funny faces

my students make the funniest faces and the loudest sighs when they take their review tests. it's a struggle for me to keep a straight face. they scrunch up their eyebrows and wrinkle their noses in concentration. they poke their cheeks, pat their foreheads, fidget with their fingernails or study their pencils in hopes of remembering the correct answers. i wish i had a secret camera that captured the funniest of faces, the ones that earnestly make my heart melt. yes, i am now most definitely, a teacher.

insadong

insadong is the new old korea. here you can get a commercial glimpse of what old korea was like, but without leaving the city. various shops sell ceramic ware and tons of trinkets: masks, keychains, bookmarks. it's a tourist attraction, but not an overwhelming one.

ceramics:

colorful keychains:

running with dalki and gang, korean characters:

i was reminded of justin timberlake, 1) cut a hole in the box:


dduk, a traditional korean food, is made from rice flour and filled with various centers, from sweet bean mixtures to an even sweeter sesame and brown sugar filling. when i was younger, my mom made the sesame centered dduk and it always made me happy. i loved biting into the soft and chewy cake, eager to get at the center with its sticky sweetness. homemade, as in made from scriggity-scratch, can be exhausting work. in insadong, the dduk man gave my friend amber and me a hand at pounding the batter. the dduk stuck to the giant wooden mallet with fierce force! i laughed at amber when she scrunched up her face trying to raise the mallet. and when it was my turn, i made the same exerted face! deceivingly hard work!

amber, victorious with the dduk mallet:

smack down! (dduk man, taking a break)

cancellations

during this time of year, middle school students go through a testing period and because of this, a bulk of my second classes have been, are, and will continue to be canceled. i love it. love it. my co-workers and i share dinner at decent "normal" hours, at 8-ish instead of at 11. amazing. oh the simple joys!

they ARE listening!!!

last night, my reading class delightfully entertained me. a month ago, we discussed the dangers of introducing new species of insects--think beetle, moth, etc--to environments that are incapable of defending themselves against the intruders. while not an insect, i immediately thought of the kiwi bird. to demonstrate the effects of invasive species, in this case, smoats and ferrets, i portrayed the kiwi bird in a defenseless light by saying that the kiwi was such a poor bird! over-exaggeration and dramatization work wonderfully in keeping students alert and attentive!

i told them the kiwi can't fly, can't see well and can't run fast--three strikes against the "poor kiwi bird!" (oofda! i now realize that i taught my students myths! yikes! 2 out of 3 are myths! so, i'll have to correct myself next week...they may forever remember me as the "poor kiwi bird" teacher.) and lo and behold, this week's lesson was on...drum roll please! BIRDS! guess which bird nearly every student remembered? oh yes. the "poor kiwi bird!"

they repeated my phrases, word for word, mimicking my exact tone and emphases. wow. they ARE listening!!! ooh, i better watch what i say!

cherry blossoms

my face still hurts

in an effort to help clear my skin, i got a facial yesterday. i thought it would be relaxing and therapeutic. holy shit balls. it was one of the most painful things i've ever experienced. i am in awe that i voluntary put myself through the torture. okay. so maybe, just maybe, i'm exaggerating. a wee bit. but seriously, ya'll, it was baaaad.

my brief skin history:
looking back on old photos, i realize that i've never had model skin. i've had blemishes of course, but the red marks afterwards never lingered as long as they currently do. wtf?! it's a bit awkward for me to admit that i've become very focused on getting clear skin--shoot! who likes to feel self conscious?! i think it's because i've not had this severe of skin problems before. after a few months of over-active acne (think ruptures, think O-U-C-H!) i sought out a gentle cleanser, benzoyl peroxide and a light moisturizer that (after 2 months of use) has really helped my skin's appearance. i've since had very few break-outs, but, still have annoying red marks.

