Another one bites the dust.. Me!

Most of you have probably heard already, but I am now the 4th new staff person to be on crutches this semester. We've decided we are cursed and those who haven't been struck yet are getting a little worried. :-P Thanks to a little accident at staff volleyball Wednesday night I am now struggling with a fractured fibula and the idea of being on crutches and in a cast for 6 weeks. This presents more of a problem than it seems, not only because I walk everywhere, but also because I leave for Thailand on Saturday! I will be getting a new cast on Friday, I got new crutches today, and I am getting help from good friends to clean my house and pack my bags tomorrow. Then, despite my injury, I will be all ready for a little rest and relaxation. It's been difficult to change my expectations for the trip, but now that I have, I am looking forward to it again. I will still be able to enjoy the warm weather, lay on the beach, ride an elephant, and see the snake charmers. I just hope we don't have too much walking! I am going to call the airport though and get wheelchair service for the air travel parts of the trip, which will allow us to avoid standing in any lines and board the plane first. hehe.

I am surrounded by such amazing people that my spirits haven't dampened too much. I have been getting lots of help doing everything which is cool. My friends even brought the party to my house last night so that I didn't have to walk anywhere. Also, although the timing might seem completely awful for an injury like this, in some respects it is just as good a time as any...many better. This week at school has been a breeze. We have been celebrating Christmas, meaning that I don't have to stress out about planning, being on time, or even moving out of the workroom much. Today I led the board games track (just like SEW). I was supposed to go caroling at the children's ward in the hospital, but I had a good time playing Scrabble...even more entertaining with ESL students. (Is fod a word? What about nome? knof? phuk? hahaha). In the afternoon about 100 students and faculty went ice skating. Luckily that didn't produce any injuries, however some kids claim they fell over 15 times! I stayed behind and watched a movie with the 30+ kids who didn't want to go. We watched Millions. I had never heard of it, but it was a pretty good movie. Now, we just have two more days left. I am going to be making horchata and tortilla chips with my Spanish classes. Mmmmmm!

Winter is here!

Well, winter has officially set in here. Not only have the highs been below 0 (celcius, that is), but Friday morning I awoke to see snow falling outside my window! This weekend is definitely the coolest is has been so far, but that didn't spoil it. On Friday night I ran the scoreboard for the basketball games...4 in a row! Then, on Saturday morning I got up early to go to the MS swim meet at KIS (click link for pictures). The ride there was early and freezing. I think there was a problem with the heat on the bus because the windows had ice forming on the inside. It was nice and toasty in the pool area though. Everyone had a good time at the meet. Although most of our swimmers are beginners, they were excited about their swims all the same. Some of them did really well and it was good to see them succeed; especially those who don't exactly succeed in school. Saturday night it was so cold I didn't want to leave my house, but luckily a friend called and I enjoyed a night of hot tea and card games. It was a lot of fun. Then, today after church I went to a local orphanage. We had pizza with the kids and then had a Christmas party. Santa was there and delivered the gifts we had brought. It was great, but it was the first time I was really frustrated not knowing Korean. It definitely motivates me to keep studying. Now I just have to find the time!

Thankfulness

Since Thanksgiving was this past week, I have been trying to take time to think about all the things I am thankful for. I have realized that they are numerous. Of course, I am thankful for the normal things...a loving family (who is coming to visit me soon!) and great friends. But I am thankful for much more than that. My life has been truly blessed. I am so thankful for the opportunities I've had to live all over the world and experience new and different things. I'm thankful I have a job that I love and to which I enjoy going most days. I'm thankful to have colleagues that are incredibly supportive and caring and willingly teach me how I can improve. I'm thankful that I am financially stable and am able to spend money on myself and my travels often. :) I'm thankful to have a job and lifestyle that allow me to travel. I'm thankful that my life has purpose. I'm thankful for friends who challenge me. I'm thankful for strangers who encourage me. I'm thankful for my safety; something that is usually taken forgranted, but has been on my mind since people from my school left Mumbai (even the same part of town!) just 1 day before the terrorist attacks. I'm thankful that I always have people to lean on...near and far. Life is so good, and there is so much to be grateful for. When I stop and think about it, it amazes me.

This week was a good one. On Tuesday I received a package from people at Central. Inside were about 100 notes of encouragement. Some were from friends and others from complete strangers, but all of them brought a smile to my face. Not to mention a few tears at the incredibly kind words and rush of memories from school. It was great. Then, on Friday, Bethany came to Daejeon to visit me. It was a blast...we ate a lot at Thanksgiving dinner on Friday night then went to a DVD bang. On Saturday we spent the day shopping for xmas gifts, decorating my apartment, eating French toast, and hanging out at a coffee shop playing uno and dutch blitz. :) Sunday was church and shopping at Costco before she caught the train home. It was awesome to have her here; it's so fun to have such a good friend in Korea, too. Someone to share my experiences here.

Alegria

Alegria means happiness, but I didn't name this post just because I am happy. Alegria is the cause of my happiness! Yesterday was a very productive day. In the morning I did my dishes, cleaned my house, and did grocery shopping all before meeting Sarah, Janey, and Lyndsey. We hopped on a noon train to Seoul and after a quick bite to eat at Coex Mall we were on our way to the Big Top to see Cirque du Soleil: Alegria. I was so excited because ever since I was in Jr. High and saw Cirque du Soleil on TV I have wanted to see a live show. I was not disappointed. It was absolutely AMAZING! Unfortunately, I couldn't take any pictures, but if you want to see some of the unbelievable acts I saw you can search "Alegria, Cirque du Soleil" on Youtube and almost all of them come up. Some of my favorite acts were the hula hoop girl, the contortionists, the trampoline gymnasts, the high flying trapeze artists, and the Russian bars. It was so incredible to see the strength and athleticism of the performers. They were seriously better than Olympic gymnasts (0f course, they are getting paid), and many of them were really young. The music was great, too; I have been singing it all day! So...I am happy. Another one of my life goals accomplished. However, I wouldn't hesistate to accomplish that one again. :-D

Updated photo album

I ♥ my students

So, I know my last post was about school, but lately that's mostly what my life has consisted of. Besides, I can't emphasize enough how awesome my school is...the students, my colleagues, administration, everyone! This was a great week for me. I was in high spirits because I feel so comfortable and happy where I am. Swimming has been going well, and I have enjoyed getting to know more middle school students. Our first meet is December 6th and I'm so excited just to be at a meet again! On Tuesday of this week, the middle school celebrated fall by bobbing for apples. It was hiliarious; not just because of the dripping wet students but because it was so cold. It snowed a couple hours later! I have some great pics though (see link below). Even our principal did it. :-P My favorite thing about TCIS, though, is the relationships formed between the students and the teachers. You have to be so careful in the U.S., but here it is completely different. I just got back from 8th grade party. We invited the entire 8th grade class to come to one of the teacher's house for pizza and then to another teacher's house for dessert, games, and a movie. It was a blast! What a great group of kids! We ate yummy food, watched Lady in the Water, and played Uno, poker, and other card games. 30+ students came and everyone really enjoyed themselves. I think we are already planning another class party for the spring. hehe.

