|
| blog time! hahaha, i have a lot of time on my hand, so i suppose i should update this blog right? hehes. anyways... emmmm i've been pretty stressed lately, mostly because we have to plan our winter break by the end of this week. i'm the type of person that thinks about absolutely EVERYTHING! and since i'm a libra, i am really indecisive, wishy washy, whatever you like to call it, i just cant make up my mind. so what has been on my mind? let's recap:
winter break travel plans are finalized today! 1/7-1/11 i will spend my time in beautiful thailand, soaking up some sun during the cold winter month. from 1/11-1/24 i will be back home! (not boston, but shanghai) i can't wait! basically i'm gonna spend 2 weeks eating all the REAL chinese food, shopping and bargaining, and partying with my friends like there is no tomorrow! there will also be some family time of course! i'm gonna live large in shanghai, i guarantee it! haven't decide if there will be any domestic travel within china yet, but most likely no, since i can't get enough of shanghai anyways ^^
the other part of winter break plan is the one that is currently the source of the most amount of stress in my life. i was originally planning to spend a month in seoul studying korean language. we were either gonna live in the dorm provided or look for a small apt. it was all set until ashley mentioned that daegu offers classes for about half the price of seoul. well, i wanna do daegu then! i was already concerned about how expensive living in seoul is gonna be. i really liked daegu, and seoul, is just another city.. i mean i dont love it, its not nyc or shanghai. so yes, daegu it is! but the problem with daegu is that i will be the only beginner there, everyone else is at least intermediate level. i kinda want a study buddy... also, theres a person i dont care for that will also be studying at the same program... not cool.. back to seoul. but as i was being wishy washy, people have already made plans without me. they got a 4 people room in a hostel house. (you can imagine my annoyance... not only did my "friends" ditch me for a whole day, they also made plans without considering me at ALL) i was annoyed, angry at myself for being wishy washy. but theres nothing i can do. seoul is out of the picture unless i can find 3 roommates. i was not miss happy on sunday. all i can think of was what to do. needless to say, i was stressed. and it didnt help that it was raining on sunday, blah blah, crappy mood. wasn't feeling myself. anyways, long bus ride, finally got home. still felt betrayed by my friends.
monday, back to work, no fun. but i managed to find 4 people who are interested in living with me for Feb.! omg, i am not so hated after all! people actually like me!!! so i emailed to figure out housing situation. then i remembered that i should probably take the foreign service exam soon (the next offer date should be end of Feb.). well, i guess if i dont take a korean language class, then i can use the whole month of feb. to study for my exam! after all, that is more important since it is my future. so no language classes at all? how about take it at home in gwangju? i can save a lot of money there! staying with my host family and all. emmm.. what to do.
finally, i made up my mind. i will study in daegu and save about $200 on living. even though the university is kinda far from downtown, i figure i can take the extra down time to study for my exam. seoul is too expensive and it has far more temptations. that way, i can also experience living in daegu, which is the city i am considering in extending next year. i would live with a friend in a dorm room, take 4 hours of korean language classes everyday for 3 weeks (2/8-2/26) and hopefully afterwards, will be able to speak more korean. i felt bad for ditching the people in seoul but they didnt seem to care if i was there at the first place anyways. also, i'm passing along the housing information to those who wanted to room w/ me and hope it can help them out.
i feel much better now that my plans are cleared. now i only have to figure out who to travel around korea with during my down time, then i will be all set. i have many goals for this winter break. i want to improve my korean, study for my foreign service exam, explore daegu, make all my lesson plans for next semester (that way i can continue to take korean language classes during the semester), and of course, have fun and meet new friends! i am excited and cannot wait for winter break to come.
besides the stress of winter break plans, i had a fun weekend in seoul. the thanksgiving dinner buffet at the ambassador's house was AMAZING! it was nice to reconnect with old friends and explore seoul. went to a hookah bar, a wine bar, and just regular old bars, haha. also i went shopping and bought a lot of stuff at forever 21. i got a whole outfit: boots, a shirt, a sweater, leggings, and a poncho (i've been looking everywhere for a poncho for a long time!) all under $90, so not bad. but no more shopping! i'm serious! need to save money for traveling and winter break. i am still on task of saving about $500 each month, but that is not nearly enough. i hope to save at least $5000 by the end of the grant year. but the problem is i dont know what i am spending my money on! i mean i know living in korea is not exactly cheap, but i cant imagine what i'm spending it on! weekend trips cost a lot, and i do shop too much. but man... i need to start saving!
