Mmm... tentacles...

So i'm sitting in the office... alone... eating lunch... i'm guessing everyone decided NOT to eat lunch at school today... and before i could change my mind i was handed a tray... haha!  i wish i had my camera so i could show you what i was going to attempt to eat...

i will attempt to describe it... egg roll looking things... looks not dangerous!  some kimchi and some bean stems... those are pretty good... some rice and dried kim... i think thats right... some soup... and you're asking what's wrong??

last but not least i have some tentacles just staring at me... i'm guessing squid tentacles cause it's pretty small... it has the suckers and everything... i remember having something like this in China but like they were cut into smaller pieces... this looks like they were cut off at the head... and mixed in is i guess tofu and ham... mmm.... so yummy...

i am going to attempt to try it cause this stuff is everywhere (the squid and octopus that is...) and i'm actually alone this time with it in front of me... as opposed to a new friend or any friend for that matter... haha!

wish me luck!  i'll write back with the details later!  ^^

*update*

it was octopus... and it wasn't bad!  it was actually pretty good once you got past the suckers... haha!  ^^

Rearrange it!

Well today has marked my 1 month here in Korea!  Crazy huh!?  so 1 month being in Korea... 1 month (exactly) till my birthday!  I'll be turning the big 2-1!  which really doesn't matter here in Korea cause well... i'm of age as it is!  haha!  In Korea I am 22 and if i know this right... i'll be 22 even after i turn 21... haha!  i've already had some korean friends calling me Noona... which means older sister to a guy... gah!!

All day i've just been inside... tonight is that party i mentioned previous blog and I'm excited to be going!  I'm meeting a new friend at 9pm and then at 10pm i'll be meeting 2 of my friends from orientation to head to the party!  YAY!  since i've been trapped inside... i've done laundry... yay for clean clothes... i need to begin to hang them up around my apartment...

i have also managed to rearrange my apartment... my camera died so i had to use my Mac and so the pictures are a bit weird... lol but i think you'll get the gist... enjoy the pics!
 I removed the huge tv from my desk so i could actually have a place to work at... :-P... pics are up as well of my family... just a few i could scavenger for... :-P


the view from my door... my bed is never made... i attempted today but the blanket inside the covers wouldn't cooperate... it's tangled within itself... how weird...


i'm off to hang clothes and get ready for tonight!!  :-P

Goodbye Summer International Party

YAY! the weekend is just hours away... teasing every last one of my coworkers (and myself of course...)

sleep...sleep...party...sleep...sleep... everything i could need for a weekend... just hours away! (5 hours from now actually...)

not much planned but to go home (or get dinner first... we'll see...) and read this book i've become obsessed with (and no it's not Twilight... i AM obsessed with Twilight too so don't breathe a sigh of relief just yet!)... my friend let me borrow it and it's called Wicked Lovely by Melissa Marr... it's about faeries... and you thought i was going to get away from mythical creatures... ha-ha-ha i laugh in your face! i'll probably finish reading it and have to find the 2nd book called Ink Exchange... which is supposed to be surrounded around tattoos... which i know tons about... okay not tons cause i only have 4... but whatever... ^^...

if i do finish it...soon i'll have to maybe take a trip to Itaewon's What the Book ... which i heard has a great selection of books in english and also apparently might have this book in stock... i'll probably call in advance just in case... but of course it might be a while before then... ^^

tomorrow night... i'm going to this Goodbye Summer International Party in Shinchon at the HANA cafe and pub... i am writing this blog to any foreigner or non-foreigner so that you can come and have a good time... i've never been to it but i heard it's going to be a blast! many people to befriend!... or you know... lol jk! it starts at 8pm and you take Shinchon (line 2 green line) and exit at exit 3... take a straight shot till you see HANA cafe and pub on your Right... you'll probably see a million people or so...it's 15,000 Won to get in... for unlimited draft beer and food... i dont drink beer but the food should be good! if you're thinking of going and want to meet up... which i have no problem with! haha! email me... click the picture on the right and then click email on your left... ^^... it should be a fun night! we're going to be out all night and possibly visit hongdae which is like a hop... skip... and a jump away!

I'll officially have been in Korea for 1 month... tomorrow... so its sort of a celebration night!

well i'm off to read for about 10 minutes before i go back to teaching for the rest of the afternoon...

