twinkle twinkle

bright lights, big city:

the first time i played guitar hero, i sucked, royally. megan and greg, however, are champs!

i work on a street known as hagwon row. why? hagwons are places where koreans go to learn english. guess how many hagwons there are on this particular street? it's chockfull of em.
now that i'm teaching, i've become a nightowl. my classes begin at 4:30 and end at 10:30. what do i do immediately after class? that's right. i get my grub on! here, i'm feasting on tempura sweet potatoes and rice cakes in a spicy sauce. mmmmm! all eaten with one long wooden stick.

me, chipmunk cheeked. jason, cutie shallow dimpled cheek.

theresa, nacho, and monkey!

monkey, gettin cheeky with nacho:

joy and joyness

i watched amelie (for probably the umpteenth time) the other day with theresa and clara. it is such a stinkin cute movie with such gorgeous vibrant colors and a fabulous storyline, how can anyone not like it? (clara said it was a crime against humanity not to watch it, it's that good. and yes, i agree.) i was reminded of the simple things amelie embraces: enjoying the touch of grains, breaking the crunchy topping of creme brulee, glancing at the faces of movie goers, noticing the little details...it made me realize, that there are many easy pleasures in the seemingly mundane. here's what i've noticed recently:

*kindness from strangers in transit. overhearing snidbits of directions, excuse me? how do i get to...or is this the way to...? simple questions and answers but how comforting to know exactly where you're going.

*hilarity on the train: if it can be sold, vendors will sell it. seriously. even on the train. people will try to sell you stockings, cd's, gloves, chestnut clippers, portable sewing devices, and multifunctional fleece wraps. on the way home from work, my co-workers, who are rockstars, and i watched this hilarious demonstration from a most charismatic salesman. he was selling this fleece wrap that could be used as 1) earmuffs 2) headwrap 3) eyepillow 4) neck warmer 5)noseguard. the best part though, was that he randomly spoke english--not bad either!--and when he was demonstrating the head wrap, he said, "now i'm a princess and i don't like black. so i change color to red!" hey! reversible too! what?! at 2,000 won, that's a steal! and no, i was not suckered into buying one, but, the lady sitting next to me and i had a really good chuckle at his performance. (that was nice too, that the lady and i glanced at each other and smiled.)

*shared experiences: my coworkers and i have had a rushed introduction to teaching. some of us had a week's worth of training, some of us, had only a crash course in 2 days. during the first day of classes, we were all trying to make sure we had our shit together, had enough print outs, etc and while it was stressful, there was this really great feeling of support and understanding. well, we're all feeling s.o.l., but hey! at least we're in this together! after classes, we shared the highlights or lowlights, and laughed about it all. pyeongchun, the branch where i work, aka p-town, has solid people. i already like this crew.

*kitty love. i'm usually more of a dog person, but, i've gotta say, my friends' cats are super affectionate and darling. just yesterday, lucy gave me lovins my licking my hand while i scratched the underside of her neck. her tongue tickled my skin--prickly prickly! and charlie, he's mr. irresistible.

*speaking of irresistible, ooh wee! hotties. yep. korea is full of em. i mean, HOTTIES! wow. sometimes i don't wear my eyeglasses or contacts, i know, i'm a bit of a freak that way, but, i don't really mind not seeing things so clearly. but when i do see things sharply, it's like a whole new world, full of hotties. what's a girl to do with all this hotness? well, as of right now, simply observing is enough...

day 2

with the anxiety of day one behind me, day two proved to be much smoother and less panicked. in general, i've found that my elementary school students are easily animated, making class time zoom, while the middle schoolers are a bit more of a challenge to involve. but, once you do rope 'em in, they are on! (stories and details coming soon!)

i've been tired from prepping--ooh! i write on wipe erase boards and staple welcome packets together and the printer is both my beloved friend and bitter enemy.--i've not had much time for other things...i think that after this first week, the transition from work to home will be less time consuming since i'll have moved into my new apt by this sunday! yeah! i found a nice place which would be described as a junior one bedroom apt in the states. photos forthcoming, but now, it's time for sleep! i'm exhausted!