this week i only have a total of 5 classes, but i still have to go to school.. it sucks balls, but at least i dont have to do work. i'll be watching web tv, online shopping (on chinese websites) and planning out my future all week. so i will def. not be bored! ^^
well, i g2g now. need to meet friends for dinner. but i cant wait for it all to finish.
things to come:
1. seoul this weekend to proctor an exam and see some friends
2. xmas shopping for host family and friends
3. xmas secret santa and dinner party w/ gwangju friends
4. christmas party w/ the family! and make dinner for them too (did you know that koreans eat cake on xmas? weird, i know)
5. visit daejon?
6. seoul for new years eve
7. thailand and china!!!!!! ^^
ttyl
<3
jen
| | |
| i havent felt like this in a long time. but tonight i feel like i did back in senior year of high school. that was a difficult period, i was on a really rough emotional roller coaster at 18, many of my friends could agree. i dont know what made it happen, but for one second, i felt as if the last four years of college did not happen at all, that all the personal growing, and the self-discovering during that 4 years were wiped clean. i dont know what's wrong with me tonight, but i feel the same heart-stabbing pain i used to feel when i was 18. i thought i said goodbye to 18 year old me; and forever goodbye to that insecure, scared me with the "nobody-loves-me so therefore i-hate-the-world" attitude.
thinking back, the last four years of college went by so fast. and they were filled with wonderful memories. thinking about it now, i cant remember many of the bad times; only the good, the fun, the crazy, and all the wonderful people i met and the good times we had. i grew a lot during those years. but i think most of those growing were professional. i've worked so hard in the past 4 years. i was really driven, by my ambitions, by my dreams and by the hope for a wonderful future. in some way, college was a way to leave all the drama, bad thoughts, bitterness and unhappiness of high school behind, and finally move on. in a new town, with new people, i had a chance to start new. emotionally i think i was mostly just happy, content with things around. i had someone who loved me, great friends, and things were just great. the distance away from parents finally made me realize how much they love me, something i wasn't able to see before. life was good, and i was happy.
but tonight i feel weak... tonight i feel insecure, scared, lonely, sad... tonight i realized how much i've changed yet how i am still the same person on the inside. i dont know if its korea, or maybe its after college, or maybe its a combination of both, but suddenly i just realized how many masks i have put on since the time i arrive here. i mean its hard for people here to know me, i mean the real me. the most i know these people is 4 months, some are much less than that time... not even my best friends of 8+ years can truly say they know the real me. someone has recently asked me if i feel that i have changed since i got here. i said no. looking at it now, i dont think that my answer was wrong. but i have put up so many masks since i got here. i'm not saying that i'm acting fake or anything. but i'm just presenting another side of me to the people i met here. i mean that's normal. you are not going to show your true self to just anyone, at least not in this short of a time period.
i think the best way to describe myself is an onion. i'm an onion. on the outer layer, you see this energetic, happy, cheerful, crazy, down-to-earth person that doesn't seem to have a worry in the world (least that's what most of my co-workers see). then you peel that layer away, you see a calmer me, that's more real, more sarcastic, less optimistic and romantic person. people who see that side of me are generally closer friends. they know how i can be bean and too honest, and just bitchy sometimes, but they understand thats a part of me. but what most people dont ever know is the core of this onion, the center. if i have a picture to describe me, it would be a baby in a fetal position, alone in a dark corner under a tree facing the busy city streets. i feel very vulnerable on the inside. i hate to admit that to the world, and that's why i put up so many masks to protect myself, so nobody knows how really weak i am on the inside. underneath all that happy, bitchy, tough outer shell is just a little girl yearning and waiting for someone to love her.
all my life, i've just been searching for acceptance, and in some way, for love. during college, i thought all i need in life is ambition and goal. my future alone was keeping me going. i was unstoppable. now, i dont know what changed. maybe the uncertainty in life goals, maybe the extra time on hand, but i just feel incredibly insecure. it could be that i am single, away from my family and friends. but i really could use some love right now... just some unconditional, real love.
doesn't that sound easy? but some people spend their whole lifetime looking for that kind of love...
i dont know who's gonna read this, but it really helped ease that throbbing pain in my heart by writing these thoughts down. i suppose i should sleep on it. it's the only thing that's able to keep me away from thinking...
waiting for love...
