The name's Elizabeth...Elizabeth Taylor that is

Once again my Western appearance caused a disruption in class today. Jenny got that look in her eyes; I kept trying to brush her off and continue with the lesson, but she wasn’t having it. She’s obsessed. Anyways, she and the rest of the class were fascinated that my eyes could be both green and brown. Who knew hazel eyes were such a phenomena?...The other day one of the Korean teachers, Julia, told me Mr. Lee(head guy/principal of my school)’s wife thinks I look like Elizabeth Taylor (Hopefully the younger version). Julia said, “She thinks you are very pretty…Oh, and so do I, I do, I do too!” This being said on a day I rolled out of bed and grabbed for the nearest hoody. Sweet Julia.

I didn’t go to Yuseong spring today. I may have chickened out a little, but honestly I was feeling pretty rough and just wanted to lay in bed and watch Weeds for the rest of the afternoon. My voice sounds awful. The Korean teachers were worried and concerned about me when they heard me talk, my director is bringing some magic medicine tomorrow, and the kids thought it was absolutely hilarious, especially when I said, “Elizabeth teacher sounds like an old man.”

I went with Tori tonight to throw clay, but the place has been shut down. Instead we went to Oon Hang Dong, my favorite downtown area, and hit up S., an amazing art store, for Christmas decorations.

These animal hats are the latest craze, I think mainly with the younger audience...which is why Tori wants the alligator for Christmas.

Getting a little carried away with the Christmas crafts.







Interesting photo gallery in S.

Alice in Wonderland? I look like a giant with the low ceilings and little tree.

MC Hammer in the classroom. Brilliant.

I found this on youtube. A teacher in Taiwan created this mix for his kids' talent show. Brilliant, absolutely brilliant. I may have to steal this idea.

Will you kindly search kindly?

Baal Dan, a charity that is dedicated to improving the lives of street children in India, needs your help. It's simple. Just go to www.searchkindly.org and vote for Baal Dan. You can vote once every 8 hours, and the poll closes some time this Sunday (Dec 2nd). If Baal Dan wins the poll, they'll receive all the money raised on the Search Kindly website in December ($500-$1000). Baal Dan was started by a former Richards Group co-worker of mine, Tanya Pinto. The charity is dear to my heart, and the work is simply amazing. You can check it out at www.baaldan.com Okay, that's my plug for the day. It's not like I have a mass readership as it is anyways. I mean, I like to think people are crowded around their computer screens clinging on to every word I say/write, but reality and the happenings in my mind, are two very different stories. That being said, every little bit counts. So seriously, don't be lame, help out a great cause.


In other news, I'm freaking sick. After a full day of classes (9:30am-7:30pm baby), I now sound like a mix between a pubescent boy and an 80 year old chain smoker. Nice. I guess all the Julie boogies and Evan slobbers have finally caught up with me. Deep sigh. Sniffle. Hack. I'm looking forward to my no elementary Wednesday, which means my afternoon tomorrow is completely free. If I can get over my fear of being naked with the ajumas (old Korean women), I'm going to the Yuseong spring and then sculpting with Tori. I love no elementary Wednesdays.

This weekend we're going to Seoul and there's talk of China (4 days in Beijing and 3 days in HongKong) for Christmas. I'm excited about the prospect of China.

I'm going to rest my weary, weak, illness stricken body on my warm, heated Korean floor. It's quite nice. I sleep more on the floor than in my bed. It's kind of like my couch habit back in the States...I do what I can.

A Song Chon Dong Thanksgiving

I would be lying if I said I wasn’t a little nostalgic on Thanksgiving. I told my kinders about the “pilgrims who wore funny hats” and we made construction paper turkeys…you know, the kind where you trace your hands for the feathers. My favorite response was when I asked what they thought the pilgrims ate, and they replied, “sushi” (pronounced suuuuuucy).

