The First "Official" Blog Post

Ok all,

I have put on here the previously posted Notes (from FB)/emails I have sent out and this will serve as the first, original post to find its way onto my new blog. Who would have thought--Tamera, with a blog. Wow. But I believe this might be a slightly easier way for people to keep track of me and what I am doing. Also for me to post photos for you to see. So we'll give it a go and see what we think, eh?!

Breezing By Week 7 to the Turning Point

This update is going to run a bit differently than its predecessors, for a few reasons. I feel like I leave a lot out as to what goes on here. I'm always saying to myself, usually on my walks to or from work, that I need to remember to put this little tidbit or that interesting fact in the next email, and yet somehow it doesn't make it in. So perhaps by typing up a bit here and a bit there, I will catch a few more random morsels to throw your way. Also, I am rapidly approaching the two month mark and I am beginning to feel the same way about my counting of weeks of being in Korea as I do about parents keeping track of their children's age in months after the one year mark, or god forbid the TWO year mark! They are TWO! Just own it and move on already! So, I am owning the fact that I now LIVE in Korea and will continue to live here for 10 more months give or take a week, so we can all stop counting already, right? Right. Good. Glad we're all on the same page here.

Ok--it seems that a lot of the things I find humorous or interesting deals with cars or vehicular differences in some way. I'm not sure if I need to apologize for this or what it means exactly, but I suppose the first step to recovery is admitting you have an obsession--ooo, wait, I don't think that's right. Maybe it's because I don't have a car here (or anymore for that matter) that I find them so interesting. Let's not read too much into this shall we. Again, let's just own that I have a weird hang up about cars and keep right on truckin.

So, I find it interesting that everyone here, especially the cabbies, drive as if they are on the Autobahn! It's crazy! In reality I'm sure they're not really going THAT fast, but with the curves and the hills, and the lack of shoulders, the skimpy size of the lanes, and the general lack of traffic marker obedience, it makes a passenger a bit nervous at times. I have learned to just sit back in the backseat and "enjoy the ride" but it's taken many a taxi ride to get me to this point. Also, on the subject of taxis--I will admit that I have not been a taxicab frequenter in the first 26 years of my life, but I'm starting to add a nice tally in the last year. As of now, Korea is the only country in which the cabbies have a tv in the cab--so that THEY can watch it! I've been in many that have the news or ads or the like on tv's built into the backseat for the fare to watch, but NEVER seen one that was mounted like the GPS or touch screen of most new cars that was playing the drives favorite drama or movie! Unreal! Like there's not enough going on with all the above mentioned issues, let's throw a distracted driver watching tv into the mix! Don't worry mom, I swear I'm making it sound worse than it is (anyone who knows any different, don't tell her, she'll never sleep another wink while I'm away!). 

I have never been in one of the smart cars back home so I can't say without certainty but I'm hoping they've got a bit more goose than the ones here. Their very Thomas the Train engines scarcely generate more power than a hamster in it's squeaky wheel when it's at its fastest and loudest at 3:15 in the morning on a Wednesday when you have the biggest test or presentation the next day. I always get a nice little chuckle out of them. If I were a male riding in (or god forbid driving) one I could not help but feel extremely emasculated. However I don't think the country in which I was located in would have a whole heap of a lot of effect on that to make me feel any less so. But the point is, there's nothing manly or hardcore about these cars. But, they are tight space friendly and fuel efficient (I can only assume, since I don't own one, but given that they are powered by either a rodent in its wheel or a tiny pony chasing an even tinier carrot on a string in the engine compartment, it can't cost too much to fed such a small energy source) and cute as a button. So perhaps they are like a puppy for a guy. Perhaps. I will do some research on this idea, but for me, I can say, a guy rolling up next to me in his teeny tiny ride isn't going to turn my head--except to continue chuckling at him without him being able to see me.

