PLAY NICE!?

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I bet you think this BLOG is about you!, Alabama, United States
I'm an extroverted flame dame with a shiny nice girl exterior. Commonly Refered to as the resident Attention Whore. My main goal in life is to become famous and I'd appreciate it if you'd watch me do me....

Saturday, June 14, 2008

Flushed Blush

Did you know that in Korea, generally people do not flush toilet paper down the toilet? It is placed in a small waste basket that is placed beside the toilet. I don't know if this is the most sanitary idea, but that's what happens in the country > The dailykimchi.com

Let's Play Doctor!

so a teacher wants to get a massage... but you have to go to a regular doc to get checked out first. Just to make sure everything kosher. This chick went and the doc says: you have head ache yes? it is caused by old injury! How to cure an old injury? ( torn shoulder muslce that now has scar tissue) You must have acupunture with suction on back! So they place two suction cups and stick a neede in the middle to poke the back ... unknowingly she finds that they bleed about a cup of blood thru suction from her . And she didn't know- except for the pain until they twisted it and poped it and blood gushes everywhere! They repeat the suction twice more on diferent part of back so it's six suction marks in all. Today she has to stay at home because her entire back turned blue / grey.. ..
she has to go back for another treatment today and on tuesday.. lol then she can be cured and get massage .....
Of course this brings about the curiosity cat!

This practice is called WET CUPPING...........

chi and cupping will unblock and realign chi, thereby restoring health. "Wet" cupping involves puncturing the skin before applying the cup. It is believed that this allows "poisons" and "toxins" to be sucked out of the body> http://skepdic.com/cupping.html
http:www.koreanmedicine.net/

1) WesternThe vacuum in the cup brings blood and lymph to the area, promoting circulation and healing. In addition it will help break adhesions between the skin and underlying connective tissues, allowing for freer movement.

2) Eastern (Generic)All pain and disease in the body is caused by stagnant chi. The reverse pressure of the cup pulls blockages out of the chi meridians, thus allowing for free flow of chi, and a return to healing and normal chi flow. (If chi confuses you, well join the club. I recommend taking a martial art for several years or coming from a non-western culture for better understanding.) www.woodtigermassage.com


CHECK OUT THIS FELLOW BLOGGERS PICTURE IN THIS BLOG ENTITLED : BACK ACHES IN KOREA
http://ryanandjanny.blogspot.com/2008/02/backaches-in-korea.html

Friday, June 13, 2008

Did you kknow?

http://www.jejuloveland.com/

than a little bit!

Side NOTE :andrea teacher is very upset about card and bank acct and money.. shewas teary eyed at school today which made brandon teacher upset. Noone likes upset brandon teacher- the man has nothing to lose. ( theydon't want him to stay but he's been threatening to do so since Andreateacher came). Alien card u have 60 days to get.. butcan't do shittill then. I'm bringing all my paper work with me tomarrow sohopefully they will get it right in the morning. Brandon teacher isbringing his bat

More Crazy than a little bit!

2 days ago we began to toss around the idea of having brandon a going away dinner. SInce i am the one only who Brandon teacher deems worthy of conversation they look to me for guidance in schduling something and whatever do i think he would like. One teacher even made the statment that " if you have question about brandon teacher's schedule (haha) ask Andrea teacher. I was not thrown off- i expected the most people thought we hada lil officve romance going on.. not so much....

Today was the dissonant Brandon teacher's last day at school. It has occured to me that most people are quite glad to see him on his was to happiness and the USA becasue Korea was hard on him and in turn he became a hard ass to deal with. Still our brief friendship lasted days. I bet people put money on how long it would take b4 we spazzed outon each other. .. Today wa sthe day. He continually talks about how the kids are little twerps and he hates them and how everyone working at the school is against him.... so on his last day he makes it clear that he cares for no one! Not man woman or child or Andrea Teacher. He didn't even say good bye tp the kids he's been teaching for months.. 3 months! I taught them how to say good bye to him and everything- one of the kids drew him a going away picture... and he didn't even show up! This earned me sad looks and questions of why no brandon teacher *waves*. I rea;lized that the kid prolly thought he was just funny- it didn't occur to them that he held a grudge against them for being kids and being there! Damn it Brandon Teacher - didn't you know that children love easily- even if you were a mean and awful teacher ( and u were babe- you were) they still cared about you as a person. And you didn't value that love - so shame on you.

Of course no one that invokes the silent wrath of Andrea teacher is safe until I have my heady revenge! SO as soon as I get back to the office I pick up playful banterand say in 15 differnet ways that- you are a dick for hurting my kids feelings. Yes i've only known them a week---but I've only know u a week to and they've got my back! Of course he jumps to the defenses.( I scored one) I reamin calm and parry with a witty comeback that makes the office pay attention to us and laugh ( point two)... he begins to pace and say beligerant things like " can't understand women.. i don't even know you... never talking to you again! He wants to walk out but can not b/c he has to wait and go to his leaving dinner that PS NO ONE wants to attend. I say score to me and a win for Andrea Teacher with 3 to 0.