More school pictures--updated Nov. 22

Middle School news...read all about it!

There was a lot of excitement in the middle school this week. Of course, there is always a lot of excitement at the middle school, but this week just seemed a bit more hectic. Maybe it is partly because I was busy writing assessments and making rubrics before grades are due again on the 19th. All of my classes either took a test today or will take one on Tuesday that is different from "normal" Spanish tests.

In the midst of all that, the middle school was hit with a bout of head lice. It started when one of my students came to school Tuesday with a really severe case. That led all 6th graders to get checked, and 2 boys were sent home. The next day 7th grade was checked and yet another girl was found to have head lice. By this time I was super paranoid because 1.) all of them were my students and I only teach about 1/4 of all the students in the school and 2.) because we have been doing a clothing unit and had a fashion show this week. I brought in clothes to wear...including a sombrero (hat) and I am almost certain that the girl wore it! I was so worried that I had infected the entire 8th grade class, too. Today, however, the 8th graders got checked and no one had it. I went to have my head checked, too, just to be safe and it was all clear. Whew!

The other exciting thing about this week was that swim team started. I love coaching! The kids who signed up are so fun. I think they are really enjoying it (dying, but having fun. hehe). The other coach and I weren't sure how practice was going to go because there are over 30 kids and the pool we usually used is "under construction" (whatever that means). Anyway, we thought we were going to have to use a pool with only one lane for all the kids, but we ended up going to another one that was a little further away but gave us three lanes. It was a lot of fun and I am so excited for the season to get underway.

Mission Impossible

This weekend I met up with Bethany in Seoul and we took a four hour bus ride to Sokcho, a really nice city on the northeast coast of Korea. It was beautiful...mountains on one side, ocean on the other. I would really like to go back when it is warm and hit up the beach. Anyway, our purpose for the trip was to hike Soeraksan, the 3rd tallest mountain in Korea and supposedly the most difficult hike. We arrived in Sokcho at ~1:00 am Satuday morning and awoke at 6:00 sharp. Unfortunately it was raining...and kept raining. Since we had come so far we decided to try the climb anyway. We dressed in lots of layers and hopped on a bus to the base of the mountain (well, to the side of the closest highway). When we got to the info booth at the bottom the guy looked at us and said..."impossible." He went on to tell us that there was heavy rain, it was a difficult hike, it would take us 7 hours, that we didn't have proper gear, etc. (Sidenote: when Koreans hike you would think they were climbing Everest. They are always decked out in hiking clothes, big backpacks, and trekking sticks. hehe.) He was so concerned that he wasn't even going to let us go! We explained to him that we had come so far and that we were going to hike the mountain no matter what. After about 10 minutes we finally talked him in to letting us go by saying we were only going to go a little ways. The hike was quite intense; the first kilometer was so steep and didn't have any flat areas to even rest for a little while. Sadly, the clouds were so low that after about 15 min. we were in them and couldn't see what I'm sure were breathtaking views. We did, however, see beautiful fall colors all around us, take in lots of fresh air, and get a great workout. After 2 hours, we were halfway up the mountain we arrived at some waterfalls, the air was getting cold very quickly and the rain began to mix with snow. Not to mention that the rocks were quite slippery. Everyone coming down was warning us about the conditions ahead. We had to decide whether or not we would go to the peak and stay at the shelter, or turn around and go back to our warm hotel room. We decided for the hotel and headed back down. I definitely want to try again in better conditions.

After the hike we grabbed some lunch at went the the "bus station," which was actually a little convenience store, and waited for the 3:35 bus. At 3:30 we headed outside to the side of the highway. Buses in Korea are basically always on time so we thought it a little strange when so much time was passing without it coming. We were still damp from the hike and were freezing just waiting! Finally, one of the other girls waiting for the bus went inside and learned that the bus wasn't coming for another half hour. She and her friend, who were Korean girls about our age, flagged a taxi. We told them we were going to Sokcho too and shared a cab. Between the four of us it ended up being cheaper than taking the bus, they dropped us off right at our hotel, and we got back in 20 min. instead of 50!

On Sunday morning we wanted to get up early and watch the sunrise over the East Sea; but, we woke up and...you guessed it...RAIN! We walked to the beach anyway and took a few pics before catching the bus back to Seoul and then home. All in all it was a good trip because it was fun to hang out with Bethany. We've already made plans for her to come visit me in 3 weeks for Thanksgiving!

Pictures from Sokcho/Soeraksan (the last 30 of the album are new)

Happy Belated Pepero Day!

You are probably asking yourself, 'what the heck is Pepero day?' Well, Pepero day is this incredible marketing scheme by a Korean candy company that is celebrated by giving the chocolate-dipped sticks to other people. I guess it is kinda like Valentine's Day or something. Genius though...create a holiday that makes people buy your product. It was fun, and I received a few Peperos myself. Mmm... :-D

Two thumbs up for Tokyo!

I returned from my long-awaited trip to Tokyo yesterday, and although it involved 2 long days of travel and 3 days of meetings, it was still an awesome trip. The conference was actually really good, and I learned a lot about what I can do better to meet expectations of the MYP (Middle Years Program of the IB). We did have some time for fun though. The conference got over each day around 4. The first day, though, there was a reception for the 350 of us who were there. At the reception they had the father of one of the student's perform a tradiational noh dance. It was...interesting. Not something I would want to watch for a whole show, but I was glad to see it and experience a bit of Japanese culture.