I hate you

Press Play and read... not that this will be long enough to listen to it all! but do!!



It even has english subs!

Today i went to the bank and opened a bank account! I received my ARC card last Thursday and Thursday afternoon I received a phone! woohoo!!

It's been pretty much amazing to be able to get stuff here in Korea and know that i'm developing my life more and more in Korea! it just makes me so excited to know that i have a bank account here! hehe! ^^ i can't wait to make more friends and be able to call people up and be like lets meet here or there... lol! so far i have about 4 friends in my phone but hopefully pretty soon i'll have more! Next month I hope to start taking Korean classes at our head office cause we get a discount for taking it through our school! i'm excited! i know a bit now but i want to know it to where i'll use it and be actually able to hold a conversation with someone in Korean! that'll definitely take some time... but i'm excited to actually be pursuing it!

^^ i knew this would be a short one! hope everyone will have a good night (or day depending on where you are on this big big world!!)

cooking rice!!

So i've been wanting to cook some home-made rice... but i dont have a rice cooker... and those things cost a lot!!! lol so i asked some of my coworkers how to do it... and i found out!! haha so i'm going to do a photo by photo... step by step review of what i did... just in case you're in korea and you need some help!!

1st... according to my friends... it's 1 cup of rice per 2 cups of water! i would add a bit more water than 2... cause the rice needs to soak it in pretty good to not be hard...

This is the cup i used... and I did use water from the faucet... it's okay to use for cooking cause you're boiling it... i promise i didnt get sick!

You'll need a pot... to boil the rice in the water... it's quite easy to make so you dont really have any worries... just dont get distracted by watching music videos and suddenly realize that somethings boiling in your kitchen.... like i almost did... lol! really all you do is make sure it doesn't burn up... keep stirring and towards the end taste testing to be sure it's soft... if not soft and theres not water... add more!

you can keep these things around to help you after it's done... a bowl to put the rice in while it cools... seaweed to wrap your rice in and a bowl or plate to put the finished product in! lol!
After you're done cooking the rice you can put it in a bowl like i did... or keep it in the pan... either way! lol! i'm not an expert so i'm just giving what i did! and then i have 2 bowls (total in my apartment) so i used them both... 1 to put a sheet of seaweed in and wrap the rice and the other to put the finished product in... it's hot at first so might let it cool down...

wrap it up!be careful how much you make cause you could have a lot extra like i did... lol...

Yummy! eat up!!total approximate time is about 20-30 minutes...
if you have a better way to make rice... i'd love any suggestions!!

Hope you enjoyed my attempt at making rice!! haha!

Give me a Call!

Press Play and Read away!:



This weekend started early... Friday we had a school holiday! yay! i really was happy for this cause i think it was time for a break! haha! So thursday afternoon, rosie and i went to Itaewon to get me a phone! yay! i got a phone but unfortunately it wasn't charged then later i found out that i got the wrong charger... (i got that fixed on friday)... anyway... isn't it cute? it's a bit hard to text because i'm used to T9... and i have to press the over button to space but overall it's good! ^^. I like it! hehe! i did get a weird call from someone stating they wanted their phone number back... (here you can pick your last 4 digits of your number... i had chosen my bday but it wasn't available so they changed the number)... apparently it belonged to someone who left then came back... well whatever... it's mine now! haha!

well after getting the phone i met rosie back up in Dongdaemun Stadium to do some shopping... we then met up with 2 Korean teachers who we are friends with and got to just chill out at this NEW restaurant in Dongdaemun called Chicken Factory. It was really good and i highly recommend it... unfortunately i didn't have my camera so i didnt take a picture! a cute chinese waiter waited on us! :-P... after that we went to an underground mall and i even found a place that I can buy clothes! (that's extremely bad but good! haha)... it seemed nice! i can't wait to go back and peruse...

well after walking around for a bit we split ways and went home!