The dinner went off with him being very quiet and moody and he even left earlier amid puzzle / relieved stared.. The rest of us went out to drink- and fridy drinkery is blisss no matter where you are!

At about 3 AM i hear pounding coming from Brandons apartment.. which wakes me and make sme realize my drunkeness= Damn it Andrea Teache 3 Brandon Techer 1. Loud continuous thumpinggggggggggggggg.. more thumping......it's actaully vibrating the bed. WTF!!!!! I wonder if he's hurt? Dying, choking, lying on the floor next door taking his last breaths and trying to signal for help? (shoildna pissed me off and definatly shouldna ate that salt-hehe) NO Clue what he's doing.. after a while my door bell ring and the knocking stops abruptly... h,mmmm i think.... he can't ing my bell and thump at the same time. I open thedoor to the land lady and husband..ahh so the thumping has woken up people on the floor above us.. wow I quick rat him out. 4-1.... much better.. the thumping has stopped but has turned into louder tv volume. running water, opening doors andmoveing things around in theroom.. oh well wehen i find out what was really goin on.. i'l get back to ya....

TGIF

I had a light weight day again! The aafternoon was spent drinking and declaring this friday th13th .. a good one!

Thursday, June 12, 2008

Korean FRIENDS!

I am so calm when i wake up in the morning these days. Aside from being around the world away from all that i knew... i'm less stressed. The missing tecaher came back today so i had only a few classes. I think i'll devote the weekend to coming up with better ways of getting my point across in class. The technology in these class rooms makes for boundless outlets an dopprotunity. I feel like i'm cheating these kids out of the full disney experience by giving out a color by number work sheet. I realize they know the basic already. But stringing together unrelearsed sentences gains you a BIG X with the hands. Oh Nawl Teacher.. Nawl Nawl. I had some special needs children come in today. They are so adorable and I had a fun time with them. It strengthens my resolve that i was destined to be a special needs teacher.. my heart reaches out for them. I'm more comfortable in a fulll fledge fit of Autism than say at an expensive dinner with you know who!

Cuteness.. i'm finally getting somereally hard to control/ teach classes. But mixed in the bunch are the caring, quiet, attentive students that make your job sooo worthwhile. One studnet drew a picture of a room with a painting that said I love Andrea Teacher. I almost died.

At work before lunch a sick bird walked into the building. People were running scared everywhere. I was like-- it's not even flying it's walking calmyl- just chillin'. Maybe korean birds are cool like that? No Andrea Teacher- bird is sick! Maybe it has the flu... Oh...... The Flu.. AI is alive and well so i took my behinny to lunch and didn't mess with mr. birdie like i would usually do.
On my way to get my nails done i was stopped by a lady in the street who wanted to be my friend. Maybe hang out on weekends. Lotsa question: do i like korea, how long have i been here. eye color (hehe).. I don't have a phone but i gave her my email.

I finally made it to the Nail shop! BY myself! GO ME GO ME!.. I got the best grade A number 1 manicure.. for 20 bucks. My nails never looked so right. Korea this is the beginning of a beautiful relationship!

I took a taxi- again on my own back home. As soon as i stepped outta the taxi i met another lady who's englisgh was much better who also wanted to be friends. She, too, had questions.. thins is kinda cool. She gave me a little stuff character as a gift! WOW my USA Mojo is stronger than Kat Williams Pimp Hand! I recall last night walking by a window where all korean eyes were on me.. I stopped smiled and waved and everybody jumped up and ran out the door to shake hands and make introductions. I've always had an inviting personality .. so its cool with me.. oh yeah scroll up to the top Attn Ho!

It seems that mostof the waygooks- foriegners just stick together or with the person they came here with. But i want to have Korean friends.. I want to get the invite dto meet mom.. i want to crush on a korean guy. I want the experience and conversations and odd moments that lFULLY living in korea would give me. That's why i wasn't interested in a big city like seoul. The say the crime level hereis zero and the cops don't even have guns.. I feel comfy in my small town.. But seoul.. i feel like i might get bushwacked. Yesterday i left a tip on 3 bucks on the table and the waitress ran me down to give me back the money i "lost". Wow - only in Korea.

Wednesday, June 11, 2008

Contracts and etc

I had deja vu today! I saw the light at the end of the contract.
In addition to what you already know if you are really half assed interested in setting foot in a new world like korea ..

1.Recuriters need $$ too.. so they might have to lie to you- do u blame them?
2. conracts aren't ste in stone really; but if ur school breaches it badly there are alternatives
3. contracts are usua for one year- cna be more of less.