the very first day!

despite the flurry of frenetic energy, i have successfully completed teaching my very first day of classes. and while i'm exhausted, i'm also deliriously relieved. my classes are 3 hours long and i taught two classes tonight. yep, do the math. i talked for nearly 6 hours straight. i've fallen in love with each of my students already. there are the students that are the immediate talkers, the ones who aren't afraid of embarrassment, the ones who while they may not know whether the answer is correct or not, they have the balls and courage to speak! then there are the really shy students, the ones who talk in a voice so small, i have to strain my ears to be able to hear them. they are nowhere near as outgoing as the former group but are so cute in their earnest effort to do a good job. i love everyone's energy, their spunk and personality. teaching is going to so tiring yet so rewarding!

'round & 'round

i'm sitting in a p.c. bang (p.c. room, aka, internet cafe) in pyeongchun, steps away from work. it's a bit smoky, (yes, koreans can smoke just about everywhere, there's ashtrays even in some bathroom stalls.) noisy--think, lots of internet games are being played, pow! kabang!--and blue. blue lights overhead. it's unbelievably warm and i'm beginning to feel like my job is an absurd disply of inefficiency.

a word about efficiency: i am an efficient person. it's an aquired trait, learned from my mother and from various jobs which required me to be on top of my game. sometimes, my uber efficiency methods have gotten the better of me, and i admit, it was not pretty. i've since learned not to be overly stringent about organization methods, or rather, i've learned that i cannot, nor do i want to, control things that i am unable to control. however, this is starting to get stupid.

(whoa. sidenote: random dude next to me is seriously getting into, INTO, his game! and shouting things like, "what can i do? how do i do that?!" all i can see, is someone running in the forest...oooh now, he's fighting some sort of hairy dragon monster!)

stupid in the sense that i feel like i'm circling round and round, asking the same questions to different people but not getting any concrete answers. stupid, yes? yes. and it seems that this is the way things are. so deal with it, right? right. welcome to teaching. welcome back to the working world.

a very full day

this morning, i ran a bit behind schedule and feared being late for my last day of training. (which, paradoxically covered orientation materials, things that should've been my first day's goods.) all week, i've been a big fan of bus route 146, which takes about 25-40 minutes, depending on traffic. (have i mentioned yet how terrible--terrrrrrrrrible!--seoul traffic can be? it can be so bad, so ridonkulous!) i was waiting for the bus, but with only 15 minutes on the clock, (i didn't want to make a bad impression on the final day.) i hailed a cab. (have i mentioned that cab fares are quite reasonable in seoul--it's very nice!) i asked the older cabbie driver to take me to the the training center. luckily for me, i had a business card with the training center's address written in korean and i handed it to him. but he didn't know where it was and i sure as hell didn't think i would've been able to direct him, so the grace of technology, in the form of his gps system, came in handy dandy.

while waiting at a red light, the cabbie noticed a bmw aboard a tow truck to our right, noted it a very expensive car and asked if i'd want to drive one. uh, how i do i tell him that 1) i entertain no thoughts of owning a car in korea, let a lone a bmw. and 2) i would never want to drive in korea, people here drive like maniacs! i politely apologized to him for my lack of korean and instead of the usual response of, "yes, your korean is awful!" he became curious and we had quite a nice exchange. he asked me why i was in korea when i could be in america? (my answer, to live and work in korea and to learn korean!), didn't i miss my mother (yes, very much so), do you eat out? (yes and i cook too!), what! you cook? (yes!), how old are you? (28), you should get married, soon! (uh...sure!) i made it to the center with 5 minutes to spare! i paid my fare and after i received my change, the cabbie told me that i was very pretty and gave me a really sweet smile. not the creepy mccreepy old nasty man smile, but the really genuine kind. a smile that made me want to ask him if he'd be my friend kind of smile. it'd been a while since i was told that i was pretty. i had forgotten how nice it is to hear those words...

