Camping Party!

Friday night I had a date...with 8 korean 13 year olds. You're jealous, I know. I would be too if I were you.

The week before my kiddies came to me asking me to come camping with them. Of course I said yes. The teacher was surprised, and asked me multiple times if I wanted to go. I said yes each time.

So Thursday night, the teacher called to remind me about camping and to bring "spare clothes and a toothbrush" as my students would "prepare the house" for me.

So on Friday, I showed up to school, and the 6th graders came to make sure I was prepared for camping. They were excited that i said I was still coming :)

After lunch came and went, my other students asked if I was coming swimming with them (I usually ride the bus back to Jinan with them) and they were all a little upset that I wasn't going to be on the bus. But, I told them I was going camping with grade 6 and they seemed ok with that.

I hung out at the school until the 6th graders came to get me for CAMPING TIME around 3pm. And here's how it went:

Me & Co-teacher (CT)
The Boys: Mark, Jeep, Alex, Boss
The Girls: Crystal, Brownie, Victoria, Star (she recently changed her name from Christmas)

3:00pm - Boss comes to me "Teacher! Camping time! Let's go!"
I head with Boss downstairs, and the kids are hard at work setting up the tents. They show me where mine is to go, and Jeep and Victoria set it up. It's a single tent, so about the size of me and not much bigger.

Jeep making my house!

The boys made their own house - no tent involved!

4:15pm-ish - Now that my "house" is set up, it's time to prepare for the nights SCARE TEST! WOOOO. I trek up the mountain with Star and Victoria, and we place home made flags near the top. At night, we will break into groups and each group will have to come (in the dark) to retreive a flag. 

5:00pm - BBQ Party! Brownie has been hard at work getting dinner set up. She has made rice, ribs, hotdogs, steaks, and pork steaks for the group. I stuff myself silly. The students have a contest to see who gets the last little bit of Chilsung Cider from the bottle. I really wanted to cider, but apparently I had to judge the contest. The contest was "who can say the nicest thing to April Teacher" Ok, I can totally dig that contest!I was told "You're beautiful" "You are strong" "You're eyes are pretty" "You're English is good" - hahaha, I hope my English is good! Brownie wins, I was biased after her banging BBQ skills.

Brownie's cooking at its finest - BBQ party!

6:00pm - I'M STILL NOT DIGESTED but it's time to play a riveting game of Kick the Bottle. We had no can, so we had to modify it. There was hiding, tagging, kicking, and LOTS of running going on. I pretty much waddle everywhere. I shouldn't have eaten so much.

7:00pm - ICE CREAM SURPRISE! The principal comes by with a few other teachers and they have brought us ice-cream. Luckily, it was coffee flavored to give me some energy for the rest of the games!

7:30pm - Back to Kick the Bottle. After a few more rounds, it's time for JUMP ROPE CONTEST! Since I'm not a student, I'm in charge of being one of the rope rope turners. Not that exciting....I REALLY wanted to introduce double dutch, but I didn't think it would go over too well. Or someone would get hurt - probably me.

8:00pm - Jump Rope was stopped by new people arriving to the campsite. Oh, it's my students' parents! With more food! MORE FOOD?!?!? Watermelon, Steaks, etc. I am in trouble with all this food. I introduced myself to the various family members (in Korean), and avoided the fire pit with the food as it also had Soju and Beer....and I still can't drink due to LASIK.

8:30pm - I've now been given multiple slices of Watermelon, and have eaten them all.  I introduce the students to an American tradition - the watermelon seed spitting contest! I rep the Red/White/Blue well and win. I hope spitting isn't offensive. The parents are busy with their alcohol so they probably don't notice either way.

9:00pm - MOVIE TIME! We escape from the parents and head to the library. We have to walk in the dark and they students are already scared. I'm not sure they will bode to well in the SCARE TEST later, but we make it to the library. The students put on Matilda, and LUCKILY it's in English. Boy, am I happy I don't have to watch all my movies through subtitles. I don't know how they put up with subtitles all the time.

11:00pm - Movie is over and I hope it's bedtime. I'm wrong, of course. We say goodbye to the parents and family members and relax by the fire pit for a few minutes to prepare for the SCARE TEST!