It is said that nearly half of Koreans don't proclaim a faith of any sort, almost 30% are Christian, and almost 23% are Buddhist with small percentages representing some traditional religious beliefs as well as Confucianism. Also, seeming unrelated (but you will see the full circle momentarily, I assure you) is the fact that Korean architecture can be described as nothing short of hastily built with poor materials therefore lacking in general amazingness or striking details as the building will surely be crumbling in a matter of only just a few years from its construction date. So, the churches that are around are anything but impressive structures, sadly. I like a good cathedral just as much as the next guy. In fact, St. Paul's Cathedral in London was one of the highlights of my trip there! But there are no such cathedrals or beautiful churches here--that I have seen. I think this is due to the fact that even though there are many Christians here in need of a church, the construction of such structures is just the same as all other buildings--quick and with poor materials--therefore there is not a lot of effort put into making it beautiful because the sad truth is they will be rebuilding it in a few years time anyway. (Clearly we can all offer remedies to this problem, but that is not the point of this ramble, so I digress.) However, the Buddhist temples I have seen, though meager, are very beautiful. And there is no shortage of Buddhist statues. So I would just like to point out that it's for no other reason than the fact that these things are actually quite beautiful that I have taken a prevalent amount of photos of them and none of anything else architecturally speaking. It is my conclusion that what Korea has to offer is nature and it's beauty rather than the manmade beauties of architecture and design that are generally easy to find while traveling the world. Which is fine by me, as I tend toward the appreciation of nature more so than architecture on any given day. 

So, that sums up the random info portion and I would like to share with you now a little about my seventh week and the ideas of the present eighth week, and thereby the turning point of no more weeks of counting my time here!

Last week was a bit of a blur as the weekend leading up to it was spent in Busan, therefore making me feel like I missed my weekend and was not prepared to go back to work on Monday. But don't you worry as there was plenty to keep me on track with the arrival of a new group of elementary students on Monday. It's possible they were the lowest comprehension and speaking ability group that has come to GEV since my arrival, which was good because it got me thinking outside the box and expanding, shrinking, modifying, and adjusting my lessons to fit their needs. Thanks for keepin Tamera Teacher on her toes guys! I needed that! And just when I was getting a cramp in my big toe from ballerina like tippy-toe-turns of Monday to Wednesday, the kiddos were gone and we were ushering in a national holiday and a day off for teachers and students alike. Happy Children's Day! I spent the day as I would have my weekend if I were in town-just relaxing and enjoying the day! It was beautiful weather and there was an influx of visitors to the beach by my house--including mi amiga mejor aqui y un amigo nuevo and myself for a picnic at said beach. It was very nice. Then it was time for work again on Friday which consisted of a half day of kindergarden kiddos! I love when it's a kinder day for SO many reasons! Half days, adorable children, and lunch brought in for us! What's not to love? Only to be topped by the fact that we were able to leave after the kids (which is not usually the case, we have to stay till 5 even though they leave around 12:30 0r 1:30 depending) so it was a really nice short day and then *poof* it was the weekend again! Saturday passed with little excitement (unless you count laundry and stringing a new clothesline on the roof exciting, then there was heaps of excitement!) and Sunday held the promise of another relaxing day with beautiful weather to be enjoyed outdoors! And boy did I! I went for a lovely run followed by a nice little swim in the sea. Yep, that's right! Swimming in the ocean in the beginning of May-This is my life folks! Unfortunately I cut the swim a bit short for fear that while I was not cold at the moment that if I got all the way out to my destination of the buoy and THEN became cold, I would still have to swim the rather lengthy distance back, while fighting off early stages of hypothermia. Better safe than...dead in the sea just a block from my house. I summed up my afternoon with more time outdoors, taking in the peace and beauty of a new friend's temple and its surroundings. It was a lovely weekend! 