While in the city we also saw a shrine, a palace (from the outside. It closed at 3:30 because of shortened days. :-S), Odaiba--an island district of Tokyo, Harasuka and Shibuya--two of the largest areas of Tokyo, lots of pretty parks, the Rainbow Bridge, and of course, we found some shopping areas where I bought some Japanese lanterns, a bamboo bookmark, and some socks with the big toe separate--a Japanese specialty I hear. We also ate a variety of foods while there. Japanese, of course, but also Chinese, Indonesian, Italian, and Turkish. Overall, a great trip.

I loved Japan not only because of the sites, but also because of the many cultural differences. It's even very different from Korea. First of all, they drive on the left, which completely caught me off guard. But from there, I couldn't stop taking pictures of all the fascinating things around me. There are bikes everywhere; the taxis are old models in new condition; the traffic yeilds to pedestrians; and there are metro stations every few blocks (and 3 different companies--below ground, above ground, and monorail). The food is different...but good; they use wooden chopsticks, not metal. They read from right to left, up and down, and they have 3 different writing systems. The streets are quiet and organized in a grid, and the buildings all look different (as opposed to Korea where each city has many white high-rise apartments that all look the same). The fashion is completely different; anything goes. All the girls wear boots, fuzzy sweater things, and they don't wear pants. Many of the guys carry purses. The toilet fills with water when you sit on it; however, I didn't really understand why it needed to be so full. You can drink the tap water. Even the mirror in our bathroom was even interesting! A square of it didn't fog over when you showered, so you could still see. The city itself was beautiful, but very expensive compared to Korea. And, there were lots and lots of people! It was still great, and I'm already planning a trip back to Japan in January to visit my friend from high school, Ike.

I could go on and on with stories from the weekend, but if you want more details send me an email or give me a call and I will be happy to elaborate. :) Also, check out the following pictures and videos that I've posted to facebook.

Tokyo pictures

I hope this finds you all well! I am still enjoying life here a lot. Work is going well and getting better each week. Last week we celebrated Day of the Dead and built an altar in the classroom. Returning from japan made me realize how much Korea has begun to feel like home. It felt good to return to by apartment, which btw, I just decorated it with Christmas lights today! That means only a little longer until my trip to Thailand and Alicia comes to visit me!

The un-DMZ

I just returned from a trip to Seoul to tour the DMZ (De-Militarized Zone). It is kind of an ironic name for the place since it is probably one of the most miliarized places on Earth. The tour was super interesting and I learned a lot about the history of Korea since its division. We began the tour at the JSA (Joint Security Area) where there are both American and Korean troops as a part of the UN Command of the area. You could just feel the tension there. The North Korean soldiers are carefully monitoring everything and vice versa. There are microphones and video cameras that are monitored 24/7. There are also several watch towers and we were told each place we went from where we were being observed. We were told several times not to point, make gestures, or communicate in any way with the North Koreans so that they wouldn't have anything to use as propoganda. I wondered if we were being fed any propaganda, but I guess there is no way of knowing for sure. Some highlights of the JSA were going ito a negotiation room which is split right over the border of the north and the south, the view from Checkpoint 3 where we could see into a North Korean village, visiting the infamous Bridge of No Return (where the POWs from both sides were released and told to pick a side and stay there), and learning a lot of the current state of the division, as well as the history.

In addition to the JSA we had a nice Korean lunch, went to an observation deck where we could see 25 km into North Korea, and went into a North Korean infiltration tunnel, one of 4 discovered by South Korea in the 1970s. As can be imagined, these tunnels caused quite a scare at the time so South Korea had the tunnels filled with water so they could not be used for an attack. Now it is just opened for tourists. The tunnels were 75 meters underground and went under the Armistice Agreement line to the city of Paju. The one we went in, the 3rd one discovered, caused the most fear since it came out only 52 km from Seoul. It was pretty cool, but they wouldn't let us take any pictures.

Because we had to be at the USO by 7:00 am this morning, we stayed overnight in Seoul. We stayed in an ondol, which is a traditional-style Korean room where you sleep on matresses on the floor. It was fun and more comfortable that you would think. I slept like a rock. Our hotel was located in Itaewon, which is like the foreignor's area of the city. (I guess kinda like Chinatown would be to us. hehe) It was so awesome because everyone was speaking English. And, I found some size 10 shoes--basically impossible here--but the best part was the food. We had burgers, ColdStone, and Mexican food. Yum!

A statue at the 3rd Tunnel representing the division of Korea

Kijong-Dong(peace village), North Korea from checkpoint 3

A North Korean guard tower...and beautiful fall scenery

Sleeping in our ondol

I took lots of pictures this weekend. I also have captions on all of them explaining some of the previous info in a bit more detail. Follow the link to check them out! "A look into my Seoul"--updated pics

I'm alive...barely

Sorry, time has been flying and it just realized that it has been almost 3 weeks since my last post. Things have been crazy here. School has been hectic lately due to ISA testing (International standardized tests similar to ITBS) and the MS creative arts show other various missed blocks. It has been stressful trying to plan, but even more stressful was first quarter progress reports, which came out last week. We do not give the typical letter grade with the IB program; instead the students receive a "level", determined by a rubric (and our professional judgment) for a variety of criteria in each subject. They also are assessed on 7 skills--some related to behavior and others to study habits--which are all given a level. So pretty much they get 100+ numbers and the parents are left to figure out what they all mean. :-P  We have parent/teacher conferences in the upcoming week and we are expecting a lot of confused parents.  Anyway, in Spanish they receive five levels. So I was busy giving each student their five academic criteria, their ATL levels, as well as writing a narrative using the specific guidelines and language of the middle school. This weekend is pretty much the first Saturday that I haven't gone into work. There was just so much to do!

Life isn't all bad though. I really do like teaching. Some days are hard, but most days are very enjoyable. My 8th graders are my favorite because they are such a fun group of kids. They aren't afraid to do the crazy dances or sing the songs I teach them. hehe. They even helped me make an Emociones poster by taking pictures displaying a variety of emotions. It turned out pretty funny. Now they are trying to get me to take them to Spain since the Korean classes all went on a field trip. I am trying to find someplace local I can take them to see the culture, but we'll see what I can find here. 