Saturday... we went to the Hamilton Hotel rooftop to go swimming!It was nice to get out and just chill out! There were a lot of people... especially many men in small shorts or speedos... so funny! haha totally unattractive but whatever! i hadnt really planned on swimming but just laying out... i was convinced to jump in and had a great time!

it got more and more crowded by the hour! and if people dont think that korean people have tattoos.. they're wrong... i definitely saw a lot of tattoos... that threw my awkwardness out the window about my back tattoo... hah!
it was a good day! i quite enjoyed it!!
After the pool we went out and just hung out... talked and what-not and got a nice tan...lol ... it's always fun to just chill out with friends!! ^^

Between Classes...

So i'm currently between classes and this won't be long but just an update on my time here and my feelings on this place called Korea. I've been here exactly 3 weeks today! ^^ insert (happy dance!) lol! i've really enjoyed the frustrations and the learning of a new life. i was reading a friends blog who currently in america but coming back to korea soon about having a sense of belonging and i just caught myself agreeing. for some time now i've felt so out of place in texas... like i was just living my life... going through everyday the same way as before... but i dont feel that here... unless... no nevermind not even then... lol

everyday is different... even when i go to school for most of it... i run into someone new and get to be reminded that I'm not back in Texas... that I'm in someone else's country... trying to live my life understanding how to live... everyday! i mean i can't just walk into a restaurant expecting to order like i would at home... my friends know that i'm super specific and can be picky... i can be ordering a burger and say... i dont want onions but extra pickles... not so much ketchup but can you... blahblah... of course this isn't at like mcdonalds but like at some fancy restaurant... lol that's just a silly example... but it's to say that i can't do that here. i'm having to learn how to do everything all over again... it'll be an interesting day when i can fend for myself without thinking twice about if i said something right or if the person on the other end thinks i'm crazy or not... lol with my wild hand gestures and weird facial expresions to show that i'm not completely understanding their instructions...

i seriously dont know where i was going with this... lol oh yeah... all this to say that i'm loving it here... i'm loving not knowing what i'm doing... lol i know i'll be here for a long time... it excites me to know that i'm striving for something... lol! and even if the kids are a bit frustrating... i am enjoying having a real job... this isn't vacation to me... it's a job... it's me being here working and figuring life... all over again...

^^

(sorry so boring!!)

p.s. i appreciate everyone who jumps on my blog... i know many people are curious about teaching in korea... so message me if you have any questions on life here so far as a new person...! ^_^.

Emart(a) Fun!!

First time to visit Emart was pretty great! Rosie took me cause she needed to get a few things and i needed to get some makeup! lol! of course! and I got a pillow that is great (hopefully... i'll know pretty soon!! ^^)... we walked around for quite a bit looking at everything possible... lol i haven't laughed so hard in my life! haha! the whole time was fun! it's like back at home with walmart... it's the thing to do... at least for me! haha!

i got some great makeup (hopefully... i'll know in the morning... but it seems nice!)... for a good price and got some wonderful samples!! ^^ my favorite! you get caboodles of samples when you buy stuff!!

this week has just began but i'm hoping it's a good week...

i'm hoping to possibly visit the doctor soon since i think i might have hurt my ankle a few weeks ago because now it wont stop being swollen... :( ... i have to get my ARC (alien registration card) so maybe it'll get better and i wont have to pay... and i'm hoping to go out and get a phone this weekend if my card comes in and since Friday we have off from school... maybe i'll hang out with some friends from orientation! we'll see!!

also FIELD TRIP this wednesday! guess who's excited!! yes that would be me!! no teaching for half the day... it's going to be great! hehe!

well i'm off to bed... need sleep since i didnt get any last night...

^_^.

I don't care!

Currently Watching: I don't care by 2NE1



This week was the beginning of teaching for me and it's definitely been 1 heck of a week! I wont go into much details! but it's been a good and interesting week!! this blog is more about what i did after work today. I actually left work earlier than other days cause tomorrow has been planned since yesterday! haha! :-P

I was walking home wondering what I was going to go eat... I havent stocked up on much food... which I need to do but anyway... I was thinking about how i could eat close to home... just some random restaurants around the area... as I was crossing the 2nd street I decided to eat at what looked like a chicken place and decided okay what the heck... so i walked in... and i was greeted nicely... it was a small place and she pointed at something on the wall and I think was asking me if i wanted to eat there or to go cause I was standing by the door... usually that means you want it to go... but i was contemplating... to go or to stay... so i stayed... i didnt want to be rude but when she pointed at something else it said it cost 9,000 Won... I was like AAAHHH that's expensive for 1 person... well she brought out spicey fried chicked with sweet radish (i think)... I instantly realized why many people do not eat out alone... cause they bring so much that 2 people can share... after i was full... definitely after 3 smaller pieces... i figured out how to say: can i take this? and so i went and asked her and she understood (or i think so...haha) and made a box (or bag) shape and then took my plate and filled a to go bag... ^_^.

the food was delicious and definitely made me happy that I could do this... any little thing makes me happy to know that living in Korea for the next several years is do-able.

