Is it the end of the year already?

Definitely hard to believe 2010 is already coming to an end. It's been an interesting year for me. This time last year I was living in San Antonio, Texas, waiting tables and generally just existing. I certainly had no idea I would be in South Korea just one year later. My time in Texas was short, but a blast while I was there. I got to spend a lot of time with my high school amigo Luke and made two amazing friendships with Brittaney and Danny. It was sad to leave that state but I knew that my time there was bound to be short.

I spent a month back home really slacking off. Zach and Amy's wedding was good, I got to reconnect with a bunch of kids I haven't seen since high school. I spent a good amount of time at Aaron and Sarah's place, but it never seems like enough. Quick drive to Chicago to get my visa. Seemingly the next moment I was at the airport, off to South Korea for a whole year.

The adjustment period was short lived as I started my job two days after I arrived. No training and just an hour's worth of orientation and there I was, standing in front of my first classroom of kids. Now, four months later, I think I've actually got a grip on my teaching and on living in Korea.

I am taking brave stabs at going out alone into the bustling city that is Seoul. I took my longest solo trip last weekend into Hongdae, which is the university part of town. And by university part of town I mean there are usually Korean students and foreign teachers. The teachers like this part of town because the night life is great and it isn't Itaewon. Itaewon is the other place most foreigners hang out, but the military base is there so it's a lot of military guys getting loud and rowdy, not exactly my scene. I was invited via Couchsurfing to a 1960s themed dance party and well, I couldn't pass that up. I was unable to get anyone from Hanam to go with me so I took the journey myself.

It's about an hour fifteen to get to Hongdae from Hanam, by bus and subway. I left around nine thirty Saturday night on the bus into Jamsil (pronounced Jamshill- anytime an i follows an s there is an sh sound) which is the closest part of Seoul to me. Jumped onto the subway there for a ride to the other side of the city. Korean subway stations are always interesting. The bigger ones (like Jamsil) double as subway stations and huge underground shopping centers. So like any Saturday everywhere I went was packed with people and noisy and generally crazy. Made it onto the number 2 line and found a seat, ready for the fourtyfive minute ride. The subway cars are just as amusing as anything else. Girls in ten or eleven centimeter high heels trying to balance as the train starts and stops, old drunk men falling into everyone, exquisitely dressed business men checking out their reflection in the windows. Bluesy Tom Waits playing the perfect soundtrack in my ears, I made it to Hongdae.

Once out of the subway station a new game begins, the one of finding the bar I was supposed to be going to. I had a map (sort of) from the internet but it was vague. I can't exactly read the street signs and get my bearings that way so it's more of a wander around and hope I'm in the right area. I knew I was looking for a place near a park so I took off in that direction. I found the park, and stood transfixed. There was a hoot-hollerin Santa party going on. Really like 500 Santas, boys, girls, Koreans, foreigners, everybody yelling and running and playing strange games. There was a live band and even though it was below freezing outside I don't think even one of them noticed. Later I found out this was an event called Santa Con.

Fifteen minutes of wandering around and being generally amazed with the atmosphere I found my bar, tucked into a back street. I went down ( no bars are street level here, always basement or second level) and was really glad I decided to get out here. It was a little dive bar with a small stage and a great looking dance floor. Two beautiful Korean girls making drinks behind the bar, and one older Korean woman dressed like John Lennon. It was just after 11 at this point and things were just on the verge of getting started. The subways stop running at midnight out here so unless I wanted to take an expensive taxi ride back home (which I didn't) I was in for a long
night at the bar. The bars in Korea don't close so I wasn't worried about being kicked out.

Around midnight the place really got jumping. There were maybe one hundred or one hundred twenty people there, but in a crowded little bar that was more than enough. Motown and Beach Boys and all sorts of great sixties tunes kept us moving all night long. I arrived alone but made plenty of friends as the night wore on. The very best part happened this way- I was dancing and having a good old time, all of the sudden I see next to me a guy dancing with a blue and yellow stocking hat on. The hat has two words, PRIOR LAKE, printed on the side. I stood staring at it for a couple of minutes before I decided I was reading it right. I bounded to the guy and threw my arm around his neck. "Does your hat say Prior Lake?" I yelled in his ear. "Yeah, it does," was his response. "Prior Lake Minnesota???" "Yeah" "Oh my god... I'm from Prior Lake!! ramblerambleramble...." This guy, I have no idea what his name was, absolutely made my night. It was incredible. By five thirty I was completely and utterly worn out. I had danced out most of the booze in my system and switched to water around 5. I could hear my bed calling me from oh so far away and decided it was time to journey on home.

