Jonggak

So, I've had plenty of things to talk about, but very little time to do so. Hopefully I won't write another novel for this post.

(Points to you if you just scrolled down to see how long this posting was. Negative points if you scroll down now.)

Anyway, my coworker, H, and I went to Jonggak. That's the area around the government offices etc. in Seoul. It's really cool. There are plenty of little shops and stalls in the area (That's nothing new; Seoul's only form of tourism is shopping.) There was the Namsam tower, which I haven't gone up, but fully intend to. You can apparently see a lot of Seoul from there. That seems like something I can save for when someone (ahem!) visits me. Anyway, that tower is in a Korean TV show I like (Boys Over Flowers!! <3 arg, I can't believe I just made a heart. I must be turning.) There's also Bosingak Bell Tower, which has existed since the 1300's and still works. It's pretty cool looking.

We wandered to the man-made waterfall/source? and there was this cool screw sculpture thingie. In front of it, there was a taekwondo exhibition. In case you don't know, taekwondo began in Korea, so it's kind of a big deal here. The exhibition was awesome. They played music in the background (We heard Mulan and Pirates of the Caribbean) and did some dance/martial arts moves. Also, they broke boards and did incredible acrobatics. It was like extreme cheerleading meets martial arts meets glee club (though technically they didn't sing). When I put it like that, it sounds lame, but it was actually kind of awe-inspiring. Okay, I did giggle sometimes, but mostly I was impressed.

Also, we were wandering down the street, when this guy started talking to us in English. If you're in a foreign country and someone speaks in your language, that's guaranteed to make to you stop. Anyway, these people were opening a club, and they wanted us to go in. H made a joke about us getting sold for slavery, which I'm hoping went over his head. We tried to say no, but then he offered us free drinks, so naturally we went inside. It was pretty much what you picture when you think of a club. I've been to a few clubs by now, and they always strike me as kind of tawdry. But since this place still had the new club smell, it was kind of cool. Everything was white (except the staff, badum ching!) and the lighting was neon pink. It has the potential to be really swanky or really sleazy, depending on what happens to it in the next couple weeks. The most notable part of the club for me was the fact that the bartenders kept checking themselves out in the mirrors. Not to overgeneralize, but constant checking one's appearance is a common Korean pasttime. However, this wasn't just quick glances. There was this one guy who literally stood in front of the full length mirror and watched himself dance. I wouldn't have stared, but he was so busy looking soulfully into his own eyes he didn't notice.

Okay, I have lots more to talk about, but how about I keep it to Jonggak? I'll post some photos and later this week I'll share some more. Gosh, you're lucky.

By the way, I think I fixed the whole comment problem with my blog. So people should totally try to comment.

Mai Tai Monday

I've been pretty busy lately, but that's no excuse. I really should post more, if only to say "Hello, I'm still here, and no, I don't like corn yet."

So anyway, it's Thursday, and I can't help thinking of how colleges nickname this day "Thirsty Thursday." I know that there are nicknames for every day of the week, though I have no idea what Monday would be ("Margarita Monday?" "Muddle Monday?" "Moonshine Monday?"). Either way, as someone who is (finally) employed, I have to say: I didn't know what it was to crave Thirsty Thursday before now. A week of teaching children really makes me want a nice Mojito. (Ooh! Mojito Monday!!! That's perfect!) A few of us are going to celebrate Thirsty Thursday today. It's just so easy to buy a beer at the convenience store across the street and chat. Come to think of it, we've done that every day this week... If B is the number of beers drunk in one sitting, and S is the number of sittings in a week, then B times S is equal to the amount of BS we had to deal with at work that week. Perfect.

On another note, I did celebrate wing night on Tuesday. It wasn't on par with Taco Tuesday (which used to be my favorite day of the week), but it's still a nice break. We go to this bar in Itaewon called Rocky Mountain Tavern. It's a Canadian bar, and the guidebook says that the atmosphere "can be a little chilly if you aren't Canadian." Naturally, I don't understand where they got that idea, but I'm really curious about the writer's experience. Did Oh Canada come on the speakers, and he/she sat, humiliated, while everyone else sang? Can you spot a Canadian or non-Canadian on sight? What constitutes "chilly?"

Anyway, other than a few nights of relaxation, some swine flu hysteria, and Boys Over Flowers (I love you, Jun Pyo!), I haven't done much beyond work. And to be honest, the hysteria wasn't me, so it doesn't really count as something I did.

I'm still here, and I don't like corn yet.

Situation: Normal(ish)

Well, it's been pretty much exactly a week since I posted last, and though I don't have much to report, I figured I may as well report nonetheless.

It's a good thing I've little to report. I still have a job, though now I spend my mornings typing and inserting clip art. Afternoons are a little more interesting. We started a new semester this week, and that means I teach almost all new classes. Some of them are pretty exciting: I get to teach older kids! It's amazing how nice it is to not have to worry about tears every time I raise my voice. And yes, I still have to raise my voice. I also have two private lessons, which is nice.

Though I have to say, I was kind of spoiled with the girl I had as a private lesson before. Her name was Sylvia, and she was twelve, interested in English, and always gave me presents. She, however, is now in boarding school in Canada. I'm teaching her little brother now, but he's just not interested in English at all. Unless he's lying. He told me he had a pet alligator, and I was so excited he was talking that I let him tell me all about it. Of course, there are much less entertaining students to have. At least if I keep him lying, we'll have some moderately interesting conversations. Likely, they'll all revolve around dinosaurs and reptiles.

The stress levels at work are high. Everyone is getting ready for open class (except me) and the new semester. I have this surreal separation from everyone else since I no longer have a morning class. At first, it felt a little like I was a leper (like maybe it would spread). But now we're kind of back to normal. Normal for us anyway, which means lots of tempers, one bitch out, a mild revolt from the foreign teachers (that's us!), one firing (the new girl replacing O.), and emergency meetings. Please don't think my school is in constant uproar or anything; last week was really bad, and this week was all about sandbagging. Plus there may or may not be some rather dramatic personalities within the school walls.

I've also been around Seoul a bit more. For the most part, I keep to the places people have taken me before (Hungdae, Itaewon, Insadong, Dongdaemon). There aren't many places for a tourist to visit here. I asked someone about that, and she said that most of the tourism involves shopping. There are a couple things like the city wall, or a palace or two. But for the most part, it's open markets and strange shops. I kind of prefer that, to be honest.

Okay, there's not much else to say. It's a Sunday, and I spent the day relaxing and watching old movies (To Catch a Thief, It Happened One Night, etc). So I'd better go before I get more inane than usual.