Besides work, not much has been going on these past few weeks. Last weekend was our Homecoming/50th Anniversary celebration so Friday we had a big assembly. They brought back distinguished alumni, some of which had amazing stories about how much has changed since they were here 50 years ago. After the assembly on Friday there was an awesome buffet, however it got really cold and we were eating outside! Saturday was when most of the festivities were held. They had an event in conjunction with the XC meet down by the river where people had 50 minutes to visit 6 stations, do tasks, and get points. I helped man one of the stations. After a BBQ lunch, they had a lot of yard games, soccer, frisbee golf, food, crafts, etc. I went to visit the location of our new school (to open Aug. 2010). It was really nice, but really far outside the city compared to our current location. Then, I came back to school to work a bit before joining everyone for dinner. It was fun to see so many of my students outside of school and with their families.  And the food was delicious. We had a hog roast...real pork!! Like IA style! :) Afterwards was a great fireworks show and a good night's rest. 

Well, this post is kind of long considering not much has been going on other than school, volleyball games, local shopping, and resting when I get the chance. I promise it will not be so long until I write again because I have some travel plans coming up. Next weekend DMZ (I'm going to N. Korea!) and the following Thursday Tokyo!

Beef...it's what's for dinner!

On Friday night all of the middle school teachers were invited by one of our students to a Brazilian BBQ restaurant. We didn't really know what to expect being this is Korea (aka very far from Brazil) and even Chinese food is served with a Korean influence. We departed from school at 5 to Lake Daejeon, which is where the restaurant is located. I had never seen the lake, but it is absolutely beautiful. We got there just in time to take a few pics and watch the sunset as we enjoyed an amazing meal. By far the best meat I have had here. It was served the traditional Brazilian way. They just keep bringing around more and more food and they will put it on your plate until you tell them to stop. I tried all the meat, including the chicken hearts. I thought they were done after those, but then they brought out grilled pineapple, followed by potatoes (the only thing I said no to because I could not fit anymore in my stomach!). Afterwards they had a live band outside while we sat around the bonfire and chatted. It was really fun. When we got back to the city we talked all the female middle school teachers, including the headmaster's wife, to come to the noraebang with us! It was so funny to watch some of those women in their 40s--or older--let loose. And two of them were new teachers who had never been to the noraebang. We all had a good time.

 

Other highlights of my weekend were helping out at the XC meet--I gave out the popsicle sticks to the runners as they crossed the finish line so they new what place they had gotten--visiting Expo Park and riding the roller coaster there (see link below for some pics of this place), and watching The Office and Grey's season premiers. :) Overall I had a really good weekend because I finally got the chance to explore Daejeon a little. It made me realize there is so much more here I need to see and do!

Also, I have posted a lot of pictures recently so here are some links to various albums. Enjoy!

http://www.new.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2020324&l=14612&id=78300441

http://www.new.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2021343&l=12283&id=78300441

*new album! //www.new.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2021429&l=2fa6a&id=78300441

To bike or not to bike...problem solved!

I had been thinking about getting a bike because it would allow me so much more freedom to explore more of the city and there are some great places to ride. There is a lake right outside the city which is supposedly really beautiful, and there is a nice trail at Hannam University right next to our campus. Plus, it would allow me to start training early for RAGBRAI. :) What was holding me back, besides the money, is that the traffic here is crazy. Cars don't yield to pedestrians at all, and the bigger the vehicle the more control it has of the road. There aren't even any stop signs! I didn't know if I would feel safe riding my bike amongst all the bad drivers. Yesterday on the way to Home Plus I actually got hit by a car! It just bumped my elbow, but still, it just gives you an idea of how careful you have to be (and a great story. hehe). But, after thinking about it I realized that if I could get hit while walking, too, why not just ride the bike and get there faster. Last weekend one of the dorms was trying to get rid of some of their old bikes...for free! I couldn't pass up a free bike so I went to check them out. They are really dirty and rusty and need some air in the tires, but other than that they work great. All the gears are in proper working order. So, I made the decision; as of today I now have my own wheels.

A Whirlwind Week

Wow! This week has been crazy busy. We got back from Busan and I had one day of rest (which I used to sleep all day) and then we went to one of the teacher's mountain homes. It was good to escape the city. We grilled, ate, visited the pottery village where almost every store was closed, and swam in a mountain stream. It was a lot of fun and very relaxing. 

Then, on Wednesday when we started school it was Spiritual Emphasis Week (SEW). The rest of the week was set up like a youth conference except with less free time. A band, Station 2, and a speaker came from the U.S. We also spent time in small groups, tracks--which were basically just fun time; I was in charge of the board games track--and rec time, which usually involved running around the O-jung Dong (aka our neighborhood). It was fun, but it is still really warm here. Especially last week...it was near 90 everyday! The heat and sun and running combination made me completely exhausted at the end of each day. Overall SEW was great; it was nice to see my students in a different environment and connect with them on a deeper level. The band was great, too, and the students really enjoyed having them here.

On Saturday I didn't get a break because I left for Gwangju at 8:00 am where I went to meet up with Bethany. We didn't do too much there, but it was still a good day. We went to an art exhibit (that was kinda disappointing), watched some dance crews and a magician, shopped a little, bought some English books!, ate Pizza Hut, shopped some more, ate Bingsu--it is a lot of fruit, shaved ice, and ice cream and is really refreshing, watched a random parade, were followed for 45 minutes by a creepy Korean man, played with a really cute 4-year old Korean girl (she was the host-sister of one of Bethany's friends), and ate at a inexpensive meat place. Then, I took the 9:00 bus home, arrived just after 11:00 and crashed.

I was really happy I was able to travel on my own with only minor language difficulties. I have taught myself to read Korean which is really exciting. I still struggle with some of the vowels sometimes, but I have all the basic ones down. And, of course, I usually don't know what I'm reading, but it is a step in the right direction.

Today I spent most of the day working at the school, because I haven't planned for so long. We also had a potluck after church today and someone made taco salad, someone else made chili, and Sarah made Andes mints cookies. It pretty much made my day. Anyway, I should head to bed. Back to school tomorrow!

Pictures from Gwangju and Barbara's mountain home:http://www.new.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2021342&l=c7ec4&id=78300441

Where, Oh Where...