training was a bit tedious. we went over company policies and basic grammar skills, and took tests of both. phew, i passed all my exams! the training was over! afterwards, the housing overview presentation took place and after that, i signed my contract and after that, i went with three other newbie instructors to meet a realtor who would show us a few housing options in pyeongchun, the area of seoul where i'll be working and most likely living.

my fellow pyeongchun coworkers--we were in different training groups so we didn't meet until the housing presentation today--david and chris are really cool, really young--as in graduated '07 young!--solid quality people. i'm excited to meet the rest of the crew...i spoke with the faculty manager today to introduce myself and he let me in on the in, anyone who's anyone, calls pyeongchun, "p-town." hollaaaaaaaaaaaa!!!

we were on the subway for about an hour from the training center to pyeongchun--looong ride--and there, we met michael, the realtor. he seemed alright, and we walked from the train stop about 7 minutes to our first of three housing visits. it was a nice place. it even has a little room, which can be used as a sleeping room--literally, only a bed might fit there--or a nice study area. all of us immediately liked it. the next places were very similar in layout, but, didn't have quite as nice a feel. and with each visit, i felt myself growing both 1) tired, as in wiped out. 2) anxious about finding a place that feels right and making a commitment to it. finding housing is different in korea, that's for sure, and there's quite a lot of fees. damn you fees!

michael is supposed to call me tomorrow to let me know when we'll see other apts in a different area, different area but still relatively close to work. i'm starting to feel confused. do i want to be closer to the friends i know and have made that live in the gangnam area or do i want to be closer to work? do i want a quieter pace of life at pyeongchun or do i want to be in the center of activity? what are the most important aspects? hmmm...things to ponder.
monkey gets his burger on:

guess what this one says? co-ca-colr-ra.

and this one? cuh-rean tah-ruhr (clean towel!)

it's official!

i have a job!!!!! i have a job!!!!! i sign the final contract tomorrow and i think i begin teaching as early as monday. oooooooooooh weeeeeeeeeeee! let the games begin, let the apt search commence, oh my goodness, i need a nap!

reflections

the stair railing at the training office:

greg, victor & me, in gangnam train station:

next to the yes & yes convenient store:

physical exam

follow the arrows:

this way to x-ray:

potato sack x-ray smock:

this morning, i went to the seoul medical center to get a physical exam. it's part of the job, you know, they want to make sure i'm not cracked out on anything or about to croak any time soon. i checked in and was instructed, in korean, to go upstairs--that much i understood--then the rest of his words blurred into incomprehension. so i followed what i knew. i went upstairs. to floor number 2. fortunately, there was an "information" booth at the entrance of the second floor, and i asked the nice lady, in korean, "excuse me, can you please tell me where to go?" and pointed to my sheet, where the room's name was written. she told me, "go straight and turn left." i thanked her and repeated the directions in my head. go straight. turn left. go straight. turn left. hmm? turn left where? i'd decided that i'd keep going straight until the only option remaining was to turn left. luckily, that stream of logic proved to be right! (ha, get it? right, left, right?) while walking down the hall, i noticed the floor was decorated with different colored lines, blue, white, yellow and red. what was up with those lines?

in room number 1, my height was measured by an automatic machine. i stepped onto the device and after about 5 seconds, a level touched my head and disappeared. my blood pressure was measured, as was the health of my eyes, hears and color-blindness. then, my chest was measured. i don't know the reason why a chest measurement was part of the exam--do they prefer instructors with bigger or smaller chests?--and was told to go to the x-ray room, just down the hall to my left. i looked down the hall to my left and in bold letters, it said X-RAY. sweet. so i changed into this funny looking shirt, sort of like a potato sack shirt, only heavy cotton and not itchy burlap, thank goodness. i held my breath, the x-ray was taken, presto, change-o. next, on the checklist: blood work. "where do i go?" i asked the technician. guess what he said! "follow the red line!" so what did i do? i followed the red line, which pointed exactly to the place i needed to be. such smart koreans!

my blood was drawn, i peed into a cup, and i was done. nice work, chong.