Despite the rain forecasted for every day and so as to not be out done by last week, this week is promising to turn out quite nicely itself! A half day today as we had another kinder school in. This group was from an English intensive kindergarden and their comprehension and speaking abilities where astounding! They were so cute and tiny yet could speak better English than some of the kids that come through that are twice their age! It was a wonderful day! I got a ride home from work so I didn't have to walk in the rain (and get my shoes all wet) only to get home, change, and head out on a 4 and a quarter mile run in the rain! Lovely! Tomorrow is another national holiday-Buddha's birthday-so I get another day off and another three and a half day work week! Sweet!! Despite the rain, there will be festivals (including free food, so you know I'm in!) at various temples in town, so that should prove to be an interesting experience. The remainder of the week will hold another three days of elementary students, but a small group coming in which means more periods that are open for teachers to have off, so a lax three days ahead after the holiday! And then, whaddayaknow! It's the weekend again and the Geoje Marathon/half/10&5K races are on Saturday which I am going to participate in! My first international road race. I'm not ready for the 10K, but I'm gonna give it a go and just see how I do. Will be a good time regardless of whether my time is good or not. So, that sums up week eight and I'll be officially into my second month in Korea. So here's to 10 more just like the first two--full of fun, excitement, learning, and peace, love, and joy! 

Korea Weeks 2 & 3

It seems unreal that I have already been here three weeks! Depending on the moment it can feel like I just got here a few days ago or that I have been here for months. I still feel like there is so much I don't know (about the city, the country, the people, my JOB!) but I also feel like I am settled in pretty well to my new home and am not feeling a sensory overload every time I leave the house! I am getting the hang of buses (schedules) and getting what I need. Also of cooking. Never really considered myself a cook. I can boil water without burning it. I can follow a recipe. But I am not a creative cooker. One thing Korea has taught me in three short weeks is how to put two and two together to make an edible meal! Since my Korean is coming along very slowly, I can't eat out unless I am with someone who can order for me (or shall I say that I DONT eat out unless someone can order for me) so that means that I have had many a chance to figure out how to cook something to sustain myself--almost every night! And while sustenance is fine and all, I'd also like it to taste somewhat appetizing. There are some things that I am still trying to acquire a taste for--like kimchi to name one--but I am coming along quite nicely and have not gone hungry yet. Nor have a made a meal solely on pastries, although at times it is tempting! I try not to rely on the foreign shops and their "from home" familiar foods, but rather am attempting to learn to fix Korean foods. An interesting feet when all directions are in Korean and very few include pictures with the directions. 

While I spent this past Sunday with a whole pack of new people and potential new friends I have to say that going on a friend scavenger hunt in South Korea has not been my rush to it. I am actually really enjoying my quiet solitude of my new, singular space. Although I miss you all dearly, don't get me wrong. But that's just it. I have some truly amazing people in my life. I am in no rush or need to go filling vacancies. As the spots aren't really empty--they are just very far removed. However, with being on the other side of the world, 14 hours ahead, in the future (as some like to remind me) I am still so connected with you all back home. And also, I have made it a point to find or make time for phone calls back home. All I can say is skype is going to make it on the top 5 of my "100 Things That Make Me Happy" list! I love being able to share all the awesome things I am encountering here with you all back home! But even more so, I love hearing about "business as usual" back on the ranch. Life for you all will go on without me, but I love still being able to be a part of it by hearing about it. Thank you all for taking time to keep me "in the loop." I love you all for that.