I lost my house keys. I don't know where they could be, but I have retraced every step I have taken in the last 2 hours and I still can't find them. So far, I am having really bad luck with not losing things. This probably isn't a surprise to everyone who lived with me last year, however, it is much worse when I don't have people to call and let me in. :P I already lost my SECOM card once this year. That is the card that you need to open everything in Korea, and TCIS is no exclusion. Someone did find it and turn it in the next day, though. If only I could have been so lucky with the house key. Somehow the entire key ring managed to slip off the lanyard that holds the rest of the keys, and I didn't realize until I got to my door. After a series of phone calls, I finally got ahold of Mr. Kim who called the locksmith, who then showed up in less than 10 minutes. So now he is here changing my locks...well, was. He just said something in Korean and left with the lock half-changed. Oh, I wish I could understand what people were saying! I can hardly wait for Korean class next week!!!

Chusok in Busan

So right now I am enjoying a 5-day weekend thanks to a wonderful Korean holiday called Chusok. It is basically the Korean thanksgiving, and it is a huge family holiday where everyone exchanges gifts and gets together with extended family. For the holiday, 7 of us took a little vacation to Busan, which is on the Southeastern coast of Korea, by the East Sea (aka the Sea of Japan, but NO ONE calls it that here :-P) Because of the holiday, it wasn't busy at all, which was really nice. It was a really good trip consisting of spending time on the beach, seeing beautiful nature, shopping, resting a little, eating a lot (including really good Indian food, which I had never tried before), a night ferry ride, visiting the aquarium and the fish market, and riding bumper cars. My favorite part was a place called Taejondae (see 2nd video below) where we rode a little tram that made stops all over this mountainous island just outside the city. It was absolutely beautiful with cliffs right on the water. I also really enjoyed the fish market. It was so interesting; I wish all of you could have been there to see it. I tried to capture the moment on video (see below), but it was a crazy experience. Overall, it was a great trip and a great break from school. And the best part is I still have tomorrow off!

If you want to see some pics from my trip to Busan use this link: http://www.new.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2021159&l=d981b&id=78300441

Here are the videos I took on the trip.

Back in touch with the world...

So, I have officially been here 6 weeks. I can't tell if it seems longer or shorter than that, but either way, time is going quickly.  Only 38 more weeks and I will be headed back to the U.S.A.  This overall was a good week because it was short; we start Chusok holiday tomorrow, which is the Korean Thanksgiving. But the short week wasn't even the highlight of this week. The best part was Wednesday afternoon when I received my cell phone! I know some of you probably don't believe that I went 6 weeks without having one, but I honestly did. It was really weird (and strangely liberating) and now I almost feel cell phone illiterate. I couldn't figure out how to space when texting, I couldn't find my recent calls menu, and I always forget to take it places! I feel much safer traveling now, though. We got them at the perfect time because tomorrow 7 of us are headed out on another mini-vacation to Busan, a coastal city nicknamed Korea's hollywood. I hope we have some time to relax on the beach and not think about school! :)

On a completely different note, today I made my first of hopefully few trips to the doctor's office. I hadn't been hearing well in my right ear and especially in the morning it felt...I don't know...plugged. I went to the school nurse who told me she thought I had an ear infection, so this afternoon I went to an ear, nose, throat doctor. No one there spoke English, but I talked the school nurse into coming with me the first time. I walked in, and before I could even sit in the waiting room chair they called me in.  I sat in what looked like a dentist chair while the doctor used this little camera to take a picture of the inside of my ear. The problem ended up not being an ear infection, but a buildup of earwax that was completely blocking my ear canal! I saw the picture and it was disgusting! Apparently it is a pretty common problem here due to the pollution and dust in the air. Anyway, the doctor took his little scissors and pulled out all the wax and gave my ears a good cleaning. After about a minute sitting in this little machine in which I held two heaters/dryers up to my ears, I was free to go. The entire visit couldn't have been more than 15 min, and now I can hear crystal clear!

Fotos

Oh more thing. I have been updating my photo album of pictures from around Taejon, so be sure to check it out.  Here is the link again if you lost it. :)

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2020324&l=14612&id=78300441

Haircut!

So I was a little nervous to get my haircut, but yesterday I decided to just do it.  Jenn and I went to a place downtown where Ellen had gone before. We walk into the place, and it is a little intimidating.  It is two floors and there were probably about 50 people getting their hair done! We asked for Jin Hee (who we were told by other TCIS folk, speaks English) and they motioned to the next floor. We went up, not knowing what she looked like or how we were going to find her.  We asked again and that told us to wait.  I was thinking, we are probably going to be waiting forever with this many people all in curlers and foils. However, not more than 5 min. later Jin Hee came up to us. Her English was a little broken, but she understood most things.  She told me to go get my hair washed, which is in a separate room.  It has 6 sinks or so and there are two ladies there who just wash hair all day. I waited for the people who arrived before me and then it was my turn.  It was amazing! She gives you a head massage while washing and it felt so good! When it was done she motioned me back to Jin Hee, who was now working on Jenn's highlights.  Another lady came over and took off the towel and brushed my hair...then left. Maybe she was a trainee. :) I really didn't know what was going on, but before long Jin Hee came over and cut my hair.  She did such a good job! Probably the best haircut I've had, and I LOVE it! She even thinned it exactly where it needed to be thinned. When she had finished cutting, yet another lady came over to style my hair.  She dried it and straightened it and Jin Hee cut a little more to shape it and she dried it again.  haha. The whole process took about an hour and a half, I think (my hair almost took as long as Jenn's who was getting highlights), but it was so fun.  And only $20 with no tip! I will definitely be going back there.

My favorite activities

Lately I have been trying to not work as much; I am waking up in the middle of the night thinking about all the stuff I have to do! So, every Tuesday I play tennis with a couple other teachers, then Wednesday night is staff volleyball night (every week it is getting more competitive. I LOVE IT!), and now I have started taekwando on Thursdays. This week was our first class.  It is being taught by a student who is really sweet--a black belt herself--but doesn't have a lot of teaching experience so she is always shy.  It was a lot of fun, though, and definitely a way to relieve stress. :) She says she is going to take us to watch some shows so that we can see "real taekwando". hehe. In addition to my own physical activities, fall sports have started here, and I have found my new favorite high school activity to watch...boys volleyball!!!  I have already gone to two games this weekend because it is just so much fun! The game is fast-paced, they can jump serve, and they spike really hard! It is so much fun to watch! I can't wait until the next home game! Go Dragons!

 

Birthdays!

