scooters to get around. This was my first time ever driving a scooter, but once I got it on, I felt so empowered. It was like playing a racing game but in real life! It also helped us to understand the Vietnamese way of life.

 We took the scooters along the coast to the more touristy area called Mui Ne. Just outside the city, there are famous sand dunes that change every year. We went to check them out and were met by a bunch of local children who accompanied us there. It was a sight to see! 

The lifestyle of Vietnam is laid back and one that I could easily get used to! It was such an amazing experience to see another completely different way of life. They live off the land and with very few modern amenities that we have grown to need for everyday existance. It really makes you think, and be thankful for the things you have in life. I truly am a lucky girl! 

After a week of sun and fun, we sadly had to leave Vietnam to come home to Korea. Unfortunately, due to flight scheduling, we ended up spending New Years Eve in the Vietnam airport. Here's to 2011, and more new adventures!!

A few of my favorite things!

So I am going on 4 months in Korea and I am beginning to really love it here! Last night we went out for Korean BBQ for supper. It is one of my favorite meals. So much delicious meat that you get to cook right on your own personal bbq!

Another one of my favorite things about Korea is the giant bottles of beer you can buy at the cornerstore! 

And then I discovered what I consider one of the best inventions ever! The Soju tetrapak! Delicious soju in a juice box form for when you need to drink on the run!!

It's finally starting to feel like home here! Can't wait to see what other goodies Korea has to offer!

Working up the courage

This weekend I am having a rather relaxing weekend. Mainly because next week is pay day so I am low on funds, but also because I need some rest. This morning I woke up and skyped with a friend of mine from home. Afterwards I went to the gym before meeting some new friends for coffee.

Now I have been going to the gym frequently for almost two months now and I have yet to shower there. I generally work out and then come home and shower. If you have ever been in a Korean gym, you will know that it is a little different than most North American gyms. Koreans are very open and have no problem walking around naked. Now, let me state that I am not one of those people who gets changed in the bathroom stall. I am totally okay with getting changed in front of other people, I just am not okay with sitting around and having heart to heart chats with my friends, and then doing my hair and makeup, while being completely naked. Needless to say, I find the gym locker room slightly intimidating. I think I need to add that the towels that are used in Korea are the size of hand towels, so there is no walking around with your towel covering you, it's bare it all, or go home. Today, however, I decided that I was going to suck it up and just do it. I spent the entire hour and a half that I was working out, pumping myself up and telling myself that it was no problem. I could easily take a shower in front of other women. So there I was, after my workout, in the locker room, contemplating my decision. It was now or never....and I chickened out. I just couldn't do it. So there gym shower remains a mystery to me! I will do it, soon...-ish....atleast once before I leave Korea!

Aww life is tough sometimes!

My friend Tracy and I always joke about how little black rain clouds seem to follow us around wherever we go. It's like if anything could go, wrong it does. My mother always tells me that my life could be worse, and it's true, it could be much worse, but then again, it could also be much better! I'm beginning to think my little black rain cloud has followed me to Korea. This has been a rough week. I am battling what seems to be a never ending cold. To go along with my cold I have some mysterious tooth pain that is causing me not to eat, yet my dentist says there is nothing wrong. That in itself is cause for a pretty shitty week. Add in a few enraged Korean parents, a leaky apartment, some troublesome kindergarteners, and the threat of World War III and you have a recipe for a bit of a stressful week! Sometimes I think that life just says to itself, "Hey, let's see how far we can push Caley before she will crack."

Now when it comes to stress I have figured out some rock solids ways to relieve it. First off, I thoroughly enjoy punching things, so boxing became my favorite hobby. Unfortunately, I haven't been able to find a boxing club here in Korea so I have had to resort to bottling my rage up inside. Secondly, a regular workout routine really seems to keep my leveled and less likely to break out into a stress induced tantrum. However, with my on going sickness, I haven't been able to do much of that either. So at the moment, I am a big ball of stress and sickness, ready and willing to explode on anyone and anything that might trigger me. Look out North Korea!!!

On a somewhat more positive note, the weather has been extremely nice here and I am pleasantly pleased with the 13 degree temperatures we have been having everyday! Look Ma! No jacket! As today is December 1st, I have begun counting down the days until vacation! Only 24 days until I am on my way to a sunny week in Vietnam!!!