job prospects

in 2 weeks time, i've interviewed at 3 different companies. i've been given an offer at place a, waiting to hear back from place b and place c, while they are highly likely to hire me, is only part time, and girlfriend here, she needs to work the full time. why? full time provides benefits: a housing deposit allowance, and most importantly, stability: consistent work. shoot, i'm going to live here, for a year, maybe more--to be decided at the year anniversary--and there's some essentials that a woman needs: food, water, shelter. and then of course, some non-essentials that help make life more pleasurable: korean language lessons and shiny new camera on the top of the list.

i've been to day one of training at place a. (you go through an intense training week at the end of which you're tested on how well you know the teaching materials. if you know them well, you pass and sign the official contract and begin work promptly. if you don't do so well, you best start looking for another job.) and it is pretty gosh darn overwhelming. the serenity and flow i've luxuriously eased into here at chateau song, is being interrupted, albeit welcoming-ly, by mr. nervous and miss. anxious and ms. oh you know you got this girl sassy sassypants.

i'm going to prep and review my materials again so that i can be on top of my game for the mock evaluation this afternoon. wish me luck!

curious monkey

monkey befriends froggies:

monkey enjoys ramen:

monkey cruises an owl-ship:

monkey digs big money:

too much plastic--prlastic

when i was younger i used to wonder about my mother's fascination with plastic. she always packaged every fruit or vegetable in it's own crinkly, noisy plastic bag, compartmentalizing each grocery item in its place in the shopping cart. i think she in turn used to wonder why i didn't care for the plastic bags. she found them useful, and enjoyed their purpose in life, whereas i didn't want to use them unless there was an absolute need. i do admire the multitude of functions plastic provides, especially the invention of tupperware, but, in terms of bags, if i can reuse my canvas bags in place of using a brand new plastic one, that is my preference. and it's not a problem for me if my apples come into contact with the lettuce or broccoli. whatever. it's not that big of a deal. let them be merry together.

too often, plastic accumulates as waste (shoot! walk down the street and count how much plastic you see!) and i am trying to be very conscious about wasting little. now, i'm not up to date on the policies regarding the environment in korea, but the grocery store is a plastic reducer's worst nightmare. nearly every item--as in every individual vegetable and fruit--is packaged or shrink-wrapped. while it may make the stocking of shelves easier, it disheartens me. i really dislike coming home to unwrapping my onions or peppers or cucumbers and filling the wastebasket with clear plastic. what a waste! but this has shed light on my mother's propensity for plastic! it's such a korean thing to do. i did, however, learn something from theresa that gives me hope: for each new plastic bag you use, you have to pay for it. so, in that respect at least, korea is becoming more plastic smart.

a thought just occured to me: is it worse or the same, to purchase produce that is already shrink-wrapped in plastic or to wrap the produce yourself in a plastic bag? aha! it's worse to buy the shrink-wrapped version because at least with the bag, you can rinse it out and reuse it--which, my mom does, because she knows the beauty of the re-use. now it would really really awful is someone put a shrink-wrapped vegetable in a plastic bag. plastic in plastic? ridonkulous. please don't do that. ever. thank you.

50 cent treats

man making the best thing since sliced bread:

i've fallen in love. and it only it cost me 50 cents. it's the perfect mouth watering combination of warm, sweet, savory, and fried. oh yes. you don't even know, that is, unless you know. these damn fine treats are called hohndduk and you can buy them off the streets one at a time or by the half dozen.

on sunday, we met up with theresa's friend, don--who is one of the most easy to like and get along with people i've had the grace to meet--who is leaving korea after two years on tuesday. we took the train from seolleung to sinchon, about an hour's ride, and waited for him by the subway exit. i was taking photos of passersby while we waited in front of the 24 hours open mcdonald's, when theresa began explaining to me the greatness of them, the korean version of fresh, made before your eyes, donuts. i spotted a girl holding and eating (i was already getting food envy) what i thought was a hohndduk. theresa confirmed my suspicion and wondered, out loud, "ooh i wonder where she got that?..."