So, lately we have been all about birthdays here in Korea. First, it was Kirsten's, one of my fellow Spanish teachers. For her b-day we found this awesome little meat restaurant near school. I will definitely be going back there. In Korea, meat is usually sold only at certain restaurants and is quite expensive. You always cook it on the grill in front of you. Anyway, the night of her actual b-day we were on the retreat, so we got together for some no rae bang. Then, Sunday was Christie, the other Spanish teachers, birthday. For that celebration we went out in style to Bennigan's (which is really expensive here, btw!) which was fun. Then, last night was my friend Lyndsey's birthday. We went to a really nice Italian restaurant in a part of town near to where TCIS will be relocating in a couple years. Afterward we had cake and ice cream. Needless to say, I haven't been starving! :)

Pictures of b-day celebrations: http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2020902&l=225bf&id=78300441

Gyeongju Retreat

Hello all! Sorry it has been so long since I've written, but things have not slowed down. This past week of school flew by, and before I knew it I was on a charter bus (1 of 18!) to Gyeongju for the faculty/staff retreat. We took so many buses because it was all faculty, staff, and families from TCIS as well as GSIS, our sister school in Suwon. I really enjoyed meeting the staff from GSIS, including the Spanish teacher. She is from Brazil, but her dad is from Malaga. She taught for 3 months in Morocco and 6 months in Israel before coming to Korea. Talk about some cool stories! I think she is going to come visit us at TCIS in September. Anyway, Gyeongju is one of the most historic cities in Korea. It kinda reminded me of an Asian version of Pella because all the buildings were of the traditional style: gas stations, shops, restaurants, etc. There were no high-rise apartment complexes like in every other Korean city. And there was so much green! We stayed in a very nice hotel, ate great food, and had ample free time to explore the city. I hiked a mountain from base to peak on Saturday AM. It was one of the coolest things I've ever done, but I was so tired after. There was an awesome view from the top (you could see to the ocean) which made it well worth the muscle pain. From the top we looked down and saw our hotel, where we left from, and it was such an amazing feeling. In the PM I took a cultural tour. We visited a Buddist temple, a museum, and some tombs. The tombs are mounds of grass which just look like big hills. Inside, all the kings and queens of the silla dynasty are buried. One has been excavated and you can go inside. It is pretty cool. Then for dinner we had bulgogi and watched a cultural show, complete with dances and drumming (see video below). The nights of the retreat were a lot of fun, too. On Friday we found a no rae bang and about 42 TCIS and GSIS people all squeezed into a room meant to hold about 15. Then, on Saturday, we played games until way later than I wanted to be up, but it was a lot of fun. I feel like I know the returning staff a lot better now. So now it's Monday and it was back to normal! At least for another couple weeks until our next break

to see more pictures from Gyeongju, use this link:

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2020871&l=cb8e8&id=78300441

Songtan

Ok, so we just got back from Songtan, and I had a great day. For the most part, it wasn't anything super interesting. Just lots of little shops selling a bunch of knick-knacks, souvenirs, clothes, jewelry, DVDs, and other random junk. :-P I did manage to buy quite a few things though. I bought a beautiful comforter and shams for only $40. Dark brown, kinda silky with an asian-type pattern. They match the wall-hangings I bought last week in Seoul really well, so my room is now fully decorated in an asian theme. Besides a comforter I bought a couple DVDs (Juno and season 1 of The Office--which btw, series seasons are way cheap here so if you want one, let me know!), a necklace, some postcards, maple syrup, and microwave popcorn. Both of the latter are very difficult to find in Korea, but Songtan is right by the U.S. Air Force base so things are smuggled off and sold on the outside. It was so weird to see Americans everywhere and hear some many people speaking English, however, the best part of the day was lunch...MEXICAN FOOD! We had been hearing all about this amazing Thai restaurant in Songtan so everyone had pretty much decided that's where we were going for lunch. But, when I was walking I saw Mexican food and talked Anna into going with me. When I posed the idea to the rest of the group, almost everyone else joined us. It was surprisingly really good...I even had horchata! The smells and the decorations were just like every other Mexican restaurant I've seen. Needless to say, my craving for Mexican has been met and you don't have to figure out a way to mail me tacos! :)

More Pics

Here are some pictures from my day trip to Seoul.  My camera died so sadly I don't have many.  But the ones I do have are of the palace and they are beautiful!  Just copy and paste the link in to 

the browser and your should be able to see them. :)

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2020655&l=c5149&id=78300441

I have also been updating my album of Taejon so here is the link: http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2020324&l=14612&id=78300441

School, Seoul, and Sundaes!!!

So, I just completed the second week of school. It went really well now that I am getting to know the kids more.  I love them more and more each day! It sometimes surprises me how normal they are despite the fact that some of them have amazing life stories.  They have lived places I haven't heard of or only dream of going and speak way more languages than I do.  However, besides that, the way they act, the way they talk, the things they like to do is in many ways just like my students in Iowa.  The 6th graders are definitely the most challenging because they are still like elementary kids, but I'm getting the hang out it.  And they are so darn cute!

School is always full of surprises.  This week, my ESL Bible students took a placement test and passed into the next level.  They were removed from my class so I thought I wasn't teaching them anymore.  Then, a day before the test was supposed to be, I found out that I was going to be teaching 7th grade ESL Bible again so I hurried to write the test.  I thought I would just have the 2 boys I had before, but about an hour before class I found out that I had 6 students, 4 of which had been in the 8th grade class learning something completely different!  Luckily I have plenty of experience at winging a lesson and it went fine.  I like having a bit larger class, but it definitely caused a moment of frantic planning.

This past Saturday I went to Seoul with a few of the girls.  It was a great trip...a little wet, but still good.  We visited Gwanghwamun Palace and watched the changing of the guard there.  Then, we went to Insadong and had lunch (Korean! The best I've had yet), shopped, went to a tea shop where I had quince tea (also the best I've had), and met up with Bethany!  It was so good to see a familiar face and fun to spend the day with her.  We got yogurt and fruit, walked and talked, and went to a stream that runs through downtown Seoul.  While we were walking we ran into a break dance crew called the Gamblerz who are apparently the best in the world.  G confirmed so I guess it's true. :-P  I agree...they were AMAZING!  After that we had dinner, said goodbye to Bethany, and headed home.  It was a great day, but we were definitely exhausted.  Luckily the trip isn't long; only 50 min. on the KTX!