Another work week begins after another weekend of adventure!

It's already Tuesday night here in Korea and it seems like this week is just flying by. Last weekend I traveled to Ulsan with my friend Nate. It was a great weekend in an even greater city. We arrived at 4am Saturday morning, after what seemed like a never ending trip there. After work Friday night we took a bus into Seoul in plans of catching the KTX(300mph bullet train) to Ulsan. After the hour and a half trip to the KTX station we were told that all the tickets were sold out. So we had to back track an hour to the Express Bus terminal and then wait two hours for our bus. Luckily the buses here in Korea are very comfortable so we were able to catch a bit of sleep on the way there. Once in Ulsan we walked to our hotel and crashed for the night. Saturday we met up with Nate's friend and had lunch. I spent the afternoon strolling around the neighborhood we were in. Afterwards we went to another part of town and walked around some more and then walked an hour or so back to our hotel.

This is the view we had on our walk home. Needless to say I am in love with this city! I plan to visit it more and will potentially look for work there next year. Saturday night we met up with Nate's friends for some Korean BBQ. I was the only girl crashing what would normally be a boys night out so I obviously had to keep up with the drinking. The good thing about being a girl in Korea is you rarely have to pay for anything! So after four rounds(four different bars filled with boozing) we stumbled home. Needles to say Sunday wasn't a very pleasant day. And like with all things, it seems that the world wanted to punish us for having a little fun. We took a 20 minute cab ride to the KTX station only to find out that it was, yet again, sold out. So we ended up taking it for only 20 minutes to Daegu and then taking a bus back from there. On a normal day it would have taken only three and a half hours to get home, but for some reason, this day the traffic was insane. We inched along and finally arrived home about six and a half hours later! Even with all the travelling delays it was still a pretty great weekend! I am happy I am getting the chance to explore Korea!

This weekend we are planning a girls night with all of the teachers at our school. Hopefully it will be a great time! Until then.....

Nothing is coming up Caley this week

You know those weeks where it seems like a little black rain cloud is following you around? Generally nothing horrible really happens, just nothing seems to go your way? Well I am having one of those weeks and it just doesn't seem to end!!

I am in the middle of having a root canal done and have two appointments left. This week I had to sit through having a mold made of my tooth so they can make the crown to put on it. After the procedure I paid what I thought was the $160 the dental hygienist had quoted me. Turns out one of the problems with going to a Korean dentist is the language barrier, who knew? I ended up having to pay $600 and am left with a temporary crown for two weeks which means only eating on one side of my mouth.

After returning to work, I went to my next class where one of my kindergarteners asked me if I was having a baby, while I would normally not care that a 5 year old commented on the pudge I have, this time it seemed to cut like a knife.

I went to the gym after work yesterday and then went to my usual street vendor to buy some apples. The lady is really nice and is always giving me delicious oranges for free with my apples. This time she gave me my apples and then she handed me two ROTTEN tomatoes!!! It's almost like she could tell I was having a bad day and wanted to stick it to me!!

So I came home and went to visit my friend Nate and have what we like to call "complain fests". We both rant about work and life in general just to get it off our chests and then move on. So all was good and I was prepared for another day today.

I had to venture to the bank today to send some money back home. On my way I realized I had forgotten my passport. So I had to run home and grab it quick. On my way in the building I heard this weird banging but didn't think anything of it. As I was leaving my apartment I heard it again and looked over towards the windows in the hallway. And guess what, to my dismay, a giant bird was stuck in our building and banging against the window trying to get out. Now for those of you who know me, you know that I have a phobia of birds. Well, the word phobia is a bit of an understatement. I am absolutely terrified and will run away crying and push anyone, (including the elderly and small children) out of my way to do so. So here I was frozen in the hallway of my apartment trying to figure out what to do. Since the bird was blocking my stairwell, I had two choices: go back into my apartment and skip the rest of the day at work(likely getting me fired) or suck it up and run!! Obviously, (to your amazement Mom!) I took the latter. I ran out of the building so quick you would have thought it was burning down!!!