Since my arrival I have bought many new things to help make my new apartment a home to include dishes, a plunger, an iron, hangers, and storage units to name a few. I have met nearly 1000 children and 50 adults as my students. I have seen the temperatures at night go from hovering around freezing to a light jacket needed to sit out by the beach and listen to the waves temperature. The cherry blossoms come out in full force and on a windy day the petals blow across the sky like giant pale pink snow flakes dancing toward the ground. Many changes at my school, and this doesn't seem to be a theme that will be stopping any time soon, but am hopeful that the changes are positive and that as paths separate that journeys continue on safely, with much health and happiness in their new directions. My first Korean with a tattoo (small, script writing of something on the pinky side of a guy's forearm--couldn't read it and didn't want to stop and stare but it WAS there! And he was Korean, or at least I am pretty sure he was). I have ran to town three times. Ran to nowhere once. Climbed a mountain to see azaleas on one side and the bay of Deokpo Beach where I live on the other. Eaten a whole brick of tofu. Eaten something nearly every day that I could either not pronounce, not remember how to pronounce 10 seconds later, or not figure out where or from whence it came in it's original state. Gotten many perplexed looks about my nose ring and many 'freak outs' about my barefoot (toe) running shoes. Nearly been hit by at least three cars, a truck, and two motorcycles (and a scooter). Gotten a cold. Rode on the back of a scooter with no helmet (twice) despite the strictly enforced laws about that here. Ordered more things online here than I ever did at home! Wandered up three driveways thinking they were streets only to have to look around like a total goon and turn back in the direction I had just come, laughing at myself the whole way back (usually down hill). Made a student and a random small child at the bank cry (both were unintentional). Said at least 100 times "I'm sorry, I no understand". Begun to leave out articles and to speak more slowly and with more emphasis...and with my hands. Began to hear a constant rattle of the Spanish I do know running thru my brain as if for some reason not being able to speak to them in their language is forcing my brain to access any other language it might know to be able to communicate (cool :) though not useful as no one here knows Spanish). Had many firsts; many won't be my lasts; and many that's on the list of things to do now making it even more improbable that I will ever die as my bucket list is so long I don't think I'll ever actually be able to kick it!

I have also been brought to my knees by the overwhelming knowledge that though luck has nothing to do with it, I am so very lucky to have this life, my life, and that I can't think of a person I'd like to trade it with. I have so much... thankfulness, in my heart that there is scarcely room for much else. Other than love. 

I love my job, even after the classes that don't listen or are loud, or unruly, or hitting and fighting a lot, because at the end of the day, I like my coworkers, I like my boss (for as long as she is here and here's hoping I like the next one just as well), and I think what I'm doing adds value to the lives of the people I interact with. I love my apartment, although it may be small. But it is big enough for me and my needs. I love that I am learning, learning. always learning new things! Korea is an amazing country full of some really wonderful people and I am very glad to be able to be here. Geoje Island is a beautiful mix of the hills and narrow streets of San Francisco with the mountains of Denver all around. I have yet to look out at my view and keep a smile from my lips. How truly fortunate I am indeed.

Weeks 4, 5, and 6

Be forwarned that the spell check is not working on my computer at work and the keys on the keyboard are "sticky" so I appologize if there are a million misspellings in this update but I have been slack and am going to try to quickly type this up for you all!

It would seem that I am really beginning to settle in here in my new home, as I find less and less to be so starkly surprising and note worth to write home about--that doesn't mean that odd things don't still happen, I assure you, they do! It's just that I am beginning to see them over and over now and they are starting to feel a bit more "normal" for me.