11:10pm - SCARE TEST TIME! We break into groups - Victoria is too scared to go (even though she was with us when we set up the flags) so my group is just me and Brownie. The first group is Mark, Alex, and Star. They head off.

Scare Test buddies - me and Brownie!

11:15pm -  Me and Brownie head off with a flashlight. We decide to scare the 1st group as they come back, so we hide in a side street when we see their flashlight. We successfully scare them, YAY! They head back to camp, and Brownie and I continue on to the flags. The hill is steep up to the flags, so I only go halfway up. I make Brownie go the rest of the way, because I'm the teacher and I can do what I want. She comes back down with the flag, and we head back to the campsite. Brownie decides we should pretend there were no flags when we got there. Well, I can't argue with a good idea!

Once we got back, we hid out flag, then told the other groups that the flags were gone. Since the 3rd (and final group) had already left, the 1st group got worried that something had taken the flags! JUST KIDDING! We ran and got our hidden flag, and they thought it was a good joke.

11:40pm-the 3rd group returned, and we all put out flags into the fire and Brownie got to work making late night ramen (they pronounce it Ramyen here) but I was still TOO full from dinner/ice cream to have more food.

12:30am - FINALLY BEDTIME! We all got into our tents and it was lights OUT. I was exhausted, so of course I fell right asleep!

The night day I woke up around 7am (thanks to the sun, and the students waking at that same time) and after a few minutes, I packed up and then got a ride home with Mark's mother.

6th Grade Camping Trip.

Camping with my students....not a bad Friday night. It will DEF be one of those memories I keep, being able to meet my students parents, and bonding with the class outside of school.

Ghamsamnidah,
Apes :)

Kimchi...I get it now.

Ok, so when you think of Korean food, what's the first thing you think of?

 

Kimchi.

There's good reason. Kimchi is a STAPLE of the Korean diet. As in staple, I mean it is served with EVERY SINGLE MEAL. I wish I had something to compare it to in America that we eat with every meal...so let's just compare it to breathing. IT'S THAT MUCH OF A STAPLE.

Exactly.

Now, coming to Korea, I was prepared to try Kimchi. I do NOT like it. However, I have found some resturants that make it with a recipe to where I don't MIND it. Not saying I LIKE it, I'm just saying there are some places where I don't MIND it. 

I've spoken to many foreigners about kimchi and it goes like this:
 

Me: "Do you like Kimchi?"
Fellow Foreigner: "At first I didn't. But now I love it."

Ok. This ALWAYS confuses me. If I don't like something, I don't keep eating it until I do. I mean, DUH?! 

But, after over half a year here...I have finally come to understand Kimchi.

Oh, let me backtrack....you may be asking "What IS Kimchi?" Wikipedia describes it as "a traditional fermented Korean side dish made of vegetables with a variety of seasonings. In traditional preparation Kimchi was often allowed to ferment underground in jars for months at a time." Yeah, it's basically fermented cabbage with spices. NOT TASTY. 

But, Korea is one sneaky country. It sneaks it into some AMAZING dishes....kimchi stew, kimchi pancake, kimchi fried rice. Ok, maybe it's not really sneaky since it's in the name, but these dishes are quite tasty. Weird, since it has Kimchi. 

So....since you eat the delicious food such as the examples above, you are CONSTANTLY eating Kimchi without realizing it. 

Well, here's what happened to me:

I hadn't had Kimchi in a while (even when it's served, again AT EVERY MEAL, I don't eat it), nor had I had my FAV Kimchi Stew. Then, one day at school...I recognized a flavor. It wasn't exactly a delicious flavor, but it was a familiar taste. Kind of "homely" I would say. Then it hit me. IT WAS KIMCHI!

You get USED to Kimchi here sneaking into all your dishes that it just becomes a familiar taste. You may not like it, but your mouth recognizes it and is like "Oh, I haven't had you in a while, nice to have you back."

So there. I get it. Kimchi. I don't mind it now. AND I understand how people start liking it even if they started off hating it. 

Ghamsamnida,

Apes 

IMPROVED EYES!!!

Yup, that's right...I fixed my eyes. Well, I didn't fix them, my doctor did. LASIK SURGERY!!! Saturday I went to the eye doctor, ready for my appointment for them to cut up my eyes to make me see better.

