New Year and Making Korean Friends!

Hey all,

It's now 2013!!! Happy New Year!

I did have to teach on New Year, but that was alright. The kids were about as happy about it as we all were. Someone forgot you celebrate New Year on New Year's Eve so we all had to be in early on New Year's Day as well, but we all managed and Intensive Classes have begun, meaning we will all teach more and earn more this month.

My Intensive Class is a speech-writing class with the lowest level we teach. These kids are all about 12 or 13, and they're a lot of fun to work with, so it isn't so bad teaching them. They are all having fun too it seems, and they're fascinated by me. They're newer than most kids are at the school, so it's all still a novelty for them.

Case in point:
Usually I put my hair up for class, or we're wearing hats because it's cold inside. Today, however, I had it down, and so the kids got a good look at it for the first time. For those of you who are not aware, I'm a natural blond. That's really rare in Korea. I bent over to correct one boy's speech and the girl next to him suddenly goes "Oh!". Next thing I know, she's got hold of some of my hair (carefully) and is petting it and running her fingers through it. I just laugh and ask what she's doing. She goes "Teacher, your hair is yellow!" So I told her yes, and it had always been yellow, and that surprised her too. She asked if it had ever been brown or black (the only blonds she has ever seen in her life are fake blonds: Koreans who have dyed/bleached their hair), and cannot get enough of it. Every time I'm nearby, she's reaching for it now, fascinated by the color. That got the rest of the kids started so next thing I know I've got five of them around me, petting my hair, and wondering at the fact it is not only blond but soft as well, as though they thought it wouldn't be. These kids are really funny sometimes.

Anyway, New Years was good. It wasn't the usual party I'm used to (I've been spoiled at home), but we did all get together at Joseph and Alex's apartment with a bunch of Korean friends to celebrate. We had some really bad champagne and wiled away the hours. Twenty some people were never made to fit into the apartment, but we made it work. At about 1 am we got kicked out by the neighbors. In Korea they celebrate the Lunar New Year, so we were, in there view, just making noise for no good reason on a Monday night. The good thing about the fact Koreans don't celebrate it, however, is that the bars were still open, so we went there instead and they put up with us while we kept singing and drinking.

-Look how many of us fit into this little apartment! From the top down is Karla, Nina, and Bryan. Then from left to right are: Alex (behind the arm), Joseph (both hands in the air), Andrew (looking down), one of Alex's friends (with the red hat on), Robert (with one arm in the air, looking at the camera), Lindsey (next to Robert and his girlfriend), and in the corner Van. We didn't even all fit into the picture, and there are more people back in the hall in shoved into the corners as well.-


The other day we went out with some of the part-timers from CDI. They're about my age, and I'm the youngest teacher at our branch, so it was nice hanging out with them a bit. Martin and Daniel speak English (not fluently but they're still learning like we're learning Korean) and Emma and Nari bonded with us over K-pop stars that are topping the charts right now. We all went and got some dinner, then we went and got a second dinner across the road from the first place. We exchanged phone numbers so we will go out with them again sometime as well.

Daniel, Nari, and Emma at the first dinner place when we went out with the part-timers. Thanks guys!

Brooke, Van, and Martin at the first place. We ate fried chicken and a really nice Kimchijun, which is like a Kimchi pancake. It tastes a little like hashbrowns really.

This was the second place after Emma and Nari left us. Here's Daniel, Brooke, Van, Beks, Martin, me, and Amy!

Also, last weekend, Brooke, Amy, and I paid a visit to Seoul because Brooke and Amy wanted to go to a K-pop shop and I wanted to leave my apartment and take a look around the place too. We were going to go to a Tim Burton exhibit, but didn't make it in time that weekend, so it's in the plans for this weekend. While we were wandering about Seoul, it began to get dark, so here's a picture of the square near one of the palaces in Seoul that we passed. In the background, lit up, you can see Seoul Tower, but that will be a trip for when the weather is warmer!

Anyway, that's it for the week for now. Wishing you all the very best and a happy New Year!