<3
jen
| | |
| hey there! man, i haven't been blogging in a long time! shit happened, i lived 3 long weeks of cursed life. if you didn't know already, i twisted both my ankles, broke my computer, and even had a H1N1 scare... yea, but i think things are changing for the better, hopefully. least i got internet back! that's a start. i dont think my ankles are ever going to be the same again but what else is new eh?
it's getting cold here in korea. suddenly i'm not enjoying the cool fall bliss anymore. instead it's bitterly cold and windy. having lived in boston and nyc doesn't really help, i'm still cold! >.< i want my fall back! fall fashion is just so much cuter than layers of sweaters.
i made a chart of all the classes i'm going to have for the remaining semester. it's looking great! i'm just getting tired i think, and i desperately need a break of some sort. just getting away for a bit you know? lately, the more i'm teaching, the more i think to myself how i dont want to be a teacher. i really enjoy my life in korea. i like the country, the people, the food. but i dont know if i can stay here another year and be a teacher.... its just not for me! i mean i have those days where i LOVE my kids, and i love teaching and i feel like i'm the best teacher ever. but more often than others, i feel the living energy just being sucked out of me. i dont know if im doing a good job. nothing seems to work on the discipline department. i have crazy anxiety pre-teaching b/c i think every lesson is going to fail. and not to mention that i am just tired all the time! i dont know... i finally found a city i like and its giving me a little hope but i really dont know if i can do this teaching thing for another year.... i need to think this thing through man.
anyhoooo, to add on top of all this, i've been homesick a bit. well, when i broke my ankles i really missed my parents. i felt so helpless and alone then. i just needed someone to unconditionally love me... and thats my parents. i know they probably would've scolded me for hurting myself, but i also know its out of love. it didnt help that i didnt have internet at the time to even contact them! it was a tough week. yea. i never thought i would say it but i miss my parents. i def. miss my friends and just felt really lonely for a while. but im better now... i think? like i said, i just need to find like a love interest of some sort. something to keep my mind off teaching and all that.
other things i miss: watching late night re-runs of will&grace, friends and sex & the city on my couch, mj w/ c&j, my mom's cooking, turkey sandwiches, broadway, roaming around ssp and hitting all my favorite stores, cvs, j crew, h&m, smelling AF on the first floor, the smell of cinnabon.... gawd! i miss it all!
onto a brighter note. i think im starting my winter vacation plane search! and even though my planning is moving at the speed of snail, it is happening. i am aiming to go to thailand 1/7-1/11 and then 1/11 -1/25 i want to be in shanghai. least that's what me and my travel buddy decided. we'll see! hope it wont be too difficult to look for cheap tickets. i need a pick-me-upper, and travel plans will do it. just need to get away for a little thats all.
anyways i need to catch up on some sleep, was up too late lesson planning last night. i will try to update soon!