All the foreigners in my neighborhood got together Thursday evening and celebrated Thanksgiving at the Corner Lounge, a.k.a Tori’s house. Since none of us have ovens, I was expecting a shriveled up piece of chicken and dry crusty bread as our dinner. That's why I brought the wine. I thought if the food sucked, at least we could booze it up. Seriously. I was pleasantly surprised that wasn’t the case at all. We feasted on chicken, turkey legs, mashed potatoes and gravy, salad, fruit salad, garlic bread, cream corn, stuffing, vegetables, baked apples, and even pumpkin pie! It was interesting because there was a mix of Americans, Canadians, Brits, and even a guy from New Zealand (shout out to Reebs). You could definitely tell who the Americans were because we were crowded around the pumpkin pie, eyes wide and slightly glazed, like starving little children.

Part of our feast. Notice Amy's eager hand.

Fellow Song Chon Dongians

Everyone kept saying Topher got these fine turkey legs at the black market, when in all actuality, it was Home Plus.

The best part is Topher, head in hands, laughing.

The aspiring Kenny Chesney, is Ian, a Canadian guy in our neighborhood. It’s funny because when he’s sober he’s the most apathetic human being. However, a few drinks in, his character completely changes and he begins to think he’s a rapper, specifically from the group DMX. Imagine a tall, awkward red head forcefully yelling, “Ya’ll gon make me lose my mind, up in here, up in here,” while wiggling around and doing the rap hand thing (I have no idea why he started singing country the other night).

Middle of the night ramblings

I have been in Korea for a month. Now would be a good time to write reflections on my life, but teaching has drained me and everything is a jumbled mess inside my head. I miss the clarity of the mountains.
I am still amazed when I look out at my city. During breaks, I’ll go to an empty classroom and just stand in front of the window. The other teachers have forgotten this feeling. I don’t want to forget.
I wish you could see what I see. I wish you could feel what I feel. I think that a million times a day.
Happy Thanksgiving!

Wait, hold the turkey! Don't you know Thanksgiving is on a Friday this year?

For those of you wanting to travel to an Asian country...

...jet lag is real.

Rabpig nose, pc bangs, and reports

Today during one of my kindergarten classes, the kids just stopped talking and started staring and pointing at my nose. They wouldn’t stop, and I couldn’t get them to focus back on their lesson. Finally, after a lot of squirming and discomfort on my part, Jenny said, “Teacher…rabbit nose. You have, rabbit nose.” Okay.

Then when I was leaving school a few elementary girls hopped in the elevator and kept staring at me. This is what I got out of it: “blah blah blah teacher blah blah blah teacher nose” then one girl put her hand on her nose to make it squish up like a pig’s. Nice.

Apparently, my nose is just another feature that does not fit into the Korean standard of beauty. My response:


It’s a bit disarming that my kindergarten kids are already vocal about appearance and physical features. They always let me know if something’s wrong...if there’s a button askew or a fuzz caught in my lately bad 80’s hair they’ll alert me in disgusted tones. Self-image is such a big deal here. I’d say even more so than in the U.S, but that’s another blog in itself. I hope this doesn’t sound bitter, because it’s not meant to be, and honestly, I don’t even face the brunt of it. Most days I get “beautiful”, “beautiful” just because I’m Western. It is what it is.

Later this evening, I met up with Emma and Christine, two teachers from my school, and we went to a local pc bang to work on our reports. Pc bangs can be found anywhere and everywhere in Korea. Basically, they’re Internet cafes with rows and rows of computers that are extremely cheap to use. I’m always fascinated by the dimly lit neon green lights and the sound of excited gamers blowing some villain's head off in the distance. It makes for a great background when frantically trying to use other words than “intelligent,” “smart,” “excellent,” “disruptive,” and “apathetic,” when describing your students.

I’m exhausted. Peace.







Now I know how all my teachers must have felt...I bet they were all secret alcoholics.

Death, I scoff you

Last Saturday I went to Expo Park with my friends Pink and Ryan. Pink is a secretary at my school during the kindergarten hours, and a student at one of the universities in Daejeon. Ryan is an English teacher at my school. He's from Canada, but his whole family lives in the Philippines.

