Saying a Prayer.

This week has been hectic with numerous ups and downs.

It started out quite on the downside when someone took it upon themselves to treat me badly. I just continued to tell myself that people who are rude and disrespectful to others in order to gain some sense of self importance should be pitied and not despised.

I was struggling quite a bit with my feelings on the entire situation of my life currently. I've felt pretty much lost these past few weeks. I know the general direction I want my life to go in, but finding the right way to start going in that direction is what's got me all snagged up.

Today wasn't a bad day, in fact it went pretty well, but I still had that unhappy feeling of "What do I want."

Then, this evening right before I left work, a co-worker of mine was reading an article on the internet. She made a distressed noise, which had me turning around to see what was going on. The article had a picture of a pleasant and handsome looking man, and was written in Korean so I couldn't read the headline.

She explained to me with a thick seriousness in her voice that a famous Korean actor/musician had committed suicide last night.

It can never be explained... the sadness you can feel for another person, someone you don't even know.

I've never seen his movies, I don't recall ever hearing his music, and really... I didn't even know of him at all. But, standing behind my co-worker, staring over her shoulder at the picture of this smiling man, knowing that last night when I was thinking of all my hardships he was ending his life... I felt very sad, and completely ashamed of myself.

Isn't my life good? Don't I have a beautiful healthy family? Don't I have a healthy body and amazing opportunities? Don't I have the freedom and ability to do what I want to do? Don't I have all of these things? Then how can I sit for even one minute and feel unhappy about anything?

I walked home from work tonight knowing that somewhere people were grieving the loss of their son, their brother, their family, and their friend. I prayed for them, and all of the hearts that are aching from loss.

I prayed that all of the smiles that I was seeing would last, and be more frequent than any tears. And then I prayed for every single person in the world who is considering ending something that's too precious to waste.

You're in my prayers too, whoever you are.

Let's continue to be happy, love one another, and reach out to others.

Until next time,

~A.

Rest forever in the arms of God, Park Young Ha.

News Story: Park Young Ha suicide at the age of 33.

Explanation, New Projects, and Plans

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Surviving the Storm

Sorry that I haven't posted in quite a while, everyone.

Some very stressful things have been going on lately. I'm afraid that I don't have the freedom to write about it on the blog, as I'm never sure who is reading this and I don't want to cause any unnecessary chaos to add on to the chaos that's already very prevalent.

As for now, things are quite crazy and I'm doing my best to adjust to the situation and work it out for the better.

The most I can say is that I have turned in my resignation at my current school, and am looking forward to beginning a new job here in Korea in October.

I've been really focused on surviving the storm with little to no trauma, which is why I haven't been posting up recently.

I appreciate the support I've been getting lately. Please continue to send me your encouragement!

In Other News

I have started a new blog project.

The project name is "Epic Language Adventures".

The web project is being designed as a language/culture community for anyone learning one of the "Big Three" languages: Korean, Chinese, or Japanese. It's meant to be a home base for resources on all aspects of language learning (how to learn, where to learn, learning resources, cultural resources, tips/advice and so on.)

This project is being created with hopes that I'll be able to create at least a small community of language learners who are studying to master any, a combination of, or all three of "The Big Three" languages.

The blog project is currently being developed, so it's not yet available to visit or view. I don't want to open the project until it's 100%, so it'll probably be a while. But I'll keep you updated on the progress and hopefully be able to present to you a fun and interesting blog soon.

Side Note

If anyone is interested in being a part of the project (language learners or native/fluent speakers) shoot me an e-mail (epiclanguageadventures@gmail.com). Ideas and suggestions are always welcome.

Edit

I originally planned on ending the post after the "Side Note". However, as I finished up the post and started to try to do other things I just kept thinking and thinking about certain things. For me, it's best to write down those thoughts. What better place to do it than here?! Anyway, so this blog post is now going to be a bit lengthier than originally planned.

Future Plans

What are they?

Well, to tell you in all honesty, I've never been too good at making plans for years ahead of time. In fact, I'm downright bad at it. While I enjoy THINKING I have a plan, I'm a pretty spontaneous person when it comes to actually doing something. That would explain, ladies and gentleman, why after 4 years of Japanese language study at University I decided to move to Korea.