Have been busy at school with after school programs for week 4 as well as getting back into my running again. Already up to 4 miles again! Spending lots of time with the coworkers doing eating out dinners and group potluck at home dinners. It's really nice to enjoy the company of those I work with! So very fortunate!! I have also found myself a new bestie here to keep me company. Her name is Mel and she lives on the closest side of town to me, so very handy! We are plotting many adventures for our time here (as she arrived about five days after I did) but we haven't gotten around to doing much of it just yet as she works a real teaching job where she must grade papers and give tests and prepare lesson plans in her own time, so that's really cutting into our play time! But, we did make time last weekend to get off to Busan to see some of the city and to have a riotous weekend in general together! Friday held a night of would-be bar hopping but instead was a night of sitting in an empty kareoke bar with two Korean brothers from Seoul in Geoje for vacation trying to have conversation through broken English, hand gestures, drinks, sake shots, some really not good Korean food, some even worse kareoke singing (sorry Lady Gaga for the butcher job on Paparazzi), the nicest and most unexpected indoor squaty potty, and some late night-total-flop Korean sushi! But at least we knew it was fresh (until the lady sneezed on it that is..) as she caught it from the tank just after we placed our order and then promptly disappeared into the kitchen. I half expected her to come back toting a small plastic bag filled with water and our fish but instead she came back with a plate of fish flesh (from our poor little only moments ago swimming Nemo) which she sneezed on on her way to the table. Yum. I opted out of the sushi (for this reason specifically) as it was a sort of "build your own" sushi thing going on and I am a lazy eater. I like my sushi to be sushied for me before it comes to my table. Saturday was a lovely bus ride into Busan followed by shopping and time with my friend Tori (who is teaching in Busan that I met in Honduras last summer while doing my dive masters) then out to a club for the night. We arrived early but it didn't take long for the party to kick off. We had ample oppertunity to "help" guys practice their English...yeah, they would just come sit next to us and ask if they could talk to us. It was always two friends who would want to practice. We'd talk for awhile then get bored of it and disappear on them, only to be asked by two more guys once we settled into a new nook of the club. Mel and I began taking to lying to those who came over to talk to us--telling them we are 42, married, from Canada, have kids, that we're sister, ya know, just whatever fell out of our mouths at the time. We were having a hoot of a time about it--the boys seemed a bit confused as to what was so terribly funny most of the time. It was a good time! Sunday was more shopping and lunch at a Japanese sushi place then catching the bus back home to Geoje. Aaaaah, home sweet home! I really like Busan, but I am very fond of my nice small island and town life here. Big city hussle and bussle is nice to visit but small town comfort is the win for me.

Other news:

I have a new boss at my job and we are one week down and things look good! She is very sweet and trying very hard to get up to speed! How fortunate I am to have two good bosses in a row here! Aparently this is the exception, not the rule.

I am the owner of a fine Korean cell phone---and let me tell you, it's erally quite nice! However, I had no intention of getting a nice phone, it's just the way things panned out, but it is lacking a full keyboard, so this is the first time in about five years or so that I have sent a text message on a multipush key pad. Talk about SLOW going!!

I will be purchasing a scooter (no, it's not pink, no it's not speedy, but, it sure beats walking all the time, everywhere, up that hill both ways to and from town!) in about a month and am looking forward to having my own two wheels to go exploring the island with!

I have had many successes--one of which was finding a reasonably priced hammer!--in my time here thus far. I have organized, reorganized, mounted, hung, and placed everything in its mostly permenant spot. I have put up my own clothes line in my room (with much effort, some cussing, some issues, and a victory!) and I have managed to find all of the items I have been looking for at good prices to make my house my home for the year--flat iron, blender, iron, clothes line, toaster, pots, pans, tea kettle, forks, a hammer, baskets and storage units, and an air mattress just to name a few. 

Tickets have been purchased for my first visitor to Korea! Hannah is coming end of June for nearly three weeks! YAY!!

A few things I have noticed that I would like to share:

I believe that Koreans keep the bobble head doll companies in business. Almost every car I have seen has one on the dash. If not a bobbly head of some sort on the dash, then there is something hanging from the rearview mirror--often there is both. 

The "smart car" is the standard car here. There are plenty of what we would call "full sized" cars here but there are sooooo many little bity smart cars! And they have the get up and go of a hair dryer on speed, especially when loaded down with the maximum occupancy load! 

It is best to learn and be proficient at parallel parking if you intend to have a parking space in Korea.

If you want someone's number here, it is as simple as knowing which car is theirs. All vehicles are to have your phone numbers listed on the front (or rear) window in case someone needs to call you to have you move your vehicle as it is very common to "double park" in many areas. So you just hope that the person who parks behind you leaves before you do and no one else parks there again....or you look for  aspace where you are the last one in! But, this makes stalking someone much easier! 

