Scary thought I was looking at the Full Moon Party Thailand website and it had this banner on it:
49 days, 2 hours, 48 minutes, and 14 seconds left until New Year 2010
Thursday, November 12, 2009
11/11 Holidays times two
Happy Veterans Day to those back home (THANKS!).
Happy Pepero Day to Korea.
Two great holidays. One thanking and honoring those who keep our nation wonderful; the other celebrating the fact that it is 11/11.
Yes you have read that correctly. The whole purpose of this Korean Holiday to to give a special kind of candy that looks like the number one. You can also give baguettes I was informed because they too look like the number one, but mostly people give pepero. Pepero is a wafer like stick dipped in chocolate made by a famous manufacturer (Lotte) in 1983. Supposedly the company denies starting the holiday and insists they just noticed sales around this time jumped and, thus, didn’t discourage the holiday.
So, yesterday we played with pepero sticks. The kids pretended to sword fight with them, smoke a cigarette, and use as a wizard wand, the adults played with it in less innocent of ways.
Happy Pepero Day to Korea.
Two great holidays. One thanking and honoring those who keep our nation wonderful; the other celebrating the fact that it is 11/11.
Yes you have read that correctly. The whole purpose of this Korean Holiday to to give a special kind of candy that looks like the number one. You can also give baguettes I was informed because they too look like the number one, but mostly people give pepero. Pepero is a wafer like stick dipped in chocolate made by a famous manufacturer (Lotte) in 1983. Supposedly the company denies starting the holiday and insists they just noticed sales around this time jumped and, thus, didn’t discourage the holiday.
So, yesterday we played with pepero sticks. The kids pretended to sword fight with them, smoke a cigarette, and use as a wizard wand, the adults played with it in less innocent of ways.
Lost in Translation
Indian Summer is surrounding us with warmer days and cooler nights. The leaves are still changing and falling and the kids are not interested in learning about American Thanksgiving and not listening to a word anyone says because it is that time of the year. That time where they have been in school for too long and we have to buckle down and get to work, but the kids only want to play and are showing just how smart some are and how dumb others are…
A break from my whining:
“Dan- Do you have any pets?”
“Yes! My twins!” (with a big smile and no idea why I started laughing at his answer)
Chanel lipstick: 82,900 won (90 USD) Victoria brings and is playing with in class. Puts it on me and asks for me to lip print her and the class with CHANEL lipstick—we played with 90 DOLLAR lipstick! Only in Korea…
Gina: “Cassandra-Teacher, here…” (puts something small and hard in my hand)
“OH MY! Dude! It’s a tooth! GINA! Whaaa? When?”
“Just now in class…”
The third year seven year olds are getting to the point they can begin to learn and understand idioms (word or phrase with a non-literal/real meaning) So now the hallways are filled with them either explaining what “over the hill”, “tie the knot” or “cross my heart and hope to die” mean or asking you whether you are “wearing your birthday suit.” This is, of course, on top of the other amounts of outdated slang we already teach them to say and the random things that already come out of their mouths: “dude,” “super duper,” “mullet,” “knucklehead,” and etc…
We use a book series called Junie B. Jones. She is a kindergartener and the series progresses through at least first grade. She is an early 90’s brat. On top of being so weird and having to help explain random events/puns (a guy’s name is Vallony and she says it is her favorite kind of sandwich) she also has really bad grammar and what we would consider a little kids way of talking (pasketti instead of spaghetti). Recently these books cause me to try to explain what the purpose, meaning and words of the Pledge of Allegiance. They laughed at me as I tried to remember the whole thing then sat in awe as I tried to explain it all…The next book had her singing “My Country Tis of Thee” with the words “My country tizzy bee sweet land of liver free.” It took me two classes to remember all the verses correctly. I felt like a bad American.
A break from my whining:
“Dan- Do you have any pets?”
“Yes! My twins!” (with a big smile and no idea why I started laughing at his answer)
Chanel lipstick: 82,900 won (90 USD) Victoria brings and is playing with in class. Puts it on me and asks for me to lip print her and the class with CHANEL lipstick—we played with 90 DOLLAR lipstick! Only in Korea…
Gina: “Cassandra-Teacher, here…” (puts something small and hard in my hand)
“OH MY! Dude! It’s a tooth! GINA! Whaaa? When?”
“Just now in class…”
The third year seven year olds are getting to the point they can begin to learn and understand idioms (word or phrase with a non-literal/real meaning) So now the hallways are filled with them either explaining what “over the hill”, “tie the knot” or “cross my heart and hope to die” mean or asking you whether you are “wearing your birthday suit.” This is, of course, on top of the other amounts of outdated slang we already teach them to say and the random things that already come out of their mouths: “dude,” “super duper,” “mullet,” “knucklehead,” and etc…
We use a book series called Junie B. Jones. She is a kindergartener and the series progresses through at least first grade. She is an early 90’s brat. On top of being so weird and having to help explain random events/puns (a guy’s name is Vallony and she says it is her favorite kind of sandwich) she also has really bad grammar and what we would consider a little kids way of talking (pasketti instead of spaghetti). Recently these books cause me to try to explain what the purpose, meaning and words of the Pledge of Allegiance. They laughed at me as I tried to remember the whole thing then sat in awe as I tried to explain it all…The next book had her singing “My Country Tis of Thee” with the words “My country tizzy bee sweet land of liver free.” It took me two classes to remember all the verses correctly. I felt like a bad American.
