autumn colors! (autumn in seoul.)

truths.

hand in hand. heart to heart.

when i took this photograph, my cheeks hurt from smiling so much, my heart was so full, so buoyant and so fabulously happy. i was walking hand in hand and feeling connected, heart to heart, with a very special someone. i am super grateful, blessed, and smitten! hearts and hearts and hearts! 

the beach is that way! (and this way and that way...)

my students are fabulously creative and insightful. even if they are times, loud and obnoxious, i have to remember that they are, in fact, KIDS! in 4th grade! who isn't loud and obnoxious at 10 years of age?!?

by this time of the year, my students and i have all gotten to know each other well (hard to believe it's already NOVEMBER!) and in addition to laughing about lost in translation moments and silliness in general, we share some really cute and sweet inside jokes!

i have one class in particular (we meet on tuesdays and thursdays) that is always requesting to see my muscles. earlier this year, i took delight in their shocked expressions as i flexed my biceps and triceps. some of them literally screamed--they had never seen such defined muscles on a woman!--while others were speechless. it was quite an entertaining moment!

sometime later, they made another request to see my muscles and i obliged. this time, however, i taught them the phrase "the beach is that way!" and pointed my finger from the left to the right to demonstrate the direction. we all had a good hearty laugh as they mimicked me and repeated the phrase to themselves.

and then! the best part! last week, my student abbey looked at me and said, "teacher! the beach is that way!" only she actually used both of her arms to direct me to the beach! i laughed and replied, "but abbey! is the beach in both directions?!?" when she realized the humor in her motions, she laughed as did the rest of the class. then she explained, "teacher, the beach really is this way and that way!" she referenced a funny korean commercial and changed the lyrics from korean to english to illustrate her point. she said, "this way, that way, this way, that way!" while she was "flexing" her muscles. that jingle caught on quickly in the class and pretty soon, we were all singing, this way, that way, this way that way! so creative, so witty, so sweet!

 abbey! the beach is that way!

abbey and erin! that way, this way, that way, this way!

storm fun.

this year for halloween, i dressed as a contemporary version of storm from the x-men. inspired by my blonde/silver/violet hair, i felt strong, foxy, and flirty! thanks to yoga, running and a few martial arts classes, i'm in the best shape of my life. not sure how long this body shape of mine will last (life is always changing!) so, here i am, to celebrate determination, fitness, and health!

halloween fun!

this past halloween, for whatever reason (maybe it's because i find it so much fun to dress up and go all out with dramatic theatrics!) i was in super festive mode, dressing up not only as a nerd (did i do that?!?) and storm from the x-men, but, i also went gaga, as in lady gaga! happy halloween!

mustache and lipstick!

oh you know, just your typical fun house shenanigans. never a dull moment with these two! hearts and hearts!

what a wonderful morning! (happy friday!)

this morning, i awoke with a sudden desire to get things done. in the famous words of elvis presley, the king of rock'n'roll himself, i was in "taking care of business" mode. my business included grading tests, cleaning house, and going to my pole dance class!

something wonderful is brewing in the air today--even the bus rides to my dance class were truly...something else. normally, a bus ride to itaewon isn't so full of noteworthy observations, but, today, magic! on the first bus, the driver greeted me with a lovely smile on her face (ooh! a lady driver!--wearing a proper bus driver uniform, complete with a striped tie and vest, sporting a sassy short perm and fuchsia lipstick!--a very uncommon sight!) and proceeded to greet everyone other passenger that boarded her bus. and it wasn't some sort of lame forced greeting--it was joyous every time, like she really valued each passenger's presence. beautiful.

on the second bus, i noticed an older woman--an ajumma--board and i immediately offered her my seat. my backpack, loaded with heavy books, was on the ground next to the seat and instead of simply leaving it there, she hoisted it (after giving me an incredulous look that stated, "what the hell do you have in here?!?")  and set it in her lap. i told her that she didn't have to do that, but of course, she smiled and ignored what i said, securing it safely by wrapping her arms around it. kindness given is kindness received.

i'm now sitting in a cozy coffee shop, the sunlight is pouring in from the windows and i'm still happily taking care of business.

happy wonderful friday morning!