For all the talk of Koreans thinking that foreigners (especially Westerners) are dirty and otherwise "not good" or lazy, I have been pretty fortunate I suppose, as I have yet to run across any issues with people being overly jerky to me (or at leasat above and beyond the cultural difference issues)...however, this could be because I don't know "dirty foreigner" in Korean. They probably say it to me all the time!

Yellow Sand is real and it's really kinda gross. --Yellow Sand is the dust that blows in from the desert in China and it is very dangerous to breathe in. It started this past weekend and is at a 2 on the 1-3 scale. A 3 is serious health warning and recommended not to venture out more than you absolutely have to. I will be purchasing a SARS mask for my runs, as well as pretty much always wearing sunglasses if I am outside until it subsides. 

Ok, that's it for the past three weeks--there has been a lot that has gone on, butas I said, it is beginning to become day to day type stuff. But I assure you, I still love it here and am having a wonderful time!

First Week(ish) in Korea

Hello and Greetings to all of my friends and family!

I am finally able to sit down and bash out an email update to you all. So sorry for the delay, considering I have no friends here and not much else to do outside of my work day, you would think I would have had this out to you all at 7 days on the dot. Fraid not. It's quite interesting how busy one can be even without much going on at all.

I arrived last Saturday evening (here, but Saturday morning for you there) safe and sound and without nuclear radiation issues despite my four hour layover in Tokyo. My friend Tori who I roommated with in Honduras last summer is teaching in Busan (about an hour+ away from me) and met me at the airport and I stayed with her Saturday and Sunday nights. Sunday I got to experience some good in-my-face Korea! Got to do loads of traveling on the public transit by bus and subway, went to a very big (almost like Walmart Supercenter, or Dillons for those of you in KS) supermarket and managed to find my way back to Tori and out, and also went to my very first professional (Korean) basketball game! Each team had a token black guy on it but surprisingly enough they didn't rule the whole game. The half time show was very amusing with a man serenading his new fiancee, and there was lots of intermittent interjected entertainment by the cheerleaders--much more so than in our games back home. Busan's team won, so that was fun, and it was the championship game, so even better! All and all it was a really fun time.

After the game Tori and I headed to a different area of Busan to do a little shopping. They don't really have trying on of clothes, nor do they have different sizes. Most everything is a one size fits all kind of deal. And they also don't really do returns. I suppose the latter prevents aimless compulsive shopping! I decided to break myself in right and go ahead and buy an article of clothing. I had low expectations for the whole One size fits all bag but thought worst case scenario the pants I bought would just be really tight pj's. Turns out they actually fit and I quite like them! Pretty great, especially since they were only about $4.50! I still wear them as jammies but at least they are super comfy jammies not skin tight ones!

I took a bus from Busan to Geoje Island (my new home!) early Monday morning to meet with my director and get this whole teaching in Korea thing going! There was no time to waste apparently as I was thrown right in! There are four other foreign English teachers, two Canadian girls, a girl from South Africa, and a guy from the US,  and there are five Korean English teachers. I met everyone right away after dropping my bags off at my new apartment and began observing classes. I taught my first class with no help at all Thursday morning first thing! Then we had a weekend program Saturday and Sunday which I had to teach on Sunday. It was all very overwhelming at first as I have never done ANYTHING like this before! But after a week here and only a few days/classes of teaching on my own and I am beginning to settle in nicely and am feeling more comfortable.

I have already gotten sick starting Thursday night and felt horrible Friday and slept all day Saturday to feel better to teach on Sunday. I am hoping that I now have some Korean bug anitbodies floating about so that I can stay well for months to come.

Now for some interesting differences that I have noticed (or knew was coming but would still like to share with you as you may not be aware of them) thus far in my short time here in Korea:

There is no such thing as a bathtub in Korea. They do have bathhouses, but as far as I know NO ONE has a tub in their house.

Most Koreans don't live in houses anyway, they live in apartments.

Korean ear(holes) are smaller than American's (or at least THIS American's!). I bought Q-tips here and they almost get lost in my ginormous ears! And no, they are not baby q-tips, they are their normal sized ones.