we soon discovered the stand where the girl bought her snack and soon thereafter, i feasted on my own. yum!!!! it's like a flattened doughnut, only better, because it's far chewier--i like chewy snacks!--and even while fried, it seems (of course, i say seems) healthy. hey! it's made from green tea! in addition to the chewiness, there's a sweet brown sugar and maple like filling that isn't at all overbearing, but a wonderful party in your mouth. man. i want another 5 of those. right now.

don, theresa and i ate lunch at a mexican restaurant called on the border, which is actually a funny name if you think about it, did they mean south of the border? when we entered the restaurant, we were greeted by lots of hello's and welcome's, i was surprised by everyone's gusto! theresa told me that that's common, but, shoot if i didn't just feel like i was greeted by 7x that annoying dude with lots of flair from office space, only, not annoying and more cutesy. it's also really adorable to hear koreans say, adios and gracias. ha! and, guess what? the food was good! not el rinconcito or el tamarindo, washington dc good (i'd name some restaurants in sud america if i'd been to any...that continent is next on the ever expanding list of places to visit!) but still very good.

don has bestowed upon us goodies that he's not taking back with him to the states. goodies like books in english, nyquil (2 bottles--sheesh don, 2 makes it seem a bit suspect!), highlighters, which koreans called under liners, speakers, sumo-wrester playing cards, and a raven's basketball hoop (MD, holla!), among other sundry items. theresa will definitely miss you don, and though we've only just met, i'll miss you too! you are good peoples! start planning your visit back to korea, now, homie!




theresa clowning around, get it? clown-ing, around? wah!

don and monkey share a moment:

from scratch

humpty dumpty had a great fall:

cocoa & butter, yummers!

batter, batter, batter up!

brownies ala mode:



theresa and i have a lot in common and one of the funnest similarities is our undying love and appreciation of good food. not just good food, but goooooooooooooooood food, say it with me now, goooooooooooooooood food! mmmmmhmmm! we've recently shared some highly delectable feasts: spinach, onion, garlic and potato frittata with a mixed green salad tossed with a zesty balsamic vinaigrette; spinach, onion, garlic and potato pancakes--hey! you gotta use the ingredients you have on hand, waste not want not!--with another delicious salad; and tonight! we even made brownies from scratch, yep, that's right. from scriggity, scraggity, scratch! it was divine. now, i love most things chocolate, but warm, fudgy brownies served a la mode with sliced bananas. hot damn. i say, HOT DAMN!

i've been sleeping a lot these past couple of nights and it's doing my body wonders. it is kicking this cold of mine to the curb. sayonara sucka! apparently the air quality in korea, along with the water quality, particularly in seoul, is not so nice. perhaps that is the culprit of my sickness. probably that coupled with the fact that before my arrival to korea, i had been on the most irregular sleeping schedule, which usually puts one's body out of whack! wiggity wiggity whack!

speaking of wiggity wiggity whack, unfortunately my camera, my well-loved and amazing adventure-documenting companion has seen better days. i don't know why, but it's been on the fritz. getting all kinds of warped image on me, like it's suffering from nausea and making my photos tinted green or worse, producing images that don't look anything like the real thing. bah! stick with me, camera powershot, hold on, baby. i wonder if it can sense that i'll be upgrading soon, to a camera that will provide me with more than 3.2 megapixels. to (gasp!) a camera that is semi-professional? it would most likely be a canon, i've become a bit of a canon snob, and so, if any of you have camera recommendations, do send em my way. this is korea, afterall, what better place to stock up on electronic goodies?

foreign korean

today i ventured on the subway, alone. it was a good exercise in learning how to navigate the system and i've decided i'd like to make day trips for myself and explore more of seoul while i am currently, yet, hopefully soon not to be, unemployed. seoul, first of all, if i haven't mentioned this before, is humungous. like humungous, ginormous. and luckily, the subway system while expansive, is well marked and fairly easy to understand with stops marked in both korean and english and on some trains, they even announce each stop. also, there's a whole 'nother dimension to the subway system in korea, they are like underground mini-worlds, complete with convenient stores, rest rooms, clothing shops, restaurants, and vending machines.