My inclination to change my mind, and suddenly do something that wasn't officially 'in the plan', drives my family bonkers. My parents especially are always trying to keep up with me and these 'plans' of mine.

Just recently, I finally gave up trying to make serious plans and just said "What comes will come."

So, plans out.

BUT, I do have future GOALS.

What are they?

Now see, this is where things get tricky... because I'm feeling the urge to write out a plan now INCLUDING my goals.

Ah well, why not...

TENTATIVE PLAN

The general idea is that before I start Graduate school I want to have as much language experience as possible, especially in Korean and Chinese (as Japanese has already had 4 years of my attention). To get into any good Grad school programs for language/history I need to establish a sturdy base in those languages. What better way than to actually LIVE in those countries?

And so, here I am in Korea. My goal (a.k.a plan) is to stay in Korea for a year or two. Staying longer than that will depend on the kind of job I'll be able to secure after. This 10 days of vacation a year thing isn't going to cut it for me for more than 2 years. I'm a family person, I've got to be able to spend more time with my fam than just 10 days per year.

After my time in Korea I plan to go home for a couple of months, bask in the glow of familiarity and comfort, and then get off my butt again and go to... you guessed it... Taiwan to study Mandarin for a year.

Then what, you may ask?

WHO KNOWS!!!! However, the real goal is to start Graduate school somewhere soon after that.

This plan is, of course, tentative. As life is always throwing little curve balls your way. I could accidentally become a famous author, or I could find an abandoned baby basket by the side of the road and then plan to adopt and become a mommy, or I could apply for fun to some grad program somewhere in the world and get in with great scholarships and start my studies sooner.

All of those things are HIGHLY unlikely, but it's exactly those type of things that you don't expect that HAPPEN!

Of course, my life isn't quite that interesting. But you get the point I'm trying to make. We never know.

Anyway, I'll let you know if the plan changes (which, I'm sure it will). We can make plans all we want, but to lead a happy life we should follow opportunity! That's what I plan to do. Follow opportunity.

Until next time,

Auggie.

Football and Life Changes

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I guess we all have points in our lives where we don't know what to do with ourselves. When we're faced with so many options that it just seems impossible to choose one path to follow.

I'm currently experiencing that...again.

I guess it's normal to be this age and not know what to do or where to go. Having general plans seems pretty good, but there's always the real dream underneath the practicality that keeps vying for your attention, calling out for you to realize it.

I guess the most important thing for me to do is follow my own way, listen to advice, but in the end do exactly what my heart tells me. You only live once, so deciding not to do or experience something amazing because other people are expecting something different from you is the wrong choice.

Being in a shaky situation is never ideal or fun, but I guess that the best thing to do is think about what that means for you and opportunities. Sometimes opportunity comes knocking quietly and subtly on your door, sometimes it comes around screaming and hollering like a drunk freshman frat boy. And other times, it sits about quietly while your world is shaking and trying to crumble around you and opportunity just hopes you'll notice it in all the commotion.

I guess I've finally noticed it. Things go right, and then things go wrong. You either accept it, or change it.

This understanding has brought me lately to begin repeating to myself the "Serenity Prayer".

It goes a little something like this:

"God, grant me the serenity
To accept the things I cannot change,
Courage to change the things I can,
And wisdom to know the difference."

For now, I know that these things in my life CAN be changed. It's just a matter of courage. I have to have the strength and faith to take leaps. If I don't take them now, when will I ever?

I thought that the biggest and most difficult choice would be coming to Korea. That part was easy. Deciding what I want to do with myself while I'm here, that's another story entirely.

However, I certainly won't allow my time to be wasted. I've been given opportunity and I plan to use it, discover its full potential, and regret no decision.

***********************************************************

In other news. I went to Sajik Stadium Thursday night with some friends and co-workers to watch the Korea vs. Argentina game. It was fun... but man.... OUCH Korea! OUCH!

I thought they were holding it pretty good the first half. In fact, I allowed myself the room to believe that there might even be a tie, or at least the chance that Korea could lose gracefully with a 2-1. Nope. Second half came and something happened and Argentina began kicking some tail.

The last goal Argentina made had thousands of people leaving the stadium. Game over. They knew it.

However, since Greece somehow beat Nigeria (please, someone explain to me how that happened?) there's apparently more hope that Korea will advance. Korea plays Nigeria next week.

Anyhoodle. Here are some pictures from the Sajik game.

Oh, and I WAS ON TV!

Haha, for a very short time I and my friends were on the big screen at the stadium, cheering and clapping in support of Korea. *\(^.^)/*

Emma and I dressed in team spirit!


This was right after Korea made their goal. So I'm not sure why this little girl looks upset. She must have secretly been rooting for the other side! *Gasp!*


Cheering and happy commotion after the Korea score!


This little cutie got really confused when he turned around and realized that there were a bunch of foreigners staring at him.


Stadium was packed!


Well, that's all for now. Maybe more later. We'll see how the weekend goes!

Until next time,

~Audra

Awesome Weekend Part I: Football

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Hello Readers.

Well, it's been a fantastic weekend! And, by the way, my hair cut turned out awesome! I'm SO excited. More about that later.

To begin, I'd just like to say...

대한민국!!!!
대한민국!!!!
대한민국!!!!

KOREA BEAT GREECE!

Now let me tell you, I've never been a huge fan of watching sports. Sitting down and watching other people play a sport just never seemed like the ideal fun-time for me. However, lately I've been becoming interested in soccer. Ever since I went to my first soccer match with a co-worker of mine I've been becoming more and more intrigued by the game. So I was excited about the world cup happening this weekend!

I ALMOST didn't go! Why? Well, because I hadn't eaten all day and I ordered some food somewhere and they were backed up so it was taking forever and the group I was going with suddenly planned on leaving earlier. The thought of not being able to eat anything until after the game was not one I took kindly too. So I initially thought "Well...is it really that big of a deal."

Yes. Yes it is. I discovered this later.

We watched the game at Sajik stadium, so we had to make a bit of a trip on the subway to get there. On the way we bought some face stickers/temporary tattoos and a couple of "Red Devil" bandannas. Then when we arrived we were greeted by a huge line of vendors selling light up devil horns, long balloons that you can slam together and they make irritating noises (this is instead of clapping), t-shirts, hair bands, and many other items that you seem to suddenly need when on your way to cheer for a sports team.

Ems and I bought headbands with big red crinoline bows on them. We all looked pretty great by the time the game started! The more "Red Devil" red you wore and the more stickers you had on you the better. It was so much fun.

Then the game started. I have never been so interested in a sporting event in my entire life. I was on the edge of my seat, sometimes even half standing in anticipation for a goal. I yelled, I cheered, I even cursed once or twice (shame shame :P).

I never realized what an interesting sport soccer was until last night when I couldn't get enough of watching all the footwork, the goal attempts, the saves, and the occasional violence (soccer's a rough game, I had no idea).

It was nice to watch Korea play, because I noticed they never played dirty. Some of the Greek team were tripping and pushing and fouling all over the place. There were a couple of times when I was definitely like "WHAT THE HECK?! DID YOU SERIOUSLY JUST DO THAT?!" after watching a Greece player very obviously (and painfully) foul a player for Korea. Thankfully one of the worst foulers got a 'yellow card' which I found out means that he can't play in the next game.

HA! Take THAT, you MEANIE!

Anyway. It was an awesome time, and I am totally cheering for Korea during their next game again Argentina on the 17th. Argentina is apparently one of the best teams in the world, but I have high hopes for team Korea!!!!

Here's a look at my outfit for that evening of Sajik Stadium Red Devil Super Bowl watching.

These are pictures that I took after the evening was over. That was around 5:45 AM because we stayed out to watch the England vs. America game at 3am. Yikes!


How's my outfit? Yeah... I love it too!


People really went nuts with the stickers/temporary tattoos. Mine say "I love Korea" and "Fighting!"


I also had a neat soccer ball with wings and the Korean national emblem on my arm! Heehee!



This picture is brought to you by my exhaustion and my t-shirt which says "Do u love Korea?" Can you guess my answer? :)


The England vs. America game wasn't as exciting. That's mostly due to the fact that I was really tired, and the other fact that there were English and American people screaming obscenities all around me half of the game. That makes for a very not-so-enjoyable atmosphere. I dozed off a couple of times admittedly.