Was I scared? YES!
Did I think I'd end up Blind? OF COURSE I DID!
Was I excited? Only at the prospect of no longer needing contacts/glasses!

I headed to the office and ran into 2 foreigners who were there for a checkup. They answered TONS of questions for me, but I'm not sure if it eased any of my fears. One of them said "It was the craziest thing I've done" and I responded with "Have you been bungee jumping?" and she replied "Yes." Oh. SCARIER THAN BUNGEE JUMPING?!?!? I don't know if I can go through with it....Oh, well. Just do it, right?

Whelp...it was time. The doctor called me upstairs, and I went into the waiting room and checked out all the "success" pictures. The doc (Dr. Kim)  knew I was scared, and he kept telling me "Don't worry"...but that only helps so much.  Then he leads me in to the operating room...it's all white, and looks like an alien lab. He puts me in the first (of 2) chairs. It's FREEZING so they put a blanket on me. I start thinking that maybe I don't need this surgery.  Then they tape over my left eye and tell me they are going to "make a flap" in my eye. Then I REALLY think about just saying no and getting up and leaving. But I don't, surprisingly. So they put something on my right eye (pressed down so it went under my eyelid so I wouldn't blink). Apparently it wouldn't hold, so they had to do it again. It was kind of annoying. Then the press a machine onto the thing in my eye, and I felt a little sting in my eye...and the flap was made. Then it was time to do the left eye. Luckily, the left eye thing went in fine, so that was nice.

Then I had to move to chair number 2...LASER TIME! They tape over my left eye again, and tell me to look at the green dot in front of me. They remove part of my eye (I won't even pretend to remember what part, or bother goggling). In 10 seconds the laser will start. And then in 15 more seconds it will be over. Then he put the piece of my eye back on (the lens maybe?).  And the right eye is done! Whew, on to the left eye. Same procedure, and then I'm done.

They send me back to the waiting room and they take a "souvenir picture" of me and Dr. Kim and give me as a keepsake. I mean, I thought perfect eyesight was a souvenir of itself, but apparently I was wrong. After Dr. Kim points out the red around my right eye (due to the placement of the "no blinking device" being placed twice - it will go away in 2 weeks), he sends me back downstairs to start my eye drops and wait for my 30 min checkup. I put my drops in every 10 minutes, and while I am waiting and dropping, I meet 2 other pairs of foreigners who ask about the surgery. They were shocked that I was up and walking around after it, and couldnt believe I had gotten it done just minutes before.

Then, it was checkup time! My checkup showed that everything was perfect, and I was on my way!

They put me in a fancy schmancy hotel down the street, and my the time I got settled, my eyes were starting to become light sensitive. So I turned off the lights and closed the curtains. Eventually, I had to turn off the TV as well. I felt like a vampire "NO LIGHT!! AHHHH!!" So I napped for about 10 minutes, and then my eyes started to sting, so it kept me from sleeping. So I tried keeping them open, but my eyelids were so heavy that wasn't happening. So for a few hours I laid in the dark, luckily with music playing, with burning eyes. It was SOOO painful! I thought for SURE this couldn't be normal..I even called the eye office to check, and they said it was. Well, I DEF didn't get warned about THIS! Eventually I was able to nod off. I woke up around midnight and my eyes were no longer burning. It was a nice feeling. I out in some more drops and went back to sleep.

In the morning, I woke up...AND I COULD SEE!! That's right, no reaching for glasses, no popping in contacts, no blurriness, just CLEARNESS. Well, my eyes were a LITTLE hazy, but WHO CARES! I headed for my 1 day checkup, where he removed the protective lens he had put in during my surgery ( may have left that out above).  He said all was perfect, and to abide by the rules for good recovery. Rules you may ask? Yup...here they are...

Eye Drops: Every 30 minutes
Antibacterial eye drops: 4 times a day (2 diff kinds each time)
NO RUBBING THE EYES!
No exercise for 1 week.
No strenuous exercise for 2 weeks.
No swimming for a month.
Sleep with the protective goggles for a month.
NO ALCOHOL FOR A MONTH.
I think there may have been some others, but those are the big ones.

So....good thing I'm broke from the surgery, as I can't spend money on drinking. Since I can't hit the gym for a week, it's a good think I can't drink.