Korean door knobs are lower than our's. Suppose it's bc they're shorter on the average than Westerners. I can almost never find my bedroom doorknob when I go to bed at night after turning off the kitchen light. I always reach about 2-3 inches too high!

Geoje Island (or more specifically Okpo, which is the name of the "city" that we live just on the outskirts of) is very foreigner friendly. There are loads of bars called something similar to "The Foreigners Bar", lots of foreigner friendly restaurants, and even two specific foreigner shops that import lovely yummies from back home like Club Crackers, cheese, and gum to name just a few.

It really is possible to walk up hill both ways! I live in Doekpo (which is a tiny little beach side village if you will that has nothing more than about 30 houses, four small apartment buildings, one larger apartment building, three small restaurants that hardly ever/never seem to be open, two convenience stores, two gas stations, a coffee shop (coffee shops are EVERYWHERE here!) and my school). Doekpo is at the bottom of a VERY large hill. On the bottom of the other side of said hill is Okpo. It is "town" for us. Then there is Gohyeon which is the "city" of Geoje City. It's all a bit complicated. But anyway, to get to town and back home, I have to walk (30 mins ea way) uphill, both ways! It's probably about a mile to a mile and a quarter but that hill is mighty steep!

Koreans love firm mattresses. Pretty self explanatory. I love a firm mattress, but both Tori's and mine are much firmer than even the firmest mattresses I've ever laid on back home or anywhere else in the world.

It is not uncommon to have NO sink in your bathroom. Again, should be pretty self explanatory. This means that I do not have a sink in my bathroom. It is still taking some getting used to.

Ramen Noodles exist in every country I have been in so far. And you fix them all the exact same way, no matter what language the package is written in!

Korean's (with VERY few exceptions) do not cover their cough or sneezes, or wash their hands after using the restroom (and if they do there is often no soap and no paper towels or hand dryers). But LOADS of them walk about with SARS masks on on a regular basis.

When a simple solution could fix the problem, it is not uncommon for a less than simple solution to be implemented instead. Case in point (and my final tidbit before closing this email): The toilet in my new apartment was not in working order when I arrived (as in, it was probably partially blocked bc when I flushed for the first time, the water rose to nearly the top then SLOWLY went back down over the course of an hour or so). This happened for the next three days with promises each day that someone would come to fix it. I am thinking "just give me the frickin plunger and I'll sort it out myself!" at this rate, but no. Then, finally, on Thursday, it became totally blocked. The water never went back down, just stayed at the top. Still, a simple plunger would probably have done the trick. But still, no one came Thursday, plunger or other tool, to fix it. Finally, Friday EVENING, someone comes. And rather than just plunge it (or even attempt to plunge it) he replaces my entire toilet! LOL!!! I mean, seriously!?!?! Too funny! Except that bc they have just put new cocking on this toilet, I cannot use it OR my shower (as the shower is not in an enclosed space in the bathroom but rather the bathroom IS the shower space and therefore will inevitably get the toilet and the new cocking wet if used.) for TWENTY-FOUR HOURS!!!!! Please take note that this is now SIX days without not only a working toilet, but also a blocked, backed up, full of yuck toilet! Yeah, I was LESS than PLEASED at the less than simple fix. BUT, I do have a very nice, new toilet that is functioning just fine now, so all is right with the world again!

There are TONS more things I could tell you about my time here so far, but this is getting quite long, so I will wrap it up for now.

I hope that this email finds you all well. Take care of yourselves and I will try to keep my updates a bit more frequent and a bit less lengthy, but I make no promises to that effect!

Love to you all!

South Korea Bound

For any of you that would like more info on my South Korean adventure, here ya go.