<3
jen
| | |
| the first time anyone told me i'm stressed, i laughed... i'm not stressed! last time my doctor asked me if i was stressed, i said no. b/c it was the middle of summer and i had nothing to stress over. then the truth came, it all make sense now "YOU ARE SO STRESSED THAT YOU DON'T EVEN KNOW YOU ARE STRESSED ANYMORE".... wow. so that's what it is? so lately, i've been having an easier time noticing myself being stressed out. and right now, i am stressed out. -_-" i just feel so tired all the time, and i dont want to wake up and do things b/c i just want to curl up and sleep all day. i dont really want to deal with anything, particularly work. it is a mixture of stress, anxiety, and maybe the fall weather. like kicole said, the fall weather has imprinted this sense of doom in us b/c of the many years of school starting in the fall. i never thought of it that way! but just yesterday i had a reminence of high school days in the fall... man... reasons why i'm stressed: 1. teaching - its stressful, i'm constantly worried about if my lessons are good enough, or if i just suck completely as a teacher. lesson planning never comes easy, i just feel like my creative juices are all used up 2. living - i love my life here in korea, but at the same time i feel like i am not doing enough! i want to volunteer, do yoga, learn korean, take cooking lessons, find a korean bf... no have i done any of that yet? no! and it stresses me out just thinking about how much i'm failing at this.... 3. other stuff - meeting expectations, helping out my friend w/ the map business, and just being happy go lucky every day at school is freaking stressful! i wonder if i turn the switch off, would anyone notice? would they still like me... big question mark 4. thinking about the future - omg this is so stressful! i cant think about anything in the future b/c it just causes me major headache. first its winter break plans, what to do, when to do it, who to go where with.... then its what to do after the years over? go back? extend? find a job in china? i dont know i dont know i dont know!!!! >.< i wish i'm a boy sometimes, then maybe all i will think about is girls girls girls and nothing else. that sounds much easier that worring about things that haven't happened yet, and a hell of a lot more fun! but i suppose they have their own problems. ANYWAYS!!!! onto a brighter note... things that have happened i know i haven't updated since like... my bday, but a lot has happen. b/c of midterms, i had like a 3 week weird scheduling where i didnt teach much. it gave me a lot of free time, but also made me feel really lazy. went to the conference and met up w/ all the old friends and also made a couple new ones. it was nice to see everyone and get away for a little while. went to busan for the first time. i had such high expectations for that place since it is sister city with shanghai... but i was somewhat disappointed, but then again, i need to see it one more time before i really write it off. had my first teacher's dinner, it was fun just hanging out and talk about how bad/good/funny the students are. school picnic with the 1-3 boys was fun and i learned a lot from a farm. school physical exam day was a great time! i had fun running around taking pictures of students who are trying to hide from the camera. i felt like such a creeper! i'm totally using those pictures to blackmail them to be good in class! hey! you would too! random thoughts... i really need to find some male friends here >.< omg, i feel like i'm drowning in a pool of women! nothing wrong with that! but i am surrounding by females and there is almost no interaction with male friends or anything. its driving me a little crazy lately. i just really want a male friend, a gay bff, or a bf of some sort. and not to mention that can help distract me from being stressed! hahaha... we'll see if that can happen. jenna and amy came to visit my school this week. they helped taught 1-9, one of my girl classes. it was insane seeing the kids screaming b/c of those 2. i suppose i'm giving them a chance to see what they associate with "american". the general comments were "amy, beautiful, big eyes! jenna, TALL! jennifer cute!" its adorable that they still try not to forget me and make me feel good. but just the fact that those 2 can walk around the campus and become instant rock stars brings us to our next topic so i know i shouldnt complain about this but i feel totally unwanted in korea! yes, speaking english does give you power. but being asian american doesn't really help. average joes (white) can become gods/goddesses here in korea, just b/c they are rare. and what i hate the most is when normal looking or even ugly people can come here and be call "handsome/beautiful"... i'm like "really? him/her? give me a break" i know, i'm mean, whatever.. you know its true. no wonder people come to this country and never leave, why would you leave a group of people who think so highly of you just going by your looks and your language alone? yea, i know i wouldnt. that aside, it also annoys me that everything is so clear cut. usually i can pass for a korean pretty easy, until i open my mouth. then the