I have really enjoyed getting to know all of the teachers at TCIS.  We often have staff get-togethers.  We play volleyball every Wednesday (although we've only had one week where no one has gotten injured and ended up on crutches :-S) and last night we had a sundae party!  Some girls provided ice cream and the rest of us brought toppings.  We don't get dessert very often so it was sooooooo good...and fun!

I am still very happy here and only miss a few things.  Though, if I had to pick the thing I miss the most--other than family and friends, of course--is Mexican food!  It is really hard to find here.  If you figure out how to send me some tacos and some good ground beef, do it por favor! :)  

Rain, Rain, Go Away!

So apparently I brought the Iowa flooding with me to Korea.  Yesterday after school there were torrential rains and the school soccer field had standing water past my ankles.  There is a levee-like wall built near the classrooms so no water got into the middle school.  At staff volleyball last night, a woman who has been here 4 years said she has never seen it rain like that since she's been here.  Unfortunately, I had forgotten to bring my umbrella to school that day.  Fortunately, one of the students left hers, so I just borrowed it. :-P Then today, Anna, Janey and I walked to HomePlus.  We found it all buy ourselves and did our shopping.  As we were leaving, it started to sprinkle.  By the time we got home it was a downpour!  Only my Multigrain Os were a little wet.  I hope this rain stops though.  Especially before our trip to Seoul this weekend!

Day 1 down

So, I survived my 1st day of teaching.  Today all I had was my ESL Bible class which only has two boys in it.  Neither of them speak English well, but if I talk slowly the usually get it.  When class started only 1 of them was there; after lunch the second came.  I guess he was in the wrong class.  Poor kid.  The 6th graders are so funny because they are new to the school, too, and don't really know what they are doing.  They need help opening their lockers and finding their classrooms.  Tomorrow I have a full day...no breaks.  It will be a long day, but I'm excited since I will actually be teaching Spanish.  And my classes will be a bit bigger.  Not too big though, my largest is 12. :)

An interesting night...

So, last night Anna and I decided to go on an adventure to see the new Batman movie, which just hit the theaters in Korea this weekend.  We left before supper so that we could buy our tickets, then eat, then go to the movie.  We got one of the 20 remaining tickets for the 9:00 show.  Seats are assigned for movies here so with a lot of body language, we managed to pick out seat D1 and D2.  Then, we went looking for a place to eat.  We were feeling really brave and confident since we had managed to get the taxi driver to take us to the right place, find the theater, and buy movie tickets so we were looking for a Korean restaurant with pictures on the menu.  Was it ever a good choice for adventure! We found one and took off our shoes at the door.  We didn't know if we were supposed to seat ourselves or wait.  A lady ran up and got us some pillows and told us to sit.  She asked us what we wanted (I think) and we didn't know what anything was so we just pointed to the table next to us and ordered what they were having.  The waitress brought us lots of little sides, but we didn't know where the silverware was.  We asked and she showed us a little box on our table that was full of chopsticks.  We began to try the little sides when she brought out the grill and the meat, mushrooms, and onions.  After putting them on the grill, she cut them with scissors into smaller pieces so we could put them in the lettuce wrap.  Then, she wiped her hands on my cloth and gave it back to me!  Anna and I were just laughing at everything that was going on around us.  We began eating and "talking" with the men at the table next to us, who were laughing at our poor chopsticks abilities.  One even came up and helped Anna.  At one point in time the lady noticed that we weren't dipping the meat in this oil sauce before putting it in the lettuce so she took a piece from our grill, dipped it, blew it off to cool it, and held it in front of my mouth for me to take a bite.  I did, but it was just so different from anything that would happen in the U.S.  I tried asking if any of the foods were spicy, which worked pretty well, until I took a huge bite of a jalapeno pepper.  If you know me well, you would know that I HATE spicy things.  I had to spit it out and eat more cucumber jelly noodles to cool my mouth. Overall the meal was tasty and an exciting cultural experience.  From there, we walked to Costco where we bought way too much stuff.  I think it weighed about 80 lbs. all together.  We walked back to the theater, but quickly realized we couldn't take it all in so we left the stuff in some lockers.  We arrived at the movie and Anna thought it was necessary to order the family pack of food because it was only w10,000 (about $10) and we got 2 drinks, popcorn, caramel corn, nachos, and...squid.  We thought it was some kind of candy until we noticed how fishy it smelled.  We found our seats in the giant theater and enjoyed the rest of the batman movie.  Besides a slight scare that the area where we had kept our stuff was locked (which it wasn't, we just had to go outside and around) the rest of the night went smoothly.  It was quite an interesting night

Contact Information

Oh, and I almost forgot...a lot of people have been asking for my address here in Korea. So, here it is!

Stephanie Liebe
c/0 Taejon Christian International School
210-1 O-Jung Dong, Daedeok Gu
Taejon, South Korea 306-010

I'm also on signed into Skype all the time. My screen name is stephanie.liebe so look me up! The best times to call me are at 7:00-9:00 am or 5:00-6:00 pm CDT. Otherwise I will most likely be sleeping or at school. Of course, the weekends are different...just remember the time difference; I am 14 hours ahead. If calling doesn't work for you I'm always happy when I get an email. Keep in touch!

La, La, La

So, I have been super busy trying to prepare for the first day of school. Every day is full of meetings, and divisional meetings, and subject meetings, and grade meetings, and technology meetings...you get the picture. So, some of the teachers and RAs decided to go out and have so fun before we got even more overwhelmed with school work. I have officially found my favorite thing to do in Korea so far...no re bang (sp?). I guess it exists in the states, too, but I had never heard of it before. What happens is that you pay for a room, some are small and others are larger, and you do karaoke. We had 15ish people so our room was pretty big. There are lights and screens and couches everywhere; and there are a ton of song options. Almost every U.S. song I could think of plus the ones in Korean and probably other languages. I sang Sk8ter Boi and Breaking Free, from HS Musical. hehe. The mics kinda add reverb to your voice and the music is really loud so I think it makes you sound better than you are. And, it gives you points at the end...like SingStar! It was so much fun and I will definitely have to do it again sometime soon. And, if any of you come to visit me I will definitely be taking you to no re bang. :)