OK
You and ad for a job like this one:

********************************************************
13 Public School Positions (Seoul, Jecheon, Chungju)!!!
lots of positions.. hmm high turn over? google the city population and things t do there. if it comes up short its a small town.. so be prepared for country and learnig korean

Working Conditions: 22-30 teaching hours/week,
ok so work is form 8:30- 5:30 that's 9 hours
one hour is free for lunch ( eat at school save some $$$ it's cheap)
so 8 hrs a day x 5 days a week equals 40 hours right?
22-30 teching hours means actual time teaching
i have a contract for 25 per week 100 per month
so i teach 5 classes a day for 45-50 minutes and the other hours are used as planning

if on tuesday i teach my 5 classes and 1 additional due to anothe rteaher getting sick. that's overtime! but rather than oer time.. they will make her take one of my classes later in the week or let me miss teaching a class to avoid overages. Korean are on it!
t



Mon-Fri,
they will ask u for saturday if it's a special occasion



US$2100-$2600/month
Right on- it's great money- don't waste it all on beer

Rent-free, single, fully-furnished apt.
yes yes yes-- now how nice it is is questionable. what are u used to? my apt is better than the koprean teachers that are really teachers butiyt's small. koreans are used to small effeicent housing.

Pre-paid Return Airfare Medical + Dental insurance:
hmm notice return airfare. you might have to front the money for the first ticketand they say they will give it back to u in 2 weeks time when u arrive. don't bank on it being that soon i mean just read my posts about alien card and bank. Make sure u got enough money to take care of you incase something comes up. most contracts stipulate they will pay u for ur flight ONLY if you stayed half the time!! so if it sux.. stay 6 months and then leave!! who knows you might get used to it

Bonus on completion of annual contract Pension Plan (which will be refunded when you leave Korea) Tax rate: 3.5-5%

this i true! make sure you getur xtra months pay as a bonus AND half the money u paid into korean pension b4 u go!! it's about athousand bucks after a year!

Qualifications: Native English speaker And A Bachelor's Degree no experience

The job placement process will begin as soon as we receive your resume and photo.
Yes they wanna know what you look like.. I've meet white looking africans. new zelanders that look tai. laotians with good azz tans and i'm from USA and i am a black gyrl with blue eyes and no blonde hair- GO FIGURE. it's hard to tell if u'll look good onstaff with out a pic.. so find a nice one man! the new visa getting process has dried up the pool of esl wanna be's so i belaieve they will be much more lienent in the coming days.. no movie stars needed!

Personal opinion as always - Koreans are a bit superficial, in the case with my school the folks they have now are super and know what they are doing- but their novelty has woren off! it's a one yer thing for a reason -move around spread thelove- there's money to make and things to see and do else where people to run into !

I hope this helps. ask me a questiona and i'll do my best ya'll

The Typical Gig -

A. whati ate today. morning- grapes lunch- soup veggies curry rice small cup of brown lukewarm water. later i had dinner with the bosses... wow everything was raw! i wish i had my camera! The fish was cut up and then decoreated with it's own meat! It winked at me like " go ahead make my day. Rawoctopus Raw veggies, pork beef... This was expensive dinne. Luckily i threw it up as soon as i got back to my highly effiecent apt. And the went out to eat greasy cheesy chicken and colaa.. hmmrefreashing

B. Today classes went well... i'm really using every piece of hugh tech equipmentthey gotin thatplace.( 100in touch screen monitor, internet game that show up on each of their computers. they are competeive so they like to race against each other.. played some michael jackson and taught a lesson on music. Boys are hard to deal with. usua punishement involves making the exercise. but i found sometihing worse than death: girls! THAT' S RIGHT- YOUI WANNA ACT UP iin andrea teacher class?!?! Go sit by emma!!! 1, 2, 3, NO oooo teach i sorry, so sorry. That's what i though punk. DO YOU EVER INTERUPPT MICHAEL JACKSON AGAIN!!!

Besides this it was boring. i only taught 3 times which mean i had 6 hours to email chat w/ friends prepare eat lunch BS> etc.. I'm begnning to think that this is a differnet job than what i expected..sweet! Yesterday i was told to prepare to stay after school so that myself and brandon teacher could go to big expensive dinner with principal and board of directors. Of course i'm not supposed to mention this to them and they are not supposed to question why today i didn't race down the school steps as usual with my only lifesupport for the past week. really. Of course i let them know w and they told me to expect to be bored- butt will fall asleep b/c of floor seating. I'm fat i can't sit cross legged for 3 hours! and that they would justspeak korean with each other and ignore me.. i'mthinking-- ok well at least i get to eat good. At 520.. people start leaving.. we stay...people start questioning beckoning us to go with them.. it's tempting.. i'm still pissed about my alien card so-- if i left and got lost in town they could contact me b/c i don 't have a cell umber BECAUSE I DON"T HAVE A FREAKING CARD!.. i dream about this damn card... sweet jose! Any ways everyone leaves and we sit alone for 20 minutes with no further direction. Hav they forgotten us? Is this a joke? Is this when we get sold into prostitution? It'sfreaking erie..the just don't know how to make u feel welcome- they try- $$$ dinner but they sent a cab for us. Did we know -NO! He had to wave us down and toss me in the back- i hadn't planned on going willingly but i was wearing heels..

sidenotes: heels are good for womanly image! heels to work then change to traditional slippers.. no sore feet! hot dayum are u taking notes america?