Of all things to happen to me during one of those shitty weeks, of course I would have to come face to face with my nemesis!

So after spending the rest of the work day worrying about how I was going to come home and if I would have to have another face-off with the bird, I convinced my co-worker Desiree to come home with me and do an inspection before I went upstairs! Thank goodness for friends! She checked every floor and shut the windows in the hallway to hopefully avoid this kind of incident from occurring again! Now I am safely locked in my apartment contemplating becoming an agoraphobic!

Having a wonderous lazy Sunday

Today is a fantastic day. I slept in until 10:30 and then came online and had a chat with my friend Lynn, who I haven't spoken to since I have been in Korea. It was really nice. Video chat is so much better than a regular phone chat, it's like you are actually there with the person instead of hundreds of thousands of miles away! After our chat I made a delicious breakfast of an omelet and pumpernickel toast! I have since been sitting at my computer reading the news, chatting with friends, and pondering life and the decisions we make.

It's funny how we change over the years. I am currently chatting with a friend who had somewhat of a mini reunion with some of our high school friends last night. It is interesting to hear the changes that people have made in their lives. It seems that it is always the people who you thought were going to be the world travelers, who are the ones who settle down with the whole package: man, white picket fence, good jobs and the prospect of kids in the near future. And then there are the rest of us who are still wandering through life, unsure of what path to take and too afraid to settle down to one job or career decision. For so many years I thought that all I needed to do to be happy was to get a good job, find a man and buy a house and live happily ever after. I now know that is all a facade. Atleast in my view of what I need to be happy. The thought of settling down to one job, one city and one life is terrifying to me now. Ten years ago I thought that by age 26 I would be married and happy. I guess it's all a part of growing up and changing.

The experiences we have in life and the choices we make seem to have a direct impact on the way we look at life and what we need to be happy. I quickly learning the things that make me happy, and none of them have anything to do with a job or success in a career, or material possessions for that matter. I used to think that having the best clothes and the nicest things would make me happy, but it wasn't until I got rid of all those things and began to live minimally that I realized how useless they really are. This experience in Korea is helping me to see who I really am. For the first time in my life I am alone. Literally and figuratively. It is time for me to grow and figure out who I am and what I am doing with this life.

Busy, busy, busy

As I am sure you have all noticed, it has been awhile since my last post. Life here in Korea has been busy and I have not had the time or desire to sit down and write anything really. So since my last post things have been going well. Nothing too major has been going on.

Last weekend I went away for the first time since I have been here. Myself and some other coworkers ventured up to Gangwon-do to hike Mount Seoraksan. It is 1708 meters and the third highest mountain in Korea. We left Suji Friday night after work and arrived in Sokcho at about 11pm. My friend, Shin, knew the owners of a hotel right by the park entrance so we had a nice place to stay. We ended up having a few drinks that night which lead to a little bit of a late start Saturday morning.

Once we got to the park we were all very excited to hike. It was a beautiful day and we had a 12 hour hike ahead of us. The terrain was pretty easy for the first two hours, I was beginning to think that it was a joke of a mountain, but I was quick to judge, after the first pit stop the mountain got intensely steeper. We were basically going up thousands of rock stairwells. About a third of the way up Desiree decided she had had enough and headed back down. I was tired, sore and thinking about giving up as well, but I knew that I would never forgive myself for giving up! I had come this far so I might as well finish the trek. So I continued on with Shin and Nate and two hours grueling hours later we finally made it to the peak! It was pretty intense and my legs were sore for an entire week! But it was definitely worth it!

Since then I have been just hanging around Suji, living life. I am currently in the process of trying to plan our winter vacation. We are trying to find a sunny destination such as Bali or Malaysia. Trip planning is exhausting!

A nice relaxing weekend...sort of

Well it is Sunday night again, (argh!) which means tomorrow is back to work. The weekend was a pretty good one. Friday night we had a nice night of food and drinking with the co-workers. Saturday after sleeping in I spent the day being lazy and watching movies. All of my friends went into Seoul for Saturday night, I decided to opt out and stay in. I ended up getting locked out of my apartment because the lock got jammed. Luckily I had the key to Desiree's place because I was looking after her dog, and was able to find my directors number. She called my landlord who was here within a half hour. He then called a locksmith who was here within 10 minutes. The whole ordeal only took about an hour and I now have a brand new dead bolt on my door. I was really impressed with how quickly they got it fixed considering it was Saturday night!! Now I don't understand why it takes so long for things like this to get done in Canada?!