At first it was a little tricky because Pink isn't fluent in English, and the only Korean words I know consist of, thank you, hello, goodbye, my name is Elizabeth, missing, here, do you want to die (don't ask), and American, but by the end of the day we had reached a comfortable level where we could communicate. She is incredibly sweet, and I want to hang out with her more often. One thing, however, that's going to take a litte getting use to, is that in Korean culture friends are very affectionate with each other. The whole day Pink had her arms wrapped around me, snuggled close. I think Ryan was a bit jealous. It's not unusual to see women holding hands with other women, or men with their arms around other men. Yea, I'm all about embracing other cultures, but I don't know about literally embracing. I mean, we are talking about the queen of stiff, one armed hugs.

I think the highlight of the afternoon was when I rode the roller coaster that later I discovered at least two people have died on in the past year. Nice. I can now say I've cheated death.









Hey, look! I'm not the only alien in Korea. Ba dum ching.

When Pink and I saw this poster we started laughing hysterically. Ryan wasn't impressed. Guess those Canadians are a tough crowd.



This ferris wheel was crazy! To get on you had to wait for your cart, hurry and run while it was still moving, and then the workers locked you in.







#500 on my possible kidnapping list

A little pop culture

Pop bands and synchronized dancing (Carly, yet another reason for you to visit me) are still alive and well in Korea. The number one song topping the charts for the past three weeks has been "Tell Me", by The Wonder Girls, a teenage girl pop band. This song has exploded everywhere. I hear it on M-Net (Korea's music video network), commercials, grocery stores, outside when I'm teaching class...it's seriously everywhere! The Korea Times claims that the song has "captured the nation" and my favorite quote from the article is this:


"A housewife who disclosed only her surname Kim said, 'My husband likes the group so much, and I thought it was kind of gross, you know, a 40-year-old man watching and enjoying teenage girls in short skirts dancing. However, I soon found myself humming the song unconsciously and imitating the dance when watching the television.'''

What's all the hype about? I'll let you decide.


Even better is the fact that people here are so obsessed with the song, they'll learn the dance moves, and film themselves recreating the magic. Which of course, isn't too different from America. Just type in "Britney Spears dance moves" on youtube, and tons of how-to videos will pop up...uhhh, not that I would know or anything...

I spent way too much time watching these videos. This one's my favorite. The skinny dude in the back left steals the show. Pay special attention about 43 seconds into it. Hahahahahaha. Enjoy!

:-( = the world is over

I made my Korean Harry Potter look alike, Evan, cry today. It was the last kindergarten class of the day, and the kids were getting antsy. They wouldn’t sit in their seats and kept touching/hitting/hugging/poking their neighbor, so I taped them in. Yes, that’s right, I duct taped them down to their chairs so they couldn’t move. Kidding. I made lines out of tape on the table and told them not to cross it. What did Evan do? He reached over the line and hit Jenny. I gave him a frown face on the board and it was the end of the world. He put his head down on the table and started sobbing. I felt like an asshole. After the game ended, I took off the tape and of course they started bouncing off the walls again screaming, “Simon Says teacher, Simon Says!” Oh, we played Simon Says, alright. “Simon says sit up straight in your seat.” “Simon says put your hands in your lap.” “Simon says what is this?” and showed them one of the flashcards and proceeded to teach the rest of the lesson using Simon Says. It totally worked and they were little angels for the rest of the class. That’s thinking on your feet, my friend. Kind of like when I forgot the game pieces for a board game and made one team the eraser and the other the glue stick. Yes, I am THAT teacher, the crazy one.


Then today in my favorite elementary class, Tony cried. This time it wasn’t my fault. I don’t know if I could bring myself to give him a frown face anyways. He’s so tiny and cute with amazing, thick curly hair, wearing his martial arts uniforms. He and Joey are my buds. Joey is a chubby little boy with glasses who smiles shyly every time I encourage him or tell him “good job!” Oh my gosh, I’m bringing back a truckload of Korean babies with me. Anyways, I was setting up one of the games and was a bit distracted when some of the kids started yelling, “Teacher! Teacher! Tony’s picking his nose!” Except they didn’t say “picking his nose”, instead they shoved their fingers up their own nostrils to show me what he was doing…which totally defeated the purpose, because it only made them nose pickers too. Tony was so embarrassed he put his head down and started crying. It was so sad, but freaking hilarious. My kids kill me.