in order to make well informed decisions regarding my skin, i've asked friends, family, and have also referred to the internet, for explanations. a facial is supposed to clear up your skin, unclog pores, and all kinds of other good results for your skin. from my first facial, i knew that they unclogged blackheads but, that compared to yesterday's facial was a piece of cake. if i had 20 popped then, i got about 500 popped yesterday. no joke. i started tearing up, then crying. shit. is it worth it?!?! i don't know...i'm still on the fence. my face looks like someone took a brillo pad and scrubbed it, it's that red and SORE! see for yourself:

it's fascinating (and let's be honest here, a bit twisted) to think about what people, women in particular, put themselves through for the sake of "beauty." i'm still trying to understand what it means to me...a continuous work in progress.

shameless

yesterday i walked to school, sulking. i was tired and the rainy weather only made me feel more so. it's mid-term time which means that my students have begun to care a little less. they also seem to have the attention spans of goldfish and i don't blame them. i think i've one foot dangling in the lazy goldfish bowl, too.

i didn't necessarily dread teaching, but, i wasn't looking forward to it. my students, however (only 5--my favorite number to teach) were energizing and too cute for me to remain crusty. it's in this class that i feel like we are true collaborators in education, rather than having such a distinct separation between teacher and student. this class, i shameless admit, is one of my favorites. (shhh!!!) i'm also shameless in it. i completely lied to them. (again, shhhh!!!)

last wednesday, i told them that if everyone completed all of their homework assignments, i'd treat to them bread. no just any ole bread, but tasty rolls with cheese and nuts. (it may sound weird, but it's quite yummy!) and guess who forgot to buy bread!!! how embarrassing. i couldn't tell my students that i forgot, so i lied. i flat out lied and said that i put the bread in my locker and since my co-workers and i share food, they must've thought they could eat it. yep. so i blamed my co-workers. i'm such a role model. luckily, when i told them that they were entitled to bread next week, they cheered. note to self: don't forget to buy bread...good grief.

spring blossoms

what the book

not too long ago i went to the itaewon neighborhood, which in seoul, is known as foreigner's delight--delightful indeed! my friend and i had a culinary feast at an indian restaurant! there's "hooker hill" which i didn't check out (next time, next time) because my mission was to specifically investigate a new and used bookstore called, "what the book." ha! i love plays on words! i've returned to my voracious reading ways and it feels so good to read! TO READ!!!!! to have the mental energy and time and space to read...it is awesome. i've finished reading all over creation by ruth ozeki (who also wrote the fabulous book, my year of meats) and norwegian wood by haruki murakami. next on my list is kim edwards' the memory keeper's daughter. i love books!


i also love food. eat & drink? yes please, thank you.

63 skydeck

my "amelie" moment

yesterday, i saw a blind man walking in the middle of the road. a parking lot attendant approached and guided him in the right direction towards the station. overhearing this, i told the blind man that i was also going to the subway station so we could walk there together. i put my arm in his and he stopped using his guide stick. the day was beautifully spring, sunny and crisp. i told him in korean, "nice weather today, don't you think?" my accent was a dead giveaway to my non-nativeness and he replied, "you're not korean, are you?" i smiled, and said, "no, i'm an english teacher." when we approached the steps, i warned him to step down or step up. i helped him get his ticket and walked him to his waiting spot (we were going in different directions) where he thanked me and we said goodbye. it's moments like those that make me feel peacefully connected to strangers, where kindness is given and received.

mirror mirror...

koreans are constantly checking themselves out: fixing their hair, picking their teeth or simply admiring themselves. on the street, most definitely on the subway and just about anywhere else. there's no shortage of reflective surfaces, they are everywhere! check me, checking mirrors out:

the stairwell at work:

bowling fun:

in an elevator:

at the yeoido subway station:

at the 63 skydeck:

genius

my students say some of the funniest things. this is irony at its finest. when a student gives an excellent answer, i'll compliment him with an exuberant, "yesssss!" and, being sincere, modest (ahem) obnoxious and a bit too proud, sometimes, he, the student, proclaims to the class, "i'm genius."

uh, excuse me?!?!
"you're genius?" i ask. smugly, he nods yes.
then, i write the sentence "i'm genius." on the board and ask the class to correct it. someone usually inserts an "a" in the sentence. "i'm a genius."
a-ha! i smile, that's right! remember, i tell them, if you are a genius, don't forget the "a!" it's silly how many times i have repeated this genius lesson. geniuses schmeniuses!