Today I enjoyed a nice relaxing non-hungover day. I got up early and went out biking for 3 hours. It was nice to get out and explore and be alone. Afterwards I spent the day doing laundry and then hungout with Desiree for a bit.

This week should be nice at work, no more report cards or tests!!!

A week of report cards and monthly tests!

This week has been a busy one! We had report cards due and the children all write a monthly test. So we have been busy assessing and commenting on each child, which after only a month of teaching is still pretty difficult to do. And then there are those kids that you have a hard time saying anything constructive about! You know the ones that you wish you could write, "Jimmy is an annoying distraction", but instead you write, "Jimmy is an energetic little boy who sometimes needs to remember to listen in class."  I seem to have "lucked out" and received all of the difficult children this semester. Not to say that I don't love them all, it actually seems the evil devil children are the ones I like best, but having every class filled with little shit disturbers is not an easy 10 hour day! 

I finally got back out on my bike last night for the first time since my fall. I went out to our usual training hill but only managed a measly 4 times up(as opposed to my 9 last time). I didn't want to push it too much since my leg is still recovering and is not completely healed yet. I finally slept through a full night last night too! I know it's because I haven't been working out enough and the nice workout I had helped. After my ride I did some exercises and some shadow boxing in my room. I have really been missing my boxing workouts as they were my only real stress release!!! 

This weekend a bunch of us from the office are going out for drinks and likely some karaoke. Should be an interesting time. As with any work place there is all kinds of drama and office politics going on. I plan to just sit back and watch as things get awkward for everyone! 

My buddy Nate and I have been hanging out a lot and I am really enjoying his company. He is the only person here that I feel really comfortable being myself with and I am glad to have that outlet. We have the same sort of philosophies on life so it makes it easier to know I have someone around who sees the world the same as I do,(not to mention a bike buddy and personal trainer!) 

Next week I finally get paid again! This whole getting paid once a month thing takes some getting used to! Even though I am making substantially more than I have in the past trying to budget my money for a whole month is proving to be a little difficult! I finally got my Korean bank account yesterday so I will be able to send some money back to Canada and start paying off some bills! I am pretty excited to be actually able to pay down loans and still have money to live!! Oh how growing up is fun!! 

Besides going out with the work crew Friday night, I plan on taking this weekend pretty easy. I am already tired of all the hustle and bustle of Seoul. While it is an amazing city, I am not a huge fan of city life in general! I miss the open spaces of Canada!!! So I will likely relax and do some more exploring on my bike! 

A break from the hustle

Well it has almost officially been one month since I arrived here in Korea and it is definitely starting to feel like I am settling in. Friday night I stayed around here and had some beers with my housemates. The best thing about Korea is that public alcohol consumption is okay! We hung out at a park by our apartment building and drank beers and soju! Fun adventures!!

Saturday morning, after waking up with quite the hangover, I set out for a day of hiking with my friend Nate. Our first stop was for some food to feed our hangovers. We went to this sandwich shop by our school and I got a club sandwich. In Korea they put egg on everything so I was not surprised when there was egg on my club, it was a delicious addition! Fueled and ready we headed to Suwon to a mountain a friend of ours recommended. Once in Suwon we had to get a cab to the mountain, which proved to be a difficult task. Most taxi drivers around here do not speak English, luckily for me, Nate speaks some Korean so he was able to get us to where we needed to go. We were finally at the mountain and I was ready for some wilderness. Little did I know it would be awhile before we got to the point where it was relaxing. The first leg of the hike was cramped and packed(as is everywhere in Korea), so many hikers all decked out in the finest of hiking gear. It is hilarious to see all the "hikers" in their expensive hiking gear. The funny part is that the hike is more of a leisurely walk through the woods with stairs on almost all of the hills. When we finally reached the peak of the mountain(only about a 1.5 hour climb) we climbed a rock face and descended a different path.