I will be leaving for SK end of the first week of March (so if you want to see me before then, give me a jingle) and I will be gone for a minimum of a year. I will be teaching ESL (English as a Second Language) at an English Village on Geoje Island. An English village is like a intensive/immersion destination school more than a public or private institution. It is where children (and even adults) come for 2-7 day intensive courses where we practice situational English like restaurant, airplane, customs, grocery store etc...They also offer a summer and winter camp (one to four weeks) which consists of similar scenario type courses but more in depth. 

Geoje Island (also called Koje Island or Koje/Geoje Do--Do means island in Korean) is located to the south and east of Busan, the second largest city in Korea. It is a major import location for Samsung and another company I have never heard of. There are approximately 300,000 people on the island (Wichita has 600,000) and there is a decently large foreigner community there. Geoje also boasts pebble beaches (not all of them are pebble though) scuba diving in the summer time, a hilly terrain great for hiking, clean air, and a nice slow pace in stark contrast to places like Busan and Seoul (the capital and largest city in Korea). Geoje has recently been connected to the mainland via bridge so it is only a 30 bus ride in to Busan for shopping, a night out, or to see my girlfriend Tori (whom I met in Honduras this past summer and roommated with while on Utila doing our divemasters together)!

For those of you that don't know why I am going over, here is a quick little tidbit about that. As I love to travel, my mind went reeling to think of ways to make money while having fun and make enough money to be able to travel for 2012. The conclusion was yachts or teaching English in South Korea. Yachts didn't fit quite right at the moment, so I moved on to SK. The reason I will be able to make enough money to travel in 2012 from teaching in SK is because they pay to fly you over there, pay you quite nicely a month for 40hrs a week, provide you with a furnished apartment, your contract includes medical insurance as well as what we would call a 401K which you get back at the end of your contact and your employer will match your contribution, a month's pay at the completion of your contract, and food there is quite inexpensive. So, all and all, I will be able to not only pay down my student loans while I am there but also save, save, save for more traveling!

My school, as I said, is located on an island. It is right on the beach (something like 25 steps!) and only five minutes walking distance from my apartment (which is also right on the beach!). I already have an international driving permit and have plans to obtain a vehicle of some manner, but most likely a scooter--toot toot!

Travel within SK is quite fast and easy. They have built a new fast train that makes getting from the larger cities even faster and easier. It is quite easy to travel from one end of the county to the other and back in a day, although you won't get much else done but travel. It's not like here at home when you can drive for eight hours just to get two states (or even one in some cases) over to see someone or go somewhere. Also, flights between SK and nearby countries are relatively inexpensive so I am planning on trips to Japan, Thailand, Malaysia, Singapore, and China at the minimum while I am there. My school offers 10 vacation days a year with 5 sick days that can also be used as vacation days.

Geoje English Village was my first pick as soon as I saw the posting for it so when I got an interview, I was thrilled! When they extended me the offer for the position I was even more thrilled because they were wanted their new teacher to begin on February 21st but I knew my documents would not be back in time to meet that deadline so I was afraid they would have to pass me over for a candidate that could be there for their desired start date. But luckily for me, I had a stellar interview and hit it off really well with the teacher who interviewed me so they decided to wait the extra few weeks for me to be able to take the position! If I get my documents back sooner than anticipated, I will be leaving sooner than March 7th, otherwise that will be my final day in the USA for at least the next year!

Lastly, the contract is for a year but I can decide at the end of that time to extend my contract for something like 3 months, I can renew it for another year, or I can choose to take my severance pay and my return ticket allowance and begin my 2012 travels! I already have started a list of places I want to go and things I want to do. First on the list is China for at least a month studying Tai Chi and meditating. Then I want to go to any remaining Asian/Pacific Rim countries on my list that I did not make it to during my time in SK. Then, I will head out to England and begin travels in the UK with a definite stop in Scotland for a meditation/yoga retreat, then Ireland, and on to Europe until my money runs out of until I think of something else I'd rather be doing or somewhere else I'd rather go! So having said that, I will probably be gone for at least 2 years as of this stage. So it's five weeks and counting until I depart for a very long time, get your Tamera time in while you can!