I registered for my Alien Registration Card (ARC) on Monday and hope it comes in soon so I can get a phone and a bank account... lol!

I haven't taken many pics of the area or food but I'll go ahead and upload some pics i have taken! Or you can click above to my Photos tab or my facebook link to the right!


Dunkin Donuts near my school... second day in Korea

Fun trip to Itaewon the first weekend!!

Mnet! My favorite tv station!

Edit:
My tv has been updated! lol like the satellite and everything has gotten cooler! lol! ^_^. I think when I turn it off to head out it must have updated itself when i uploaded a new program... anywho! I think it's cool! ^_^!!

Orientation

So after my last day of observation on Monday (August 27th)... there was vacation... but... i didnt really have a vacation... Tuesday i did cause i got to move into my apartment! and just lazy around while working on my apartment... lol! Wednesday we started orientation... it was at our school and it definitely was nice to not have to go far distances to get there... it takes approximately 15 minutes to get to my school from my apartment! yay! it's a pretty nice walk actually... cross some streets... get run over by a cab or two! lol!

anyway orientation was okay... some good parts... interesting... long definitely! it lasted from wednesday morning 10-6pm... through friday... it definitely helps to have ideas and what-not...

after orientation i set out on an adventure to meet up with Rosie and some of her friends in Hongdae. it was a subway ride away... and me on a subway alone may have been disastrous... :-P ...but i made it in record time! haha maybe not! :-P but i still made it!

i got to meet some Korean friends of Rosie's and definitely had a great time! we went to a jazz bar and then later to a japanese food place where they served a type of japanese drink (soju-type)... definitely pretty good! we all hung out till we finally went home at around like what 3am? Hongdae was definitely busy but fun cause i got to hang out with people! haha!

saturday and sunday were pretty much lazy days! :-P I wish i wouldve gotten to go to SS501's 1st asia tour concert here in Seoul... but it was about 45 minutes from me... AND tickets sold out in 30 minutes... so... pretty much impossible!! but i heard it went well!! saw some fan-cam shots! :-P wonderful pics too!

anywhoo! i love korean tv btw! i'm currently watching Monk on Fox lol with Korean subtitles... and it's great to not have commercials! like there's rarely any commercials between shows! I love it! ^_^.

okay now i'm off to grade papers! hehe!!

on your marks...

today was the first day of teaching for me as a new foreign teacher... that's exciting stuff isn't it? well it didn't go as smoothly as i planned or didnt plan... but i got through it and know that hopefully tomorrow i'll be more loose and smooth... like not to think so hard about it cause it'll work out no matter what... i'm still teaching them even if it is about myself or my family! lol they're learning AND speaking english!

I got in around 8:00am to get a head start... i started classes at 9:50 and think i did okay... then another class 10:30 (it came quick too!)... that class i had for 2 sessions so until 11:50 then i came back for another class at 12:40... i missed a class because i hadnt received the revised schedule for our summer intensives and almost freaked out cause well i had to still get ready for my afternoon classes (i had set aside that time to work on afternoon classes... but i had a movie class to tend to...) i was reassured by some wonderful Korean teachers that it was okay... it was my first day... my director wasn't upset at me either and helped me figure out what to do for the next step. going into the next class after the movie class wasnt bad either cause i had about 20 minutes to prepare for whatever... lol i went to my last 2 classes fine... in between those classes i had a break cause my 1:1 student wasnt there so i got to organize things my way in order to really know what i was doing... it helped out a lot...

although i'm still confused on a few things... it was my first day and i know things can only go up from here!

i know i'll enjoy teaching the kids too... they all seem sweet... but it could be cause the good bunch actually came today! ^_^.

i'll update again soon!!