 This was when we finally got the hike we were looking for. There was no one on the trail but us and by this time we had both talked so much that we were okay with a nice quite hike. Turns out there was a reason that we were the only ones on that path, it just ended. Literally we were in the middle of nowhere with no path to follow. We could hear the highway so we just hoofed it through the woods hoping to come across some form of a trail. We eventually did and ended up in someones backyard. They were out gardening and directed us to the road. We walked for a bit and found a bus stop and hoped on a bus that we were told would take us to Suji. After about a 5 minute bus ride we were home. We had actually hiked almost all the way back Suwon! I was glad to finally have had a nice day of adventure out of the city.

Today I went into Seoul with Desiree where we mett up with our friend Tobye and went to check out Seoul Tower. We took a cable car up to the tower and then went up and got an amazing view of Seoul. It was pretty awesome! On our way home we met another teacher who lives here in Suji and has been here for over a year. She is going to show us the gym she goes to tomorrow so I will hopefully be able to get some better workouts in!!

Another week off work starts tomorrow!

On the sidelines

Well I have my first injury in Korea. I went out biking last night and took a nasty spill. I got up and biked off with just a few bumps and scrapes. I went on about my night and went out with some friends for dinner. After eating I went to stand up and I had a huge hematoma on my right leg! It had taken awhile to show up. So not only did I screw up my bike but now I can barely walk!!! Not a very good start to my 3 day holiday! I was planning on biking 30km into Seoul today but the plans have changed!

I have been icing my leg and went for a bit of a walk today but am in quite a  fair amount of pain so it looks like I will be spending my Chuseok watching terrible reruns on tv!!! Oh well, I guess it could be worse!

A new love for Noreabangs

Another weekend in Suji and another great adventure. Friday night we went out for a staff dinner at a Korean BBQ restaurant. The food was delicious and it was nice to get to hang out and talk with the Korean teachers because we are separated from them at school. Saturday was an early morning as we had to get up and drive an hour to Ilsan for a full day Poly school workshop, It was a long, long day. I found I didn't learn too much from the sessions, but I am sure some teachers benifited from it.

After we got back to Suji, a couple of us went out for some drinks. My fellow teacher, Nate, has friends here in town so we went down to a bar that one of them works at. After several drinks, and a few bottles of Soju, our Korean coworker Jake persuaded us to go to a Noreabang with him. The Noreabang is a Korean karaoke room. They are very popular with Koreans! It was amazing! One hour and all the songs you want in your own private room. Drinks are cheap and voices are terrible.

 We had a blast belting out some terrible american songs. Afterwards we had our first 'downtown' Suji club experience. We were the only ones there but it had beer, foosball and a dance floor so I was pretty happy!! All summed up it was a good night of bonding with the coworkers! The headache this morning was not quite as much fun!!

This week is going to be a nice one, it's Chuseok, Korean thanksgiving so we only have to work Monday and Friday! I am excited for a nice break! I am planning on just staying close to Suji but I am going to bike into Seoul one day and then head up to Suwon (the next closest town) to check out a Fortress there and explore the city. It will be a nice cheap holiday!!!

Another great day!

Today I had an amazing day at work! I have this grade one class that has 8 rowdy boys in it who do not settle down. It normally takes me about 15 minutes to start class and then I rarely get through all the material I am supposed to. Last week the highest mark on their vocabulary tests was 3/10. I don't know what happened today but they finally settled down, they had actually completed their homework and one of them got 10/10 on their vocab test! I was so happy! i was beginning to get discouraged because I felt like I wasn't getting through to them but now that I see some progress I am much happier. I know everyday with them will not be this perfect but it is a start atleast!!

Tonight I went out training again with my friend Nate. The hill we go to is pretty intense, last time I made it up six times so tonight I aimed for eight and did not fail!! I can't wait to get my fitness level back up to where it was a month ago, and hill training is definitely the way to do it!! I am going to go out again with him tomorrow night.

I sat outside of our building after our ride for a "stoop beer" and relaxed a little. It was nice to just sit by myself and think for awhile. Life is good here and I am very excited for things to come! New friends and new adventures!!! I couldn't ask for more!!