farewell pyeongchon

my apt is nearly back to the state it was when i first moved in it...empty!
i'm nearly on my way to the train and to my new place, in the city! changes are wonderful, new and exciting, but my goodness! they are EXHAUSTING!
sleep has never seemed more necessary or glorious.

i'm packing...

and it's a mess!

self-amusement

i amuse and laugh at myself easily. the other morning, i had a severe case of bed-head and couldn't resist a self-portrait session:

about time!

korea might as well be called mountain land, there are mountains everywhere! so, it's quite embarrassing that it's taken me 9 months to finally reach a summit. now that the weather is less rainy and less humid, i look forward to hiking as much as i can! and my amazing friend, chris, is also a fabulous hiking buddy! the hike we did today was exactly what i was anticipating: heart-pumping, freely sweating, shuffle-footing. my body is worn and happily so.


the view from the first look-out:


overlooking anyang city and beyond, summit view:

sunlit clouds:

victorious!

leeum samsung museum of art

beer valley

steamy, mcsteamy!


there's a restaurant on hagwon-ga (literal translation: academy road) that makes the best spicy seafood noodle dish, ever. i know this because i've tried the same dish at various other restaurants and they pale, PALE, in comparison to the beer valley version. good food rules!

drizzle

it's raining a lot today.
my fabulous friend theresa told me a joke:
Q: why does snoop dogg carry an umbrella?


A: fo'drizzle.

i laughed and laughed. now, that's a good one!

schmap!

my photo of victoria park, in auckland, new zealand was chosen for schmap! a guide to auckland's to-do. cool!

Victoria Park
schmap.com/auckland/activities_sports/p=138245/i=138245_9.jpg

N seoul tower

closure

closure: a bringing to an end, a conclusion.

in most of my classes, i gave my students, what i like to call the "homework sticker sheet." it's a small piece of paper that simply listed the number of weeks in chronological order with a space to affix a very cute or very cool or very cute and cool sticker. they were given a sticker only if they did all of their homework assignments. i devised this sticker sheet to reward the students who--bless them!--completed all their homework! luckily for me, my students took a real shining to it and as much as i looked forward to giving them their stickers, they were excited to choose their pieces of flair. i mean, C'MON! who doesn't like stickers?!?!?!

i reminded my students--awww the lil munchkins!--that i would reward those who deserved it with a little something. i had bought cool markers to give as treats on the last week, which i didn't know i would not have. but, don't stop believin. my fellow teachers have been more than understanding and supportive and have aided me in getting the markers and my notes to each student of mine.

i wanted to tell them in person, just how much i have loved teaching and laughing with them. i wanted to give them a ji sun life lesson and explain my opinion of how important is to make your own choices, responsibly and with awareness. i wanted to tell them how much i re-learned from them the joy of learning, of understanding, of applying and reveling in knowledge. i believe that i have behaved this way for the duration of this summer term so i trust that what i could've taught them, they already know. my closure is now knowing that they know that i didn't abandon them and that i am so proud of them for being exactly who they are.

the pink slip, the abridged and rated G version

i wrote a very passionate and therapeutic post about how i received the pink slip (in an email, without warning). but out of respect to the company that fired me, (also, i DO NOT want to held responsible for any legal bullll s.) i'm summarizing all of my angst, frustration and grievances into a paragraph. the original pink slip post, rated R with all it's raw emotion, will be published once the rage dwindles.

the positive: good news! i found a new job! it was an exhausting process of figuring out the pros and cons, weighing out my options, and then finally making a decision that has already proved itself advantageous, time and time again. and i haven't even started working yet.

the negative: once i told the company that fired me the news of my resignation, they handled it immaturely, pettily personally, and senselessly. with only one week left in the summer term, they let me go. instead of doing what's ethically right (letting me stay on to finish the term--which i happily said i would do!) they had to prove to themselves that they stick by the rules of the contract (i couldn't give them 30 days notice so they got their panties all in a bunch!) which is a load of bull anyway, and dismissed me. they kicked my lovely, shapely, firm and fine ass to the curb. and i wouldn't have gotten upset if i didn't care so damn much about my students...they are the only reason why i even stayed as long as i did! LORD HAVE MERCY! and so they shafted the students, when they should be the last people to get cheated. what's more, they put in a new instructor who wasn't even trained in the reading program, and asked current instructors to substitute my other classes when i would have and i repeat, happily finished the term. unnecessary stress was needlessly distributed when a reasonable and voluntary solution was available. STUPID IDIOTS!!!!!

relief: when i speak of karma, i say it not maliciously but respectfully. it still saddens me when i think about how painfully arrogant, obstinate and ignorant people can be yet i have to have the belief that what goes around comes around, even when, (especially when) i feel mistreated.

i now have time off from work! whoohoooooooo! it's been a flurry of emotions, thoughts, excitement and relaxation. i'm making the most of it all, considering that i don't really have any vacation days (except for national holidays) at the new job. koreans really do work too much.

karma

justin timberlake sings what i'm a feelin:
what goes around, goes around, goes around and comes all the way back around.

thank you universe for delivering karma, ever so ironically and sweetly.

korea loves dokdo!

i'm crafty...

and my fabulous friends tell me so! a fitting notebook from my fellow crafty bastard friend, amber:

lovely and unexpected

a lovely and unexpected surprise gift from my student, noori!

her first go at gift wrapping. how sweet, the corners are tucked out!

creamy chocolates from switzerland:

central park at night

when i walk to school--though recently, the heat has been so exhaustive, i've been sharing cab rides with co-workers--i usually walk through the park. and wouldn't you know it, it's called central park. it's nowhere near as expansive as nyc's central, but, it's got its own charms. one of them being the nightlight and water show!

i don't know exactly when the lights and water splashfest begins (sometime after the sunset) or ends, but on my way home one night last week, i gasped with giddiness at my well-timed fortune to finally see the oh-so-pretty lights! and what's more, play with the manual modes on my camera! yessssssss! it was great to see so many families out and about having a ball, squealing, laughing, and of course, splashing!