Looks like it'll be pretty boring in my life for a little while...but then I will be back in action, with NEW EYES!!!

So LASIK...scary, but worth it.

NO MORE OF THESE FOR ME!!!

Sidenote: On Sunday, Jaclyn and I were shopping and every 30 min I stopped to put in drops. She said "People are going to think you're a druggie!" My response "I'm in Korea, people will see me putting drops in and know I just got Lasik" I think Korea may be the only place where you seeing people putting in drops and thinkg Lasik, not drugs. 

Welp, time for more eye drops!

Ghamsamnidah,
Apes

Me and America THANKS YOU!!!

So it's done. I purchased my ticket for my flight home back to the states for the holidays. I have a great deal of support in raising money for the ticket, so I'd like to thank those who donated....whether it was a little bit, or a lot.

Cousin Mark McEntee - Looks like we've got plenty of catchup time back in the US!

Kerry Gallagher - my Burma roomie, and fellow southern gal (in Thailand AND America!)

LK - One of my tripod legs, and fellow ADPi

Mike Avila - friend of my dad's and also hooked me this blog up to be in a magazine

Poppa Dukes - yeah, he wants me home :)

Jordan Ashworth - an old friend from good ol' Longwood! 

Lynn Vicente - She knows how much my parents want to see me 

Courtland Long - is there anything this broad WON'T do for me?!?!

Lil B**** - I couldn't have a better lil than her :)

Amy Bogozi - she knows the meaning behind "We live for each other"

Katie and Danny (and probably Rambo too) - They just want someone to pet sit :-p

Todd - Looks like another night of "engagement drinks" are in our future!

Leo - the BFF. 

Daw - a fellow wildcat getting me back to my roots.

Beaz -what would I do without this girl keeping me sane on ALL topics under the sun

My Godparents: Uncle Joe and Aunt Cathy

My "non cousin" Bobby and his wife, Claire - can't wait to see ALL my family again!

Matty B! - hopefully I'll get up to Boston to cause a much needed ruckus :)

Thanks again to all of you, I am so lucky to have such great friends/family/supporters to help get me home for the holidays I have been missing out on.

Thanksgiving, Christmas, NYE....here I come. Start the countdown, as I land on Nov 21st...America, be ready! :)

Ghamsamnidah,
Apes

My Dancers

Over the weekend my 3rd Grade students from Jinan Girls Middle School competed in a dance competition....and they WON FIRST PLACE!!! WOOO HOOO!!!

Today at school, they performed for us.

**Sorry about the missing sound?!?!?

Ghamsamnidah,
Apes

Why maybe Korea isn't right for me...

Yes, I know that Korea hasn't exactly been my favorite place. I thought it was because of the weather (I learned I don't like the cold) but after reading a post by one of my fellow travelers and friend, Shelby, I would have to say that she hit the nail on the nose on her post "First World just ain't my thing".

Now, many people LOVE Korea. Great, for them. But for me, it was a year that I can look back on and think "I am happy I did it" but def not "I want to do it again". Why? Well....after living in Thailand and Myanmar, everything was RAW. As in, no AC (also, no cold weather), no kitchens (I LOVE the feeling of "I miss cooking"), and living out of my backpack. When I was in SE Asia, I didn't collect as much as I did....because honestly, when it's hot out the last thing you want to do is spend all day shopping in a hot market, or think "Man, I'mma have to carry that with the rest of my stuff". I enjoyed the simple-ness of the life there. Yes, I hated carrying my own TP and Hand Sanitizer, I hated when I had to take bucket showers, but I loved so much more of life over there....no TV? Ok, I'll go outside. No internet? Fine, I'll have facetime with the locals and other foreigners.

The experiences have been different, and I will say - I loved being in a 3rd world country. Even with the problems I encountered, I feel I was the most relaxed, and most simplistically happy then I am in a 1st world country.

Don't get me wrong, I still am going to Europe for a few months, and I am sure I will enjoy my time immensely, but there will always be a part of me that longs for my 3rd world lifestyle....maybe that means I will have to just go back for an extended stay.

Ghamsamnidah,
Apes :)

My students are performers!

Check out a mash up of videos I took when my Elementary students were performing for the families.

Ghamsamnidah,
Apes :)