free hugs

the weekend has been a good one.

friday was quiet. i have been working on report cards.. this month the kiddies have been pretty good and there were a few times i had to resist not leveling up kids because.. well.. they're cute and bring joy to my life.. honestly there's this one little girl who has named herself 'sunny'.. and seriously, she rivals any kid i have ever seen for cuteness.. she gets so excited in my class that she can't sit down.. and is so short and small that she hangs off the desk.. one time in the two months that i've known her i caught her without a smile.. she was sad and crying because she was given retest by one of the other teachers.. these gigantic tears were pouring down her face and i had to fight tears myself.. <<< holy biological clock batman! seriously though, i still don't want kids.. but i like renting others out for short periods of time..

saturday i headed downtown to run some errands and kill some time.. the weather was nice, and i'm lovin livin on the subway line this year.. i ran into tristan and we spent the afternoon together spending money and eating candy covered strawberries.. i thought strawberry season was over! also, there were a bunch of college kids downtown holding 'free hugs' signs.. so i monopolized on that.. getting many free hugs.. sometimes going back twice to the cute boys, and perhaps holding on a little longer than socially acceptable.. meh.. whatever.. after going home for a nap, i went downtown again to meet a friend.. there were a bunch of new, off the boat foreigners there.. they were all bright eyed about the 2 or 3 weeks they've been in korea.. though it can be annoying, it's also nice to see korea again through their eyes.. i'm such an old, jaded veteran that i sometimes forget the things that are normal and dull to me now were once so new and exciting.. ended up meeting up with some more people and despite my objections went to a foreigner bar.. i was pretty good though, ended up in bed by 3:30.. which is early, korea time..

today i've been productive.. cleaned my apartment.. worked out.. did some writing.. it's raining so there was no hiking..

so i didn't get everything i wanted out of the weekend but that seems to always happen.. it's so easy to fall into the same pattern here.. BUT next week should be somewhat easy.. the middle schoolers have exams soon and we have 2 exta days..

have i mentioned yet how much i AM NOT looking forward to turning 25?

it's true!

the phrase, 'it's just like riding a bike' that is.. on sunday i went with andrea to gyeongju.. been there before but never with the leaves changing.. quite pretty.. we went to bulguksa and then headed to a lake to do some biking.. i personally think i rocked it after a decade long hiatus.. it really makes me want to test out the validity of other metaphors..

i have tons of good pics, but for some reason i think because they are from andreas camera and in a different format or something they won't upload.. and that's frustrating.. i have funny stories but refuse to tell them without a visual.. so you all get nothing! nothing i tell ya!

in anycase we had a fab time, as we always do.. and after all the walking and biking decided we needed to treat ourselves.. so we went to a jimjilbang for a soak and massage.. the soaking was relaxing but the massage wasn't. i don't really know how to describe it. it was a complete naked massage in the middle the the bathhouse, which is cool. first she scrubbed me down.. and hard.. and left no area unattended.. this ajumma has seen me in more unflattering positions than anyone in my life.. then she began her massage.. which involved no rubbing.. first she stood on my back for awhile (for some reason in thailand this was good, but here, not so good.. not so gentle).. then she started to hit me.. with a cupped hand.. repeatidly.. so i'm in agony.. but everytime she smiles and asks me if it's ok i say 'cuncheneyo'.. 'its ok'.. becausei don't want to be that lame, wimpy foreigner.. almost crying, from pain, and also hilarity we leave the bathhouse.. oh and i'm bruised.. literally bruised from the massage!

so that was sunday, now it's thursday.. inbetween there i have worked a lot, slept a little.. went to a seafood buffet with work which was good, but too much food.. and i know i say this all the time but i'm HOPING for a quiet weekend..