second question is usually "chinese?" and of course i say yes b/c i am chinese, but it gets complicated b/c if i dont tell them im actually from america, i wonder if they are like "oh... chinese, why are you here?" then if i tell them i'm from america, the response is "ooooo, america!!!! english!!! you speak english and chinese and korean!!!!" then i have to say, no no, no korean... a big mess. its weird but i do notice that i am more american when i am in asia! when i was in china, and now here in korea, i feel like i have to lean on my american passport to actually stand out... not that i dont want to blend in. blending in is good! it doesnt attract weird drunk guys. but its really hard tying to explain to them why i am not totally, completely, 100% chinese anymore, or that i am not korean at all.... its just difficult. in america, race and ethnicity is talked about all the time, everyone is a "-" something, chinese-america, african-america, french-irish, etc. etc. etc. and its totally normal. here... its more clear cut. you are either korea, or you are not. then what am i? i generally say i'm chinese but from america, b/c there is no such word as "chinese-american" here. one time i tried to say that and someone thought i'm of mixed blood. but back to the point, yea, i want to be special here! >.< i feel unnotice, unloved, unwanted.... blah! okay, no more complaining. glad i got that off my chest. big teaching day today, the edu. dept. of my city is visiting the school. everyone is on their tippy toes and trying to be on best behavior. i have no problem with that. busted out my suit and tried to look more powerful than i actually am haha. the students don't seem to care too much, still being their naughty selves as usual. this week is almost over, the toughest day is tomorrow, but after that, i should have a pretty relaxing weekend. i really want to get a drastic hair cut. a big change. something to break up the everyday, to make things more exciting. i'm thinking either a katie holms bob (which i might regret since the last bob i got took 2 years to fully grow back out), or severe asian front bangs w/ ultra straight black hair..... what do yall think? i've been playing around on style.com/hair to see my options, so far, i cant decide yet. i'll post some pictures, we'll see! <3 jen | | |
| 23 year old jen is blogging! hahaha man it feels weird to be... 23? although i dont feel any different, just saying 23 is odd... hahaha. they said u dont start feeling it until after 25. we'll see! almost there lolz. anyhoo, lets recap our 4 day bday celebrations. i was still pretty sick the week before my bday. although i was getting better, it was really annoying. luckily i was showing movies to my classes b/c they have midterms coming up, so that is minimal talking on teacher jen's part. which is great since i had no voice. i had to use a mic just to be able to communicate w/ them. its funny
everytime i pick up the mic, all my students go "ooOoooHhh noraebang? singer?" and then sick me go "i can't even talk.... -_-"" but it was all cute and stuff. so just in case you like to know, here are the movies i'm showing (and the kid chose): Push (x3), Confessions of a Shopaholic (x3), Enchanted (x3), Bedtime Story, Beowulf, Igor, Yes Man. I don't see my Friday classes at all and for my Thursday classes (who i only see once) i created a game olympics for them. it went super well, maybe because its boys classes and they are easier to deal with when it comes to games. but i had an easy teaching week. even though school was easy, i couldnt wait till the long weekend. on thursday i gave out presents to all the teachers for Chuseok (Korean thansgiving) and i even got a bday present from my coteacher! (she got
me mascara from Clinique) ^^ thursday night, i met up with a couple friends to celebrate her and mine combined bday. we had delicious indian food and a quick round of beer. good company + good food = good time haha friday was my little host sister's bday. i didnt know what we were going to do, so i was trying to be good and stay home. i thought we had plans to go see grandma, but it didnt happen. so by the afternoon, i was bored out of my mind! my 2 other host sisters had to study for their midterm the coming week, and the little one was just playing by
herself. so when i decided to go out w/ some friends, i asked if the little bday girl wanted to come along. she was overjoyed. we left for our big adventure and while holding her tiny little hand, i all of a sudden feel like a mommy... so weird! but anyways, met up w/ amy, jenna and lauren downtown. we had plenty of food and drinks and so much sugar that the little one was bouncing off walls. it was super cute. she was really shy in the beginning but she warmed up quickly and i think everbody loves everybody. happy ending! we went to get ice cream, and i got her the biggest freaking bowl of chocolate patbingsu ever! it was adorable! but i think i spoiled her appetite for dinner b/c she was so full she didnt even eat her own cake that night. we walked around a bit, shopped and took sticky pictures. it was a good afternoon. after we got home, we packed up and left for grandma's house for dinner. i got lil sis a coloring book w/ water colors, an english book, and a cute pen. i think she liked them, and of course she favored the coloring book more than the english book. oh kiddies. next was my birthday and chuseok! (korean thanksgiving) we had to wake up at 6am in order to make it to grandma's house for breakfast. i was so tired but i managed to pretty up. because everyone else would be in a hanbok (traditional clothes for women) which are very colorful and pretty, i had to pretty up to just to compete. my host sisters looked adorable in their hanboks! i gave them their chuseok presents and they loved it all. when we got to grandma's house, i presented her with pastry present. 