my outing today was for an interview at korea poly school's headquarters close to the gwang heung chang train stop. it took about an hour and 15 minutes to get there from theresa's area known as gang-nam. korea poly school was started by korean-americans and korean-canadians otherwise known as gyopos. the best translation for gyopo is "foreign korean." yep, and i am definitely one of those. sometimes, the natives like to throw this in my face. on my way home from the train station, i bought some clementines from a street vendor who told me that i spoke korean poorly. greaaaat. thanks for the support, mate! tell me something i don't know! when i'm in a smartass mood, i want to say, "ahhh, but you still understood what i said, didn't you, sucka?!?!" in korean of course, but i don't have that down yet. so i must practice. yesssssssssssssssssssssss. practice, practice, practice.

i think the interview went well. the position was for an entry level management role that essentially acted like a coordinator between staff, students and their parents. i'm not sure if it's the best position for me presently and i'm not certain i'm the most qualified, but, i figure, i might as well remain open-minded and curious to whatever positions seem feasible and interview my ass away. i say i think the interview went well as opposed to fully knowing because my cold seems to have made me a bit stupid. i'm breathing through my mouth, since i have a congested and stuffy nose, and i wonder if that has hindered the amount of oxygen my brain is receiving. i feel like my actions are delayed, my wit, not so sharp.

my interview yesterday was at cdi, theresa's place of employment. it was a 2 hour process of interviewing, test essay writing, and a powerpoint presentation about the history of cdi. my interviewer seemed positive about offering me a position, and told me that i would know within a few days. i would like to work at cdi. i'm looking forward to teaching, to interacting with students and personally, to have funds to sign up for korean language classes. at this point, i am starting to feel a bit antsy about finding a job...so i'm trying to calm my anxieties by keeping things simple. by breathing in my fears (albeit through my mouth or wheezing nose) and breathing out peace. i'm practicing tonglen.

koreans interview in a style this is much more informal than in the us. first of all, there's no receptionist to greet you once you enter the office. it's just cubicle- land and therefore very confusing to me, the interviewee and newbie, to the office. yet once the interview is over, it is common and in my mind, a very formal practice where you are walked to the elevator by the interviewer, and you sort of awkwardly stand together and make silly small talk until the elevator arrives. that reminds me of times i've rushed saying goodbye to friends on the metro in dc and then you stand in front of the door, waiting to exit, feeling like an idiot for having rushed the goodbye when you're still standing on the train with your friend still sitting, also waiting until you exit the train.

it's time for me to nap and sleep away these cold symptoms. enjoy these subway shots.

clean and shiny subway floor:

subway restroom. grab your tp before you enter the stall:

i know you've heard of soap on a rope, but how 'bout on a stainless stick?

it's so orderly, the line up for boarding the train:

entertaining self portrait, while waiting for the train:

i love that this vending machine says, "it's cool!"

you see this guy everywhere. this way to exit:

daily assignments

kurt vonnegut once said do one thing that scares you everyday. thanks kurt, for that wise bit of advice. i'm taking it to heart and am giving myself daily assignments that accelerate my heartbeat as i push my boundaries of linguistic comfort.