Also, the game itself didn't really get anywhere, did it? I mean, those of you who saw it know. They tied. They each scored one goal and the rest of the game was footsie, and a couple of "OUCH! That looked painful!" moments.

Poor USA goalie got kicked in the chest with those cleats. The slow-motion recap captured the look of pain on his face as the collision occurred. There will certainly be a bruise.

Anyway. I have more things to write up about, but I don't have anymore time. Part II coming up later.

Everyone have a great day!

Until next time,

~Auggie

Tough Week Meets Retail Therapy: And They Lived Happily Ever After.

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This week has been a bit on the crazy side.

Quite a few things have happened at work that have really made me and my co-workers feel frustrated and just generally upset. Unnecessary comments made during teachers meetings, unfair changes in schedules, and a few other things that make work really hard to enjoy lately.

Most of it is just completely ridiculous.

Small rant over. Now, I have to talk about the good aspects.

My job isn't that bad. Actually, it's a good job. I get paid well for what I do and it's putting me in the middle of a lot of opportunity. I feel thankful and blessed to be here in Korea and be working where I work. Nothing can ever be perfect, right? I guess I don't mind the imperfections since they're, in actuality, so minor.

I really like my co-workers (Korean and foreign), and the office atmosphere is pretty good (with small exceptions...).

The way things are run at that school, and the way English is taught... I would change some of that, honestly. But it's really none of my business. I'm just a teacher. I'm not a supervisor or an administrator. I'm just an educator. I have little control! Once that's accepted, it's a little easier. A little.

Anyway, all in all I'm glad to be here. As frustrating as the job can be sometimes, I like working at my school the majority of the time.

I guess what I'm trying to say all in all is: Life is good.

HERE COMES THE WEEKEND....YO!

The weekend is fast approaching. Tomorrow is Friday, almost always a day to look forward to. Even though it's one of my longest days, the classes seem to go by so much faster because with the passing of each minute I know that it's one minute closer to the end of the day and the beginning of the weekend.

This weekend in particular is worth looking forward to because my hair is going short again! I'm actually really excited about the transition back into short hair. How exciting!

IN OTHER NEWS

Small shopping spree today gave me a mood boost after a particularly horrible day yesterday.

Anna Sui Perfume

New Purse

Some shorts and two short sleeve shirts.

YES, Korean pants/jeans/shorts fit me here! Most Korean clothing shops carry up to a size 80.

For those of you who are wondering about Korean sizes: a size 80 is about a size 32 or an 11/12. The next size down is a 76 which is a size 30 or 9/10. It follows pretty much the same rules as any other jean/pant sizing. Some brands run bigger or smaller than others.

Also, the shirts in stores can go up to a 105, but the average large size is 100. Actually, the shirt sizes here tend to run about the same as in the states. However, boutique shopping can be a bit of a hassle. Boutiques don't carry larger sizes (since the majority of the gals in Korea aren't the larger sizes). Luckily though, the style now is big and baggy.

I bought a shirt the other day that feels a bit like a tent on me... and there was only one size. So it's not like I over guesstimated. The shirt was just styled to be that large. So if you're on your way to Korea anytime soon, don't worry about the clothing situation. More than likely you'll be able to find plenty to fit/suit you here.

A bit of make-up (fun!)

Some lovely smelling face-masks (strawberry, pomegranate, and green tea!)

Cute boxes and storage drawers for organization! <---- Super cheap!

Anyway.

Enough of my shopping recap.

I've really got to charge the battery to my camera so that I can get some pictures up. First I should probably try to find my other adapter... then buy a new one if I can't find it because having only one is a smidge troublesome.

Alright then, well, I probably won't post again until after my hair cut this weekend. Are you as excited as I am?!

Probably not. But that's okay!

Everyone have a wonderful Friday!

Until next time,

~Auggie

My Big Decision

Alright ladies and gentlemen.

No huge update here, but I'm trying to make a decision about something so I thought that it would be helpful to make a pros and cons list.

If you're visiting here via facebook then you've already heard me chatter about this in my effort to make a decision (though I feel like I've really already made one).

Here is the dilemma:

Should I cut my hair?

HAHA! did you think it was going to be a big deal? Well it IS!

Since my freshman year of college I've kept my hair particularly short. Recently, and for the first time in 5 odd years, I've allowed my hair to grow out and it is now the longest it's been in quite a while. Upon expressing my desire to cut it I received responses with varying degrees of both enthusiasm and horror from friends.

First: The photos

This is my hair now (as of yesterday June 7th, 2010)



Here's another. Excuse my expression, I was having a hard time being serious



And now here are two photos of my short hair (last summer before i started to let it grow out). This is the haircut that I'm thinking of getting this weekend.





After showing these two photos on FB I got a lot of positive feedback about both the short and long hair, and no negative feedback for either.

So now it's just about what I want to do, and honestly, I'm leaning towards the short hair again. I miss my short hair.

But here's a pros and cons list anyway.

LONG HAIR PROS

* I can put it up in a ponytail on bad hair days.
* I can braid it and play with more 'updo' styles than with short hair.
* I have a wider range of hair style options with longer hair.
* It makes me look more soft and feminine (this was said to me, so I thought I'd add it).
* I like the way my hair looks when I wake up in the morning when it's long. But no one else sees that so it's kind of moot.

SHORT HAIR PROS
* It's stylish
* It's fun and cute
* It's summer and this hair style is cool and keeps the hair off my neck and my face.
* I have more volume with short hair than I do with long hair.
* Easily washed and styled. Not a lot of time required.
* Cutting it short will get rid of all of the dead ends that make my hair look dull and damaged.
* You'd be able to see my earrings.
* My neck would look longer.
* No more tangles!

LONG HAIR CONS
* High maintenance
* Tangles
* Use more shampoo and conditioner
* Dead ends make hair look less healthy.
* Volume at the top and volume at the bottom looks funny.
* I don't like pony tails. I don't think they look good on me.
* I feel like there's no style in it, it looks like so many other hair styles I see.

SHORT HAIR CONS
* Not very feminine?
* Can't do a lot of different things with it. It's a one or two style cut.
* Uh... that's it.


Actually, the choice has pretty much already been made, but more feedback is totally welcome.

I'll be going to get my hair done this weekend. So I guess everyone will find out what I officially decided to do after Saturday. Haha.

Tootles until next time,

~Auggie

Good Things Are On Their Way!

There are some times when you feel good. When you feel like you're on the right path. Even when you know that not everything is in place, even when you feel that there's something missing, you know that you're going in the right direction and you're doing something right for yourself.

That feeling is amazing.

What seems like so long ago, and then just yesterday at the same time, I was aching for something and I had no idea what it was. I felt trapped, caged. Freedom seemed so elusive no matter what I did.

I was praying all the time for something to happen, not knowing what it was that I wanted specifically. I tried so many different things, but nothing felt right. Nothing turned out right. I believe now that it was mostly because I didn't know or trust myself entirely. I had no confidence in my dreams and the goals I wanted to reach. And I had no trust in God's timing. I was so impatient that I refused to wait and listen to directions and instead frantically tried to find my own way...only managing to get myself more and more lost.

When I reached one dead end after another I had the choice of giving up or admitting my faults, swallowing my pride, and asking for direction. The direction given was to trust myself, have faith and confidence in my dreams, and learn how to be strong enough to follow after them and accept the hardships and rewards with the same amount of gratitude.

I've finally reached a place in my life where I feel like anything is within my reach. I've also realized that it takes devotion, passion, strength, and patience to achieve goals. There can not be one of those things missing. Accepting that it won't be easy and that hard work is necessary is the first step to the happiness I'm searching for.

Though things are far from perfect, it feels wonderful... to know that anything is possible, to know that I'm going in a good direction, that I'm on a good path.

I'm grateful to my family and friends for supporting me and loving me through everything. No matter where I've been in my life you were there to hold me up, to encourage me, and cheer me on. You continue to do that, giving me strength daily to live life fully and discover more potential within myself to reach even greater heights.

Though I am far away from so many of you, I am thinking of you, appreciating you, and loving you as much as ever. Next time we talk, I hope you can feel proud that you are some of the reason that I am the person I am today, learning how to be a better person tomorrow.