Bradon teacher starts in with BS. consiracy everyone hates me, i'm leaving in #?days.. the sad thing is that he'd be so doable if he didn't have a brain.. at the restuarnt we are ignored immediately and ushered inside - there's 15 wierd food dishes waiting ..every 10 minutes about 3 more come out. It hard to eat because the good stuuf is in front of the head haunchos who invited u to try this ore that but NEVER move it you way.. It's impolite not to eat at expense dinner supposedly in our honor so i rabbit my way through it and pretend to chew vigorously is someone looks at me. The caught me and made eat some of everything raw! arfghrs! Brandon teacher rattles on about perverted topics.. the haunchos don't speak english so there are 2 teachers to translatefor/ ignore us as well. Everyone in a while i field a question about USA or ALABAMA which i have no clue how to answer. i do my best and the co teacher translate something intelligent i hope. My saving grace is that they principal digs my blue contacts and the fcat that ive dressed professionally for the past days. Usually dress code is jeans and tshirts minus the holes... I play footsie w/ brandon teacher who decided we should have a candid innappropriate conversation about the bunny ranch.. they won't know if you don't look guilty teacher andrea.. it's fun and makes the time fly by. Still dinner is 2 houirs...

We consude nd get taken back to partment.. 10 of puking for the first time in Korea and i'm ready for me some BBQ baby! I settled for the chicken cheese dish. After this back to HOMEPLUS the knock off of wal mart to buy some flat irons.

Side note: my USA extra super duper black gyrl flat irons cost 100 USD and there's not enough currnet in all of korea to get them hot. So i had to get more asap... Got some icecream and WHOA- saw a foriegner! I almost ran to her!! Hello where from? i ask " from across the street where the rest of the waygooks are getting plastered..." dang on wednesday.? Yup gotta make it through the week somehow! it seems tht some have real jobs unlike lucky andrea teacher.

I make my way to the fish grill an chat up 8 new folks.. n one with tans as good as mine.. but i like being special. From this interaction i find that yeong ju has a facebook group w/ 25 folks currently here.. well i'll be hot dang!

Tuesday, June 10, 2008

Tentative Korean Name

I named a little boyu justin yesterday. It was really fun! I've been thinking thati dhould get akorean name. I'm considering Juseo: it's not really name quality. Nick name at best and it means PLease Give It To Me. Any other suggestions?

fake coulture

I woke up this morning and my land lady came by..unanounced to go over appliances. I got caught doing no no- i was wearingflip flops insidemy apartment! Also there was some dust on the baseboard-- shame sahem.. and a pebble in the door jamb. Oh My GOD- how will i survive her inspections over the next year.. my consensus ajimmma 1- snafu -0.. i'm gonna have to super clean up my act. I'd planned on it- to my defensei haven't even been here long enough to clean the apartment from the last tenant.. let alone get settled and create a mess. Also we don't throw toilt paper into toliet. hmmm didn't make sense to me either. i'm guessing since korea operates on open sewers that the plumbing can't handle masses of TP. Go figure. That's why asian people put poo paperin the trash basket. As flavor flav says.wowwwww...

i'm jealous of the language- ineed to start learning! on the way home from school a co worker and i found-- a nail shop! one of 4 i yeongju. i have a appoint mnet for 530 on thursday-- i'm saved! they also do hair.. hmm i might get a crazy cut..

i can't get a cell phone or bank account yet.. i need a alien card first. To get an alien card i must complete an exam. Employer must set this up and deliver me to doctors b/c i don't even know how to get to the school from home( it's not walking distance). I'm frustarted b/c i can only go from work to home and maybe supermarket... other places require assistance or copany rather and i hate to bother my co workers. it's not their job to cater to me.. although brandon does so heartily. I told him i was a virgin waiting for marriage today. He seems unphased. Snafu 0 Brandon -1.

My employer hasnt paid me yet. 300 on arrival? nope flight money in 2 weeks? not yet.. first pay check? TBA I'm worried b/c they are bull shyting 3 other people on the way out. They are however paying me more than them.. kids the job ain't hard- it never is- it's always the asses youi must work for. And theydon't have a clue. Still i'm excited b/c i heard they take newbies to a fancy dinner! free food= good food. they told about the dinner to day. " Andrea Teacher you havedinner tommarrow with the yeongju. Just a Brandon, Andrea Teacher, Me and Yeongju. Do not tell other teachers! Please thanks you. Andrea teacher smiles bows and winks at brandon teacher. oh hell... nawl.. brandon is leaving on next monday.. and we'll be getting a new teacher .Rumors about brandon are backed b/c i've witnessed his truly awful teaching skills.When the center was first built her was the only show horse in town.. so bad skill was not a problem.. just big smiles. But now that it's up and running he's not the star anymore- another guys is. Luckily that precious guy is on a visa run till friday. This allows Andrea teacher ample time to smooze take over his work station take the only the classes i choose and close up shop on the best teacher position. You got to be more carefull... did i meantio i was an attention whore?