another corporate day

so peppero day is upon us once again.. incase you forgot, or don't read my blog as avidly as you should (i hold that you can answer all lifes questions here).. this is the holiday begun by the company that makes peppero.. it's this delicious.. well, not delicious, but ok cookie/chocolate thing.. i have mountains of the stuff on my desk now from the children.. in terms of obvious corporate ploys this is pretty in your face.. i'd say even more so than valentines day and christmas.. the kids were cute though, and hyper.. and coincidentally this 'holiday' landed on the same day that i'm done my medicine.. so i actually ate some.. and now have a sugar hangover/headache..

the weekend is shaping up to be a good one!

giving into western medicine

went to a western doctor today with kmom.. got some xrays done.. 20,000won.. apparantly i have sprained both my ankle and my wrist.. the wrist i was surprised about.. not so shockingly the advice i got from the doctor was, 'if it hurts when you bend it, don't bend it." "use a hot pad". wooo.
i also had some physio.. now i don't know what it's like at home (because, due to the different longitude/latitude i am unable to be mobile without injury here, but am ok at home.. seriously).. but here it involved.. a hot pad.. some electricity, shocking stuff.. and a green lightbulb.. whenever at hospitals here i am always surprised about how i feel like i've gone back in time at least 30 years..

oh, and a really cute korean baby cried when he looked at me today.. that does a lot for the ego..

at least it's friday.. wooo < sincere.

more updates

so not much to report other than i still have a cold.. i told this to my doctor and she injected me with something in my back.. and then my neck.. IN my neck.. they're running out of places to stick needles.. i do have my limits though.. and i'm going to a western doctor on friday to get an xray.. i think i sprained my ankle..

weekend plans: korean club with korean friends.. apparantly as a girl i sit at a table and ask the waitor to bring me good looking men.. i think i might like this system.. sunday is hiking, if the weather is nice..

the weather here is stupid..

it really is..
one day it's hot, another really cold.. because of this i have a cold now.. i had a sneezing fit in my last class today, which apparantly was hilarious.. anyways, i'm going to see if the doctor tomorrow will do something to cure me.. maybe my doctor has the cure for the common cold..

other than the weather and my sickness things are so-so.. it seems that the more tired i am the more hyper the kiddies are.. except for one middle school class.. very low level.. and it's an effort to get them to say hi.. it is my goal to make each of them laugh at least once in class.. i consider it a half-victory if they crack a smile..

the weekend was uneventful.. i don't have too much to report, other than tomorrow is russ' bday and i'm so sad that i'm missing another one.. :(

i'm off to go crawl under 20 blankets in the fetal position..

shock me!

alrighty, so to update the doctor situation - i'm on some more meds.. my wrist is feeling better but my ankle keeps getting re-injured.. the newest treatment they are doing on me i'm not quite sure of the purpose.. they now stick acupuncture needles in my tummy (about 10) and then hook it up to electricity and shock me for 15 minutes.. i think i will continue to go just to see what they do next.. it's like a mildly painful, yet intriguing torture house.. i swear they snicker in the back about what they can do to me next.. i've also noticed that they always pre-empt the treatment with a compliment.. jennifer, you are so pretty.. insert needle in back.. jennifer, your eyelashes are so long.. begin shocking stomach.. jennifer, you are so beautiful... inject the middle of my foot with .. well, i don't know what.. anyways, i've talked a guy from work into going with me on monday..

on other fronts..
last weekend was the halloween party.. it was fun.. i just wore some chinese silk.. nothing fancy.. actually, it was a little fancy but no effort was involved.. the best part was going through mels closet to see what costumes we could come up with..

speaking of mel.. she has decided that her and i are going to spend the next few years together.. we will work in korea for this year and next, paying off debts, saving up for the future.. and then we are off to do some heavy travelling.. involving india, tibet some of africa and south america.. this sounds fabulous however i'm not sure if i could mentally handle another whole year in korea.. and of course financially things would have to work out.. but i know mel would be a fabulous travelling buddy.. and it is the opportunity of a lifetime.. as she says, the time is now.. and frankly, she's right..

will keep you updated

much love