It was a tough week, but I made it through, and better times are ahead!

Everyone keep a smile on. Keep your spirits up.

Good things are on their way.

Until next time,

~Auggie

Exercise, Snails, and... the Art of Flirting?

Hello readers.

How is everyone? Things are still kind of stressful, right?

I actually talked to my Dad yesterday morning about what kind of things they were hearing over in the States about the North Korea-South Korea situation. My Dad is the first person who would be calling me and demanding that I come back home if anything even remotely bothered him about the current situation. He seemed pretty calm, and he wasn't asking me to pack my bags or anything.

Also , I got a nice e-mail from a friend of mine who is currently serving in the Korean army. Of course, he couldn't give me any kind of details but he let me know that no alert has been raised and he believes that there's no reason to be worried. He even went as far as to point out to me that I am predisposed to unease because I'm not used to the whole North Korea- South Korea relationship dynamic.

So as for now, I'm feeling less restless and more at ease about everything. I hope that the rest of you reading are starting to feel the same way.

Alright, moving on from that topic.

EXERCISE

I'm trying to get my rear into gear with this exercise thing. I've been doing a pretty good job, but lately I've had so much to do that exercise keeps being knocked to the back of the list. Right now "LAUNDRY" is at the peak of my list screaming at the top of its lungs for attention. I HATE doing laundry. Back home, I guess I didn't' mind it so much when it was actually time to do it. That's because I had a washer AND a dryer at my disposal. When I only have a washer and I have to hang up all my wet clothes in my one bedroom apartment to dry... laundry translates into "FRUSTRATING".

Anyway, I actually almost talked myself out of going jogging this evening. But I think that after this post is up I'm going to quit being lazy and actually go. If my brothers can run a combined 20 miles a day, I can jog 1.5 miles four times a week. Geez. (Don't laugh at me. I've just started this whole exercise thing. I can't exactly go for 5 miles yet, but I'm working on it. OFF MY CASE!).

Don't get me wrong, I like physical activities like biking, hiking, swimming, dancing (especially dancing) and all of that. But I don't get to do that on a regular basis. I wanted to start doing regular exercise, get into some kind of routine. So I chose jogging. Any of you exercise junkies out there want to give me some pointers on how to be more motivated?

A TYPICAL DAY AT SCHOOL

Whoever is curious about how interesting my days usually are, I'll give you a little peek into my life as a teacher.

"The flirting"

Woah there partner. Don't go thinking that I'm talking about ME when I refer to flirting. I'm not the one batting my eyelashes, and there's certainly no one posturing for my attention. I'm leaving that to the 6 year olds. That's right. You heard me...

In the morning until 12:40 I teach Kindergarten. I love my kindy class. Sometimes can really grate on the nerves, but the majority of the time they're just a great bunch of really intelligent, really sweet, kids.

Lilly and Benny

One of the girls, her name is Lilly, likes one of the boys in the class (his name is Benny). Lilly is the youngest, only 5 years old, but she's the biggest and she looks the oldest out of the others. Benny is a slim whip of a boy, who I'm sometimes afraid to hug because he's so skinny.

Today we were talking about the letter 'M'.

We thought of the word "MUSCLE". We all flexed our arms and had a great bit of fun. I pointed to Benny's arm (because he was closest to me) and showed everyone where we have muscle. Of course, Benny is mostly skin and bones but the kids got the picture. Anyway. Lilly reached out and grabbed Benny's arm and squeezed a bit here and there and then smiled and sat back, with her chin resting against the palm of her hand. It was one of the most adult looks I've ever seen on a kids face.

Benny kept flexing and finally Lilly looked up at me with that amused expression and motioned casually to Benny's arm and said "It's not muscle, I think."

Benny got all flustered and in an attempt to prove himself to Lilly he flexed again and said desperately "No! I'm strong!".

EunSung and HeeGwon

Another daily example of the flirting that goes on amongst the kindergartners is usually by HeeGwon and EunSung (I don't know their English names). HeeGwon is a big 6 year old. He's tall and a little chunky. EunSung is, my korean co-workers think, 'some kind of midget'.

EunSung is really tiny, and she's absolutely one of the cutest little girls at my school. You can see a photo of her with me if you go a few posts back.