yesterday, i even tackled two!
1) when one arrives to korea with the intention to live and work, like me, you have to go to the immigration office and file for an alien registration card. i know you need the arc to buy a cell phone and i'm sure i'll find out what the other perks of being a card carrying member are, once i actually receive it. i had all the documents i needed except for one. blast! thankfully, jin, my sister, is the bombdiggity and has helped me out by providing the v.i.d. (very important document) via email. (oh technology, you soooooooooo crazy, cuh-razy cool!) i needed to print out the v.i.d. and fax it to the korean immigration officials so i would ensure the delivery of my arc to me within 7-10 business days. i went to fedex/kinko's--yes, they're here too--and approached the counter. in korean, i asked, "does anyone spoke english?" all three staff persons looked at me with blank faces. hmmm, i think i know the answer to that question! that would be a no. nope. nada. negatory. i probably smiled a sheepish grin and timidly began to explain in korean what i wanted to do. and hellsyeah! the kinko's attendant understood me! copy? done. fax? done. scary thing that day? done. booyah!
2) in the afternoon, i joined friends greg and megan--theresa's friends and coworkers--for an afternoon of frisbee tossing in the park. it felt so nice to throw the frisbee and run around on soft grass, doing something so simple and so familiar in such a new environment. i had a moment then. i was looking around me, the river, the tall buildings, the train, the train stop, the groups of older men playing games--i think it is like a korean version of chess--cyclists, solo walkers with or without dogs, rollerskaters, children, parents, trees, fallen leaves...among all of this i thought to myself, "i am in korea." then i exclaimed to myself, "i am in KOREA!!!!" and i smiled. sometime before or after i had this moment of awareness, greg asked me for my help in translating a phone call from the gas company. he had been receiving notices, post its affixed to his front door, but he didn't know what they meant. he knew it wasn't about payment as he'd just submitted that. when i spoke with the operator, she informed me that they needed to stop by his apt to check up on the boiler and that they'd be doing it, this saturday. 10am. high five! i can do it! and i just did it again!

i woke up this morning with a nasty something something in my throat. it's the scratchies. just like that. i'm sick. i'm nursing it with water and my hot tea concoction of honey and lemon juice. i hope it leaves me as quickly as it arrived.

11.11.07

11.11 marked a holiday in korea called pepero day. what exactly is pepero day? it celebrates the creation of the ever sweet tasty snack which dominates the korean snack world, the pepero. i know it formerly as "pocky" and thought it was orginally japanese in creation. and a-ha! my suspicions are correct, as wikipedia states: "Pepero (빼빼로) is a cookie stick, dipped in chocolate syrup, manufactured by Lotte in South Korea since 1983. Pepero is a Korean snack which is a copy of the Japanese chocolate-covered cookie stick, Pocky."

sorry, pocky, it's pepero land here. happy (belated) pepero day!

long chocolate stick? oh jeez...

walk on the left, drive on the right

in october, my friend katie gave me a book about korean customs and etiquette, what to expect and what not to do. one of the most interesting things that she pointed out to me was that in korea, the number 4 is to be avoided at all costs. why? it's because the word for 4, sah, also happens to be the word for death. (deeeaaath!) the book mentions that often times buildings don't have a fourth floor because of this and as i was glancing around in theresa's elevator, i noticed that indeed the 4th floor is missing! have a looksey!

other cultural observations:
*while koreans drive on the right, everyone walks on the left.
*give and receive things with both hands--that's super courteous--but if you can only use one hand, make sure it is the right.
*take off your shoes when you enter homes.
*being barefoot is disrespectful so wear socks or stockings.
*don't expect people to say "i'm sorry" or "excuse me" if they bump into you. that's just how it is on the streets, in the grocery store, in the clubs. you're just gonna get bumped and it's not because people are being rude persay, but it's life.
*oh yeah, watch out for scooters and cyclists, they ride on the sidewalk, and are not afraid of people, cars, or buses!

this afternoon, i went to coex mall, an underground shopping center that is as overwhelming as the mall of america in bloomington, minnesota. there are stores galore, lots of cute shoes and shirts, sweaters and skirts, face products, make up, yadda yadda yadda, all things that i don't need or want and also don't want to be made to feel like i need or want. wellllll, if anything, i'd buy the food. oh man, the food displays were mouth-watering! but, i did not stray from my assignment. i went to coex on a mission! to find the store called artbox, where theresa told me i would see a variety of blank planners. mission accomplished. this one is great because it has pages for the months and then, pages for the weeks, so there's space to write--yay!

the first page of my new planner, hell's yeah i'm going to knit:
scooter, complete with hand warmers:

monkey is gearing up for the holiday season:

get crunk! with crunky chocolate:

regal lucy: