another countdown..

4 more weeks of work until i finally get full weekends. 6 day weeks are exhausting. i don't mean the work or the hours, but just not being able to have a real rest or go anywhere. so we're all counting down to the new year.

i've gotten some cards and letters in the mail for my birthday.. i'm very excited but havn't opened any of them because i'm going to wait for the day.. december 6th incase any of you have forgotten!

it's monday.. time to get back to the grind.. this week has 2 extra days though, so that means some fun and games.. not to mention, the middle schoolers have exams.. good for me, too bad for the kids... wah wah..

they really do work hard though. apparantly when the kids are writing their exams, all of the schools, even the elementary ones are closed just so there are no distractions for the exam writers.. also, they post extra security on really high buildings because some of the kids have jumped off before because they didn't do as well as they wanted to on their exams. scary.

finally fall

well.. summer is officially over... i know back home you're all dealing with snow so i shouldn't complain...

so it's sunday, my favourite day of the week. this weekend i went to a movie with some friends... on the way back we discussed blood types. here it is believed that your blood type reflects your personality. my blood type is an A and so that means that "i'm most likely to get thrown in an insane asylum" , "i'm timid", "i take things personally" , "i'm organized"... and some other things... Apparantly i should be happy that i'm not a B. So we saw Elizabethetown which was such a great movie. marla was crying and convulsing beside me. i, of course was a rock. i don't cry at movie theatres.

today i'm going to go downtown with marla i think, maybe go to the english bookstore and then out to dinner. only a month and a half before i get a real weekend!

oh! and 16 days till my birthday!! i'll be 24 in canada and 25 in korea. here when you are born you start off at 1. so THAT means, i'll round to 30 here... :( i'm excited because some people are taking me to pusan for the sunday before my birthday... i'm still going to miss being with people from home... it will be the first time in... oh... 8 or 9 years i havn't gone out with the same crowd of people for my birthday. PLUS, no cheesecake from nana...

i'm sure i'll find some way to manage :)

anyways, i'm off.. miss you all..

my first auction

it's been a few days since my last entry... things have been a little stressful... our boss is micro-managing us and coming to evaluate every teacher, especially the foreign ones tomorrow... so we're all balls of stress... the good news is that starting january we're going to be having saturdays and sundays off.. that leaves more room for travel and bascially more spending opportunities.

i got up early today to go to a TIWA auction. TIWA is that charity organization that does a lot of work for the community... i got all dolled up (had to borrow heels from marla)... there was an amazing lunch and i got a present for mom... bidding wars are fun (when you win)

i'm trying to relax now before i have to go into work.. it's starting to get chilly here.. i broke out the winter coat for the first time this morning.. summer is officially over...

miss you

traditional market and pain in the ass children

first off HAPPY BIRTHDAY RUSSELL!!! i miss you dearly.

ok.. so i got up earlyish today and headed to a traditional market in the city.. saumun market i think it was called... it was really cool.. i got some christmas gifts to send home, things were a pretty good price.. there was a lot of hustling and bustling... i enjoyed it all except for the caged puppies that were for sale... to be eaten :(

so i made it to work 3 classes were good.. but ugh.. .there was one class that made me want to jump out the window.. i wanted to cry out of frustration and our director is away so i didn't have that normal threat...

AND tomorrow i'm getting evaluated! yay! nothing like evaluations to make you relax...

market was good though... i'm told to focus on the good... i'm going for a hike tomorrow morning too so that will destressify me... (i'm allowed to make up words)

another sunday

well i'm laying in bed.. i was planning on going for a hike this morning but it's raining... the last thing that i want to do is to get lost in the mountains while it's raining!

last night i went to a movie with marla... i went and saw the corpse bride with her.. i am not a tim burton fan and to my horror after 3 minutes of the movie we discovered it was also a musical. she now owes me 2 movies for subjecting me to that. the only redeeming feature was that johnny depp was the voice of the main character.. he didn't sing.

after the movie marla took me to this little whole in the wall bar she had sung at awhile back. it was alright, very dim, lots of couches. i ran into some moonkkang people there (that's the school i work for.. there are many branches around the city).. i have a feeling that the place is not the nicest once fully lit.. in anycase we were proud that we even managed to find it..

today after it stops raining we're going to go downtown again and shop.. i'm going to see if i can find any christmas presents. after we're going to get some western food.. probably bennigans... AND marla thinks that i need some girly shoes.. so she's taking me shopping for those.. i'm quite useless when shopping for girly things.. anything beyond hoodies and sneakers is beyond me.. it reminds me of when meg would take me to a store, and completely dress me and tell me what to buy... being really girly has never been a skill of mine.. hey, at least i wear normal sized pants now! (right mom!!?)

i SUPPOSE i should get up and get goin... miss and love you..

jen xoxo

am i part of the census?

hi all... i'm just sitting here watching ambush makeover.. continually being confused by the south korean choices for english television.. i have never seen so many episodes of "the nanny" or "magiver (sp?)"... no wonder i'm constantly giggled at by small children, all they know of us is what they see on tv... i'm sure that they would expect me to screech at them with a high pitched voice and then create a hockey rink with only a paperclip and a piece of bubble gum..

joking of course...

so i've been doing a lot of hiking as of late.. i went on wednesday and left my normal trail to follow the stream of people headed in a much more steep direction than i usually take.. i walked, was passed by a number of people at least 60 years my senior and eventually climbed to what can only be an alternate universe.. at the top of this mountain was an excercise park.. there were senior citizens hanging from monkey bars, women using hoola hoops.. and then a bunch of people playing badminton.. i was totally impressed... at home i would never consider climbing a mountain to play badminton.. admit it, you wouldn't either..
on the way back i got lost.. my strategy was to just keep heading down.. i thought that once i got off the mountain i'd be able to find my way... well as i've said many many times everything here in this city looks the same.. after stumbling around for 20 minutes i found someone and used all the survivor korean i know and got someone to point me in the right direction.. i finally got home after 2 hours of trekking... i collapsed on my bed and called marla who proceeded to just laugh her ass off at me.. what are friends for? i went again yesterday but brought my cellphone with me.. of course THIS time i didn't need it...

i work tonight and tomorrow and then on sunday marla and i are thinking of going shopping.. we just got paid last week so i guess we should spend some of that money.. maybe we'll find a western restaurant.. sometimes i need a break from rice..

better go and get ready to entertain some children .. or at least bore them.. how i wish i could appreciate TGIF.. working saturdays sucks!!!

love you
jenny xxoo