2 little cousins and an uncle were there. it was a small family gathering. after everyone bow to the ancestry offering and i took plenty of pictures, we had a huge breakfast. then i was driven home b/c the fam. was going to grandfather's grave. so at home, i took a little nap. around lunch time everyone came back, we chilled and just hung out. i was really bored outta my mind! b/c everyone was w/ their families, i cant really meet up with anybody. and many places weren't open on that day, especially small businesses. i wanted to go watch a movie but i didnt like the english movie selections and the rest were in korean.... so i kept myself busy, online, tv, playing board games with the little ones... and around dinner time host dad came back from seoul. we decided to have my bday party/ceremony right then b/c he bought me an ice cream cake and it was going to melt if we dont eat it soon. one of my host sister tried to play the piano but couldn't, so instead she found an english happy bday song online (but it says "happy birthday to mary" lolz) and my 2nd host sister played the song on the flute while the rest of the family sang. it was really cute..... come to think of it, my own family dont even do that for me... hahaha. and after eating my delicious cake which has pop rocks in it, i opened my presents. i got some really awesome stuff which i totally didnt expect! they are so sweet to think of me and i was touched when my host sisters got me presents w/ money out of their own little piggy banks. (for more info. please check facebook pictures). after cake, we had dinner, and watched tv and just hung out like one big happy family. sunday is host dad's birthday! in the afternoon since there were no activities planned, i went to emart to meet jenna and jen, had ice cream and did some grocery shopping for host mom's bday present. and after lugging everything back on a 30+ min. bus ride, i got home and was informed that the family is going to emart too! .... man, i wish i would've just waited -_-" so we had dinner at the food court and did a little grocery shopping. so host dad appearantly promised that we are going noraebang but all of a sudden didnt want to go. the little ones weren't happy about it so host mom just shoved us some money and sent me w/ the 3 girls to noraebang.... now, this might sound like a fun and exciting experience, but remember, don't EVER give a 5 year old little girl a mic, she is loud enough without it! so they sang some cute korean songs, and searched the list for appopriate english songs (nothing too sexy and no curse words). my performance of black eyed peas' boom boom pow got a perfect 100, woohoo (i dont know how lolz) juyeoung was being a little mic hog and didnt want to share it. some screaming, chasing, chaos later we ended the night w/ some current kpop songs! it was a happy singing room. after getting back, we presented our presents to host father. i got him a bottle of sweet wine (recommended by the wine lady at emart). he was really happy and insisted we try it right then. now im a pinot grigio kinda gal and was never a big fan of sweet wine, but this! omg it was so delicious! it taste kinda like pinapple flavored fanta! hahaha. its about $25 and i'm sure i would be buying more. hehes. school monday.. boohoo, i was not looking forward to it. but since it it movie week cont. i wasnt too worked up about it. i am seriously getting lazy and do not want to do any work! it is also my host mom's bday. i volunteered to make both breakfast and dinner. so i woke up at around 6am to make a big french toast breakfast. by 6 30, host mom emerged to check on me (and to see if the kitchen is on fire) much to her surprise, i sent her back to bed and told her to come back out at around 7 to eat. i made a huge mountain of french toast, with strawberry syrup (made from jam and rice syrup b/c there are no fresh strawberries or maple syrup), ham and eggs. i think the kids really liked the food b/c its something different than rice and kimchi. but some things i did notice: they do not enjoy runny egg yolks and they eat much less volume/quantity when it is american food compare to korean food. i made way too much french toast, but according to the recipe, it was suppose to feed only 4. my culture class for that morning was: american eat too much, thats why there are so many fat americans. we all laughed b/c we all know its true! i felt bad that i didnt have time to do the dishes after breakfast. we had to get to