Tuesday, November 10, 2009
Hmmmm???
Basically I am over the swine flu, but not over how I was treated by management throughout the whole ordeal-during and after and currently…
It has been a challenge for me to have stayed in Korea this long and sometimes it has proved rewarding, but I can’t even hide out with the kids anymore…
I just want to be on a plane right now…
Which is worse:
Staying because leaving would be a sign of weakness?
Or
Accepting that you are sometimes are weak?
It has been a challenge for me to have stayed in Korea this long and sometimes it has proved rewarding, but I can’t even hide out with the kids anymore…
I just want to be on a plane right now…
Which is worse:
Staying because leaving would be a sign of weakness?
Or
Accepting that you are sometimes are weak?
Tuesday, October 27, 2009
Swine Update
So it looks like our school has been hit and with my Korean luck staying in true form so have I. I was registered and given the drugs for the flu. One of out six year olds look to have the flu as well. The school is supposed to be shut down once three people have it...here's to hoping it doesn't come to that. I am supposed to stay home most of tomorrow as well and go back to the doctor on Thursday morning. I just want to play with my kids again and am worried about how much i played with them on Monday while being sick...and all the people I work with! It is mostly precaution I know, but highly inconvenient---
Monday, October 26, 2009
Three in One Thanks to the Swine Flu Scare
Soooo, It, of course, has been a while since I updated. Today I have the rare chance of updating while I should be at work due to the fact that I have been sent home sick-with the fear of the swine flu and contact with the children. It is mostly precautionary, but also a little annoying. I want a day off on my terms…not because I am actually sick. Anyway…If I really do have the swine I will keep you posted, but it is probably going to be a disappointment that you will stay more than a degree away from a H1N1 victim.
So what have I not told you about---My Birthday…thanks again to those who remembered. Originally I had planned on going to Everland-or Korea’s Disneyland, but that fell through with too much hassle so Friday night we “pre-partied” at midnight we celebrated with a gourd and some white Russian-four years now and three continents! Saturday I got my hair done and a student surprised me with a little party – ate some cake with chopsticks! Finally we went to Indian food and a live band at one of the better bars downtown. When the band was informed of my birthday they sang happy birthday to me in the style of the Ramones—pretty exciting and fun dancing and such. The night ended when a couple of fights broke out between various people. But who doesn’t have a good fight for the night.
Last weekend LCI hosted a “Family Hiking” event for the morning kindergarten students. It was last minute planned so not as many families were able to attend, but over all there was still an excellent turn out. We arrived way early and walked a trail that ended up being longer and more difficult than planned so we had to re-plan out a trail and set up stations were the children and parents stopped and did some sort of activity along the path. Then there was an area to eat and finally an outside company hosted music and games. I was in charge of being one of the “faces of LCI” basically Bryan form the other school and I had to take family photos with the students. I have never been in so many photos before. It was a pretty good day.
I will type up a few more posts as the day goes on so that all I will have to do is past them into the blog and hopefully I will be able to update some of the side panels and facebook photos later as well. In the mean time I am going to go ahead and take this time to rest…slee..zzzzzzzzzzzzz
So what have I not told you about---My Birthday…thanks again to those who remembered. Originally I had planned on going to Everland-or Korea’s Disneyland, but that fell through with too much hassle so Friday night we “pre-partied” at midnight we celebrated with a gourd and some white Russian-four years now and three continents! Saturday I got my hair done and a student surprised me with a little party – ate some cake with chopsticks! Finally we went to Indian food and a live band at one of the better bars downtown. When the band was informed of my birthday they sang happy birthday to me in the style of the Ramones—pretty exciting and fun dancing and such. The night ended when a couple of fights broke out between various people. But who doesn’t have a good fight for the night.
Last weekend LCI hosted a “Family Hiking” event for the morning kindergarten students. It was last minute planned so not as many families were able to attend, but over all there was still an excellent turn out. We arrived way early and walked a trail that ended up being longer and more difficult than planned so we had to re-plan out a trail and set up stations were the children and parents stopped and did some sort of activity along the path. Then there was an area to eat and finally an outside company hosted music and games. I was in charge of being one of the “faces of LCI” basically Bryan form the other school and I had to take family photos with the students. I have never been in so many photos before. It was a pretty good day.
I will type up a few more posts as the day goes on so that all I will have to do is past them into the blog and hopefully I will be able to update some of the side panels and facebook photos later as well. In the mean time I am going to go ahead and take this time to rest…slee..zzzzzzzzzzzzz
Wednesday, October 21, 2009
One more thing about Chuseok and I'm done-ish
Wednesday before at school:
Something I forgot to mention was that the Wednesday before our holiday the children at school came dressed in their Hamboks and together we took pictures and make a traditional treat called (songpangyong)… it is some sort of flour something mixture with sugar sesame seed mix inside that you broil and eat. I think they are greasy and not that wonderful, but most Koreans go nuts for them and the kids LOVED eating and making them at school.
Something I forgot to mention was that the Wednesday before our holiday the children at school came dressed in their Hamboks and together we took pictures and make a traditional treat called (songpangyong)… it is some sort of flour something mixture with sugar sesame seed mix inside that you broil and eat. I think they are greasy and not that wonderful, but most Koreans go nuts for them and the kids LOVED eating and making them at school.
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