i fially ate the dish that brough me to korea! dweji bulgogi. and it was as slap yo mama good as i knew it would be.. on a dusty floor mat in a run down sweat box restaurant down a wet alley way. SOmething tells me i'll spend alotta time there. In USA that mean it 18 plus tax.. in Korea 5 bucks. after wards i went to baskin robins and let brandon pay for some dessert.. double scoop of greentea icecream for him... fireworks for me..it had pop rocks in it.

In reflection the highliht of the day was a sweet student who began to cry as class ended. Sunni why are you sad? Teacher I want to win! I understand completely. In 3 seconds flat she was composed and plotting on the next game. SUnni will go far in life.

no time

i cried at school this morning. it was silly juvy, and over quickly . The kids were really good today-even the bad ones make the day rush by! i'm so busy from i haven't even turned on the t.v. since i've been here. i taught 3 classes today with litele to no preparation. It seems i'm well liked due to my smile (insert laugh- thanks dad). i have a dinner with all the big bosses tomarrow night.. ijust hope it tastes good.It feels like time has sped up and i trying catch up. of course i'm half a day fast anyways.

TONIGHT i got invite along with the beautiful couple to a buffet style dinner. Seriously korean wome go above the rim. this lady works at my school and is in like with me i know. She fed up 17 differnt types of food, watermelon, fish, chicken, rice, bean, pear, rice cake, soup, broth, kimchie, salad, little anchovies, yam, gelato spicy stuff, creamy salty stuffs, .. on an on.. i almost threw up b/c they told me it was an insult to not finish the big ass bowl of rice. you could've told me thatbefore i drank half a bottle of soju. Luckily they were just kidding. This couple lives on the 14th floor of an apartment building. theres so many folks in Yeongju- how can it be considered small?

Monday, June 9, 2008

English Center

school schedule

845- arrive



9- introduce ur self to the big group say and then leave -they get put into groups to rotate around to ur stations and play a game.during this time we are internet whoring till 10:30



10:30 teach a class .. other classes are going on in an open space beside u. no one is paying attention- you do uer best. only 40 minutes till 11:10



10 minutes break



1120- same class w/ group



12 noon- lunch



1:30 class



2;10 break for 10



220 class soo... 4 class sections right? but one of those sections is ur additional planning period



3:00 end romper room classes



30 mint break



330- almost real individualized class with a group of after school students that come everyday for 3 months.-50 minutes long and extremely easy-- no gradespersay! yay!



10min break



430 andother class



520-- run for freedom.t

Ranting And Raving

i'm not sad but i'm finally missing home. as much as the Koreans lust for knowledge of american ways.. they don't get the concept. if they came to america they would expect it to be just like korea i think. SO i'm in korea and they just aren't as helpful as i would like. haven't got my money but i think they plan to get it to me in a lump sum on 25. i still must goto doctor. get alien card and open bank acct. but when- no clue.. who's my supervisor 7 different people who all speak half english and refer me to the next guy. i don''t have gas so no hot water-- cold showers.. sigh. or it could be that i can't work the stuff the instruction are in korean. Everyone gives me their phone number and say call me if u need anything.. well i have No cell phone so obviosly that's what i need. I'm on the mensus and maybe a bit bitchy.. i miss my toy box.. free time plus no toy box= sad wasted time. I'm taking better care of me.. lotsa water, makeup outfitconsideraton.. hair do... but i think my flatirons are too strong for the current these korean plugs give. there is a big store with flat irons for cheap- theyre ceramic too though. i know it might notsound great right now but CLB I promised never too lie about the way things are. I'm selfish but not to the expense of my beloveds. So i fully believe things will iron out and get peachy- b/c korea really is awesom- so much to do in such a small town. I'm glad that ur coming soon b/c ppl are leaving and i want us to take over and run shit together. SPEACKING OF SHYT.. i've had a mild case of them from day on till current. I'm going to be skinny of die trying.

By the way the english center is great. it's next door to the school literally so it's all goopd if u go to school. i broke my camera so i have to get a new one forpix.. b4 u come. the english center is a place whereeach school in yeongju sends it's kids for 2 days outta there regualr schol day. like taking ur kids to a ripley's believe it or not or a science fair all day 4 two days tolearn crap. Yeongju is farm countr so the kids don't really have the chance to get into hardcore learning and english.. therefore they eill prolly never leave yeongju--the way tings are. So us happy shiny teachers work and rotate in differnet section. like doc office sceene, post office sceme, bank scene.. (about 10 scenes in all. and we get the kids to go thru a script in englight to prepare them to go to the doctor in an english speaking place. The building is brand new as the program is. and expensive. Broadcast scene has tv equipment that put troy Jrn TO shame.! All the scene are a bit script. No real teaching goes on it's just providing a fun day for kids and hopefully they pick up a few things.