Tomorrow I’m done with classes at noon. I’ve been feeling the need to do something creative: writing, painting, photoshopping my head on celebrities’ bodies, it honestly doesn’t matter, I just need to do something! Tonight we’re making a trip to Home Plus (the Korean Walmart, but better), so I can take pictures for my Alien Registration Card. I love how this task has morphed into a girl’s night out. That’s what I love about Korea, even the most mundane tasks become an adventure.

Pictures from a past Home Plus visit:

In all it's glory

"Only in Korea" fact: At grocery stores they don't give you a bag unless you ask for one, and then you bag your own groceries!

Such a happy little family.

Dak Galbi Monday

Monday nights in the Dong, mean one thing: Dak Galbi! It's a Korean dish that is kind of like a spicy chicken stirfry. First, the chicken is put on the grill (every restaurant I've been to in Korea has a grill at the table) and cooked. Then cabbage, yams, leeks, and tubular ("that's totally tubular, dude") rice cakes are mixed in with a spicy chili pepper sauce. You can eat it with rice, noodles, or in lettuce wraps. It's actually quite delicious, and it's just nice to chill out with your friends after a long day of teaching.

Dak Galbi!

Today was a little rough. It started off great with my kindergarten classes. They were like sponges today, absorbing everything I taught them, and continually surprising me with their little intellectual minds. There's always one kindie wrapped around my leg, and today May looked up at me with her adorable face and said, "Teacher, I love you!" My heart melted...and then the elementary kids sucked the life out of me. I have one class that is getting to be absolutely ridiculous. Jack, always turns his chair around so he can stick his head inside the bookcase, while Mabel slides down in her seat slowly, slowly, until she's completely under the table...Freeman, Alice, and Daria (her name totally fits her, and she has the funniest voice, I've ever heard. Imagine an 80 year old voice in an 8 year old body) won't stop beating eachother up, while Alex sleeps on the desk, refusing to raise his head to participate in anything. Then there's sweet Tess and Frank, always slipping me candy, smiling sweetly, and helping me collect and pass out everyone's homework. I don't know what to do to get the class to listen to me. Taking points away doesn't really work. I think next class, I'm going to make them flap. (Everyone stands up and flaps their arms like a bird.) Honestly, I can't be mad. As I write this I'm laughing hysterically at the image of Jack's head in the bookcase and the sound of Daria's scratchy 80 year old smoker's voice ringing in my ears: "Teeeeaaacher, teaaaaaaaacher." I need a backbone.

Silk worm larvae, anyone?

We look frazzled. It's definitely Monday.

Will you be my loverly?

Happy Pepero Day, or should I say “Happy Marketing Ploy Day?” Pepero is a chocolate cookie stick that’s made by Lotte, South Korea’s sixth largest conglomerate that deals in candy manufacturing, beverages, hotels, and many other products. The clever little candy schemers came up with the idea to create a Pepero Day on 11/11, since the numerical date resembles four Pepero sticks. It’s kind of like a Valentines Day of sorts, in that you are supposed to buy Pepero for, as the box says, “your loverly.”




In other news I went to an all Korean church with Pink today. We had to take two buses to get there, and I felt like it was in a more authentic area of Daejeon. As I was riding the second bus, it finally hit me that I was in an Asian country far from home. Perhaps because it was the first time I had actually ventured far from the Dong without my Western friends. For a second, my heart rate rapidly increased, and I felt a bit anxious. However, once we got to the church, I was immediately put to ease. Everyone was so kind and generous. I had my first experience of feeling like a celebrity rock star. They made me stand up during the service and everyone clapped. I awkwardly stood there and bowed, until Pink pulled me down. I didn’t understand the sermon except when the minister said, “Kam-sa-ham-ni-da” (thank you), “yeo-gi” (here), and of course the occasional “Amen.” I did follow along in an English/Korean Bible, and got chills when they closed the service by singing “Amazing Grace.” I love how that song is able to transcend across different languages and cultures, and still touch my heart.

