life and etc.

i feel like i've been crazy busy over the last two weeks. like i've been running from place to place without any time to just sit down and catch my breath. so here are the highlights that i haven't had time to write about until now [and probably shouldn't be making time to write about now].

16 june, wednesday:

since the principal of my school is leaving in august he, for some reason, decided that all the teachers at my school should go on a hiking trip after lunch. the day before, my coteacher had suggested that it might be a good idea to wear jeans and comfortable shoes [as opposed to my normal skirt and sandals] because it might be more comfortable for the "leisurely" hike.

now, i'm not sure exactly what a "leisurely hike" in korea normally entails, but i do know that, in america, a "leisurely hike" definitely does NOT consist of the following things:

1.) walking up a kazillion steep stairs

2.) traipsing through ankle-deep mud

3.) pulling yourself up a mountain by a rope

4.) walking for a period of time greater than 2.5 hours

i would say that the view from the top was spectacular. except that it wasn't, because the weather that day was particularly crappy and everything was shrouded in fog. across the river and through the dense fog, i could just barely make out a hilly tree-line, which was allegedly north korea.

kim jong il cleverly disguises his country with fog.

the view on a not foggy day.

for dinner that evening, we were served eel. having no intentions of eating it, i politely declined, explaining that i don't eat seafood. to which my coteacher replied "but this eel came from the river." and then proceeded to hold a piece of eel in front of my face, forcing my to eat it.

it was...not very tasty.

19 june, saturday:

allison and i went to a hip hop concert in hongdae and it was pretty tight. this isn't usually my scene [my iPod almost exclusively consists of: BIGBANG, relient K, the Beatles, and other assorted kpop and indie rock], but allison managed to lure me in with the promise of cute korean boys ㅋㅋㅋ

i actually really enjoyed the concert; the artists were amazing and really talented. dumbfoundead [the only one i had ever listened to before the concert] was definitely my favorite, but i also really enjoyed MYK and DOK2. and i also decided that the ability to rap and beatbox well are really attractive qualities.

also, i have a crush on DOK2.

21 june, monday:

last week, i signed up for a korean tutoring program. so every monday and wednesday, i will go to study korean for 2 hours. i was SUPER nervous at first, but the girl i'm partnered up with is really cool, and her english is incredibly good. also, she's good at teaching and explaining things and i think i can learn a lot from it. the only downside is that, in order to do this for free, i have to join an english discussion group, meaning i have to help a group of koreans with their english. not that this is a bad thing, it's just that i'm usually really tired by the end of tutoring. last night, i was at the language center for 4 hours, which is really exhausting. but i think it will be a good experience, and i've already met some cool new friends which is really exciting.

also, i met a girl who goes to university with Taecyeon and T.O.P.

ABOVE: why i'm learning korean.

22 june, tuesday:

my coteacher invited me to her house to teach me how to make korean food. basically, she told me what to do and i did it. so now i know how to make japchae, bibimbab, and bulgogi. which is pretty freaking awesome. and also quite delicious.

23 june, wednesday:

i had my fourth open class this month. which is k-razy. but it went well. also, i got gifts from my students: a photo of daesung, a photo of T.O.P, and 2 BIGBANG posters.

since my students often come visit me in the office, they notice if the pictures they have given me aren't being properly displayed and that makes them sad and upset. with the addition of 2 new [quite large] posters, my office now looks like a fangirl's dreamland.

so much for hoping to keep my fangirl-ishness on the D.L.