Sweet Home Alabama

They googled my front door on google maps. I showed them my campus, old job and the stadium field,. Answered alot of questions that started : In alabama do "ya'll"....fill in the blank.

School daze

I woke up early because i couldn't sleep. Check this: i actually ironed of my own free will! i showered with cold h20 b/c i can't figure out how to work the dayum water heater.... Mr. woo picked me up 10 minutes late and then we went to see all the head haunchos in the board of education. I wasn't very im pressed. I met mister Juong whom who is a schemer by trade. I've gotta watch out for him. All the other teachers seem sweet and at awe with the new Token at school.
Today i just watched classes and tyried to figure out how everything goes.. seems like fun!

Sunday, June 8, 2008

Rainbow Concept

Ok so my super flame dame powers are at a loss here because there's no way in dar hell you can tell. Why risk the chance of embarrassment if my sense steer me clear in the wrong. Publicaffection between man and woman is taboo here. But it is perfectly normal for same sexes to hug, kiss, lean on, and smack each other around.

My milkshake brings all the soju boys to the yard

My Goodies.. My Goodies My Goodies.. NOT MY GOODIES! Koreans man dna women big or small are at most enamoured with the sizeof my bbobs and atleast entertained..From the odd looks i get on the street to the odd reason random people find to hug me. And know this: i thought the average korean avoided all that love dovey crap. hmm.. me thinks the blog gods have steered me astray!

Quantum Leap

It's about 2 am here and surprise surprise i can't sleep. I have to be up and outside at 8:20 to be at school at 9? That's not walkn ing distance. those byatches!#^%! SO Do you think i should buy the scooter from bitter cutie brandon or wait and find another deal. PS some of the crew said he dogged it out and it's been broken b4.. Summer is here and it will be hot.. so either i spend money on taxi or walk or get my own wheels somehow. I haven't happened upon a cell phone yet but S.P. #2 has one that he said he was gonna give me for free... along with a blanket, lighter, a korean phrase book, , a racket for qwaffle ball, and did i mention he took me out last night (6 hrs ago) for italian food at the onlt foriengner bar in Yeongju - and picked up the tab- some body's falling for Drea. Afterwards we went to the big HOMEPLUS store... It's got it all thamk gog! More shizzle than walmart for rizzle! I needed to buy bed sheets- the first problem is what size is my bed? no clue it's a korean bed unlike an sized USA bed i've EVA known- but still comfy. And #2 all the bed in a bag info is ..tada.. korean. . 3. Ugliest colors and patterns ever! 4. each piece sold separatelt pillow pillowcase fitted, coverf, blanket. in five freaking different colors. I ent off- Brandon said I show practicebeing humble and showing no aggression about anything. But Brandon this is not aggression this is pissivity! DAMN those weight resreictions- the trick is to leaqv from a big city and tip the porter so he doesn't let the baggage check weigh ur bags.

We continues our journey together in Homeplus by sampling oneof each of the 40,000 samples from the happy shiny smiing korean ladies that are servng them up. I got conned into alotts stuff becasue they learned they can simply place things in my buggy and say it's korean #1 quality. Proble, is everything is.

BACKTRACK- speaking of buggies the Koreans has a genuis idea!! it obtain a buggy you must placea 100 won coin in the handle and slide it in a special slot. Then your basket is released and you get you coin back when u BRING THEBASKET BACK AND LINK IT TO THE OTHER BASKETS. If walmart did this... i know alotta cart puchers that would be jobless. no muss no fuss.



BACKTRACK- last night we went past the red light district but much to my chargrin (uknow i love hoez) i missed it. If you expect pimps with hats w/feather, croc shoes and gold team`like i did- u were wrong. It the old grey hair Korean wonen in black of grey jackets lurking neat an alley who seem to catch everyone's eye as they walk by. It's almost a force of nature.. must look for hoesz. that ish is innate. Why do you only see the pimp and not the actual girls? Well i've heard no seen (by just wait) that the average yeongju prostitute is older and not so fire. soo that boys and girls is what happensto you if u aren't docile enough to make someone put aring on you finger before you are 30! Damn!

Back On Track: On the way home from the store it started to pour rain..Brandon and I walked leiurely thru puddles of nasty. Did i mention that korean stinks.. there are raw sewage holes inthe ground everywhere.. So much bacteria in the air no wonder you either get immuned or die. I made a mental note to use the staph fighting cream for my nostrils.might help me stay well. I'm not feeling sick anymore! YAY We reched home and went our separate ways. He to drink till he passes out (jack and coke) and i to cure the munchies, sleep , and cater to my beautiful blog.