School, Shopping, and Chinese Food

Well, life continues to go well here in Taejon.  I am becoming more familiar with the city.  I have made a few more trips to new downtown and have had the chance to walk around the area around the school a bit more.  I now know how to say hello and thank you with confidence in Korean, but I am still hesitant to say anything else.  Throughout the first semester we will have about 15 hours of Korean class after school.  School starts on Monday--1 week from today! Ahh!--so this week will be spent preparing.  It's kinda nice, we are on a ten-day schedule and all of the students have 10 classes.  I teach 6 classes and have 4 planning periods.  Much of the planning period will be spent with the other world language teachers so it's not like I have 3 hours off in the middle of the day, however, it's not going to be as crazy as in the U.S. where there is hardly time to take a breath.  I will teach 2 6th grade classes, 2 7th/8th grade classes, and 1 8th grade class (for more advanced students).  Because that doesn't give me a full schedule, I will also be teaching 1 section of ESL Bible class.  I am a little nervous trying to teach Bible to ESL students since Biblical language confuses most native speakers, but the curriculum has already been written for me and I just have to teach it.  I'm sure I can handle it.  Besides meetings about school policies and my students, we also have been getting off campus.  Yesterday we ate at Mr. Wongs, a very popular Chinese restaurant chain here.  The Chinese food here is different than in the U.S., but I liked it better than Korean food.  I also think I am getting better with chopsticks even though I still have to concentrate a lot during meals.  Today we went shopping at Costco.  It was so nice to be able to read the labels!  I didn't buy too much, but when our meals are no longer provided, I will be back there to buy cereal and mango juice.  Yum!  Yesterday and today were the first days I really felt worn out.  I'm trying really hard not to take a nap, but I am just so sleepy!  I must have been running on adrenaline the first few days and now jet lag is starting to hit.  Last night some of the new staff got together and played volleyball.  Tonight the returning staff arrive and we are having a cookout/social to meet each other.  I am looking forward to it.  I'm sure they are wonderful people because everyone I've met so far has been incredibly supportive and caring!

Pictures!!!

I have posted some pictures on facebook.  You can just copy and paste this address into the url and you should be able to see them. These are the ones I've taken so far in Korea, http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2020324&l=14612&id=78300441, and these are from Hawaii, http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2020323&l=844da&id=78300441. Enjoy!

I'm here!

Well, I have arrived safely and smoothly in Taejon!  All of my flights were on time and all of my luggage arrived with me.  Yay!  I even have it all unpacked.  So far I am doing really well here.  The people are really kind--and from all over the world so it's great, my apartment is awesome and the city is fascinating.  We have been having meetings about all kinds of things, both relating to school and to life in Korea, so I have been pretty busy.  I did have some time to go exploring, though. :)  I went to an everything store the first day we were here and it was so hard to know what we were actually buying since we couldn't read any labels.  It is funny though because there is a clerk in almost every aisle trying to get your to buy certain "bargain" products.  If you buy them, often times you get something else free (like a towel or a smaller bottle of shampoo, etc).  Things are more expensive that I was expecting, but still not outrageously priced and food is really cheap.  Most things are comparable to the U.S.  The hardest thing to get used to so far, is taking out the trash!  I know that sounds crazy, but it is quite a complicated process.  You have to throw away everything in a specific green bag that you buy at the store.  They are different depending on which part of town you live in.  Some of us only live a couple blocks away and have different bags.  Then everything that can be recycled has to be separated, but they don't have bins like in the States.  You also have to put food in a separate bin, as well.  Other things that I have done include going to the "mall" in new downtown, riding in a taxi (SCARY!), and eating in a traditional Korean restaurant.  The entire staff and families went to the restaurant today and it was quite an experience.  First off, you take your shoes off at the door.  Then, many plates of food were already set out on the tables.  The tables are at floor level and at some tables you sit on a pillow, at others there was this half-chair thing.  To sit at the table you step down first, so it feels like you are sitting in a normal chair, but instead you are on the floor!  I have pictures if you don't get it.  :-P  Then, they brought us each out a plate of raw meat, which we put in a pot of boiling water to cook and then ate with a rice-filled lettuce wrap.  It was actually pretty good.  Then, when our meat was all cooked, they put in noodles and things for a soup.  It was really good, probably the best thing I've eaten.  I tried seaweed today as well as more kimchi, which I still can't eat.  It is sooo spicy.  Tomorrow is a free day so I can sleep in until church and then just explore and relax the rest of the day.  I hadn't really felt any jet lag until today, but I have been sleeping well.  There are about 10 other people here my age and we have all been hanging out/exploring the city together so I have enjoyed getting to know them.  And luckily, they are all as adventurous as me! 

Aloha from Hawaii

Well, I survived day one of my trip to Korea.  All went very smoothly, but it has been a very long day and now I am exhausted.  All of my luggage made it and I was able to find the storage people and get a shuttle to my hostel.  I am writing this post from Waikiki where I have spent the past few hours lying on the beach, exploring the city, and watching the surfers.  It was a great afternoon, but I definitely need to come back here sometime.  Hawaii is so beautiful and I'm really glad I had a chance to stop and see it.  Don't worry, pictures will be coming soon. :)  Even the flight here was fun...full of "aloha"s and "mahalo"s.  During the flight we also played the halfway to Hawaii game where we had to guess what time to the second, in Hawaii time, we were going to arrive on the island.  I guessed 10:16.40 AM and was only off by 18 seconds...and I didn't win!  Oh well, I think the prize was a gift certificate to a common gift shop here so I probably couldn't have used it anyway.  Tomorrow I leave at 10:30 Hawaii time and arrive at 1:30 Korea time...a day later!  That will be weird, but because it is almost a full day it shouldn't affect me too much.  I am anxious to get there to see the city and meet the people I will be working with.  I won't have to wait much longer now, though!  Aloha!

Where I am...

Ok, here's South Korea! Taejon is in the central part of the country slightly to the left. (you can click on the map to enlarge it)

3 weeks to go!

Wow...I leave in 3 weeks and I feel like I have so much to do until then! Right now I am feeling nervous and excited and anxious and dreading July 29th all at the same time. I will try to post on here as much as possible so everyone will know what I'm up to during the next 2 years. Be sure to check out the blog for pictures as well. For those that don't know, most of my time will be spent teaching middle schoolers to speak Spanish. I'm sure I will keep busy in my spare time lesson planning and trying to tackle the everyday challenges of living abroad. I've heard the teachers get together to play volleyball on Wednesday nights, too. :-) I'm very excited to go to Asia, someplace I have never been (and don't know very much about) and to learn Korean--both the language and the culture. I know there will be plenty of adventures to share!