Anyway. Where there is EunSung, there is HeeGown.

HeeGwon is constantly crowding EunSung. He's always holding her hand, keeping her from getting pushed, telling her to stop running, or demanding that she behave when she acts out. In Art and Science class he asks questions for her and makes sure that she's doing her project right before he concentrates on his. He also caries her things to class for her. Sometimes he even carries HER to class.

One day I walk out of the teacher's room in time to see HeeGwon holding EunSung under her arms like a kid with a puppy, walking off to class. EunSung seemed unsurprised and was just kind of hanging there obediently.

If they grow up and get married to each other, someone owes me money.

THE CASE OF THE SNAIL

Snail is not a metaphor for anything. When I say 'snail' I mean 'snail'.

Today was science class, and the project was 'examine snails'. So we got a bunch of plastic cups, some packets of dirt, and a tupperware container full of large brown snails.

My reaction: "Uh... why?"

Anyway, out of fear for the snails lives I inform my kids that they are not to touch the snails, blow on the snails, pokes the snails with anything, or even speak loudly at the snails. They are to keep their hands to themselves and pay attention with their eyes.

Each kid gets a snail, so I have to put on some nice little kitchen gloves and distribute them out. I wasn't grossed out, but I wasn't exactly thrilled either. However, as time passed I actually started to get interested in those little creatures. I held one of them out over my hand to see if he would come out for the kids to see.

After a while his shyness went away and he slowly unfolded himself from his shell. I discovered, staring into the face of that little thing, that snails are cute. Snails are very cute. I got attached to the one I was holding for the kids to see. He got attached to me too. Literally.

The snail must have felt comfortable because he came all the way out of his shell and started looking around, craning his little head this way and that way to see what there was to see. He explored my finger for a while and then settled down a bit and just wiggled his little eyes around. That's about the time I realized that I could get him off of me.

There was no panicking, but I knew that I was in a predicament. How do I get a snail off of my hand without hurting it? I poked at him a little bit to see if he would retreat back into his shell. He folded his eyes away, but didn't move otherwise. I might as well have been tickling him for the amount of fear he showed at being poked at.

After distributing the rest of the snails to the students I head out of the classroom and to the kitchen to ask for help. After amusing some of the other teachers with the "Look, he's upside down and still holding on!" trick, we finally figured that water was the best idea. We sprayed some water on him and I wiggled at him to get him unglued from me. Finally the water did the work and with a little "thuck' he came unstuck from my hand.

I experienced a little separation anxiety at first, and I still fear for his little life in the hands of that 5 year old kindergartner. You know you lack some kind of important companionship when a snail becomes your best friend in the span of 5 minutes.

Quotes of the Day

Me: This is the baby chair!
My Students: Baby chair?!
Me: That's right. If you do something bad you have to sit in this chair
so that you can be laughed at and ridiculed by your peers.

Student: (Trying to describe himself) "I have a black hair."
Me: "Really? Only one?"
Student: "Uh....?"

THE HOLIDAY (that we don't get)

Well everyone. Tomorrow is some kind of holiday (election day or something like that), and public schools and some work places get a little vacation. That does not include my school. Nope. We'll be working that day, teaching kids who are going to be 10 shades of ticked off to be at private school when they have a holiday from public school.

I wonder how many just won't show up tomorrow.

DANGER LIVE: CLUB WOMB JUNE 19th

For those of you who don't know, there's going to be this really big shindig down at Club WOMB at Gwangali on the 19th of June.

Here's the event info: DANGER LIVE

Club WOMB is pretty great, so I suspect that this event will also be awesome.

Pre-sale tickets - 13,000₩

Before midnight June 19th - 15,000₩

Anytime after midnight - 19,000₩

Contact email : busanpockets@gmail.com

Subject header : Danger

>First and Last name:
>Ticket amount:
>phone number:
>email:
>total cost:

(Information provided by "EVERY EXPAT IN KOREA" on Facebook)

Alright now, that's about it for this blog entry.

For those of you who work at public schools, enjoy your time off!
For those of you working tomorrow, take it easy!
And for those of you state-side and elsewhere, have a great day!

Until next blog,

~Auggie.