By the way the unusually high aount of typos is do to the fact that the spell checker only check korean words.. so everything i write is spelled wrong to it. go figure..
I'm not missing home yet but it's prolly cuz i'm in shock. I started feelingsick the first night in Korea which sux.. luckily i've got some meds with me- thanks to Kzoo! This morning i woke up to go find some groceries and other items like plates and etc.It's true that people will covet your chewing gum-- so bring lots.

love's hangover sale- 1,000Krw

So my heady readers let us recap. On the thursadaybefore embarking on my trip I was awarded one last fareweel game of phase 10 (qt - I LOVE YOU BUT DAMN u could've let me
0952603 win!) We drank the signature cranberry vodka and stayed up late. I didn't sleep at all. Upon eeaching the airport I began to have a panick attack! Only he promis of a karate chop to the neck could stop it. I chatted up the nice lady weigh in my bags and after much worrying I didn't have to pay any exter dough. *** My recuriter told me to make`sure i kept up with my boarding passes and recipt. I had to ask for the reciept....I checked 2 big suitcases and took two small ones on board. They of course had to be checked out. Security was a breeze.. any liquids =nope. take off your shoes n coat - ok. walk thru here and have a nice day- alrighty then.

Immediatekt after leaving with my last glimpse of my gyrls i met a chatty lady who turned out to be a teacher. Boring convo ensued- but convo is convo and i was a bit nervous. But she lead me thru a mental journey of the atl aiport... she flys every month. She mentioned that this flight is never on time to atl and since i only had an hour to get off this plane nd get on the next, i should hustle. They called for zone 1 and 2... she left. I was zone 3. the zones are ur location on the plane.. the higher- the closer to the front door. OYB.

I boarded the plane and relized that my freaking carryon had no chaqnce in hellof fitting under my seat- don't care who u are! So was VERY uncomy. The business guy beside me kept bumpingmy boob with his elbow as he perused the paper. What a jerk.. didn't even thank me for all the fels copped! The flight took 27 minutes to atl.. going up i almost spazzed.. nit's a bit like a rollercoaster ride.. the feeling of nothingness under ur feet is scary. The plane was small.. two row of seat withh 2 seats side by side. I had a shit time trying to fasen my seat belt i though i was gonna have to get an extended from the stewardess. She was pretty by the way.. and well practed at ignoring youu b/c everyone ignored her. i guess she has to go through the whole spill about air masks and your seat being a loatation device., Go figureBut after a short time-- sleep came. A bump later we were on the ground and i was running thru to my next plane. I was in port d and needed to get to E. easy riight? Wrong.. it's downstairs and a mile away. a cluttered mile. I wanted to buy crap from duty free but i just got my hustle on through the crowd. No time for pix either.


I made it to my port.. it had to be it there was 1.5 million Korean people there. Some of them very scruffy and 3 mighty fine! I showed my passport an got my boarding pass scanned and boarded. This plane was huge and filled to capacity 3 rows with 3 seats each . i was middle rowmiddle seat and it sucked! Again carry one won't fit underseat no elbow room and a dude on eithe side of me. This can't npossibley be the way i'm gonna spendthe next14 hrs.. yes yes it is. but eventuallly ur extremities and body fall asleep. As the plane took off a fat tear rolled down my cheek. The soldier to my right asked my if i wanted his napkin. I told him my tears dry on their own.. He looked at me like i was crazy and i non verbally confirmed his assumption and we didn't talk again after that. I retreatedf into my self and my thoughts until i realized that there was a touch screen in front of me, built intothe seat in front of me.. AH HA! Heaven at my figertips i'm saved. The had music- amy w. r kelly, mjb.. and manytmore current stars. it was a struggle not to dance and sing b/c that my song hunny!!! It also had the book worm game,`zuma and some trivia. Ucan play against other passengers! HBO movies had to be paidfor at 6 bucks a pop. but sitcoms like law and order, simpsons and etc are free.

We ate 3 korean meals with ur choice of beef chicken or ?. Each came with a hard but tasty roll, fruit, cup o hot sauce, lil h2o and salad. whcich all got downed hurriedly b/c you never know when we are gonna hit some turbulence. Becasue i was in the middle f the plane the veiw of below was lost to me and my camera.

16 hrs later wetouched down in korea. I followed the flow of people and baggage claim lines till i got to a row of glass doors. I had to fill out this shoert immigration card and give it and my passport to the lady behind the desk when it was my turn. She smile and immeidately said i must have an E-2 visa... evidently i looked like the scholarly type. After this i went left and headed down the escaltor to watch my bags come around to me. I saddled them all up..not an easy task X4. And continued toward the exits when i had to fill out a declaration form.. i check all no's.. nothing to declare and proceed to the money exchange center that is connected to the exit door. 500 bucks?+a lil less than 500 krw. As i stepped outside the exit i saw a signe with my name on it! AMY and my driver! Success! After a few wquick pix we were off to the cab it was about a 4 hours drive- which i slept throu loudly- lulled to sleep by the pop music that has been remade and sung by a koreean singer. I did notice that most car have an extra mirror in the back....the driver told me it's a mirror bang`to prevent acidents. Driving is a contact sport.