school. it was a pretty easy day, just showing more movies. after i got home, i rested a bit to regain energy before making dinner. menu for the night was: pasta w/ sausage in red sauce, garlic bread, stuffed mushrooms and salad w/ real dressing (italian dressing that i bought way-over-priced at the foreign grocery store) while i was making dinner, host dad dragged host mom out of bed to go mountain climbing, to test out her new hiking shoes (which are the same as the ones i got for my bday). the menu was easy and i had plenty of time, but nothing ever goes that smooth. first, i almost cut off my left index finger b/c i was chopping too fast and forgot how sharp the knife is. luckily i only chipped a little bit of nail. then i noticed that the oven is not hot. it was only blowing cold air at me w/ the lights on. so after host mom came back, i asked her to help me with the oven. of course i was too stupid to know how to turn it on properly... -_-" things are back on track, although i was running 20 min. behind schedule. and just as i was finishing setting up the table and about to call for dinner, i heard doorbells. then was informed that we are have 4 more guests for dinner (host grandma, aunt and her 2 children) i panic a little b/c i wasnt sure if i had enough pasta for everyone. rescoop, replate, the show must go on! everyone was surprised to see me in the kitchen. we set up on the floor table b/c there are more of us. i managed to serve one bowl of pasta to everyone. we had an east meets west theme: me with the italian feast pairing with the korean food the guests brought. we laughed, ate; i got plenty of compliments from everyone about how everything is delicious. juyeoung even asked for 3rds on the pasta (thats right, not 2nds, 3rds!!!!) everyone was really happy. toward the end of dinner, host aunt told me in her broken english "when you leave next year, my mom (host grandma) would cry" then before i can even react, host mom said "yes, juyeoung (my youngest host sis) would cry too" i was so touched and the only thing i can make out was "and i would also cry!" it was the cutest comment ever and thats when i realize how much i truly love my host family. they are wonderful people who are genuinely nice and cares about my well being. although they are not as old as my parents, they take care me like they are. my host sisters are loving and cute and always happy to see me. and i feel the same towards all of them. at that moment, i felt so lucky and i just wanted to cry. but no tears, for it is a celebration! we gave host mom her bday presents. i got her facial masks and earrings. before dinner was fully finished, i left the table to start making bday cookies. since we were all caked out by bday #4, i decided to bake cookies, chocolate peanut butter cookies. they were a huge hit with the children. we sat down and played card games, one big happy family ^^ it was a great bday weekend. i had lots of fun spending time w/ my host family. they are really chilled people, and i wouldnt trade them for the world. at school, i started to feel the pressure about doing more work. i had original planned to make all my lesson plans for the year during this 3 week downtime. now that it is almost halfway gone, i still have done nothing. if anything, i have gotten really lazy! so i am feeling a bit stressed right now. with school work pressing, and my other map obligations, i did not want to disappoint anyone! yesterday, i came home and found the bday package from my bffs! it was the cutest thing ever! it has everything i needed/wanted and more. i feel so loved that i have great family, host family, friends and coworkers. lucky girl jen! last night was also suppose to be my first night at korean language class. so i met up with 2 EPIK teachers (another english teaching program) from the area. so my co teacher has told me about this free korean lesson thing, and i later found out that it is created for the EPIK teachers. now i wasnt sure if i was suppose to be in it b/c i am not with the program, but jenna and amy wanted to check it out also so we decided to go. i mean what the hey? there is nothing to lose. so after a long 1.5 hour commute (and after missing the bus 2 times) w/ a really unplesant bus ride, we arrived 20 minutes late. lolz. so the speech/welcome part was already over. we were called to have pictures taken... after which i asked the coordinator if we can be in this class and then was kindly rejected... i knew it was too easy! oh well, i was actually kinda glad i dont have to make that commute again! im sure i would have more opportunities later. so me jenna and amy went to get dinner, and had ice cream. it was nice just talking to them. after i got home at 10 30, i had to do some work and didnt get to rest till after 1 30am which is really late for my schedule these days. so thats why i look like a zombie today o_O i have a teachers' dinner tonight! its like a horray its midterms/welcome to our school party for me! hahah. im excited and nervous... we'll see what happens. no school tomorrow due to midterms and friday i leave for the 3-day long conference. cant wait to see everyone! okay, i'll ttyl! <3 jen | | |
|