Subway stations at six in the morning are quite the sight to behold. I'm sure they look quite different during the week, but on weekends the only souls are the worn out twenty-somethings. Slumped over on benches and against the walls ranging from completely drunk to stone sober, but everyone utterly tired. Girls sleeping in their boyfriend's laps, everyone trying to stay awake long enough to make it onto the train when it comes. I dozed on the ride back to Jamsil, walked out into the now abandoned station, and up to the surface. Caught a bus back into Hanam and watched the sun start rising over the mountains from my window seat.

A great great night to be sure. Not something I'll do every weekend as it is quite taxing on the body, but an excellent way to really let loose.

I'll grumble here about the weather for a minute, it's dang cold but we've got no snow to show for it! We had one good day of snow but it was up in the fourties the next day so it all melted off. I'm really hoping we get a good snowfall in the next week or so I would love to have a white Christmas. I mean, nothing like what Minnesnowta just got, but a few inches would be great.

I bought myself a plane ticket last week. In the middle of February I'll be heading down to Cambodia to spend a week lounging on the beach and really relaxing, doing nothing. That will be right at the halfway point in my year here so I think it will be very welcome.

Wow, this was quite the post. Anyways if I don't get another post up before Christmas I hope everyone has a really really good one! Think of me when you're on your break because I don't get any time off as Christmas and New Years are on Saturdays this year. The private schools don't take winter breaks. So for the first time ever, I'll be at school for my birthday. Not sure how I feel about that, but it can't be helped.

Just a quick note: The dispute between North and South Korea is nothing to worry about at the moment. I know how the media in the U.S. likes to hype everything up into an Armageddon situation but everything seems fine out here. Precautions are being taken and drill are being ran, but the general feeling from the locals is that there is nothing serious happening. I will let you know if anything changes.

Lots and Lots and LOTS of love from Korea everyone!!

New Semester

December is here and with it brings the new semester at our school. This semester will have the lightest workload of the four while I'm here. This is because we lose our sixth grade students to the middle school, but we don't get new third graders until March. So instead of having five or six classes every day I now have three or four. I'm pretty excited about this. I will still be busy making new classroom materials, writing stories, and other various things but the next three months should be pretty fun.

It seems like winter is trying really hard to start out here. The temperatures keep flirting between twenty five and fifty degrees. There was a little bit of snow one night but nothing substantial. To be honest I hope we get a significant amount soon because it's been such a long time since I've lived somewhere with a lot of snow. Either way it's nice to experience the changing seasons again.

I have definitely eaten some interesting foods this week. On Tuesday we had a party for a few of the teachers who are leaving the school and I got to try sannakji. These are squid tentacles fresh from the squid. So fresh in fact that they are still moving and wriggling on the plate when it's brought out to you. Strange, strange thing to eat. You are supposed to chew them up really good before you swallow or else the suckers, which are still active, could stick to your throat and make you choke. They tasted ok, not my favorite but most Koreans I talk to love them. I guess they are supposed to make you strong.

The other interesting food I tried was chicken feet. This is a food that supposedly is really good for your skin. I liked this one a lot better than the sannakji. They were served in a really spicy sauce and came with plastic gloves so you could just dive in and pick them up with your hands., crunch the whole thing in your mouth and spit out the bones.

Coming up in a couple weeks is the semiannual ENM school party. This is the second of four Saturdays I have to work during the year. We give stickers to kids who do their homework and for some class activities and this is the time they get to redeem their stickers. They can buy food and prizes with them. I think I have been pegged to play Santa Claus at the party. Not too sure how I feel about that but we'll see how it works out.

That's all for now, keep fighting the good fight everyone!!
Much love!