Korea Korea

Well things are not as foreign as I thought. I guess I thought I would be shocked! But nothing has overly shocked me. That said here are some differences (I hope you enjoy;)
no knives are used for food--- they use scissors
they eat red kidney bean and corn ice cream
corn juice (tastes like someone ate a bunch of popcorn and you are drinking there saliva)
We have eaten "BBQ" which consits of a small metal flat barbecue on hot coals in the center of the table --- you flip your own meat cut it with scissors and wrap it in lettuce (it isn't bad but pretty fatty)
my fridge is a small drawer
we use metal chopsticks for the meals
at snack time for my kindergartens they eat dried anchovies (they stink!!!)
there are a lot of concrete buildings with signs (typical of what I am sure you imagine Asia to be.)
at school we have to take off our outdoor shoes and wear odd wallmart style rubbers
public washrooms are holes in the ground that you must squat for--- but they are better than south america becaue there is a flush button to stand on


*** this is all I have right now I will add more as we experience more

So I guess i don't live in Ansan!

Biggest Adventure thus far was our first trip to Seoul!. We met Roberta's friend Anne Marie there (who has been living in Korea for three years). She took us to Insadeong which is the touristy area to buy authentic Korean crafts/art pieces... basically "touristy" shopping. I loved it!!! And know I will spend a fortune on Christmas Gifts!!! We then had lunch I had kimbap- rice with vegetables (spicy Stirfryish) It was good.
After we went to Itaewon, which is the seedy area of town where a lot of foreigners are and one can buy imported goods from the "Red Door Lady." I was quite surprised with the "Red Door Lady." I imagined a large beautiful red Asian door with maybe gold characters on it (you know sort of Chinese).... yeah well it is a dingy regular colored if not clear door with a red srtip around. Really run down looking. But she did have granola bars, stuffing, almost kraft dinner,... western type food in it.

We basically just walked and explored the area. No real temples or anything too excited yet. But we did sweat our butts off! Then on the way home to our place we took the hour ride metro (nice) and thought that we had to get off at Ansan Station. Because we live in Ansan...makes sense right??? Well nope. No one told us that this is not the case. So we get off at this station. I of coarse have to pee (surprise surprise) I also decide to hold it because the station squatting bathroom looked barfatrocious! So we get outand realize this is not the station! but maybe we just have to walk under the underpass and get to the city? We think that we must have just missed one stop. So we start walking... proabably about 3 km. We finally reach a street where we can wait for a cab. I had the card to our school with the address and the cabbie said no. He wouldn't drive us!!!!!! Aghhh so we see a sign for the next city.... turns out we are walking in the completly opposite direction!!! so We turn back. Meanwhile the feeling that I am going to pee myself is slowly leaving because the pee is literally sweating out of my body in 40 degree heat!!!! Roberta and I are not talking because we are both too upset. We end up back at the station I go in to buy a popsicle to rehydrate my diziness. And whom do I see? A black Man!!!! Thank-gawd! that means he must be a foreigner and must speak english. He lets us borrow his mobile to phone our director shon! And he Doesn't answer!!!! What is the point of having his number?

Luckily we were carrying the phone number to another foreign teacher. She answered, laughed at us, and told us that we had gotten off three stations too late. (no wonder the cabbie didn't want to drive us the hour back). So we hopped back on the metro (by metro only 15 minutes back). And found where we needed to go--- "some word that starts with an H University Sation" Needless to say we will never forget our stop now!


Finally my life

School is good mondays and Fridays I feel like we have been sold to the Korean slave labour but the other days are fine.

The school is nice. It is on the second floor of an office type of building. I switch with a Korean teaching partner for the mornings between 20 students. So I have ten students and then another 10 at another time. One of my classes is super sweet and cute. The other is a nightmare!!!!! They run on top of the desks, speak korean when I am trying to explain, hit eachother. My Korean teaching partner for this class always yells and has a whistle!!!! I do not agree with these methods so I am stuck to brainstorm this weekend.
I know it will get better I just need to have a moment to get creative.

After school we drink. I don't drink alcohol every night we all know my health can't do that but all the other foreigners do! We drink infront of a convience store on plastic chairs with a plastic table. The store is called GS 25. It is nice the other teachers are nice I teach with a girl from New Zealand,
Camille, A girl from the U.S. Bridgette, A guy from Australia, Will and then thisother guy who is very nice but not social with us (from Canada) Ivan. I think we are lucky to have such a nice staff.

Well I think that is a long summary for now I will report more and be a better writer when it doesn't feel like I have to compose a novel!!!
Meira

Ohh P.S. My students are call me "Keira Teacher"--- ha ha must be my travel name--- becaue in Korea "Meira" is an egyptian mummy--- and then are constantly laughing and making monster faces!!!!