When we arrive in Yeongju I was so excited- it seemed like a busy town. I got to meet Mr. Woo my vice principal who is very sweet. He has a wife and son and adores church, ashe invited me to church with him the next day. He gave my aptartment key and loaded my bags. My apartment is exactly 2 minutes away from his. If i need anything i know where he lives and have his number.. sigh but no phone.

My apartment is the fire!

It's brand new1 Everything has the instructions taped to it and everything. When you walk in the door you step into the kitchen It has one sink, fridge, microwave, 100 dollar rice cooker, 2 stove burners, 2 seater table, charm. immediately to the left is a bathroom with the hose instead of shower stall- i knew it would and some storage space. Then straight away to another door to the bedroom .the bed room hold a nice firm bed t.v. AIR CONDITIONER WITH REMOTE, wardrobe, book shelf and desk. Then theres another door to a closed in patio n HUGE window to the outside- washing machine and drying racks.. no dryer. Everything was on when i got here. No towels, sheets, utensils, cleaner, nothing left over b/c it's new. I first met the guy who's leaving named Brandon. Mixed guy maybe- he's from s. carolina by way of san fransico. He strikes me as the type that doesn't conform to society's rules no matter which society he's in, which is ok to me. He offers up alotta info about the school , the other teacher, the admin. Brandon is a find-he's some what salty or bitter about the place and wants to warn me not to gie up too much personal info which could be used against me. My red flags are raised- cuz Snafu does not invite mess hunny thank you very much. Anyway that makes him a good source of truthful info and a guidebook of what NOT to do in Yeongju. He is also tryna sell me his bike for 250 bucks.

So i got off the plane at 2:45 and into cab at 3:15 and in Yeongju at 7:30. Talked to Brandon for 45 minutes and in comes some other teachers who greet me warmly as Courtney. No I'm not Courtney-looks of puzzlement. Well then who are you we are getting a guy and girl (courtney). I'm Andrea...Oh we though Andre... which is a boy's name. Insert many smile and laughs. No i'm not a boy. It seems they already have and Andrea whom everyone calls Andie.. I guess i'll have to go by Drea or something. They are all wondering if i would have the wierd alabama drawl or a southern accent. Sorry to disappoint but my english is much better than anyone else here- New chickie: 1 Old Folks: 0

We all decided that because i wasn't sleepy that the CREW should show me the town. We went to... you guessed it and Noraebang and sung our favorite tunes. The group fav is YELLOW SUBMARINE. I guess it's some inside joke. Some of the teachers talked about how pleasing the kids is more important that teaching them. How disconcerning.. i guess i'll find out monday.

After 2 hours of banging it out the group with as grown to 9 members went to a bar called FISH GRILL. Evidently s is the hangout. It has an outside courtyard which is kinda funky. I ordered my first meal which was a boat of sweet and sour and very hot pork and cheese fries. The cheese fries are the deal!

I recieved the gift of a large soju bottle from NJ and RyeHa and had to drink at least half of the botle. Someone was feeling pretty good till all of a sudden it got cool.. then cold,. They say it just happens like that here. We where then joined by a group of hilarious Korean studnets from Andong this is a hop aand a skip from here). I gave him a temporary English name of Justin.. but we can call him JT. He was excited about the name and started to do a couple of signature JT movements- stop my beating heart. It's true Korea is alot like heaven. We all started to move inside b/c of the cold and eventually went out separate ways. Great first night in town I think.. i'm gonna have a hang over tommarrow I know.

The other teachers:

Note: First impressions and information subject to change

Brandon- my main info guy and next door neighbor

NJ- whos is fine- love the way he says my name with intensity (esp when drunk) he is from New Zeland. ( Reminds me of Erik- the love of my life) live on the 3rd floor

Rye Hah- is Nj's chickie- very pretty with an outta this world accent.

Marrybell- which has a weird pronunciation. is from S.Africa and is caucasian. She is a bit snooty but is very grounded.

Jason- I think is very non descipt.. as a matter of fact i almost forgot his name.. I think he's from oregon and is dating Andie

Andie-AKA Andrea#1 is from i don't know but is very cool. she also is my competition... (which is always good) and is dating jason.

David-very fragile looking guy, skinny and from Pennsylvania. Screams anti social wierdo but is well liked in the group. It's good to see a change from the usual snide cool kids club where they don't like free thinkers and outsiders. He's been in korea 4 years. I don't think he likes me details later.

Greg- Cute Strong silent but still can be an ass if needed type. Insert foam here.. prolly got a korean girlfriend or 3 or 4 waiting in the wings. Bet hey 1st come first served.