After the sermon, Pink introduced me to everyone and we had lunch on the pews. Two high school boys gave me a coffee in a can, and a Pepero stick. I think some of the older guys wanted me to be their “loverly”, because they got all excited when I said I wasn’t married. I met an interesting lady, Mrs. Kim, who lived in San Antonio for nine years, so we chatted it up about Texas. Yes, even in Korea, she still has the Texas pride…Everyone was so sweet, and was excited when I said I would come back. I really want to start cracking down on learning Korean. On the ride back home Pink taught me how to say, “My name is –“ and “Nice to meet you”.

I’m glad I stepped out of my comfortable circle this weekend and emerged myself in a bit of real Korean life. Everyone says it’s hard to truly be accepted into the Korean culture, and I’ve even wondered if my friendship with Pink is just because I’m an American and that automatically makes her cool by association. I hope not. I felt so welcomed and at home today, and I truly want to learn more about their lives. Maybe, that’s all they want…for people to have a nonjudgmental interest in their culture. Who knows? I guess it can’t hurt to try.

Update/The Interweb makes me happy

I finally have Internet and a landline in my apartment! Oh, happy day!


I can’t believe I’ve been in Korea for almost three weeks now. It’s crazy, because I feel like time has passed so slowly and I’ve been here for years, but then at the same time the weeks move by so quickly. It’s hard to explain, but everyone here gets it.

I can honestly say that I love Daejeon, and this is exactly where I’m supposed to be…at least at this point in my life. Teaching is challenging, but in a good way. I find myself growing more each day, and doing things I never dreamed I’d be capable of doing. This is a bad example, but last week one of my three-year-old girls sneezed and blew snot all over her face. I didn’t even flinch, grabbed a tissue, and helped her clean up the mess. Oh, Julie. She’s so adorable, even with a snot covered face. Her and May are the ones that I may be smuggling back to America in my hockey bags. You think I’m kidding…

The foreign community in Song Chon Dong is a tight knit group, and I’ve met some amazing people. They’ve made the transition into a new country, so easy. We hang out all the time, and in fact we refer to our friend Tori’s house as “The Corner Lounge.” They’re great, but at the same time I feel like I’m becoming a little too comfortable and content in my Dong. I need to explore, and emerge myself in Korean culture. That’s why I’m excited about going to the Expo (a theme park) tomorrow with Pink, a Korean secretary at my school. It should be interesting.

I feel like there’s still so much more I need to blog about: Korean food, nori bangs, teaching, fashion, my apartment, self image, dancing girls outside of new businesses, grocery store celebrations…the list goes on and on, but it will have to wait. I’m crashing. An-nyeong!

My first load of wash in Korea

Ain't no mountain high enough...

One of the things I love about living in Daejeon is that I can look out the window or walk down the street and see mountains. Last weekend I hiked the mountain by my apartment with my friend Carina. The weather was gorgeous and everyone was out with the same idea. According to my South Korea Moon Handbook, snort snort, Koreans love to hike, and it has become a national pastime. I realized how out of shape I was when old Korean women were booking up the mountain past me. Sad.





Ginseng farm at the bottom of the mountain.





Koreans are very generous to foreigners. Every time Carina and I would get lost, there was always someone smiling and pointing us in the right direction.

These “exercise machines” were found all along the mountain. Apparently, this one works the love handle region.

I saw a bunch of Koreans walking shoeless on these rocks, so I thought I’d give it a whirl. At first it felt amazing like a foot massage, and then slowly it began to hurt, and I realized that I was in fact walking on sharp rocks.


Korea doesn’t really have any wildlife, so seeing this squirrel was a big deal.

After losing our way several times, we finally made it to the pagoda at the top of the mountain. People were picnicking, resting, hanging out, and Carina said there’s always a group of old men in the corner sipping on the Soju…oh yea.





I think it's a shame Korea is often overlooked, because it's absolutely beautiful.

I gave these boys a piece of candy at the pagoda, and they were our best friends, following us down the mountain.

My amazing city.