It’s that time again….
Blog time!
Sorry I am not super frequent in updating this, sometimes there isn’t anything to update you on, or at least seems that way!
Since I left last you I have 1.) Gotten sick again (big surprise?) and 2.) Joined a gym!
I have established a pattern since arriving in Jochiwon about 6 weeks ago. I get really sick for about 7-10 days, then have 2-3 days of reduced symptoms, then pick something up again. This latest bout has come with a horrendous cough. Each time there have been varying symptoms of varying severity. The sore throat is at least gone, which is always for me, most annoying. But, the cough doesn’t sound very pretty, either! Oh well, TIK. Everyone has been sick on and off as well, at least I have that comfort.
I joined a gym! Actually joining the gym was rather difficult. I had been in once before and knew that they didn’t speak any English, I also knew how much it cost. So, I brought my cash in hand and pointed to the membership. He understood what I was getting at and then we proceeded in a thirty minute him-speaking-Korean, me-speaking-English-miming-conversation. He eventually called his brother on his cell phone to translate!! LOL! It was really funny. It worked out in the end and I am now a full fledged Korean gym membership holder. It was quite exciting. I have only been able to go a few times in the last week and a half or so due to my horrible cough and new sickness. But, it has felt so nice to get back in the gym! At home I was working out 4-5 days a week, so going nearly 5 weeks with no exercise in Korea was hard! The first workout I got on the Stairmaster and did my usual hour workout followed by 45 minutes of weights and abs. OMG. What a mistake. I just jumped right back into what I had been doing, but man, in 5 weeks things really go downhill fast! I was feeling it the next day!
The gym is interesting. It is 3 floors (I think…) but is very narrow. There appears to only be one workout floor, with the others containing locker rooms and squash courts. There are lots of treadmills, a few Stairmasters and some bikes. No ellipticals for me! So sad. In addition to that there are ample weight machines and free weights, which is great! They provide “uniforms” for you to wear if you so desire. I opted out and went with my own. But, social etiquette in Korea dictates that women cover their shoulders and chests. So, no workout tank tops for me!! I invested in some black men’s undershirts from Costco so that I am fully appropriate and covered! The gym experience is a bit weird, I have been the only woman in there at times and at others only one or two others. My favorite piece of equipment? The vibrating band you put around your body to shake off your fat. Yes, folks, it is real. TIK, TIK. I haven’t tried it yet, I’ll let you know how it turns out.
I have joined/helped create a very small knitting/book club with a few other people from orientation. Danielle is teaching Jon and I how to knit, while her boyfriend Kevin watches. Chris decided I had too much fun so he had to join to. The book of the month is Life of Pi. This club also serves as an apocalypse preparation club. We share strategies and are learning to knit clothes in event of apocalypse. LOL! I am new to this zombie apocalypse talk, but apparently, there are a lot of people who discuss/think about this for fun? Haha.
Speaking of Chris, yes, that cat is out of the bag. I have a boyfriend. Gasp! I am sure most of you have seen on Facebook by now. Hello, if it isn’t Facebook official, it isn’t real! He is Australian and lives/teaches English in Busan. He is pretty awesome; maybe someday you all can meet him!
Teaching is coming along. I have pretty much adjusted to how to teach and plan. I have to say, I am pretty good at it! I don’t know if I could teach anything else, or teach where I had to be sane, but here I am good. The girls all love me, it is a nice feeling! I was teaching 9th graders about phrases like, ‘you’re kidding’ and ‘are you serious?’ and how to be sarcastic. So I told them, I am moving back to America tomorrow (as a joke) and they all went, “nooooooooooooooooooooo!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!” and were freaking out and screaming. I told them it was a joke and they laughed, but then they said they loved me. I am slowly learning the girl’s names (I have about 600 students, 1100 in the school). I am up to about 5 names. Sigh. But, they are Korean and hard! I tell each girl to come up to me in the hall and say, “teacher, what is my name?” to drill it into me. When I know them, they freak out and high-five me. It is so nice. When I can’t remember I feel like a shitty asshole! They get so sad and frustrated. “teachaaa, I tell you so many times!!!”. Other teachers (non-english teachers) keep remarking how popular I am and what good things they hear about me. Apparently I am a conversation topic in other classes, which is nice! I pretty much jump around and am insane in my classes, and when I teach many in a row (I teach 6 Friday) by the end of the day my energy is pretty low. Last Friday, I was super tired and sluggish and being a “normal” person and a student yelled, “teachaa, crazy!!” and waved her arms around like I do, demonstrating that she wanted me to be my normal shit-show self, lol. What standard have I set? It is nice that they laugh and enjoy my classes, because it isn’t something they do in other classes. Education is very regimented and strict here. The fact that I walk around the class (and sit on their desks if they’re talking) is unheard of. High fives? Weird ass shit. At the beginning the girls were like, uhh WTF is this white lady doing?!? Now, they see me in the hall and ask for high-fives! Love it. We played Scattegories this week and last in some classes, and the girls LOVED it. They said much better than Bingo, which most English teachers play with them. Kimberly Teacher: 1.
I feel like there isn’t much else to report. I finally was able to upload pictures to Facebook! There are some that show my apartment and me partying and playing in Korea, if interested. I have quite a few fun-filled weekends lined up. This weekend I am going to the Cherry Blossom festival in the city of Jinhae; about an hour outside of Busan. A bunch of us are going, should be good times! Two weekends after that, Chris and I are headed up to Seoul to be tourists and see his parents who will be in town. Very excited to see more of Seoul! We will also be hitting up a western food store.
Spring is finally springing, albeit slowly, here in Korea. There are flowers beginning to bloom and be planted. It is so refreshing to see some color in this drab landscape. People also are planting fruits and vegetables in random plots of lands. Koreans utilize all open space. That little patch of grass in the sidewalk in the US? Here, a vegetable garden would be planted there! Seriously. It is crazy, but also great and such an efficient use of space. But it is weird to see people hoeing in the tiny strips of space and in open lots that I don’t think even belong to them, lol. Plus, faint warm breezes have started a-blowin’; it is quite nice. I can almost picture flip-flops on my feet! Hopefully spring will signal the end of my sicknesses as well, would be so nice, since I have yet to have a symptom-free day since arriving in The Joch!
Ok, I think that is about it, peeps! I am now fully technologically plugged in and can be found on Skype, Facebook, email, reached by cell phone and am on Google Voice and Whatsapp. Which means that all US numbers can text me for free and I can text back for free! If you need the digits, let me know!
Anyasayeeekayseyo. (my phonetic version of Korean good-bye!)
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